Something to Talk About by Sara Lady Dalian

A/N: This is an immediate continuation of "Man to... Man?" and I suggest you read that story before you read "Something To Talk About." MtM was written from Severus' POV, but this story is from Hermione's POV.

Chapter 4

She truly wanted to believe that something good was going to happen today, but somehow, she just couldn't believe.

Hermione could only play with her breakfast. When her mind was filled with other things, she couldn't seem to eat. Finally she gave up moving her eggs around her plate. They were beginning to resemble something she had seen in the feed boxes behind Hagrid's hut last year when they were hosting Manticores.

For Hermione Granger, there was one sure method of getting rid of a bad mood or depressing thoughts. And, so, she picked up her satchel and pulled out her books. She had Herbology, Transfiguration and Charms today and there were assorted papers and assignments to hand in for each class. And, yes, she needed to return A History of Passive, Pervasive Charms by Calmmery Lasting to the library. Madame Pince said she would need to owl it back to the Minister's Library in London today.

She looked back at her breakfast plate one more time. In doing so, however, she caught sight of Ron's seat across from her. Her gut tightened. They had been sitting right here, yesterday, when he had opened his mouth and inserted his leg. Fresh anger bubbled inside as she thought about him. She had long ago given up on the idea that they would ever be anything more than friends. Ron just couldn't seem to get up the guts to ask her out, and she wasn't going to do it for him. But, still, he had no right to say that she couldn't do what she wanted with her life!

"I don't know why anyone would want to keep going to school! I mean, what would be the point? The Ministry only requires good NEWTS. Why would anyone need to do more?" Most of the other Gryffindor's nodded their heads in agreement. Hermione could only stare at him.

Professor McGonagall had gathered the Gryffindors to announce the schedule and deadline for tertiary studies above and beyond the NEWTS. Hermione knew that many of her schoolmates wouldn't want to take further studies, but she was glad that the option was available. There were still so many gaps she saw in the classes offered at Hogwarts, so much she still wanted to know. She hoped that she could fill in those gaps with a tertiary study schedule. She should have expected that Ron wouldn't see things her way, but she didn't expect what would come out of his mouth when she said she wanted to go for her tertiary levels.

"But Hermione! I thought..." He looked at his shoes before he gathered his courage to face her again. "I thought we were going to be together."

She stopped in her tracks and looked back at him. The hallway was full of people who streamed around the two of them. No one really paid them any attention, but she still spoke quietly. "We will always be friends, Ron. But this is something I have to do."

"Why? What do you need the extra lessons for if we're going to become Aurors? I don't want you to go away. I thought we'd fight the bad guys and then settle down and have a home and..."

Hermione couldn't keep the temper in check as he listed his plans for their future. "And what, Ronald Weasley? That we'd have a pack of children, a vegetable garden and Quidditch games in the yard?" She could see in his face that is exactly what he had planned. "And when were you going to inform me of this? When were you going to find out what I wanted for my life? Do you even care that I might not want children, a garden fence or that I might not want to have to watch another Quidditch game after I leave Hogwarts?"

It was, she thought, the best part of valor to leave before she hexed his legs off for stupidity.

Memories of his words were still filling her mind when she walked away from the Great Hall. The staircases were still fairly deserted as most of the students were just dragging themselves out of bed. The few that she met on the way to the library were familiar – mostly bibliophiles like her and a few heavy procrastinators who got up early to finish the assignments for first class.

The doors to the library seemed to welcome her and offer her a greeting as she pushed them open. There was a light creaking, as if she were opening the lid to a treasure trove – and to Hermione she was. The light here was bright without being overly so. The air was still without being stagnant. The smell was old without being moldy. It was everything a library should be. For Hermione, this place was what Hogwarts was really about. The magical learning of more than an thousand years was stored here. When she wandered the stacks, she could find answers to questions that she hadn't heard even proposed. Then she could look up the proper questions, which would usually lead her to more questions.

Madam Pince saw her come in the door and nodded to a basket on her desk. She had a stack of books in her arms and one levitating behind her. "Put the book there, Hermione. I'll arrange for it to go back to the Lending Library this morning."

"Thank you, Madam Pince. Please be sure to send my gratitude. The book contained just the information I needed." She gently laid the book in the outgoing basket. "Do you think they might check the stacks for..." but Madam Pince had already gone about re-shelving the books she was holding.

All Hermione could do is sigh and leave her new list. Why Madam Pince didn't just allow Hermione to order the books she needed from the Minister's Library herself she didn't know. But somehow, the books always showed up, whether or not she actually gave the list to the librarian or not.

Knowing she had a few minutes, she headed to the back of the library and the Potions section. She wanted to look at Stealth Potions and their Mysteries once more. There was that question about the statice bud in the Quietness Potion trial she needed to research while she had the chance.

While winding through the Charms section, she heard voices. It was not unusual to hear voices in a public room, but when they mentioned her name, she naturally stopped to listen. It was two girls, neither Gryffindor. Sally-Ann Perks was a Hufflepuff in her year, but she didn't know the other girl.

"I know. Well, you should have seen them in the hall yesterday. She should be grateful that anyone wants her, but she just told him where to put his ideas! Imagine, Ron Weasley!"

"I know, Sally-Ann. I heard, too, that he was looking for her all over the castle last night. He even went to the dungeons! But, apparently, he went back to Gryffindor without finding her."

It was almost too much for Hermione. She knew gossip was natural in a closed environment such as Hogwarts, but she didn't want to be the subject of said gossip. She did what any Gryffindor would do – she rounded the corner and stepped up to the shocked girls.

"Hello. In case you didn't know, I'm Hermione Granger. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. In fact, the whole library could probably overhear it. If you think that Ron Weasley is such a catch, go and try him out for yourself. You're welcome to him. In fact, I bet if you're quick you can catch him shoving three breakfasts in his mouth right now in the Great Hall, babbling on about Quidditch and how much of his homework he didn't get done for today's classes. If you are interested in a perennial thirteen year old with nothing more interesting than flying and sex on his mind then, by all means, Ron Weasley is the right boy for you. Have at him!" By the time that she finished her tirade the two girls were standing there with their mouths open and their eyes wide. "And do close your mouths, you look like gold fish."

Hermione couldn't keep still any longer. She turned from the stacks and stormed out of the library, pausing only long enough to collect her bag.

If she had looked behind her she would have seen a tall man walking out of the Potions section, his eyebrows raised and his mouth slightly pursed. But his eyes were following the tall, angry brunette storming out of the library.

AN: I was originally going to make Ron do something really stupid like get caught snogging another girl while telling Herms that he wanted them to be together always... but decided that this seemed more the thing. I hope it satisfied and answered some of your questions. A bit of a warning – the next chapter is very short. But I needed to separate it from this chapter and the one after it – we'll all just have to deal. I'm working on Chapter 6 right now and it's a bugaboo. Hopefully you won't have to wait long – it's going to be a good one.

Bye – Sara Lady Dalian