Hermione pondered Ron's odd behaviour as she walked down to the Great Hall. She didn't usually rise this early, but she felt she simply had to talk to Ginny.

She reached the Great Hall, just as Harry and Ginny were leaving, deep in conversation. Hermione couldn't help but notice they were walking decidedly closer than need be, but brushed it off as fancy.

Not far behind was the rest of the team. Colin and Denis Creevy were the other two new chasers, and Skye Cunningham and Tobias Richards were the beaters after the twins. Skye was the youngest on the team, being a third year, but had a powerful back hand, and was almost as good as her predecessors already. Denis and Tobias, or Toby to her friends, were fourth years.

"Ginny? Can I have a word with you?" Hermione called. Ginny could see the anxiety in her eyes at twenty paces, so knew it was important. She looked at the older girl, quizzically.

Ginny nodded, and told the others she would catch up, before moving over to where Hermione stood.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm…It's fine. I just…"

"Hermione?"

"Oh, Gin', please tell me you haven't told anyone about what I said last night, because I don't want anyone to know, and I especially don't want Ron to find out, because someone could find out and tell him, and I don't know what he would think and I couldn't bear for us not to be friends anymore, and I…" Hermione stumbled over her words as she saw Ginny standing there, staring at her. "What?" she asked, confused.

"I was just wondering how long you were going to make that sentence before you ran out of breath," she grinned.

"This isn't funny, Ginny!" Hermione said, shrilly.

"Alright, Alright," Ginny soothed. "Of course, I haven't told anyone. And I don't plan to. Do you think I'm like Lavender and Parvati?" She added, naming the two biggest gossips of Gryffindor and, highly likely, the entire school.

Hermione smiled in spite of herself. "Thanks 'Gin. I really appreciate it."

"So you really have a thing for my brother, huh?" Hermione gasped, and looked around quickly to see if anyone was near enough to hear.

"Ginny! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"I have six of them. Even if someone did hear, which they didn't, who would know which one I was talking about?" Hermione pursed her lips in annoyance.

"Oh, and speaking about him, have you seen Ron lately? He's been acting awfully odd lately."

"Since when does Weasel, ever not act oddly?" a familiar drawl said behind them.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Bugger off, Malfoy." It was well known that she had no tolerance for the icy-blonde Slytherin.

"Why don't you make me, Weaselette?" he sneered. Ginny contemplated whether to turn him into a rat or a toad, and reached for her wand, just as Draco was thrown off his feet, by a scarlet and gold clad figure. That figure was a tousle-haired Ron, who was trying to put on his Quidditch Robes as he ran to the Pitch. Surprisingly, he was able to stay on his feet.

"Ginny? What are you still doing here? We have Quidditch Practice, remember?"

"Of course, I remember, I was the one who told you! Besides, I had to talk to Hermione," she retorted.

Ron looked behind Ginny, to where Hermione was cringing.

"Oh, uh…Hi Hermione." Ron's awkwardness returned with a vengeance.

"Hi Ron." Hermione was equally bad. The pair stood staring at each other for a long moment, before Ron remembered running into something, and looked to see what it was.

By this time, Draco had already stood back up, and was dusting himself off.

"Why don't you watch where you're going, Weasel?" Malfoy drawled, itching for a fight. Strangely enough, his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, were nowhere to be seen.

"I'm running into everything today, what makes you so special?"

Ginny snickered, but intervened, "C'mon Klutz. We do still have Practice," she grabbed a handful of Ron's robes and dragged him towards the door.

Turning back momentarily, Ginny called to Hermione, who had left Malfoy to his own devices, and was walking off to the Great Hall for breakfast. "Hermione? This discussion isn't over."

Hermione grinned, and nodded. "Sure."

"Good."