Rating:
PG-13
House:
Schnoogle
Characters:
Hermione Granger Ron Weasley
Genres:
Romance Action
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Quidditch Through the Ages Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Stats:
Published: 03/17/2004
Updated: 05/16/2004
Words: 108,050
Chapters: 16
Hits: 62,042

Hermione Granger and the Time of Troubles

Ann Margaret

Story Summary:
Ron and Hermione have been together for almost five months now...and haven't told a soul. The war is raging on, Harry is as moody as ever, Malfoy is acting strange--can their relationship stand the test of a troubled time? A much darker, action-packed fic--sequel to Hermione Granger and the Order of the Phoenix.

Chapter 04

Chapter Summary:
Hermione copes with the row she had with Harry and Ron and discovers how Ron has been coping with it along with a couple more surprises. More exposition on what going on with our friend Ginny Weasley
Posted:
03/24/2004
Hits:
3,716


That was over a week ago, and she hadn't spoken to either Harry or Ron since.

Well, Ron had tried to speak to her, but she had been a foul mood after dealing with some rambunctious second-years and had snapped at him. Besides, she was still upset that he hadn't stood up for her when Harry had said those awful things about her, and she blamed him for the situation; if they had been honest about their relationship, they never would have been in this mess in the first place. He, on the other hand, was furious at her for not telling that Malfoy had been blackmailing her and felt that she was overreacting. He claimed to have been so taken aback by Harry's comment that he didn't know what to say or do. Both of them had still been too upset and were too stubborn to make up, so Ron's peace-making attempt had just turned into another row.

And Harry...she didn't know what to do about him. She and he had been avoiding eyes ever since, and hadn't even said two words to each other. At times she thought she and Harry could work things out, at other time she didn't know why she bothered. It was painful for her to actually really consider that she was better off without those two.

But there was a lot of evidence pointing her in that direction these days. After all, they never really listened to her when she told them to study, they had gotten her into trouble on several occasions, and they certainly could at least act civil towards her now instead of her ignoring her completely. Harry snapped at her constantly and was acting like a total prat; Ron wouldn't admit that they had a relationship and though that she was the one acting immature and idiotic. They were both...well, they were boys. Stupid, insufferable, obnoxious, thick-headed boys. Who needed them--she was better off alone.

Hermione considered the thought for about two seconds, before shaking her head firmly at even the thought of her life being better without her boys. Harry was the bravest and kindest person she had ever met, and she couldn't even imagine not having him in her life. And there was no denying that Ron Weasley was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

So as much as she hated to admit it, she missed them.

But how on earth was she going to get them to talk to her again?

Hermione sighed--things were way too complicated nowadays.

She had been spending a lot of free time in the library these days, and accordingly, Harry and Ron had steered clear of it. She'd go directly there during all of free time between classes, and straight after dinner. Then she'd make sure to return to the common room before the crowd thinned out, and it would be awkward if Harry and Ron were down there. By going straight up to her dormitory and completing her homework up there, Hermione had been able to avoid that hateful awkwardness for the past few days.

She didn't know how Harry and Ron were managing; all she knew that they weren't speaking to each other either. Ginny had informed her that Ron had instantly rounded on Harry the moment after she had made her exit from the argument, and the row had continued until students had began to return from classes.. Hermione was begrudgingly impressed at their stubbornness; despite the fact that they had the same classes, played on the same team, and slept in the same room, apparently they had gone this long without saying a single word to each other.

Everyone tried to force the trio to make up. Ginny acted as a go-between for the first few days, but all of her attempts had failed. Hermione had thanked her for her efforts but told her that she wasn't going to approach Ron or Harry; they would have to come to her if they would like to apologize. Ron had more rudely told his sister to stick her nose out of their business, and Harry had just grunted. Neville, Dean, and Luna Lovegood had all also made conciliatory attempts, and all had failed miserably. Hagrid had called all three of the friends to his hut at separate times in order to persuade them to make amends, but since Harry and Ron still hadn't spoken to her and she had refused to listen to Hagrid's advice herself, that attempt also failed. There just didn't appear to be anything to do right now but give it time. Hermione was still rather riled up about her friends' actions, but she also knew herself rather well. She knew that in a couple days, when she couldn't stand life without them any longer, she would be able to forgive and move on. Okay, so maybe life was unbearable now, but she just couldn't approach them just yet. Their words had cut quite deeper than she cared to admit, and she needed them to come to her and apologize. She had to know that they didn't mean what they had said, or in Ron's case, what he didn't say.

They couldn't really think that about her; they just couldn't.

Hermione slammed her textbook shut and rubbed her eyes wearily. She had to stop obsessing over this. She just had to be patient, and wait; things would work out, they always did. She and Ron had eventually made up in third-year, Ron and Harry had made up in fourth-year...Hermione frowned as she suddenly realized something. The three of them didn't have the best track record of making up for the right reasons. She and Ron had only made up in third-year after Ron had learned that Buckbeak was going to be executed and she had broken down crying in front of him. Ron and Harry had only made up in fourth-year because Ron had suddenly realized the peril Harry was in by competing in the Triwizard Tournament. It was only in extreme circumstances that Ron was finally willing to swallow his pride and apologize; it was only when she and Harry were in trouble that he finally stepped up. God, she hoped that that pattern wouldn't continue with this row. Hermione had had plenty of drama and pain to last her for quite a while, thank you very much.

Well, Hermione tried to be optimistic as she started to pack her schoolbag, there was a silver lining to this predicament; Malfoy was no longer a threat. When he had approached her about "payment", she had promptly told him that Harry already knew, there was a fairly good chance that the entire school was going to know by the next morning, and if he even thought about going to McGonagall or another teacher, it was undoubtedly be her word against his, and considering that Malfoy had no proof and no one else had ever seen her and Ron together, and the teeny tiny fact that she and Ron were no longer speaking to each other, she didn't think Snape would even believe him. Malfoy tried to point out that he still had the book, but Hermione had promptly ended that by losing her patience and retrieving her book with a quick Summoning charm. Malfoy hadn't counted on the fact that the charm could work when the book was tucked away in his dormitory, and had been so furious that Hermione had ended up laughing quite hysterically. That had been the day of the row, and she had needed a good laugh to alleviate the tension she had been carrying around all day. Malfoy, however, had been anything but amused with her mirth. After she had finally stopped giggling, Hermione had to good sense to start to wonder what on earth Malfoy had wanted her to do.

Her eyes started to wander around the library to see if Malfoy was lurking around; he appeared to always approach her in here, but the Slytherin was nowhere to be found. She did, however, spot Ginny as she emerged from the stacks, her hair rumpled and a satisfied smile on her face. Dean Thomas followed a few moments later, straightening his tie with a wide smile of his own. They both waved to Hermione before heading out of the library. Hermione laughed quietly at the unusual couple; Ginny had filled her in on her brilliant "plan" earlier that year. Apparently, Ginny had decided not to give up on Harry entirely, and had opted to pursue another route: making him insanely jealous. Dean, on the other hand, had had his eye on Parvati Patil for ages, and had wanted to take drastic matters himself. Ginny had learned of Dean's unrequited crush on Parvati, and had approached him with an offer: they pretend to date. If all went according to plan, both Harry and Parvati would become insanely jealous, realize who their true object of their affection was, and live happily ever after.

Of course, things had not gone as planned, and Dean and Ginny had actually realized they were rather well suited for each other, not to mention that Ginny had gone on and on about how Dean's kissing abilities. Hermione knew that Ginny still fancied Harry, but that wasn't going to stop her from having a good time while waiting for Harry to get a clue.

Hermione was very happy for her friend, but she had to admit she was a little jealous of Ginny's ability to just brush aside her feelings for Harry and live in the present. She had tried to do that with her disastrous attempt to date Terry Boot last year, but everyone knew how that had ended. Playing the field just wasn't for her; it was Ron Weasley or no one.

She sighed as she rose from her table. Sometimes she wished it wasn't that way. Things would be so much easier if she liked more than one boy or if she wasn't so committed to Ron, but when had Hermione Granger's life every been easy? With all she had been through already, of course it fit that she was doomed to love a prat like Ron Weasley.

Hermione stopped in front of the Fat Lady to check her watch, wondering if it would be a good time to slip up to her dormitory without being noticed. Nine o'clock was usually a busy time in the common room, but it was a Friday night, which meant a later curfew and more students out and about in the castle. Hermione hesitated for a few more minutes before deciding to risk it. She was tired, she wanted to just go up to her dormitory and read, and she wasn't going to let Ron and Harry stand in the way of that. They didn't have to talk to her if they didn't want to; it would hurt dreadfully if they ignored her, but it would only take about fifteen seconds to walk from the portrait hole to the girls' stairwell, and then there would be nothing standing in the way of her and Hogwarts: A History.

To her relief, the common room was filled with only about ten students, none of who was Ron or Harry. Dean and Ginny were among them, and once again they waved to Hermione as she started towards the dormitory.

There was a loud clatter as someone obviously and awkwardly tripped down the stairs of the boys' dormitory, and hit the closed door with a loud bang. Everyone in the common room instinctively froze to listen for an indication that the klutz was uninjured. Hermione wondered if it was Ron; he did have big feet and seemed fond of tripping over them, but when the door opened quite abruptly, it was Seamus Finnigan who staggered out.

"Bloody stairs!" Seamus yelled angrily before promptly bursting out into raucous laughter. His slightly glassy eyes roved around the room and rested on his best friend. "Dean!" he cried happily. "How the hell are you?!"

"Oh shit," Dean muttered under his breath as he got to his feet. Ginny looked like she was barely containing her laughter at the sight of an obviously inebriated Seamus, and so did everyone else in the common room, except for Hermione. She had stiffened the instant Seamus had arrived, eyes narrowed. She had had to deal with students getting intoxicated before, but never the ones in her own year. She couldn't believe that Seamus would put her in this position, but she had to do what she had to do. Dean tried to push his friend back upstairs before Hermione could intercept, but Seamus struggled against him. "Come on, mate, get back upstairs," he said swiftly.

"Seamus Finnigan!" Hermione scolded. "Are you drunk?"

"Me? Drunk?" Seamus repeated, waving his hand dismissively. "Nah!" He however waved his hand with so much vigor that he overestimated his own strength and almost tipped forward onto his face. Dean managed to catch him before he fell.

"How much have you had?" Hermione asked severely.

"Why? Do you want some?" Seamus asked with wide eyes. He patted his robes bewilderingly. "I left that bottle somewhere..." He frowned as he thought as hard as he could, face scrunched up in resemblance of a perplexed primate. "Or did I drink it all?"

"You drank all of our firewhisky?" Dean demanded. "That was a full bottle!"

"Our?" Hermione repeated accusingly.

"Oh, oh, oh, she nailed you, mate!" Seamus laughed uproariously.

Dean ignored Hermione and shook Seamus' shoulders. "Seamus, did you really drink all of that whisky, because that's not good, mate..."

"Oh, please!" Seamus scoffed. "I've been drunker! I've seen you drunker! And we all 'ave seen Lavender..."

"Shut up!" Lavender Brown screeched from her chair by the fire. She gulped and sprang into action as Hermione started to wheel around to confront her and somehow managed to escape the common room before Hermione could inflict her infamous glare. The other bystanders hastily followed suit.

"Okay, so you've been drunker," Dean continued as if Lavender hadn't even spoken. "But then why is the whole bottle gone?"

Seamus actually giggled. "Weasley!"

"Weasley?" Dean repeated, eyes automatically going to Hermione. She stared at Seamus rather unemotionally.

"Ron?" she said in a tight voice.

"What?" Ron slurred. Hermione, Dean, and Seamus all turned with surprise; Ron was leaning against the doorframe of the boys' dormitory. Hermione had a sinking feeling that he had to slump against the wall.

"Hey, hey!" Seamus acted as though he hadn't seen Ron in fifteen years. "Do you have the bottle?"

"Oh, yeah," Ron extracted the rather large and decidedly empty bottle from his robes. He had to hold the bottle close to his face to examine it carefully before exploding into laughter himself. "Oops!"

"Oops?" Hermione repeated furiously.

"Oh Merlin," Dean knew it was only a matter of time before Hermione blew up so he tried to drag his best friend over to the boys' stairwell. "Come on, mate, get back upstairs."

"I can't!" Seamus shoved Dean away and he drunkenly wandered towards the fire. "Harry's got a headache or something and he kicked us out," He waved his hands wildly towards his forehead.

Hermione's eyes automatically went to the dormitory stairs; was it one of the headaches?

"He needs his beauty sleep," Seamus added mockingly. He turned as Ron snickered, but his eyes caught on another Weasley instead. "Ginny!" he cried in glee.

"Hi, Seamus," Ginny had to press a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing in Seamus' face.

Seamus dropped down on the sofa next to her and slung a friendly arm around her. "You really need to start getting pissed with us, love." Ginny's cheeks were now beet red with repressed laughter. "No, no, seriously, love," Seamus tried to look as serious as possible. "I mean it. You'd be a great drunk."

"All right, all right, hands off," Dean said casually, but Hermione could tell that he really didn't like Seamus sitting with his arm around his girlfriend. "She's not getting drunk with anyone."

"Oh really?" Ginny asked challengingly, all thoughts of laughing forgotten as she stared at her boyfriend with her chin high in the air. Hermione fought the urge to groan; the worse thing you could do is tell Ginny Weasley what to do because she would do the exact opposite just to spite you. Dean's mouth opened and closed for an instant, trying to think of the appropriate response to rectify the situation.

"Oh, Ginny, Ginny, Ginny," Ron wandered over and sat on the arm of the sofa. Or rather, tried to sit on the arm of the sofa; he started to slide off almost immediately so he ended up standing, one knee on the cushion on the other side of Ginny. "You don't want to do that." He indicated himself dramatically. "Do you want you to look as ridiclulous as this?" His incorrect grammar and pronunciation certainly illustrated his point, and if that wasn't enough, he fell to the side and if it weren't for the back of the sofa, he would have flipped over on the floor.

Ginny appraised her brother for a moment before promptly exploding with laughter.

"If--you--are--finished," Hermione said through gritted teeth. She had been still standing in the back, watching her friends', seething with rage. She had considered going up to check on Harry, but she knew she had to handle this situation first. She was a prefect and considering that the other prefect was so pissed he could barely stand up, she would have to take control. Ginny shut up instantly, and Dean stepped to the side so Hermione could have a clear shot at the offenders. Seamus was starting to look guilty, but Ron was avoiding her eyes completely. "I'm sorry, you two, but I'm going to have to report you for this," she said sternly. "As you should know, consumption of alcohol is not only against the school rules, but it is also illegal for underage wizards. I don't know how you managed to obtain it, and frankly, I don't really care, but I can tell you that I will make it my business to find out if I ever catch any of you," Her eyes wandered over to Dean at this point, "with any alcohol again, do you understand me?" Seamus nodded vigorously, and Ron just shrugged. She squared her shoulders and continued on. "So, I'm afraid you both will have to serve detention and Hogsmeade tomorrow is out of the question."

"It's a Hogsmeade weekend!?" Dean interjected with merry surprise. It had become a new rule this term that Hogsmeade weekends were only announced the morning of the excursion. Those weekends would be the best time for a Death Eater attack so Dumbledore had decided to keep the information a secret as long as possible; only the faculty and prefects knew Hogsmeade weekends in advance.

"Oh, yeah, I thought I told you," Ginny answered happily, "So we can go..." she blanched and trailed off when Hermione glared at her. "Sorry, carry on," Ginny leaned back and waved her hand at Hermione, "You were talking about detentions?"

"Yes," Hermione turned back to the two culprits. "I think a week of detentions ought to teach you both a lesson. And no Hogsmeade." Hogsmeade would be an ideal location to obtain the liquor.

"Um, no, no, no," Ron protested, holding his hand in the air as if he were in class. "I have to go to Hogsmeade. We have to patrol, remembember?"

"Yes, I remember," Hermione answered with a slight groan, stressing the word that Ron suddenly seemed unable to pronounce correctly. One of the ways Dumbledore was ensuring the safety of the students during Hogsmeade visits was to have the faculty and prefects take turn patrolling the streets and perimeter of the village. She hadn't been looking forward to walking around alone with Ron, so she had put the thought to the back of her mind. "That's right, you have to go."

"Ha!" Ron jammed a fist in the air in triumph. He froze as Seamus and Hermione both eyed him angrily. "I mean, oh, damn, I have to walk around Hogsmeade with my girlfriend, damn it!" He stomped his foot melodramatically.

"Quiet it down, Ron," Hermione ordered. It really wasn't necessary to chastise him, but she had to do something; if she didn't, she would have burst out into laughter. Ron really was quite funny, and there had been the little fact that he gave away he still considered her his girlfriend. It didn't help that Ginny had at this point buried her face into a pillow, shoulders shaking with hilarity. "Now, you two go up to your dormitory and get some sleep," Hermione pointed towards their stairwell. "And don't wake Harry," she added.

"God forbid we wake Harry," Seamus whispered loudly. He tiptoed over-exaggeratedly toward the door, but had to stop in order to laugh harder than ever. Ron wasn't really joining in; he appeared unusually pensive.

"Come on," Dean said quietly, clasping Seamus on the shoulder. He was probably only being so compliant to avoid Hermione bringing up the fact that he had helped Seamus get the bottle in the first place. Seamus looked very reluctant but he followed his friend.

Ron, on the other hand, went straight to Hermione. "I don't want to go," he pleaded, sounding like a five-year-old.

"Well, too bad!" Hermione snapped. "If you don't get to sleep, you're going to be no help to me tomorrow while we patrol."

Ron stepped towards her and tried to take her hands. "Don't be mad, love," he begged.

"I am not your love anymore," Hermione pulled away. "I remind you of your brother, remember?"

"I didn't mean it," Ron whined. Hermione rolled her eyes and tried to walk away, but Ron grabbed her arm and turned her back to him. "Come on," he wheedled with a smile, his tone distinctly playful and light. "You know I love you, right?"

The world came to a crashing halt.

What did he just say?

Ron stared at her expectantly, awaiting a response. He couldn't have just said what she thought he had just said, no way. He was drunk, he didn't know what he was saying, and even if he did, he probably meant he loved her in a friend sort of way, she shouldn't read too much into it, especially since he was so smashed he couldn't stand up straight.

"Ron, go away," she said quietly, heart hammering.

But Ron, as drunk as he was, was still as stubborn as ever. "I know you miss me," he insisted.

"Of course I miss you," Hermione admitted, brushing her hair matter-of-factly out of her eyes. "But I don't--,"

"I knew it," Ron said victoriously. He leaned back so he could tap his forefinger on his temple. "I always know what you're thinking. And you know why?" Hermione shook her head, keeping her face away from him. He grabbed her hand and pressed it to her chest so she could feel the rhythmic beating of his heat beneath her fingertips. He was unusually calm for someone telling her that he loved her. "Because you're always here. Always." He released her hand, and as it fell, her fingers inadvertently brushed past the raised welts that still marred his arms, causing him to flinch slightly. "I'll always know you," Ron continued on, "Like you can always know me."

This conversation was starting to get a bit too intense and odd for Hermione's taste. She stepped away from him. "Ron, please go," she begged in a voice barely above a whisper. Being near him was causing that oh-so-pleasant tingling that traveled down to the very tips of her toes, and she had to keep reminding herself over and over again that yes, what he is saying is incredibly sweet and what she always wanted to hear, but he was drunk. He didn't know what he was telling her...did he? Hermione bit her lip in confusion; she didn't know what to think anymore.

"Come on, Hermione," Ron pressed. "Please?"

Ron's presence was rather like a Stultifying Potion; she hadn't been this near to him for almost two weeks, and the sudden deluge of hormones must be killing her brain cells, that was the only explanation for her inexplicable inability to think clearly. It didn't help that he had just flat out said that he loved her and she would always be in his heart...and...and what had they argued about in the first place?

The randomness of her thoughts clouded her mind so much that she didn't protest when his lips came down on hers. Ron had always found that actions spoke louder than words, and although he had stumbled when he had made his move, his drunken stupor did not diminish his ability to kiss the hell out of a girl. Her eyes closed and she automatically reciprocated, but the niggling voice at the back of her mind was screaming at her to stop, that this wasn't the way to make things right with Ron, Ron and she needed to have a discussion, and although lips were certainly involved with this approach, going at it in the common room wasn't going to solve any of her problems.

"N-n--no!" Hermione finally managed to push Ron back. His face was rather flushed, and she could feel the heat on her own cheeks. She kept her hand on his chest to keep him at a safe distance; she knew that this was the logical thing to do, but damn it, it felt so good that a part of her was perfectly willing to throw the rule-book out of the window and just enjoy being a teenage girl for just one night. But she knew that one night of passion would only last for...well, one night. Nothing would change. Ron still hadn't apologized for what he had done, they still had issues to work out in their relationship, and nothing would change. And Hermione couldn't live that way any longer. "Ron, I want to make up just as much as you do," she said quickly and earnestly, "but this is not going to fix things between us, so if you really do want to make things work between us," she hesitated briefly before forging on, "talk to me tomorrow when you're...of more sound mind...and then maybe we can work things out."

Ron appraised her with glazed eyes. "All right," he finally slurred. "All right then." His hand clumsily went to her hair and he patted her on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow." Hermione nodded dumbly, her face instinctively leaned into his touch. With a bemused, dopey smile on his face, Ron staggered towards his dormitory. "Night, Gin!" he called before slamming the door behind him. Hermione briefly thought that he was actually talking to his alcohol before she heard a giggle from behind her.

"Well," Ginny said with mock seriousness. "I have thought about this very carefully, and I can honestly say that Ron is by far the most amusing of my brothers when he's drunk." The intoxicated sensation Hermione herself had been feeling in Ron's presence was fading now that he wobbled upstairs, and she was able to give her friend an appropriate reproachful look. "Don't look at me like that," Ginny retorted, "I've thought this out very carefully." She leaned forward and ticked off each brother on a finger. "Bill get belligerent, Charlie gets moody, and Fred and George are wild enough sober that when they drink they don't act any different."

"What about Percy?" Hermione asked without thinking.

"I've never actually seen Percy drunk," Ginny relayed, a new tightness to her voice. "I don't think he condones that sort of behavior." She got up from the sofa and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "But he doesn't matter." She forced a smile. "What matters is I never realized that my brother was such an entertaining drunk and I never knew he was such a little Don Juan." She leaned against the back of the couch, smirking knowingly. "He really swept you off your feet, didn't he?"

Hermione blushed slightly. "That's not the point," she said in a perfect prefect voice. "The point is that those two were intoxicated on school grounds."

"No, the point is one of them told you that he loooovees you," Ginny teased.

"He didn't mean it; he was drunk," Hermione argued, but with a slight smile nevertheless.

"When you're drunk, you don't repress your emotions," Ginny pointed out.

"How would you know about that?" Hermione demanded.

"I have six older brothers," Ginny reminded her. "Believe me, there are drunken nights at the Burrow; how d'you think I learn anything around there?"

"Well," Hermione said after a pause, "he probably won't even remember what he said tomorrow."

"But you will," Ginny said softly. "Keep that in mind when he talks to you tomorrow, will you? Because that is the point."

"I know," Hermione admitted. She gave her friend a sideways glance. "When did you become smarter than me?"

"It's an acquired skill," Ginny replied cheerily. "Comes from years of hearing my brother talk about you over and over again." Both girls laughed while Ginny stole a look over at the boys' stairwell. "Well, I don't think Dean is going to come back down."

"Probably tucking Seamus into bed," Hermione agreed.

"Right," Ginny said with disappointment. She jerked her head towards the girls' stairway. "You coming?"

"Yes," Hermione followed Ginny, staring at the younger girl's back in consideration. "So you think Ron and I should..."

"Do I even have to say it?" Ginny called over her shoulder as they trooped up the spiral staircase. She paused at the landing and turned to face Hermione. "All right, I'm going to say it again just in case you missed it," She tossed her hair over her shoulder melodramatically with a small smile. "Okay, this is on behalf of the entire world," She paused for emphasis, stressing every word carefully. "You and Ron are perfect for each other and I, and everyone else on the planet, think that you should be together, so go be together!"

"This is from the girl who last term told me to let him go?" Hermione asked dryly after a moment of silence.

"Yes, and you are the girl who did not let him go," Ginny countered. "For good reasons; you don't hide how you feel."

There was a note of melancholy bitterness in Ginny's voice that made Hermione drop the bantering. "Ginny, you could tell him," she suggested.

"No," Ginny said instantly. "No. You've seen what's he like."

"I think you could help him," Hermione told her.

"I know I could," Ginny agreed. "But he has to want it." Hermione sighed; Ginny was right, again. Harry was in a very precarious position right now and if he refused help from the people who cared about him the most, he was going to have to fight his way back all on his own. She wished she could just go up to him, apologize, and tell him that she wanted more than anything to be friends again. But after what he had said to her, that solution was impossible. In some ways, Hermione was more worried about repairing her friendship with Harry than anything. She knew that she and Ron would say or do to each other, they would always find a way back to each other; life just wasn't possible without him. But she and Harry...if her damaged pride wouldn't let her approach Harry and if he kept obstinately playing the role of the lone hero, it would take major event to bring the two friends back together.

But poor Ginny, Hermione thought sympathetically. She had been pining away for Harry for four years, waiting for him to grow up and gain a bit of maturity so she could discuss the possibility of a relationship, and then trying to forget about her feelings towards him by dating Michael, who had initiated the relationship out of less than honorable intentions. Now she had accepted her feelings but she was tucking them away, hoping that the old adage out of sight, out of mind would hold true. Hermione knew that Ginny was perfectly happy with Dean, but it was simply a superficial, fun sort of contentedness; it wasn't a happiness that filled you to the very depths of your soul like finding the love of your life was. And Hermione knew that Ginny wanted that sensation more than anything; she had felt the same way all during fifth-year.

"Ginny," Hermione tried to think of something comforting to say, but her mind was unusually blank. She tried to remember what Ginny had consoled her with whenever she had been bogged down with her Ron Weasley-induced woes, but before any came to mind, Ginny held up her hand and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it," Ginny said bravely. "Someday..." she trailed off hopefully. Hermione smiled; that was one of the great things about Ginny Weasley: she never lost faith in people, especially in the ones she loved. Ginny shrugged with a bittersweet smile. "I'll see you tomorrow," she told her friend. She only took two steps before turning back and looked at Hermione appealingly. "And just hear him out, okay? He really does miss you." Hermione simply nodded and waved good-night as Ginny slipped into her dormitory.

Looks like she and Ron were going to have yet another talk.


Author notes: Thanks for reading! I hope you can find the time to review!

Next chapter...wow...it's intense, that's all I can say.