Disclaimer: Consider- the lilies in the field- jk- but consider that if I really owned any of this wouldn't I not call it fan fiction? Besides, if I owned this, then my name would be J.K. Rowling and I'd be filthy stinkin' rich! Nope, poor little old me just owns the plot and possibly some original characters later on.

Chapter 6: The Ball, Notes, and the Beginning of the End

A loud bang issued from the train's engine, signaling that it was 11:00 and the Hogwarts Express was pulling away from Platform 9 ¾. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together in a small compartment. Hermione sat reading a piece of parchment and so did Harry. "What are you guys reading?" asked Ron.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, mile long grins creeping across their faces. "Oh, its nothing that you'd be interested in, Ron. Just some school stuff," teased Hermione.

"School stuff? Then how come I don't have one?"

"Well, Ron, the last time I checked you weren't a prefect," Harry said, struggling to keep as straight of a face as he possibly could.

"Wait a minute! You guys are prefects! Why didn't you tell me?" Ron was talking so loud and quickly that his face became red.

"We thought we'd keep it as a surprise. It's no big deal anyway, Ron," said Harry.

"Yes it is. It means that you guys get special privileges and you get your own dormitories! And it means that I don't!"

"Oh calm down, Ron. Its not like our friendship is gonna be different," said Hermione.

"It might be," whined Ron.

"What are you talking about?" asked Harry.

"Well, when you get down to it, you guys are going to be busy doing all of the prefect things that you do and you'll be given more responsibility and you will be even more popular with all of the power that your getting."

"Power? What the heck are you talking about? All we really get to do that you don't is patrol the halls and use the prefect bathrooms! How is that power? How is that going to ruin our friendship?" lectured Hermione, now with a more serious expression.

"It'll get to your heads, you wait and see!"

"It looks like you're jealous, Ron," Harry teased.

"Jealous? I'm not jealous. You see I told you that it would get to your heads! It's already starting!" Ron was breathing heavily. Harry and Hermione exchanged confused and concerned looks.

"Ron, it's not going to our heads. It looks like its going to your head!" yelled Hermione so loud that her voice strained on the last word.

The rest of the train ride was left in silence. Ron sat across from Harry and Hermione, staring out the window. Harry was reading about famous Aurors in a book that Hermione gave him for his birthday. Hermione sat reading Standard Book of Spells, Grade Five. Even when Ginny stopped by for a visit, asking if Ron knew where her copy of Unfogging the Future was, at which Ron mumbled something that sounded like, "Why don't you ask the prefects. They would know," no one spoke to each other.

The Hogwarts express stopped in front of Hogsmeade Station, opening its doors, a gateway into another year of magical education. Harry and Hermione got off together and waited for Ron to get off. He never came. They decided not to wait any longer and got into a carriage together, which began to make its way up to the castle. Harry and Hermione sat across from each other, in silence.

Oh my gosh, we're alone together in a carriage! Oh gosh, I hope he can't tell what I'm thinking. Oh, it doesn't matter. He doesn't feel that way about you, at least not yet. That's what the plan is for after all. Just stay calm and act natural. Hermione shifted in her seat.

I hope that Hermione isn't psychic or anything. I don't want her to know that I might actually like her more than a friend. My heart is pounding like crazy being in the carriage alone with her. I want to move over to her and put my arms around her, but that would look weird. Besides, she doesn't like me that way. Does she?

The carriages arrived at the castle and the students climbed out and headed into the entrance hall. Harry looked over the heads of the other students, considering that he grew a couple of inches over the last few years, desperately trying to see Ron, but he couldn't.

"Where do you think Ron is?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I don't know. Just give him some time to cool down. I'm sure that everything will be fine in the morning." They headed into the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table. As soon as everyone got seated, Professor Sprout got up and made an announcement.

"Will all prefects and the Head Boy and Girl please head to Professor Dumbledore's office immediately." Harry seemed disappointed, seeing as he had only seen two sortings since he came to Hogwarts and it looked like he was going to miss another one. He got up anyway, Hermione at his side, and started to Dumbledore's office. As they walked down the corridors, they saw Professor McGonagall walking quickly bye. She stopped as she saw the wandering prefects walking in her direction, the Sorting Hat in her hand.

"Are you all heading to Dumbledore's office?" she asked them.

"Yes, Professor," said all of the prefects in unison.

"Oh good. The password is pumpkin juice." McGonagall looked down the corridor to see several students looking around the castle in awe. "Excuse me, I have to get these first years into the Great Hall for the sorting." She hurried away, scolding a small brown haired girl for poking at a suit of armor.

Harry stood in front of the gargoyle statue that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office. He recalled the many times he had visited his office and muttered, "Pumpkin juice." The prefects entered the office, several looking around with amazement at the sight of all the little items scattered across the office. It suddenly dawned on Harry that many students had never been there before.

Fawkes stood on his perch by the desk that Dumbledore was seated at. "I have called you all here because I need your help with a special treat coming this year. Because of the enormous popularity of the Yule ball last year, the staff and I have decided to hold another Yule ball this year. I need you all to organize the event.

"You will need to make lists of all of the students staying over the holiday break by next month, pick up decorations during the Hogsmeade weekends, and create corsages for the young ladies as a little gift. I hope you are all up to it. It will take up much of your extra time." Dumbledore stood up from his desk and glided to the door.

"I have to get to the Great Hall and tell the students about the ball. I suggest that you all head back for the feast. After the feast, I want one prefect from each house to tell their house members the new passwords that were on your letters and one prefect from each house to do the same for the new first years." Dumbledore left the office, the students following behind.

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

Harry looked around the common room, Ron no where to be seen. Hermione stood in the corner talking to Parvati Patil. Harry decided to ask them if they knew where Ron was and headed over towards them. "- And so Syrena said she'd send me some." Parvati giggled, but soon stopped as Harry came over.

"Who's Syrena?" asked Harry.

"No one. Just a friend," replied Hermione, somewhat in a nervous fashion.

"Have either of you seen Ron?" he asked.

"I haven't," said Parvati.

"Neither have I," said Hermione. "Like I said earlier, he just needs some time to calm down."

Harry headed to the boy's dormitories, heading past the fifth year room to his own private room, a privilege of being a prefect. He walked inside and sat on his bed. He looked at his bedside table, which sat a picture of Hermione. He put it there only because he knew that his room was protected by a charm; the door only opened to his voice and password. No one would find out about his newfound crush on one of his best friends.

He stared at the picture, recalling something that he saw while he stayed at Hermione's house, something that he'd never tell anyone. It was late at night and Harry decided to get a drink of water. Ron was already asleep, and he figured that Hermione was too. He crept out of his room and down the hall to the stairs. He noticed Hermione's door, slightly open and a light coming from her room.

Harry felt compelled, like a fly to a lantern, to peek inside. He slowly tiptoed over to her door and looked inside. Hermione was standing in front of her mirror, modeling a new bathing suit that she bought earlier that day. She looked very good in it; it molded perfectly to her body. Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing.

It stuck in then and there. He knew what was different about Hermione. Nothing. Nothing was different about her, but what had changed was the perspective that Harry saw her from. His heart began to beat faster than if he were running a marathon. He knew that he liked her, loved her even.

Harry sat on his bed, putting the picture back down on the table after subconsciously picking it up. He laid down staring at the ceiling, her face imprinted in his mind.

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

The sun burned Harry's eyes, as he opened them to the morning light. He got out of bed and quickly got dressed. He wanted to meet Ron in the common room before he got the chance to go down to breakfast. Reaching the common room, he noticed that Ron wasn't there. Hermione sat in a chair by the fireplace, an intense look on her face. Harry approached her to ask what was wrong, but Hermione spoke first.

"You are not going to believe this. You are not going to believe what happened."

"What is it?" Harry asked impatiently.

"It's Ron. Follow me." Hermione moved across the common room, Harry tagging along behind her, and led him to a large bay window looking out to the grounds. She handed Harry her Omnioculars, the ones Harry bought them at the Quidditch World Cup last summer, and pointed to a tree by the lake. Harry couldn't believe it, as Hermione had warned him. Ron sat under a tree talking and laughing with none other than Malfoy and his thugs Crabbe and Goyle. They got up and headed back to the castle, chatting in a lively fashion.

"He's hanging out with Malfoy? Why? When?"

"I know, I'm as confused as you are. It looks like this is going to be like last year, remember?" Of course Harry remembered. Last year, Ron's jealousy got the best of him after Harry was selected to be the fourth champion. "I didn't think he'd go as far as hanging out with Malfoy though."

"Especially after everything he's said about Ron's family being poor. I, I mean, what are we going to do and don't tell me to give him space and let him cool down."

"I, well, I have no idea." Harry and Hermione stood in silence at the shock of their loss of a friend. Hearing someone moving around behind him, they turned around to see Ginny, her face as read as her hair. "Sorry for disturbing you guys," she said, a quiver in her voice.

"What's wrong, Ginny?" asked Harry.

"It's Ron. I'm sure that you guys know by now. It's just that, I can't believe he did that. After everything that slimeball has called us and said about us. And now they act like they're best friends. I'll never forgive him as long as I live!

"You don't really mean that Ginny. I'm sure that things will work out in the end. He'll realize the mistake he made," said Hermione, trying to soothe her.

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

The rest of the day went by incredibly quickly. Ron ignored Harry and Hermione the entire day, and sat next to Malfoy during potions. Hermione sat at a desk in her room, and finished her homework early.

"Well, now is a good enough time as any." She dug through her trunk and pulled out her letterbox and a cloak. She opened the box to reveal the letter that she wrote a few days before at her house. She took the cloak and wrapped it around her, her body disappearing. What she didn't tell Ron and Harry was that she bought an invisibility cloak at Madam Madkin's after choosing her dress robes.

She left her room, and just in time as she saw Harry heading to his room. She followed him, and as he muttered the password (bludger) and walked in side, she slipped in. Using her wand, she levitated a mirror that stood on his dresser and let it fall, crashing and shattering everywhere. While Harry tried to clean everything up, she slipped the note on his desk. Just as she left, she noticed a picture on the table next to his bed that had an odd resemblance to her. She automatically dismissed that idea and silently slipped out.

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Thanks to the following people for reviewing:

Emily: oh god, its you again! JK! I luv ya keep reviewing!

LyssaQuill: Hey, thanks for reviewing… I know, why do the books have to be that way?… anyway I'll talk to you l8r and lay off the Mountain Dew

DreamWeaver: O, how can I forget you… thank you for reviewing, you always come to my aid!

Faerie Queene: Thank you for reviewing! I'll keep going until the story ends (that sound weird doesn't it?)

Thanks to every one who has reviewed my story so far! Don't forget to read Pass the Crayons by JenSquared, a story written bye me and DreamWeaver!!!!