/N: After what have to have seemed like an almost eternal wait, the ninth chapter arrives! I've decided to make the chapters short and sweet from now on, the grand epic novel-length thing is good but exhausting! Besides, this has to be and alternative fifth year now that the books has been released.

Disclaimer: Seriously, dudes: I DON'T OWN THIS STUFF!!!

Chapter 9. Hermione's Eleven

Since Harry did not feel good with his personal life he buried himself in his work instead of dealing with his problems. He studied like never before for Week. He was seldom seen without a book or a parchment where he frenetically scribbled down Quidditch tactics. He rarely spoke to anyone outside of classes, and then it was regarding either school or Quidditch.

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One rainy afternoon Hermione sat down next to Ron, seated under the roof at the edge of one of the school gardens. He smiled.

"Hey there," he said.

"Hi," she said and smiled also. They were quiet for a while, just sitting there. "I don't suppose you have an idea?"

"For what?" said Ron. Hermione gave him a look. "Oh, about Harry. No. I don't."

"He can't stay like this forever!" said Hermione, a mixture of irritation and concern in her voice. "It's scary seeing him study so much." Ron scoffed.

"Yeah, it is kinda weird isn't it…" he said. "But it's really nothing we can do except be his friends."

"What good are we as his friends if he won't talk to us, he's ignoring the prob-" said Hermione angrily, being interrupted by Ron.

"He's gotta figure this one out himself, Mione. It doesn't matter what we say," he said. Hermione sighed.

"Unfortunately you're right…" she said, and was quiet for a while. "Why are you men such gits, anyway?" Ron chuckled.

"I really can't say," he said.

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"If one the beaters cover the hoops here, then two of the chasers can create a diversion over here…" Harry mumbled to himself whilst he scribbled down notes for a Quidditch tactic as he sat alone in the Gryffindor common room. A few days had passed since Ron and Hermione had talked about him and now it was a sunny and warm day, perfect for being outside.

"…thus creating a…a…" Harry paused and took a look at the drawing of the Quidditch patch that was now full of arrows, creating something that looked strangely like a- "…a Bertie Botts every flavour bean?" Harry finally snapped. The tension that had built up inside him over several weeks was finally released and he burst out laughing. Tears of laughter streamed down his cheeks and it felt like an enormous weight was lifted from his chest. He was laughing still minutes later, so he didn't hear that someone entered through the portrait. Ironically he stopped laughing a few seconds later. He felt tired after having released all that tension and kept his eyes shut, planning to take a nap right there in the chair. He did after all feel very tired...

But what happened next made him more awake than he hade ever been. At first he could not think. He couldn't comprehend what happened. Then his senses caught on and he realised what happened, his eyes confirming it. They person who had entered without him hearing was Ginny. And she was kissing him. Her eyes were closed so she didn't see that his were open. At first Harry didn't know what to do. Then he closed his eyes and kissed her back.

After about a minute Ginny broke the kiss. She and Ginny looked at each other, both trying to comprehend what had just happened. Then Ginny suddenly stormed of towards the staircase. Harry's mind was blank for a second or two. Then a voice in his mind screamed "Stop her, you numbskull!"

"WAIT!" Harry called. Ginny stopped, her left foot on the staircases first step. She turned towards him, wearing a expression that to Harry seemed to be mixture of anger, affection and confusion. "I…I…"He stood up, struggling to find something good to say. To find anything to say. "Ginny, I…"

"I heard you…" said Ginny.

"What?" said Harry.

"I heard you and Hermione talk the other night…" she said. "I'd gone back hoping to confront you on your way out of Hermione's room and I heard you and Hermione talk about…" A single tear ran down her cheek and her voice was shaky as she continued. "…about you having to make a choice…" Harry's face fell and along with it his heart.

"G-Ginny…" he managed to say, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Well then, Harry, what's your choice?" said Ginny, her voice stronger now. "Little miss Weasley who's had a crush on you for years or miss Chang, the Ravenclaws own little dream girl who's both popular and pretty? Which is it?"

"Ginny, hold on for a second-" said Harry.

"NO!" Ginny exclaimed, making Harry jump a bit. "I'm tired of holding on, I'm tired of waiting! I've been in love with you for four years, Harry! Four bloody years! Have you any idea of how much effort it takes for staying in love with someone for that long when you know that there's no feelings from the other persons direction? Have you?! Well?!" She paused. Then she exhaled deeply, almost like a sigh. "But you know what? I'm done with it. I just can't take the hurt of it any more. So you go, Harry. Go and get together with Cho, she's probably great in bed even! Go, go and just forget me. Because that's what I'm going to go do with you." She began going up the stairs.

"Then why did you kiss me…?" said Harry. Ginny stopped. She turned towards him.

"I wanted to know if it was as good as I imagined," she said.

"Was it?" said Harry.

"That's the really sad part, Harry. It was better than I had imagined," said Ginny. "Good luck with Cho."

"Ginny, wait!" said Harry.

"WHY SHOULD I?!" she exclaimed.

"BECAUSE I DON'T LOVE HER, I LOVE YOU!" Harry exclaimed. The room fell silent. After what seemed like an eternity Ginny spoke.

"No, you don't. If you did you wouldn't have to choose…" she said in a voice that seems saturated with disappointment. She turned back towards the stairs and went up to her dormitory. Harry slumped back down into the chair and buried his head in his hands. The tears of laughter he'd had before was now turned into tears of sadness.

'Great, absolutely great…' Harry thought to himself. 'Not only do I have a fight with Ginny, I of course have to realise that I love her while we are in the midst of it…' And this was true. Harry had not realised that he loved Ginny until she'd said that she was going to forget about him.

"Harry? What's wrong?" a voice said. He looked up and there stood Hermione, a look of genuine concern on her face.

"Can we talk? In private?" he said.

"Sure. Come on," said Hermione and they both went into her private room.

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As Harry sat on Hermione's bed he launched into a explanation of what had happened while Hermione stood, listening patiently.

"…I just couldn't let her forget me as she said she would…" he said, now into the last part of the explanation. "…since I realised I truly do love her…" He buried his face in his hands. "What do I do, Hermione? How can I convince her that I love her, not Cho?" He looked up at Hermione. Her eyes were filled with tears but she didn't cry. "How?" Hermione sat down beside him on the bed.

"I know the answer to many questions, Harry..." she said, her voice filled with compassion and a touch of sadness. "...but that is one question I don't know the answer to..."

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"Come on, George, it's not funny..." said Ron. He was having lunch in the Great Hall.

"Of course it is, Ronnikins! Anyway, he told dad that it wasn't him-" said George, who was telling a story about Ron to some girls.

"I'm warning you!" said Ron, interrupting George.

"As I said he-" said George.

"That's it!" said Ron and got up to throw himself at George. But he only got about a two feet away from his chair. Hermione had interrupting him by casting a petrifying spell at him, causing him to thud down into the floor. George and the girls burst out laughing. Hermione cast the counter spell when she reached Ron, who got up of the floor whilst rubbing his nose. "Why the hell di-"

"Not now Ron, I need your help with something," said Hermione. She looked at George. "Meet me outside the library at seven o'clock. Bring Fred with you."

"Um...yes, ma'am," said George, actually sounding a bit intimidated. Hermione left the hall, almost dragging Ron after her.

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"Okay, want to tell me what this is all about?" asked George at seven o'clock outside the library. He had, as ordered, brought George with him. Standing at the spot waiting for them was not only Hermione and Ron, but also Lynn, Angelina and Alicia.

"Let's go into the library," said Hermione. The group went in and selected a quiet corner. "Okay here's the deal: Harry's having a rough time right now." Fred scoffed.

"That's a bit of a understatement," he said. "I just wish he wouldn't keep Ginny in this kind of limbo and just choose between her and Cho so godda-

"Hear her out," said Ron.

"The thing is Harry and Ginny had an argument over this thing today," continued Hermione. "I won't go into specifics all that much but Harry made his choice. It was Ginny." Fred and George grinned broadly. "But....the thing is...Ginny didn't believe him..." The grins faded. "So now I have a favour to ask of you all. I want your help in getting Ginny to believe that Harry really does love her."

"Of course we'll help you," said Angelina.

"Anything for our Captain," said Alicia.

"Count us in," said Fred and George in unison.

"Lynn?" said Hermione. Lynn just smiled and nodded.

"You need some more help?" said a voice. Everyone turned to the voice and saw Sofie Lucas and Emma Craig.

"We'd like to help," said Sofie.

"Seeing as Ginny is our friend also," said Emma.

"Of course you can help too," said Hermione. A moment later two bodies tumbled out from behind a bookshelf, down onto the floor into a heap behind Sofie and Emma. A muffled "Ow!" was heard from the heap. Everyone directed the attention to the heap. After a few seconds Peter Boyd and David McFadden untangled themselves from each other and stood up, looking rather foolish.

"Um...we were just...er, um..." said David.

"Er...studying...studying...something..." said Peter. Sofie seemed amused by this, but said nothing.

"Don't suppose you would like to join in also?" said Ron.

"Well, if it's not to much trouble we kind of like to, er, be associates in this thing. Quest. Endev-" said Peter.

"You really are to cute," said Sofie with a smile, interrupting him.

"Aye, we're in," Peter finished quickly.

"Well...looks like we oughta call ourselves Hermione's Eleven then..." said Ron with a grin.

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A/N: I'm so terribly very absolutely sorry that I haven't updated until now, but I've been busy with school, moved to an apartment I share with my sister, and had writers block. But now a new chapter is finally up, if a bit short. If you don't mind I want to keep it that way to be able to update more often.

A lot the things I did in this chapter I did "on the fly", such as Harry's and Ginny's fight and most of the chapter after that. Hermione's Eleven was just to great a joke to resist writing, so therefore I added a character to the group.

I'm too tired to write author's comments to the last chapter right now, Just want to get this things up and go to bed.

Your devoted if slightly dispersed writer,

Emher