THE END OF THE EVENING – Hermione.

The rest of the ball passed fairly quickly; Hermione knew she would have enjoyed the dancing had she not been able to forget Ron's comments, not been able to get rid of the hurt she was feeling inside. Viktor had been a lovely partner, a true gentleman in fact. She couldn't help but feel sorrow for him, as she was so distracted by the argument and couldn't have been a very good partner for him.

Soon, the ball had ended. Viktor led Hermione to the Entrance Hall to say goodnight.

'I haff had a vunderful time tonight, Herm-own-ninny,' he said.

'Me too, Viktor. Thank you for asking me,' she replied, smiling.

'No, thank you for saying yes.' Hermione blushed at this.

'Well, good night then,'

'Good night.'

Hermione turned to leave, and saw Harry and Ron standing on the other side of the Entrance Hall. Ron was glowering in her direction, causing the anger and painful emotions she had been repressing all evening to come flooding back. She fixed him with a very cold look, and swept past them up the marble staircase. She was in no mood to talk to him, or even acknowledge him after his behaviour earlier. She could hear the boys following her up the steps, but didn't turn around. Someone called Harry back, so she carried on walking, rather quickly, glad to be away from Ron.

He had been rude and insensitive to her before, but this topped the lot. Not only had he been insulting, but he had ruined the ball for her and undoubtedly for Viktor as well. She stormed past Parvati and Lavender, who were talking to some Beauxbatons boys, ignoring their whispering as she carried on down the corridor. They'd be asking her about it later, but Hermione didn't care. She just wanted to get away from the ball, to forget about everything...

But she knew she couldn't. Ron's comments had really hurt her. Talking about Viktor like that. He was crazy, thinking she would help Viktor with the task. Obviously he didn't value her loyalty, to say something like that. How could she have ever have thought about Ron being her partner to the Ball?

Suddenly, she was in front of the Fat Lady. She said the password quickly, and the portrait swung open. As she entered the common room, she sat down on the sofa near the fire to take her shoes off. They were very nice, but as she wasn't accustomed to heels, they had begun to hurt by the end of the evening. She was the only one in the room; obviously none of the other Gryffindors wanted the night to end. Hermione, on the other hand, was almost wishing it had never begun. She sank back into the cushions and sighed. She hated fighting with Ron, but they just seemed to walk into arguments. Hermione frowned at this thought, just as the portrait door creaked open. She looked up to see Ron climb in, with a bad-tempered look on his face. He looked up and caught her gaze. She turned away, not wanting to speak to him now. She didn't know if she could trust herself to.

'You not gone to bed yet?' The tone of his voice made it clear that Ron wasn't trying to make polite conversation.

Hermione didn't answer. If he wasn't going to apologise for the way he had treated her, then she wasn't going to speak to him. He'd probably think she had forgiven him.

'Oh, I see, I'm getting the silent treatment am I?' said Ron, icily, 'Vicky forbidden you from talking to me has he? Are only Durmstrang students good enough for you now?'

Hermione snapped. How could he think something like that? 'How – how dare you? How can you say that? Do you honestly think I would do such a thing? You and Harry are my best friends!'

'Well you've got a funny way of showing it!' Ron snarled.

'And what's that supposed to mean?' demanded Hermione, standing up from the sofa.

'You know full well what it means!' Ron shouted, his ears turning red. 'Turning up with – with him like that, without telling us! Not that it's any wonder you didn't want to tell us! Fraternising with the enemy – I'd be ashamed if it was me!' He had walked closer to her now.

'My going to the ball with Viktor has got nothing to do with you and Harry!' exploded Hermione. 'It doesn't change anything – or it shouldn't! But you seem determined to make it into a huge issue!' she started to walk off. She had had too much of this for one night.

'It is a huge issue! He's from Durmstrang! Don't you realise what they teach there? And choosing him over me and Harry – '

Hermione stopped, shocked and offended by what Ron had said. She span round to face him, hands on hips and her face screwed up in anger. 'I did not chose him over you or Harry!'

Ron's face was red from shouting. He looked disgusted, as if Hermione couldn't have said anything worse if she'd tried. 'You went to the ball with him, didn't you? Obviously you prefer him. You could have gone with anyone else from Hogwarts! '

Hermione felt a jolt in her stomach. What sort of a person did he think she was? 'Oh could I? Only, I thought from what you said the other day that you didn't think I was good enough for anyone to ask me to the ball!'

'Neville asked you! And we did! But no, you turned us down. Vicky more your type is he?' Ron was really shouting now.

'Well if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?' Hermione shot back. She hardly noticed that the portrait had swung open.

'Oh yeah?' Ron yelled, 'What's that?'

'Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!' No sooner than the words were out, Hermione regretted them. True, it was what she had been thinking, but telling Ron to ask her to the ball – what had she done?

She span round and ran to her dormitory, almost tripping over her dress as she flew up the staircase. She slammed her door shut, and leaning against it, slid down to the floor. Crookshanks looked up from her bed, but simply turned around and went back to sleep.

Hermione put her head in her hands, blinking back the tears which were stinging her eyes. She took a deep, trembling breath in an attempt to clear her thoughts.

She had just told Ron he should have asked her to the ball. The hollow feeling in her stomach seemed to increase at this thought. She hadn't meant it to come out like that – he was just being so awful, so horrible. He made her so angry sometimes! Hermione sniffed, gently, and her body shook through trying not to cry. If only he hadn't been so insensitive, she thought. Then she never would have said it...

Then she never would have realised that she meant it.

Why hadn't he asked her to the ball? What was so wrong with her that Ron never thought to ask her? Tears leaked from her eyes as she thought about this.

Don't be so stupid, Hermione told herself. It was just a stupid ball. It was just the heat of the moment, I didn't mean what I said. Ron will know that, won't he? At that moment, Hermione's stomach felt as though she had touched a thousand port keys. She had told Ron... he knew she wanted him to have taken her to the ball. How was she going to face him in the morning?

Suddenly, the all too familiar sound of Parvati and Lavender's giggling floated up the staircase. Panicking, Hermione leapt up and tore off her robes, flinging them to the floor. She pulled on her nightie, and dove onto her bed, forcefully pulling the curtains shut.

The door swung open, and Parvati and Lavender came in.

'Oh, she's gone to bed!' She heard Lavender say. 'I wanted to ask her about Viktor Krum – how on earth did she manage that?'

'No idea,' said Parvati. 'Ron Weasley wasn't too happy about it, apparently. Padma said he had a blazing row with her about it – he was really angry – she said he sounded really jealous!'

It was too much. Hermione grabbed her wand from beside her pillow and whispered a hurried silencing charm on her curtains. Then she broke down, each painful sob only serving as a reminder of the awful situation she was in.

Well, there it is, the last part of this story! Sorry it took a while to get it posted, I've been very busy! Some time in the future there may be an epilogue for this, explaining how they reached their 'unspoken agreement' not to talk about the argument by the next morning. But, for now, I have other projects half planned and half written, and I really should finish off 'Hogwarts' Bar' at some point!

So I just want to say thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this story, it's been great to hear your opinions and I am very proud of the reviews this story has recieved - it's definitely my favourite story!