Hermione's Perspective

'It's so early. Can't I just sleep a few more minutes?' I argued with the sun filling our dormitory. 'What do I have today? Yuck! Double Potions in the morning and double Astronomy tonight. At least I can come back after lunch and sleep, or do my homework. Oh no! I must go down to Hagrids and let him know that we're putting on some games this coming weekend.'

"Get up, Hermione! Breakfast already started." Yelled Lavender.

'Oh my goodness! I was really behind! Oh, and I still had to deliver Malfoys letter. I better hurry and get dressed. I'll just wear my hair up today.' I basically sprinted out of the room to the Owlery. When I got there most of the birds weren't in from their midnight hunts yet, so I just used a school owl, who seemed very annoyed when I disturbed it. "You don't have to go very far, you can go straight back to sleep in just a few minutes." He flew away, still very annoyed.
I got down to breakfast in just enough time to eat a piece of toast before heading to potions. All I could think about was if Malfoy had received his letter or not. I didn't even notice the posters on the walls portraying a familiar red head clutching a stick figure doll that had an awful lot of hair. 'Oh my! What is this? "Hermys lips are the only lips that I want my lips to touch." Who did this? And why is it all over the school? Is there someone out to get me? This had better not be Malfoy. He seemed so much better than this last night. It couldn't have been.' I had started running and ran all the way until I reached potions. I burst through the door to find that most of the class had already taken their seats, except that there were two places in the back next to Harry. "Harry! What is this?"

"Well, it's horrible. Quite brilliant for a huge baboon to come up with. Look Hermione, I can't explain this to you. This is for Ron to explain.."

"Where is Ron?"

"As soon as he saw the signs he ran up to the dormitory and wouldn't let anyone in."

"This isn't the truth, is it Harry?" Harry just looked up at me with uncertainty in his eyes and a small smile on his face.

"Miss Granger! Ten points from Gryffindor!" taunted a cruel, drawling voice from the front of the room. 'How am I ever going to get out of here? Could I fake sick? Hmmm...do I have anything of Fred and Georges'? Yes!' I bit off the yellow end and immediately started to feel nauseated. I could feel my face turning green. I wandered up behind Snape, ignoring the looks of disgust from my classmates. "Can I...." but I was too late. I had vomited all over Professor Snapes shoes and the lower hem of his emerald green robes. He easily cleaned up the mess and sent me off to the hospital wing, disgusted. I was accompanied by Hannah Abbot, since Sanpe was never one to let Harry have some 'free time.' Once we got to the end of the corridor I downed the purple end of the pill and I was restored to my pale complexion. "Thanks Hannah," I said. "This should give you some free time to spend out of class." I yelled as I ascended the staircase.

'What am I going to say to Ron? What if he doesn't want to talk to me? Maybe I shouldn't have come. Maybe I should have ignored the posters all together. I'm sure that I'm going to make him feel uncomfortable.' "Huberhuffen." 'Wow! I really reached the common room fast. What am I going to say? Ok, calm down! Take a deep breath.' I reached out my hand and rapped it against the door. "Ron?" There was a distinct gasp from within. "Are you ok? Can I come in?"

"Hermione? Why are you not in class?"

"I needed to talk to you. Now can I please come in?"

"I don't know...no, you can, of course."

I walked in and all I could see were four beds that seemed to look clean, and a fifth that was in no shape to entertain. That is to say, that there were Kleenexes everywhere and the sheets weren't on straight.

"Ron, I need to talk to you. Will you please come out from underneath your sheets?" Ron had to burrow his way out when he finally agreed. "So can we talk now?"

"Yeah."

"Are these true?" I held up one of the posters.

"Yes."

I was a little taken aback. I hadn't considered that this might really be the truth. Why would he tell anyone before me? I could understand Harry, but definately no one else before me. "So you like me, or you just want to kiss me?"

"Hermione, do we really have to talk about this?"

"Well, I think that you really need to. Look at you, you look like a baby."

He laughed a little in a very high pitched squeak. "It just so embarrassing...."

"For me too. Look Ron, the only way that we're going to be able to deal with this is if we talk about it."

"Ok, what do you want to know?"

"Is this true?"

"Kind of."

"Do you want me to guess or something?"

He shook his head from side to side. "Look Hermione, I didn't even know that I had feelings for you until Harry told me that I might." 'What?' My confusion must have shone, because he started to explain rapidly. "Harry just pointed out to me that I have started to do things to impress you, without knowing it myself. Like reading Hogwarts, A History, and learning to knit."

"You learned to knit?"

"Yeah, but I also got jealous of Krum. Harry finally told me that he knew that I liked you, but I didn't know. Then I knew and I haven't been able to push those feelings away."

"Wow." We sat in silence for a while until I could soak it all up. "Ok, so that explains how you know, but why is it all over flyers around school?"

"Ugh! I feel so stupid."

"What happened?"

"That stupid git, Crabbe, asked me for our biographies."

"And you told him? Why didn't you just lie?"

"Hermy I couldn't. It was like I wasn't even the one speaking. The words just rolled out of my mouth." I got up to leave. I was feeling angry. How could he tell Crabbe before he could tell me? I mean I could understand Harry, but Crabbe. Ron grabbed my hand and pulled me back to the bed. "Please listen. I think that Crabbe may have given me some Veritrusium...in some pumpkin juice that he didn't want"

I gasped. "How could he get any of that? It's illegal."

"I know, but yesterday, Slytherins had potions. And we both know that Snape carries that in his robes."

"You don't think that Snape would have given him some?"

"No, but it's my best explanation."

It was good enough for me. "So you truly feel this way?"

"Yes, I really do." His eyes were sincere. They were honest and unsure. 'Why are they unsure? Oh no, he be-better not do that. No no no. What do I do? Pretend nothing is happening...no that won't work. Don't close your eyes. Umm...give him a hug, so he knows that I do love him in some way.' So I did. I gave him the most friendly and loving hug I possessed. We sat there for a few minutes before we released from our embrace.

"Are you going to come down for lunch?"

"No, I don't feel like facing all of those people."

"Ok, well Harry and I will take down all of the posters ok?"

"Kay."

"Do you want anything?"

"Sure...anything's fine."

"Alright, I'll see you later."

"Ok." 'What am I going to do? This has to be a disaster. How could one of my best friends be crushing on me? This is a nightmare. Look at all these posters. I wonder if a charm would work on all of these.'

"Accio Posters." 'Yicks!' All the posters were flying at me, attacking me. I fell to the ground laughing. Of course I did have a few paper cuts, but I was just fine. I collected all of the papers at my feet, and headed off to the Great Hall. Lunch smelt superb; unfortunately for me a little confrontation caught my eye.

"Malfoy, a word please."

"Whatever you say Granger. She doesn't want a word with you Pansy, just me." She stalked off with her rat nose stuck high in the air.

"I guess you got your lovers note."

"I did, and everything is going as planned." he didn't even offer a token of gratitude.

"Good."

"I hear you and Weasel are getting along well." He gestured to the posters that I was holding.

"No comment Malfoy."

"Oh come on! I let you in on my Pansy secret. Why won't you tell me?" he argued as I started to follow a group of fourth years into the Great Hall.

"Because you already know a secret about me...the book?"

"Fine, well just answer me this, are you and Weasel a thing now?"

"No. By the way, tell Crabbe that he's the greatest baboon ever, and he better not pull anything like this ever again!" I went to sit with Harry at the Gryffindor table, without a look back at Malfoy.

The rest of the school week went by fairly quickly. Ron was back in class by Thursday morning and I had got permission from Hagrid to use the grounds for games. On Friday, Malfoy announced that there would be games on the weekends of September, and that there would also be a 'Back to School' dance the following weekend, which actually surprised me because I didn't even know that he had talked to Dumbledore.

The weekend came and all the prefects had to run different shifts to maintain the games. Pansy and I were paired together. I didn't want to be paired with Pansy but I felt bad that Malfoy or Ron might have to. The truth is that I didn't want Malfoy to have a bad afternoon and I was also feeling awkward around Ron at the moment, so I decided to endure some criticism from Pansy. At the moment we were watching over the 'Water Volleyball' game between a group of fifth years from Ravenclaw and a group of third years from Slytherin. Ron and Draco were watching the other games, like the pie eating contest where the pie magically rebaked itself and the three legged race where your legs were actually melted together. Ron seemed highly amused that the contestants couldn't finish their pies.

Finally our shift ended and Ron and I met up with Harry and Ginny.

"You guys having fun?" Ginny wondered.

"Of course, who wouldn't have fun with Malfoy and Rat Face?" and we all giggled.

"So, what do you guys want to do? Harry and I just went for a stroll around the lake. It was...interesting."

"Well, we could play volleyball, that did look like an awful lot of fun, and anyhow the Slytherins are over there. We'll have a little 'friendly' inter-house game?" Harry suggested.

"Ok." We all agreed.

We wandered over to the water where we started to strip down to our bathing attire, that is our swim suits. I dove into the warm water of the lake where I swam around for a minute before our game began. I watched Malfoy warm up. His body was tan and buff. The water trickled over his shoulders and abs with a certain elegance. He shook the hair out of his gray eyes with an even more elegant shake of his head. It was an enchanting sight, that was broken by the start of the game.

It was a heated game for the other three and I tried to get involved in the competitiveness, but it just wasn't the right day. It was a close match. Somehow, Goyle scored the winning goal for Slytherin. It was a close 15-14. We exited the water while the Slytherins enjoyed their victory. Ron grabbed my towel and came up behind me to embrace my body. He was laughing as if nothing were wrong or unusual. 'Oh Ron, why are you acting this way. This is so unusual, you holding me in your arms and acting as if everything is normal. Please stop. Stop. Stop. I can't return your affection right now. I've never thought of you in this way before.' "I have to go." I called as I sprinted up to the castle, trying to keep my towel on with one hand and carrying my clothes in the other. I looked back only to see Rons' blank face starring at me.

I went to the Head Girls' bathroom to clean up and relax before I had to meet Malfoy. I filled the giant tub with warm water and bubbles of sweet aroma. I stripped down and dove in. I had never been to this lavatory before. During the first week I had stayed in the prefects bathrooms. This room, I could not deny, was a lot nicer. The walls were painted a light blue with a tinge of purple. I had an area for all my necessities. I even had a place to study if I wanted it. There was a masterful painting hung on the wall of white sands stretching for miles into a gorgeous sun set. It was the perfect end to any day. The only thing that I questioned was that there was a door at the corner of the room that wouldn't open. When I was finally done I went to my dormitory to change before I headed down to The Room of Requirement, with my books, to study, before it was time to meet Malfoy.

Surprisingly, when I got there, Malfoy was already there. I entered and found Malfoy lying on only a rug over a book next to the fireplace. "Why are you so early? It's only 5:45." I wondered aloud.

"I could ask you the same thing. So are you going to tell me, or should I just guess until I get bored?"

"I won't tell you, so you might as well guess."

"It's Weasel." I winced at the sound of my best friends "nick"-name. What was wrong with me? What's wrong with him? How could he so suddenly have feelings for me? Is it that obvious to tell that I'm concerned about my relationship with Ron? "You're mad because he couldn't beat Goyle in the pie eating contest."

I laughed. "You're right. But who could win anyway? Not me."

"Well I could."

"Yeah you, with that gorgeous bo- never mind."

That infamous smirk spread across his face and his eyes shone bright. "Hermione, you do too."

I smiled, then asked, "What are you working on?"

"Transfiguration. Do you still need help? I mean after all, you were absolutely dreadful."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, can you help me?"

"Ok." He brought out a few 'samples'. "Now say the incantation."

I followed his instructions until we decided that I wasn't getting it because of my arm movements. He showed me how to flick my wrist and move my shoulder, but I still couldn't get it right. He walked behind me and held my forearms. He moved my arms through the movements and kept his distance behind me. I finally conjured a feather out of the 'sample' before we started on our other homework. It was so weird to think of Malfoy as becoming a friend. But I'm sure it was just a phase. I'm sure that I won't ever be able to confide anything in him, or will I?