Disclaimer : I own nothing that has anything to do with Harry Potter, thank you for your time - that is all.

A/N : Hey, sorry it's rather late but sadly I've been at Driver's Ed since Monday (Bleck times two), which goes from 9AM to 3PM. And I'm so sorry to those who were misinformed but it is NOT fun! It is unbelievably BORING! (Times a billion and six)! But thank the good Merlin! I'm done now, I've completed it all and I don't have to go back anymore! Yay! Woo for me! Heh! Anyway, now there's just the in car part of the lessons and then I get my G2 in November! Yay! Ahaha but anywhere here ya'll are! Please enjoy!

Four Way Connection

The Burrow - Part Two

Primping and Sulking

Hermione's PoV

I huff as I throw the t-shirt aside; on to Ginny's bed.

'Mione!' Ginny whines as she flops onto her bed, next to the shirt.

I sigh and pick up another top. Ginny has been complaining loudly ever since I got the owl from Jess this morning. Once she realized I was going and I wasn't going to change my mind she recruited Harry, but only after she threatened to inform her brothers about something they had done in the broom closet sometime. It must have been something that would get Harry murdered by the Weasley brothers because for the rest of the afternoon Ginny has been dragging Harry along with her, after me. Ron just sat around all this time.

'Mioneee,' Ginny whines again from her bed.

'Where's Harry?' I ask, ignoring her second attempt at bringing up Jess again.

'He's making some sandwiches for everybody. He's so thoughtful sometimes,' she sighs as if this is a bad thing.

I snort; he probably just doesn't want to be dragged up here to explain, in detail, why I shouldn't go out tonight. 'Yeah,' I say simply.

'Okay, Mione! Just listen to me for a second. Hear me out.'

'Do you think I should wear this cloak with that top? Or this top with that cloak?' I ignore her as I hold up a t-shirt.

'He's too old for you!' she starts, 'you don't even know him, you just met him yesterday.'

'Actually, didn't you get that new cloak?' I crinkle my eyebrows.

'I mean ... who meets someone in a book shop and asks them out? A crazy person, THAT'S WHO!' she shouts, answering herself.

Right ... Jess is the crazy one. 'Do you think I could borrow it?' I ask, tossing the cloak aside completely.

'I mean,' she gets up and moves over to the large trunk on the opposite side of the room, 'Ron, on the other hand, has been there for you, been a good friend, been by your side for five years!' she hands the cloak to me and locks her trunk.

'Thanks, and you're right, Ron's a great friend,' I smile and walk out of the room and into the bathroom across the hall.

I pick some lip gloss up from the basket of Ginny's collection of makeup products. As I start to apply it Ginny walks up beside me.

'Yes, Mione, but he's more than just a good friend, he's the guy you've been in love with since you first met!' she reaches over and picks up another lip gloss and hands it to me. 'No, this one.'

I wipe my lips free of the gloss and smooth on the one she gave me. 'I don't want to be Ron's girlfriend,' Ginny opens her mouth but I continue, 'That doesn't mean I want to be Jess's girlfriend, either. It just means I'm going to go out tonight and hopefully I'll have a good time.' I smile into the mirror and walk out of the bathroom, leaving Ginny behind.

'Hey! Where are you going?' she calls out.

'To find both of my shoes! You know, the ones with the bit of blue on the sides,' I yell back.

I walk down the stairs and into the living room.

'Don't worry about it, mate,' Harry finishes as I walk in.

'I thought you were making sandwiches,' I raise an eyebrow to Harry.

'Oh? Er ... yeah! I was,' he grins and backs out of the room, throwing Ron one last look.

'So what was that about?' I ask as I get down on my hands and knees, looking for my shoe.

'Er ... nothing,' Ron grumbles and leaves it at that.

I crawl around for a bit longer until Ron moves up to the edge of his seat on the sofa, 'Mione? What are you doing crawling around the living room?'

'Huh?' I lift my head from under the love seat and look up at him. 'Oh, I'm looking for my shoes. The ones with the bit of blue on the sides. Have you seen them?'

'Why can't you where your normal shoes?' Ron questions, sitting back in his seat again.

'They don't really go well with the cloak I'm borrowing from Gin,' I huff, scooting over to the fireplace to check around it.

'Oh,' he says simply and I can feel his eyes on the back of my head, glaring at me.

I ignore it and stick my head in the old fireplace, looking for those darn shoes. Sadly, they aren't there. I move over to the sofa on the far end of the room, shoving my head under the dusty bottom, then I climb over it and fall over it, onto the painfully hard floor. I take the opportunity to search for my missing shoes which are, again, no where to be found.

I prop myself up on my hands and push myself up, dusting off a bit.

'Where could they be?' I mumble, tugging on a strand of hair, thinking.

I look over to where Ron is sitting and out of the corner of my eye I can see him sulking; his arms folded across his chest, his eyebrows furrowed, and his mouth twitching. I sigh. 'They aren't here.'

That's a lie, I haven't looked behind the trunk next to the sofa I'm standing behind and I haven't checked by a tub of laundry in the corner. I just don't want to be in this room right now. Ron looks so mad and so ... hurt. Why? I don't know but I'm sure it has something to do with me and Jess. I wave lightly as I pass him but he doesn't even bother to look up.

I walk out of the room but just as I'm past the door I stop. Perhaps I should go ask what's wrong? We are, after all, friends. A month ago I would have been there with him, nagging at him to tell me what was wrong. But after all that happened this week ... I guess we really can't be friends after everything. Of course, that doesn't mean I won't try to keep the Golden Trio together. It'll just be a bit harder. Right now, though, I have a shoe to find!

I step into the kitchen where Harry is preparing those sandwiches. He looks like he has just started, which isn't a big surprise since I don't really think he was actually going to make them until I walked in and accused him of lying.

'Hey, sandwich?' he asks, pointing at one of the only ones he's made so far, as if to prove he really is making sandwiches.

'No thanks. Have you seen my shoes? The ones with little blue bits on the side?' I ask as I move around the table in search of the shoes.

'Nope, sorry. Why do you need shoes?' he asks as be cuts another sandwich into a small triangle.

'They match what I'm wearing tonight.'

'Ah yes, tonight ... the date with the psycho,' Harry smiles knowingly.

'Don't call him that. You don't even know him,' I defend him, now opening cabinets around Harry's head.

'Neither do you. You met him yesterday at a book shop,' he points out, ever so kindly.

'Well he seems nice enough,' I say, "accidentally" hitting Harry in the head with a cupboard door.

He mumbles an 'Ouch,' and moves to the opposite end of the counter. 'All I'm saying is ... maybe it's not such a good idea to be going out. You know? I mean, you and Ron just made up and everything.'

I narrow my eyes, 'What has that got to do with anything? And just incase you wanted to know, I would never have had to make up with Ron if he hadn't been such a pain in the arse in the first place! So if you're suggesting, Harry, that I should pay for his stupidity then I'm sorry, but you're going to be disappointed. I waited long enough for Ron and he messed that one up even before it got the chance to grow! So if you're asking me to wait around and moon over him for another five years ... don't hold your breath. We're friends, and for once in my life I can say that without the little voice in the back of my mind saying 'yes but maybe one day we'll be more' and thank god for that!' I turn on my heals and stamp out of the kitchen.

Fuming, I bound up the stairs and back into Ginny's room, which we are sharing with me these few weeks before school starts.

'Listen, Mione. I've been thinking about it and maybe you should take someone along on this date. None of us know this Jess guy and since he is older than you I think you should -'

I cut her off, 'Ginny! Just relax. Jess isn't a psycho, he isn't a pedophile, he isn't a freak, and no!' I hold up a hand before she can cut in, 'he isn't an escape Azkaban prisoner from that show you watched a week ago!'

'I still think you should take someone with you ...' she trails off.

I shake my head and grab a necklace and matching bracelet and walk over to the mirror to put them on.

'We're just trying to do what we think is best, Mione. We don't want to see you get hurt,' Ginny moves over to the mirror, standing beside me.

'Like with your brother?' I raise an eyebrow.

I clip the jewelry on and grab a bag of Ginny's which is sitting on the floor. I lift it up to her and she nods. 'Thanks.'

I move back to the bathroom, Ginny hot on my heals. I stuff the lip gloss into the bag and grab a bit of tissue and throw it in as well. She moves over and picks up a hair tie from the cabinet under the sink and sticks it in the bag as well.

'Alright. I think I'm pretty much set, I'll just get a few galleons and then I'll get dressed!' I say brightly.

Suddenly I remember taking my shoes off in Ron and Harry's room when I arrived a while ago. I rush in to their room to try and find them.

Ron is lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling silently. 'Oh, hey,' I say quietly.

He looks up, startled, 'hi.'

'I'm just ... looking for those shoes.'

He points to the corner of his room, by the dresser. My shoes are sitting there neatly. 'I was going to call you,' he says blankly.

'Yeah, thanks,' I walk over and shove them on; they're not going to get lost again.

'Have fun,' he sighs.

'Thanks,' I mumble as someone knocks on the front door.

I look at Ron who is now staring at me with eyes filled with regret ... and I freeze.