Chapter six

Over the next few weeks, the Christmas ball was quickly approaching, and it seemed certain more than ever that Harry and Ginny were going together (in both senses...). As news spread across the grounds that they were together, strange things started happening...for one thing, it had been quite some time since Harry had been tormented by Malfoy...

Every time Harry noticed a perfect opportunity for Malfoy to hassle him, he would stare at him blankly instead. Harry found this rather odd, but decided it was better than his regular torture and left it at that. Ginny also noticed that Ron had lightened up considerably. She wasn't aware that it had been about her and Harry, but she was glad about it all the same.

The ball was four weeks away, and Ron still didn't have a date. At least that's what Harry reminded him of every day. Ron didn't particularly want to ask anyone, there was no one who quite tickled his fancy. Harry knew that Ron wanted to ask Hermione, but he stopped bringing it up after Ron threatened to jelly-legs curse him if he kept bugging him about it. Ron, on the other hand, wouldn't admit it to himself in the first place, let alone ask her. He kept telling himself he didn't like her and left it at that. Besides, even if he did, that would just be too weird. It's not like Hermione ever thought of him that way, or at least that's what he believed...

Hermione was almost fed up with discussing the subject with Ginny. It's not that she didn't like Ginny or wasn't happy for her, but at the same time she was beginning to drive her nuts. Ginny kept telling Hermione to just ask Ron and get it over with, but why would she do something that absurd? It wasn't like she liked him or anything. And it would be useless if she did, because obviously he didn't feel that way about her. Besides, even if she did dream about him, you can never get any truth fron interpretting those things. That's why they take place in your sleep, when you're not thinking...

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On Saturday morning, Ron and Harry waited in the common room for Hermione and Ginny so they could go down to breakfast, but after half an hour, they figured they had gone down already. When they got to the table, they saw them sitting at the far end of the table talking. Ginny had a pained look on her face as Hermione went on about something or other. They would have heard if Ginny hadn't gestured that they were coming. As soon as they sat down, Hermione sat up like she had a stick in her back and turned away from them. Ron looked at Ginny, hoping for some sort of explanation, but Ginny responded with a restrained whine. Harry hadn't noticed and asked Hermione if she had understood the transfiguration assignment, but when she answered she insisted on keeping her back to them. Ron kept watching Ginny, hoping she would break and just tell him what was going on, but she only stared at the floor like she was holding some horrible secret.

"Hermione, what's up with you? Why are you acting so strangely, like we've got measles or something?"

Hermione didn't respond. Instead, she turned and left the table, walking out of the great hall.

"What? Was it something I said?" Ron asked, seeing Ginny's expression.

He decided to follow her and see what was going on. Ron walked into the common roon to find Hermione sitting on a chair doing her work. He had expected her to look up from her book when he walked in, but she didn't. He cleared his throat loudly, but no response. He even sat down next to her, and she still didn't look up. He became distraught and started poking her leg hoping for some sort of acknowledgement, but to no avail.

"Hermione?" Ron said uneasily.

"What is it?" she snapped.

"Er, is something wrong, or are you working on becoming an emotionless hag?" he said, trying to break the ice.

"Geez Ron, can't you see I'm trying to study?!?" With that she got up, grabbed her books, and stormed down the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

Ron felt quite out of place. What was going on? He thought about following her to ask her, but instead he chose to avoid the conflict and headed back downstairs to find Harry.

Ron returned to Harry and Ginny in the great hall and sat down, completely flabbergasted and speechless. He spent the rest of breakfast staring at the scrambled eggs with a blank void on his face. Harry looked at Ron with the same expression that Ginny had just fifteen minutes ago. Ginny had told Harry what had happened before they had come downstairs...

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Ginny woke up and looked at the clock by her bed. It was 7:50. She considered going back to sleep, since it was the weekend, but she realized she was hungry so she woke Hermione up and asked her to go downstairs with her. They got dressed, and Hermione suggested that they wait for the guys to come down so they could eat together. They sat waiting for the boys, but after a while Ginny's stomach started growling.

"Um, do you think they'll mind horribly if we go without them?" she asked with an indecisive and lopsided but adorable-just-the-same grin.

"It's not our fault they won't wake up!" Hermione responded with a derisive laugh.

They headed downstairs without them. They were having quite a pleasant conversation about they were getting the boys for Christmas when they sat down to eat. Ginny was delighted to find scrambled eggs, her favorite, though she was a little frustrated at discovering the glass of pumpkin juice in front of her plate. She looked around unnoticeably, hoping to find a glass of orange juice to switch with, but the only one she could find was in front of Hermione. Luckily for her, Hermione realized that she had left something upstairs.

"Ginny, I'll be right back!"

As soon as she switched the glasses, Ginny began to load her plate with food, hoping she came back soon, she didn't want to eat without her. Just then, she turned around to find herself faced with Colin Creevy, who sat down next to her and asked her about their potions class. After she reminded him of the ingredients needed for a successful hate potion and told him, with impressive precision, the exact instructions to follow, he thanked her graciously and left, and Ginny turned back around to find that Hermione had come back. But she had a dazed and somewhat angry look on her face. Concerned, Ginny asked what was wrong, but Hermione didn't respond. She just sat there, gulping down her pumpkin juice. I hope she doesn't notice a difference...Ginny thought as she picked up her glass of orange juice self-consciously. When Hermione finally spoke, the first words out of her mouth were-