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"What're you doing?" Ginny asked as she turned over in bed to find Hermione already awake.

Hermione glanced over at her before looking back over her notes. "Homework. Project McGonagall gave me and Zabini."

Ginny lifted her head groggily to look at the muggle clock on the desk next to Hermione's bed. "It's 8am. . . On Saturday." She mumbled, sitting up. "Why?"

"Because I'd rather get this done now than later. Besides, I couldn't get back to sleep."

Ginny sighed before wrapping her blanket around her shoulders and moving to sit next to Hermione on her bed.

"So what are you thinking for the project then?" She asked.

Hermione looked up. "No, it's okay, you can go back to sleep. I got this."

"I'm sure you do." Her friend nodded. "But I can't sleep with the sound of rustling papers and all the cogs in your brain whirling as you work." Hermione smirked at her. "So what'cha got?"

"Well, I was thinking of a masquerade."

"Fancy." Ginny yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"What?" Hermione asked self consciously. "Do you not think it's good?"

Ginny smirked. "No, I like the idea. The mysterious man behind the mask. Sexy."

Hermione snorted. "Not exactly why I was going for the idea."

"Still." Ginny grinned. "Sexy."

"What about Harry?" Hermione asked.

"That is who's behind the mask, duh!"

Hermione laughed and shook her head at the girl before looking down again at her notes. "I'm kind of second guessing it though."

Ginny looked at her with disappointment. "Whhyy?"

"Because Zabini went along with the idea." Hermione told her, making Ginny raise an eyebrow.

"Did he? Well maybe he's finally realized that you two are equal partners." She said optimistically.

Hermione gave her a look. "I very much doubt that."

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"He didn't even shoot down the idea or say a single insult about it once."

"That is suspicious." The red head agreed. "What do you think he's up to?"

Hermione frowned. "Don't know. How he acted yesterday was weird."

Ginny picked up Hermione's notes and looked through them. "Weird how?"

"I don't know. He seemed pretty distant when he was asking about my ideas." Hermione shrugged. "Then afterwards he made Parkinson cry."

"Sounds pretty normal to me."

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, I guess. But . . . I don't know. It was off somehow. I'm still figuring out what it was."

"I still think it's a good idea." Ginny shrugged before getting off the bed. "I'm getting breakfast."

"Mind grabbing me something?" Hermione asked, looking over at her.

"Sure."

" . . . What do you think he's thinking about?" Her question reached Ginny as the girl got to the door.

"I don't know. I never claimed to understand him." Ginny told her.

"Fair enough." Hermione mumbled. She didn't think anyone did.

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