A/N: This story is probably an AU and also a bit varied from the canon reactions and attitudes. It was based on a little situation I had today with a few friends, and it just FIT in with the Harry Potter themes. I don't own Harry potter, but I do own this plot, well at leats Hermione's reactions and such. -sighs- Oh and I had to add the shippy thoughts and such. Okay, read on!

The day was a quite, dull Monday that had been welcomed with double Potions and a double of Transfiguration. "I honestly think that I couldn't have done any better!" Hermione practically squealed as she held sixteen small flowers in her hand from one had been sticks. "I know this all seems so trivial, but creating life from a once dead object is just – wow." Hermione added, sure she had never said wow in her life.

"Yeah, really great Hermione." Harry said, waving a hand t on who was about to make a big deal about not making the flowers a big deal.

"I'm going to the Library." Ron muttered. He'd gone to the Library everyday of the week but had never gotten any closer to finishing any of the work there. Hermione doubted he even knew why he went there.

"Why've you become so fond of the Library?" Hermione questioned, her hand resting on his shoulder, in a falsely concerned way. She quickly withdrew it and went back to holding her books with a small laugh as he glared her way.

"I never insulted you and your obsessive need to go the Library-"

"Yes, you did, "Said Harry.

"To your face-"

"Yeah, you do all the time."

"Much. Don't say anything Harry." Ron warned, turning on his so-called best friend. "I'm going now, so… see you later." He said, turning on his heel dramatically.

"Have you seen Ron?" Asked a voice almost the instant he turned the corner. Della stood behind the two, with a glazed over look in her eyes.

"No, sorry. I haven't." Hermione quickly said, elbowing Harry in the side as he mentioned the Library.

"Oh." Della said, rushing away almost as instantly has she had appeared.

"Why don't you ever want to tell her where Ron is?" Harry asked, as they continued to walk toward the seventh floor, up the Giant Staircases.

"I do want to tell her. But she's just so annoying and whiney. I'm sure Ron wouldn't want to see her, he's busy and all." Hermione said, taking longer strides, but barely making it a few inches before Harry would overtake her once more. "Why must you boys keep growing?" She posed, her voice not really seeming annoyed as she felt.

"Because that's how a human works, Hermione." Harry countered, rolling his eyes. "I have to catch up on some work for our next class, so I've gotta head over to the Library." Harry said, looking down at his watch, which still not working from his fourth year.

"It's only 11:05" Hermione said, her eyes anxiously looking at him, trying to beg him not to leave her alone. "I'm coming with you, just in case you need help. Oh and I have an essay on the properties of a Billywig if properly treated for-"

"Yes, yes. All right. Come on." Harry said, his hands waving at her incessantly.

Several minutes later, they traversed the small hallways and secret passages to which lead to the Library.

"Shall we find Ron or leave him by himself?" Hermione asked, rasing an eyebrow at Harry.

"I suppose he'd like some company for once." Harry mentioned thoughtfully, as he placed a fist on his hip and a flat hand on his brow for a moment, trying to get a good look around the Library.

"I can see him." Hermione groaned, grabbing Harry's lower arm and dragging him out of the pathetic pose he was in. She was only lightly embarrassed for how he was standing. It was his fault.

"Hello Ron!" They both chimed, not waiting for a reaction as they sat down. Actually, Hermione had sat behind the two of them as laid out her charts and information, as the two of them continued their conversation as if it was the most important thing ever. "Oh this is hopeless." She said after five minutes of trying to work, only hearing the two of them talking. She wasn't to know what they were saying and whom they were talking about, or otherwise she felt left out. With most of her charts in her arms she rushed to sit in front of them, well actually opposite in most respects, and laid the charts out carefully, so they both had some space left to work.

Hermione Harry and Ron were all now sitting within the stuffy confines of the school Library catching up on some homework that was due any minute. Well, Hermione was finishing a small essay she'd received for extra credit whilst the other two worked. Harry sat laughing at the fact that Ron had completely lost it with what he was doing. Both Harry and Hermione could tell that Ron was upset about the work that laid in front of him, so Hermione kept asking if she could help him, and he kept ignoring her or saying no. Hermione wasn't used to this newfound reaction, so continued to flounder every time he refused.

Ron read through the question again and flipped to the small element of text he'd been given along with it. His voice trailed along with the questions that he was reading as his eyes weren't set on anything other than his work.

"Ron, really! Just give me the questions sheet maybe I could – help…" Hermione was faded by a vicious look from Ron, which made her roll her eyes with long-since-perfected ease.

"I can do this, just let me work." He muttered a hand making rapid strokes through his hair as he read.

Hermione gave an offended look at Ron before looking at Harry who shrugged and went back to trying to work. That was, till a bright, bubbling girl from Hufflepuff waddled up next to their seats.

"Ron!" She said, as if she'd gotten there by accident, "I was just speaking to Della," Ron's eyes lifted anxiously from the crumbled sheet of paper in his grasp, "And she said you weren't very – y'know..." She giggled looking at Harry and Hermione as if they shouldn't hear what she was saying.

"No, I don't know." Ron answered; his expression would've been priceless if it hadn't been so pathetic.

"Y'know… After that sacred ball a few days back…She just let something slip that you couldn't…well… make something happen…" the Hufflepuff giggled insanely. Hermione tensed up at this, her mind not normally perverted, but from the context of what the girl had said, she felt sickened. More than sickened, she felt her whole stomach come up at once, but forced herself to think of it s from some side-effects from potions earlier.

"Kim," Ron questioned, as if he knew exactly what she was talking about. He gave a warning look at Harry and Hermione and stood up, ebbing Kim away a few feet before they began speaking in rushed and quiet tones. Words like 'did', 'y'know' and 'it' came up a lot, and well, way too many times for comfort for Hermione.

But, behind all this muttered words, Harry and Hermione both looked at each other in utter disgust and distain. Truthfully, Hermione hadn't gone to the stupid ball, it was pointless and it made no sense to go to another after her fourth year caused her so much trouble. Oh, she did want to go but had refused several boys, hoping Ron would've asked her, instead of his girlfriend. Ha. That worked out brilliantly, hadn't it? But, Hermione could tell that Ron had told Harry about what had happened that night which is why Harry was avoiding all contact with Hermione's blazon expression.

"Kim, you don't know what you're talking about," Ron spluttered aggressively, his eyes looking her up and down as if she weren't real. He walked back to his seat and picked up the paper, his eyes not making a single movement. You could see the small movements in his thoughts with every second that passed.

"Oh I think I do. I've known Della for seven years now." She announced proudly as Ron gave her a leer of uncertainty. Her tone was skipping for one word to another in such haste it scared the two spectators, who were continuing to 'work' whilst they listened.

"Look, I'm trying to work. I don't see what's so important about what Ron and Della did on-" Hermione blurted, giving Kim a polite yet firm glare.

"Hermione, shut it, I'm talking." Ron hissed.

"Oh. Well – Oh." Hermione muttered, her mouth pursing together as she brought her quill down to her page, almost snapping the end of it.

"I was only kidding Ron!" Kim laughed, prancing around the table to give him a light nudge in the shoulder.

"I don't trust you, now." He objected, "Because… did she say that?" He asked, glancing down for a moment then back at Kim.

Kim should her head and crossed her heart, a sickly sweet smile still playing across her lips. "No, she didn't." She added, thought it wasn't really necessary. This continued for twenty minutes, as Hermione watched, 'Ron is thinking more about the stupid girl and her little rumour than his work, which he thought was o so important before.' She reasoned, her legs working furiously, constantly crossing and uncrossing her feet.

Hermione just sat from then on, wishing this girl would go away and leave her to do her work. And to her approval she did leave and Ron, Harry and Hermione were left with a few precious moments to finish their work.

"I don't get this!" Ron howled, his expression the equivalent of a two year old when they don't get what they want, "This is bloody stupid."

Her hands made contact with the table, as she slammed down two equally matched fists onto the oak-wood table. "Well, if you'd just give me the question sheet maybe I could help you!" Hermione demanded her eyes still on her work. She picked up her quill and began to re-read her essay and noting what needed dot be changed.

"I can do this, if everyone would just shut up!" Ron countered, slamming his quill down to write the next for words. It snapped instantly of course, to which he threw it aside and rested his head in his hands. Hermione was still annoyed, but offered him her own quill, which he rejected and simply pulled one from his bag. "I don't care what troll did what, it doesn't make any sense." He said, dipping the quill and writing out a few sentences, before scrunching up the sheet and throwing it aside to respite with the rest of the rejects.

"Well-"

"Shut up, Hermione! You've probably got no idea about any of this anyway." Ron added, his eyes scanning the sheet mercilessly. Hermione made an offended noise and swung away from Ron, her eyes going slightly bleary from anger.

"Mate, she's just trying to help. You know she is, so don't bite her head off." Harry told Ron in an undertone, looking from Hermione's agitated face to Ron's also agitated face.

Ron momentarily looked at Hermione who was looking away, one leg thrown over the other with her hands resting on her knees and a stern expression as she focused on nothing in particular in front of her. He could she was a just little upset so he muttered a small apology which usually would have taken months for him to work up to. Giving a sigh of defeat and agony of actually taking Hermione's help for the first time in weeks, he read out the first question, " 'Who lead the trolls through their time of rebellion?' I couldn't find anything and-"

"Bulouss The Brilliant." Said a sickly sweet voice.

"Right…" Ron said, scribbling down the name.

"Actually, it wasn't just Bulouss. It was Hagard the Horrendous and also Frie the Frightful, who both stood for the actual enforcement of the rules that the trolls were to abide to in their new civilization and as they worked for the respect of wizards. Oh and Serentina the Selfish, who was to be appearing in court for most of the trolls as an advisor of sorts, as she spoke minor elements of English. Those four really helped the cause of the trolls. Mostly in France, though. I suppose, you're learning a general version of it? Well they're the most obvious of the troll's leaders, really. Oh that's only my opinion of course, but what can you do" Hermione's last words were followed with a small breathless laugh, as she continued to add without taking much of a breath at each pause and most her words running together before she had her arms crossing in distinction only she could pull off. She gave a satisfied smile and Ron nodded as he wrote all this down. She'd finally gotten what she wanted from Ron, which really was just helping him.

"Are you saying I'm wrong?" Kim asked, her eyes glaring directly at Hermione.

"No… I'm adding onto what you said." Hermione said, her feet shifting underneath her. She noted Kim's expression and included, "What you said was perfectly fine, really. I just felt it was a bit… broad, really. Detail is what makes History of Magic enhanced." Hermione gave a grin worthy of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland as the girl looked indignant.

"Okay, well, what is meant by the Protocol Trollé?" Ron asked, making an odd 'e' sound at the end of the word.

"Well, it was the laws that the trolls had to follow in the end, der." Kim muttered, rolling her eyes and flicking her hand absently, urging the next question.

"Not quite, Kim…" Hermione said, tutting her tongue for a moment, "Common mistake made by most. See, The Protocol Tro-llise," Hermione accentuated the word rather carefully as she made a small hand gesture, "Is the laws that the trolls were eventually subdued into accepting. However the Protocol Tro-llé is the original set of laws that were offered in a small Wizards Council in Paris, over the discussions of the Trolls and their rights amongst the Wizarding World." Hermione smiled as Ron scribbled out what Kim has said and replaced it with what Hermione had said.

Harry was sitting, his eyes rather wide at Hermione, "How do you remember all of this?"

"I listen, Harry." Hermione noted, giving Harry a small smile.

Several questions later, Kim was answering before Hermione could, but Hermione always adding more, Ron looked at the two of them bickering about the name of a wizard who speared over seven hundred trolls. "I'll just get the rest of the answers later from someone in class." His books and quills dropped into the well-worn knapsack under him as he looked cautiously at Kim.

"That's cheating, Ron." Harry warned, knowing it wouldn't matter to Ron.

"Which is why I don't advise it to you my dear Harry." Ron said, cracking his fingers and leaning back in his chair. "Why did you come back?" He asked, looking at Kim who was standing anxiously.

"I was going to give you this," she handed him an invitation of midnight black and rich orange, "It's a Halloween bash that a few of my friends are having. You'll need that to get in." She smiled once more before turning away.

"Is Della going?" He asked, rasing an eyebrow at the card.

"Oh. I'll get her one. Oh! I also had to tell you, no alcohol," She gave a small wink, "Not even Butterbeer!" She sounded a little too perky to be telling the truth, so Ron simply pocketed the invitation and shook his head. "That'll be fun, eh?" Ron smiled at the two who were once again left at the side as spectators.

Hermione had been staring into the space that Kim had left before turning back to Ron. "I'm not going." Hermione mentioned bitterly, crossing her arms and slumping into her seat.

"Why not?" Ron questioned, with a slight bit of iciness in his voice, "Got to read a book on Potions or something-" Harry kicked, Ron from under the table, trying to stop him from talking, but Hermione did that with half the effort.

"I wasn't invited if you hadn't noticed." Hermione pointed out, throwing him a look that was either really insulting or really upsetting, he couldn't quite tell.

"W-Why not?" Ron queried with the same words, expecting them to work every time.

Hermione gave a small, cold laugh, "Ron, honestly, you have no idea about who gets invited to those parties. The couples. Well, the couples and the more well liked people for a start. And I'm not exactly a social butterfly, am I now? It also doesn't help I don't smoke or drink like most of those people going will." Hermione rolled her eyes once more and turned slightly in her chair as if to be looking out the window again. Her expression was blank and her once smiling face was battened down again with unreasoned woe.

Ron looked down at the invitation and then at Harry.

Harry pressed a finger to his lips and nodded to signify that was had gotten invited. He shook his head with a disgusted look, meaning he wasn't going to go, anyway.

"Well… I might not go then." Ron mumbled, ripping the little piece of paper with extreme malice that held his ticket into a tacky 'Halloween Bash', as it were. He saw Hermione instantly pick up from her limited animation and beam once more, "Just… because there's no Firewhiskey or anything." He added unconvincingly he began packing up the rest of what he had lying in front of him. "I'm giving up on this sheet, really. I'm going to go find Della." He added rushing off, before giving Hermione a small wink as he exited. He'd developed that nowadays. And it wasn't a cheap little wink like the one Kim had given Ron, it was a much more meaningful one in Hermione's eyes, as pathetic as that sounded. He had a girlfriend and ruined her last hopes of her and him, really. She knew they couldn't have been together, anyway. She was a friend. He was her friend. Simple as that, really, they were friends. Ha, she wished it were, at least.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, prodding her in the shoulder. "I'm going to go find Ginny and the rest of the Quidditch team, alright." He said, not really as a question, because she couldn't have rightly said no.

Hermione nodded and let her hands entangle themselves in one another as she realized she didn't really have any other hand to hold than her own.