Sunday morning, Harry got up late. Ron was in the common room, falling asleep over a stack of text books next to Hermione. "What are you doing?" asked Harry groggily. Ron looked up desperately at him. 'Help me,' Ron mouthed. Hermione swatted at Ron with the back of her hand and directed him back to the books. Harry gave them a puzzled look.
"We're getting our homework done early this morning so we can spend the rest of the afternoon studying until our eyes fall out," Ron said sarcastically with a plastic smile. Hermione slammed the book hard next to Ron's ear which startled him so much he almost fell out of his seat.
"Fine, Ron, but I'm just trying to help you! You guys are so lazy, you never get your work done," Hermione said exasperatedly. Ron shrugged.
"It's Sunday, Hermione," he whined. Hermione shrugged and threw the books on the table. She spun out of her chair and grabbed her coat off of the rack by the door and continued down to her dormitory. Ron sighed.
"She's a little frusterating," Ron whispered. Harry nodded in agreement.
"She's right, though, Ron. We never get our work done in time for class," Harry pointed out. Ron glared at him and started to leave the Gryffindor common room.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked.
"I'm going to calm Hermione down," Ron said simply. That was really code for he wanted them to be alone. Harry shrugged it off. It's not like he didn't expect it. Hermione and Ron where now Hermioneron. They were like one, and he was once again a third wheel. He'd talked to Hermione about this yesterday; Ron didn't seem to understand how left out he felt.
"Hermione, now that you and Ron are going out, I'm worried we won't be spending much time together," Harry had explained slowly. Hermione had set her almost-finished homework on the table and turned towards him, giving him a concerned look.
"Well, what do you want to do Harry?" she replied. Harry shrugged.
"I don't know, anything. You want to look at the library?" Harry suggested. Hermione looked back to the surface of the table. She quickly took in a sharp intake of breath and said,
"Sorry, Ron and I actually have a date in almost a half hour. We're going to Hogsmeade. You, you can come. You know, if you like." Harry turned away and waved off her offer.
"No, no, it's your first date. I'm not going to bother either of you. Another time then," Harry had said nodding.
Harry was wandering slowly back up to the dormitory where he planned to hang out with maybe some other Gryffindor boys for the rest of the day. Suddenly, a girl who looked only vaguely familiar stopped him. She was wearing a Gryffindor badge over her blue and red vest, so Harry was surprised he couldn't even guess her name. She was probably a sixth year or below.
"Harry!" she called. Harry whipped around and waited for her, dark, curly hair bouncing on her shoulders as she ran. Harry stared at her blankly.
"Where's Ron?" she asked. Harry shrugged.
"I think in Hogsmeade again," he replied. She just stood there, obviously unsatisfied. So he continued, "he's on another date with Hermione."
"A date? A date, with Hermione?" she shrieked. Her brown eyes glowed with a certain fire. "Why?" Harry shook his head, confused.
"Excuse me, who are you?" he finally asked. The girl just continued to stare at him.
"Uh, Lena," she spit out to refresh his memory. When his expression was still blank, she said, "Lena Daysdale?" Harry shrugged again.
"I have no clue who you are, I'm sorry," he said. Lena stomped her foot.
"Idiot!" she yelled, "I'm in Ginny's class, if that moron hasn't said anything to you. Well you just tell Weasly that I'm looking for him. If the name Lena does spark the jerk's memory, he'll know where to find me." She stormed off quickly, her hair spinning with her. Harry wondered what she meant when she was calling Ron a moron. With nothing else to do, he decided to go find Ginny.
After forty-five minutes of searching for Ginny, Harry found her finishing up a Charms paper in the library.
"Oh, Harry, are you lost?" she asked sarcastically with a smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello, Ginny," Harry started off, "do you know Lena Daysdale?"
"If I didn't know her before, I sure got to know her a lot longer then I'd wanted," she spat. "Why?"
"Well, she came up to me while I was walking back to the dormitory and asks where Ron is. She seemed really upset when I told her that he was off with Hermione in Hogsmeade," Harry explained. When he mentioned Ron and Hermione in Hogsmeade, Ginny's eyes widened and she cocked her head to one side as if this was news.
"Hermione and Ron?" she inquired. "What are they doing in Hogsmeade?" Harry rolled his eyes, having to explain the situation for the fiftieth-but-really-the-third time that day.
"They are on a date. Hermione and Ron, are in Hogsmeade, together! Ron and Hermione! DATING!" he shouted. Other students whipped around in their seats to glare angrily or stare expectantly for entertainment. Because she was fairly humiliated by Harry's sudden outburst, she looked around quickly and slid back in her seat.
"Harry, shut up," she whispered harshly. Harry got the hint and calmed down. Ginny sighed and shrugged. "It's about time too. You really should read his notebook sometime, great stuff," she commented.
"He threw that in the fire," Harry remarked. Ginny shook her head.
"Damn shame," she said, "gossip doesn't get better then diaries." Harry leaned in so he could hear Ginny even if she whispered quietly.
"What did it say?" Harry asked excitedly. He felt so guilty that he was so interested in it. Ginny smiled and leaned in so no one else could hear.
"Well, in early summer, he rambles on for about three weeks on how much Hermione is a pain in the neck. He didn't write in it for about two weeks which really left me in a bored state," she said. "Then in August, I had Hermione and Lena stay while we celebrated my birthday. Sixteen isn't all deserts so far, you know. Anyway, I really got tired of Ron and Lena. Lena was glued to his arm the whole damned time, and Hermione seemed really bugged. But Hermione's not so sensitive when it comes to the romance. Let me tell you though, Ron's diary seemed to fill up that much more quickly when Hermione was around. Since he caught me with it after Hermione and Lena left back to their homes, he's fashioned a lock to it. Fire huh? Shame, really." Ginny muttered and shook her head back and forth disappointedly. Harry waved his hand to signal her to continue. "You know what he's said about her? Wait, Harry, I think I stuffed a page in my knapsack back in August," she exclaimed. She whirled around and began rummaging through her pack. It looked similar to the one Ron had been so defensive of, expcept that hers was a soft yellow and a silver-sprayed rope that frayed much more from excessive opening and closing. After a whilewith Harry began tapping his fingers against the table in boredom, Ginny pulled out a crumpled up sheet of parchment. "Read this," she commanded. She was smiling brightly as she tossed him the sheet. After he pulled it apart, it read,
August 17th - oh, it's a day past Lena and Hermione leaving. I wish that Lena wasn't so clingy. On my arm every moment I walk, always telling me how 'adorable' I am in my clothes. What looks good on me and what doesn't. Helping my mother in the kitchen, fixing my breakfast. She actually asked my mother the other day for old pictures of me! I couldn't even believe that mum had any. It was humiliating, it was torture.
I know I shouldn't complain. Lena is the only girl to ever consider going out with me. Sure, she seems a little young. But only a year younger, she's in Ginny's year at Hogwarts. That's why she came for her birthday. So did Hermione.
Yeah, Hermione actually came. Something was different about her. I think she cut her hair. It's really nice. Lena has nice hair too, but it's really dark. I've always been a little intimitated by girls with black hair. Like Pansy. Pansy's scares the hell out of me. This is one of the things I would never tell Harry. That's why he's not here. Poor Harry though, stuck with those relatives of his. I would have invited him, had Ginny not bring Lena and Hermione over without even telling any of us. Then when Lena came over, she's this beautiful, light-skinned girl and obviously has a crush on me. After a few days, she asks me to go out with her. I'd been spending all my time with Hermione anyway, cleaning the house, playing games with George and Fred who came back up in August. Hermione obviously didn't want to spend too much more time with me either, she avoided me the rest of the visit. I don't mind going anywhere withLena either, I suppose she's not that annoying. She's no Hermione...well Hermione is great too, I'm saying. I wonder why she's not with anyone?
August 18th - I got a letter from Hermione. It's all ripped up, stupid owl probably ran into a bunch of trees. Somehow one got through from Lena. She misses me and can't wait to see me at school. She wants me to return the letter.
"Wait a second, so Ron was really with this girl over the summer?" Harry asked, genuinely surprised. Ginny's straightened up quickly in her chair and scrutinized Harry.
"He really didn't say anything? You mean you really didn't know Lena is Ron's girlfriend?" she asked. "If you'd seen them during summer, you'd---" Harry shook his head when two blurs dashed in from the doors. With a slamming of books and a screech of a chair being scraped against the floor, he heard Ron's voice shout,
"Hermione, wait! I can explain!"
"You told me you broke up before we left! You told me you weren't going to be in a relationship with a sixth year!" a voice shouted back.
"Yeah, true, Hermione but--"
"So, that's why I caught you kissing her just a day following our first date?"