Slytherins, Kisses and Other Disasters
Copyright© 2026 by Caroline Stanton
Chapter 29: More Than Meets the Eye
Ron Weasley had just made a remarkable discovery. He could sit in the Gryffindor common room for almost twenty minutes without anyone mentioning Harry Potter. It was such an unusual occurrence that he was beginning to enjoy it.
Harry had disappeared somewhere with Victoria, Ginny was upstairs, and Fred and George were presumably creating some new disaster at their joke shop in Diagon Alley. The common room was pleasantly quiet, the fire was burning, and Ron had claimed one of the comfortable armchairs near the window. Hermione sat opposite him with a book open on her lap. She hadn’t turned a page in several minutes. Ron noticed.
“Something wrong?”
Hermione looked up.
“No. I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Harry.”
Ron groaned.
“So much for that.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She closed her book.
“Actually, I was thinking about Harry and Victoria. And Georgina and Adrian.”
Ron looked interested.
“Oh, those two.”
“Those four.”
“Right.”
Hermione smiled.
“It’s rather extraordinary, isn’t it?”
Ron considered.
“What is?”
“That a few weeks ago, Harry could barely stand being in the same room as Victoria Crabbe, and now they’re boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Ron snorted.
“A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have left him alone in a room with her.”
Hermione laughed.
“Ron!”
“What? You wouldn’t have either!”
She opened her mouth. Then closed it.
“Well,” she admitted, “perhaps not.”
Ron pointed at her triumphantly.
“See?”
“But I wouldn’t have expected her to attack him without provocation.”
Ron stared.
“Hermione, we’re talking about Victoria Crabbe.”
“I know.”
“Who once threatened to knock Harry’s teeth out because he called her Quidditch tactics predictable.”
“That was two years ago.”
“And last year she punched a Hufflepuff.”
“He insulted Georgina.”
Ron threw up his hands.
“Oh, well, that makes it all right, then!”
“No, Ron. It doesn’t. That’s rather the point.”
He settled back in his chair. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Ron grinned.
“Still, it’s a relief knowing those two have finally decided to limit their beating to Bludgers instead of people.”
Hermione laughed despite herself.
“Ron!”
“What?”
“That’s terrible.”
“It’s true!”
She shook her head.
“Well, they certainly seem to be making an effort.”
“Good thing, too. Madam Pomfrey must be delighted.”
Hermione smiled.
“I imagine she is.”
Ron stretched his legs towards the fire.
“Mind you, I’d still hate to be on the receiving end of one of Victoria’s Bludgers.”
“Or Georgina’s.”
“Especially Georgina’s. She’s got a nasty backhand.”
Hermione looked at him.
“How would you know?”
Ron grimaced.
“Quidditch practice. Last year. Long story.”
She laughed. After a while, Hermione spoke again.
“You know what surprises me most?”
Ron glanced at her.
“That Harry’s dating a Slytherin?”
“No.”
“That she’s taller than him?”
“No.”
“That she can probably carry him around like a sack of potatoes?”
Hermione gave him a look.
“Ron.”
“What?”
“Would you stop?”
He grinned.
“All right. What surprises you?”
Hermione looked towards the fire.
“How much Victoria has changed.”
Ron considered.
“Yeah.”
“Not just since she started going out with Harry. She and Georgina had already stopped bullying people before either of them went on a date.”
Ron nodded slowly.
“I noticed that.”
Hermione looked at him.
“You did?”
“Of course I did.”
She smiled.
“Sorry.”
“It’s hard not to notice when someone who’s spent five years threatening to rearrange your face suddenly stops doing it.”
Hermione laughed.
“That’s one way of putting it.”
Ron became thoughtful.
“Actually, I remember something from last term.”
“What?”
“There was this little Ravenclaw boy. Second-year, I think. Dropped his books outside Charms.”
Hermione listened.
“Georgina was walking past with Victoria. I thought they were going to kick his books down the corridor or something.”
“And?”
“Georgina helped him pick them up.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Victoria even told a couple of older Slytherins to leave him alone.”
Hermione looked surprised. Ron nodded.
“I nearly fell over.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Didn’t think much of it at the time. Thought maybe they’d both eaten something strange.”
Hermione shook her head, smiling.
“Honestly, Ron.”
He shrugged.
“But now...”
He paused.
“Now I suppose it was the beginning of something.”
Hermione nodded.
“I think so.”
Ron leaned forward.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Do you think Victoria would have changed if Harry hadn’t asked her out?”
Hermione thought carefully.
“Yes.”
Ron looked surprised.
“You sound certain.”
“Not entirely certain. But I think she was already changing.”
“Why?”
Hermione rested her book on the table.
“Because Harry didn’t make her stop bullying people. She’d already begun doing that. He noticed the change, and he gave her a chance.”
Ron frowned.
“So you think he just ... helped it along?”
“In a way.”
She paused.
“I think being treated differently can make a tremendous difference to someone. Especially when they’ve spent years believing that everyone sees them in a particular way.”
Ron nodded slowly.
“Like everyone thinking Victoria was just a big, ugly brute.”
Hermione’s expression changed.
“Ron.”
He looked at her.
“What?”
“Do you really think she’s ugly?”
Ron blinked.
“No!”
Hermione raised an eyebrow. He looked faintly embarrassed.
“Well, no. Not now.”
“Not now?”
Ron sighed.
“All right. I suppose she was never ugly. She just looked...”
“Intimidating?”
“Exactly.”
Hermione nodded.
“That’s rather different.”
“Yeah. I suppose it is.”
He scratched his head.
“Actually, when she turned up for that first date with Harry, I hardly recognised her.”
“Neither did Harry, judging by his expression.”
Ron laughed.
“He looked like someone had hit him with a Stunning Spell.”
“Yes.”
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