Author's Note: I know, I know. It's been FOREVER! But I'm back… new chapter! I own nothing!

Harry

Hermione was displeased with him, and that displeased Harry. He didn't like it when she was mad at him, but the fact that she'd stormed off to the girl's dormitory muttering about her disappointment with his behavior only worsened his annoyance. Women were so hard to understand, and since Hermione was brilliant, she was that much more frustrating. How she could be mad at him for fighting Malfoy was beyond Harry's comprehension. He wasn't an idiot, and he had felt sure that he was doing the right thing. And all he had earned for it was a broken nose, an irritated women, and Ron attempting to put his nose back correctly.

"Hold still," commanded Ginny, who currently seized hold of Harry's head and held it up straight. She was flustered and fired up with anger at Malfoy, and currently it seemed she was the only one on his side.

"Harry, I can't aim well when you keep moving, are you sure you don't want to go to Madam Pomfrey?"

"No, Ron. It's a simple spell, you've done it a thousand times, just fix my nose and bug off," he spat. He saw Ron turn a little red, and instantly regretted his words. He knew Ron was sensitive, and making him mad wasn't helping matters.

Ron sighed and waved his wand, and Harry's nose crunched back into place. As Ginny siphoned off the blood, he looked in the mirror to see how it looked, and had to admit Ron had done a good job.

"Thanks Ron."

Ron nodded in response as they sunk into the couch in front of the fireplace. They were quiet for awhile, and Harry didn't mind. While the rest of the common room bustled with conversation, Ginny treated Crookshanks to some attention and Ron looked idly through a Chudley Cannons fan book. Harry simply looked at the fire as it consumed the logs he'd placed on it and let himself settle into thought.

He had to do something about Malfoy, but he wasn't sure what. Harry absolutely loathed that snake of a man. If he thought he had the right to go and creep around Hermione, he had another thing coming. He certainly wouldn't stand for it. It was unusual and unnatural. Slytherin and Gryffendor simply did not belong together and it was far worse that the evil man had chosen, of all people, Hermione. He knew Malfoy well enough to suspect that there were ulterior motives in his attempted friendship with Hermione. There was no way it was innocent, regardless of a project or not. He was sure that the project was a premise for some dark deed, and his friendly manner towards Hermione just a ruse.

Yet even if Malfoy was up to something, Hermione had to be out of her mind to be acting this way. To think that she would encourage Malfoy's advances, and betray her friends like this just made no sense. Hermione was very smart, but she was also a good person. Like most naive women, she was very trusting, and since she always sought to bring out the best in people, Harry felt sure that she just didn't know any better. Even if it wasn't like Hermione to suddenly start trusting Malfoy, Harry really couldn't blame her. For all he knew, she was under some kind of spell or something. He certainly wouldn't put it past Malfoy to slip her something. He just needed to find a way to prove it.

Nothing added up, and Harry swore to himself that he would get to the bottom of things. The first thing he needed to do was make Hermione talk. Getting her out of her room was going to be a struggle, but he hoped he could depend on Ginny to help him. Since she was usually dependable, and never liked being kept out of things he felt sure she would be willing to talk Hermione down. With that thought in mind, he broke the silence.

"Hey Gin, could you do me a favor?"

Ginny looked up from petting Crookshanks, and shooed the cat off her legs. With a small smile, she gazed back at him. "Sure thing Harry, what do you need?"

Harry suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. His nerves were getting the best of him already, so he ended up changing his original direction and decided to slowly make his point. "Know where Hermione is?"

"I think she's in her room, why?"

"Mind going up there and talking to her?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm...not sure that's good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because she doesn't want to talk about you, Harry," Ron piped in, looking up from his book. Harry was probably right. "she's mad at you and you know how women are..."

"How women are?" Ginny yelled. Harry smirked a little. Watching the little red head go off on Ron would be entertaining, and he could tell Ron was already walking on thin ice. Ron's eyes widened a little when his sister got right up in his face, but he too smirked a little.

"All I'm saying is," he replied, ignoring Ginny, "is that women have their moods. I don't think you should bother her right now...knowing Hermione, you might make it all worse."

Ginny's feathers were still ruffled, but she nodded in agreement. "He has a point, Harry."

"I know, but...look. I just want to apologize, that's all. And I know she wont talk to me, so all I want is for you to talk to her. Wont that work?"

"Well, maybe," Ginny replied, getting up, "but I'm sure she'll come around when she's ready. And when she does, you tell her yourself, alright?"

"I will, I promise. Just talk some sense into her, okay?"

"Talk sense into whom?"

Harry nearly jumped out of his socks. He hadn't noticed Hermione coming down the stairs, and it seemed neither Ron nor Ginny had either. Ginny saved face, but Ron looked sheepishly down at his book. Hermione cocked an eyebrow, and Harry swallowed.

"Oh, its nothing, Hermione. Luna's just got a bit discouraged is all," drawled Ginny, and he suave way of handling the situation and smoothing things over amused him. There was something a bit scary about Ginny's ability to smooth things over, but he decided not to dwell on it.

"Oh, alright, well, give her my love then," Hermione said. She knitted her eyebrows together in thought, then sat down in between Ron and Harry. She sat there for a moment, then just as quickly got up. "Oh gosh! I'm going to be late!"

"Late for what," Harry asked.

"The library, oh, oh no I'm sorry I've got to go!" She ran back up the stairs to the girl's dormitory and rushed back down moments later, clutching her bag and a very large book. "I'll see you guys later!"

"Wait!" Harry called, rushing after her. "I'll walk with you."

Hermione looked conflicted, but nodded okay. They headed out the portrait hole.

"Hermione, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"If you like someone, should you tell them?"

"I would think so, yes," Hermione nodded as she rounded the corner.

"But what if you like a girl who you don't think likes you?"

"I think you should tell her. I'm pretty sure Ginny feels the same."

"I..what?" Harry froze, confused. And then it dawned on him. "Oh."

"Trust me."

"I do...but that's not what I meant," he protested as the arrived at the library.

"What did you mean then?"

"I was wondering if you...liked..."

"Draco and I are friends Harry, that's all, and if you're worried about that changing...well, don't," Hermione replied softly and went into the library.

Harry knew better than to follow her unless he wanted to be enlisted for help on a project he would be a dreadful research partner. So he shook his head in a bit of confusion and headed back to the common room, wondering what he was going to do about Ginny.

A/N: Next chapter will be...whenever I get the time. D: anyway, reviews are cool.