For once I own something in this story! I own the necklace! However, I don’t own the characters.

CHAPTER 18

The Necklace

Ron’s grip on her had loosened from shock, and he nearly stumbled as he made his way back to the couch. He opened his mouth as though to say something but no noise was made. He closed his mouth, hesitated a moment and opened it again, yet still, he could not find the words to say.

Hermione had turned to leave, she decided now would be a good opportunity to make her break, and began to walk silently up the stairs.

“Where are you going?” A voice called from the couch on which Ron was lying. Hermione ignored his calls, she wasn’t ready to face his questioning and be forced into giving him all her embarrassing answers. “I said...where are you going?!” His voice was becoming more stern, and yet Hermione still ignored him as she hurried her steps towards the stairs once again.

Hermione managed to get away, for the night at least, and she knew that was all she had escaped. Soon she would have to face him and all his questions, he was right, he did deserve an explanation.

It was then that a bit of hope fluttered through her veins, outside on the windowsill sat a brown owl holding a letter. ‘Fantastic! He finally decided to write.’ Hermione thought sarcastically to herself even though she was excited for a response finally; she had already told Ron the truth and now she was receiving the advice on how to break the news to him.

She made her way to the window and pushed it open slowly, trying not to disturb those who were around her sleeping. She fetched the letter and pet the owl which hooted and flew away towards the owlery. She quickly opened the letter and began to read its contents:

Dear Hermione,

I am sorry it took me so long to respond, me and Fred have been quite busy with work. I must say though that no matter how hard it may be to hear it, I think it is good that you are back together with Ron, and I feel I must apologize for getting in-between you two.

I do, however, wish that I would have known you had one of our necklaces because I’m sure you well know all the side affects that Fred and I could never quite work out. I remember when testing the necklaces it turned out that the circle of close friends had all “fallen in love” with each other and then because they all wound up cheating on each other it just about broke up their friendship forever.

I say that I wish you would have told be because I was wearing one as well.

(Hermione knew what this meant. The necklaces had a charm that caused those around them to think they have fallen in love. However, once the owner of the necklace had the one that their heart desired the necklace wouldn’t work on anyone else and it would become more of a decoration for the neck. It was just a plain simple necklace that allowed the option of changing its color at will as well. The necklace also came in different styles; therefore boys could use them too (as George had mentioned in his letter, he was also wearing one). This was the side affect that George was referring to, when two people wearing the necklaces come around each other it rids the wearers of self control for stretches at a time, even if both are in a relationship.)

I wore it as a way of advertising but I grew to like wearing it.

(Hermione understood this, she had bought herself one last year and even once she had achieved the man of her dreams she loved it too much to take it off.)

I think you should tell Ron the truth; it should be an easier task being that we were both kind of innocent victims...haha. (Hermione giggled and continued reading.) Though, I am curious, why did you ever buy one of those? I thought you always hated mine and George’s joke shop products...well...at least when we were at school.

I hope everything works out for you.

Love,

George

Hermione let out a little laugh, she had found it quite amusing reading a letter that sounded quite sophisticated coming from George. The letter began to fill her with relief, but only to a certain extent. She felt a little more prepared to talk with Ron about it, but at the same time felt nervous having to answer the same question that George had asked her: ‘why did you ever buy one of those?’ She found this subject a little embarrassing and would rather not have to explain, but knew that it to be impossible to do just that.

Though to her, it couldn’t hurt avoiding it for one more day. “I’ll talk to him in the morning,” Hermione whispered to herself and turned over on her side to stare out of the window as she drifted into a deep sleep.

Morning rolled around, a bit sooner than she would have hoped. Yawning, Hermione sat up in her bed thinking that she could she do with a shower but was startled to see Ginny standing over her clutching a letter with George’s handwriting on it.

“I knew it!” Ginny said giving the letter a shake. “I knew it had to do with that necklace I saw you wearing it that day I asked you about it!”

“Ginny!” Hermione scolded. “You can’t just read my mail!”

“As if I’m not the one helping you get your man back!”

“Humph...what have you done to help me ‘get my man back’ exactly?”

“I have forced you to talk to Ron, for example...last night! How did that go by the way? Did you tell him?”

“Ginny! I broke up with him...sure sounds like getting my man back to me!” Hermione said in a sarcastic tone; she was becoming very agitated. “The only situations I’ve seen you put me in so far are situations that bring about more shit in my life!”

“Hermione, I know it’s tough and all, but you needed to be fair with him, you needed to tell him, you ne—”

“Shut up, Ginny! I told him! Now I’ve lost him...AGAIN!”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes I do, Ginny. Or were you not listening?!”

“I mean to say that you told him, correct?” Hermione nodded her head as Ginny continued. “Yet, you are the one who broke up with him. He didn’t break up with you because of what happened. You did it. It’s your fault.”

“Great pep talk, Ginny,” Hermione was becoming nastier with her sarcasm.

“I’m sorry; I was only trying to hel—”

“You know what?!” Hermione paused to think about what she was about to say. “Never mind...forget about it.” She was about to say that she was going to talk to Ron again this morning, but since her pep talk, she felt worse about it, but figured it would be best to just drop the argument. “I’m gunna go take a shower.”

Ginny smiled. She knew Hermione was just venting her anger, when she knew just as well that it had to happen sooner or later. ‘At least she is feeling better to the extent that she is ready to shower, finally,’ Ginny thought as she let out a near silent giggle. Once Hermione was walking out of the door towards the prefects’ bathroom, Ginny decided to wish her: “Good luck with Ron today, Hermione.”

“Hermione!” She turned around from sitting on the couch in the common room staring into the depths of the fire to see a red head boy panting as though he had just run a few miles. “Hermione, we need to talk.” She nodded her head in agreement and motioned for him to come and join her on the couch. He sat down next to her, leaving plenty of distance between the two of them. “I just...I just-why did you kiss him?”

Hermione’s eyes seem to fill with sympathy and regret as she said, “I...well, to be honest, it was beyond my control. I had been wearing one of those love charm necklaces that day, you know...a Weasley Wizard Wheezes.”

“Are you serious?! You bought one of those things?!”

“I bought it while we were still in our sixth year, I kind of felt that I...well, that I wanted one.” Hermione was actually about to let slip the word that she needed one, but decided against it, she didn’t want him to ask why she would need it.

“Why would you want one of those things though?”

“I liked it, I only would need one necklace to go with everything I wear. It was great.” Hermione lied.

“Since when do you care about having a necklace match your outfit? I want to know why you were snogging George...when did this happen, anyway?”

“It was that one day during the summer when...”she hesitated a moment, she couldn’t bring herself to bring up what had upset her so much that day. “...when you hur—well, more when I was just a bit upset.”

“So you went to him for comfort?!”

“No! Ron, it’s not like that! I’ll admit as much as that at that point I didn’t really want you to comfort me, even though now that I think back on it, I wish is was you that was there to comfort me.”

“Well, it was George that came to comfort you, didn’t he?!”

“Yes, and I told him to leave!” Ron’s face seemed to switch almost automatically from anger to confusion. “Only, I said it in the same way that I said I wanted you to leave that day when you came to apologize! I wanted you both to insist on staying! He did...you didn’t and that’s not my fault!”

“So because I didn’t force my apology on you, you made out with my brother!”

“OH! Like you are any better! Bringing that slut into an empty classroom for a private make out session!”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“You and Lavender’s little hook up!”

“That was a year ago!” Realizing the look on Hermione’s face Ron quickly added, “We only kissed, Hermione!”

“Yeah, I’m so sure!”

“Why does it matter anyway? It’s not like we were dating then!”

Hermione’s eyes began to fill with tears. “Why do you think I bought that necklace in the first place?!” Ron fell instantly silent, had he really been the cause of all this? Then after a moments silence a grin started to spread across his face. “What is so funny?!”

“You were jealous, weren’t you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Hermione defended as she attempted to hide the fact that she was now blushing.

“You were...admit it!”

“Fine...so I may have been a bit jealous.” Hermione was smiling now though her eyes still glistened with tears.

“I knew it!

“I am curious though, why did you ever hook up with Lavender? I hardly ever even knew the two of you to talk to each other.”

“We were partying...it’s just kind of happened.”

“Are you sure that is all?” Hermione asked her eyebrows raised. Ron blushed.

“Well...err...yeah,” Ron lied. He was moving closer to Hermione as she sat on the couch.

“I think there was more to it than that,” Hermione said matter-of-factly. Ron grabbed her hands.

“Oh you do, do you?” Ron smiled as did Hermione.

“Yes, I know now, you’re plan to make me jealous worked.”

“Why would I ever want to make you jealous?” Ron asked sarcastically. He was moving quite close to her. “But yes, you’re right.” His voice seemed to drop in disappointment yet he smiled even bigger as his head leaned in closer to hers.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as Hermione’s head tilted and moved closer to Ron’s until their lips met.

Hermione pulled away and asked, “So...do you forgive me, Ron?”

“What do you think?” Ron said as he held her in his embrace and once again pressed his lips against hers.

Harry and Ginny walked into the common room and were walking towards the couch but realized that it was currently being occupied. Hermione looked up from Ron to Ginny and said, “Thank you, Ginny, for everything.” Ginny nodded her head as to say ‘you’re welcome’ as she pulled Harry’s hand and led him out of the room so that the two of them could be alone.

“I love you,” Hermione whispered turning her attention back to Ron as her lips lingered only an inch away from his.

“I love you too.” And with that Ron leaned his head in more to fill in the gap between their lips. All space between them was erased as the two of them held each other in their arms and let their lips hold them together. “And I never will stop.”

Fin

I hope you enjoyed my very first fanfiction.
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