A Collection of Songs

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter or the song, which is "Is it Just Me" by Lila McCann.  They're good books; it's a sweet song.

*** Special thanks once again to Adnap Nottap, CurlsofGold and SoshilaDove for being kind enough to review the first chapter of this story, which is now the second chapter.  Sorry for any confusion, (grins sheepishly) I just like it this way better.

Chapter 1: Is It Just Me

Hermione Granger was upset.  She was upset because this entire summer at The Burrow she had managed to make a complete idiot of herself in front of Ronald Weasley.  Then she was upset with herself for being upset with herself in the first place.  It all was really very confusing.

She rolled over onto her side and reflected on the week and five days she had spent here, which had gone quite well up until Fred and George cornered her after she came out of the bathroom that morning.  They cornered her and planted silly, immature ideas in her head.  Ideas she couldn't quite dislodge from her running thoughts this evening.

"Hermiiione!  How lucky it is of you to have run into us!" George or Fred Weasley called out.  Hermione smiled reluctantly back.

"Making yourself purty for Ronniekins this morning?" the other asked with a devilish grin that Hermione was sure meant nothing good for her.  "You know, you could have saved yourself the trouble and just worn a bath towel all day.  I'm sure Ickle-Ronniekins would have loved that!" he continued on enthusiastically.

Hermione could feel her face burning.  They were so ridiculous. 

"Oh look!  She has a crush on him too Gred!" the one on the right exclaimed happily.  They clapped their hands in delight.  "Oh it's just so sweet!"

Then they waved her off.  "Have a nice day, Hermione!" they said laughingly in unison.

Blast them!  They were such idiots, Hermione told herself, had been telling herself all day. Idiots or not, they had gotten her thinking all day, driving herself insane.

It had been especially bad when Harry had gone out with the twins and Ginny to play Quidditch; Ron couldn't because he had sprained his wrist earlier that day playing Quidditch and since his parents weren't home and none of them were old to perform magic out of school, he had to wait out this game, much to his utter disappointment.

Hermione had opted to stay indoors with him and they had watched T.V. together (Hermione's father had given the small black and white T.V. to Mr. Weasley knowing how fascinated he was with muggle things), sitting on the well-worn sofa, talking and laughing together.

As she was laughing, Hermione looked over at Ron, whose gaze was focused on the television and her breath caught.  It was insane to think he was any different then he had been that morning, but he was.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but was afraid she was going to say something like, "Wow, you're really cute Ron" or "You know I think I like you."  She didn't want to say anything that stupid.

Lately I've been stumbling over my words /

When I talk to you I get nervous /

And I rehearse how to say hello when you call me on the phone /

When you're over at my house /

Watching TV sittin' on the couch /

Just hangin' out I catch you staring at me with that silly grin /

Are we just friends or is there something going on /

Can you feel it too /

Oh my God, Hermione's mind screeched at her.  Was I just staring at him?  Did he just catch me staring at himOh no, oh no, oh no! She knew her face was as brilliant a red as his hair when she peeked over at him and saw him grinning madly like that.  OK, so that was stupid, she thought.

Ron was grinning at her.  He was grinning at her differently somehow.  She wasn't sure she knew how he was grinning at her.  Then again, maybe it wasn't a grin.  The tips of his ears were turning pink and maybe his face was too but she didn't know because she was too chicken to look at his face.

"This T.V. thing is real popular with muggles, eh?" Ron asked finally, breaking the silence. 

"Yeah," she answered, barely audible.  Well this is an educational conversation, she thought dryly.  It didn't matter anyway for her brain was incapable of thinking of anything useful to say to Ron Weasley.  Why hadn't her mouth been cotton dry for Viktor when she had seen him for a week this summer?

Well, that was an easy enough question to have answered.  And her heart seemed intent on answering it, no matter how Hermione felt. 

Really, Hermione, it seemed to beat, you are being so daftYou're acting nearly as silly as your roommates (shudder) when they are flitting about, worrying about whether or not this boy or that boy likes themYou love himYou never loved ViktorWhen he broke up with you, you cried because you thought Viktor was the only boy who would pay any attention to you…he looked at you like you were a girl.  You didn't really care about himNever have, never will!  Honestly, if you can't figure that out, you're blonder than Lavender!

She crossed her arms without even meaning to and was frowning.  She was so deep in concentration she couldn't have noticed Ron staring intently at her, his lips moving like he was talking to himself, which he was.

It was stupid, he thought, to think Hermione was attractive sitting next to him.  It was just plain stupid!  Ron Weasley did not have a crush on his best friend.  Why, the idea in and of itself was preposterous! 

Oh noDid I just use the word preposterous?  Ron wanted to slap his forehead but he was so stunned with himself, and also he didn't want Hermione to notice any change in his demeanor because then she would wonder, meaning she would then ask and then he would just have to explain himself all over again…

"Whoa Ron!  You missed one of the best games we've ever had!" George exclaimed happily, throwing a sweat-soaked towel on the floor.  Fred shook his head vigorously.  "Ginny only let one goal slip past!"

Harry stumbled through the door then and stripped off his shirt right then and there, something Hermione thought was very un-Harry like.  She bit her lip to keep from asking though.  She didn't want to embarrass Harry too much, which was what was sure to happen.

"Did you two have fun?" one of the Weasley twins asked with a pointed look darting between Ron and Hermione.  His other half was making obvious kissing noises while Harry and Ginny stood by and laughed, absolutely no help was to be expected from them, Hermione realized.

Hermione's face had turned very red by then…

Did they have to be so stupid, she asked herself while lying on the makeshift bed that same night.  It wasn't like anything had happened between her and Ron that afternoon, nor was anything ever going to happen between her and Ron!  The idea was absolutely preposterous!

But she couldn't deny that he was turning into a very gorgeous male—his body had filled out over the summer from practicing Quidditch with his brothers and Ginny and now with Harry.  His hair had darkened considerably into a rich auburn shade (and the gold-colored, sun-induced highlights were nice too, she had to admit).  He was taller now…tall enough to tower over her.  In fact, the only things that hadn't changed were his eyes and his freckles.  His face was as freckly as ever, he wouldn't be Ron without freckles, and his eyes were the color of the ocean.  She rather reluctantly admitted it to herself, but she would like, no love to know what it would be like to swim in those oceans he called eyes. 

She rolled over again, thumping a flailing leg against the dresser, which let out an unmistakable, however soft, "Ouch!"  Ginny groaned in her sleep and Hermione feared she had woken her friend up.  For one long moment she held her breath until she was sure Ginny hadn't woken up.

Besides, she told herself, it was stupid to think that Ron could ever like her…wasn't it?

Or is it just me feeling this way /

Am I the only one that senses /

Something going on behind the scenes /

Or is it just you the way that you are /

That I can't resist and you can't help it /

Baby are you falling in love /

Or is it just me /

That was two weeks ago.  Now they were back at Hogwarts, much to Hermione's pleasure and Ron's displeasure and Hermione was trying—trying being the operative word—to get Ron, and Harry, mind you, to study for the O.W.L.S., which Ron was adamantly opposed to.  Nothing new there. 

Ron pinched Hermione's cheek.  "Ah, c'mon Hermione, the O.W.L.S. are months away yet!  Let's play a game of chess!" he suggested happily.

Hermione rolled her eyes.  "I don't know why you'd want to play a game of chess with me, Ron.  You already know how it will turn out," she said reasonably enough. 

Ron batted his eyelashes much the same as Fred and George had been doing all summer.  Thankfully, Ginny hadn't started in on it too, much to Hermione's utter relief.

Maybe you're just a harmless flirt /

And it's safe to rest assured /

That it's absurd the way my brain will over analyze /

And when my head begins to rush /

Every time I think of us /

Looking up I get the feeling that this feeling might be real /

So what's the deal is there something going on /

Can you feel it too /

Harry sat back reading a new Quidditch magazine he subscribed to, chuckling to himself.  His friends would never change, that much was apparent.  They wouldn't change whether or not they ever fell in love.

Whether or not?

Hermione had practically sobbed the whole sordid affair onto his shoulder.  Harry really did try to be understanding but he didn't like to think of his two best friends as in love.  Well, actually, there was no rock hard evidence to confirm the idea that Ron was in love with Hermione (seeing as that Ron hadn't admitted anything yet) but Harry, as well as the twins and Ginny, and Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Harry was pretty sure every other Gryffindor, hell, every other student at school knew he fancied her.

So, he continued to read, keeping one ear on his friends, chuckling to himself.

Ron's lower lip was quivering with quiet laughter and Hermione was beginning to be more furious each second.  "Ronald Weasley!  You have to start studying!" she demanded, stepping close to him…nose to nose, in fact. 

Hmm, this was interesting…Harry looked up in time to see Ron's gaze flicker from Hermione's eyes to her pursed lips.  Harry's eyebrows shot up in shock.  Maybe Ron was a little more aware of his feelings than Harry had originally thought.

Whose pulse is pounding whenever you're near /

Is it hot in here /

Ron backed away from Hermione suddenly, rubbing his collar line where he seemed to all of the sudden be a little itchy. 

Harry felt pity for his friend and had one hell of a good way to distract Hermione from Ron, who was obviously in way too deep.  "Hermione, could you help me with this Potions assignment?" he asked, surprising both his friends.

Hermione immediately wheeled around with a delighted grin on her face.  She clapped her hands together once before seriousness took over.  "Now Harry, I'll help but I cannot do your homework for you…"  Blah, blah, blah, she went on and on for forever about Potions and from the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ron slump down in the chair nearest to him as he silently watched Hermione take a seat next to Harry and start tutoring him on his Potions homework.

Ron had the same homework.  Why didn't she help him?

Harry said something that made her laugh…she really was pretty.  She was beautiful even.  He semi-wondered why he had never noticed this before.  Or maybe he had wondered before…like when they sat watching that muggle contraption that afternoon at The Burrow. 

Ron had noticed her cheeks were a bit pink, and her frizzy brown hair had been pulled back into a relatively nice plait, only a few mischievous strands stuck out here and there but she had been adorable, she really had been.

Or is it just me /

Or is it just you the way that you are /

That I can't resist and you can't help it /

Baby are you falling in love /

Or is it just me (feel like I'm falling in love) /

He smiled and chuckled along with her when she did.  She was beautiful. 

The feeling slammed into him all at once, much like a freight train would a dummy:  he was in love.

Ron shook his head.  The whole idea was preposterous…there he went, using that word again…

Is it just me (feel like I'm falling in love) /

Is it just me (feel like I'm falling in love) /

Is it just me /

So, what do you think of this chapter?  I dunno, I kind of like it better with this one first!  Anyhow, I'm going off to bed now!  Please review!!!