Disclaimer: nope. Nada. Zip. Nil. Well, I've got my plot, but that's it.

Unrequited Hate

Yes, I know, it's been waaaay too long. A thousand apologies. I won't even try and explain, it'll take too long, and I'm sure you want to read the story, not my sorry excuses.

Chapter Nine

"Harry James Potter, I swear you are a dead man," Ron muttered, and began fiddling with the doorknob. When it wouldn't budge, he pulled out his wand from his pocket and said, "Alohamora." Nothing happened.

"I've already tried that," a voice said behind him, shocking him. He would forever know that voice - Pansy.

He turned to look at her, still somewhat in shock. She was sitting on a crate, her legs crossed at the ankles. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a dark blue tank top, and her curly blonde hair was pulled back, and her hazel eyes were studying him.

When Ron had basically fallen into the closet, Pansy had been amazed and somewhat ecstatic. Now she was stuck in a tiny broom closet with the guy she was completely head-over-heels in love with.

Maybe that wasn't such a good thing.

'Don't do anything stupid,' she told herself.

"So we're stuck?" Ron asked, cutting through her thoughts.

"It would seem so," she responded, studying him. He was wearing a loose pair of blue jeans and a fitted white t shirt, and Pansy had to force her eyes away from him before she did something she would regret.

'Regret is a wasted emotion.' Pansy could hear Juliette's voice saying to her.

Ron slumped against the door, and let out a sigh of annoyance. He was stuck in an extremely small broom closet with the girl he was hopelessly in love with. And he couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

Pansy was contemplating everything that this whole situation had to do with. Running into him in the corridor. Working with him in Potions. Conversations with Juliette - "What the hell was going on between you and Weasley in Potions?" "Are you gona do anything about it?" "Well, since you aren't going to do anything about it, I took the liberty of doing it for you."

Pansy groaned out loud, forgetting for a moment that Ron was there. "I am going to kill her!" she exclaimed.

"Who?" Ron inquired.

"Juliette," Pansy answered with a wave of her hand.

There was a moment of silence, and then Ron asked slowly, "Wait… Harry's Potions partner?"

She looked over at him. "Yes… why?"

"They worked together," Ron said, sounding surprised.

"What?" Pansy asked. "That's ridiculous."

Ron shook his head. "Think about it. He got me in here, and the way you're talking, she got you in here. The door won't open, and we're stuck. There's no way that can be a coincidence."

Pansy was silent as she contemplated this. Then she sighed and said, "This sucks."

Ron scoffed quietly, but didn't say anything. It was quiet for a few minutes until Ron asked, "Why did Avery bring you here?"

Pansy shrugged her shoulders and said vaguely, "Said she was doing me a favor." Okay, it wasn't technically the truth, but she knew Juliette well enough that it was what she had intended. "What did Potter say?"

Ron just rolled his eyes and told her, "Pretty much the same thing." 'Just in different words,' he thought to himself.

The two were quiet for long minutes before Pansy noticed Ron moving towards her. "What are you doing?" she asked, hating herself for the way it sounded, scared and unsure.

He stopped in front of her, his blue eyes staring into her hazel ones. "Something I've wanted to do for a long time," he whispered, and Pansy felt a shock of fear run through her.

And then, Ron bent down and kissed her. Time stopped and all that mattered was the two of them - together. It felt so perfect, for both of them. So perfectly right. And nothing else mattered in those moments - nothing except them, the two of them, together at last.

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…Was it worth the wait? Probably not, but consider it my gift for waiting so long. Thanks a million to my readers, and my reviewers - CAP.L, Steelo, Slytherin in Mind, TriGemini, sugarbomb53086, featherfinger, Wh1tn3y, Sali, Layla, Slinky-and-the-BloodyWands, Shiosho and Lady Deatheater.

.-Tiarwen-.