An extremely tired looking Hermione wandered into the common room, simultaneously Harry was reading a book and scribbling notes in a book to his side, Ginny was asleep on the sofa opposite, and Ron was poorly disguising a "Which Broom?" magazine inside a runes book.
Hermione had grown not to expect a greeting when she arrived at this time. Alot of students had become absentees since Dumbledore's death. It was far from the circus-tent chaos picture concerned mothers had painted, as most things continued as normal: There were substitute teachers, and a flustered looking young man (Never without a stack of precariously towering parchments) was taking care of administerial tasks in Dumbledore's place.
"Hello" she said to no-one in particular, dropping a book bag and shifting Ginny's feet so she could sit down. Her words drifted off into the ether as Ginny wiggled in her sleep and replaced her legs over Hermione's.
Hermione surveyed the motley group, Harry had prematurely aged, the sparkle in his eyes faded more with each day, Ron didn't carry his usual school-boy cheekiness into a room, and Ginny was unusually quiet. Seamus and Dean had gone to bed early as usual. Neville was still at Hogwarts in his only truly defiant gesture, his grandmother had forbidden it but to everyones surprise, he showed up on the first day. Hermione supposed it was something to do with his parents.
"How's the research going?"
"Not now" Harry glanced up quickly and gave a fleeting smile, Hermione was glad she met his eyes at that point, as if she'd had blinked she may have missed it, and it was rare enough.
"Ron, I know you're not reading runes" she said with a hint of humour.
"For God's sake Hermione!"
"What? I was just saying, some things never change"
"I was just trying to think of anything other than our impending doom, I can't be learning all the bloody time! and I don't care what you think, I don't spend every waking minute trying to figure out a way to outsmart Vol...V...Never bloody mind!"
"Ron I didn't mean it like that!" But it was no use, Harry hadn't looked up and Ginny hadn't even stirred, it was all so common place, and Ron huffed and flew out of the portrait hole. Defeated, Hermione picked up her book bag, and went to the girls dormitories.
She sat on her bed and wrote fleetingly in her diary, it's hard to define to difference between days when they all feel distinctly the same. Dated for her own reference, she then lay on the bed frustrated. She almost screamed when there was a knock at the door.
"Umm hello? Who is it?" Hermione asked fleetingly covering herself with her sheets.
"Ginny" a tiny voice declared.
"Oh, erm, come in" Said Hermione in mild surprise. Since most of the girls in her year had left or regrouped to make bigger numbers in a younger dormitory, she slept alone in the dorm, which just added to her ever growing solitude.
"Hi" Ginny smiled weakly peeking her head round the door.
"Are you ok?" Hermione asked, with her brow wrinkled in concern.
"I came to ask you!" Ginny let out an equally rare smile and wandered slowly into the room. She sat at the foot of Hermione's bed and played with the edges of the sheet.
"Well, I'm fine" Hermione said, more out of habit than fact. "Are you ok?" she insisted, rubbing Ginny's arm and trying to look under her fringe for any sign of eye contact.
"I'm sorry"
"For what? Don't be stupid"
"For my brother, He's been really tense lately, I think it's all just getting to him"
"Well, he's not the only one" Hermione sighed and hit her head back on the pillow.
"God I'm sorry, I'm not much help, I suppose it's easier to just sleep through it, or pretend to sleep through it" She laughed and lay next to Hermione, who smiled in return.
"I wish I could!" She smiled again. There was a long pause, and a pleasant silence.
"Do you not get lonely up here on your own?"
"Oh, I don't even think about it anymore. It's peaceful I suppose." she sighed again, "What's it like being with those other girls?" Ginny laughed.
"It's awful! They either talk about, well, what's going on, but grossly exaggerate it all so that it sounds like we're all minutes from death, or they switch quickly and talk about who's shagging who!" Hermione laughed.
"Well, if you like, you can stay up here with me tonight" She smiled and wiped away a piece of her hair.
"I'd love to, thankyou. Now, well I heard that Dean was shagging..." Hermione glared. "I'm joking!" she exclaimed and gently hit Hermione with a pillow.
"Thank god. I don't want to know" She paused, "Unless it's really interesting, of course." Ginny laughed again.
"God, I haven't laughed this much in ages."
"It's nice isn't it? I'm just glad someone notices me." She took a beat to evaluate her statement then quickly added "Oh, I'm sorry, I sound whiny"
"No, no, it's my fault! I don't know, it's such a strange atmosphere when we're all together. I feel like if we talk we're breaking some kind of code, and we're not allowed to be ourselves. I promise I always notice you. Always."
"I understand" Hermione nodded, and closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you earlier, I thought I should come and apologise for my brother, Lord knows where he's gone, Well I heard...No, sorry! It's gossip. Not here!"
"No go on, it might explain his shitty behaviour"
"I heard he keeps getting with Lavender"
"Well I suppose if it keeps him from going insane"
"Did you have a thing for my brother?" Ginny blurted out.
"I don't think so. I think some feelings of longing just manifested themselves in him, it was hard y'know? He got so immature about it though, it was nothing. We never even kissed."
"Oh. Ok"
Moonlight trickled through the window above Hermione's bed and lit up Ginny's face in pale blue light. She gave a gentle smile when she noticed Hermione quietly observing her, then closed her eyes for a long time. There was nothing but silence and heavy breathing for a while. Hermione shuffled so she was facing away from Ginny.
"Gin? What stops you from going insane?" There was a pause, and for a moment Hermione though she might be asleep.
"Times like this, right now" Ginny murmured and instinctively flopped an arm around Hermione, and fell asleep.