Disclaimer: No

Okay, so before I start I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed this. They all made me very happy(: And I didn't really expect any response to this! Also if anybody would be interested in beta-ing for me please let me know! So here we go; chapter two jumps right into the flash back.

Ginny raised her eyes at meager pile of Hermione's things at the foot of the rickety stairs.

"You needed me to help you move this?" she asked Hermione in a disbelieving tone.

"Yep." Answered Hermione, not meeting her friend's eyes, but pretending to concentrate on picking up her small turquoise duffel bag.

"But…" Ginny's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "But apart from that," she pointed at the luggage in Hermione's hand. "All you have is a pillow!"

She was right. And it was a small pillow none the less. Hermione didn't know how to answer, but reasoned that since Ginny hadn't worded it as a question, she wasn't required to.

"That is correct. Now come on." And with that she started up the stairs, leaving Ginny to shrug at her friend's oddness and jog up after her with a chorus of creaks echoing from the steps around them.

"Hermione, honey, you know that I love you. But I honestly could not care less about you and Ginny's adventures with stairs," whined Ron. "Skip to the part where you two are talking about me and Harry!"

"Fine, bossy. I was almost there anyways…"

About a minute later, Hermione collapsed across her cot in Ginny's room.

"You aren't honestly tired after one flight of stairs are you?" Ginny asked, incredulous.

Hermione blushed. "Not all of us practice secretive drills on our brother's broom sticks every night, Gin." she snapped.

Ginny's eyes went wide. "I don't… I mean… why would you think…." She took a breath. "How did you know about that?"

"Please, what do you take me for? Stupid? I've been sleeping in your room for Merlin's sake," Hermione grinned at her friend. "But I have been wondering, why do you only fly at night?"

Ginny thumped herself onto her bed and directed her gaze towards the scratched floorboards and drew her toe in a jagged line across the faded wood.

"Well, my mum has this whole thing about keeping me safe, you know? And I guess my brother's and dad are behind her. And for a while I figured that it was because I was the youngest and kind of gloried in the attention, you know? But then I turned five and figured that maybe it had something to do with the fact that I'm a girl. So I've been working at showing them up ever since." Ginny turned pink suddenly. "And maybe if I ever get good enough, I could be on the team… with…" she turned a darker shade of red, and Hermione gathered rather easily who Ginny was talking about.

"Ginny, listen," Hermione began as she moved over to her friend's bed to put an arm around her. "It's pretty obvious you like Harry." Ginny blushed even deeper than before. "But if you keep acting like an obsessed super fan, I don't think you'll ever have a real good chance."

Ginny ran a concerned hand through her auburn hair as Hermione continued,

"Look, you and Harry are two of my best friends, and I would be stoked if you got together, but you've got to pull yourself together first."

The two girls were quiet for a moment; Ginny in over-whelming revelation, Hermione in respect for this.

Finally, the red-head took an unsteady breath. "Alright… how do I do that?"

"Well, try to get over him for starters," she backtracked quickly at Ginny's resistant look. "Or, if you can't do that straight away, just try to get on with your life. Relax a bit around him; maybe go out with some other people," Hermione smirked "Saying absolutely anything when he's in the room would be a start. Show him how brilliant you are."

Ginny exhaled sharply. "Alright, I'll try it." Hermione beamed broadly. "But you have to tell me something."

Hermione nodded. "Sure, what?"

Ginny turned to face the other girl. "What in the world are you going to do about Ron?"

Hermione gaped. "About… WHO?"

Ginny smirked. "About Ron. You know, my brother? Ron, Ron, Ron Weasley!"

"I don't… I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh please Hermione don't treat me like I'm four! You just gave me quality relationship advice, I'm fully qualified to give you some in return. Besides," Ginny grinned evilly. "Who knows him like I do?"

"Ron and I are not in a relationship!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Well, I suppose you're right. You're more in a non-relationship. But those tend to lead to the some of the best actual relationships! Right up there with marrying your best friend," mused Ginny, almost to herself. "As said in the June copy of Witch Weekly Teen. Anyways, I think you should tell him you like him."

"But I don't like him!"

"Yes you do."

"No I don't!"

"Well at least try flirting with him!" reasoned Ginny.

"But then he'll know!" whined Hermione.

"HA!"

Hermione glared at Ginny, almost looking as if she was going to break the code for underage magic and hex the freckles right off of her face. But instead she fell back against Ginny's bed and groaned, glaring up at the pictures taped on the ceiling.

"Um, Gin?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Yes?" answered Ginny, her tone declaring that she was still basking in the glory of a won argument.

"You know what I said about acting normal around Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe you should start by taking the pictures of him off of your ceiling."

Ron nearly spewed his sip of Butterbeer.

"She had what taped on her ceiling?" spluttered Ron, not even bothering to wipe drink off of his chin.

"Pictures of Harry. About fifteen of them." Stated Hermione calmly, taking a collected swallow of her on drink, Pumpkin Juice. She never drank Butterbeer or Firewhiskey after 9 o'clock.

"And you don't think that's creepy?" asked Ron, dubious.

"Well, a little… but I mean… she took them down!" said Hermione defensively.

"Alright, well, that was a fantastically disturbing insight on the obsessive mind of my little sister, but what does this have to do with us?"

"I told you how it started! Ginny made me realize I liked you! But then I had to take matters into my own hands."

"Which involved….?" prodded Ron.

Hermione blushed. "Research."

Yay for chapter two! This one was really fun to right, but let's all thank casper1995 for prodding me into starting it! (everyone choruses a thank you) So now you have the beginning idea of the plan, but didn't we all expect for Hermione to research relationships? Or do we all do that? Is it just me and Hermione? Really? Well... then… *sigh* Please review. OH! And Butterbeer for all who caught the Mysterious Ticking Noise reference!