There, There

She was walking down the deserted hallway, her nose in a book, not looking where she was going. She didn't care. She wasn't going anywhere in particular. Her two best friends had ditched her to go play some stupid broom game, to impress the other girls, no doubt. She almost hated being the only girl in a group of friends that consisted of two other guys. Almost.

There were times when Hermione Granger's best friends made her happy. The way Ron would remark about the Slytherins, or the way that Harry would take them on all his adventures. But at other times, she hated the way they made boyish comments on everything and always copied her homework. All Hermione felt she would ever be to Harry and Ron was a book that could tell them all the answers, and at best, a mate they thought they could be pals with.

She knew that they were closer than anyone and she could never break the male bond, but she knew that they regarded her as a best friend. But every now and then she had a feeling that the two were keeping a large secret from her. She sometimes wished that she wasn't so smart, or that she wasn't a girl, just to be close to two people that meant a great deal in her life.

One day she had just enough of them.

The Gryffindor boys were sitting in the Common Room, talking about things that at once both disgusted and fascinated Hermione. Whenever Seamus, in his Irish brogue, rang out about something totally rude and inappropriate, she would look away from her book and over her shoulder just to make sure McGonagall wasn't listening to them.

After the third time that she looked, Ron questioned her about it. "Hey, what's wrong with you? Are you expecting somebody? Vicky, perhaps?"

Everyone sort of laughed, and Hermione blushed, imagining Viktor, who was in Bulgaria right now, blundering in through the portrait hole, calling her name.

"You are so incoherent, Ron. Viktor's in Bulgaria right now, training for Quidditch," Hermione bristled.

"What's incoherent, mean, Hermione?" asked Ron in mock stupidity. "I'm too dumb to know."

"And too dumb to probably care, Ron," rang out Harry.

"Right about that, mate," Ron laughed, still looking at Hermione in mock surprise before turning around to join in the stupid conversation again.

Hermione almost got up to leave; until the conversation landed on the one subject she half-hoped, half-dreaded they would talk about.

"So, what about Hannah Abbot?"

"Nah...she wears too much perfume. Have you ever smelled her? It's like standing next to an ocean of ooh de toilet!"

"That's Eau de toilette, Ron,"

"Thanks, Harry. Or should I say- Harriet?"

They all started laughing at Ron's crack. Hermione snorted in apparent revolt. Although she found their talk about girls to be snide and horrid, she couldn't help wondering if they ever talked about her when she wasn't around.

"How about Lavender?" asked Dean.

"Oh, Ron fancies Lavender," began Seamus, shaking with laughter.

Ron went red in the face. "No, I don't, she's too superficial. I'm looking someone for more-depth."

Silence.

Hermione's heart quickened. Surely, Ron didn't like her? She had never really thought of him that way, but she could change her mind if she felt it too...

She swallowed and boldly asked in a soft voice "Do you really mean that, Ron?"

Another silence. Ron looked at Hermione, with sincere eyes. She looked at him with confused and expectant eyes.

He broke a smile "No, of course I don't mean that, Hermione! You know me, I'd take anyone who'd have me!"

They all laughed except for Hermione. Harry glanced over at her, his lips thin, his eyes in a sorry gaze. She shook her head. I shouldn't have set myself up for that, she thought.

The talk went back to girls in their grade.

"Well, I know this one girl from Slytherin-"

"Slytherin, Dean? That's horrible! I may never talk to you again!"

"No, no, no. Apparently you haven't seen her, Ron. She's absolutely gorgeous. She has black hair down her back, and emerald eyes...she's beautiful."

"Hey! I know who your talking about! It's that Helena girl who just transferred! She's actually really nice. She helped me with my potions homework," said Seamus.

Ron's eyes grew wide. "She's in Slytherin? That's amazing. Finally, someone good looking and smart in our year, and she's in Slytherin. How unlucky is that... Hermione?"

Hermione had gone red in the face, pretending to read her book. Her mouth was struggling to keep itself shut, and not scream at Ron from the top of her lungs that she was not invisible.

The others realized what he had just done, and immediately became uncomfortable. They turned their attention back to their homework right away, Ron still looking at Hermione in confusion.

"Hermione, are you okay?"

She couldn't stop it. She opened her mouth, and instead of a long stream of anger tumbling out, one sole question flowed from her mouth.

"Ron, do you think I'm ugly?"

All the boys cringed, hoping Ron would say no.

"No, where did you ever get that idea?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about this; 'finally, someone good looking and smart in our grade!' That sort of sends a message, Ron, wouldn't you agree?"

Ron, finally realizing what he had done, half-heartedly tried to cover it up. "No, that's not what I meant. What I meant was-"

"Don't even try to cover yourself up, Ronald Weasley!"

Ron nervously laughed and looked around at the others. "Oh, look, she's gone and pulled out the whole name. Next thing you know, she'll be sending howlers."

Seamus snorted into his upside-down book, and Harry smiled in spite of himself.

Hermione's eyes narrowed into a glare that, in Ron's opinion, could have killed Voldemort twice over.

"Ron," she began in a deadly silent voice. "Don't test me. I'm not in the mood to be made a fool of. Now, please, tell me why you have ceased to respect me for who and what I am. Your best friend, and a girl."

"Honestly, Hermione, do you think we're here to treat you like a princess twenty four-seven? If you want to hang around us, you're going to have to put up with our manly talks.

Hermione looked at him and gave a short laugh. "Well then, maybe I won't hang around to listen to your... what did you call it, 'manly?' talks anymore!" She grabbed her books and stormed up to her dormitory.

"Way to go, Ron," Harry started. "There are so many different ways you could have handled that one."

Ron sighed. "Sorry, man, I know, I'm such a git. It's not like I meant to hurt her, it's just that... I can only think of her as one of the guys! Besides, she really did have it coming."

Harry shook his head, picking up an abandoned copy of Which Broomstick?, flipping through it. "Ron, you've got to admit, she's gotten much better this year. She turned sixteen a little more than a month ago! She's not nearly as high-strung as she used to be. She hasn't even mentioned SPEW so far this year!"

Ron sighed. "I give it one month before she does."

*

Over the period of the next two weeks, she slowly managed to incorporate herself back into the group. Two days before it was due, she had helped them with Snape's latest essay, one on how to find the properties of a chemical equation. She thought that everything would work itself out, but now she found herself walking down a strangely quiet hall, pretending to read a book, abandoned by her two Quidditch-loving friends. Her brain as swimming with thoughts about Harry and Ron, and how she felt as if the three of them had somehow drifted apart, Hermione going one way, the two boys going another, farther every day.

She stopped walking and slumped down on the floor, her back to the wall. Could it be that we just aren't as close anymore? She began to recall everything they had been through together. Lord Voldemort had played so much into everything that had happened. She remembered six years ago, when they first saved her from the troll. Six years ago on Halloween....

Halloween! In all of her sadness, she had totally forgotten about Halloween. She checked her watch. "Oh, damn! The banquet's just started... I can still make it..." She couldn't will herself to get up, however. "Urgh! Fine! I'll just die here!" she said aloud, feeling stupid and falling sideways to lie on the ground, not feeling well at all. She heaved a sigh, and closed her eyes. A click sounded, and the door slightly opposite from her opened.

"Miss Granger? Why are you not at the feast? Are you ill, should I get Madame Pomfrey?"

Hermione opened her eyes to find Professor Lupin crouching next to her, a worried expression on his face. "Oh! Professor, no! I'm feeling alright," she lied. "Its just... issues. Stupid stuff. Besides, it'd dreadfully embarrassing, but I'm afraid I had completely forgotten that today was Halloween."

Lupin gave a slight smile, careful not to laugh. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, it happens to all of us." Lupin helped her to her feet. The normally attractive man looked especially haggard today.

Then she remembered. "Last night was a full moon, wasn't it?"

The handsome werewolf grimly nodded. "And guess who, ah, 'forgot' to bring me the Wolfsbane?"

Hermione felt her eyes widen. "No! He didn't really!"

He nodded again. "Unfortunately, Professor Snape is feeling rather sore toward me at the moment."

Hermione shook her head in disgust. "But that's still no reason to put the entire school in danger! What did you do?"

He shuddered, remembering. "Well, I knew that by sunset he wouldn't be coming, and he wasn't in his dungeons, so I went into the Forbidden Forest and ran wild the entire night. I woke up in quite a state this morning, as you can imagine." Hermione nodded. She had once seen Lupin transform into a werewolf. It had looked incredibly painful.

"Well, it sounds like he's got it in for you, sir." Lupin laughed, crow's feet creasing the corner of his eye. "In any case, you're problems are far worse than mine, professor."

Lupin had a genuine look of concern etched on his face. "Do you feel as if you need to talk about it, Hermione?" Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't know how to follow his wolf problems with her own stupid boy problems. His sentiment made her smile, however. He's sweet, she thought.

She looked away. "Well, I wouldn't want to keep you from the feast," she said.

"I'm afraid I'm not really up to going to the feast, not after last night, anyhow." He gestured to his office. " The only reason I ventured out into the hall is because I heard a noise, namely, you, in the hallway. I didn't want to risk someone being hurt and me not doing anything about it, so I decided to investigate.

"So do you wish to tell your dear old professor about your dilemmas, Hermione? I'm all ears." Hermione remained silent. "Even if you don't want to talk now, remember that I am always here to listen and help you, alright?"

Hermione nodded. "Well, I suppose it would do me some good to talk it out. I mean, I really have no one else to talk about it with. No one." Lupin smiled, opening his door. "I'll make you a cup of tea, then."