"Invite Ron?" Hermione's face changed immediately, "I'd rather invite a Flubber Worm than Ron, that red fool!"
Saying this, her anger made the word "fool" sound off.
Harry held back his laughter but it was hard.
It wasn't a good idea, since Hermione was still fuming.
That night, as Harry lay in bed, he was still thinking over what happened today.
He felt that the chance of Hermione and Ron making up before Christmas was slim.
After attending Transfiguration class with them the next day, he felt even more hopeless.
They were already tackling the particularly difficult subject of human transfiguration, which required changing the color of one's eyebrows while looking in a mirror.
Hermione sarcastically mocked Ron's disastrous first attempt—he had made himself grow an eye-catching pair of handlebar mustaches.
Ron retaliated, mimicking Hermione's jumping up and down in her seat every time Professor McGonagall asked a question, drawing laughs from Lavender and Parvati, and nearly making Hermione cry.
As soon as the bell rang, she rushed out of the classroom, leaving behind half of her belongings.
"You went a bit too far, mate." Harry shook his head, thinking Ron had truly crossed the line.
He gathered Hermione's things and handed them to Ron.
"What for?" Ron asked.
"You made the mess, you fix it." Harry told Ron, "Aren't you two good friends? Is it alright for close friends to upset each other then pretend nothing happened?"
Ron thought it fair and sensible.
"Alright then." He said, "I'll go talk to Hermione." He shrugged.
As it turned out, Harry's suggestion backfired, as Ron returned to the dormitory that night with a bruised, battered face, looking like he'd been in a brawl.
"What happened to you?" Harry asked curiously, observing Ron's pig-headed appearance.
"Don't ask." Ron said, face in hand, "I meant to comfort Hermione, but she didn't hesitate to hit me with a spell—you know, I'm always a gentleman and wouldn't fight a woman... ouch..."
"So you just stood there and let her hit you?" Seamus asked as he edged over.
"I ran." Ron said, "But she blocked me with a spell, and I didn't have time to pull out my wand..."
"I think you should learn wandless magic." Neville suggested from the side, "Imagine, if you could cast spells without a wand, would you still be afraid of Hermione's hits?"
"If I could do wandless magic, I'd go duel with You-Know-Who!" Ron replied grumpily.
"So," Harry turned to a worried-looking Neville, "have you decided who to invite to the party?"
"Luna." Neville answered earnestly, "I like her, I invited her this afternoon, and she agreed—"
"That's great!" Harry was happy for Neville, "Luna said yes, so what are you worried about?"
"Oh, I'm worried Luna will be teased." Neville lowered his head, "You know, I've always been a bit slow, and today I heard Luna was mocked by her classmates as a mad girl in Transfiguration class, Ginny had to stand up for her... I'm afraid of how she'll be ridiculed if she goes to Professor Slughorn's party with me."
"Listen, mate." Harry patted Neville's shoulder and said seriously, "There's no need for self-doubt, buddy, you're a very talented wizard—I told you, first year you took care of Biting Kale well, hey... Besides, you trained in the Dueling House, don't embarrass us!"
"Right." Ron chimed in, "What do those people know? Neville, take my advice, ignore others' gossip, they're just jealous of you."
"I don't mind." Neville said with distress, "But Luna... she's a good girl, she shouldn't..."
"Act like a man! Act like a man!" Harry suddenly jumped up, patting Neville's head.
"Boohoo..." He mimicked Neville's words, putting on a sad face: "She's a good girl, she shouldn't... nonsense!"
This made an emo Neville smile, he rubbed his face asking, "So what should I do?"
"You should be confident, mate." Harry poked Neville's belly with his finger, "Confidence, got it? You have to believe you're worthy of Luna—"
As it turned out, Harry's pep talk was indeed effective.
The next morning, Neville's demeanor was noticeably different.
After Harry's pep talk, he was visibly more confident.
Of course, just don't become overconfident.
Sitting in the Great Hall, Harry and his friends chatted and laughed, while Hermione fidgeted with the stew in front of her, annoyed.
Ron occasionally stole glances at Hermione, but whenever others noticed him doing so, he would quickly glance away.
"You're just being difficult," Harry whispered to Ron, "Why don't you act like a man, and ask Hermione to Professor Slughorn's party? Or do you plan to be happy only after someone else asks Hermione out?"
"With her like that?" Ron murmured, "Who would want to ask her to the party? Unless the person is crazy..."
For a moment, Harry felt Ron was hopeless.