What happened before and after Hermione walked into the common room and saw Ron and Lavender making out? My take on the whole thing…..random oneshot. just to get me back in the spirit of writing. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Of course, J.K. Rowling owns all. Everything. Direct quotes are from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Chapter 14- Felix Felicis. In my version, these scenes occur on pages 300-302.

Okay.

Calm down Granger.

He's a jerk.

But boys are all jerks.

So it's fine.

This mantra pounded through my head as I angrily ran out of the Gryffindor changing room. Harry's confused look at the end of my previous proclamation just proved this statement for me. Boys. I allowed myself a little smirk, just thinking about how stupid my two best friends could get. Course, my smile quickly faded, as soon as the mere thought of him ran across my mind. Ronald Weasley. Ron Weasley. Weasley, R. I shook my head angrily.

Don't think about idiots.

Don't give them your time.

He doesn't care.

His emotional range is comparable to a flobberworm's.

I let this new mantra of my conscience lead me all the way up the steps to the castle. There, I stopped.

…

Seriously Granger?

You're going to let this bother you?

Grow up.

You've loved this guy for how long now?

And you're really going to let him go for an instant's mistake?

Seriously?

With a small sigh, I spun around, sat down on the steps, and looked towards the Quidditch pitch. I watched the four House flags wave at me from the sky, and just breathed slowly in and out.

Well.

You've had your quiet little moment of contemplation.

Now.

Get your butt back inside.

You've got something to say to him.

With a fast-spreading grin, I stood up and ran inside the castle. Taking the stairs two at a time, I could only think one coherent thought in my mind, "Hermione Weasley…wow, that doesn't flow too badly,"…which admittedly wasn't very coherent at all. I popped into an empty classroom to gather my thoughts. I was going to do it. Confront Ron about how he acted; confess how much I really like him; then compensate for his lack of experience with kissing by quickly giving him a few tips. Three C's. Easy check, check, and definitely check. Using a newfound skill, I conjured up a few yellow parakeets. With a wave of my wand, I easily instructed them in how to fly in a specific heart-shaped pattern when they got the go-ahead from me. With a light heart, I skipped towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Dilligrout!" I chirped cheerfully toward the Fat Lady.

"Someone seems happy…happy about the win m'dear?" the Fat Lady chuckled.

"…something like that," I called over my shoulder as I climbed through the portrait hole.

Naturally, loud cheers of celebration greeted me. Seamus Finnagan shoved a butterbeer in my hand accompanied by an enthusiastic hug the minute he saw me. Um, awkward. I gently laughed him off as my eyes scanned the common room quickly. I found Harry talking to Ginny by the drinks table easily, since Ginny's flamboyant hair always helped her stand out. They seemed to be bashing something, while looking towards one corner of the view. As I shifted for a better view, I realized it was two people passionately making out. I rolled my eyes with a slightly condescending laugh. My laugh slowly lost its luster as I realized that the female was Lavender Brown. Honestly, my own roommate, doing this in public? What a s…

My laugh died altogether as I realized who she was snogging.

Ron.

As in my Ron.

Ronald Bilius Weasley.

…Who looked as if he was incredibly enjoying the moment, considering his mouth seemed to be super glued to hers.

Wait, are those her hands or his?

I shut my conscience out quickly. I was not going to think about that. I quickly backed out of the portrait hole, shutting the portrait behind me.

"Leaving the party so soon?" remarked the Fat Lady.

Like I was going to waste oxygen giving her an answer.

I ran back to the classroom where I'd left my birds. I climbed onto the teacher's desk, and with an effortless wave of my wand, set the parakeets spinning about me. I couldn't comprehend this. I was about to explode when Harry walked in.

"Hermione?" he asked carefully.

"Oh, hello, Harry," I replied, attempting to keep my tone light and strong. "I was just practicing."

"Yeah…they're – er – really good…" he stammered.

Honestly, I didn't really hear what he was saying. Only one moment in my life was recognizable to me.

"Ron seems to be enjoying the celebrations," I tried to say normally. I don't think it worked.

"Er…does he?" said Harry. Clearly, he was getting more and more eloquent.

"Don't pretend you didn't see him," I replied, letting a little emotion seep into my voice. "He wasn't exactly hiding it, was –?"

Right in the middle of my sentence, a door banged open behind me. As I turned to face the newcomers, I saw the one face that I never wanted to see in my life again.

Right when things couldn't get any worse, that...thing walks in, laughing carefreely, bringing Lavender with him.

And look! He's holding her hand!

I ignored my conscience. I focused on what Ron was saying. It was going to be an apology right? An admittance of wrongs to me?

"Oh," said Ron.

Well, this was definitely turning out to be a great evening. In the span of a few minutes, all respect I had for boys had vanished.

"Oops!" squealed Lavender in that freakishly high voice I had always hated. She ran out of the room, still giggling like the freak she was.

Silence bloomed in the room. I could hear the cogs turning in two empty heads. I wondered what kind of insight would come out next from their mouths.

"Hi, Harry! Wondered where you'd got to!" said Ron with…was it a sense of false cheer that I heard? The boy couldn't even stand to look at me. This pushed me over the edge that I was already on. I dismounted from the desk.

"You shouldn't leave Lavender waiting outside. She'll wonder where you've gone," I enunciated carefully. With this, I slowly walked towards the door, thinking innocent thoughts.

Come on Granger, you can do it. Just open the door, walk out, and see Lavender's smug face…

Before I knew it, I had my wand out and already pointed at my target.

"Oppugno!" I screamed.

My lovely parakeets promptly ditched their previous notions of heart-shaped formations and developed one mindset – maim the redhead. A kill would be nice, but isn't expected. But hurt. As much as possible. Happily for me, my dears promptly attacked Bilius like a flock of rabid wild dogs. Yay.

"Gerremoffme!" he yelled.

"Yeah right." I thought to myself, throwing one last bitter look at the flurry of yellow before running out the door. Who knows? There might have been a sob before I smashed the door into its frame. Maybe even that night, under the blanket of the spell "Muffliato", I cried myself to sleep.

But those are minor details.

Bottom line, the one thing that my conscience and I fully agree on now:

Love. What a bunch of freakin' bull.