AN: I'm so mean. But I'm cranky from Smallville being a damn tease, so you have to suffer. Grrr. Ok, well, I'm not that mean. I'm just a tease, too. Oh BTW, as it would appear FF.net doesn't seem to entirely like to cooperate with formatting, so if you see a period that seems to be oddly interrupting a section it was actually intended as an ellipse, which means the three dots. You know . . . Anyway, just an FYI.

*

I roll over and stretch slightly. God my lips feel dry where did I put my chapstick-

Wait a second. I look over to Hermione who's in her bed and still asleep.

Oh no.

Was it a dream? I pull up my sheet slightly and peek underneath. I have all my clothes on.

God damnit.

I flop over onto my back and sigh loudly. I have never had an erotic dream in my entire life. Never. I consider myself a red-blooded normal teenager but for whatever reason my subconscious is rated G. With the exception of last night.

I feel my ears burn at some of the memories of my dreams. I'm so engrossed in my thoughts that I don't notice Hermione lift herself up onto her elbow and tilt her head at me.

"Your eyes are as wide as saucers, did you have a nightmare?"

I jump a little. "What? A nightmare? No, uhm, no."

Hermione laughs. "So why the deer in the headlights look?" She scoots off her bed and flops down onto mine on her belly. She smiles up from under some of her stray brown hairs grinning at me. "Ooh, something good?"

I pull the sheets over my head as I feel my entire face burn red.

"Hah! Thought so!" She tugs on the sheets and wrestles with me. "C'mon Ginny let me in on it!"

*

It takes me a minute, but in the flurry of all our giggling and bustling I manage to pull the sheets down to her waist and then sit on her stomach to secure them. We're still laughing as I repel her down fiercely again and hold her wrists at either side of her head. Suddenly the sunshine streaming through the window is cut off as a cloud floats across the sun. The room is several shades darker and I feel another shift in the atmosphere. We both stop giggling.

Two thoughts simultaneously occur to me. One: It was probably about Harry and I'm being a huge jerk by making such a big deal over it after his rejection yesterday. Two: Why is my stomach burning?

Ginny looks down shyly at her nightgown and as I follow her gaze I see that it's rather revealing. It's thin cloth so the shape of what's underneath is obvious.

Third thought: She must be cold.

I scramble off her and apologize as she pulls the sheet up to her collar- bone. What's wrong with me? When we were younger I'd seen her naked before. I shake myself off and return to thought one. Ginny is picking at the hem of the blanket and still blushing a little.

"I'm sorry, Gin, I didn't mean to pry."

Ginny looks up weakly at me, "No, it's fine. I just don't usually have such dreams. I mean, ever."

"Seriously?"

Ginny goes a little pinker and squeaks, "Yeah."

"Yeah, well, you know, me neither."

"Not even about my brother?"

Now I turn pink. "Ron? I've never dreamt about him like that. Why would you think so?"

Ginny hops up suddenly and grabs her robe. She pauses. "I don't know, uhm, I'm going to go have a quick bath and then go down to breakfast."

"Oh, right, okay. I'll be down there."

She smiles faintly as she shuts the door. "'Kay!"

*

I come down the steps quietly. I sort of hope maybe Hermione might have gone back to sleep before coming for breakfast, but those hopes are short lived. Mom, dad, and Hermione are sitting at the table eating.

"Where's Harry and Ron?"

Mom answers. "Hmm? Oh good morning my favorite goose. They're. I believe they went outside. Probably practicing some moves." She smiles.

Hermione looks over at me, an unreadable expression on her face.

"How was your bath?" She inquires politely.

"My bath?" I try to resist blushing. If only she knew what I'd been doing in that bath tub. What I'd been thinking of while I'd done it. "Fine," I say a little too quickly. She doesn't seem to notice.

*

Ginny seems really touchy today. Augh, I'm such a jerk. God, I just can't seem to help it. I just want to know more than anything what she was dreaming about. I don't know exactly why but I really don't want to be Harry. I don't want it to be anybody.

Ginny excuses herself after picking at her breakfast for awhile. She says she's going to go upstairs and do some reading for awhile. I want to go apologize to her, but I'm really too nervous to.

I wonder what Harry and Ron are up to.

*

Where could they be? I've spent the last half hour looking for them on the grounds around the Burrow. I just expected them to be right outside practicing their Quidditch stuff.

I run a little further through a field and in frustration plop down on a log by the edge of some woods. At least it's nice out I think to myself. The sky is beautiful, the air is clean, the birds are chirping-

I stand up quickly. Now I do not profess in any sense to be an animal expert, but I am quite certain that was in no context a bird song. It sounded more like a grunt. I'm wearing khaki shorts and I fumble to grab my wand out from the back pocket.

I hear another sound: twigs breaking and another grunt. I step into the hooded forest and shiver. It was scorching out in the sun but in the woods it's chilly. I feel goose-bumps crawl up my legs and arms. I grip my wand and navigate through some dense ivy, bush, and tree branches. I move closer and closer to where the sounds are coming from.

Although I feel progressively anxious as the grunts get louder I also feel a sense of dread and familiarity at their pacing. These are not the irregular grunts of a bear or demon. I may not be the most sexual person in the world but everyone knows that beat when they hear it.

I feel myself tense up and my head lowers and I check my path to make sure I won't announce myself by breaking a stick or something. I carefully make my way through some more bushes and come to a little leaf-covered slope. Down the hill is a little clearing where a tree fell over and tore a hole in the ground when the roots were pulled up. Under the shelter of the tree's gigantic roots I identify some movement and some red hair.

I see Harry's face appear from under the shade momentarily, frozen in what looks like a formidable amount of pleasure. I am holding my wand so tightly I am driving my fingernails into my hand. The redhead has his back to me, but suddenly he stops and shakes for a moment and then collapses onto Harry. After a moment he turns his face to the side and nuzzles into Harry's neck: Ron.

I fall abruptly and unceremoniously onto my butt. Luckily I don't make any noise besides finally letting out that breath I'd been holding in. I hadn't just seen Harry and Ron. Oh my god. I just saw Harry and Ron!

But I thought Harry and Ron were in love with me! Well. It is some degree of relief that they're both not going to be pursuing me. Oh god! What do I tell Ginny? Her BROTHER and Harry Potter? This is going to kill her.

I just can't believe this. I mean Harry and Ron have always been close but I never detected a chemistry between them. Well, not that I'm Miss Emotionally Perceptive, but really. They're both boys. What could the appeal possibly be in that? Why would you want to do those things with a boy? I mean they definitely looked like they enjoyed it but. How Harry can want Ron to go inside him like that. I mean even I don't particularly relish the thought of.

Oh no.

I don't, do I?

*

I throw my book to my feet and stretch to look out my window. I wonder where is everybody today? I mean I know I was a bit dismissive and everything. I look over to Hermione's bed and glancing out the window once again to check I get up quickly.

I sit down gingerly on her bed and after a moment's hesitation I lean down to smell her pillow. She smells like almonds and apricots. She smells light, warm, and a little mysterious. After a second of the intoxication I can't resist and press my face harder into the pillow to take a strong whiff. She just smells so good. I'd give anything to have that smell in my bed. *

I hear them running and laughing up the slope and before I have a chance to hide or cast a spell Ron freezes. He's spotted me. Harry runs up to his side still sort of laughing until he sees what has stopped Ron. He looks at me in absolute shock.

"Her- Hermione?!" Ron sputters as Harry crosses to Ron's side and stands slightly behind him.

I stand up slowly. "I, uhm. Look, I won't tell anyone what I saw. I didn't mean to I just heard something and came in here and then I saw and."

Ron looks paralyzed but Harry gathers his senses and steps in front. His face rumples with embarrassment and his eyes lower. "It just." He takes another breath. "Well, it's kind of new. I thought I wanted you, but, uhm, no offense but." Another deep breath. "Well, you're just not as, you know, exciting." He looks up panicking slightly, "I don't mean like you're boring I just mean."

"I don't get you going?"

Harry nods chuckling quietly. In the background Ron has calmed down some and stares at Harry's shoes.

"So. You two are a couple now?"

Ron perks up immediately and looks terrified again. Harry glances back at him in question, smiles, and then turns back to me. "Yeah, I guess so."

Ron finally speaks, "You're not going to tell Ginny are you?"

I frown. "I thought you said she doesn't really talk about Harry anymore?

Ron considers this for a moment. "Yeah, she doesn't really." He thinks some more and nods his head carefully accepting a new thought. His mouth tightens and he fidgets.

I frown some more, curious. "What?"

Ron looks like he's going to speak but then Harry cuts him off, "She talks a lot more about you."

Ron looks like he just swallowed a beetle. Harry carries a sort of amused but uneasy smile, waiting for my response. I try to process the information but it just isn't adding up. None of this makes any sense! Harry and Ron? Inconceivable. And what are the suggesting.? Ginny. Ginny likes. me? I let out a long shaky breath trying to comprehend everything. It's all I can manage to say,

"Oh."