Good Girls Gone Bad

Chapter 1: The Trouble With A Good Friendship.

Hermione focused on her arithmancy homework. She still had three feet of parchment to go and surprisingly she couldn't concentrate.

'What's wrong with me today?' she thought. 'It usually takes me half an hour to finish my homework.' She glanced at the grandfather clock propped up against the common room wall. Three hours had passed since she sat down and started to write.

"Arrgh!" she exclaimed while throwing a couple of books at a painting of a proud looking medieval woman.

"Excuse me!" the woman shouted disapprovingly. Hermione rolled her eyes and twirled a strand of her unruly dark hair. While she thought to herself the portrait hole opened and in came one of her best friends, Harry.

"Hi Herm," he said while plopping down on a burgundy couch.

"Hi Harry," she replied while sighing. Harry cocked his head to one side and a puzzled look clouded over his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. Just homework getting me down," she replied. "Where's Ron?"

Harry scoffed and laughed. "In the arms of his precious Lavender, where else? Last time I saw them they were having one of their daily snogging sessions."

Hermione felt a surge of disappointment flow through her at rapid speed.

"Oh," was all she managed to suffice. Hermione had started to feel attracted to Ron at the end of their fourth year but then Lavender Brown had to come into the scene. She and Ron had been dating for four months now and it was irritating Hermione. She tried to forget him but nothing worked. She was also jealous of Lavender. How could a bushy haired, bossy, walking encyclopedia compete with a blonde, pretty, blue eyed fashion queen. There was no doubt about who the winner would be, that was for sure. She sighed again. She needed help and advice but not the kind from Harry. She needed to ask a girl. Someone who was close to the issue...

~*~*~*~

"Herm, you know I can't help you with this," said Ginny Weasley in reply to her friend's problem. "It's best kept well alone." Hermione was tired of pleading with her crush's younger sister but her stubborn streak didn't let her give up easily.

"Why not? Please, I need your help!"

Ginny sighed and asked, "What is it that you are trying to achieve from all this?"

Hermione bit her lip and stared at the whitewashed ceiling, for a moment or two, thoughtfully. "I guess I want Ron to dump Lavender and go out with me," she said finally. Ginny widened her eyes in surprise.

"Hermione, you know that is a very very selfish thing to do! Imagine how Lavender would feel!" she exclaimed.

Hermione shrugged and simply said, "She probably doesn't like him anyway."

Ginny's mouth gaped at Hermione's reply.

"Hermione! What in Merlin's beard is wrong with you today?!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "So what are you going to do now?" Ginny added.

"Break them up that's what I'm going to do," Hermione replied firmly.

Ginny shook her head. "Then you realise I can't help you."

Hermione's face clouded with anger. "Fine," she hissed. "I don't need your help." She turned on her heel and stormed out of the dormitory. She came face to face with Parvati Patil, Lavender's ex-best friend and now worst enemy.

"So," she began smirking. "You want Ron and Lavender to break up?"