Harry, Ron and Ginny now sat in the best chairs in front of the fire waiting for Hermione's return. Ron was sitting, looking rather dumfounded about the whole thing. He was also wondering if this meant Hermione had feelings for him after all hmmm. Harry was sitting close to Ginny on the floor by the fire trying to help her study for her Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.S. She was extremely stressed and kept shooting angry looks at Ron. Harry also tried to mentally prepare for his two best friends to get into yet another row. After about a half an hour, Hermione returned to the common room with a sly satisfied smile on her face. The three students looked up when she entered.
Ginny immediately dropped her quill and parchment and pulled Hermione over to a chair next to them, opposite Ron and asked "What happened? What did he say?"
Hermione just continued to smile and avoid eye contact with Ron who seemed to be starring at her. After a long pause, Ron began to attempt to make up.
"Hermione..." Ron started but was interrupted quickly by Hermione.
"Oh yes so in Dumbledore's office" Hermione started in response to Ginny's question, avoiding Ron. "He asked me why I had attacked Lavender and…"Hermione blushed to a deep shade of fuchsia and looked the completely opposite direction of Ron "and, when I told him….he...he laughed"
"He laughed?" Ginny asked, giggling at the thought.
"Yes he did. When his laughter subsided he took away my prefect duties for a month. Which I am glad of-" Hermione continued, tucking small wisps of her hair behind her ear.
"Glad?" Harry asked. "Why?" Harry had always been jealous that Ron and Hermione were prefects and not him.
"I have my reasons. Anyway, then he took Lavender out of my dormitory and replaced her with you, Ginny" Hermione continued smiling brighter than ever. "To prevent further, uh well, conflict." Hermione finished, blushing slightly again.
"Really?" Ginny exclaimed.
"Yes" Hermione glowed.
"Well, I'm glad that part worked out ok. Meaning I'm glad you weren't expelled or anything" Harry said pausing slightly, looking from Ron to Hermione and back again. "Erm, Ginny let's go to the library, I'll help you study more"
"What? Now?" Ginny said looking at him, utterly confused.
"Yes, now" Harry said giving her a sly wink and cocking his head towards Ron and Hermione.
"Oh, yeah ok" Ginny said finally catching on. Before departing she collected her things and snatched her book bag. Then she and Harry walked out of the room through the portrait hole to leave Hermione and Ron to talk.
Ron tried several times to initiate conversation between them with little or no response from Hermione.
"Well Ron" Hermione said finally with a smirk not often seen on her face. "I believe someone has prefect duties"
A month passed and Ginny's O.W.L.S was a week away. She was extremely stressed but loved her new living environment with Hermione. Harry was trying to help her between his classes, Quidditch preparation as he was now the captain, and trying to get his silent friends speaking again. Hermione received her prefect duties back and was still ignoring Ron if he tried to talk to her and avoiding being in the same room with him if at all possible. Lavender got out of the hospital wing and went straight for Ron. He did his best to avoid her knowing it would only worsen the situation with Hermione that he had been trying to patch up since it happened. Neither however, proved to be easy tasks. Girls.
One night Harry was sitting alone in the common room trying to finish the same potions essay that was late a month ago. It was almost midnight but he knew he had to finish this or he would never finish potions. An hour passed in silence, the only sound being Harry's quill scratching the parchment and his constant yawns. He remembered the days when he and Ron would beg for Hermione's homework to copy and would spend hours late into the night trying to finish. Not anymore however, Hermione was often too irritable to even be asked and Ron spent most of his time with Lavender. Now Harry usually just stayed up by himself long past the time when the common room cleared out. It was already 1:30am and he was almost finished, "just a little more Harry, a little more, a litt…." Harry's head slowly dropped down as the minutes passed until it hit the table; Harry had fallen asleep.
Ginny couldn't sleep. She was too stressed, the exams only six days a way and besides Pavarti was snoring two beds away. She decided that it was no use to try to sleep anymore so she decided to go downstairs to try and fit in some studying before breakfast. After sleepily dressing she descended the stairs of the dormitory into the common room. There she found the sleeping Harry with his face pressed against the table, and potions essay beneath him. Ginny smiled "oh Harry" she sighed. She decided not to awake him; he would have to rise sooner or later anyway. She instead settled herself down on an overstuffed armchair next to Harry and began to study.
After a few hours the majority of the Gryffindor house was on their way to breakfast. "Ginny, we better go to breakfast, and we'd better wake Harry" Hermione said, she had joined them when she awoke at seven.
"I suppose your right" Ginny yawned. "Harry, Harry, wake up breakfast!" She said shaking him harshly.
"Wha?..." Harry whined sleepily
"Breakfast" Hermione smiled "Come on I'm starving and Mum was supposed to send me a new wool cloak." Hermione grabbed Harry's arm to begin to pull him up and drag him to breakfast. Harry's stomach somersaulted the moment she touched him. Feeling this strange reaction, Harry looked up into her face. He had never noticed before how pretty she was; in fact to Harry she was stunning. "Come on Harry" Hermione said still tugging on his arm apparently unaware that he had been staring at her. Harry mentally shook himself, and started to help Hermione in the process of pulling him up when they heard foot steps. Hermione whipped around, hair flying to see who it was. She suddenly dropped Harry's arm and ran out of the room to the Great Hall without Ginny or Harry.
Ginny wondered aloud why she had left so abruptly. Harry however was trying to shake the feeling that Hermione had given him just seconds before and wasn't listening. Harry didn't miss much though, only Ron and Lavender arm in arm making their way happily to breakfast ignoring Harry and Ginny's presence altogether.
"You….. Harry are you listening? No….. You have to do something about them Harry" Ginny decided after they had exited "Lately I can't stand Ron or Hermione."
"Me? Why me?" Harry gasped pulling himself to his feet and from his thoughts. "I have our first Quidditch match to prepare for and ...and ..." Harry tried to make excuses for the task he did not want to accomplish. He couldn't understand why Hermione had made him feel like that by just touching his arm. She always had done little things like that that had never really mattered…until now.
"Harry, come on you know they can't go on this way. It's got to be driving you bloody mad! It has me!" Ginny protested.
"I know, I know, alright. How about you take Hermione and I'll try to control Ron?" Harry suggested. He truly would rather it be the other way around but he thought Ginny would think it too obvious. What too obvious? I have nothing to hide! I do not like nor am I in love with Hermione Granger!
"Fair enough, but let's go to breakfast I am starved. Try to talk to Ron today and I'll see if I can catch Hermione."