Oh my lovelies! I love you so. And I'm very pleased that you all are enjoying it so much. ::is proud:: ok, welp, here it is! ::eats cookie:: wanna cookie too? Review.

(A/N: this is twenty minutes later)

Harry sat across from Ron, eyeing the chess board. "Oh come on Harry! It's been five bloody minutes already!" Ron exclaimed, exasperated.

"Uh, mate. You've got no conception of time, as it's only been about thirty seconds." Harry answered, before sending his rook to certain death. "What's with you anyway? You haven't been talking much and when you have you've seemed frustrated."

Ron sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's nothing. Sorry. I just-"

But Ron was cut off by Ginny's voice calling from the staircase and the sounds of a panic stricken Hermione. Harry and Ron simultaneously turned towards the stairs.

"Allow me to introduce to you boys"-muffled sounds of Hermione's voice- "of course you can. Hem. Allow me to introduce- Hermione Granger!"

Harry exchanged a nervous glance with Ron as Ginny yanked an unwilling Hermione down the last few steps.

Harry felt his mouth drop slightly. This was not the Hermione Granger he knew. She was wearing make up, and clothes he'd never seen on her before. And her hair- her hair was definitely straighter than before, only curling in a bit at the bottom. But no doubt about it, she looked good.

Harry looked over at Ron whose mouth was opening and closing like a goldfish. Harry felt it was up to him to say something first as Ron was momentarily brain-dead. "Hermione, you look great. Really, you do." He added at the look of disbelief on her face. "Don't you think so, Ron?" He asked, nudging the red head.

Ron made a choking noise and nodded his head twice, his mouth still slightly open. Hermione blushed furiously and Harry nudged him again.

"I mean uh...er...yes you do, 'Mione. Really great." He said, his ears turning beet red.

Hermione gave a small smile. "You really think so? Ginny did it. I quite like it actually. I think I may keep this look actually." She said, sitting down in a chair next to Ron.

"What made you decide to do it in the first place?" Harry asked looking from Hermione to Ginny (who'd just made him shiver by brushing against him while sitting down) for an explanation.

Hermione spoke first. "Thought I'd like a bit of a change, that's all." She said, shrugging her shoulders and picking up her book off the table.

Harry noticed Ron was still staring at her, and he kicked his friend under the table. "OW!" Ron exclaimed, rubbing his shin and looking nervously at Hermione, who didn't look up as she was already submerged in her book.

It took Ron a couple of minutes to recover from the shock and he almost lost the game but made a big recovery when he stole Harry's bishop and last piece with the exception of the king.

As Harry and Ginny set up another game, he allowed his mind to wander.

What is she trying to do? Kill me?

Probably.

That doesn't even make any sense!

Don't argue with me! But honestly, don't you think she looks great?

Well yeah. She looks gorgeous, of course. But...she's always looked gorgeous. I don't know why she did that.

Ginny was staring at her brother, trying not to concentrate on Harry's knee touching hers. Come on...come on you two. Go upstairs so Harry and I can talk...please go upstairs. Hermione, Ron, go upstairs. Go anywhere. Just leave the room. She thought, willing them to move.

She felt Harry's gaze on her face and turned to face the board again. She moved her queenside bishop to take Harry's rook without looking at him and then she finally allowed her eyes to travel up to his face. He was staring right at her, not paying any attention to the game. "We need to talk." He mouthed to her. Ginny's heart dropped. She read enough Muggle books to know that whenever someone started with 'we need to talk' it was almost never good.

"Ron, can you finish this game for me?" She asked, waking him from his stupor. "I don't feel so good." She added at his confused look. Hermione looked like she was about to stand up to follow but Ginny just shook her head and continued up the stairs, not giving a second glance to the boy she loved.

Short chappie, I know. I'm sorry, but I'm working on another when I get out of the shower, so you might get it today or tomorrow. Woot.