A Looping of the Scales ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 49 ~ The Reckoning

After Harry and Ron worked off their aggression and Snape managed to catch the Snitch twice, all five friends returned to Hogwarts castle. Susan Bones was walking through the entrance hall heading for the kitchens. She had on her chef’s hat and apron and carried a small pot with fresh parsley in it. Ron went on point immediately and hurried over just to say hi as his friends watched him.

“Why is Ron going over there?” Hermione asked Harry. They all knew Susan Bones but usually only spoke in passing.

”He’s sweet on her and asked her out. He’s waiting for her answer,” Harry informed her.

”Oh,” Hermione said softly. She had mixed feelings as she looked at the witch. Snape’s dark eyes shifted toward Hermione for a moment, then back to Ron who nearly skidded to a stop in front of Susan.

”Hi Susan,” he said to the witch, who looked back at him stonily and didn’t reply.

Ron blinked at her.

”What’s wrong?” he asked her. “You don’t mind me saying hi to you, do you?”

”As a matter of fact, I do mind, Ronald Weasley. You don’t ever have to say hi to me again. You don’t have to wait for an answer either. It’s no,” she said to him coldly and tried to walk down the stairs.

Ron ran around her and blocked her path.

”What do you mean no? Why? You told me I could ask you again in a week,” he said desperately. “The week isn’t even up. Why are you saying no?”

Harry and the rest of his friends stood listening, slightly embarrassed at Ron’s desperation. What was wrong with him? She said no. No meant no.

”Ask Lavender.”

”What? What’s Lavender got to do with anything?”

Susan’s eyes teared up.

”Ron, don’t play stupid. I know you and Lavender were snogging in your room last night, and that you told her you only asked me out because I’d feed you. She said how you really felt about me.”

Ron stared at Susan.

”I didn’t snog Lavender last night. I haven’t touched her for more than a year. We broke up ages ago, before I even went out with Hermione,” he told Susan. “She’s lying.”

Susan blinked at him.

”Well, why would she lie? She wasn’t talking to me. I overheard her talking to Parvati in the first floor bathroom. She didn’t even know I was there,” Susan said doubtfully. Ron looked so sincere.

”She’d lie to make you say no,” Ron said darkly. “She doesn’t like the idea of us going out, Susan. She made that clear yesterday morning. She’s—she’s jealous.”

”Of me?”

”Yes, of you—and I’m going to prove it, damn it!”

Ron took the parsley plant out of Susan’s hand and caught her firmly by the arm.

”Come on. We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” he growled, pulling her along and handing the potted plant to Harry as they passed.

”Where—where are we going?” Susan asked him.

”To Gryffindor tower. Come on.”

Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Snape watched in silence as Ron quickly walked Susan up the marble stairwell and down the first floor corridor. After a moment, they appeared on the second floor landing and caught a shifting stairwell up.

”Weasley certainly is a take-charge wizard,” Snape said softly as Hermione looked up at him.

”He can be,” Hermione replied.

”Well, come on. I don’t want to miss this!” Ginny exclaimed, running up the staircase, followed by Harry. Hermione stood there, looking after them, her brow slightly furrowed.

Snape studied her.

”A sickle for your thoughts,” he said quietly.

Hermione looked at him, unable to voice her feelings about Ron asking Susan Bones out so soon after they’d broken up. Yes, she had shagged Severus, but they only had a loose relationship. Ron was trying to start a completely new committed one. He was trying to get another girlfriend.

”I don’t really know what my thoughts are,” she said softly.

”Are you jealous?”

”No, not jealous. I don’t know what I am,” she said.

Snape nodded slightly.

”A little hurt,” he said. “Maybe feeling replaced, just a bit—maybe even a little like a failure.“

Hermione looked at him with a sad expression.

”Maybe a little,” she said, “but, I didn’t feel this way until I heard Ron asked Susan out. She’s a nice witch, really. A good duelist. It’s just a little disconcerting—“

Hermione suddenly realized she was talking to the wizard she’d accepted as a lover about a former boyfriend.

”Oh, Severus. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t be talking to you about this—“

”Yes you should. I’m here for everything, Hermione. You might have been busy much of the time you were with Ron, but you did care about him and shared something intimate with him. It would be strange if you didn’t have some reaction to seeing him pursue another witch. At least, at least you don’t feel hatred like I did when Lily and James—“

Snape stopped speaking suddenly, pain evident in his eyes.

”You’re lucky,” he said softly. “You and Ronald Weasley are still friends. Be glad for that much. I’m going to go shower. You should go to Gryffindor tower. I think Weasley is going to need your support.”

Snape walked away. Hermione couldn’t help feeling his isolation as he entered the dungeons, his robes billowing slightly as he descended. It was clear to see that although they were lovers, he still felt very alone.

She sighed and started up the stairs.

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”Lavender! Lavender, open the door,” Parvati cried, pounding on the witch’s door excitedly. “Ron is in the common room demanding to see you, and Susan’s with him.”

Lavender, who had been removing her make-up, froze mid-wipe.

”What? He brought Susan here?”

Lavender rose and approached the door, her heart pounding.

”Yes, he wants to talk to you. He’s angry, too. What did you do?” Parvati asked through the door.

”Tell him I’m not here!”

”I can’t. I already said you were here.”

”Tell him you were mistaken.”

”Lavender! What did you do?”

”Just tell him I’m busy and I’ll talk to him later, then, Parvati. Please.”

”All right.”

A scowling Ron stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to the girl’s dormitories, his blue eyes glinting with anger. He had Susan firmly by the hand. Harry and Ginny were with him and several other students hung about curiously. Ron had brought Susan into Gryffindor tower. That was highly unusual.

Parvati walked down the stairs.

”I’m sorry Ron, but she said she’s too busy right now and will talk to you later.”

Ron looked down at Susan, who was quite red. She was embarrassed about being in Gryffindor house and the center of attention.

”Ron, I should go.”

”No, you’re not going anywhere until we sort this out,” he said firmly, then drew his wand and looked at Parvati who was still on the stairs.

”Get off the stairs, Parvati,” he said in a dark voice.

Scared she was about to be hexed, Parvati hurried down the staircase and past Ron and Susan.

”Ron, what are you doing?” Harry asked him worriedly as Ron placed one foot on the lower step. The staircase instantly turned into a slide. He pointed his wand up the stairs and slightly to the right.

”Accio Lavender Brown,” he hissed.

”Ron! You can’t use that spell on a human being!” Harry cried.

”I can use it on Lavender though,” he snarled.

There was a loud shriek, a bump, another shriek and the sound of struggle, then another shriek growing louder as Lavender slid into view then down the slide on her arse, ending up sitting on the floor in front of Ron and Susan. Her hair was tangled and half her make up was still on. She looked a mess.

”Stand up,” Ron said to her.

Lavender stood up. Hermione walked into the common room and hurried over to stand next to Harry and Ginny, her eyes wide as she looked at the disheveled witch getting up from the floor.

”Ron! You didn’t have any right to—“

”Legilimens!” Ron hissed at her, entering her mind.

Lavender tried to slam down her Occlumency walls but didn’t have her wand with her. Ron entered and found out what she had done and said in the girl’s bathroom. He pulled out of her mind, absolutely furious.

”I can’t believe you, Lavender,” he said to her. “I told you I asked Susan out. You knew I liked her.”

Ron turned to Susan and took both her hands in his.

”Susan, listen. Lavender saw you go into the bathroom, followed you and said those things so you wouldn’t go out with me. It’s all lies. I didn’t snog her last night, and I certainly didn’t say I wanted to be with you just because of your cooking. Susan, I think you are an awesome witch, the most awesome witch I’ve ever met—“

Both Lavender and Hermione had a small reaction to Ron’s very public statement.

”You’re smart. You’re kind and you’re absolutely beautiful. And yes, you can cook and that’s a big plus, but not the only perk. I really like you and want to get to know you better. Don’t let Lavender’s lies ruin our chances. I think you’re special and I don’t care who knows it or who likes it. Go out with me, please.”

Susan blinked up at him, then slowly looked around at everyone staring at her. Hermione had a strange expression on her face. Ron had never spoken to her that passionately, although he did once tell her she was the most awesome witch he knew.

But that was before Susan.

Lavender stood there, frowning. She couldn’t believe this. Ron was begging this fat cow to go out with him. What was wrong with him? Hermione’s eyes cut toward Lavender, who made an ugly face and started to say something. It was going to be incredibly cruel, Hermione knew it.

She pulled out her wand and made a quick horizontal slashing motion at Lavender, sealing her lips so she couldn’t say anything and ruin Ron’s moment. He might be asking another witch out in front of her, but he was still one of her best friends.

”Mmmph! Mmmph!” Lavender protested, gesturing at her mouth frantically. Everyone ignored her. She ran back up the stairs, red-faced and embarrassed. She ran to her room, found her wand and removed the spell. Shit, that hadn’t worked out well at all.

Susan looked up at Ron, her brown eyes glistening. He had said all of those sweet things in front of everyone without the slightest embarrassment and was looking at her so hopefully, her heart just went out to him. No one had ever told her she was beautiful before, or pleaded with her.

So, with everyone in Gryffindor house watching she said, “All right, Ron. I’ll go out with you.”

Ron let out a whoop, grabbed Susan and easily swung her around, everyone scrambling to get out of the way. He put her down and snogged her soundly as everyone looked on. It was easy to see that he really liked her and the feeling was mutual.

”Yes!” Ron breathed, smiling down at her happily when he broke the kiss. “Yes!”

Susan was bright red as she shyly smiled back at him, fixing her chef’s hat. It had nearly been lost in the spin.

”Come on,” Ron said, taking her by the hand and plucking her parsley plant out of Harry’s hands. “Let’s go down to the kitchens. I’m starving.”

Everyone watched as Ron led her toward the common room exit.

”Bye,” Susan called back to the students, not wanting to be rude as Ron marched her away.

”Bye,” they called back, then immediately fell to talking about what they’d witnessed. Several of the witches couldn’t believe how—how romantic it all was.

”Well, it looks like Ron’s found himself a new girlfriend,” Harry said, then looked apologetically at Hermione. “Oh, I’m sorry, Hermione.”

She waved her hand at him.

”It’s all right, Harry. It’s clear he’s happy, and I want him to be happy.”

”You’re a good friend, Hermione.”

”Yeah.”

”Well, I’ll be happy in a minute or two,” Ginny said with narrowed brown eyes as she stalked up the stairs and turned in the direction of Lavender’s room.

”Ginny! No!” Harry cried, starting up the stairs after Ginny. Of course they turned into a slide and he stumbled back down. He looked at Hermione desperately.

”Hermione! Go after her! She’s going to hex Lavender, I know she is!”

Hermione shook her head.

”No, I don’t think I will, Harry. If I go up there, I’ll probably help her,” Hermione replied with a small smile. “Anyway, I’ve got to go. It’s study time.”

”All right,” Harry said, blinking up the stairs worriedly.

There was a shout, then a shriek, followed by muffled swearing as Ginny reappeared on the landing and started back down it. Cries of “Ew! Oh gods! Arrrgh!” rang out behind her.

Harry shook his head as Ginny descended.

”Bat Bogies?” he asked his girlfriend when she reached him.

”Right in one,” Ginny replied. “Now, let’s go to supper.”

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A/N: Thanks for reading.