Chapter 2-More Letters

Ron entered through the living room, having heard the girls talking in the kitchen, and not wanting to pick any more battles with Hermione. He went quickly up to his room and saw Harry, lying on his bed with his Transfigurations book open. Ron took the only thing he had in his pocket, one gold Galleon, and chucked it at Harry's shoulder. "Ow," Harry exclaimed, looking toward his supposed best friend. "What was that for?"

"For not telling me you're dating my little sister!"

Harry's face went pale as he wondered how Ron had found out. "I, er… I just didn't want you to… I-"

"Just give it up," Ron said, making his way over to his own bed and flopping himself down into it. "You know, I don't care if you date her, but why couldn't you tell me?"

"Because I thought you'd be upset about it," Harry said, now more confused. If it was okay for him to date her, why was he now developing a bruise the size of a Galleon?

"Well, bloody hell, Harry, how did you expect me to react to you dating Ginny behind my back?"

"Did Hermione tell you?"

"No, it was C-" Ron suddenly remembered that he didn't know if Claudia had been a figment of his imagination or not, and pulling a Harry with the 'George' thing, he continued, "cause I noticed how much time you two have been alone," he answered, as if he had a sudden epiphany on what all those afternoons of chess and homework could have meant.

"Sorry I didn't tell you," Harry said.

"Yeah well, at least you're better than Michael Corner," Ron said. "Oh, and if you hurt her, you know you'll be dealing with something worse than You-Know-Who," Ron warned.

Harry hardly took the warning seriously, though he knew if he handled some situations in the wrong way he was risking his friendship. He had already considered all of that before asking Ginny to go steady with him, and he found that this relationship was working better than he could have hoped. "So, what do we do now?"

"What do you mean, what do we do?" Ron asked. "I'll go apologize to Hermione and we can play a game or something."

"You're not the only one someone's mad at," Harry said glumly.

"You mean you told off Hermione for me?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows in delight. "Thanks mate!"

"No," Harry said incredulously. "You were being a git, but then I went and did the same bloody thing." Harry had noticed that his own use of the word 'bloody' had been increasing lately. It was bound to start effecting him sooner or later.

"You told her you didn't like her writing to Krum?"

"No! Ginny said she had been writing to Dean," Harry spelled out for Ron.

"Oh," Ron said, though it took him a minute to completely comprehend it. When he finally caught on he sat up straight, "how does it feel Mr. don't-blow-it-out-of-proportion?" Ron asked rudely.

"Fine," Harry said. "I don't like it, but it isn't like we can do anything about it."

"Sure we can," Ron said deviously.

The girls had been downstairs, being talked out of their fury by Mrs. Weasley. "They're just boys, and Ron for one has always gotten jealous rather quickly," Molly pointed out, giving Hermione another chocolate chip cookie.

"Well, Harry for one is quite the hypocrite," Ginny said, taking a large bite out of her sixth cookie. "I mean, he says that Ron always goes so overboard when Viktor writes to you, but then I mention the fact that I'm conversing with Dean, and look who's the dormant volcano now!"

"Ginny, don't talk with your mouth full," Molly reminded her daughter. "As for that, it's a bit more understandable since you are actually dating Harry. Your father almost knocked out a guy for studying with me one evening."

"But don't you think that was just ridiculous? I mean, how can we live wondering what those two are going to think every time we even pass another boy in the hallway?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, girls, they'll grow out of it, I promise," Molly said. She started to take a sip of her tea as the clock rang eleven. "Why don't you both go up to bed now, and I'm sure it'll look better when the sun rises." Molly grinned at the two, remembering all the arguments she used to have with Arthur when they were at Hogwarts. It was something that would happen, if it was supposed to happen.

Ginny was the first to wake up, and she realized her mother had been right – as most mothers are – she did feel better about things. She thought it would be good for her to sit down with Harry after breakfast even and talk about the boundaries with this whole letter writing thing. Ginny could understand why it made Harry uncomfortable, even if he was being stupid about the whole thing, and she was willing to work it out so that they could both have what they wanted.

"Hermione," Ginny said. Hermione didn't care to sleep in, finding the best time to study without interruption was before Harry and Ron woke up. "Hermione," Ginny prodded her friend once more.

"What?" Hermione said.

"You're late for Potions," Ginny said, wanting to see what kind of reaction she'd get.

"What?!" Hermione said loudly and sat straight up in her cot. "Where's my book bag?" she asked, frantically putting on her clothes.

"Calm down, we still have two weeks before school starts," Ginny said. She expected a funny reaction, but nothing that bad.

Hermione took a deep breath after being on the verge of hyperventilating. "Never do that to me again Ginny," Hermione said in all seriousness, putting a hand on her speeding heart and sitting on her cot once more. "Did you sleep well?" Hermione asked, while getting out a brush to tame her frizzy head.

"Yeah," Ginny said. She started getting ready herself by taking off her pajamas and putting on an old shirt and jeans. "You?"

"Alright, but I feel a little guilty."

"Why?" Ginny looked shocked at this revelation.

"If I had just told Ron about what Viktor said, then maybe he wouldn't have been so upset," Hermione stated logically.

"It's not like you're bound to my brother," Ginny part of her top lip in disgust that Hermione was now blaming herself. "He's too chicken to ask you out, and then you start blaming yourself for his stupidity? Come on Hermione."

"Maybe he hasn't asked me out because he thinks I want to date Viktor… or maybe-"

"Stop giving Ron excuses," Ginny cut Hermione off with. "He's a stupid git sometimes, and that's why he hasn't asked you out." She finalized her statement while putting on a little mascara that Hermione had brought with her from the Muggle world. Molly hadn't liked the idea, but Arthur was perfectly fine with his daughter exploring Muggle methods of doing things.

Hermione was just about to change when Pigwidgeon came catapulting through the room, knocking over a few things along the way. Hermione ducked just in time and Pig bounced off the wall behind her. Ginny jumped up on her own bed, holding out her hands in the ready position, and caught Pig along with the two now crumpled pieces of parchment. One was addressed in a vaguely familiar hand to her, and the other to Hermione.

"Here," Ginny said giving Hermione the other paper.

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed as she opened the letter and read:

Dear Her-mo-ninny,

I am sorry to say that I cannot write letters to you anymore because I'm too busy being the best and youngest seeker in professional Quidditch and being the spokes-jerk for many products that I can't write. Sorry.

Viktor Krum

Any forgiveness Hermione had had in her was slowly fading into new and all too powerful anger toward Ron.

Ginny's hadn't been much better.

Ginny,

Parvati doesn't want me to write to her anymore, and I think she has a point since we're both seeing other people now.

Sorry,

Dean

The letter Harry had written was pretty well forged, as the boys had samples of Dean's writing, but Harry had a unique way of writing his 'd' and 'y' that made it painfully obvious who had actually written Ginny's letter. Ron, on the other hand, had taken to writing with his left hand, to make it as indistinct as possible… he had succeeded in that part as well.

"Masacre?" Hermione asked.

"I'd love to," Ginny responded.

A/N: Keep reading to see what the girls do… dun dun dun. Okay I bet half of you thought they sent some nice apology note! Not our boys! Trickery is their method of choice. Sorry, I'm in a really weird mood! Please review!

Thank you:

Dianne

Hogwartzboizrhottiez

Libyanauthor

Luckyducky8200

Ilovetheweasleys

VietNaMaEnglish

Oh, and she's not imaginary…