AN: Sorry for the long wait folks, but with my new job and the holiday season, I just didn't have a chance to get this out. But here's hoping that all your waiting wasn't in vain. I hope you enjoy the new part, I've worked really hard on it. Thank you so much to all my lovely readers who have left me such wonderful feedback. I love you all!

Part 5: Jealous Tendencies

"Good morning Hermione," Ron says as I sit down next to him.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

He smiles at me and my knees go weak. You think I would get used to it after a while, but no…it still takes me by surprise.

"Pretty good," he answers. "You?"

"Can't complain," I say as I start getting my food.

After only a couple minutes of silence, my tongue is itching and I can't help but say the thing that I've been trying to hold back since yesterday afternoon. Let's face it; I never was good as staying out of other people's business.

"I know you probably don't want to think about it. But if you ever want to talk, you know about the Harry and Ginny thing, I'm here for you."

His face takes on a solemn expression and I get the distinct impression that I've said the wrong thing. "You're right, I didn't want to think about it," he says, somewhat snappishly. "But thanks."

I remain silent, slightly taken aback by his harsh words. I knew I shouldn't have said anything. Stupid, stupid Hermione! You had to go and ruin a perfectly good morning, didn't you?

He takes a deep breath, letting out a long sigh before turning to me, his expression much softer. "I'm sorry," he says, and his eyes show that he truly is. "I'm just frustrated about all this. But that's no reason to take it out on you."

I smile, holding in the surprise I feel at Ron's impromptu apology. "That's ok," I say. "I understand."

"I just wish they didn't…I don't know…I mean, do need to be so public about it? Why can't they snog in secret like everybody else? It's like they're rubbing it in my face, you know?"

I look at him quizzically. Rubbing it in his face? "No, I don't really know. What's really bothering you here Ron. Somehow I get the feeling that this isn't really about Harry and Ginny."

He sighs again, nodding. "It isn't. Not really. I'm very happy for them, and I'm glad that they found each other. And I know that they just started dating, but I can already tell that they mean so much to each other. I mean, it is my best friend and my sister after all, I think I know them well enough."

I nod, encouraging him to continue.

"And I don't know about you, but I have never seen Harry this happy. Not ever. And Ginny, she just has this sparkle in her eyes that I've never seen before. And every time I see them, I just can't help but think that…that I want that." By this time the tips of his ears are tinged red from the flush covering his face.

I want to scream, 'You can have that! You can…with me,' but somehow I am able to rein myself in. That could have been embarrassing…

But at the same time, I really want to say something. I have to say something. This is the perfect opportunity.

"Ron…I…" I start stumbling, but the opportunity is lost as the mail arrives.

Hundreds of screeching and hooting owls fill the entrance hall, one dropping a rather interesting looking package in front of Ron. Well, really it was only interesting because I knew it wasn't from Mrs. Weasley. So who else would he be getting packages from? My earlier resolve to divulge my feelings (well, hint to them at least) is forgotten.

"What's that?" I ask curiously, both sad and glad at the change of subject. Ok, so maybe I haven't completely forgotten.

"Oh," Ron says, putting it on the seat beside him. "It's just the stuff that I ordered for potions. Nothing big."

I look at him skeptically, trying to read the odd expression on his face. If it's nothing, why is he hiding it on the other side of him, and why is he looking determinately at anything but me? There is definitely more to this package than he's telling me. I am about to dig deeper into this mystery, when I am interrupted (once again!) by a voice to my right.

"Excuse me, Hermione?"

"Yes," I answer, turning around to see Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw from our year.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you. Er…in private?"

"Sure," I begin to reply, before Ron butts in.

"What could you need to say to her that you can't say in front of me?" he asks menacingly.

"Ron!" I gasp, looking at him sharply, letting him know my disapproval. How could he be so rude? Turning back to Terry, I try to usher him away from the table. "Come on Terry, we can go over here."

But Terry doesn't move. Instead he looks at me, and then looks over my shoulder at Ron behind me, then back to me. "Er, never mind Hermione. It can wait. I'll see you in class, ok?" and with that he's hurrying off, back to the Ravenclaw table. I turn back to Ron to see him glaring after the boy's retreating form.

"What did you do?"

"I…well…" he starts, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights, but I don't let him finish. Frankly, I don't want to hear it.

"You scared him away with your rude comments and that whole glaring thing," I yell, gesturing wildly at his face. "What if he wanted to ask for help or something? I am Head Girl after all."

His face takes on a dark expression that I can't quite comprehend. "He wasn't here to ask for help on school work Hermione."

"How do you know?"

"He's a Ravenclaw. They're the smartest kids in school, next to you."

He's got me there. "Well, it could have been about something else. He could have been asking for counsel. That is what the head students are for..."

"He didn't want your help Hermione. He wanted to ask you out."

Ron's voice had taken on a grave quality that I've never heard before, and quite frankly I don't know what to make of it. Under any other circumstances I might stop to reflect on this and what could cause such a sudden change, but my anger drives me on.

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"It's the way he was looking at you. He's been doing it ever since you came in this morning. Trust me, I'm a guy. I can tell."

I scoff a little at his comment; as if being a guy had anything to do with it!

"Alright, oh wise one. Even if he was coming to ask me out, what gives you the right to scare him off with your tough guy tactics?"

"He wasn't good enough for you."

And we're back to the old argument. The one that comes out time and time again, whether it be Viktor or Justin or whoever, it was always the same.

"Well, who is Ron? Cause the way I see it, you've run off every potential date I've ever had."

He's silent for a moment.

"No one is," he mutters. "That's the problem."

"So, I'm just supposed to spend the rest of my life single, is that it?"

"No…" he starts, but I'm not even close to being finished.

"Besides, don't you think that I should be the one to decide who is good enough for me and who is not? Shouldn't that be my choice? You may be my best friend Ron, but that does not give you say in how I run my life."

"I know, but…"

"No Ron. You don't know," I say tiredly. "That's the problem. If you did, you wouldn't keep doing this."

I stop talking; hoping for some sort of response, but none comes. Ron remains silent, his head bowed and staring at some invisible spot on the table.

"You were just talking about how you wanted what Harry and Ginny have. Well, I want that too," I admit quietly. "But I can't get that, Ron, if you scare off everyone who tries to ask me out."

"I…"

"Think about it Ron. There has to be someone that you like."

His head shoots up at this, his expression slightly alarmed. "Well yeah, but…"

"And how would you like it if when she came up to you, I scared her off."

I thought I heard him mutter something, but I didn't quite catch it.

"What was that?"

His tone sounds almost bitter with his next statement and I can feel some of the anger from earlier come hurtling back. "So you're saying that Terry was the love of your life, and I just scared him off."

"That's not what I'm saying Ron, and you're missing the point. I should be able to make my own decisions; you shouldn't be making them for me. And until you can see that, I…"

"You what?"

"I don't know Ron. But I can't do this anymore." And that's the last thing I say, before leaving the Great Hall and heading for the sanctity of Gryffindor tower.

I'm sure I imagined the alarm in his voice at my idle threat, but I didn't have time to examine the thought further. I had to get out of there. I'd already said too much. I'd already heard too much.

"There has to be someone that you like."

"Well yeah…"

These words keep playing themselves through my head. A part of me is glad that he cared enough to be jealous, but another part of me keeps trying to figure out who this mystery girl was, and what she has that I don't.

As is normal when we have our fights, I try to avoid Ron for the rest of the day. I hide myself up in the library (as usual) working on schoolwork and the lot. The plus side to this is that I get a remarkable amount of my work done this way, which gives me more time for other things. Like reading…or dreaming about Ron.

Dreaming about Ron. How pathetic does that make me sound? But no matter how hard I try, I still can't shake what I feel for him. No matter what he does, he still seems to hold this place in my heart.

"'Mione?" I hear, breaking me from my thoughts. "Can I talk to you?"

I look up in surprise as Ron invades my sanctuary. He is never the first to broach the silence between us. Despite my surprise, my voice comes out weary. "What, you didn't send Harry this time?"

He laughs slightly. "No. I know you hate it when I do that."

"Yeah," I nod. "I do."

"But, the reason why I do that is because…Harry is so much better at this thing than I am."

"What? Being sincere?" I ask snappishly.

He chooses to ignore my comment. "I know you have every right to be mad at me…"

You got that right, buster! I peer at him menacingly in affirmation.

"…and all I can say is I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I just get so overprotective sometimes, with the people I care about. I get the same way with Ginny…"

Great. He thinks about me the same way he does his sister.

"…which I think is why she stopped telling me about her boyfriends," he laughs slightly at this comment, but then turns serious again. "But the point is I really care about you 'Mione. That's why I always get Harry in here to help with this, 'cause I suck at…apologizing and all that stuff. And I'm so afraid of messing it up…of losing you, that I can't do it."

The sincerity in his voice and on his face makes me forget every reason why I'm mad at him. That was the best apology I've ever had.

"Now, I've probably screwed this up already. So I'm just gonna go now…and let you be mad at me in peace. But I had to try 'cause…"

At this point I can't take it anymore and I thrust myself into his arms, hugging him tightly. He hugs me back, the warmth of his arms spreading through me and making me feel more at home then I anything else ever could.

"Please don't cry 'Mione. I hate it when you cry."

I didn't even realize the hot tears were falling until he'd said something. I hurriedly rub at my eyes, but I find him moving my hands away, and using his own big thumbs to push away the drops from my eyes.

"I'm sorry," he says again, and I bite my lip to keep from crying more. "I'm really bad at the comfort thing too."

I laugh a little and hug him tight. "You're doing just fine."

"Hey, it was kind of inevitable," he says. "We haven't had a good fight in over two weeks. We were way overdue. I think people were starting to get suspicious."

I laugh a little at this, and hit him on the shoulder. "If you just let me win all the time, we wouldn't have a problem."

"I probably should, since you're usually right anyway. But where's the fun in that?"

"Ugh. What am I going to do with you?" I ask teasingly. "You're impossible!"

"I know. But you still like me anyway," he replies, smirking.

That I do, Ron. More than you know.