Author's note: Okay this was orignally written for a contest, but I wanted to get it up on fanfiction.net first. Just to see if it's good enough. I'd really appreciate some reviews. My beta says it's good, but then I'm her best friend, so she's meant to say that.

Dedicated to Laura, for being an excellent beta, and phil and Andrew for being pains in the a**.

Disclaimer: I am actually the real J K Rowling. These are all my characters and I'm gonna sue everyone else for using them………………………………… Nah! I'm just kidding with ya. I'm actually a 15 yr old schoolgirl with no money that's rather happy because her mum is taking her out shopping tomorrow.



1 My favourite brother



"No! No! Andrew! Don't leave me!"

"Hermione! Wake up!" Ginny gently shook her friend from her slumber. Cianimmon eyes opened to meet concerned hazel ones.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked, confused and still slightly sleepy. "Where am I?"

"You're at the burrow. You came yesterday to visit Ron and me, remember?" Hermione nodded her head as confirmation, although she still didn't seem quite alert. "Are you alright? You sounded as if you were having a nightmare."

"It was nothing." Hermione dismissed the thought quickly, confirming to Ginny that it was definatly not nothing.

"Are you sure?" Ginny persisted, "Because you were calling out in your sleep and everything. Kept on talking about some boy called Andrew, something about him leaving you…"

"I was?!" Hermione looked horrified. Ginny nodded, noting her friend's shocked expression.

"Who's Andrew, Hermione?" Ginny knew that she shouldn't have asked so bluntly, but it was late at night, and she was getting groggy.

"No-one, just go back to sleep, Gin." Hermione shooed Ginny back across to her bed, and turned towards the wall, letting her friend know that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Okay, g'night." Said Ginny reluctantly. Soon the burrow fell silent again, the only sound that touched Ginny's ears were the quiet carefully concealed sobs of her friend. They didn't discuss it in the morning.



*****************

"Happy birthday, Mione!" Declared Ron, as she sat down at the Gryffindor table next to him. Her cheeks flushed red, as various others eating their breakfast around her sent their birthday greetings.

It was now a month after the nightmare incident, as Hermione now refered to it, and thankfully Ginny hadn't questioned her about it. It would not only be emotionally trying, but would bring a lot of skeletons out of the closet. And she wasn't sure how well Harry and Ron would take it if they found out she had been keeping secrets from them for five years…

"How does it feel to be sixteen?" asked Ginny, sliding down next to Harry, her cheeks turning a slight pink. Harry grinned at her boldness, and then turned his attention back to his best friend.

"Not much different from being fifteen." Hermione stated, the blush in her cheeks fading away slightly. "Anyway, at least you two remembered this year." She gestured towards Ron and Harry, who bowed their heads in shame.

"We had your presents and everything." Ron started, pushing his eggs around his plate guiltily.

"We just forgot it was that particular day." Harry finished, looking equally shamed. Hermione laughed as she reached for a slice of toast.

"I know, I know. I forgive you. So where are my pressies?" She asked, happily. Ron and Harry shared a glance of relief, as they were expecting her to yell at them.

Ginny grinned at her brother and his friend. "Well someone woke up on the good side of the bed this morning, didn't they?" she asked Hermione. "These two were expecting you to blow their heads off. Anyway, here are your presents. Open mine first." Ginny shoved a square shaped present into her friend's hands, and then proceeded to place many more in front of her.

Hermione tore off the wrapping paper, and let out a squeal of delight. "Oh, Gin. This is brilliant! I wanted this for ages. How do you know I wanted it? I would never have guessed what this was."

"How could she not have guessed what it was." Ron muttered to Harry, pointing at the book that Hermione was waving around. "Everyone always gets her books."

"Ah, but this is a different sort of book." Ginny smiled at her brother, knowingly. "Look." Harry and Ron peered at the book and read the title. 'Wizards Are From Mars, Witches Are From Venus'

Harry laughed as Ron said "No, we're not… I'm from England."

"It's a self-help book, Ron." Ginny explained. "It's all about how men and women are different and expect different things in a relationship…"

"Oh…" It was obvious Ron didn't get it.

"Here's my present, Hermione." Harry rolled his eyes at Ron's stupidness, and handed Hermione her present. Soon she had a small pile in front of her. From Harry she had received a book about how to survive her OWLs, from Fred and George a collection of all their latest products, and Ron gave her a box of her favourite sugar quills. Suddenly a large snowy owl landed gracefully on the table and held out her leg towards Hermione.

"Thanks Hedwig" said Hermione as she removed the letter from Harry's owl. Harry fed Hegwig some of their leftovers, as Ginny stroked her feathered chest. Hedwig cooed at both Harry and Ginny then flew off to the owlery for a nice rest.

"How come Hedwig let you stroke her, Ginny?" Ron asked incredulously, "She always bites me.."

"It's because she knows that I'm a nice person." Ginny smiled the trademark Weasley grin. "Owls know that sort of stuff. They like people similar to them. Like you and Pig for example."

"Me and Pig? But Pig's just a feathery git!"

"Exactly." And Ginny turned round to talk to Hermione before Ron could reply. Harry burst into laughter at Ron's confused face as Ginny asked Hermione "What do your parents say?"

Hermione didn't reply. Instead she handed Ginny the locket that had fallen out of the envelope, and carried on reading the letter. Tears started to fill her eyes, and suddenly she stood up and rushed out of the Great hall, leaving her three friends (and a few others around her) looking on astonished.

"She forgot her letter." Ginny motioned to the letter, left next to Hermione's uneaten slice of toast.

"Ginny, what does that letter say?" asked Harry, concern for his best friend filling his face. Ginny read the first few lines to herself, commenting occasionaly with remarks such as "The locket is from her Great Aunt Joan…" and "Her grandma has recovered from her hip operation, what ever that is…"

"Don't worry about all that. Just tell us what made her so upset." Ron rolled his eyes at his younger sister, earning him a quick slap round the ears.

"Shut up Ron!" Ginny said angrily. "I can't find out if you keep on interuppting me, can I?" She continued reading for a bit, then gasped. "I think I know what it is…"

"What?" asked Ron and Harry in unison, both anixous for their friend.

"Here's what it says. 'We hope you have a lovely birthday, darling. I'm sure Ron and Harry won't forget this time.' " Ginny paused at this comment to watch them blush, ashamed. " 'I hope you like your present. Joan got it from her best friend Patrica Evans for her wedding day. Also we've enclosed a letter from Andrew, that he wanted us to give you when you're sixteen. I guess that would be now then.' "

There was a long pause where Ginny waited for this to sink in. Ron and Harry just stared at her, still without a clue as to why Hermione was upset.

"Gin, we don't have a clue what you're talking about." Harry admited.

"Andrew!" She replied, waving the letter in their faces. "During the summer, she had a nightmare, and she kept calling out to someone called Andrew. I don't know who he is, but I bet that's the reason why she's so upset."

Ron snatched the letter out of Ginny's hands and stood up. "I'll go talk to her." He said, sounding as if he really didn't want to, but still determined to do it anyway.

"But Ron, we don't know where she went." Harry explained, unsure why Ron wanted to be the one to comfort her. This earned him a kick from Ginny, which he was quite concerned at.

"I'll find her…" was the only reply.



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Please review…… but only if you have two eyes, and fingers. (whether they work or not is irrelevant. I just would prefer a human to review rather than a giant bunny called Fred. Not that I have anything against Fred. But it's just that I still feel rather guilty about the whole 'making him insane and getting him locked up in Broadmoor (the local mental hospital)' incident.