Sorting Priorities (a Romione/Dramione Fic)

Chapter 8 • Nothing's Going On

Sitting up on his four-poster bed, Harry grabbed his glasses and shoved them onto his nose. He rolled over and threw the covers off of his body, pulling back his hangings to reveal bright sunshine streaming through the window. On normal circumstances, Harry would have been glad to spend a whole weekend on the grounds or in the common room with Ron and Hermione, but ever since he had seen Hermione and Malfoy in the library, things had been awkward, even nore so now that he had deduced that Hermione had been at it with Malfoy in the Room of Requirement, too.

He sighed and pulled a new set of robes over his head, attatching his badge and pulling on his trainers. He was about to leave the dormitory when Ron called out his name.

"Hey, Harry," he heard. "Wait up, I'll only be a minute." Harry inwardly sighed. Ron was never 'only a minute'. He took his time. Harry pulled out a spellbook as he wiated, trying to keep his mind off Hermione, but coudn't keep distracted long enough.

Harry couldn't believe what Hermione had done. She agreed to go out with Ron, then went off and snogged Malfoy? He thought back to fourth year, when Rita Skeeter had made Hermione out to be a 'scarlet woman'. Then, he would never have belived Hermione could do such a thing to anyone, least of all Ron, but he was proven wrong.

Harry was shaken out his thoughts as Ron finally finished getting ready. Harry stood up, letting his worry roll off of him, and walked down to the common room with Ron.

"Sleep g-g-good?" Harry yawned, running a hand through his untidy hair.

"Yep," Ron said. "What d'you think they'll have for breakfast?" He asked, thinking about food as always. "I hope they've got cornflakes."

"Yeah," Harry said, not really listening. He thought Ron ought to know about Hermione and Malfoy, but he couldn't bring himself to tell him and break Ron's heart. Harry felt torn.

"Hey, I'm going to head down. I--want to ask Hermione about something. I'll see you in the Great Hall." Harry quickly ran down the stairs and to the Great Hall, spotting Hermione at once.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Harry hissed at her.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking confused. "I don't know what you're talking about." She went back to her Daily Prophet.

Harry held back an exsaperated sigh. "You know what I'm talking about! You and Malfoy." Harry glared at her as her face turned white.

"I h-have no idea what you're talking about," Hermione persisted, but her voice was shaky.

"I saw you in the library, snogging his brains out," Harry snarled at her. "I imagine that's what you've been doing in these little sessions? What you did in the Room of Requirement?" He angrily spooned some marmalade feverishly over his toast.

Hermione obviously saw no point in denying it anymore, and said, "Harry, it's nothing. He doesn't even like me, and I don't like him. Leave it." She sounded resigned, almost sad, but Harry was still angry with her.

"It clearly wasn't nothing when you were going down on him in the library! I can't believe you would even do that! How could--" but Hermione cut him off.

"Do you think I'm proud of what I did in there?" Hermione shot at him, as furious as Harry now. "I'm not! I wish It'd never happened! Leave me alone, Harry. You know I love Ron, not Malfoy."

"Oh, he hasn't asked you to call him Draco yet?" Harry asked in mock surprise. "It clearly doesn't look as though you love Ron anymore though, even remotely like him. Do you know how happy he was when he asked you out? I don't think he'd take kindly to you snogging other men."

Hermione threw down her paper. "You know what, I don't care. Tell him I kissed Malfoy, lie and say I don't love him anymore. But I do love him. I hate Malfoy. So leave it." Hermione refused to say any more, and Harry gave up, but he was still simmering when Ron sat down.

Harry could feel Ron's eyes curiously looking at his angry face, but Harry said nothing. Harry knew he could never bring himself to tell Ron about Hermione and Malfoy.

As the days until the end of the term passed, Harry kept a close watch on Hermione. She didn't seem to be sad or detached; in contrast, she was even more cheerful than usual. She held Ron's hand, kissed him, helped them both out with studies, and never once glanced in Malfoy's direction. Harry was still wary, though. He still remembered the library.

The day before the end of term arrived, and Harry found a notice pinned up in the common room. Craning his head to look over a few seventh years, he read the sign.

Please note that the Headmaster has scheduled an optional break for the first week of next term. No classes will take place, and all previously scheduled matches, meetings, and extracurricularrs are to be postponed. Please write your name under the appropriate column.

Under the notice, several names had been jotted onto a sheet of parchment with two columns. Harry pulled out his quill and wrote his name under the 'staying' column, and looked around for Ron and Hermioe.

"Have you seen the notice?" Harry asked, nodding across the room. "There's a break coming up. I'm staying, of course."

Ron looked up. "Yeah, I might stay as well. I don't fancy a week of Fred and George's pranks at home. It'll be nice to have the common room to ourselves, though." He streched out on his armchair as if he could already feel the comfortable solitude of a near empty common room. "How about you, Hermione?"

Harry turned to look at Hermione as well, studying her expression.

"Well, if you lot are staying, I may as well too. Heaven knows you could use help with your studies."

"Ah, come on, Hermione, it's the end of term! We won't have any homework!" Ron said, looking at Hermione in disbelief. "You don't like homework that much, do you?" He turned to Harry, an amazed expression on his face. "I'm telling you, mate, she's got to sort out her priorities. I've said it too many times before."

Harry smiled, but his mind was on other matters. Would the break bring Hermione to her senses? Malfoy was sure to go to his parents' house, leaving Hermione to realize that he wasn't worth it anyway. Or so Harry hoped.

When the break rolled around, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went down to the Great Hall to find a nearly deserted Gryffindor table. Glancing around the rest of the Hall, Harry saw that all of the house tables had only a few people sitting at them, but was incensed to see that Malfoy was still at the Slytherin table, looking tired and angry.

He looked away, turning back to see Hermione and Ron kissing again. This would be a long break.