'On his arms… did you see?'

'He's got scars on his scars…'

'I heard Granger did it…'

'I thought they were friends…'

'Not anymore…'

'Why would she do that?...'

'Guess she didn't approve of him dating that Ravenclaw girl… Ben from my Charms class said they got together after the match…'

'Good grief; first Edgecombe, now Weasley… Granger's got some serious issues…'

'Poor bloke. I hope he's okay…'

Ron pulled down his sleeves as far as they could go. Whispers like this had followed him around school as soon as he'd left the dormitory. He and Harry were currently walking towards the great hall for breakfast. Everyone they passed in the corridors seemed to be staring at him.

'So, is he really dating that Ravenclaw? The one with the weird earrings…'

'Yeah. I was shocked too. I always thought he fancied Granger...'

'Guess he doesn't now, right? Besides, I heard Lovegood's actually really nice once you get to know her… Cho Chang used to help her with her homework; said Lovegood was a really sweetie…'

'That's good. Weasley deserves someone showing him support for once. I heard Granger wasn't even there when he won the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor last year…'

'Seriously? Wasn't she his best friend?'

'Beats me. That's a massive red flag, if you ask me.'

Harry looked sharply over his shoulder at the people gossiping nearest, and the two third-year Hufflepuffs immediately went silent. He turned back to Ron, who was looking as if he'd rather just go back to the Gryffindor boy's dormitory for the rest of the day.

'Mate, you okay?'

Ron shrugged.

'Hello, Ronald.'

Luna had appeared next to them.

'Oh, morning,' Ron said. 'You okay?'

Luna nodded.

'About as well as can be expected. How are you? I imagine you didn't have the best sleep.'

From anyone else, Luna's question would have seemed rude, but Harry could tell that she was displaying her knack for highlighting things that most people were too nervous to talk about.

Ron shrugged.

'Could have been worse.'

Luna patted him very softly on the shoulder. The people around them began to whisper again.

Breakfast was a particularly uncomfortable affair. Luna had pecked Ron on the cheek before disappearing off to the Ravenclaw table. Harry could practically hear the rumour mill going into overdrive as he and Ron sat down amongst their housemates in Gryffindor. Hermione was noticeably conspicuous by her absence. Judging from what people were saying, she hadn't been seen at all that morning.

Ginny was already sat down opposite them, and her eyes widened in mute shock as she saw the state of Ron. Her eyes went from the still-fresh marks on his face and neck, to the ones on his hands.

'Ron, what-'

'Leave it, Gin,' Ron said, wincing slightly as he picked up his knife and fork. 'I'll tell you later.'

'But… what-'

'Later, Gin.'

Ginny turned to Harry and gave him a deep enquiring look. Under such an intense gaze, Harry would normally have blushed. But instead, he said nothing and pulled a bowl of porridge towards him.

Ginny looked between the two boys for a while, her brow furrowed.

'Great match yesterday, Ron!' said Seamus, from a few seats away. 'Congrats, king!'

Ron gave a small, somewhat forced, smile. He didn't really feel like he'd helped win the match for Gryffindor at all; if anything, he felt worse than when he'd been screwing up matches back at the start of fifth year.

He didn't feel much like eating, either. Normally, he would have been ravenous after such excitement the previous day, but his stomach felt like lead.

'Mate, you need to eat,' Harry said, pushing a plate of toast towards him. 'We've got transfiguration later; best eat up now while you can.'

Ron smiled at Harry; he really did appreciate Harry being there for him. Harry was his best mate, after all. They'd been together through thick and thin. Well, aside from those few weeks in fourth year, but they'd moved past that. Ron didn't know what he'd do without Harry there. He certainly felt like he could do with all the friends he could get at the moment.

Especially since he no longer had his other best friend.

Ron managed to struggle through a couple of slices of toast, plus some pumpkin juice. It wasn't much, but at least he wouldn't be dead on his feet till lunchtime.

Deciding to head back to Gryffindor Tower for his bag, Ron stood up. Harry followed his lead, and the two left the great hall.

Ginny grabbed a slice of toast and followed them both. The castle was largely empty outside of the great hall, as the first classes of the day wouldn't start for a while and everyone was eating breakfast. Although a few stragglers were hurrying past them towards the great hall, having clearly woken up late.

The three of them walked in companionable silence for a while.

However, the instant the three of them turned a corner into a deserted corridor, Ginny rounded on the boys.

'What – in the name of Merlin's saggy undercrackers- happened?!'

Ron awkwardly began to scratch the back of his head, but -as he did so- his sleeve slipped down his arm a couple of inches.

Ginny's eyes widened, before she darted forward and pulled Ron's sleeve down fully to his elbow. Ron winced in pain. Harry felt his stomach drop several inches, as the full extent of the peck marks were brought into sharp relief by the light of the candle they were stood next to. Madam Pomfrey had alleviated the worst of the bleeding, but the actual scars had hardly faded an inch. If anything, they looked worse due to how fresh they were.

Ginny took one staggering breath, before she let go. Her face had gone very pale.

'Who. Did. This?'

'Gin, c'mon…'

'You were fine during the start of the after-match party!' She exclaimed, her voice cracking as she did so. 'I remember; you were stood with Luna and your sleeves were rolled back; no fresh scars then! But then you went off to find Harry and… and…'

The unspoken name hung like a black cloud over the three of them.

'She… she did this?' Ginny breathed, in a voice dripping with venom. 'Hermione… she… she did this to you?'

Neither Ron nor Harry said a word.

'One of you start talking. Now. Before I-'

Ginny stared over Ron's shoulder, her eyes widening in anger. Harry turned to look behind him.

A large man of bushy hair had just disappeared out of view, having walked past the corridor they were standing in.

'She-'

'Gin, no!' Ron exclaimed, stopping the shorter redhead in her tracks as she tried to barge past. 'It's not worth it!'

'She attacked you!' Ginny spat, desperately trying to break out of Ron's grip. 'She was your friend, and she attacked you! I'm gonna-'

'No, you won't,' Ron said, his voice deadly serious. 'This is my own bloody fault for-'

'Don't you dare make excuses for her!'

'I'm not going to make a big deal out of this. And neither will you. Got it?'

Ginny struggled for a second, before finally falling silent.

'How… how can you…'

'Because it's my decision to make. End of.'

A beam of morning light cut through the curtains in the sixth year Gryffindor girls' dormitory, and onto one of the four-poster beds. A pair of brightly polished shoes had been left scattered across the floor next to it, in a way that would have been unthinkable most of the time.

But, then again, the person currently lying behind the curtains of the four-poster had not particularly cared where their shoes landed when they had turned in for the night.

Crookshanks, his fur standing on end as it always did when he knew something was wrong, pushed aside the curtains with a paw and sprang lightly onto the bed.

Under a tangled mass of blankets and fleece comforters, the occupant of the bed was stirring.

Hermione Granger slowly sat up in bed, wiped her eyes and yawned, dimly trying to remember why she felt so miserable. She hadn't really slept that night and her eyes felt raw and itchy. But why?

Her eyes lingered for a second on the cat staring up at her, and of his bright gingerfur.

To the immense shock of Crookshanks, Hermione's eyes filled with tears and she let out a sob, falling back onto the mattress.

'God… no… Ron…. oh, I didn't, did I… how could I…'

But she had. Her memory -always overenthusiastic with details- sprung into motion, assembling the entirety of the previous evening to play in her mind. Of returning to the common room to find Ron and Luna together. Of escaping to a classroom to cry. Of Harry finding her after she had conjured the birds. Of Ron and Luna following.

And, of course…how could she ever forget…

The attack.

She had attacked Ron. Her best friend. The boy she loved. He who had been there for her since the troll in the girl's toilet. He who hadn't always said the right things but had always come through for his friends in the end. The boy who cared for his friends more than anyone she had ever met. The kind boy who helped first-years when they were homesick, and who lightened up the Gryffindor common room with jokes and witty stories on many a cold, dark night.

The boy who she had given her heart to.

The sound of the oppugno command rang through Hermione's brain, as she lay there. Ron's screams of pain added another layer to it, overwhelming Hermione's senses. Her head ached as she sobbed.

She had gone too far. There was no going back.

'Meow?'

Crookshanks was nuzzling into Hermione's hair, looking concerned for his owner.

Hermione sat up, and pulled Crookshanks into a tight hug, as she continued to weep. She was amazed that she had any more tears left to cry, but down her cheeks they spilled.

It was over. She had lost him.

The clock on the bedroom wall chimed for seven, and Hermione pulled back the curtains of her four-poster. The dormitory was still quiet; the slow breathing of her dorm-mates drifted through their own four-poster curtains.

Feeling numb and exhausted, Hermione picked up her toiletries bag and clothes, before slowly padding over to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. The warm water of the shower did raise her spirits somewhat, although she could hear the boy's shower through the wall. Was Ron using it?

Normally, Hermione's stomach would go all weird at the thought, but that morning all she could feel was immense guilt.

As she dried her hair and changed into her clothes, Hermione was vaguely aware of whispered voices on the other side of the bathroom door. The rumour mill of Hogwarts had likely gone into overdrive that morning. How long before she would be given detention? She did deserve it, after all. The awareness that she had done wrong did little to alleviate her feelings of self-loathing, though.

Hermione unlocked the door and walked back to her four-poster. As she picked up her school bag, she could practically feel the stares of Lavender and Parvati drilling into the back of her head. They knew. They had likely heard it from people in the common room; herself, Ron and Harry normally left early for breakfast, meaning Ron would have likely been seen by other students already that morning. Before long, the whole school would know that Hermione Granger had assaulted her best friend.

She scratched Crookshanks softly behind the ears and left the dormitory.

Unfortunately, the stares did not stop. As she crossed the common room, she was aware of students from every year group staring at her, the first years confused and a little scared, while the older students looked on with a mixture of horror and disgust.

She climbed through the portrait hole.

'Thank you,' she said, politely, to the student who had waited for her to climb through.

The girl, a third year with large front teeth, opened and closed their mouth several times, before hurriedly scrambling through the portrait hole away from her.

'Guess I should probably get used to that,' Hermione murmured to herself. She herself probably would have reacted exactly the same way when she was younger. After all, what kind of person would attack their best friend? She certainly wouldn't have attacked Ron in third year. So why had she done so now? What had changed?

She had changed. And, into what, she wasn't sure, and was afraid to speak its name.

The corridors were uncommonly busy that morning. Normally, Hermione wouldn't have minded that much. But people didn't normally whisper between themselves as she passed. Once or twice, she could have sworn that she heard the phrase "flock of birds".

The reminder did little to lift her mood.

As she neared the great hall, she passed a small corridor jutting out from the main one. Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out red hair. Her heart leapt into her throat, but she didn't stop. Her feet continued automatically onwards, as her blood roared in her ears.

There were some raised voices behind her, but Hermione could barely make them out.

Hermione sat by herself at breakfast that morning, along the bench from where most of the Gryffindor sixth years were eating. She picked at her scrambled eggs for ten minutes, before giving up entirely and leaving early for Transfiguration.

She was the first to arrive in the classroom and did not look up when the rest of the class started filing in around her.

She was left alone at the desk she was sat. She was almost glad of it.

Professor McGonagall entered the classroom, placing her books down on the desk.

'Now, I'm sure you'll all looking forward to human transfiguration,' the head of Gryffindor house said, calmly. 'We'll be focusing on changing the colour of hair today; we don't want any accidents, so please be careful.'

Hermione picked up the mirror that Professor McGonagall had placed on the desk in front of her, and began to work, checking the textbook to make sure she was doing it correctly.

The class around her settled into cheerful noise.

'I've got a kind of yellow…'

'Mate, you look like Malfoy's twin brother. Better looking than him, though.'

The students around them all laughed. Hermione found herself unable to resist and twisted her mirror so she could see behind her.

Ron and Harry were sat a couple of rows back from her. Harry's eyebrow was a delicate blonde, and he was chuckling to himself.

And… and…

Hermione's breath seemed to freeze in her lungs.

Ron's face, neck, hands, and upper arms were covered in scars. Each of them was still flecked with blood. He was wincing as he held his wand aloft.

Hermione's eyes snapped shut, and she gripped the desk with her hand. Her breathing turned ragged, as she struggled to keep herself calm. She was vaguely aware of the rest of the class continuing to practice the spell around her.

'What do you reckon, Harry?' said Ron's voice from behind. 'I mean, what's so different about eyebrows and moustaches anyway?'

'Very fetching, mate,' Harry chuckled, fondly. 'You should keep it around and see what Luna thinks.'

'You think?'

Luna. Of course. He was with Luna now. The girl who hadn't physically assaulted him.

Jealousy bubbled in Hermione's stomach, much to her anger. What right did she have to be jealous anymore? It wasn't as if she had any chance with Ron after what she'd done!

The bell rang for second period, and the class around Hermione began to disperse.

Hermione mutely pushed her things into her bag and slung it onto her shoulder but continued rooting through her bag. She was half-hoping she could stall enough for the rest of the class to leave.

However, with McGonagall's keen eye on her, Hermione had no choice but to leave. As she neared the scrum for the door, she could hear two awfully familiar voices on the opposite side of the desks, walking at the same pace as her towards the exit.

Hermione reached for the door and, as she did so, a very scarred hand reached for it too.

Hermione's eyes snapped upwards.

Ron was stood there, his bag half hanging off his shoulder, and his eyes blinking quickly, as if unsure what to do. Harry was stood just behind him, the green eyes behind his glasses at the point of sheer panic as they flicked nervously between Ron and Hermione

'R-Ron,' Hermione stammered, stepping forward. 'I just… just wanted to…'

But Ron had stepped back, flinching. His eyes squinted shut, his muscles tensed, his teeth gritted, and, with an almost automatic response, his fingers curled around the scars on his left wrist.

He was afraid of her.

Hermione felt her eyes swim with tears. With a sob, she hurriedly dashed out of the classroom door, leaving her bag abandoned on the floor.

The students in the corridors stared at her as she pushed past them, but she found it difficult to care. She felt like she couldn't care much about anything else at the moment.

Of course, Ron would be scared of her. She wasn't remotely surprised by that. She had suspected it. But the fact that she knew was the kicker. Ron Weasley was afraid of her. Ron, the boy she had loved since the age of twelve. The boy who had defended her from bullies and death eaters without regard to his own safety.

And this was how she had repaid him.

Hermione didn't remember locking herself in a stall of the girl's bathroom down the corridor. All she could do was to sit down on the toilet, and cry.

She didn't know how long she sat there, weeping miserably into her hands. She didn't give a damn about which lesson she had to go to next, or whether she'd miss handing in her homework. All she cared about was the fact that she had attacked her best friend and had lost him forever as a result.

That "brightest witch of her age" moniker seemed like a cruel joke. She hadn't been intelligent; she'd been a violent, vengeful idiot. And she had no-one to blame but herself.

There was a knock on the cubicle door.

'Hermione?'

'L-Luna?'

Hermione hesitantly unlocked the door and peered out.

Luna was standing a few feet away, her bizarre spectacles perched atop her dirty blonde hair.

'W-what are you doing here?'

'I… well, I came to speak with you.'

'Oh.'

'About Ronald.'

'O-oh.'

Hermione wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, as she stepped out of the cubicle. Had Luna come here just to gloat? To rub it in? Hermione didn't know what to do in that scenario. But, then again, she'd never assaulted Ron before.

'It was wrong of you to attack him.'

Luna's voice was calm and measured. Hermione had almost been expecting Luna to mock her. But she wasn't.

'You… you think I don't know that?'

'If you knew it was wrong, why did you do it?'

'What?' Hermione exclaimed, confused. 'I… I don't know! Because… because I was upset… because I was angry!'

'You wanted to hurt him?'

'No! Well… maybe. I … I don't know! I just… I wanted…'

'You wanted him to hurt like you were hurting?'

Hermione shrugged.

'I…yes.'

'That doesn't excuse what you did.'

'Of course it doesn't! But I… I just… I couldn't just forgive him for what he…'

'What?' Luna asked, looking confused. 'What has he done to you that is so unforgivable?'

'He's… he's never…'

'What? Never been there for you when you needed him? Never been open about the fact that he cares about you? I may be misunderstanding things here, Hermione; but I was under the impression that you were the one never doing any of that for him, and not the other way round.'

'W-what? B-but… you… you…'

Hermione spluttered and stammered into silence.

Luna sighed sadly.

'Hermione, you can't have it both ways,' the Ravenclaw said. 'I've seen how things are between you and Ronald. You didn't show him appreciation whenever the chance presented itself, but you got angry whenever he was happy that other girls showed him that same appreciation. How did you expect him to think? That you wanted him, but only as a last resort?'

That last remark felt like Luna had slapped her in the face.

'That's not…' Hermione spluttered, feeling utterly horrified at Luna's words but also at herself for agreeing with them. 'That's not…'

'What has happened will always have happened, Hermione,' Luna said, her voice steady with purpose. 'Please have a think about what I've said. I know you don't like me much at the moment, but I know you like wisdom. And Ronald, for that matter.'

'What the…' Hermione stammered, blushing furiously despite herself. 'That's not what I- I mean, I do like Ron but… but….-'

Hermione stammered once again into silence.

Luna smiled sadly at Hermione. She didn't look happy or smug that she was with Ron while Hermione wasn't. Luna had the expression of someone who's friend had hurt their other friend. She was disappointed, a little angry and, above all, saddened.

The two of them left the bathroom, and immediately bumped into Harry, who was carrying Hermione's bag.

'Oh, hello, Harry; did you know your eyebrow is yellow?'

'Yeah. Hi, Hermione; here's your stuff.'

'Oh, th-thank you, Harry,' Hermione said, quietly, as she slung her bag over her shoulder. 'I need to go to the library now; see you later.'

Hermione hurriedly dashed away, her eyes still streaming with tears.

'I talked to her,' Luna said, as they watched disappear down the corridor. 'About Ronald.'

'Oh, that would explain things,' Harry replied. 'He went back to Gryffindor Tower with Parvati and Lavender; I think they said they have a glamour charm he can use on his scars.'

Luna nodded.

'Harry; do you think Hermione feels sorry about what she did to Ronald?'

The bespectacled boy shrugged.

'I dunno. I mean, she's certainly upset about it. But that doesn't take back the fact that Ron's got more scars due to her.'

'Exactly,' Luna nodded. 'Oh, by the way; have you asked Ginny to Slughorn's party yet?'

Harry's eyes went wide. Luna saw that his face was flushing.

'What? Why would I do that?'

'Because I imagine you'd like someone friendly to go with.'

'Oh, right,' Harry said, recovering slightly. 'I dunno; I honestly don't feel like going. I can't just leave Ron on his own. It wouldn't be fair to me. And, besides, Ginny's got a boyfriend.'

Luna nodded, understandingly. A little too understandingly for Harry's liking.

Slughorn's party was due to start soon. Harry had not bothered going and had settled down to an evening spent in the common room with Ron. The two of them had played wizard chess for several hours, enjoying the fact that they had finished their homework earlier that day.

Ron's scars had been lessened somewhat by the glamours that Lavender and Parvati had shown him after Transfiguration. Harry could tell that Ron was immensely glad that the scars weren't as visible as before; he could imagine that seeing physical reminders of the attack every time Ron looked at his arms and hands must have been incredibly difficult for him to cope with.

Harry had never really been that close with Lavender and Parvati, despite going with the latter to the Yule Ball. But he really appreciated that they had been so kind to Ron. It was great to see Ron's fellow Gryffindors supporting him through such a complicated and stressful situation.

At about eight o'clock, the Fat Lady's portrait swung open, and Ginny climbed through the portrait hole, followed by Luna.

'Evening,' Ginny said, dropping her bag to the floor before plopping down next to Harry on the sofa. Ron couldn't help but notice that Harry's cheeks flushed a little.

'You look a bit exhausted, Gin; everything okay?'

'Just normal O.W.L stuff; I swear, my head is just full of facts about the goblin rebellions. Me and Luna have been going over History Of Magic since dinner.'

'In the library?'

'Yeah. Right near the front, though. We thought it best to avoid…'

Hermione's name hung unspoken in the air for a moment.

'I think we went over everything relevant,' Luna said, slipping her shoes off onto the carpet by the fire. 'But I do feel that Ginny needs a break, though.'

'Why don't you go for a fly?' Ron suggested, as Luna sat down on the seat next to him and curled her legs under herself. 'I'm always saying to Harry that it's the best way to clear your head.'

'Oh, yeah; that might work,' Ginny said, brightening up. 'What do you say, Ron? Quick race around the Quidditch pitch before Filch closes the front doors?'

'Nah,' Ron said. 'Besides, Harry's the one with the invisibility cloak. And he is the Quidditch captain.'

Ginny turned to Harry, who blushed a little under her gaze.

'Come on, O captain of mine,' Ginny chuckled, slapping him on the shoulder. 'You wanna get some air?'

'A-alright, then,' Harry said.

'Great!' Ginny said, before turning back to Ron. 'No funny business with my best friend while we're gone, alright?'

'I am offended that you would even think that,' Ron said, rolling his eyes. Luna flushed a little, smiling softly. 'Just show the same respect with my best friend, alright?'

Ginny stuck out her tongue, before chuckling at Harry's mortified face.

'Relax, Potter,' she said, hoisting him to his feet. 'I'm a kept woman; you have nothing to worry about.'

Feeling his stomach bubble with nerves, Harry hurried up to his dorm for his firebolt. He arrived downstairs again, as Ginny appeared from the girl's dormitory steps.

As the portrait hole closed behind him, Harry briefly saw Ron put his arm tentatively around Luna's shoulders, and the Ravenclaw lean into his side.

Flying around the Quidditch pitch with Ginny had been way more fun than Harry had imagined. Ginny really was a brilliant flyer, but she was a chaser; that was her role in the team. No, what amazed Harry was just how effortless Ginny seemed to make flying look. Like she was dancing through the air, barely needing the broom at all. Her red hair streamed behind her in a vision of scarlet. Her freckled face seemed to be perfectly illuminated by the moonlight.

Not that Harry was looking at her like that, of course. She was his friend. She was Ron's sister. She had a boyfriend.

And he was her friend. That was all she saw him as.

Trying to ignore the sadness in his heart, Harry followed Ginny down to the floor of the pitch. She discarded her broom and had flopped down on the grass.

Harry landed, and placed his firebolt nearby, before lying down nearby on his back. He stared up at the stars, trying not to dwell on how heavy Ginny's breathing nearby was. The sound made his stomach feel a bit weird.

'You didn't fancy going to Slughorn's party, then?'

'Nah,' Harry replied. 'Guessing you didn't either.'

'Definitely not. It always bugged me how Slughorn always focused on you, me and Hermione, but ignored Ron like he wasn't worth the effort.'

'Slughorn's a weird guy.'

'You're telling me. I mean, he's happy to have Cormac McLaggen in his club. Talk about letting a man-child have free reign.'

'He did not like Ron getting the keeper position this year.'

'Hermione's not going to the party either, is she?'

'I can't imagine she wants to be out in public much at the minute,' Ginny muttered. 'Half the school is scared of her now; surprised Slughorn didn't rescind her invitation.'

'Don't you feel… well…'

'Sorry for her? Harry, she attacked my brother. She can rot for all I care.'

'Oh.'

'Do you want Ron and Hermione to be friends again?'

'I… I dunno.'

Ginny went silent for a moment.

'You remember back in my first year at Hogwarts? When I was that shy little kid?'

'Vividly.'

'Oy, lay off,' Ginny said, playfully knocking him with her elbow. 'When I first met Hermione, I thought "she's kinda weird, but Ron seems to enjoy spending time with her, so maybe she's okay". She kinda reminded me of you a little, to be honest?'

'Seriously?'

'Only child. Bit awkward around people. Not to mention the fact that you both adored Ron.'

'Oh, not this again…'

Ginny laughed. It was a bright, glorious sound. It also made Harry's stomach do a double flip.

'You mean, you didn't have a childhood crush on Hermione?'

'Urgh! I fancied the specky boy-who-lived, not the grouchy know-it-all. No; just because Hermione is Ron's type, that doesn't mean she's every Weasley's type.'

'Fair enough.'

'Anyway, as time went on, I kinda realised that you and Hermione weren't as alike as I first thought. She's a lot more… intense than you are. She doesn't find it so easy to relax.'

'I do enjoy not being in a state of constant terror over my exams.'

'Same here, funnily enough. For years, I honestly thought Ron was the only person who could help her get out of her own head. Make her take life a little less seriously. But… but now…'

'She's probably beating herself up about what she did, too.'

'Good.' Ginny said, her voice with an edge of ice. 'She… she attacked my brother. He's been there for her through thick and thin. I don't care how upset she was over him and Luna; nothing excuses what she's done.'

Harry went silent for a while. He didn't know much about siblings; he had always been a little confused as to why the Weasleys teased each other so much. But Ginny clearly cared about Ron; he was the closest in age to her, after all. The only brother she'd been willing to go to for help in her first year.

Like Ron, Ginny was intrinsically a kind person. Occasionally, she got angry, yes, but she had a good heart and was always there when her friends needed her. Harry really liked that. And not in the same way that he liked Ron's good heart, either.

'Ginny, do you think Ron would want Hermione back?'

'Yeah. Ron's way too forgiving with her; that's his trouble.'

'Bit harsh.'

'It's not that far from the truth!' Ginny exclaimed. 'I've seen the way he looks at her; how the hell she never figured out that he loves her is beyond me! After the Yule Ball, after how irritated he always got whenever she mentioned Krum, after all that happened last year; how can she never have noticed?!'

'Maybe… maybe she couldn't believe it?' Harry suggested, hesitantly. 'Maybe she just thought he was being stupid whenever he went on about Krum?'

'Hermione disregards anything she isn't good at,' Ginny muttered, bitterly. 'I remember when we were sharing a room at Grimmauld Place; whenever Ron was cheering you up with Quidditch talk to take your mind off things, she'd flounce off to our room and complain about how "boys" were so unable to process emotions.'

'Seriously?'

'Yep. I think she forgets that not everyone sees men and women as different species. No wonder Ron started thinking that she saw him as dumb. It wasn't like he was being subtle about why he didn't like Krum.'

'Hermione thinks Ron's smart.'

'Yeah, but has she ever told himthat?'

'Well… no. Not really.'

'Exactly. Ron's not a mind-reader; how's he supposed to figure out that she likes him if she barely makes it known?'

They lay on the pitch in silence for a while.

'Ginny, you don't seriously think I fancy Ron, do you?'

'Wouldn't surprise any of us. Especially after the second Triwizard task happened.'

'Oy!'

Ginny laughed again. The sound was music to Harry's ears, and he desperately tried to ignore the flurry that it sent his heart into.

'Ginny?'

'Yeah?'

'Does Dean… tell you how intelligent you are? That he values you?'

Ginny snickered.

'What's brought this on? I've got enough over-protective brothers without you joining in too-'

'No!' Harry exclaimed, hurriedly. He did not want Ginny to see him as another brother. 'Just… concerned, you know? As… as a friend?'

Why did he suddenly feel so sad about saying that? He liked being Ginny's friend. Of course he did.

'I like Dean; he's a good bloke.' Ginny said, sounding thoughtful. 'Very sweet and kind. But…'

'What?'

'I dunno. I guess it was a lot more fun to date him at first. Maybe the novelty just wore off? Y'know what I mean?'

'Not really; I wouldn't know.'

'You and Cho never...?'

'Nah; calling what we had "a relationship" is a stretch at best. We just weren't right for each other.'

'Oh.'

There was a pause.

'You should… be with something you feel right with, y'know?'

'Yeah.' Harry said, feeling like maybe they weren't talking about himself and Cho anymore. 'Definitely.'

Harry opened his mouth to speak again but, before he could even begin to imagine what to say, there was a load chime of bells from the castle.

Ginny swore under her breath.

'That's curfew!' She exclaimed, scrambling to her feet. 'Filch has locked the doors!'

Harry cursed their bad luck. How had he lost track of time so easily? It wasn't as if he lost interest in most things when he was around Ginny… right?

Of course not; that would be ridiculous.

'I've got an idea,' he said, climbing to his feet and grabbing his broom. With the other hand, he pulled his invisibility cloak from under his jumper. 'It may be a bit risky, though.'

Ginny grinned at him, her brown eyes sparkling in the light of her wand. She stood next to Harry as he threw the cloak over them both.

'You know I love some risk, Harry.'

'You're awfully good at chess, Ronald.'

'Thanks.'

Ron was sat on the sofa in front of the Gryffindor, with a chess board in the space between him and Luna. A little while after Harry and Ginny left, Luna had been asking about how Ron had beaten McGonagall's giant chess set in his first year, and he'd suggested that he show her the moves he had done.

'You did this when you were twelve, didn't you?'

'Er, yeah. Honestly, it's actually a miracle that we won the game.'

'I don't think it was, Ronald. I think it was because you made sure that your friends got through.'

Ron felt his ears go pink. He still wasn't exactly used to how open Luna was about her opinions on things. He didn't mind it, of course. But it was such a change from how both Harry and Hermione acted.

'Nah, stop it-'

'Ronald, why don't you like it when people praise you? You're exceptionally talented.'

'Er, I… I dunno. Guess it's not something that happens that often. That's why Slughorn never invited me to that club of his.'

'You have an award for special services to the school, don't you?'

'Well… yeah.'

'And you've fought against death-eaters. You… you saved my life when we were at the ministry last year.'

Ron looked up. Luna was smiling at him, her large grey eyes warm and tender. The light of the fire reflected prettily off her dirty blonde hair.

'I just pushed you out of the way of that confundus spell,' Ron shrugged. 'I wasn't going to let them hurt you. You're too cool to be stopped by some death eater.'

Luna stared at him.

'You… you think I'm cool?'

'Course,' Ron said, feeling himself flush a little. 'You don't care what anyone thinks of you; you live your life the way you want. I wish I could do that.'

'That's just because I didn't have friends until very recently, Ronald. I just got used to my own company.'

'Well, that shows you how dumb some people can be, if they didn't want to be your friends. You're amazing, Luna. I wish I was as brave as you.'

Luna smiled at him again, her cheeks glowing a delicate pink. She reached out and intertwined her fingers with his. Her skin was delicately soft. Goosebumps erupted up Ron's arm.

'I think you already are, Ronald.'

The two of them smiled at each other. The fire crackled warmly behind them. The clock struck eight-thirty, indicating the final half hour before curfew.

'Well, I best walk you back to Ravenclaw tower,' Ron said, helping Luna to her feet. 'Can't have a young lady wandering Hogwarts by herself, can we?'

'Indeed,' Luna giggled, leaning into his side as they walked towards the portrait hole. 'Oh, have I ever told you about the Rotfang Conspiracy, by the way? It's ever so interesting.'

Ron smiled to himself, as Luna began to discuss how tooth decay was being used to take down the ministry from within. Luna really was a unique person. And he liked that. A lot.

Immensely glad that Ginny probably couldn't see his blushing face, Harry climbed onto the broom. Ginny climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Harry felt his stomach explode with butterflies at her touch.

As they darted towards the castle, they saw that the large front doors were, indeed, locked. However, that wasn't the only way into the school, even with the heightened security measures.

As they flew past the windows of the castle, Ginny whispered into his ear.

'Was that Malfoy talking to Snape?' she asked.

Stopping the broom and turning round, Harry flew them back the way they had come.

'This one,' Ginny whispered, pointing to the window next to them. 'What are they both doing out of the dungeons at this time of night?'

Harry peered through the cloak. Sure enough, Malfoy and Snape were standing a few feet away from the window. The angry-faced teenager was glaring at the head of Slytherin house.

'Hang on; I've got some extendable ears in my pocket…'

Ginny attached one end of the WWW product to the window, and held the other end up, so that both herself and Harry could hear. Wow, Ginny sure was quick-thinking. Harry knew that from her being in the DA, of course, but that had been different.

'Let me help you, Draco-'

'I don't need any help!' Malfoy spat. 'I've been given a mission! And I'm not sharing my glory with you!'

'But you haven't succeeded yet, Draco. Whatever it is that you've been asked to do, it clearly isn't an easy task. Please, let me-'

'I won't!'

Malfoy stormed off, and Snape stood there for a moment. Ginny and Harry held their breaths. Just because they were invisible didn't mean they couldn't be heard. If Harry got Ginny involved in this mess, he'd never forgive himself.

Snape turned away, his robes flapping around and making him look more like an overgrown bat than ever. The greasy-haired teacher swept off down the corridors. Harry could distantly make out the sounds of Slughorn's party; presumably, that's why Snape was away from the dungeons or his office so late in the evening.

'Harry?'

'Yeah, Ginny?'

'What do you reckon Malfoy's been asked to do? Do you think it's something from you-know-who?'

'I dunno. But I wouldn't be surprised.'

'Bet you Malfoy was behind that dark magic necklace that Katie Bell got given.'

'Yeah.'

'Anyway, let's get back to Gryffindor Tower; I think I might know a way in. There's a window that sometimes gets left open.'

Harry turned upwards, flying up over the turrets of the castle, and reaching the enormous Gryffindor Tower. As Ginny had suspected, there was a window open near the bottom of the tower. Hovering level to it, Harry reached through the cloak, and softly pushed the window further open.

Ginny managed to get a foot on the windowsill and, working together, they managed to position themselves through the window, landing neatly on the carpeted floor inside.

Harry gently pulled the invisibility cloak off them both and rolled it back up under his jumper.

'I didn't realise you were such a rule-breaker, Harry,' Ginny chuckled, climbing off the broom. 'Sneaking around after curfew, and eavesdropping; what next? Breaking and entering?'

'Have you met me?'

Slapping Harry cheerfully on the arm, the redhead grinned at him.

'Thanks for the fly, by the way. Just what I needed to blow the cobwebs away. And for the sympathy; you're a good mate.'

'No problem.'

'I'm glad that window was open, actually; can't believe someone is still keeping it open.'

'Still?'

Ginny looked away, a little bashfully.

'Er… me and Dean went on a few late-night flights a few months back.'

'Oh.'

There was a very uncomfortable silence. Harry wanted to enquire further, but also had a great desire to not hear anything else about what Ginny and Dean had gotten up to.

'I'm sorry,' Ginny mumbled, sweeping her long red hair out of her eyes. Harry was startled to see the flush on her cheeks. 'I shouldn't've-'

'It's fine,' Harry shrugged. 'He is your boyfriend.'

'Yeah,' Ginny whispered, her brown eyes troubled as she pushed open the door. 'Yeah, he is.'

The two of them emerged from behind a portrait in the Gryffindor common room.

'Ginny… sometimes I just wonder if…'

Harry trailed off. McGonagall was standing by the portrait hole, as if expecting them.

McGonagall's lips formed a thin smile, as she saw the two Gryffindors open their mouths to explain.

'Please relax, Potter; I will overlook you and Miss Weasley sneaking off somewhere on this occasion. Now, if the two of you would kindly come with me…'

'What? Why? Where are we going?'

He looked at Ginny in confusion, but she looked away, propping her broom up against the wall.

Feeling more baffled by the second, Harry left his firebolt on the carpet, and followed Ginny out of the common room, and the two of them trailed behind McGonagall through the candle-lit corridors. The castle was empty around them, aside from the occasional clank of a suit of armour.

They finally stopped in front of a familiar Griffin statue.

'Dumbledore's office? What-'

'All will be explained, Potter. Treacle Tart.'

The Griffin leapt aside, revealing a spiral staircase. As they followed McGonagall up the stairs, Harry turned to the redhead next to him.

'Ginny, have… have you got something to do with this?'

'Y-yeah,' Ginny said. 'I'm sorry, Harry. I just… it's family. I couldn't just leave things as they were.'

'Did you…'

'Weasley, Potter;' McGonagall said, opening the door to Dumbledore's office. 'Please come through.'

Ginny gave Harry one last glance, her brown eyes filled with genuine remorse, and then walked through the door.

Harry followed her.

Two figures were sat several feet apart in front of Dumbledore's desk. One was Ron. The other figure was sat with their head bowed, unable to look Ron in the face.

It was Hermione.