Next day was Monday, time to fly back down to earth.

The next day, I waited at the top of the stairs by the dungeons, where I usually stood after Ancient Runes to talk to Harry and Ron before we went to Potions. But there was only Harry today, clearly avoiding my eyes.

"Where's Ron? Didn't you just have Trelawney's excuse for a class with him?", I said, grabbing him by the shoulder and turning him around.

"Er, yeah. He forgot a book, had to go back to the common room."

"Honestly, Harry, just tell me."

Just then there was a flash of red hair heading down to the dungeons. We were going to be late, so with a sigh, I went down the stairs, angry at both of them.

Harry could be so thick sometimes.

Flashback

"Harry can be so thick sometimes," Ginny said, her head resting on my lap as I played with her hair. I did love to play with hair.

It was the middle of my sixth year. Harry had a meeting with Dumbledore, and he wouldn't be back till late that night. He couldn't go to Hogsmeade with all of us, so Ginny and I decided to take advantage of having the dormitory to ourselves until about midnight. No one else would be back until around then, either.

"I mean, I know he's got all this rubbish with You-Know-Who to worry about, and it's not even rubbish, I'd be worried too, but I wish he'd let me help, he's being so distant, and I hate it."

She sat up. "Boys are stupid, Hermione."

"I know they are. Stupid enough not to have kissed me in way too long."

"I can make up for that any time you want," she said in her raspy voice, pulling a stray hair back from over my eyes and meeting my lips with hers.

End Flashback.

During Potions, I watched Ron be the quietest he ever was during a Potions class, while Harry gave me a glance and then whispered something to him.

Just talk to me, how hard is it?

Suddenly, Potions was over and I was walking to Transfiguration by myself, pissed at Harry that he wouldn't just tell me. Fine, Ron didn't want anything more, but I'd never given the impression that I wasn't strong enough to take rejection. I was Hermione Granger, the girl who had both the brains and the guts to deal with anything.

"Hermioneweneedtotalk," I heard the voice behind me said.

I turned around.

"Yeah, no kidding." There was more than a little sarcasm in my voice.

"Last night, I just got caught up in the moment. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I don't really have time for a relationship right now."

"Yeah, me too. I mean, I thought it was great, but I get that."

Understatement of the century. But I wasn't about to let him know it was the best kiss of my life. At least, the best boy-kiss. The best kiss I could admit to my best friend.

I could buy the "don't have time for a relationship" thing. He's not the best Quidditch player, and he's always been trying to one-up Harry on that. And his marks are hardly something to brag about, especially in Transfiguration and Potions, and his mum was on him all summer about NEWTs.

And surprisingly, I didn't feel as let down as I should have. I think a lot of it was the huge, built-up crush over the years, and feeling like something should happen, even if it didn't work out. I still wanted him. But it was nice kissing a guy, something I hadn't done since Viktor at the end of my fourth year. It was nice knowing that people saw me kiss that guy.

It was nice knowing that I could talk about someone I kissed, that it wouldn't have to be a secret.

Alright, I'll admit, I loved snogging Ginny. We'd snogged maybe six times, and it was bloody fantastic. No, I'm not going to pretend I don't know exactly how many times it was. I know it was exactly six times. I'd been curious about girls since the beginning of fourth year.

Flashback

"Everyone has girl crushes, Mione, it doesn't necessarily mean you're….ya know…"

"Yeah, but I felt something a bit more."

"Me too," she said quietly, "But I don't want to do anything more than we've done, cause then I'd feel like I'm cheating on Harry."

End Flashback

We could both like boys and whatnot, but how was it not cheating if she had felt more than "oh, this is sort of fun" with me?

I felt like I should feel like rubbish about it, but I didn't. I wasn't in love with her, I didn't secretly hope she'd dump Harry for me, but I'd hate it we had to stop. It was just lust.

The next few weeks went by. No Ginny. No Ron. Nothing. I buried myself in my studies, as usual when there was no romance.

Well, at least no romance for me.