A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm going to warn you all, that you may be slightly disappointed with this chapter. I had major writer's block, and I finally managed to get this out. The next chapter will definitely be better – promise!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything involved with the Harry Potter series: the characters, the settings. Nada.

~***~

No thoughts were coherent in her mind except for two: Viktor was here and Ron just kissed her. She faced the latter one seething with anger. Her hands on her hips, tapping her foot against the paved floor, she awaited Ron's answer impatiently.

"Well??" She demanded of him. His avoided her gaze and looked off to the side.

"Looking over there at the empty table isn't going to help you. Now what on earth possessed you to kiss me?!" She asked again.

"I, uh, I…," Ron began to stutter.

"No. Forget it. I don't want to even look at you right now, let alone hear you excuse," she said, holding up one of her hands to stop him from continuing. "Harry, we have to lead our first years." And without a backwards glance to her red-haired (and ears, face, and neck by now) friend, she exited the Great Hall with Harry and the first year students in tow.

~***~

She swept up the marble stairs in the entrance hall glancing occasionally at the group behind her to make sure they were following. She strode down the passageways and climbed stairways in an instinctive fashion having gone through this route so many times in the past. It was a good thing too; she wasn't sure she could do it with all the thoughts that were racing through her mind.

"Excuse me…" She felt a smaller hand tug on her robes.

"What?" she snapped back as she turned to face the person who interrupted her. Hermione saw the little girl's eyes widen with fear as she stepped back to the protective group of first years. Wave of remorse and guilt washed over Hermione.

"I'm sorry," Hermione apologised, "Did you have a question?" The first year warily went back to Hermione's side.

"Why are those people moving?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Those ones," she said, pointing up to the portraits hanging on the wall. Hermione followed to where her hand was pointing, and smiled.

"Let me guess, you're the first on in your family to be a witch," she guessed. The girl started to blush.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Because I'm one too, and I remember how shocked I was to learn that wizard photos and paintings move," Hermione explained. "Don't worry, soon you won't even notice that the paintings move or talk anymore." Hearing this, the portrait of a group of women reading in front of the fireplace, put down their books and muttered about how inconsiderate children nowadays were.

"Sorry ladies, that didn't quite come out the way it was supposed to," Hermione explained. She looked down into her brown eyes, "What's your name?"

"Anne, with an 'e'," she said. "What's yours?"

"Hermione," she smiled, "and if you have any questions about Hogwarts, Anne – with an e - just ask me, okay?"

"Sure, thanks!" Anne said happily. Anne stepped back to join the rest of her classmates while Hermione continued to lead them through the passages. Hermione saw Harry look at her with concern and he started to move towards her, but she waved him off. She didn't want to talk about anything relating to Ron and that kiss right now.

They finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady in the pink dress. Hermione turned to their expectant, yet tired, charges.

"Inside is portrait is the Gryffindor common room, which I'm sure Professor McGonagall explained before you got sorted. It's where you will sleep and study –"

"- and have fun and make new friends," Harry interjected. "To enter in, you will need to say a password to our protector." The Fat Lady nodded at Harry and peered at the new students, seemingly sizing them up.

"The password for now is butterbeer. Make sure you don't tell the password to anyone but the Gryffindor students," Hermione told them. The portrait swung open.

"The girls room are on this side and the boys room is over there," Hermione pointed the stairwells and watched them move slowly up the tower.

She turned her head slightly when all the students were out of her sight and let her gaze rest on Harry whose eyes were on her.

"What Harry?" she asked wearily.

"Do you want me to talk to Ron?" he offered, seeing that Ron was not in the common room.

Hermione shook her head. "There's not much point is here? I think I know why he did it, but I still can't believe he did it!"

"He might have, you know…" Harry stopped, not really knowing what to say.

Again Hermione shook her head. "Don't bother making excuses for him, Harry." She paused before continuing on, "I'm tired, and besides, we still have to finish reading our prefect packages, right?"

Harry nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast?"

"Of course. Good night." And moved towards her room, hoping Parvati & Lavender weren't already there ready to badger her about the kiss.

~***~

Hermione woke up feeling like her head was full of sand. She placed her hands on either side of her head to hold it in place. She thought back to the night before. Luckily, her roommates weren't in and she tried to finish reading some notes. When she heard voices behind her door, she quickly blew out the candle on her night table, and tucked herself in her bed pretending to be asleep. It took her a long time to fall asleep, and even then, it was a restless sleep.

After a few minutes, the thrumming lightened up, and she managed to prop herself on her pillows. It seemed like Parvati & Lavender were still sleeping, so Hermione silently changed in her bed and dashed to the adjoining washroom to brush her teeth and run a brush through her hair. She stuck her head out of the door, made sure the two girls were still sleeping, before exiting their room and heading down the stairs to the common room.

No one else was there, which wasn't much of a surprise to Hermione. She sat down in one of the comfy armchairs and stared at the fire that roared before her eyes. The worst thing about this was the fact that Ron kissed her to make Viktor jealous. There was no meaning to it, other than to extract revenge and to claim her as his…property. Her eyes narrowed at the thought of her being anyone's property.

At least the kiss with Viktor in Bulgaria had meaning to it, even if it didn't feel right. What Ron did was use her, and he was definitely going to have to answer to that.

She sat silently in the armchair before hearing two sets of footsteps coming from the boys' tower. She listened silently to the conversation, knowing they hadn't seen her yet.

"You're going to have to face her sometime Ron, and it might as well be now," Harry reasoned.

Silence.

"Why did you kiss her?" Harry asked curiously. Hermione wanted to know too, and perked her ears to listen carefully.

Ron let out an exasperated sigh.

"Krum knew where she was sitting, and made no action trying to hide that he was paying his full attention to her. And when he came over, I…well, I just wanted to let him know that if he hurt her, he would have to deal with me," he said finally.

"And so you KISSED me?!" Hermione shrieked at him. Ron winced, as both boys turned to see Hermione jump out of her chair and face them. "That was the best idea you could come up with? And why would you think that I would need protecting from Viktor in the first place. He's my friend, Ron!"

"Well, isn't it great timing that when You-Know-Who comes to power, we have a student come here from Durmstrang, where they teach Dark Arts, and he could act as a spy," Ron said defensively.

"And isn't it also great timing that when You-Know-Who comes to power that students who are possible targets would come to Dumbledore for protection," she shouted back. "Besides, if he was a spy, wouldn't the Sorting Hat know? It'd place him in Slytherin, and not Ravenclaw!"

Ron blinked. That thought never obviously occurred to him.

"You have got to stop this Ron, especially as Viktor is our classmate. Try to get to know him, and I really do think you'll like him," Hermione pleaded.

"I'm not talking to him," she heard him mutter.

She bristled up, "Oh yes you are Ron Weasley. This morning in fact when we go down for breakfast. You are going to walk up to him and apologise for what you did yesterday."

"Oh come on Hermione. I'm sorry for yesterday. Isn't that enough? Why do I have to say sorry to him? It was you I kissed, not him!" Ron's face had paled at her news and tried desperately to get out of it. He didn't do a good job, as Hermione's face and stature reminded him suddenly of a cross between his own mother back at the Burrow, and Professor McGonagall, both whom he didn't want to face right now. He gulped, and finally agreed. "Fine, I'll apologise to him."

"Good, then let's go to the Great Hall right now," Hermione stated perfunctorily and leading a miserable-looking Ron, with Harry, out of the portrait hole.

~***~

A/N: All, right, let me have it now. What'd you think?

MusicalRose: I thought I would definitely get some flames if I left it at Viktor being sorted. Actually, that's where I came up with this plot: what if Viktor accepted Dumbledore's offer, and came to Hogwarts. I had chapter 12 written up a LONG time ago, and had major fun writing & revising it!

Rally-as-Twiddles: Sorry, I never got this out soon. Chapter 12 is/was one of the pinnacle chapters in this story, and it was a little difficult trying to figure out where to go from there.

Geneviève: Ron is a little crazy right now, but he's start to show some signs of being normal again by the next chapter. I'm glad you like it!

Omega: Thank you very much, and I will! ;-)

Ginny Potter: I know what you mean; I read a few of those stories too. I find it takes longer for 2 friends to admit that they like each other, than 2 people who don't really no each other. BTW: I guess you're a G/H fan? J

MickEmousina: I don't think I'm going to kill off Viktor anytime soon, but I know what you mean! Thanks for reviewing!

Bluetreeleaves: You're so sweet to say that! Stories that I like…hmmm…my tastes are pretty wide & eccentric, so excuse the difference (ratings, people, plot, etc.).

There are a couple of authors I like a lot on a site called Diagon Alley (http://home.nyu.edu/~amw243/): Lori & Cassandra Claire. They're pretty long stories, and both have sequels, so they should tide you over until spring break comes along ;-) "A Perfect Match" (by Geena) is good too. It has a NC-17 rating, so beware! I liked it because it actually had a plot, unlike other NC-17 stories! "A little of your time" (by Serpentina) is good, but isn't complete yet, and hasn't been updated in AGES grumble, grumble "Lily" by Ariana is good and long (59 chapters!) "Heart, Star, Light" (by Angels of Fate) is cute & different

Hopefully this will kill some time for you!

HermioneM: Thanks for the Sorting Hat compliment. You are the first, and only, one to compliment it, so I think I will take the hint, and not try my hand at anymore poetry. Lol!

Thanks again for the reviews, and tell me what you think! Any criticism and/or compliment will help!

shal.