Well, on we go! ;D Thank you so much for your support! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that looks familiar to the world of Harry Potter.

"Ronald!"

Ron looked up and stared, dumbfounded, at Hermione. "What?"

"Will you please stop eating?"

Ron just paused in the middle of chewing the flesh he had greedily torn off a chicken drumstick. "Huh?"

Harry slowly prised the drumstick out of Ron's hand and placed it on Ron's plate. "All right there, mate?"

"Yeah, yeah, I am…" mumbled Ron as the look on his face clearly showed that he still couldn't figure out what was going on.

"We need to leave the hall," continued Hermione, who was looking thoroughly annoyed. "Let's go."

"What, now? But I'm not even done with my meal!"

"You've had plenty to eat already! I'm sure your stomach could do with a little less food tonight!"

Ron glared at Hermione and stood up quickly. "Bossing me around now that you're the representative."

Ron had said the last word with so much distaste that Hermione flinched. She coloured slightly at his accusation and stood up, facing him boldly.

"Being a Rep doesn't change the fact that we need to head back to the dormitory now, Ronald. Look, even Draco is so quietly going, too!"

Ron turned around and saw the pale blonde boy walking towards the doors at the back of the hall with a rather frivolous girl who was hanging onto him.

"Bringing that nasty brat into the story now, are we?"

"Ron, I'm just showing you how your school enemy is more responsible than you are."

"Yeah," raged Ron, "siding him now just because he is your partner, huh, Hermione? Shows pretty clearly which side you're on!"

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Hermione, outraged. "That boy has changed! How many times do I have to tell you! He's just quite stiff around all of us! That's all!"

"Whatever you say."

Hermione looked pleadingly at Harry who just sighed and made a motion to tell Hermione not to carry on. He began walking towards the doors and Hermione quickly followed after, with Ron trailing sulkily after them.

When they entered the Gryffindor common room, Ron wordlessly headed up to the room specially added for the Eighth Years. Hermione and Harry stopped in shock and looked at each other. That was some big sulking on Ron's side.

"What's wrong with him, Harry?"

"I have no idea, Hermione."

"He never used to be like this…"

"He has been like this."

"No, except for last year when he…"

Hermione stopped mid-sentence as the memory of that incident came back to her mind. It was when the three of them were camping in the middle of the woods and Ron had abandoned them. Harry, sensing his best friend's line of thoughts, put an arm around her shoulder and hugged her tightly.

"Perhaps, he's just going through puberty."

"Puberty? Harry, shouldn't he be past that stage?"

"Well, he rightfully should…"

"And you weren't like him at any point of time. Except for the fifth year when you were having those terrible mood swings."

"Yeah, it was horrible back then."

"At least you let your thoughts out instead of bottling up. Ron doesn't even let us know what's on his mind! And then, all of a sudden, he blows up!"

Harry smiled at Hermione who had a frown forming on her face. He poked her forehead at the point where her brows met and was instantly rewarded with a large grin.

"Smile, Hermione. Don't let him take the light out of you!"

Hermione grinned, happy at how Harry was always able to make her feel good.

"I'm so proud of you, Hermione. Being the Eighth Year Rep and all – such a great thing! It's almost akin to being the Head Girl!"

"Oh, Harry," said Hermione as she punched her best friend playfully. "You think too highly of me."

"And I always will be doing just that." Harry smiled at Hermione. "Goodnight, I think I need to get some sleep."

"Sleep well."

Hermione watched as Harry walked away in the same direction as Ron. When he was out of sight, she looked around her and realised that she did not feel one bit sleepy at all. Time for a night-time jaunt, she thought. She quietly slipped out of the common room and headed down the stairs. Then, not quite knowing where she ought to go, she closed her eyes, turned around three times and began walking in the direction she was facing.

She felt strange pull around the corner and when she turned, she found herself facing a blank wall. That area was dark and she couldn't quite make out the engravings on the wall. She slowly raised her hand and gently touched the stone cold wall. She moved her hand down and felt a handle and turned it. The door opened slowly and Hermione stepped inside, her curiosity pique and all other senses frozen.

She couldn't see anything around her except a faint glow that was coming from further down. She moved towards what she thought was a light source but only to find a mirror. It stood opposing. Hermione scrutinised the fine engravings on the top of the mirror.

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

Hermione couldn't figure out what it meant. She turned back to look at the mirror and gasped at what she saw. She was walking arm-in-arm with Harry and Draco. She turned around, scared for a moment that she was in a nightmare. But there was nothing. Nothing else, just her and the mirror. She looked at the mirror again and tried looking for Ron but he wasn't there. Strange, thought Hermione.

"Homenum revelio," whispered Hermione, holding her wand in front of her.

But nothing happened. She tried a number of other spells that would reveal any dark magic but nothing happened at all. Very slowly, large words started forming on the mirror. Hermione's eyes widened in horror. This wasn't some form of evil, right?

Hermione Granger, you have a very kind heart.

"Where's Ron?" wondered Hermione aloud as she looked at the mirror.

Look at the engravings on the top. That's the clue.

Hermione looked at the engravings once more but still couldn't figure out what they meant. She was about to say something else when she stopped in her tracks. She was talking to a mirror which replied back! Hermione broke out in cold sweat and she ran back towards the door at the back. She breathed heavily as she got out and quickly made her way back to less deserted routes and to the Gryffindor common room.

She was definitely not going to tell anyone what had happened.