Don't ask...

It was supposed to be a short, two-minute stop. She would've probably made it to Charms. Perhaps she could've gone in an gone out just for a quick little peek; after all, the Blibbering Humdinger didn't really like to be disturbed. And the one she heard to be hiding in the girl's bathroom was lkely to leave if he stuck around for too long.

A sob threw Luna off completely.

Luna stood in the threshold, listening to a sniff, a gasp, and another sob. She went foward to investigate. A stall door was cracked. Sitting there, crying without any dignity, was Hermione Granger.

Luna blinked. She and Hermione didn't always get along too well---she still hadn't forgotten what Hermione had said about the Quibbler---but Luna didn't like to ignore someone in pain.

"Please don't cry."

Hermione's head snapped up. Her eyes were red and swollen, tears fowing steadily down her cheeks. Luna knew at once that Hermione must have really been hurting. She led her to the sinks and sat on the one beside her. Conjuring a tissue and handing it over, Luna asked, "Please...can you tell me what's wrong?"

Hermione wiped her eyes furiously. She gave a shuddering gasp. "It's n-nothing."

Luna shook her head. "I know something is bothering you. And it really helps to talk." When Hermione didn't confide, Luna pressed on. "You can tell me, you know---I would never laugh or anything."

"I...I'm just...tired of all of this," she admitted more to herself than to Luna. "Six years is enough..."

Luna sat patiently while Hermione blew her nose.

"It's Ron Weasley. He---I, well, we're having...problems..."

"Go on," said Luna gently.

"We've been fighting on and off for a while. This whole year, it's just been confusing...it's so hard to---"

"You love him, don't you?"

Hermione's eyes widened; she looked around, startled. "Well...I just...what?"

"You love him."

Hermione struggled for words, to convince Luna otherwise, to find a lie. Giving up, she looked depairingly into Luna's eyes. "Is it really...I mean, it's that obvious?"

Choosing not to answer, Luna asked "How long?"

"Since my first year."

She had stopped crying.

"Does he know?" hermione shook her head. "You really shouldn't keep things from him. I'm sure the truth would set things right."

"But...but what if he doesn't like me anymore?! Oh I know I've waited too long...now he's with Lavendar..."

"No."

Again, Hermione looked up, startled. "What do you mean?"

"It's never really too late," Luna went on clearly. "If he really loved you than he still should."

Hermione went silent One side of her was suspicious. What did Luna Lovegood---of all people!---know about relationships?

But as she walked outside with Luna, her other side was thoughtful. What Luna had said was right. If the love was real, it couldn't be completely gone. But was it real in the first place?

That, Hermione gathered, spotting Ron across the hallway, would soon be decided...

Sorry for a crappy ending. and middle. and beginning. But i wanted to get this out of my head, you know?