Ooooh long long long time since I last updated… sorry! I went away on holiday and then had school exams… sigh. But I'm back now, and have written lots of chapters – I promise I will update more often!  Kato xx

Oh and you reviewers are ace:D I have 33 so far! (Bounces around excitedly)

Hermione yawned widely as she sat on the train that would take her to Yorkshire, and the Weasley family. Three days had elapsed since hearing about her award ("through Fred Weasley, of all people" snorted Hermione to herself) and she still hadn't caught up on the sleep that she'd lost. The following morning on from receiving Fred's letter, she had been awoken by the handsome tawny owl bearing the Hogwarts crest that brought her the news she'd been waiting for all summer. She smiled as she remembered the eight 'Outstandings' she'd received. She couldn't wait to tell Harry! Perhaps this would finally make him notice her…? But then again, she'd always been bright, and he'd only fallen for Cho and Ginny so far. Hermione sighed.

It wasn't that she was jealous of Ginny, exactly (although a niggling voice inside her told her that the thought of Harry and Ginny together made her want to curl up and cry), but more the idea that Harry was somehow oblivious to her feelings. Hadnt she made it obvious over the past year? She openly argued with Ron almost every day, yet hardly ever had a cross word with Harry. Yet Harry and Cho argued almost daily, and now that Harry and Ginny were together, she'd heard from Ron that they almost never agreed on anything, apart from the way they felt about each other (the part inside of Hermione cried more). This would be the first time she would see either of them now that they were 'out' as a couple. After Hermione had received the letter from Ron the day before explaining how he'd caught them in the Weasley's dining room, she had immediately flooed her head through to Rons bedroom to find out the details. Ron, who had been surprised at first to find her so eager to talk to him, finally explained that Ginny and Harry had been seeing each other all summer, and that Harry had come to stay for the rest of the summer so that they could become a public couple, and was there any chance Hermione could come and stay with him so that he wasn't so grossed out?

Hermione rolled her eyes. Ron was also totally oblivious to the feelings she had for Harry. He had been chasing her since second year, but she couldn't imagine a future with him any more than a future with Draco Malfoy. She and Ron riled each other up totally the wrong way, there was no way she could be with a guy like that. However, each argument she had with Ron seemed to spur him on, and encourage him to write her letters, send her valentines gifts…

The thought of Ron led her on to think of another certain red haired boy. Since receiving Fred's letter three days previously, he had been (annoyingly) on her mind. She had replied the following morning, with a short and brief letter, and had tried to forget about it. There was no way she had any romantic feelings for Fred, she knew that, but there was a sense of pride about her in the fact that he had written to her. He was older, and had certainly never shown much interest in girls before, despite the fact he was very popular with some of the girls in Hermione's year and also in the lower years. She hoped they'd get on OK when she got to the Burrow.

She smoothed her fringe over to the side of her face and twirled one of her short plaits round her finger in thought as she looked out the window. With a start, she realised they were slowing down and Pickering station was coming into view at the front of the train. She quickly gathered up her various textbooks sprawled on the table in front of her and picked up Kiara's cage. As the train rumbled to a stop, she dragged her trunk through the small train door and out on to the open station. In between bending down to put Kiara's cage on the floor, she was barrelled over by someone heavy and a mass of red swirled into her view. Returning Ron's hug with a laugh, she turned around to find the Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ginny and Harry beaming at her.

"Hey 'Mione!" squealed Ginny, pushing Ron out of the way so that she could give Hermione a big hug. "How was your journey? Gosh, congratulations on your OWL results! I couldn't believe it when I heard! Not that I didn't expect it or anything, but its just unbelievable…"

Hermione giggled at Ginnys uninterrupted fast talking. She was relieved when Harry pulled his new girlfriend away, and turned to his best friend.

"Bloody hell Ginny! Give her some room wont you?" Harry smiled his lopsided grin at Hermione before hugging her quickly. "Its great to see you 'Mione," he said quietly, still smiling that smile that made Hermione go weak at the knees.

Boy, was she jealous of Ginny.

Tearing her eyes away from Harry she turned to Ron, who was chatting almost as fast as his sister was. After briefly greeting Mr and Mrs Weasley, she reluctantly took Ron's arm, which he had offered to her as soon as she had stepped off the train, and walked after Harry and Ginny glaring at their joined hands. Ron noticed her look, and chuckled softly.

"Yea, I wasn't too happy about it at first either," he admitted quietly. "But just look at him! Hes so happy! And believe me, he needs someone special to look after him after losing Sirius."

Hermione nodded reluctantly. It was true that Harry did look much happier than he had seen him in the short time after Sirius' death, but why couldn't she have been that someone special that got him through the hard times? She'd been there before! He had confided in her about everything – his rows with Ron, his feelings for Cho, his fears about Voldemort… but now it looked like he had another girl to confide all that to. Hermione had the growing feeling of displacement from Harry's life, which she knew would grow as her time at the Burrow went on.

She sighed, and blew her fringe out of her eyes. This was going to be a long summer.

Hermione curled up on her sofa bed in Ginny's room, and stroked Kiara thoughtfully. She had finished unpacking in record time, and could already smell the tantalising wafts of Mrs Weasley's excellent cooking coming from below in the kitchen. She knew quite well why she felt so depressed, but hated herself for feeling it. Why couldn't she just be HAPPY for Ginny? She'd liked Harry since the first time she'd seen him, and Hermione had endured hours of her wistful heartbroken whining when Harry had first started dating Cho. She knew that tonight, when Ginny was in the bed next to her, she would be overcome with the need to tell Hermione every detail of their relationship so far. Hermione fell back onto the bed with despair. Was she going to be haunted by their relationship forever?

"Sleeping already?"

Hermione jumped up and shrieked at the voice. Glaring towards the bedroom door, she found Fred Weasley leaning casually against the door frame, grinning cheekily at her. His hair was damp and was hanging over his eyes, giving him a more mature, sophisticated look, but the laughing glint in his eyes was the same as it had always been.

"That happy to see me, huh?" he said, his eyes dancing at the sight of Hermione looking so angry.

"Fred! What are you doing? Haven't you thought of knocking? I mean, I could have been… Working! Or sleeping! Or undressing! Or...-"

"Moping over Harry and Ginny?" He smiled at her indignant gasp.

"I was not! I mean… I wasn't – that is to say, I hadn't – I mean, I'm really happy for-"

"OK, OK! I didn't mean to touch a nerve!" Fred swept his hair out his eyes, grinned at her, and turned away to walk down the stairs.

Hermione regained control of her legs and ran after him.

"Fred Weasley! Come back! I need to explain myself! I have no problem with Harry or Ginny being together!" she cried angrily to his retreating back. Fred turned round and gave her a searching, calculating look.

"Then why aren't you downstairs with everyone?" he asked simply.

Hermione just lowered her eyes to her floor, and in doing so, caught sight of something incredibly colourful on the banisters. The sight of Tobago brought a surprised smile to her lips, and looking up, she was relieved to see Fred had stopped giving her such a hard stare and was laughing at her open astonishment.

"He likes you, obviously" he said softly, leaning over and stroking his bright blue head. "He doesn't usually come out into the rest of the house"

"He's… gorgeous!" breathed Hermione. "I mean, weirdly colourful. But gorgeous."

Fred just smiled his cheeky grin again.

"Congratulations on your OWLs by the way!" he said. "To me, academia is just a load of rubbish, but I'm guessing they were important to you, so well done! Are you coming down for tea?" He started wandering down the stairs.

"Yea, in a minute," said Hermione vaguely. She wanted to mope a bit more.

"You'l have to face the happy couple sooner or later" Fred called over his shoulder. "Plus, Ronnikins will just be heartbroken if you don't show your face all evening!"

Then, throwing a mischevious grin over his shoulder, he apparated downstairs.

Wooo! Chapter three out! I need reviews people! I'm not sure what you think of my writing, and it'l help me update faster! ;) Kato xx