Hurray!! Chapter two is out! Wow…fast…

Anyway, chapter two is written by me, myStiCaLYia, although…SOMEbody got it wrong…*glares at Drew* Just kidding!

Okay, For those of you who read and reviewed chapter one, THANK YOU!!! This is our first time writing together, so it might be odd…and our story might not always turn out…satisfactory…but we're doing our best!

Just read…

*

Chapter One: One Fateful Evening

"Hurry, Marla!" A young woman, hair frizzy, self tizzy, gasped frantically as her little house-elf pulled at the laces of her silken dress robe. "I shall be late!"

"No, miss, you is not be late, miss." Huffed Marla, catching a breath in between pulls and tugs. "I is doing the best I can, miss!"

"Well, faster, then!"

"I is trying hard, miss!"

Marla gave another long pull, caused a squeal from her mistress, and she stumbled backwards.

Her mistress stood in front of the mirror, gasping. "I look great, Marla! Now would you be so kind as to do my hair for me?"

Marla curtsied. "Yes, miss, of course, miss!" and she ran off for the necessary tools.

When she came back, Hermione was already seated at her vanity, waiting for the house-elf. "When is miss coming back tonight?"

"I don't know, Marla." Hermione answered, staring at her reflection absent-mindedly. "Late."

"Marla will wait up!"

"You don't have to, dear. Go to bed at your usual time." Normally, Hogwarts didn't allow students to have their own house-elves at hand, but since Hermione was the youngest person to be made Head Girl, Professor Dumbledore had made an exception. "I'll probably go out to Hogmeade with Derek later on, anyway."

"Yes, miss."

Marla fixed up Hermione's hair, winding a blue silk ribbon into the plaits she'd woven, and handed Hermione her string of rose pearls. "Thanks, Marla."

She slung her over cloak on her shoulders, patted the house-elf on the head, and then walked out of her Head Girl dormitory.

"Well, hello, lovely!" A young man with sandy blonde hair met up with her in the hallway.

"Hi, Derek!" Hermione greeted him with a soft kiss on the cheek, and they walked together hand-in-hand down to the Great Hall, where the ball was taking place.

"Still up for Hogsmeade later on?" he grinned sideways at her. She loved his grin.

"Sure am."

They found seats near the big windows, next to Harry and his date, a girl Hermione didn't know the name of.

"Hey, Hermione." He greeted. "Hi, Derek." Derek waved a hello, and Hermione smiled at her best friend.

"Have you seen Ron?" Harry asked. She pursed her lips. Ever since the beginning of this year, when she got made Head Girl, Ron had been acting unfriendly. He no longer joked with her like he used to, but instead greeted her with jeers and a sour remark, acting more like Malfoy every day.

"No, I haven't seen Mr. All-High-and-mighty, Harry." She said coolly. "But I suspect he's off kissing himself in a mirror somewhere."

"No, I am not, thank you very much." Came another cool voice behind her. Ron look very angry, his pale face looked flushed, and his blue eyes blazed with impatience and anger. "Little Miss Head Girl."

She glared at him. Derek seemed to sense something was going to happen, and he cut in quickly. "Hermione, love, let's go get something to eat. Then we'll dance, hmm?"

She tore her angry glare from Ron, and tried a smile on Derek. "Sure, Derek. Let's go."

Derek took her hand, and led her away from Ron and Harry. The two boys watched them make their way through the crowd to a table near the food.

"I wish you wouldn't do that." Harry said in a low voice to Ron. "I don't think she likes it."

"She doesn't like a lot of things, mate." Ron retorted. "And I'm one of them these days."

"You make it hard for yourself not to be one, you know." Harry locked fingers with his date, Emily, who smiled at him. Emily, who was deaf, did not have a single idea what her date and his best friend were talking about.

"What, are you saying I'm being rude?"

"No, Ron, not rude…just a bit arrogant these days."

"Arrogant."

"Yeah."

"She's the one who's arrogant!" Ron snapped.

"No, she isn't. She hasn't spoken a word about becoming a sixth-year Head Girl ever since she got the letter and the badge. She didn't even try to rub it in our faces. Can't you just feel good for her?"

"Just because she got some silver badge and a whole dormitory to herself doesn't mean that I'm—"

"Jealous?" Harry supplied. "Yeah, Ron, it's okay to be jealous of Hermione. After all, you were a prefect last year too."

Ron didn't say anything, but just stood up and strode out of the Hall, his head held high.

Hermione came edging over. "Harry?"

"Yeah, Hermione? Oh, right." Harry turned to Emily, and signed, This is Hermione. She's one of my best friends.

Emily smiled her pretty smile at Hermione and signed something back at her. Harry translated. "She said hello, nice to meet you."

"She's new?"

"Just came to the school two days ago."

"I didn't know you knew sign language."

"One of the Dursleys' cousins is deaf. So we all had to communicate with him in sign language."

"What's with Ron?"

"Ron? Oh, he's just still mad about you being made Head Girl. He'll get over it eventually."

"I hope so." Hermione looked very doubtful. "I hate to see my best friend mad at me for something as silly as this."

Derek came over then, and after kissing Hermione, asked her if she was ready to go to Hogsmeade.

"Okay, I'll see you later then, Harry. Bye, Emily! Nice seeing you." Hermione hugged Harry goodbye, and kissed Emily on the cheek.

"So?" Derek asked Hermione when they were out of the school. "Did Ron apologize?"

"No." she sighed. "But he'll get over it soon. It's only October."

*

That was what Hermione had thought. As the months rolled by, and October slipped into December, Hermione couldn't help but wonder where her friendship with Ron was going. He now ignored her every time he saw her in class, or in the hallways. Hermione felt like crying. She never knew how jealous Ron could get, and she'd never have thought that her being Head Girl would mean such horrors to him.

All her good feelings few away near Christmas.

Ron had been made Head Boy.

He'd strode into her room just as she'd nearly finished her Head Girl duties, and he'd waved a piece of parchment in her face.

"Ron…!" Hermione's face lit up in joy at seeing her best friend coming to talk to her. "I'm so glad to see you! Sit down, let's talk—"

"Oh, we'll talk." Said Ron, a smug smile on his face. "I'll start. Guess what, Hermione?"

"What?" she asked eagerly, happy to converse with him again after so many months.

"I've been made Head Boy."

Hermione nearly fell off her chair in shock. Ron, Head Boy? She understood the fact that he'd been a prefect, and prefects generally got made Head Boys and Girls. But what had happened to Steven, the original Head Boy?

Ron seemed to read her thoughts. "Steven's gone to Beauxbaton. So Dumbledore made me Head Boy." That smug smile was still on his face. Hermione wanted to will herself to feel happy for him, but she couldn't. She forced him a smile instead. "That's great, Ron."

"I'll show you, Hermione. I'll show you that I'll be the best Head Boy there ever lived."

"And I'll be the best Head Girl Hogwarts has ever seen." She replied coldly, startling even herself at where this cold tone came from. She suddenly despised Ron very much. His arrogance was poking at every bone in her body. Hermione stood up and gestured for Ron to leave. "I'm very busy finishing off some documents for Professor Dumbledore."

Ron smiled widely. "Ah, yes. Hermione, you wouldn't have to do that anymore, once I start my own Head Boy duties."

Hermione said nothing.

"I can do both of our work, no problem."

"I'm not asking you to do my work. Now, leave, Ron, and if I catch you and your disgusting pride anywhere near my dormitory again, I swear I'll get out my wand and hex you all the way to Beauxbaton to join Steven." Hermione said, very low.

Ron left, and Hermione collapsed onto her couch. She'd never felt anything so frustrating in her life. Working alongside Ron and his newfound pride was going to be tough.

A/N: Okay! Finished chapter two!! Please review! Drew and I love reviews! We will credit each and every one of them! Cya!