A/N: Well I sure got a flame for that last chapter. Sorry, I really just had Harry/Ginny in there because they helped my story get where it needed to be. I'm glad to be rid of them. Harry will come back but Ginny-Sue won't. Maybe I should just kill her. ;) Only kidding.

Hermione sat up in the common room near the fire. It was Saturday night, after dinner. Ginny had already gone to bed, though Hermione knew she wouldn't be sleeping. Harry had gone to bed soon after she did, looking crestfallen and depressed. He'd snap out of it eventually. He always bounced back.

The portrait hole swung open revealing a clean, tired looking Ron, toweling his fiery hair dry. He had gone straight from dinner to the shower, eager to get all the quidditch grime off him. He spotted Hermione on the sofa and hopped over the back to plop down next to her. She rolled her eyes, but he noticed the corners of her mouth had risen into a smile.

"Hey," he said.

"Hello," she replied, taking his hand and pulling him closer to her. He put his arm around her and she snuggled up to him, still feeling the occasional drip of water from his long, not-quite-dry hair.

"I can't get over what she did."

"I know. I warned her about it. I told her she shouldn't do it. I guess it shows what my opinion means to her."

"Nah, I think her feelings for Harry just got the best of her." Ron suggested, twirling a lock of Hermione's hair in his strong fingers. It still surprised him how soft it was. From a glance it looked bushy and coarse, but once he felt it, well, looks can be deceiving.

"You should sleep Ron. You've got a match tomorrow."

"I don't want to. Not yet."

"I'm way too tired and confused to fight with you over that. So, fine, don't go to sleep."

"Confused about what?"

"Oh it's nothing"

"Hermione," he said softly, warningly. It had been a few weeks since she was ill, and now that they had each other, he doubted she'd relapse so quickly. However, he wasn't about to let her get away with keeping something from him.

"Well, I know I shouldn't be worried," she began, her voice beginning to falter. "But at night when I'll be getting to sleep, Lavender and Parvati will come in, and check to make sure I'm asleep. I always pretend of course, but they seem to be cooking up ways to get to you."

"Get to me?" He had this puzzled look on his face.

"Like get you away from me. So you'll be with Lavender. Who, by the way, is absolutely convinced that she's in love with you. She also seems to think that you just…" Her eyes stung. Usually she wasn't one for crying. Especially not in front of Ron. She'd done it before, only a few weeks ago, but she was at her weakest then. Now she needed to be strong. She pulled away, not meeting his eyes.

"That I just what?" He asked, his eyes clouding in anger.

"That you just settled for me. That you really love her." She could feel her guard being let down. She could feel herself breaking.

"Why the bloody hell would she think something like that!" Ron roared, jumping up from his seat.

"She says it's somehow in the way you look at her. Like you just want to go somewhere private and snog or, even better, shag her." Hermione looked away.

"I would only ever want to shag you!" He was pacing about the room, but stopped when he said this. His ears promptly turning an amazing shade of red. Even for him. "Erm…I meant, that, um."

"Well, just don't expect anything okay?" Hermione said timidly.

"Of course not. I'm sorry. That was a very—"

"Ron thing to say."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just," she paused, composing herself. Making her way toward the girl's staircases, she turned and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it. There are other more important things to be worrying about. I guess I just needed to know. I'm going to bed, before I do something else stupid."

"Hermione—" Ron started.

"It's okay. Goodnight."

"'Night," he said with a half wave. He slumped down on the sofa embarrassed, and afraid of what Lavender might try.

The next morning, it seemed as though Ron had forgotten the previous evening's events. This was mostly because he was extremely nervous, as he always was, about the day's quidditch match against Slytherin. He could practically see Malfoy's jeering face getting ready to shout out foul insults toward him, his family, and Hermione. He wolfed down his breakfast, swallowed his pumpkin juice in one gulp, and ran down to the field. He failed to notice Lavender Brown's flushed face, a triumphant expression fixed on it.

Hermione woke from a fitful sleep. With the upcoming war against Voldemort, her anxieties about Ron and Lavender, and the whole Ginny/Harry love potion ordeal, she knew she was in for a few hundred more sleepless nights. She dressed quickly, tying her hair up in a messy ponytail—she had no time to wash it, she was already nearly late for the quidditch match. Wrapped in one of her warmest cloaks, she made her way down the big marble staircases. Once outside the front door of the castle, she was greeted with a welcome gust of chilling air. The cold helped her forget. It made her numb. She followed the straggling students, and trudged through the snow, now eager to reach her destination.

Gryffindor won, 170 to 30, and so as was Hogwarts tradition, a riotous party ensued that evening. Good cheer was spread all around. Hermione had gone to the library immediately following the match, and so arrived to the party a good hour late. She was greeted by Harry, who was trying to shield her from something, though she couldn't imagine what. Or she didn't want to imagine. He wouldn't let her go any farther than the first sofa near the fire. The sight he was guarding her from seemed to be in the far east corner of the room, and she shoved him aside with great purpose to make her way over in that direction.

"Hermione please," Harry pleaded. "Don't go over there. Honestly, it's not pretty."

"Harry, whatever it is I'm sure it will be fine. I'll be fine. Now move!" He had up until her outburst, still been trying his damnedest to keep her away from that corner.

"Oi, Hermione!" Fred Weasley had popped up in front of her, apparently as Harry's reinforcement.

"We tried to stop him, honestly we did," said George.

"He wouldn't listen to us."

"We'll gladly throttle him for you."

"Oh yes, gladly. It will be a pleasure."

"Never knew our brother was such scum."

"He's a right plague to our good name. He is."

"Wait till Mum finds out. Maybe we won't have to throttle him after all."

"Yeah, we can just set Mum on him. That'll do the trick."

Hermione was beginning to worry now, but she willed herself to keep going. Keep on moving Hermione. Whatever's over there can't be so bad. Nothing you can't handle.

In the corner, there was a crowd of people. Seeing Hermione they moved out of the way. Neville tried gallantly one last time to shield her, and failed.

"Sorry Hermione," he muttered. "We tried." He grudgingly moved over, revealing Ron sitting in one of the cushy armchairs, Lavender Brown unceremoniously wrapped around his waist. They seemed to have some sort of tongue wrestling match going on. The sound was deafening. Lavender's moans mixed with the smacking sounds of snogging seemed too much for Hermione to bear. She covered her mouth and tore up the stairs to her dormitory, tears pouring down her face like rain. Her sobs were so violent and so heart wrenching, there was no doubt someone from down in the common room heard her. Hermione threw herself on her bed, and proceeded to grab and tear at the comforter in anger and sorrow. After a few long minutes of this, she reluctantly decided to go back down. She couldn't hide, and she couldn't run away. She would do the noble, Hermione thing and face it all. She composed herself to the best of her ability, and with one last deep breath, descended the stairs.

All faces turned to meet hers as she stepped purposefully down the last steps. All, that is, save for Ron's as his face was still attached to Lavender's. She was grateful for the shield that formed in front of the offenders. Neville and Harry and Fred and George, along with Ginny, Dean and Seamus were there like an imperturbable charm. Their speaking drowned out any sounds coming from the corner, and the combined width of their bodies shielded her eyes. She got up on her toes and saw that behind them, there were two more layers of students, dutifully standing in. Like soldiers in an army. Hermione's army.

Harry was the first to speak up.

"I'm really sorry you had to see that. I never really got to talk to him, so I have no idea what is going on in his mind. So until I get a word, here we are. Your guards. We could hear you up there. And I personally think it's very brave of you to re-emerge from your room to face this. Not many people could." He stepped forward, and immediately, the space he left was filled in. He strode over to her, and enveloped her in a strong hug. She melted into his embrace, and was able to simply be sad. To be Hermione. She didn't have to be brave, because she had her guard. And she had Harry.

How could he do this to me? She thought to herself. Especially after what we said last night. Something's going on. And once I find out what it is, Lavender Brown is going to wish she had never met Hermione Granger.