Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or settings.

-Chapter One-

He stared at her, staring at him. Him as in Dean. Her boyfriend. She had a sort of a pained expression on her face as she watched him at the other end of the table, talking to a fifth year. It made him furious! Don't get the wrong idea, he didn't like Hermione, or not like that, atleast. She was one of his best friends, though, so of course he'd be angry when her so called boyfriend was sitting there flirting with another girl.

Hermione sighed and turned her attention back to Ron, who was still absentmindedly staring at her, deep in thought. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him as if to ask "What are you staring at??" Luckily, Ron snapped out of it before Hermione had time to take out her wand.

"Why don't you just dump the git, Hermione? You really could do better."

"Dump him?! Why? He's merely getting help with his potions work! We've been through this before. Dean would never cheat on me..." The last part of her statement kind of faded out. Ron looked at her skeptically.

:"Oh Ron! Stop being so protective."

"I'm not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Must you always have the last word with everything?" She tapped her fingers impatiently on the table, an annoying habit she has formed from waiting on Ron to often. He just shrugged and stood up, glancing once more at Dean who was now having the girl giggling like mad. It made him sick to see it. He saw Hermione stand, and glance as well, quickly looking back to Ron.

"Atleast we have Snape's class to look forward to now." Ron said with fake enthusiasm. "With Harry recovering from that broken arm he got in the game yesterday, that class just won't be the same." Hermione wasn't paying attention since she was busy forming a plan, that was a little unlike Hermione.

She grabbed Ron's arm suddenly, as they were just about to exit the Great Hall.

"Say Ron, You're angry with Dean right? I mean, you'd help me if I needed it, wouldn't you?" She looked at him hopeful.

"Erm..." Ron mumbled, and Hermione took that for a yes, so she kept going with her plan.

"Well I think I should just make him jealous back. That's how it always works, doesn't it? I'll break up with him tonight, and tomorrow we'll be together. Well not together...but...you know..." It was just starting to sink it exactly what Hermione wanted him to do. "Us?! How come not you and Harry? Or Someone else! Us?"

"Yes Ron! Us. Me and You. It'll be so great! Harry's already dating Ginny. And no one else will work! Thanks Ron for doing this." She gave him an awkward smile and walked off on ahead to potions, and left him standing there mumbling something about how girls were so demanding.

He hurried and caught up with her.

"So what all do I have to do? Do we have to...er...kiss?" Hermione shrugged.

"Desperate times, calls for desperate measures. I'm sure you're not that bad of a kisser, Ron." Ron fumed, he hated it when she twisted his words around.

"Of Course I'm not a bad kisser! Ask...er...Lavender! And..." He mumbled something that Hermione could not quite make out.

"What was that?" She egged him on, loving his discomfort.

" Luna..." He said it a little louder this time, regretting ever telling her. Hermione gaped at him.

"When!?"

"Er...well...you see she was visiting Ginny this past summer...and well...she kind of threw herself on me...er...and...yeh. Don't worry, I hated it." Hermione stared at him for a second more, and then continue to walk off to class, leaving him there in the hallway, again.

He sighed, frustrated. He knew this was not going to work out, but he decided to go along with it anyways. That's who he was. He was Mr. Dependable. Usually...