A/N: Thanks to all you guys who continue to read and review. I really appreciate it! Anyway, so after that bout of trouble in the last chapter, many of you are wondering what will happen to "the crew". Well, I'm hoping that this chapter will provide a little insight in you questions because I can't tell you how it will end! Hehe. And the beginning starts with not mush talking so just be warned. Er, okay. I really don't have anything else to say so…On with the Show.. er story!

Disclaimer: You all know perfectly well that I don't own anything. Read all the other disclaimers!

Chapter 5: The Aftermath

Hermione woke groggily the next morning. Lifting her head from the pillow, she saw that she was still wearing her dress from the dance. It was then that she was sure it wasn't just a dream. A horrible feeling rose up from the pit of her stomach and stuck in her throat. She rolled over and looked out the window at the sun rising over the lake. It was a beautiful scene, the sun splayed across the water, glittering. Not exactly the way I feel, she thought to herself. Her hair, half down by now, looked like she had gotten caught in a storm. She really didn't want to get up. She knew that everyone probably knew by now and was not looking forward to facing them. Nevertheless, she got out of bed and started to do her best to recover her dress, her hair and herself. She pulled down the twist she had worked it into and let her hair fall around her shoulders. Hermione stood, staring at herself in the mirror, and started to cry. She sat in the chair in front of the table and put her head in her hands, letting her hair fall around her face, as she continued where she left off last night.

She didn't care if Lavender or Parvati saw her crying. She could actually care less if anyone saw her crying. Even Ron. She stood up and stared to change into regular clothes, ignoring the other girls whom had started to get up. She ignored their pitied stares, worrying glances to each other and silent, mouthed concerns as hurried out of the room. Hermione stopped halfway down the stairs, trying to contain herself before she entered the common room. She really hoped Harry wasn't there because she didn't know if she could handle it.

She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Breathe. Just breathe." Hermione whispered to herself. (A/N: Great line from "Ever After" J )

Then, Hermione started to walk again. Slowly, but constantly, she reached the bottom of the steps and glanced into the common room. Fred and George, Ginny, Seamus, the Creevy brothers, Dean, and other students. But no Harry and no Ron. She moved to a chair in the corner, facing the fire, and got her homework from the weekend together, sorting her papers to distract herself from the stares she was receiving. Apparently, she was right about everyone knowing the story of what happened last night. Then, Harry and Ron came downstairs.

Hermione looked up, then turned away quickly. She knew that she had the right to confront him more than he did her, but she just couldn't. She wanted to ask him why he believed Malfoy over her, why he just jumped to conclusions, why he went to Cho. She kept her eyes to her papers and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She hated to think of what Cho told him after Hermione ran out. And she wondered if he bought what she said, like he had Malfoy.

What she didn't see was Harry looking over at her. His expression matched Hermione's as he saw the tears on her face. He hated to see her cry. Ron also saw Hermione crying and started to walk over to her. Just then, Hermione stood up, her face still wet with tears, and walked briskly past Ron, then past Harry and out the portrait hole. Ron, startled by her quick exit, turned just as fast and walked out right behind her, but not without a disapproving glare at Harry.

Ron followed Hermione as she ran through the halls, not knowing particularly where she was going. She didn't see Ron yet and slowed down, then sat down next to a suit of armor and buried her face in her robes. Ron stopped right in front of her and stooped to her level. He then raised his hand, unsure of how to comfort her, but making an effort, and placed it on the side of her head. Hermione jumped and sat up quickly. Her wide eyes gave way to relief as she flung herself on her. He froze for a second, not knowing what to do then wrapped his arms around her tightly. She held on as tightly as him, as if not wanting to lose him too and cried into his shoulder.

"Ron, I don't know what to do!" Hermione muffled voice came from his shoulder. " He thinks I did something horrible and I didn't and I.. I can't talk to him! I'm afraid of what he'll say. Please, please help me."

Ron felt about as horrible as Hermione now and he hugged her, trying his best to soothe her but failing.

" Hermione, I don't know what to do." Ron said quietly.

So they just stood there, in the middle of this hallway as people started to pass by, going to class. Hermione, having stopped crying after a while, let go of Ron and smiled weakly at him.

" I have to go to class now. But thank you, Ron. I don't know what I would do without you." She said as she picked up her bag, and turned to walk to her class, sniffling.

Ron waved her off and started the opposite way. Hermione continued on her way to Transfiguration, deciding to herself that she would be strong and hold up. After all, she had nothing to feel sorry about. But that wasn't the way her heart felt. Yet somehow, she managed to get through her day without shedding a tear. She often had to fight the urge when she had classes with the Slytherins and Harry. But she did do it. She knew it would be easy! The bell rang as she stood up from her desk in her final class of the day. She walked slowly to the door and walked down the hall, deep in thought. She didn't really think about where she was going but she walked out onto the grounds and down by the forest, just walking on the edge. It was then that she saw Cho on the Quidditch field. Without a further thought, she ran over and right up to Cho, who had seen Hermione coming and landed.

" Hermione! How nice to see you! I see Harry has finally gotten some common sense and finished it with you!" Cho sneered, while dismounting her broom.

" I know what you and Malfoy have planned! How could you go into ranks with him?" Hermione yelled incredulously." What have you told Harry?"

"Oh, just that there are better girls out there, for instance. And I made sure he knew who I was talking about!" She smiled as she brushed her hair off of her shoulder. " I guess I told him that you don't deserve him, I could treat him right, and…er…that I was right there for him anytime he needed someone to talk to."

Hermione opened her mouth, startled by what she had just been told.

" I thought there might have been some sort of good in you but I guess I was wrong. Especially since you and Malfoy seem to be buddy-buddy now. And you're wrong. You're not good enough for Harry! You're not even good enough for the dirt under my shoe!" Hermione spat out.

Cho put an ugly expression on her face, not becoming her at all and she looked as though she were about to say something. But then she looked past Hermione and waved at someone behind her. Hermione turned around to see Harry stopped about 20 feet away, not sure if he should continue or not. Hermione looked down quickly and closed her eyes. Then, she gathered her belongings and strode over toward Harry, finally gaining some confidence and anger.

" You two deserve each other if you believe her and Malfoy over my word." Hermione said as she passed him, knowing that he had heard every word.

She knew, rather, she hoped that it had hurt him as much as it hurt her to say it, but she remained strong and walked up to the castle and up to the common room. She threw her stuff onto her bed in the dorm room, pacing around the room, the anger boiling up. She stopped, counted to ten and then jumped onto her bed. I'm better than this, she thought. She didn't feel much like going down to dinner and she was working on her homework when there was a knock on her door.

" I'm busy!" Hermione yelled as she stared down at her parchment.

" Too busy for some dinner?" A familiar voice said from the door.

Hermione turned and saw Ron with a plate of food for her. She smiled and sat up as he brought her the food. He sat with her as she ate and talked about the day, what happened during Divination and dinner. Hermione laughed for the first time since the dance and she was grateful for Ron being there.

" You know, I like you much better when were not yelling at each other. You're a really good best friend." Hermione said genuinely.

" Well, I'm just repaying the favor!" Ron said, the tips of his ears red.

After a while, Ron left and Hermione finished up her homework, then settled into her bed. She didn't even remember falling asleep but she did remember the dream as she woke with a start, her face wet with tears and sweat. It was very vivid as she crawled out of bed. She remembered being at the dance, people yelling at her, calling her names. But the thing she remembered the best was what Harry had said to her. She knew in her heart that he would never say that to her but she, nonetheless, tiptoed out of the room and into the common room. Forgetting that she didn't want to talk to Harry, she walked up the boy's stairs and opened his door quietly. She peered in and then slipped inside. Then she crept to his bed and opened the curtains. She crawled onto his bed and sat next to him, whispering his name and shook his shoulder. He woke with a start and then was even more surprised to see Hermione sitting there. He just stared at her, confused.

" What? Is something wrong?" Harry asked, trying not to let emotion show.

" Harry, no matter how bad this is, you would never say that you hate me, would you?" Hermione said, a concerned expression on her face.

" Wh…what? Er…no, I wouldn't. Why?" Harry asked, now fully awake and sitting up fully.

" Okay, sorry. Just promise me that. I couldn't take it. And I still can't believe you!" Hermione whispered, changing her tone.

" What now? I didn't do anything wrong!" Harry whispered loudly, his mouth hanging open.

" You jumped to conclusions! I didn't do anything that either Cho or Draco said I did. And I thought you had more common sense then that!" Hermione raised her voice a little. Harry put of hurried finger to his lips.

" No, don't shush me! I have the right to be mad! You don't trust me!" Hermione whispered as she crawled off the bed. " And now you're off with Cho again. I would've thought you'd have seen through her charade by now. But apparently not."

Hermione walked hurriedly across the room and out the door. Harry followed quickly after, wearing just his boxers. He caught up with her in the common room and grabbed her arm.

" Nothing is going on between Cho and me. She has the idea that I want to get back together with her!" Harry said in a normal voice.

" That's right. Nothing! Just like I did nothing! Yet you still seem to believe I did something horribly wrong that deserves no explanation from the one accused. Yes, that's right. I had no chance to defend myself and you know it. Now if you're through making yourself feel better for your mistakes, I'm going back to bed. I'm sorry I ever woke you up and I'm sorry I wanted to talk to you and I'm sorry I ever thought that Cho was even a little nice. I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to make you feel like less of a man. I'm sorry for everything!" Hermione cried, pulling her arm from Harry's grasp.

Harry just stood there, stunned at her outburst as people started to show up in the common room. Hermione pushed her way through a group of girls gathered around the girl's staircase and stomped up the stairs. Harry turned just as angrily and stormed back up to his room. Ginny, who had been down there, raced up after Hermione. Yet as she entered their room, she saw that Hermione had pulled the curtains around her bed and had turned all the lights out.

"Tomorrow, Hermione. Tomorrow, we are going to talk." Ginny said as she passed Hermione's bed and climbed into hers." And you're not going to get out of it."

Okay, whew! That was a tough chapter to write. I needed some interaction between Harry and Hermione but it was hard to set it up. I'm still kind of wary on that but too late now. I really hope you like it. And don't worry about Ron. He wasn't trying to get Hermione. He was just being a god best friend. No romance about it. Alright, I think that's all I want to say. That was the fastest I've ever written a chapter before! Wow. Okay….no flames please! Just constructive criticism. Thanks guys! The next Chapter will be up after I get a few more reviews!!!