Hermione was sitting in the common room, translating a particularly difficult essay for Ancient Runes, made more so because of the barrage of mutterings floating around the room about the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Usually she would be able to block them out quite easily, but the rumours were not the only thing on her mind.

" Its just that I've been down to the pitch a few times, you know, to watch practise, and Ron seemed uneasy. Like there was a lot on his mind, like something was really bothering him."

How could she make such a claim? It didn't make any sense! Ron had been happy when she asked him to attend Slughorn's Christmas party with her, had he not? He had been looking forward to it. Why then, did Lavender say something as ridiculous as that? Jealousy? Pure spite? Even so, how much lapse in judgement was necessary to forget that Hermione could so easily disprove it? She had a clear view of the pitch from her dormitory window, the same dormitory that she shared with both Lavender and Parvati. It just didn't make any sense. Lavender didn't think things through sometimes but she was FAR from incapable.... Unless...

No, she couldn't and wouldn't allow Lavender to get to her like this. It wasn't the truth, It couldn't be.

Lavender always lies...

"Ginny? What-?"

Ginny Weasley came into the dormitory, a forced, hasty nature about her. Tear streaks visible on her face,reflected by the soft orange glow of the dormitory.

"Ron's a prat!!"

Her response to the question that Hermione didn't finish asking was so abrupt that she was a little taken aback herself. Ginny looked up into Hermione's worried expression for a moment, around her eyes held large, puffy red blotches, but her irises themselves seemed to gleam with the intent to kill. Then suddenly, her expression grew sullen as she sulked at her feet.

"I'm sorry Hermione, it's just.."

Hermione instantly got up, rushed over to Ginny and put a comforting arm on her shoulder, which caused Ginny to look up and give a watery smile. Her eyes were still gleaming, but the glow they emitted this time was different, warm and appreciative. And there was something else about her eyes then, that seemed to be reading Hermione like a book, that seemed to know everything about everything there was to know about her.

"I'll never understand you, you know," Ginny started.

"What do you mean?"

"You always seem to know just what to say, what to do, you seem to possess so much common sense and yet..."

Hermione grew weary, if this was going where she thought it was going.... but no.

"You could have anyone, Hermione! Anyone!"

Hermione felt her face burn, she hadn't told anyone about Ron, not a soul. She hadn't even admitted it to herself, yet Ginny seemed to look right through her. If there was one thing that Hermione Granger wasn't, it was stupid, and she knew it. She knew what Ginny was getting at, and she realized that Ginny had probably known for a while now.

Hermione slowly withdrew her arm from Ginny's shoulder. For so long she had relied solely on her ability to keep her emotions from showing, and the thought of being seen through so easily wasn't just uncomfortable, but down right scary.

"I- I don't- What are you talking abou-" She spluttered in response. Ginny gave her a glaring, interested sort of look and raised her eyebrows. Though her eyes were still red, she was no longer crying. A wide smirk fashioned itself across her face.

"Maybe you don't have quite as much sense as I thought!" She started with a chuckle. "You're not seriously going to deny it are you? not when its dead obvious?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to look down. Was she really being obvious? She did- or at least, thought she did a pretty good job of not letting her feelings show.

"How did you-?"

"For goodness sakes, Granger, you look like a beat-root."

Hermione was staring at her feet so intensely it was as if the answers of what to do next would materialize themselves out of her shoelaces. Ginny was a lot smarter than she looked. Slowly, Hermione made her way over to her bed and sat down, staring vacantly out of the window. Even though the sun had long set, the sky was still a dark shade of grey, indicating heavy cloud cover. A brilliant flash of light followed by a deep low rumble beckoned Ginny turn her head towards the window, Hermione however, was barley conscious of this. Ginny had figured her out with ease, How long till Harry, or worse, Ron did, and how could she be sure that they didn't already know?

"Do- Do you think he noticed?" She asked in a small voice.

The sudden springy nature and disturbance of the matres, and the fact that she could sense a presence beside her made her aware that Ginny had plunked herself down on the bed next to her. Hermione looked up to find Ginny gazing at the roof of her four post bed, a smile still accross her face.

"Don't you remember what the first thing I said when I came in here was?"

Hermione just lowered her head.

"No? Then I shall remind you. Ron-is-a-prat. And he will always be a prat, regardless of how much you like him, which, judging by your complexion right now, is quite a lot."

Once again, Hermione felt her face burn. Another great flash and Booming sound and Ginny was Standing up grinning.

"I bet this would look brilliant from the Great Hall," Ginny said, her voice more excited than usual, "I'm going down to dinner, are you coming?"

"I-not hungry-." Hermione whispered back. By now rain was beating against the dormitory windows,Howling, enraged that it failed to penetrate. Ginny started towards the door.

"Ginny wait!" Called Hermione's voice. Ginny turned and faced her, her expression curious as ever. Hermione summoned up the courage to ask, even as she was doing this, she felt guilty and disappointed at her lack of faith in Ron. Of course Lavender was lying, that's what she does. And of course Ron wasn't upset with her, he looked happy, pleased even. Why then did Hermione feel the need to ask?

" Its just that I've been down to the pitch a few times, you know, to watch practise, and Ron seemed uneasy. Like there was a lot on his mind, like something was really bothering him."

There was just something about the way she said those words, she seemed so confident, so sure of herself. Then again this was Lavender, was always like that.

Lavender always lies...

"Was there something you wanted to ask?" Ginny enquired, getting a little impatient now.

"Oh-I"

Then, it suddenly occurred to her how deeply this was affecting her, how much it was costing her. How much time had she spent pondering about it? How many hours had she wasted fretting over it? Hermione realized that she would never have piece of mind until the matter was resolved once and for all.

"How is practice going?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes, and Hermione was reminded distinctively of Ron. This did not help.

"You stopped me to ask....about Quidditch?" Ginny narrowed her eyes further. Hermione merley nodded. "Its going fine," Ginny continued, still looking skeptical. "The team has great chemistry, and gets along well." Suddenly, a scowl crept across her face, as if she had just tasted an earwax flavoured Every-Flavour-Bean. "Most of the team anyway, our only real problem is..." And as quickly as it had come, the scowl left her face which flooded, instead with understanding and amusement.

" 'Quidditch' , huh? 'Quidditch' isn't doing so well actually, missing nearly every ball we aim at him. I suspect 'Quidditch' may be upset over something...." The amused feeling and light tension that surrounded Ginny Weasley had vanished, in its place, only an icy sneer and a feeling of disconcerting frigidness. "And," Said Ginny abruptly, her tone changing to one directly proportional to the look on her face."just because 'Quidditch' has lady problems doesn't mean that 'Quidditch' should take out his pre-pubescent anger from said problems on the rest of the team!"Ginny practically spat the last few words, She turned on the spot and stormed out of the common room thunder rolling in her wake.

YAY! PART TWO FINALLY UP. Sorry it took so long, you tend to get upset when you're story gets deleted....twice...