Disclaimer: You saw it in the first chapter; I don't want to bore you with any more.

She decided to try to get to know Ernie a bit better anyway, who could know, they might start liking each other even more after they knew each other better. There was no other way and suddenly, it didn't seem quite as impossible for her to forget her feelings towards Ron.

Comforted, Hermione put away her homework that wasn't due for a few more days and got into bed. Everything would turn out to be fine.

It is Only Sensible

Chapter 2- It Can't be this Easy, Can it?

Hermione went down to breakfast feeling strangely enthusiastic. She didn't care much about Ron; he would only be a friend, though he would still be important in her life. There wasn't supposed to be more and there wasn't going to be any more. She would talk to him as always, though she wouldn't be happily imagining that he liked her in a more than friendly way as she had often done when they talked. That was over and she didn't want those times back, she would be sensible as she had always been before she fell in love with Ron.

Well, it wouldn't be quite that easy. Of course not, she still had her old habits of looking at him and after all, they had been a bit closer lately but she would just act as always, only that she cared about him in another way than before.

She knew she would probably be tempted to avoid him at some point because she knew that would make everything easier for a short while but she wouldn't give in to the desire never to see him again. She knew that she would start missing him so much that she would rush back to him as soon as possible, she had learned that she was miserable without him from earlier fights. Besides, if she didn't come back, she would not only destroy her friendship with Ron but also lose her friendship with Harry. Neither of them would know what was going on and they didn't deserve that.

No, she was going to keep everything as it was on the outside. It was silly to start despising someone you had loved just because he didn't return your feelings. She, Hermione, would manage without that method only stupid teenage girls in Hufflepuff used. No, that expression wasn't fair, she was a teenager herself and she had too many prejudices against Hufflepuffs, Hermione reprimanded herself. Besides, she had a very good reason not to say anything against that particular house.

Hermione was slightly giddy about seeing Ernie but she had decided to talk to him if she had the chance to. It would only be small-talk as usual, about lessons and the weather but if they talked a bit more often, they would probably be able to talk about less shallow subjects soon, Hermione hoped.

She wouldn't act much different around Ernie either, though even the thought of liking him made Hermione feel a bit nervous towards him. She wouldn't show it, showing it would be another thing certain people she was annoyed of did and she was finally sensible again.

Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table with her friends, cheerful as she had usually been lately. She laughed at the jokes they made and rolled her eyes when Ron told them about the latest invention the Weasley twins were selling at their joke shop.

"Honestly, how can anybody buy something like that? I don't know what's so great about House-Elf-Hamburgers? It is a really disgusting idea, the eyes and a snout of a house-elf popping out of the hamburger and begging you to eat them before they are given clothes! The whole thing shows how little people care about the rights of house-elves! Your brothers should help promote SPEW instead!"

Hermione knew perfectly well that her remarks about house-elf rights were no use at all and only annoyed Ron and Harry and made them laugh at her funny ideas but right now, she felt she needed some of their normal bickering.

"Hermione, it's only a joke," Ron groaned. "Why are you always so serious about everything?"

"It is no laughing matter for the house-elves. They should have the same rights as humans!"

"Yeah, maybe they do but I still can't see why you can't laugh about a simple joke. They are happy with their life the way it is. Look at Winky. She is miserable now that she receives payment."

"She just needs time to realise that freedom isn't so bad. Dobby is happier than he has ever been when he worked like a slave."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Will you two ever stop it? Why don't you just realise that you never will agree on this topic and stop trying to persuade each other? If you don't hurry, we'll be late to Transfiguration and McGonagall will fry us."

Ron and Hermione laughed and finished eating, though Hermione knew they would resume their argument another time; Harry's suffering wouldn't end that quickly. They hurried out of the Great Hall to go to their classroom, Hermione casting a quick glance at Ernie.

Later that day, they walked out towards the greenhouses for Herbology. Harry and Ron were discussing the Transfiguration homework and neither of them noticed that Hermione was far away with her thoughts.

Professor Sprout made them work in pairs to tend the exploding pumpkins and as usual, the three had to split up.

"It's OK, you two work together," Hermione said nonchalantly, looking around who didn't have a partner yet. She saw her hopes confirmed when she saw Ernie standing alone. Quickly, Hermione went over to him and asked him whether they could work together.

Ernie looked a bit surprised but smiled at her.

"Yeah sure, that's a good idea."

Most of the time they concentrated on their work but they also had the chance to talk a bit and Hermione found she could chat quite easily with him.

They quickly fertilised the pumpkin plants with dragon dung, careful not to touch the pumpkins in order not to be covered in slimy seeds when the pumpkins exploded and afterwards, they walked together to the great hall for lunch, laughing as they walked.

Hermione found it surprisingly easy to forget the astonished looks on Harry's and Ron's faces when she didn't wait for them.

Hermione and Ernie parted at the Hufflepuff table and Hermione went over to her usual place where she waited for Harry and Ron to arrive. After a few moments, they sat down next to her.

"What was that about?" Ron asked, irritated.

"What?" Hermione asked, pretending nothing unusual had happened.

"You just let us stand there and went on with that Ernie Macmillan and now you're asking what we are wondering about?"

"I felt like talking to him a bit; he really is OK. I don't know what you are so upset about; I don't belong to you or anything."

Ron went red in the face, opened and closed his mouth and then mumbled an apology down at the food that had appeared in front of him.

"I'm sorry; I know I don't own you. I'm too curious; after all it is up to you who you talk to. I was just surprised."

Hermione felt guilty, she knew she shouldn't have said that to Ron but after all, it was her life and if he chose not to return her feelings, he should at least let her live the way she wanted to. He was protecting her like his little sister and Hermione hated this even more than Ginny did.

Their quarrel was quickly forgotten and the rest of the day was almost as always, except for the fact that Hermione didn't think as much about Ron as she usually did. Instead, she was mostly far of in her thoughts and looked whether she could see Ernie.

That evening in bed, she went through the day in her thoughts. It had been easier to push aside her feelings for Ron than she had thought. And Ernie definitely was nice, Hermione thought as the memory of his laugh brought a smile to her face. Maybe she would be able to get over Ron quickly and Ernie seemed to like her back…

Tomorrow was a Hogsmeade trip; maybe she could find a way to talk a bit more with him there.

t.b.c.