The Bet | Harmione

Chapter 1.3

There was silence in the room.

He had waited so long for this moment. So damn long.

"What's going on?" Ron tried to keep his voice steady and failed miserably. "What's going on is that I've invested more galleons into the Hogwarts betting pool than you two will ever know! Do you know how much I've lost!?"

Harry and Hermione were stunned, both looking at him with identical expressions of shock.

"No, of course you wouldn't know," he muttered to himself. "You're both blind as a bat when it comes to your own feelings. I mean, I always knew Harry was sort of daft—" Harry made a sound of protest. "Sorry, mate, but you know it's true. Still, I thought Hermione would be the one to make the first move. Brightest Witch of Her Age, my arse."

Hermione slowly brought her wand up and pointed it at Ron, her eyes glinting in a way that made the hairs at the back of his neck stand up.

"Oh, sure. Threaten me because I'm telling the truth!" He somehow managed not to let his fear of Hermione leak out in his voice, but he stepped back a few steps and hid behind Harry. Just in case. "I will speak my piece this time and not even you can stop me."

"I didn't get into it until second year so I don't know exactly when the bet started. What I do know is that the betting pool was massive. Every single professor had a stake in it, from McGonagall to Dumbledore to that ghastly Binns. Even Snape had a foot in, but rumors had it that he betted against you two getting together. Miserable sod."

"He never would want to see me happy," Harry shook his head in thought.

"Are you actually buying this?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "That there was a... a bet about us getting together since we were kids?"

"It doesn't matter if you believe it," Ron sneered at her. "It's true. And it was hell for everyone to wait for you two to get your bearings straight."

The more he thought about everything he had endured all those years, the more frustrated he grew. He gave up hiding behind Harry and started pacing around the room.

"I thought for sure that after third year, my bet was secured; that after you lovebirds left me in the hospital wing to have a rendezvous on Buckbeak, going on a jolly old adventure through time—just the two of you, going through life and death together and all of that jazz—" He made an exploding gesture with his hands. "I thought it would spark something!"

"We were trying to save Sirius, Ron."

"While flying on a symbol of love? Yes, I did my research Hermione. I do know how to read, thank you very much."

Hermione and Harry both looked at him doubtfully.

"You wouldn't get it." He let out a defeated sigh. "My investment was at stake. Years of allowance savings that I managed to keep the twins from nabbing and I was about to lose it! I was desperate.