A Prefect's Duty

"...So I said to him, 'Hey! I'm a Prefect! You can't just dungbomb the place and expect it to escape my notice!' Then I gave him a detention. Those Slytherins are getting worse all the time..."

Ron groaned, as he had to listen to Ernie's story again. It must have been the third time this morning he'd heard it. He rolled his eyes at the look on Hermione's face as she listened to her boyfriend's heroism. 'How pathetic is that?' Ron thought, 'I mean I'M a prefect, Hermione's a prefect! What's the big deal? I nailed at least three Slytherins last week... "I mean it's not such a big deal to catch one of them is it? Try catching a Ravenclaw when they're misbehaving, they're five times cleverer at it than those thick Slytherins, and I caught Terry Boot the other day trying to curse Cho's hair green and blame it on Crabbe..."

"Did anyone ask you, Ron?" said Hermione scathingly.

Ron didn't realize he had said this last bit out loud.

"Oh, pardon me for living, Miss Queen of the Prefects and Goddess Know-It-All. I didn't know I was offending by having an opinion!"

"Ugh, don't be a prat, Ron. Come on Ernie." And they set off.

"Just look at them, Harry. Probably going to have a snogfest between the library shelves, after all, that is Hermione's secret Love Nest. I mean, Krum, now Ernie!"

"I think they're doing really well together, actually, they seem to fit so well together...It's hard finding a person you click with, trust me..."

"Maybe I should've let Terry turn Cho's hair green for you mate, it would've suited her personality better..."

"Yeah, no kidding. But Ron...why are you so upset about Hermione and Ernie? I mean since she never sees Krum, its only logical that-"

"Harry, just stop ok? Ernie's just a bloody git, that's all, I can't bear to see my friend holding hands with that...that..."

"I think I get the picture. Well, come on, we've got Herbology."

"Uhh, oh no! We've got that with the Hufflepuffs!"

Little did Ron realize that Harry got the picture much more than Ron thought he had. It upset Harry a bit that his two best friends were at odds like they were, but would it be any better the other way? Somehow, Harry didn't want them to take it that far.

"So, where should I meet you for the next Hogsmeade weekend, Mione?"

"Oh, how about by that picture of Bodrod the Bearded on the fourth floor?"

"Sounds good, Sweets," and Ernie gave her a peck on the cheek along with a roguish grin he probably thought was attractive. Hermione smiled as her boyfriend of six weeks rounded the corner. 'He just fits with me somehow,' she thought. 'He's a prefect, he's responsible, he keeps up with his work...What more could a girl ask for?' Freckles... she thought. 'WAIT A SECOND! WHERE did THAT come from?' but she had no time to ponder this as someone she knew was shuffling along the corridor towards her. And, what do you know, this person had freckles.

"Oh, there you are, Hermione. I saw Ernie go by a ways back, I was surprised he could get anywhere without you leading him around by the collar..."

"Very funny, Ron. What do you want anyway?"

"Do I have to want something to talk to one of my best friends?"

"I guess not."

"Ok then. Come on; let's walk a ways. I want to show you something..."

They walked for a while in silence. It was painful for Ron not to be able to talk to her like they used to. It was painful for Hermione since she was suddenly so confused.

"Um, Ron? Where are we going?"

"Just hang on, will you?"

The two Gryffindors approached the Quidditch pitch. They walked up into the stands where they had so often sat and watched Harry, where Hermione and Harry had watched Ron, when Hagrid came and collected them so that they missed Gryffindor's triumphant win of the Quidditch Cup...

Hermione stood reflecting on all of this when,

"Sit down will you?"

"Oh, yeah...sorry. So what did you want to show me?"

"I wanted to show you the sunset..."

"Haha, now really, what is it?"

"Well, it's that, and I wanted to tell you about the Ron you never knew..."

"Hey Neville! Have you seen Ron or Hermione anywhere?"

"Nope. Sorry Harry. But I'd bet Hermione's with Ernie somewhere..."

"Yeah, yeah you're probably right. And I bet Ron's off with Seamus and Dean somewhere..."

"Actually, they're both in the dormitory," said Neville.

"Oh, well, I'll go ask them..."

Harry marched up the stairs to the boys' dormitories.

"Hey, have either of you seen Ron or Hermione?"

"Um, yeah!" said Seamus; "I saw the two of them walking towards the Quidditch pitch a while back actually."

"Wasn't Ernie with them?"

"Nope, I saw him in the library ten minutes ago" volunteered Dean.

"Ugh, okay thanks."

"All my life I've had an image to live up to Hermione...First my brothers, most of whom have been Head Boys and Quidditch Captains, and gotten twelve O.W.L.'s...and I never thought I'd live up to it. But look at me now, Quidditch Captain of the Gryffindor team, prefect, two Quidditch Cups to my name, and an Award for Special Services to the School...So what's the matter with me?"

"I don't quite understand, Ron. Nothing's wrong with you...apparently."

"Apparently...that's it Hermione."

"Why, what's the matter? Did Lavender turn you down?"

"No, it's not that it's-"

"HEY! I've been looking all over for you two!" shouted Harry from a few rows down.

The three of them walked back to the school, two of them feeling very anti-climax. Ron had never finished his sentence; Harry kept them talking all the way back to the common room, where he immediately suggested, "Wow, I'm really tired aren't you Ron? And you Hermione? It's been a hard day, I think we should all go to bed. No, no the homework can wait until tomorrow, Hermione. Come on, Ron, let's go!"

"Harry, what's going on?" asked Hermione.

"Nothing, I'm just tired, and you guys must be too, I mean, we've got N.E.W.T.s coming up and all that, I think its time we started getting more rest. That's all."

"Oh, well, when you put it like that...Goodnight, Harry, 'night, Ron!"

"Figures she'd do whatever anyone says concerning studying for those stupid tests...I guess we might as well do our homework up there..." said Ron, rather disappointed. Harry took a deep sigh of relief.

Harry couldn't think why he wanted to separate his best friends like this. He was tossing and turning about it for hours. How could he be such an awful friend? The trouble was, every time he even thought about Ron and Hermione together...alone...his stomach lurched unpleasantly.

Harry woke up the next morning to find the dormitory deserted. He immediately got dressed and ran down to the Great Hall. Hermione and Ron were seated next to each other at the Gryffindor table, and Ernie wasn't there. Harry wedged himself between his two best friends although there was a seat next to Ginny that looked tempting...

"Hey, where's Ernie, Hermione?"

"Um, he's over talking to Hannah I think, why?"

"No reason, he's just usually over here, that's all. So what were you guys talking about?"

"Not much," said Ron looking downtrodden.

After a few minutes of eating quietly, Ernie came over and grinned at Hermione, took her hand, kissed it, and said, "Ready, Mione, my sweet?"

"Yeah, sure Ernie. Well, see ya Ron, bye Harry." And they walked off again. Harry was happier at their leaving than should be normal, and Ron noticed.

"What reason have you to be looking so damned pleased with yourself?"

"I was just thinking how happy Hermione and Ernie must be together, that's all."

"Yeah, 'That's all,' doesn't seem to be all, Harry, what's up?"

"Nothing! Come on, we've got practice."

Hermione really had no idea where Ernie was taking her. He seemed anxious though, and pulled her along quickly. 'If only Ron could see us now...' thought Hermione. 'I wonder how Ernie is on a broomstick? Wait a sec! Why did I just think that?'

Ernie sat Hermione down on a bench outside the Prefect's Bathroom.

"What's going on, Ernie?" she asked, confused.

"I'm going to try out as Chaser for the Hufflepuffs, what do you think?"

"That's great, sweetheart! I'm so proud of you!" and she kissed him, but he pulled back quickly.

"You really think so? I mean, I'll be playing against your best friends, you sure you're okay with that?"

"Of COURSE I'm okay with it! I'm thrilled! Let's go to the library, and celebrate (she gave him a seductive grin)...by checking out Quidditch Through the Ages..."

Ernie understood. He always liked their library time. If they stayed in the Invisibility Section, no one would ever know...

Ron told Harry he was going to get his robes in the dormitories, but he really went up to the library. He walked in, dragging his feet, slightly bored, but he had to come to see where Hermione had got to. She said she'd try and ditch Ernie as soon as possible so that Ron could finish whatever it was he was trying to say last night. Ron glimpsed a bushy head of hair whip around a shelf. He made his way towards it, about to say, "Hermione, I love you," when what he saw made him gape with shock.

There was Ernie; hand up Hermione's shirt, her lips locked in his, her hands running through his hair.

Ernie noticed Ron there, and pulled away from Hermione, straightening his Prefect's badge first, then his shirt, and then his rumpled hair. Hermione straightened herself out too before uttering, "Oh, hey Ron! Didn't expect you here!"

"Didn't expect me here, eh?" Ron repeated angrily.

"Why n-...oh..." she said as she realized where she went wrong.

"Why would she expect you here of all places, Ron?" asked Ernie, wiping lip-gloss off his mouth.

"Well, I don't know Ernie, but..." and here Ron struggled, "But as I'm on DUTY, I'll have to give you both three nights' detention...separately." Ron tried not to sound too scornful but his anger and emotion got the better of him.

"I SAY!" Ernie practically yelled, but immediately lowered his voice as Hermione nudged him in the ribs. "I say, do be reasonable, Weasley!"

"Oh, so that's my duty, to be reasonable?"

"No, Ron, you did your duty flawlessly. A perfect prefect. Congratulations, I hope you have everything you want now," said Hermione, a definite edge to her voice, "Come on Ernie, let's take this somewhere else. See if the prefect follows us, see how many detentions we can get before he feels special enough."

Ron stood there for a few minutes. He looked up at the sign on the end of the row of books. "Transfiguration." Ha, he laughed to himself.

"You were only a row off Hermione! Try to read the signs first before you try and snog with your doof-boyfriend in public! Transfiguration won't hide you as nicely!"

"Just a prefect's duty, Ma'am." And he too left the library.

Ernie stopped Hermione outside the Hufflepuff common room.

"So are we really taking it somewhere else?" he said hopefully.

"No Ernie, we're not. I have to go. Lots of Arithmancy tonight."

Harry was whistling to himself, walking down to the locker rooms, when he bumped into Ginny.

"Watch it Harry!"

"Oh, sorry, Ginny! Didn't see you there."

"Well, that's obvious. Did you hear about Ron giving Hermione and Ernie three nights' separate detention because he caught them snogging in the library?"

"No, WHAT?">

"Yeah, he was going there to get a book on...Transfiguration I think he said, when he saw them. He reckons they were trying to get away with it in the Invisibility Section, but accidentally went into Transfiguration. Hermione's quite mad at him...Why are you grinning like that? Surely you don't like them fighting all the time?"

"Oh, of course not. I just wish things were back to normal."

"How so? You mean you want Ron not to be in love with Hermione, and you're afraid if he tells her, she'll ditch Ernie in an instant, and they'll start dating and you'll lose your best friends?"

"NO! Well...yeah," he finally admitted as Ginny gave him a look that plainly said, 'I see right through you.'

"Harry, you can't help it when you're in love with someone...Trust me, I know." She blushed slightly, then continued, "Anyway, Ron's not going to stop loving her, and if he never tells her, then she's gonna be stuck with that git the rest of her life! How could you let that happen?"

"I wouldn't LET it happen, I'd make sure Hermione found someone else...I mean Krum's a nice guy..."

"A nice guy who she doesn't care a thing about! That's not the way love works Harry, and if Ron and Hermione want to be together, there's nothing you or I can do to stop it."

"Wait, you and I?"

"Well, it's tough having your boyfriend ditch you for some cry-baby, have your first love never even notice you, getting perpetually bothered by Neville's fumbling attempts, and have your new boyfriend in love with a certain Parvati Patil...let alone your own idiot brother having the girl of his dreams in a pinch..."

"Wow, I'm sorry, Ginny. I hope I don't ignore you now."

"Close enough...I mean you all think of me as such a baby! Who's the one sobbing her bloody eye sockets out every ten minutes, huh? The girl you thought was amazing and mature..."

"Yeah, I was pretty wrong about Cho...but I don't think of you as a baby, anything BUT, actually."

"Really? Cause if you did think that..." she grabbed Harry and kissed him passionately, "I'm here to prove you wrong..."

Harry suddenly wasn't worried about Ron and Hermione anymore. If this is what it takes for my two best friends to be happy, then they should definitely give it a go, Harry thought as he kissed Ginny again.

Hermione was already upset with herself for leading Ernie on and succumbing to the desires of a moment, let alone the fact that she left her true desires in the dust. She walked back to the Gryffindor common room, and flopped on the sofa near the fire. Suddenly, a voice made her jump.

"What? Not snogging Ernie? What's the matter, run out of lipstick?"

"Oh jeez, Ron, you scared me! I don't wear lipstick, for your information. It just so happens that well...Ernie's a bit of a prat. He really wanted to go make out some more! And at a time when I needed emotional support, not snogging! Ugh, boys..."

"Yeah, we're all stupid gits aren't we? At least I can do my job properly...the both of you prefects and you're snogging in plain view of the librarian, not to mention anyone else who happens to want a book on Transfiguration...what if McGonagall wanted to check her notes or something? You could've lost a whole lot more than just three nights worth of each other's company..."

"Don't you hear me? I'm telling you I don't WANT that IDIOT'S company anymore! You're doing me a favor by giving me time off from him..."

"Then why don't you break it off, rather than go through the torture of being 'Sweetie-Pie Mione' to Ernie...ughh," Ron shuddered.

"Because, I thought it was working."

"Thought WHAT was working?"

"Was it making you jealous, Ron?"

"Um, YEAH. Is that what this is all about? You were trying to make me jealous? You were trying to get >me to care about you?"

"Can you doubt it?"

"Well, yes, from what I just saw in the library, I can doubt it."

"Can we just forget what happened in the library?"

"I can't. It well...rather hurt when you said that stuff."

"It was MEANT to Ron, I wanted< to hurt you."

"In Merlin's name, why?"

"All that stuff you said about doing your duty. It really hit me hard I guess."

"Why?"

"Well, I couldn't believe I was looking at Ronald Weasley, when this impressive, strong young man stood up to two of his friends, including the girl he likes, and had the guts enough to give them both detention, reasonable detention. You kept this cool head, like it didn't bother you in the least to find us there. That hurt my vanity, because it made me think you didn't like me anymore, like I knew you did for so long. So I had no choice but to disguise it, and hurt you right back."

"Wow, Hermione, I think that's the first time you've ever made complete sense...You're incredible..."

"Nah, I'm just feeling analytical this evening..."

"So what do you say to finishing where we left off at the Quidditch pitch?"

"I say LET'S!"

"Come on then!"

The two of them, so long estranged, but now connected by some strange thread of understanding, walked slowly down to the pitch, talking like they hadn't talked in years. Hermione was happier than she'd been in months, and Ron...well, Ron was ecstatic. His clumsiness had rubbed off somewhat in the past years, and he didn't bumble like he used to, this was a much-matured Ron she was talking to. Suddenly, she realized something, 'Ron's a prefect, he's catching up on his schoolwork, and he has proved to me he's responsible, AND he has freckles and plays Quidditch like a pro!' she added, almost hysterical with happiness. They approached the row where they had sat the other night.

"So what were you going to say?"

"I love you, Hermione Granger."

"Oh, Ron, of course you do!"

And when they separated, they sighed, and looked out on the sunset, burning gold onto the tops of the trees, and tinting the grass below them on the pitch. Suddenly Hermione spotted something on the field.

"Ron, what's that? Are those people down there?"

"Yeah, hang on...that's Harry! And who's he kissing?" Ron added with a grin, but the grin quickly faded, "Hey, that's GINNY!"

Hermione laughed, stood up and waved to the pair of them. Ginny made Harry look up. They both waved at the new couple. Ron put his arm around Hermione, and said, "Well, if it had to be someone, I'm glad it's Harry. I was getting tired of Dean giving me that look..."

Hermione laughed again.

"Yeah, they just fit together..."

"Oh, not that again! Ha ha...I can't wait to get back out there," said Ron staring at the golden hoops on the field. "I missed practice today you know, all because I wanted to know what you were up to with Ernie."

"Oh my!" said Hermione, "I just remembered! Ernie's going to be a Chaser!"

"Well, if I save all of his attempts at scoring, you have to break it off with him, is it a deal?"

"Deal," she said, vowing to herself to break it off with Ernie the next minute she saw him. I mean, what fool would give up freckles and Quidditch for stories about stupid Prefect Duties...