Author's Note: Hope you like this ch. i loved writing it!! :D please take the time to review, it makes my day. even submit an annonymous one if you're not a registered user!!! love you all, thanks :)

Hermione was still wandering the grounds when dusk fell; she had no idea how much ground she'd covered and she still didn't have any real plan apart from, Get Out. She rounded a corner and saw the front of the castle in view, she desperately didn't want to go back there, to the common room, to face the music yet again.

She veered off towards the Quiddich pitch, still avoiding the main doors. Then, just as she was drifting into another day dream, a scream snapped her out of her reverie. Hermione spun on the spot and drew her wand, hoping if anyone attacked her that her instinct would act for her. Then the scream sounded again; it was definitely a girl. She heard it was coming from behind the Quiddich pitch, right the way she'd been heading. Muggle-Hermione told her to run back the other way, Sensible-Hermione told her to get help but Reckless-Confused-Powerful-Witch-Hermione made her walks calmly, but quickly, towards the scene.

What Mione saw shocked her, but only for a moment. There certainly was a girl, but she had given up on screaming now. She was pinned against the wall, at least three wands pointed at her and a few more idly watching. The boy who had her pinned was leering at her unpleasantly, up close, intimidating her, the he roughly grabbed her head and forced her to kiss him, though she struggled hard, she was no match for him. Hermione noticed Draco around the edge, not joining in, but not stopping it either. Before she could think, she ran up to him.

"Draco!" She yelled, "Draco, stop this." Draco shook his head lazily,

"Not my place. Let them have their fun,"

"Fun!" Hermione was outraged, "Fun? Draco they're hurting her. Stop it." She cried out, tugging his arm desperately,

"Stay out of it Mione." He shook her off him.

"Draco! This is torture. You asshole!" She shoved him back, as hard as she could muster then pushed through the group of boys to the front. What Hermione saw now was horrific. The girl that was pinned to the wall, was Ginny. "Back off her!" As loud as her voice could manage. Ginny looked shocked, so did the boys. Suddenly all the wands turned on her, and the boy pinning Ginny to the wall let her fall to the floor in a crumpled heap and came very close to Hermione.

"You want some love?" He went to put his hands on her hips but before they even made contact Hermione's wand and mind had reacted as one. The boy was lifted into the air as if suddenly weightless and thrown a good twenty feet. Draco's eyes widened, he thought, she didn't even speak, the Dark Lord was right about her, as his friend lay in a messy heap, struggling to disentangle his limbs.

"Anyone else?" Hermione found she liked the threat, it made her feel tough, but all the wands had lowered.

"You think you can just do that? Stupid cow!" Another boy, large and brutish, came towards her, a slight swagger in his step. He was solidly built, Hermione hoped her wand could think of something strong enough.

She should never have doubted it, a slight smile crept onto her face as the boy was levitated, upside down, towards the Whomping Willow and left to dangle on the lowest branch by his foot. There was a satisfying thud and a yelp as he wriggled free.

"We're done here." Draco's voice rang loud and clear. "Let's move on boys." They started to shuffle off and Draco came right up to Hermione, under the pretext of intimidating her, and said, "Now you've done it. They were Death Eaters' sons, you'd better not go back to the Dark Lord again, he wont like it." And then walked off, leaving Hermione gawping and fearful. She couldn't think of that now though, she turned back to Ginny. The girl still hadn't moved.

"Here," Hermione offered a hand. Ginny looked as though she'd rather stay on the floor, "It's just a hand." Hermione pointed out fairly. Reluctantly the red-haired girl took it, and cast around for her wand. Mione found it first and handed it to her, finding to her relief that Ginny gave a weak smile by way of thanks. Hermione grinned for a moment, then remembered the situation. "Do you need to go to the hospital wing? How bad is it?" Ginny rubbed her arms and shrugged,

"Bruises is all." She muttered and then looked up. "I'll be fine, could you just take me to Harry please?"

"Sure," They walked together in silence, slowly- Hermione well aware of Ginny gingerly testing her weight- she certainly was shaken up. "Why were they attacking you?" Hermione ventured,

"Because they can." Ginny laughed though there was little humour about it. Hermione frowned, "You don't know how it works here." It was a statement, not intended to be patronising, just a fact. "The Slytherins get away with anything, no one can control them. I'm just someone from a 'blood traitor' family, that means my family likes Muggles, it means we didn't stick to marrying within the pure blood line and so on. Anyway, they just do it because they feel like it, because they can."

"Not any more." Hermione had meant it to be a whisper but it was too determined. Ginny looked incredulous but didn't fight it; she merely shook her head,

"You're mental." She whispered with a half laugh.

-*-

They found Harry and Ron alone in the common room, Harry passing a snitch he'd kept from hand to hand and Ron dealing out their next set of cards. Harry stood up instantly, dislodging Ron,

"Ginny what happened?" He cried in alarm, vaulting the back of the sofa and running over to her. Ginny half shrugged and Hermione saw a moment where she wasn't required she back off a suitable distance and waited patiently. Harry took Ginny's face in both hands and his thumb caressed her cheek, "Hey, look at me. What happened?"

"Slytherins." She muttered. Ron stood up and glared.

"I'm through with this, they can't pick on my little sister and get away with it. Where are they?" He growled. Harry too looked cross but her was more concerned with holding Ginny, Hermione saw the way his arms took her weight tenderly and felt a twinge of jealousy even though she knew she shouldn't.

"It doesn't matter." Ginny said by way of reply.

"Oh yes it does!" Ron raised his voice, "I'll teach them-"

"I said it doesn't matter, because Hermione's already taught them a lesson." Ginny pulled slightly away from Harry's grip and pointed at Hermione, "She saved me."

"Oh yea?" Ron looked incredulous, "Why the hell would you do that?" Hermione's anger at everything suddenly flared up,

"Oh so you'd rather I left them to it! Maybe I will next time." She added mutinously. Ron frowned,

"No." He shuffled his feet, "I didn't mean that. I just meant…" He trailed off and Hermione calmed down.

"It's ok. I know what you meant. I don't blame you for hating me, I'm working for your enemy, that's pretty terrible." She walked towards the dormitory staircase.

A little while later Ginny joined her in the dormitory.

"I don't hate you." She stated, Hermione just looked up from her book. "You're a really powerful witch and I think, just maybe, Harry was right. I was glad you found me today."

"What they were doing was wrong." Hermione disregarded her comments, "I'm glad I found you too." A look of understanding passed between them and Hermione knew she'd made a friend. "I just have to win the others back,"

"The don't hate you. It wont be hard. Do you have a plan?" Hermione felt uncomfortable and Ginny could see instantly that she didn't.

"No plan I'm afraid, just: Get Out."

"Wow." Ginny was sarcastic,

"I'm working on it." Hermione smiled a little indignantly. "So…" She was keen to change the subject, "You and Harry? Are you guys together yet or what?"

"No." Ginny's accent became more obvious as she was embarrassed.

"You should tell him, you know."

"Tell him what?" She played with the edge of her duvet.

"How you feel, it's not hard to guess."

"Oh I don't know," She sighed loudly. "Some days, like today I think he really feels it to, and others, he's so damn distant he's impossible."

"He is a guy." Hermione pointed out and Ginny laughed suddenly.

"Yep, and a confusing one at that." Hermione shrugged. "Anyway I could never tell him, I know he wont- he'll make up some excuse because he needs to fight Voldemort and he doesn't want me hurt; it's another way of saying he doesn't want to commit. Thing is, I'm tired of flirting. I really want him. And then," She paused, steeling herself to make the comment, "And then there's you."

"Me?" Hermione was genuinely confused.

"Oh come on!" Now it was Ginny's turn for exasperation, "The way he looks at you, the way he talks about you, I mean, he risked the statue of secrecy to bring you here. I guess, that's partly why I wanted to hate you. How could I not be jealous of Harry's mysterious summer girlfriend who appeared out of nowhere and had everyone captivated?" Hermione shook her head honestly,

"You couldn't be more wrong. Harry and I, we're nothing more than friends, that's all we ever were, all we ever will be." She assured Ginny. "And, well the thing is," She hesitated, she could be about to slip up in a monumental fashion if she said anything, but then if she didn't… "Harry erm, well he-" Ginny looked concerned, she sat forward on the bed a little, leaning in,

"What is it?" Go for it Mione, she has to know.

"During the summer Harry made it clear that we were just friends, not that I ever thought of him any other way. He told me that, well, he told me he liked you. As more than a friend Ginny, I really think he still does, you have to tell him before it's too late." Ginny looked shocked,

"Are you sure? Me? He definitely said me?"

"Unless you know another Ginny Weasley." Hermione teased, smiling as a look of happiness crossed Ginny's face, shortly followed by one of nervousness.

"Oh how do I tell him?" She whined, lying back on her bed with a grin, then rolling over to face Hermione. "Oooh, I'm so happy. And also scared," She added,

"Don't be."

"I've never had a boyfriend before." Hermione smiled,

"That's ok, it's natural, all the worrying is always for nothing when you finally find someone and it works. Trust me, you'll just know what to do."

"Have you had many boyfriends?" Hermione laughed

"Not many." She lay down too and looked at Ginny conspiratorially, "Just two. One was called Ty, he was lovely, his dad owned a farm- but we never kissed or anything, we were quite young. And my first kiss was with someone called Joe; he was cool too. But it was just a peck, nothing more."

"I can't believe that, the way everyone treats you here I would have thought you were used to the attention, I thought you'd get loads of guys."

"In my dreams." Hermione joked.