A/N: Heh heh. Um, HI!!!!!!!!!!!! Laura here!!!!!!! Hehe. Back again? No, no! Well, I mean, yes, I'm back, but don't grumble because I actually have an excuse for the four months! It is that...three months of it are Kristi's fault! *lol* She doesn't see the A/N's before I post them, aren't I sneaky? Hehe. Well, in all fairness, Kristi was having trouble writing this so a few weeks ago, I showed her that I had actually already written in my dear anticipation, some parts for this chapter. So we decided that since I already had so much written, she would pass this chapter along to me. So that is why we are back after four months. Anyway, please enjoy! And I was just kidding about it being Kristi's fault – she's a busy little bee! She just got back from vacation! Ha! Okay, I had to say it.  I'm just bitter about school having started! It's really not Kristi's fault at all. I'm very sorry about how long it took, and thanks for sticking with us! I hope you enjoy this!

Also, one sentence in this chapter is supposed to come up all italisized but isn't working, even though other things in italics are working.  Typical ff.net. So, therefore that one sentence is in bold. Just so you know, it's like part of the 'flashback' thing.

Disclaimer: Check chapter 1!

***Harry's POV***

It was about two seconds after I slammed out on Ginny that something occurred to me. 

Here I was, stuck in Ron's body. With my girlfriend broken up with me. With my girlfriend thinking I hated her (which I had to say, right now, wasn't too far from the truth). With my girlfriend hating me. With Hermione thinking that I'm in love with her. With Ron thinking...Well, Ron doesn't actually think.  Because if he did he would have realized that he couldn't squeak by so easily without revenge.

All Ron was managing to do was screw up my life.  All I was managing to do was screw up my life some more.  So I figured that it could either get worse, or I could get even.

Guess what I choose?

So I walked into Ron's ugly room, and there she was.

Hermione.

Looking up at me with sad eyes.  The same sad eyes I would be looking into soon, when I put my plan into action.

My best friend.  She didn't even do anything wrong.

"I am so sorry," she muttered.

"Er."

"I honestly don't know why Harry kissed me."

"Oh," I said monotonously.

"You aren't angry, are you?"

"No! Of course not." I said easily sitting down next to her.

Hermione's face fell slightly. "You aren't?"

"Not at all."

She picked at a loose thread on the comforter. "Oh," she looked up at me quickly, and I grinned. "Good." She turned her attention back to the thread.

She wanted me -- I mean, Ron -- to be mad.  I knew that from the beginning.  She wanted him to get wildly jealous that Harry -- I -- kissed her.  But I was just building her up.

She needed to be prepared, before I dumped her.

***

I woke up the next morning set for what I had to do.  I knew exactly what to say to Hermione.  I knew exactly what would make her despise Ron the most.  Exactly where her weak point was.

I just knew that I couldn't do it.

Hermione Granger has been my best friend since I was eleven. I was stupid to ever even consider doing something like that to her.

I walked down stairs way after everyone had already eaten and most of the family was out at work.

I heard light footsteps behind me. "Ron."

I stopped.  I was starting to get used to being in Ron's body so much now, that I was answering to his name. But I didn't want to.  Not if it was Ginny calling to me. Well, him.  I didn't want to look at her.

I heard her voice, the one from the last night ringing in my ears. I hate him, Ron.

So I kept walking, and I heard Ginny speed up behind me, finally cornering me in the kitchen, grabbing onto my arm and spinning me around. "Ron," she said again. "Why are you avoiding me?"

He's only famous because his parents died.

"I'm not avoiding you."  Which, if you think about it, was the truth.  I wasn't avoiding her, I was ignoring her. 

"Yes you are."  She paused to lick her lips. "Something's going on."

I bet if he could give up all his fame and glory just to see his parents again just for one instant he wouldn't do it.

I stared at her, with hollow eyes.  You mean nothing to me, I thought.

"Ron?"

"What?"

"What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Ron--"

"Stop calling me that." I couldn't describe why I wanted her to stop.  I just did.  Mainly because it didn't feel like she thought she was talking to Ron anymore.  I didn't like it at all.

She swallowed. "But it's your name," she said slowly. Her eyes were shining, and she looked like she might just fall apart.

I glared at her. She wasn't allowed to cry. Not after everything she said about me.  I wasn't going to feel bad. I wondered if she had figured it out.  But if she had... She wouldn't be talking to me in such a confused way. Which is what she is, I realized.  She was just confused.

"Something is going on," she bit her lip hard. "I know it, R--" she paused, her eyes darting between mine. "Well, whoever you are."

I widened my eyes. Did she know? Did she know this wasn't Ron? Should I tell her?  But then I remembered that I was supposed to hate her.  I knew it wasn't true.

She breathed hard.  She wasn't sure if she was just fooling herself.  "This is stupid."

"I couldn't agree more."

"I have to go."

"No one's stopping you."

She looked at me harshly. "Fine then."

And the second she stepped out of the kitchen, and slammed out of the house, I leaned over the counter with my head in my hands.

Ginny had noticed that I didn't say, "then you don't know a thing about Harry" in our argument. "A thing about me" is what I had said last night. 

I then remembered why I was in this whole mess with her to begin with, and when I saw Hermione turn into the kitchen, I strengthened my resolve.

I'm sorry Hermione, I told her silently.

***Ron's POV***

I was actually considering going to talk to Harry.  Maybe to try to straighten things out.

Really because I just wanted to get out of here.  Things were getting out of control. If we're too busy messing up each other's lives than we'll never get our bodies back.

So, I got dressed, paced his room for a while, and decided to head down to the kitchen.  I had no idea what I was going to say. I knew 'sorry' wasn't good enough...But it was a start.

I walked straight into the kitchen, before dodging back into the hallway, and peeking around the wall.

Hermione was already in there.

And before I apologized, this might be something I wanted to see.

***Harry's POV***

"Hermione, I was just looking for you!"

She laughed. "I'm here for the summer."

This was going to be a lot harder than I thought. "I want to talk to you."

"Okay, Ron." It was almost sarcastic.  I wasn't acting very Ron-like.  Well in a second I was going to be acting extremely un-Ron-like.

Suddenly I realized I had no idea what to say.  I mean, I knew my reasoning and everything, but how would I begin?

I looked over her head, and saw a flash of jet black for a fleeting second.

Ron was watching.

"This is going to be hard, Hermione," I said finally, glancing over to the wall Ron was hiding behind, before looking back at Hermione's questioning face. "But I can't go out with you anymore."

She stared at me, no change in expression, almost as though as asking 'Are you joking?'.  After about a minute, a heard a voice, choked and small, squeak out, "What?"

"I'm dumping you." I didn't know I could sound so mean.

"Why?" I could hear the flash of anger and determination hiding in the quietly uttered word.

I laughed harshly. "Because," I said simply. I didn't say anything for a long moment, and Hermione's gaze didn't leave mine. I swallowed very hard. "You're just too ugly."

And I would have rather been burned at the stake than be the one saying that to her.  But here I was, saying it.  I didn't care if she thought it was Ron.  I was telling it to her.  She was looking at me.  What was I doing?  Why was I doing this to her?

Don't listen to me, Hermione! I wanted to scream.  In truth, Hermione is quite pretty. She just has no confidence in herself, and that is why I said it.

Because I am a low-life jerk.

***Ron's POV***

My mouth fell open, as I watched Hermione, Hermione the girl I was in love with, start to slowly cry after Harry told her that he, I, was breaking up with her because she was too ugly.

I felt like pounding the wall in. I wanted more than anything to be myself again.  To be able to hold in her my arms, and wipe her tears away. It hurt so much to watch Hermione cry. 

I just wanted to tell her how pretty she was to me.  How even with her eyes red, and her face blotchy, she would still be the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. I wanted her to know so badly, that I never once thought her to be ugly. I never understood why she believed that she was.

She then turned and ran, and the angry look that was on Harry's --well, my -- face fell, as he put his elbows on the counter, and his head in his hands.

"Nice going," I snarled, coming out of my hiding spot. Harry looked up, not even surprised to see me there. "You want to lose one best friend? Fine.  But congratulations Harry, because there goes number two.  We both lost her.  Is that what you wanted?"

I stormed out of there. Harry looked like he just found out his best friend died.

I walked into his room, slamming the door behind me.  Because maybe in a way, I had.

A/N2:  Well, next chapter Kristi will be back!! I'm thinking of pointing out to her that this 4 or 5-month thing could be a tradition.  And it is so easy too.  Why, we could write a sentence a day and in five months be done with the chapter ;).  Just kidding! I love you all too much to do that to you!!  Please review, and thanks for reviewing last chapter! Kristi and I will not make you wait four months again! Sound familiar? *laughs guiltily*