"Ernie? I always thought you liked Harry! Hey Parvati, isn't your sister Padma together with one of Ernie's room-mates? Maybe we could arrange something…" Lavender said, a small grin on her face.

"Oh no, please don't!" Hermione groaned. "That would be so embarrassing! I'd rather try to get to know him better on my own first, if that doesn't work out, maybe we could think about something else."

"Whatever you want but I'm sure we could arrange something. Just tell us if you want us to."

They discussed the different possibilities for a while before turning to other subjects. It wasn't until late in the night that Lavender, Parvati and Hermione returned to their own room.

It is Only Sensible

Chapter 4- A New Point of View

The next morning, Hermione was so tired she could hardly get out of bed but she was quite satisfied with the world in general. She sat next to Ron and Harry as usual but felt as if there was a new distance between them. She didn't mind it much though; her head was still filled with the conversation at their little party yesterday.

It had been so nice to have a light conversation with some other girls, not that she didn't feel comfortable with Ron and Harry but especially since Harry had heard about the prophecy (he had told them about it right after the summer holidays), they had mostly been serious and Hermione felt she just needed a change.

Neither of the boys seemed to notice that she was absentminded most of the time; they were only irritated when she nearly fell asleep in History of Magic like all the others.

At lunch, Ginny asked her to sit with the other girls and as Ron and Harry didn't object, Hermione went over to them and was once again soon giggling at their jokes and remarks about Dean's new haircut.

In Ancient Runes, Hermione sat down next to Ernie and though she felt unsure now that others knew that she was attracted to him and was uncomfortably aware of Lavender's looks at the two of them, she managed to talk to him almost normally.

After that day, Hermione spent more and more of her time with the other girls and talking to Ernie in the hallways and spent less time with Ron and Harry. It seemed that while she tried to avoid thinking about Ron at first, she soon just couldn't find enough time for all of her friends anymore and as if to prove to herself that Ron didn't mean much to her, she chose to prefer being with her new friends.

When the next Hogsmeade visit came, Ernie asked her out and she agreed. Ron and Harry had already guessed that she wouldn't be going to Hogsmeade with them so they weren't surprised when she told them she would be going with somebody else and told her to enjoy herself, though Hermione tried not to look at Ron's face as she told them.

Her other friends were really excited when they found out about her date with Ernie and gave her endless advice on what to do and what not to.

Hermione herself felt somewhat reserved about the date with Ernie but reminded herself that she really liked him and that it was only logical to go on a date with someone you liked after a while. It would be fun and she finally wouldn't be alone anymore.

That night, Hermione's sleep was disturbed by confused dreams about Ron but she pushed all thoughts of him aside in the morning. Ron would never love her back and she didn't care for him in a more than friendly way anymore. She only cared for Ernie and she should think about the date she had with him.

Hermione got ready, putting a few spells on her hair to make it less bushy and applying make-up, something she usually never did. Her friends complimented her to her looks and wished her luck with the date.

"I can't understand how calm you are!" Lavender marvelled. "I would be so excited but I guess you never show your excitement."

'I just don't really love him,' a small voice at the back of Hermione's head said but she determinedly pushed it away.

"You're right, I'm just good at hiding how I feel," she agreed before going over to where Ernie had just arrived.

Hermione successfully pushed aside all her doubts during her trip to Hogsmeade and enjoyed her conversation with Ernie in Madam Puddifoots. To her great surprise, the two of them ended up kissing and Ernie confessed that he had liked her for quite a while now. They were a couple when they returned from Hogsmeade.

That evening in the common room, Hermione was surrounded by the other girls asking her how it had been. Smiling and giggling like them, Hermione answered their questions and wondered why they were all so excited; after all, she was the one who had a boyfriend, not they.

Inside, Hermione was wondering how she would let Ron and Harry know, after all they were her friends and she knew it wouldn't be fair to let them find out through the gossip that would probably travel through Hogwarts, there was always gossip about everything. She just hoped that Ron wouldn't act as if she were his little sister as he sometimes tended to; she remembered how he never wanted Ginny to have a boyfriend.

Finally, the other girls backed off and Hermione sat down at a table alone and took out her Transfiguration homework, Ron and Harry hadn't turned up yet. Half an hour later, they came in loaded with sweets from Honeydukes. Hermione cleared some space and they came over and sat down, offering her some chocolate frogs as well. They were still engrossed in a conversation about the newest racing broom but after a while, Harry turned to her and asked her what she had done in Hogsmeade.

Hermione told them that she had gone out with Ernie and that they were a couple now.

"With Ernie? Well, that is a bit of a surprise but he is nice."

Hermione looked at Ron to see how he would react. He looked surprised as well, as Hermione could tell by the hint of red in his face; Ron always went red at any emotion but he smiled at Hermione.

"Yeah, that's great, good luck!"

t.b.c.

Sorry I took so long to update. Anyway, thanks for your reviews and as always, I am glad to receive new reviews!