CTaFA Chapter 4

"Sooo...What do you suppose they don't want us to hear?" Harry asked Rose while swinging his thumb over his shoulder to point at the four red heads lagging behind and whispering.

Rose just shrugged and said. "I wonder if they know how suspicious they look right now?"

"Come on Weasleys keep up!" Shouted Mr. Weasley who had met them at the train station with Charlie, Bill, and Fleur Delacour. Fleur had taken a fancy to Bill and had been going out with him for about a month, so naturally she had been making weekly visits to the Burrow hoping to get on Mrs. Weasley's good side. All in all, her plan hadn't worked one bit. Mrs. Weasley just couldn't bring herself to like the blonde haired beauty for some unknown reason.

Finally they had reached Platform Nine and Three Quarters. One by one they ran towards the brick wall and vanished to the other side. "You know I find it quite odd that nobody has ever seen us walking through this wall. I mean this is a pretty busy train station." Rose looked around at all the people who just seemed to be ignoring them.

"It's probably some sort of enchantment or something." Explained Harry not thinking too hard about it. They walked through the platform to the Hogwarts express and stopped to look around.

"Wow I've never seen this place soo full before." Said Ron in awe. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement before making their way to the train to load up their supplies.

"See you later Headwig. Later Sootsie."Rose said while running her hands through her pitch black owls feathers.

"Hey look guys its Tonks." Said Harry.

"Hey Tonks!!" Shouted Rose, Ginny, and Hermione all at the same time waving frantically with giant grins on their faces. Tonks looked up at the sound of her name and smiled widely while waving back just as energetically.

A few minutes later they all had their things on the train and they found their way to their usually train compartment. They filed in one at a time. Hermione came in last and stopped at the door. She looked over at Harry, Rose, and Ginny and realized that they had set her up. The only seat left was the window seat next to the person she had had a crush on for the better part of a year now. Reluctantly she went to the window and sat down. The other three had to stifle their giggles as Hermione tried to scoot herself as far away from Ron as possible. It almost looked like she was going to climb out the window. Ron on the other hand only had eyes for one person. Rose looked his way catching his eye before he turned away blushing. Rose had had enough of this.

She stood up abruptly and slid open the door earning her the attention of the whole compartment. "Ron may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Uh..sure." He said uncertainly.

Harry and Ginny looked at her in confusion while Hermione looked at her in a pleading sort of way. Rose just shook her head at Ginny and Harry and walked out after Ron.

'Sorry Hermione but its now or never.'

"Ron can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Are you blind Ron?"

"What?" Ron stood there looking at her with a mixture of confusion and anger.

"Are you blind?" She said every word slowly and clearly to make sure he understood.

"No of course not." He said getting more angry and confused.

"I didn't think so, because I know you don't wear glasses and you don't have one of those dogs to lead you around or anything." She said in a calm voice.

Ron just stood there uncomfortably. "Do you have any idea why I asked you such a silly question Ron?"

"Not really." He said truthfully.

"Ok, well, lets try a different approach shall we." She suggested. "You must have noticed that we aren't sitting the same way we usually do. Why do you think that is?"

"Umm.." He stood there trying to find a good answer. "Is Harry angry with me?"

Rose stood there with her fists clenced into balls. "Ok Ron I'm gonna spell it out for you so listen carefully. H E R M I O N E."

"What does Hermione got to do with the way we sit?" Rose glared at him. "What?" He asked defensively.

"She likes you ya git!" She said a little louder than she needed to.

"But..but what about us?"

"Ron I'm sorry but I don't think I could ever bring myself to think of you that way. I mean, you're like a brother to me. I don't want to ruin the relationship we already have." She explained trying not to hurt him any more than she had to.

"Oh I see." He said sullenly. Then after a moment he looked at her hopefully and asked. "Couldn't we...you know...have one little kiss?"

She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Ok, sure." She said nonchalantly. "But you have to close your eyes." He looked at her grinning stupidly for a second and closed his eyes. She made sure his eyes were closed tightly before asking. "Ready?" He nodded his head eagerly.

Rose grabbed her wand from her robes and pointed it at Ron before shouting. "Aguamenti!!" A jet of water sprayed Ron in the face and he jumped backwards in surprise right into the arms of Draco Malfoy who had just happened to open the door to his compartment at that moment.

For a second Draco just stood there stunned, then he composed himself and spat. "Watch it Weasley."

Ron, being too humiliated to retaliate, blushed profusely and walked back into the compartment awkwardly.

"Having boy problems Potter?" Draco said with a smirk.

Rose glared at him. "As if its any of your business Draco." Before Draco could reply she disappeared behind the door of her compartment.

Although he probably couldn't find the strength to speak considering how baffled and relieved he was at the same time.

"Couldn't we...you know...have one little kiss?"

'That stupid Weasley prat.'

He hadn't been trying to spy on them. They just happened to be in the compartment next to him and he heard them arguing.

"Ok, sure. Ready?"

And then they weren't arguing. He was going to hex Ron into his next life when to his complete surprise the prat landed in his lap. Rose had beat him to it. Then out of nowhere...

"As if its any of your business Draco."

...she had done something she had never done before. She said his first name. She probably hadn't even realized it herself. He shook his head with a smirk and returned to his own compartment.

Ron was sitting with his head hung. Rose sat on the other side as if nothing was wrong, and everyone else decided it was best not to ask. Especially since Ron looked like he had gone swimming with all of his clothes on.

Hermione, being the oh so helpful person she is, muttered a spell towards Ron and he was dry.

"Thanks." He muttered.

"No problem." She replied.

The rest of the way to Hogwarts was spent talking about how much they had missed school and all their friends. Ron just sat quietly saying as little as possible.

Finally they all looked out the window and sighed. Hogwarts had never looked better.