A/N: I'm horribly sorry that I haven't updated in forever! Life and senior year, unfortunately, got in the way. But here's the next chapter and the one after that is the last one. I've finished the whole story, so after I get a couple of reviews I'll post the last chapter. And thanks to everyone that kept asking me to update. I really appreciate your support and I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner! Hope you like the chapter!


Ron got back from the hospital wing just in time for supper, which was really a very Ron sort of thing to do. His behavior, on the other hand, was quite unusual.

Ron was still looking a bit pale as we sat down to supper and was pushing his food around the plate instead of eating it. I looked at Harry and he shrugged and turned to whisper something in Ginny's ear. Ginny nodded solemnly in response and whispered, "It'll be fine." I noted the intimacy from across the table and couldn't help but wish that Ron would...well, that he would do something aside from sit there beside me looking sullen and pushing his food around.

"What's wrong?" I finally asked sharply.

Ron jerked his head up from the table and glared at me. I couldn't help but be happy that he was at least showing some life.

"Oh! I didn't mean it like that, Ron. You know that!" What was it about our relationship...friendship, that caused us to be constantly misunderstanding each other? I laid my napkin on the table to avoid pulling it apart and turned on the bench to face him. "I'm just worried about you. Are there some after-effects of Madam Pomfrey's treatment? You're not eating." Maybe I should've forced my way into the hospital wing. Made sure that Ron really was all right.

"I'm fine," Ron said as he grabbed a roll and ripped it in half. "I'm just having bloody horrible week. And I have my bloody damn detention tonight."

He laid the roll down on his plate without taking a bite and looked at me intensely. Having his eyes on me like that made me feel vastly uncomfortable. He usually only completely focused on me like that when we're arguing.

"Don't swear Ron," I said, for lack of anything other ideas. Most of the reasons Ron's week had been horrible were because of Ginny's misguided idea that Ron fancied me. I felt wretched. "It'll get better?" I tried.

Ron shook his head and looked across the table at Ginny. His eyes narrowed as he noticed that she was chatting cheerfully with Harry. Ron frowned and I wished that I could fix everything for him. Maybe I should talk with Ginny. I hated to see him looking so dreadful.

"Not if she has anything to say about it," Ron said as he turned back toward me. "I swear, mum and dad should've stopped after me."

"Should've stopped after you Ron?" Ginny laughed as she inserted herself into our conversation. "And how would that've helped anyone? More like they should've skipped you. Probably would have if it were possible."

I looked between the two of them nervously and saw Harry do the same.

"Now Ginny," I started and instinctively put my hand on Ron's arm to hold him back.

"What, Hermione?" Ginny said harshly as her eyes flashed. "Still defending this thick lout after all this time? I would've thought you of all people would've been at your wit's end -"

Ron stood up and my hand wasn't able to stop him. It fell uselessly by my side.

"Leave Hermione out of this! She has nothing to do with it."

"You're right," Ginny said as she stood up. "If you're having an awful week it's your own fault and you deserve it." She glanced at me and smiled sweetly before turning back to Ron. "Are you looking forward to your detention, dear brother?"

"You planned that too, didn't you?" Ron yelled as he leaned across the table. "I'm gonna owl mum!"

"Oh," Ginny responded as she leaned toward Ron, "That's big of you! Maybe I should owl mum and tell her why I did what I did?" Ron gaped at her and I wondered what exactly Ron had done.

"Ginny!" Harry hissed, taking advantage of Ron's silence. "Not now."

Harry pulled on Ginny's arm and nodded to me at Ron. Sighing, I pulled on Ron's arm.

"Ron! Sit down."

Eventually Harry and I were able to pull the two of them down, not that it did much good. Both Ginny and Ron ended up being insufferable moody prats the rest of supper. Harry and I tried to carry on a conversation, but it was basically useless since neither Ron nor Ginny would do anything but huff and glare at each other the whole meal. It was a disaster.


Later, the four of us were sitting in the common room. Ron was beside me on the couch scribbling furiously away at something and radiating waves of anger. I tried to ignore him and concentrate on reading the Potions chapter that I was supposed to have finished last night. I couldn't get behind.

"They're plotting against me. I know they are." I heard Ron whisper and followed his gaze to Harry and Ginny who were sitting across the room. I could tell that Harry was trying to calm her down and tried to suppress my jealousy about their relationship. I was tired of dealing with Ron. I was tired of loving him and getting nothing back.

"You're paranoid. You know that, right?" I started. They weren't plotting against him. They just happened to be lucky enough that they fancied each other. "Just because Ginny played a little trick on you yesterday…" I trailed off uncertainly and opened my book back up to Chapter Seven, bracing myself for Ron's response.

"It wasn't a little trick! She charmed my robes so that they would flash my thoughts in neon pink letters across my chest. My personal thoughts! In neon pink!"

Ron pronounced each world with emotion, passion. I tried to ignore the desire I had to fix Ron's problems and make them my own. Brushing a few tangles of hair out of my face, I tried not to wish that Ron would channel that passion into something a little more...constructive.

Banishing that though before it fully formed, I turned back to my textbook. I had to finish this chapter. I should've finished it last night. If I had maybe Ron wouldn't have had the allergic reaction and I wouldn't have gotten detention.

"It's not like it was that big of a deal. You noticed it a few seconds after she put the charm on and had me reverse it straight away. It's not like we haven't heard you say those same things about Snape out loud before…I thought it was funny." And it had been funny. Especially because Ginny hadn't involved me. Ron might've gotten a detention, but I had been relieved.

I turned the page and found, in italics, a short spell that tests for the allergy for lurania. That would have been helpful.

"A detention Hermione! A detention!"

"Like you've never had one of those before," I said as I memorized the spell and determined to do it at my first chance. "What did you do to make Ginny do that anyway?"

Ron looked over at the fire for the moment before turning back to me and professing that he didn't do anything. He crossed his arms and set his jaw as if daring me to challenge him.

I'd been wondering for weeks what Ron had done to Ginny and I wasn't about to back down from any challenge set by Ronald Weasley. I closed my Potions text and set it to the side.

"I hardly believe that Ron Weasley. Ginny's been going around for weeks now saying that you're a daft prick who needs some sense knocked into him. Might you know why that is?"

His eyelids fluttered downward and he looked across the room before apparently getting lost in thought. I let him stay that way for a moment before I couldn't take it anymore.

"Honestly Ron, out with it! What did you say to get Ginny so hacked off?"

Ron looked at me oddly and with a little bit of fear. I suddenly felt a bit apprehensive.

"I only said..." Ron trailed off.

"Ron!" Was he going to tell me or not?

Frustrated by his lack of response, I followed his gaze to where Harry and Ginny had just gotten up from their couch. They were headed over to us. I could only hope that Ginny didn't do anything else. I didn't want detention tonight to be unbearable. It was bad enough that I'd have to go through with it. Please Ginny, don't make this any worse.

"Ron," Ginny started with a grin, "I-"

Ginny stopped talking as Harry whispered something in her ear. It looked like such an intimate moment that I felt a bit uncomfortable watching.

"Ron," Ginny finally started again without the grin, "I just wanted to say that we shouldn't fight anymore. I'm sorry."

It wasn't like Ginny to just give in like that. She could be even more stubborn than Harry sometimes. What was going on?

"Very magnanimous of you Gin."

I heard Ron's confident voice and did a mental double-take. Did he really just use the word magnanimous?

"We're going to the library." I vaguely heard Ginny announce their plans as I pondered the sudden increase in Ron's vocabulary. Had he actually been studying? Without me?

Had he been studying with someone else?

"Oh, and Hermione?"

Wait. Ginny's talking to me.

"Yes?" I finally replied.

Ginny smiled.

"Ron fancies you."

And with three short words she ended any hope I had of getting through adolescence relatively unscarred. She'd basically told Ron that I like him. Ron doesn't fancy me and Ginny's only got that idea because I fancy him. And now he'll know. He'll know and he'll hate me forever.

Nervously, I looked over at Ron. He was staring straight ahead with his eyes closed and an expression on his face that made me feel queasy. It was somewhere between disgust and fear.

"Hermione?"

I couldn't hear what he had to say. His voice was concerned. He'd probably be gentle and let me down easily, but I couldn't hear it. I didn't have many hopes left lately and I couldn't let this one be completely crushed. I obviously knew Ron didn't love me, but I couldn't hear his complete lack of feelings for me from his own voice. I wouldn't be able to handle it. Fighting back tears, I quickly gathered my books.

"I have to go." I tried to smile at Ron. It wasn't his fault that he didn't love me.

I gave Ron one last look before heading out the door. He'd seemed so sad, but I bet I felt worse. In that moment, we'd both lost the friendship, but I'd also just lost the only boy I'd ever loved.

Tears were streaming down my face as I collapsed against the brick wall just outside of Gryffindor Tower, crying. Some time later, a seamstress in the painting above me asked what was wrong...and it made me realize what a scene I'd probably been making. I couldn't let this break me. I was too smart for that. There was another way to deal with this entirely.

As soon as I found Ginny, I was going to kill her.


By the time I reached the library, I'd worked myself into quite a state. I crashed through the doors and headed straight to the table where Harry and Ginny sat. I got to the table and Ginny just stared at me, like she didn't realize what she'd done.

"What the hell is your problem Ginny!"

"What?" She had the audacity to look shocked.

"You promised not to tell anyone!"

Ginny stood up and said, "Tell anyone what?"

She couldn't not know what she'd done. She'd broken the friendship code.

"About Ron!" I elaborated.

"I didn't!" Ginny protested with wide eyes. "I told you that Ron likes you. You're supposed to be happy!" She looked over at Harry.

"Nice try," I said before she could get Harry to defend her. "Ron doesn't like me. I told you that."

My voice was shaky. I hated having to say it.

"And I told you that you were wrong! He's practically in love with you."

Doesn't she realize how much worse hearing her say that makes me feel? Praying that my tears held off until I could find someplace private, I spoke as plainly as I could and hoped that Ginny felt my pain. I hoped it hurt her.

"He doesn't love me. And because of you I'm not even sure if he's going to be my friend anymore. You just ruined my life."

"Hermione."

"Harry, shut it."

"Hermione," Ginny said gently.

"Ginny, I thought you were my friend. Don't ever speak to me again."

And with that I severed ties with one of my best friends. Walking out the door, I realized that I'd already lost two friends today. By the end of the night I might not have any left.

I walked through the hallways and tried to find a place to be alone. It wasn't as easy as it would seem. Students were walking through all of the corridors and I decided not to try any more empty classrooms after inadvertently interrupting Seamus and Lavender's snogging session. I definitely wasn't going to cry in a bathroom like first year. And I couldn't go back to Gryffindor Tower, as he was there. Finally, I decided to go outside, thinking that the fresh air might do me some good. And without a thought to the rules, I headed straight to the Forbidden Forest.

I could handle being without friends. I'd done it before and I could do it again.