I would just like to say that although I love J. K. Rowling and all of her characters, imagry, storylines and the such, they have never been mine and will never be mine. Rowling has just given me a push to explore my own imagination.

A/N: Well, I finally finished this chapter. It took me quite a bit longer than I expected. I think it came out perfectly though. I almost cried myself, writing it. I hope it moves you the way I meant it to. I'm really anxious to hear your opinions on this one. Three new chapters today. I hope that's enough to satisfy your curiosity for now. Thanks everyone! I'm too tired to thank you each individually, but know that I appreciate you!

Chapter 6: The Lies of the Heart

Hermione saw her friend start to weep. She didn't really know what to do or how to react. Then her heart took over where her mind had temporarily lapsed and she reached out and enveloped the sobbing red head in her arms.

"Shhh… Ginny don't cry. Why are you crying?" Hermione began to rock her as she had on the train what seemed and eternity ago. She felt Ginny wrap her arms around her waist and she tightened her embrace. She began to rub her hand gently up and down Ginny's spine trying to sooth her. Ginny just began to cry harder and Hermione began to panic a little. What do I do? What do I say to her? I have to make her stop crying, she's going to make herself sick.

"Ginny please, please calm down." No response. "Ginny please, you're scaring me." Ginny's head had fallen on to Hermione's left shoulder when Hermione had wrapped her arms around her. She slowly turned her head and placed her lips next to Ginny's ear. "Ginny, listen to me. You don't have to cry. You must calm down before you hurt yourself. I told you last night not to scare me again, but you're doing it now. Please Ginny, don't do this to yourself." Is her breathing starting to regulate? Thank goodness, I think it is.

Ginny slowly pulled away, eyes downcast, still sniffling and trembling slightly. Hermione said nothing and waited for Ginny to make the next move. Ginny Weasley just opened up her heart and bared her very soul to me and all I could say was don't cry? Of course she would cry, she's probably petrified after what she just told me.

Hermione Granger was a brilliant girl with a very rational mind. Her mind ruled her actions, most of the time that is. She learned from books, not experience like most people. She gained knowledge and in turn gained confidence in herself. Matters of the heart were a different story altogether. She was a wreck when it came to her feelings. If she couldn't explain or understand the way she felt, she pushed it aside as unnecessary and not worth her time. That was the trouble with Ronald Weasley. She couldn't explain why she felt about him the way she did. She tried for years to make the feelings go away. She dated other boys trying to force rules upon her heart. She told herself she had to date so and so for certain reasons, but she just never felt the same for them.

He was the complete opposite of her. He hated school where she excelled at it. She cherished books where he would rather use them as a doodle pad. He loved Quidditch when she didn't have an athletic bone in her body. He was well liked my most of their housemates when they held her in disdain because she was so much smarter than them. He was expressive of his emotions and she kept hers hidden away. He was brave and confident when the need arose and she usually tended to panic when under a great deal of pressure.

That day after Dumbledore's funeral when he had finally confessed his feelings for her, she had made the decision to ignore her brain and follow her heart. She thought she had made the proper choice although it went against all the "rules" of who she should date and why. After their short goodbye and his clumsy kiss at King's Cross Station, she began to think otherwise. She remembered thinking my heart led me to this? Sweaty palms and a sloppy kiss? She had felt nothing of what she had expected she would. After she had returned home and spent several days thinking about it, she had decided to give it another chance. There had to be something from all these years of pining over him, even though she had vehemently denied it to herself for so long.

When she arrived at The Burrow yesterday Ron had hugged her as soon as he saw her. She did feel safe in his arms, but something was lacking. He had told her how much he missed her and he hadn't stopped thinking about her since their kiss. She remembered looking into his big puppy dog eyes and thinking he was rather handsome when he gazed at her like that. He leaned in to kiss her and she tried to shut off her mind as she kissed him back. There it was, she had thought, a spark, a small one. More like a flicker, but it was there. Maybe because he wasn't nervous this time and I tried not to think about it so much.

"Hermione Granger," he had said, "You're prettier than the snitch in Harry's hand. Being with you is better than winning the house cup!" Then he had taken her hand and led her into the house. She remembered thinking, what a romantic and rolling her eyes at her own sarcasm.

When Mrs. Weasley had told her about Ginny keeping herself locked up in her room the whole time she'd been home, she had felt a sense of pain in her heart for the girl. Knowing how confusing and utterly annoying boys were, especially Ron and Harry, she wanted to help Ginny through her depression. Ginny being the only girl that Hermione had ever befriended, she'd always felt a special bond with her. Hermione had always held the youngest Weasley in a special place in her heart. She'd always adored the lovable red head's fiery personality and felt that Ginny, out of all of her housemates, was as close to her equal as she could get. Ginny did well in her studies, was excellent in spell casting, almost as studious as Hermione, and wonderful to talk to. She enjoyed Ginny's company and hadn't realized how much she would miss it after she returned home to the house she shared with her parents who didn't understand her in the least.

Hermione had always felt that if she needed to, she could share anything with Ginny. When Ginny had run off yesterday, leaving Hermione sitting alone at the picnic table, she had almost felt betrayed. The way Ginny had looked at her sent shivers down her spine. There had been so much confusion and pain in her eyes that Hermione had wanted to run after her. Her mind had told her otherwise. She needs to be alone right now. She doesn't need you. For some reason you're just making things worse. She had felt a great sense of longing to hold the girl and comfort her. To whisper in her ear that everything would be alright as long as she stayed in her arms. She remembered thinking that Ginny had looked so calm, collected, and surprisingly beautiful when she had walked up to the picnic table. Hermione hadn't blamed Harry for being in shock, but she had hated him for making Ginny feel so dreadful.

After Ginny had vanished down the path, Hermione had gone to find Ron. He and Harry were at the hidden Quidditch pitch near The Burrow. She had sat and watched her boyfriend and Harry play, her thoughts wandering back to Ginny. Why did she keep thinking about how the freckles splashed across her face and the way the sun's rays reflected warmly off of Ginny's fiery red hair? She's just my friend so why is her smile burned into my retinas?

When she and the boys had returned to the house later that night, she had rushed up to Ginny's room. She was anxious to discuss her feelings about Ron and hear Ginny's take on her situation. When she entered the desolate room her spirits had fallen. She had begun to panic because Ginny had not returned. With all the Death Eater attacks that had been happening lately, her heart had begun to race as all the awful scenarios she pictured Ginny in, began to race through her head. When Mrs. Weasley had called for Ginny, without thinking, Hermione had lied to her and said she had gone to bed early. To pass the time she had made herself a bed on Ginny's floor. Then she had begun to pace back and forth, mind racing with so many possibilities. She had finally collapsed on Ginny's bed, feelings of guilt eating at her heart for letting Ginny run off by herself. Then suddenly she heard the doorknob turning and Ginny, wet and bedraggled, walked through the door.

She had been so scared and worried that she angrily chastised Ginny for running off and scaring her so badly. When she finally noticed how lost and pathetic the girl looked, her heart melted with sadness. When she had knelt down and brushed Ginny's hair away from her face and Ginny had touched her hand, it was like time itself had stopped for her. All that she could focus on was Ginny's face, eyes closed, guiding her hand towards her cheek. Her mind ceased to function, all thoughts rational or otherwise, dissipated. It was just Ginny, it had always been just Ginny. When her fingertips brushed Ginny's cheek it was like a thunderbolt cutting through the sky. A jolt of electricity wildly sliced through Hermione's conscious and she was reeling in space. When the moment was over, she got Ginny into dry clothes and put her to bed. When Ginny had asked her to join her she had instantly agreed. She had felt a sudden violent need to protect the younger girl. When Ginny tried to talk, Hermione had quieted her not wanting to ruin the moment by thinking about anything. Hermione knew that thinking would destroy everything.

As she looked at Ginny now, head still bowed, wiping tears away from her eyes, she thought, how can I tell her all of this? What about Ron? I can't do that to him. I can't betray him like that. Think Hermione, think of a way out of this. You can't tell her, it would only cause her too much pain in the long run. You can't be together, people won't accept it, it's not natural.

"Ginny?"

"What?" she whimpered.

"Can we talk about this? Are you able to?" What am I going to say?

Ginny finally looked up at her. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, pain seeping from them. "I already know Hermione. I'm just your friend. You don't feel the same. You're sorry, but you've got Ron and I should work things out with Harry. I'm just reflecting my feelings for Harry on to you because you were there for me when I needed you. Am I right? Isn't that what you were going to say?" She gazed into Hermione's eyes looking for something, anything to prove her wrong.

NO, her mind screamed in reply. That's not what I was going to say. I don't know what I was going to say because you said it for me. The only thing she could do was look away from Ginny and sadly reply, "I'm so sorry Ginny." Her heart was breaking. That's not what I wanted to say at all, she thought.

"We should go back to the house. It's almost time for lunch."

"No, I think I'll stay here for a while."

"Ginny, you know you're still my best friend. Nothing has changed between us."

"Yeah, I know…" The red head was now gazing at the stream, her face a turmoil of emotions.

"Don't be too long."

"I won't," Ginny whispered.

Hermione could tell she clearly wanted to be alone. She turned and started the journey back to the house, the pieces of her shattered heart marking the trail behind her.