After introducing herself Hermione led Willow to the Fifth year's girl's dormitory. As they entered they froze at the sight before them. Two cats: one thick, but fluffy with ginger fur the other thin and black on top, white on the bottom circled each other. Both had their hackles raised and they looked ready to jump at each other at any moment.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione called out.

"Miss Kitty!" Willow exclaimed simultaneously.

Unable to watch the two cats fight Willow raised her hand to freeze them, but before she could a strange thing happened. Both cats simultaneously relaxed. Than Crookshanks batted at Miss Kitty playfully before leading her on what could only be a tour of the dormitory.

Both girls let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly overly aware of her raised hand Willow quickly brought it back down. Not swiftly enough though, for Hermione eyed her suspiciously.

"Why didn't you reach for you wand?" the younger girl asked cautiously.

"I-I," Willow froze at having been caught doing something abnormal and also the realization that she'd almost done magic, "I-I'm no t really use to magic with a wand yet."

"Really?" Hermione asked her interest peaked, "So you're a hand wizard? That's rare, most people now a day use wands. Still I guess there are still some. I've read about them in..."

"You like to read?" Willow asked hoping to change the subject.

"I love to read!" Hermione told her excitedly which led to a short discussion of their favorite muggle books before Willow excused herself by being overly tired.

As Willow settled down for the night Hermione settled down in the common room to write Viktor Krum, a friend she'd met last year when the Durmstrang school had visited for the triwizard tournament. They'd nearly dated during the beginning of the summer holiday, but Hermione had been honest and told him she really cared deeply for someone else. They'd remained friends and exchanged owls often.

Krum was doing wonderfully, he had his Quidditch career and had recently started dating the newest chaser on his team. Hermione hadn't met her yet, but the girl sounded wonderful. Hermione wished she had such luck, every attempt she'd made to make her crush see that he was well her crush had been thwarted. He honestly seemed to be blind. Viktor just told her to keep trying. Actually in his last letter he'd told her that Ron seemed a bit thick and she might have to put herself out on a limb if she really wanted him.

She was nearly finished writing Krum when a cold accusing voice behind her asked, "Writing to him again?"

Angered Hermione turned to regard one Mister Ron Weasley. Ron like Krum as a Quidditch player, but putting Viktor and Hermione in the same sentence could cause a volatile situation. Krum had taken Hermione to the Yule Ball and since then Ron had developed a distaste for him.

"We're only friends," she told him pacifically knowing if he didn't accept that they'd end up arguing and perhaps not speaking to each other for a few days. She hoped it didn't come to that, she liked having Ron on speaking terms.

"Just friends? Yeah, that's a likely story."

His words caused Hermione to set down her quill, rolled up her parchment and stand glaring at him.

"For your information I had an opportunity to be Viktor's girlfriend and I turned him down," she practically growled at him.

Ron's face seemed to darken before suddenly before it changed to confusion. Still angry he retorted, "Oh yeah! Why didn't you?"

A secretive smile crept onto Hermione's face.

"I liked someone else," she told him gleefully.

Ron's mouth which had been open, no doubt ready to give her another retort, snapped shut. His features darkened once again as he demanded, "Oh yeah, who?"

His words had the same effect on Hermione as hers had on him. She froze suddenly aware that they were having this argument in a slightly crowded common room. She took a deep breath deciding that since the school year was nearly over she might as well take Victor's advice and go out on that limb.

"Well," she told him coyly," he's good looking, in our year, intelligent, but somewhat dense. He's wicked good at Wizard's chess and I've noticed he's the tendency to be a bit jealous at times."

Her piece said she retreated up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

Ron's face seemed to darken more, if that was possible. He had to take several breaths to steady himself before he began to stalk off towards the boy's dormitory.

Fred's words stopped him, "Going to figure out who she fancies?"

"Yes," Ron declared his word practically a growl.

"And what will you do to him?" George inquired.

Again his words were practically growled out, "Beat him up."

His anger turned to confusion as his twin brothers and their best friend Lee burst into delighted laughter. Deciding to ignore them he changed his mind about the dormitories. Instead he headed over to his best friend Harry Potter.

"Harry," he said in a low conspiring voice, "you have to help me figure out who this guy is."

Harry for his part regarded his friend despairingly.

"Ron," he started.

"I'm going to have to play every guy in our year at wizard's chess just to figure it out. Unless..." suddenly his eyes widened in slight horror, "What if she likes another girl? I'll never get...I, I'll have to play everyone in the school!"

Harry sighed rolling his eyes, "Ron, she said 'he'. It's a guy, and he's in our grade and he's good at wizard's chess."

As he concluded Harry looked at Ron expectantly. Ron for his part merely nodded.

"Right," Ron agreed clearly regarding the situation, "I'll just have to play every guy in our year starting with Gryfiindor and ending with Slytherin. Ugh! I hope she doesn't like a Slytherin. Bloody Hell! You don't think it's Malfoy do you?"

Harry threw up his hands in exasperation and retreated to the boy's dormitory.

"What?" Ron called after him, "Oh well. Hey, Seamus up for a game of chess?"