Chapter 1

"Ronald Billus Weasley!"

Hermione Granger stormed into the Gryffindor common room, anger apparent on her face. Ron, who was grinning rather foolishly at Harry, having beat him at wizards chess, yet again, quickly schooled his features into a look of concern.

"H-hermione? Are you ok?"

Ginny, who had been sitting on the couch near the fire, reading, had perked up as Hermione stormed into the common room. She knew the tone of her friend's voice meant that her dolt of a brother had done something either incredibly dangerous or incredibly stupid…..or perhaps both.

Hermione was red as she marched over to the table where Ron and Harry were playing chess. She tossed a paper down onto the chess board, scattering pieces everywhere. On the front of the paper, emblazoned in red ink, was a T (for Troll) and Ron's name signed in the upper right hand corner. Ron looked sheepishly from the paper to Hermione, and cringed when he saw the look of fury on the bookworm's face.

"We JUST went over this last week and you couldn't even keep the knowledge in your brain long enough to write it down on paper today." Hermione pegged Ron with a look that Ginny was sure would have made even Molly, the Weasley matriarch, shudder with shame. Ron, at least, had the dignity to look a bit bashful as his ears turned as red as his hair, and he stammered a response.

"Her-hermione just…..just hear me out, ok?" Ron started to rise and try to calm the bushy-haired witch. Hermione's face hardened into one of cold fury, and Ron swallowed thickly. "I was trying my hardest to listen to you, I really was. But History of Magic is just so- so boring! There are so many dates and so many names, it's a wonder even you can keep them straight! I…I honestly tried my hardest on this test….." Ron trailed off, looking at Hermione, fear and a hopeful look of acceptance in his eyes. Hermione looked the same, though her eyes had narrowed a bit as Ron came up with his far-fetched excuse.

Ginny felt the air shift in the room as Hermione moved with a deadly calm and took two steps closer Ron. He seemed to shrink a little under her gaze and with every word he flinched.

"If you EVER ask for my help again, you will find out just how much self defense wand work I know. I won't waste my time on someone who cares more about whether or not the Chudley Cannons won the previous weeks' match rather than passing their classes in order to learn something that might save them from the fight ahead of us."

At these words, Ron got a look of indignant anger across his face. His mouth worked quicker than his mind in most cases and, as usual, Ginny saw that this was going to be the case again. She cringed as Ron opened his mouth.

"Hey! Who was the one who decided that we should all stay in school even though there's a massive fight going on around us, a WAR about to break out and the number one wanted wizard alive sitting amongst our midst! It wasn't me, Hermione! Honestly, how can you think of studying when half the bloody school is gone? You're lucky me and Ginny are still here! Mum wanted to pull us out the first chance she got, but I convinced her to let us stay because we needed to help Harry! As my girlfriend I think you'd have a bit more understanding for that!"

Ginny cringed at the last second and met Harry's eyes. Harry shot her a look that said "I know Ron pushed that too far. You take Hermione and I'll calm Ron down afterwards, yeah?" Ginny nodded in silent agreement. Now she waited for Hermione's response, which she knew would hit home.

Hermione's eyes blazed with a cold fury. She drew herself up to her full height and looked Ron square in the eye. Her tone was laced with poison.

"Understanding? You're one to talk about understanding, Ronald. The only things you care about are Quidditch, chess, and chasing girls skirts. You want to talk to me about understanding? Who's the one who helped with all of the logical problems we've faced over the past six years? Who's the one who always pulled us out of scary situations, situations which we MIGHT not have survived, if it weren't for her quick thinking? ME. That's who. I understand a lot more than just books. I use my mind for common sense, which you obviously have none of!" The loud sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the air and Ginny saw that Ron was now rubbing his face, where a large, red welt was starting to form. Hermione looked like she was torn between screaming and crying, and she rushed off to the Head Girl's dormitory. Ginny nodded swiftly at Harry, who at her movement, got up to take Ron by the arm.

"C'mon mate. Let's go for a walk, huh?" Harry began to gently lead Ron towards the door. As they left through the portrait hole Ron could be heard saying, "What did she mean by chasing skirts? I can't help it if Lavender-" and then the sound was gone. As soon as the sound ceased, Ginny ran to the Head Girls room. Hermione had given her the password months beforehand, realizing that at times, the youngest Weasley just needed a girl to talk to, and had chosen Hermione. In fact, Ginny and Hermione had grown quite close over the months that had passed since the Golden Trio (and subsequently Ginny) had been inducted into the Order. There was a comfort about knowing that another girl (no, Ginny thought, woman) was going through the same thing. That you weren't the only woman who wanted to be out on the front lines. Hermione had taught Ginny that was ok to be stronger than the men around you at times. And right now Ginny felt that Hermione could use someone to talk to.

She took a deep breath and entered the doorway behind the gryphon statue.

Ron and Harry had slowly wandered away from the castle and down to the lake by the Forbidden Forest. They were now standing at the banks of the lake, skipping stones across the water. Ron let out an exasperated sigh.

"Why do girls have to be so flummoxing, mate?"

Harry looked at Ron with a wry expression.

"I dunno. To help you I'd have to know what exactly went down with you and Hermione, Ron. Then maybe I could help."

Ron looked at Harry with a somewhat guilty expression. He suddenly became very interested in a rock that he had in his hand and stubbornly refused to look at anything else, least of all Harry. Harry leaned down and tried to meet his eyes. Ron glanced at him and then sighed.

"Hermione caught me staring at Lavender after we all went swimming in the lake one day, a few weeks ago. She stormed off, completely livid at me, but she seemed to get over it later."

Harry looked at his friend with his best 'you-fucked-up-royally' look.

"That was a bad move mate, checking someone out while your girl is around."

"I KNOW! I-I don't know exactly how it happened. One minute we were all swimming and having a good time, and then the next…." Ron trailed off. He looked miserable. "Do you think there's any chance she'll just forget about the entire incident?"

Harry looked at Ron with seriousness in his eyes. "Not without a whole lot of chocolate from Honeyduke's, mate. And even then she'll hold it over your head for a long time afterwards." He clapped a supportive hand on Ron's shoulder. Ron looked at him with a wry grin on his face and the both began to walk back towards the castle.

Ginny was sitting on Hermione's bed as Hermione struggled to keep from letting her tears get the better of her again. Ginny was holding a box of tissues in one hand and the other was currently resting on her best friends knee in a gesture of support. Hermione shook a little as another wave of tears threatened to spill over again.

"Why does he have to be such a bloody wanker?" Hermione sniffed and took another tissue from the box. She had spent the better part of an hour ranting about the insensitive, libido-driven pig that was Ronald Weasley. Hermione had been through every emotion, from anger, to confusion, to sadness, and back again. Ginny had sat with her throughout the entire thing, listening and agreeing with Hermione at every turn, all while plotting the increasingly violent revenge against her mule-headed brother.

"Because he's a guy, Hermione. You know the only thing they think with is their pricks."

Hermione gave a snort at the comment.

"Yeah, you're telling me. That's all Ron wants, all the time. You'd think he'd be more focused on something else, what with the war and V-v-" she stuttered. "Voldemort's return."

Ginny shuddered at the name. She hated the fact that Harry had to face that creature. It wasn't something that a normal 17 year-old boy was supposed to face. She was worried about him. She didn't want to lose anyone else in the upcoming fight. She had already lost so many friends who left Hogwarts after the summer and never returned. She shook her head slightly to clear the thoughts that started to race through. No need to think about that now, not when Hermione needed a friend.

"Eugh! Hermione! He's my brother! I didn't need that mental image!" Ginny screwed her eyes shut, trying to stop the mental image that came to her mind. That seemed to do the trick, and Hermione snapped out of her melancholy, chuckling slightly at the younger girl's discomfort.

"Heh, I'm sorry Ginny. Sometime's I forget you guys are related, you know? You're both so different. Ron is so headstrong and stubborn. Never wanting to do anything for himself unless he sees the immediate benefit. You're exactly the opposite."

Ginny smiled widely at this. "I know. Now, I'm going to go catch up on some Quidditch practice out on the pitch. Unless a certain Head Girl thinks it's too late for a sixth-year to be out and about the castle grounds?" She smirked as she went to get her shoes. Hermione grinned back.

"Just be back at least before midnight!", she yelled at the quickly moving flash of scarlet and flame-red hair, as Ginny raced for the door.