A/N: So, long time, no post. To be honest, I gave up on this story because it didn't receive the reaction that I had hoped for but I really do love it and suddenly have the urge to see it through. So, if you're reading, please hang in there and I hope that you enjoy despite the hiatus.

Disclaimer: I do not own the fantastic world or characters created by J.K. Rowling but I will use some of her words and ideas to further my plot. :)

Chapter 11 – Hermione's Helping Hand and Pansy's Persuaded Parting

Ron Weasley ate his Saturday morning breakfast with a lot less enthusiasm than usual. Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts were in another hour and a half and he was terribly nervous. His place as Keeper on the team last year did not guarantee him the position this year and he wanted to perform especially well because Harry was Captain this year and responsible for picking the team.

Despite the fact that he was nervous, he was excited to get out on the Quidditch Pitch. He had so much homework to do that he didn't even want to think about it. Their lessons were difficult and their free periods were not the hours of relaxation that he wanted. He and Harry barely understood Transfiguration class these days and Charms was becoming more intense as well. They were depending on Hermione more than ever and he hated to admit that if it wasn't for Malfoy making him practice non-verbal spells then he wouldn't be keeping up in a lot of his classes, but it was true. Herbology was quickly becoming his favourite subject because they worked in a group and it was the least stressful.

Quidditch and school was enough to have on his mind without having girl trouble for the first time in his life. He didn't know what to do about the situation between him and Hermione. He was pretty certain that she had feelings for him too but he didn't want to risk anything. He had considered talking to Harry about it before deciding that it would be too embarrassing. Ron spent most of his time these days thinking about Hermione in ways that would make their best friend very uncomfortable and they had never had many discussions about girls anyway. He definitely wasn't going to ask any of his brothers for advice so he was out of ideas.

Also, Lavender Brown had been very obviously flirting with him lately and he wasn't sure what to make of it. She had never shown any interest in him before but she had been dating Seamus last year and he had changed over the summer. He had to admit that he enjoyed the attention and the flattery…Hermione didn't treat him like that.

Ron tuned back into Harry and Hermione's conversation to hear her express her unhappiness with their lack of communication with Hagrid. The half-Giant seemed to have taken it personally that the three of them had decided not to continue on to N.E.W.T. level in Care of Magical Creatures. He had even stopped coming to the Great Hall for meals and avoided them on the grounds.

"I hate not talking to Hagrid," she frowned.

"We'll go down to see him after Quidditch tryouts," Harry told her. "But trials might take all morning," he sighed, "with the number of people that have signed up. The team's popular all of a sudden."

Hermione scoffed, "Honestly Harry, it's not the team that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting and, frankly, you've never been more fanciable."

Ron choked on the piece of kipper that he was eating and looked at Hermione with wide eyes. She simply glanced at him with a look of disgust over his poor table manners before focusing her attention back on Harry.

"Everyone knows that you were telling the truth about you and Voldemort now, don't they? They're all calling you the "Chosen One" and after all that the Ministry put you through…well, people are fascinated by you. It doesn't hurt that you've grown quite tall and handsome, either," she finished.

Ron was shocked by what he was hearing and when he turned to his best friend for his reaction, he found Harry flushed. However, Ron was pleased to see that Hermione was rather unaffected by her assessment of Harry. She had simply returned to her breakfast and that tell-tale blush hadn't spread across her cheeks. Well, at least Hermione wasn't one of the dozens of girls in the castle who now fancied Harry.

Luckily, the owl post arrived just in time to break the developing tension between the three friends. Hundreds of owls swooped into the Great Hall, dropping packages and landing on tables. They flapped their wings and scattered drops of water everywhere.

It didn't look to be the best weather for Quidditch.

An owl delivered Hermione's subscription to the Daily Prophet and Hedwig and Pigwidgeon brought Harry and Ron identical packages from Flourish and Blotts. Hermione's face lit up excitedly when they pulled open their brand new copies of Advanced Potion-Making. However, Harry promptly switched the cover of the new book with the cover of his very old copy of the same textbook. The Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making was now disguised as new and Hermione did not look pleased. She angrily pressed her lips together and roughly opened her newspaper.

"What? I'll just give Slughorn back the new copy. He can't complain, it cost nine Galleons," Harry argued.

Hermione ignored him and read her paper. She gave them the gist of the headlines, there had been a few Dementor attacks and a couple of bogus arrests.

"The Ministry wants to appear proactive and look like they're doing something because people are terrified," she explained. "Some people even think that Hogwarts isn't safe anymore. The Patil twins' parents want them to go home and Eloise Midgen's father came to pick her up last night."

"What?" Ron asked in shock. "There's no safer place than Hogwarts! We've got Aurors and extra protective spells…"

"And we've got Dumbledore," Harry added passionately and Ron nodded in agreement.

"Haven't you two noticed how often he's been gone lately?" Hermione asked quietly.

Ron and Harry looked up at the staff table at the same time and sure enough, the Headmaster's chair was empty.

"I think he's left the school to do something for the Order. It's like Malfoy says, this war is moving quicker than most people realize," she said solemnly.

The two boys did not respond but they knew that she was right. The Dementor attacks, disappearances, and deaths were continuing and they were affecting people at Hogwarts. Just the other day, Hannah Abbott had been pulled out of Herbology to be told that her mother had been found dead. Undercover Death Eaters were hard at work hunting down vulnerable members of the Order of the Phoenix and their allies and the only reason that Ron felt comfortable was because he knew that his family was being protected by the Ministry.

A few minutes later, they finished up their breakfast and left the Great Hall. Ron's nerves increased as they neared the Quidditch Pitch. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown passed them on the way down with their heads close together, whispering furiously. Parvati lightly nudged Lavender in the side and she turned her head quickly and smiled brightly at Ron. He smiled back unsurely but instantly felt himself grow more confident. After all, Lavender was very attractive. He noticed Hermione's expression had turned sour and he had to admit that he quite liked the idea of her being jealous.

Hermione left to find a seat in the stands without a word and he and Harry headed to the locker room to change into practice robes. They made their way out onto the pitch and Ron saw that Harry was right about the number of people that had signed up to tryout. It looked like half of Gryffindor House was on the pitch.

Ron stood next to the edge of the pitch, alongside the other Keeper hopefuls, and anxiously clutched his Cleansweep Eleven as Harry ran the students trying out for the positions of Beater and Chaser through their paces. He didn't pay much attention to how anyone else was performing; he was too worried about his competition, well, one person in particular.

Cormac McLaggen was a seventh-year that Ron hadn't had much contact with over the years but he was a tall, broad, good-looking bloke. He was much larger than Ron and would block the goalhoops from a Chaser's sight with his sheer physical size. He leaned on his broomstick confidently and gazed up into the stands. He wasn't paying much attention to the other tryouts either.

"Hey Weasley, is your friend Granger seeing anyone?" McLaggen asked.

"Um…no," he answered uneasily.

"I wouldn't mind getting on a first name basis with her," he grinned. "She is something to look at, don't ya think?"

Ron turned red, clenched his fists, and stuttered unintelligibly.

"Well, of course, you two are just friends but she is really fit."

The last thing that Ron wanted to hear right now was Cormac McLaggen's thoughts on Hermione's body.

Fortunately, Harry announced that it was time for the Keeper tryouts before McLaggen could say anything else. However, even Ron's anger towards McLaggen couldn't mask his nerves. He felt nauseous. The crowd watching the tryouts was almost as large as the crowd for an actual match.

McLaggen was before him and he was as good as Ron had feared…so, now he was good-looking, interested in Hermione, and good at Quidditch. On the fifth and final penalty, he moved in the completely opposite direction and looked like he had been Confunded. A laughed escaped Ron and McLaggen landed on the grass looking furious.

Ron took a deep breath as he mounted his broomstick and kicked into the air. He steadied himself in front of the middle hoop.

"Good luck!" He heard a voice from the stands call.

Ron looked to his right and saw that it was Lavender Brown who had cried out to him. He once again felt that surge of confidence and in a blur, he saved all five penalties. He grinned, pleased with his performance, and heard the cheers of the people in the crowd.

He landed and joined the rest of this year's Gryffindor team (Harry, Ginny, veteran Katie Bell, and rookies Demelza Robins, Jimmy Peakes, and Ritchie Coote) as McLaggen angrily stormed off the pitch.

"You were great, Ron," Hermione congratulated.

He smiled and straightened his shoulders to stand at his full height. "Thanks Hermione."

Harry told the team the time of their first practice before everyone left and he, Harry, and Hermione headed down to Hagrid's hut.

"I really thought I was gonna miss that last one," Ron mused as they walked.

"Yes, Ronald, you were brilliant," Hermione laughed.

Ron grinned once again and didn't even care that Harry caught him. He loved Hermione paying him this kind of attention.

*~()-()-()~*-*~()-()-()~*

Draco sat in his favourite chair in the Slytherin Common Room and engrossed himself in his Ancient Runes homework while trying to drown out the noise and activity around him. As per usual, Theo and Daphne were cuddled up in a nearby armchair. Pansy and a few of her girlfriends were gossiping on the sofa and a group of fourth-year boys were discussing the up and coming Quidditch tryouts.

He was trying to be more visible amongst his housemates to avoid arousing suspicion but the library was looking very tempting. He was the only one in the whole bloody room who was studying!

"I think she's hot. I'd shag her in a second!"

Draco lowered his book and sneered. The boys had apparently moved on from discussing Quidditch. "Would you mind taking your conversation elsewhere?" He asked in his most authoritative voice. Slytherin House knew that he had no qualms about abusing his power as a Prefect.

The four younger boys turned to him with wide eyes and were about to scramble to their dormitory before Theo stopped them. "Who are you guys talking about?" He asked with a curious grin.

"Hermione Granger," Cole Spencer answered quietly.

Theo nodded and gave Draco a meaningful smile. "I approve of your conversation. Let them continue, Drake."

Draco rolled his eyes but did not offer a retort. The four fourth-year boys did remain in the room but they lowered their voices so as to not provoke him further.

"You shouldn't encourage them to talk about girls like that," Daphne reprimanded Theo. "It's not very nice and I wouldn't want boys sitting in another common room talking about me like that."

"Oh but they are, love," Theo tormented.

Daphne smacked his arm before softly kissing him on the lips. "You'd hex them for me though, wouldn't you?"

"In a second," he answered before they kissed again.

"Could you two try to be a little less nauseating?" Draco teased.

There had been a period of time when he had harboured romantic feelings for Daphne Greengrass…really, it was hard not to. She was indescribably beautiful, elegant, and clever. She possessed a very clear and strong sense of self that was hard not to admire and he had known her almost his entire life. His crush on her had quickly evaporated when he first saw her and Theo on the cusp of something beyond friendship. He had never seen two people who were so opposite gel together so perfectly. They complimented each other wonderfully and he was happy for them. The two of them were like the siblings that he had never had.

"But seriously," Daphne continued as she ignored Draco's comment. "They shouldn't talk about her like that. She's actually really nice."

"How would you know?" Theo asked quickly.

"Run-ins in the loo," she explained.

Draco stared at Theo, warning him not to say or do anything obnoxious. His best friend was annoying him enough about his so called "interest" in Granger. Apparently, looking at her one time in the library qualifies as being interested in dating someone these days. It was a good thing that he didn't plan on telling Theo about his odd fixation on Granger's voice. Theo might suggest marriage with that information.

"Oh my God!"

He quickly turned his head towards Pansy at the sound of her shriek.

"If I hear anybody else mention Harry Potter or Hermione Granger, I'm going to scream! Doesn't this castle have anything better to talk about," she complained.

"No, not really," Theo answered.

"Well," Pansy huffed as she flicked her dark hair over her shoulder. "I don't see the appeal. Even if you put aside the fact that she's a Mudblood, she's hideous."

Draco smirked to himself. He could hear the jealously in his girlfriend's voice. Pansy had been furious when Granger had been the center of attention at the Yule Ball and the Gryffindor had inadvertently stolen the spotlight yet again.

Theo laughed harshly and didn't comment on Pansy's remark only after receiving a sharp look from Daphne. The two girls were friends after all.

Draco snapped his book shut and got to his feet. He had had enough of this petty conversation and the last thing that he wanted to think about was Granger. He did too much of that already.

"I'm going up to bed," he told Daphne and Theo.

"'Night, mate. I'll be up a little later," Theo replied.

Pansy stood as well and grabbed his hand as he passed her. "Draco, can I talk to you?"

He merely nodded and she followed him into the sixth-year boys' dormitory. He tossed his textbook onto his trunk and sat down on his bed. Pansy sat next to him with her feet tucked underneath her. He pulled the emerald curtains around his bed closed and cast an Imperturbable Charm to give them some privacy. They had been in this situation many times on his bed but this was the first time that it felt unnatural.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" He asked.

"I think that we should break up," she stated.

His eyebrows quickly shot up to his hairline. "You do?"

She placed a hand on his knee. "Well, I don't…but it's for the best."

"Pansy, what's really going on?" He asked impatiently.

Honestly, Pansy wanting to break up with him was not even plausible. She had latched onto him since the moment that she had asked for his name on the Hogwarts Express. She showered him with attention and flattery practically every moment that they were together. In fourth year, he had finally given into their common goals and invited her to the Yule Ball. She liked him for his looks, his money, his name, and because her parents approved of him. He had finally decided to date her because she knew who he was and what was expected of him and never asked for more than that. When she wasn't smothering him with her whining, his relationship with Pansy was relatively easy and the sex wasn't half bad.

"My father thinks it's best for us to take a break," she confessed. "He says that your time will be very important to you this year and that I shouldn't distract you."

"Ah, I see."

So, Theo had been right. The change in Pansy's attitude towards him was because of her Death Eater father. He was most likely bribing her with large amounts of jewellery, clothes, and shoes in exchange for her acquiescence.

"Oh, Draco," she cooed as she reached up to run a hand through his hair.

He turned his head and hid a laugh at the fact that Pansy actually thought that he was upset over their break up. Relieved was a much more accurate description of his feelings.

"Your father is right," he said seriously. "It is for the best."

"We can be together again next year," she said hopefully.

Again, he had to stifle laughter. "Yeah," he answered vaguely.

She let out a cry of distress and flung her arms around his neck. Pansy always had been dramatic. He raised a hand from his side and awkwardly rubbed her back. He hadn't always been a prat during their relationship so the least that he could do was offer her a little comfort, even if it was half-hearted.

"I know that you're doing really important things," she whispered. "I'm so proud of you."

He fought the urge to abruptly pull away. She was proud that her boyfriend couldn't be with her because he was busy serving the Dark Lord. He had never been so disgusted with Pansy before. She was completely delusional, like so many other pure-bloods out there, and she would make another pure-blood happy someday as his snobby, submissive, trophy wife.

"I'm really tired," he muttered. "I think that I should go to bed."

She pulled away from him and wiped her teary eyes. "Of course, you need your rest. If you ever need to talk or anything, I'm here."

"Thanks."

She kissed him softly on the lips and then once on the cheek before she pulled back the curtains and left the room.

Draco waited a moment before he fell back onto his bed and finally released his laughter. He had wanted to end things with her for a while but had just never gotten around to it, but Pansy had broken up with him. Things had just fallen into place. He almost felt like sending a thank you owl to her father.

He laughed again as he got up off of his bed and found his pyjamas. He felt smug and carefree for the first time in a while, and it was a nice, familiar feeling.

A/N: Let's prepare for some love triangles people. Please review and give me the encouragement to finish this story! :)