Sorting Priorities (a Romione/Dramione Fic)

Chapter 3 • Hermione and...Who?

Hermione stood by the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, about to sit down, when Ron walked nervously up to her. His eyes were fixed on the floor, and his ears were as red as his hair. Setting her book on the bench, Hermione watched him, concerned. Was Ron okay? She opened her mouth, about to ask, when he licked his lips nervously, running a hand through his bedraggled hair.

"Hermione," he began. "I really ought to let you know this..." He raised his eyes to hers, his gaze full of affection, and the tension knotted in his shoulders melted. "I really, really like you," he breathed. Searching her blank eyes for a reaction, he reached for her hand, only to find her grabbing her books again as she turned away, unable to reply. How could she ever reciprocate when she was falling for someone else?

Hermione suddenly became aware of her sheets twisted around her body, and she jerked awake,  full of frustration from her dream. Would I honestly ever turn down Ron because of some stupid crush on Malfoy? she asked herself  as she grabbed a pair of robes. She wanted to say no, but how could find out the truth? Ask Ron for a test run for when he'd ask her out? She snorted. Dragging a brush quickly through her hair, only making it frizzier, she slid out of the dormitory.

When she entered the common room, Hermione made a tired beeline for the portrait-hole,  not expecting to see any other students up so early. Only when she heard loud feet shuffling in the murky shadows beside a bookshelf near the entrance did she blink and take in the odd sight of Ron, hunched over in discomfort, trying to catch her eye.

"Oh. Good morning, Ron," she mumbled. "Do you want to come down to breakfast with me?" She yawned and padded blearily over to the bookshelf, pulling Ron away from the stifling confines of the drapes.

"Er, actually, I was waiting for you to come down so I could talk to you," he muttered.

"Oh! Really? Why?" Hermione asked, her heart speeding up. Maybe it wouldn't be so long before she found out if she'd shy away from a date. As far-fetched as the hope was, she couldn't help the sudden flurry of questions and responses and possible scenarios in which Ron asked her out that flitted across her mind. Swallowing her sudden alertness, she waited for Ron to find his voice.

Ron's ears turned red and he opened his mouth, only to close it a second later, clearing his throat nervously.  "Er-- Would you like to go out me?" he asked hopefully. "You don't have to," he added, looking up. "I was just...wondering?" He winced and glanced down, a scowl crossing his features before he looked back up at her, brown eyes searching brown eyes for an answer.

Hermione's heart leapt, and a weight fell off her shoulders. "Of course I would," she replied. "I was wondering when you'd ask." She smiled and continued on her way over to the portrait-hole, trying to exit the awkward, tense moment, but Ron stood still, dismayed.

"What?" Hermione turned back around. "You haven't changed your mind, have you?" Hermione's tone was joking, but inside her heart was racing in panic. What if Ron really had decided he didn't want to date her?

"Was I really that obvious?" Ron asked.

Kicking herself for being so paranoid, Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, but I suppose I was too, if you could pick up on it," she laughed. "I am surprised it took you so long to pluck up the courage to ask me out, though."

Ron shifted uneasily, shrugging. "Yeah, well, I thought you liked someone else, but that's not important," he added hurriedly. "Let's get down to breakfast before all the good food is taken."

On the way to the Great Hall, the two walked together in the overlapping territories of sweethearts and friends, casting glances at each other when the other wasn't looking, wondering why it suddenly felt as if a whole new entity stood beside them; their hearts leapt and danced and wept in the flow of emotions, and Hermione felt a yawning pit of loss opening its consuming jaws of doubt and guilt to swallow her relief in a break from the rush of emotion.