Sorting Priorities (a Romione/Dramione Fic)

Chapter 4 • Daydreaming is Rarely a Glimpse Ahead

Ron woke up the next morning bright and early, smiling gently to himself. He was still shocked at his good fortune from the day before, but he wasn't going to question it. He was just glad that Hermione had agreed to go out with him.

As he quietly pulled a slightly rumpled set of robes over his head, he saw Harry's bed hangings shift. Not wanting to disturb him, Ron decided to put his trainers and badge on in the common room. He picked up his things, but before he had taken two paces to the dormitory door, Harry pulled aside his hangings.

"Where're you g-g-going so fast?" he yawned, seeing Ron at the door.

"I was going to go down to the common room so I wouldn't wake you up, but I guess it doesn't matter now," Ron said as he flopped back onto his bed. He pulled on his white trainers as Harry pulled off his pajamas. While they silently dressed, Ron let his mind wander back to Hermione, and a grin slid onto his face. As he thought, he fastened his Prefect's badge to his robe's front, and only when Harry told him did he realize he was trying to put it on upside-down.

"What's your deal this morning?" Harry asked. "You've been grinning this whole time." But then Harry's expression cleared. "Oh! I just remembered! How could I forget? How're things with you and Hermione going?" A mischevious smile slid on his face.

Ron turned red. "Well, we've only gone out for a day, but I guess things are going okay. I mean, she did agree to go out with me, didn't she?" He turned away as he felt his face flush. Why couldn't Harry just shut up? He headed to the dormitory door, but Harry caught him again.

"Leave it, will you?" Ron exclaimed as he wrenched his arm from Harry's grip. "I don't want to give a word-for-word account of my day!" And he strode angrily down to the common room, his badge forgotten.

As he sat down next to Hermione at breakfast, his mood immediately improved due to Malfoy's absence at the Slytherin table. He hoped he was stuck in hospital wing--it was high time someone served him what was coming to him. As he grabbed a few slices of toast and jam, Hermine opened up the Daily Prophet.

"What's the news?" Ron asked through a mouthful of bread.

"Nothing important," Hermione said, flipping through the pages. She tossed the paper aside and poured some milk over her cereal as Harry sat on the other side of her.

"Any news?" He asked, spooning eggs onto a plate.

"None," Hermione said to Harry.

Ron turned to Harry, temporarily forgetting his anger. "D'you know where Malfoy is?" He asked.

"No, why?" Harry asked. "Is he not at the Slytherin table?" He craned his neck to look past the Hufflepuffs. "Huh. I wonder where he is? He could be in detention, I heard McGonagall shouting at him the other day." His eyes lit up. "Or maybe he's been injured! Oh, I'd have loved to see that. I should send whoever did it a thank-you card."

Ron guffawed. "Yeah, maybe McLaggen did it, Snape would've killed him for it..." His eyes gained a misty look as he thought about his two least favorite people fighting it out in a corridor.

However, Hermione's voice snapped him out of it. "We ought to head to Charms, shouldn't we? We wouldn't want to be late." She stood up to leave.

Ron cast a sad look at his half-eaten pastry, but followed her lead from the Great Hall. As he and Harry fell into step with her, he grabbed Hermione's hand. "How do you think we did on that last homework assignment? I'm not sure it was my best; I think I messed up the incantation for that last charm, but overall I think it was okay..." The trio talked all the way to the classroom, where they arrived just as Professor Flitwick was shutting the door.