Disclaimer – All of the characters belong to J.K. Rowling and are a product of her wonderful imagination and creativity. Well except for Jaden – she's a product of my imagination and limited creativity.

Dilemma

"Hey Jaden. How's it going?" Ron asked as he entered the Gryffindor common room.

"Not to bad. I'm just thinking." Jaden replied with a sigh as she turned back towards the window.

"You don't seem to be thinking happy thoughts. Want to talk about it?" Ron asked sitting down on the window seat beside her.

"I'm just a little homesick that's all," she said giving him a weak smile.

"It must be tough having your family so far away. I get homesick every now and again, but I have Ginny here and they are somewhat close by, not all the way across the Atlantic Ocean."

"Ya it is tough, but it's not even that I just miss my family. I mean I do, but I miss other things as well. I miss my friends, my bed, my swing and I'm really missing my guitar. I thought that I would be able to handle not having it, but I'm just so used to having it around me and being able to pick it up and play a song."

"Why couldn't you bring it? Is it electric?" Ron asked her. He had learned all about Muggle instruments through Hermione.

"No, it's acoustic. I just didn't have room to pack it. My parents thought that my school books were more important. I personally don't agree with them, but what can I do about it?" She said with a forced laugh. "I'm just so used to always having it. It's hard to explain really. Some people have journals that they write in to get everything out, I play my guitar."

"Just for the record I don't agree with your parents either. I always go flying when I need to clear my head. I think that I'd go mental without my broom so I can only imagine what it's like without your guitar." Jaden gave him a smile and then turned her attention back out the window where there was a group of first years playing out on the grounds. The two of them sat in silence staring out the window until Hermione and Harry walked in a little while later.

"I hope we aren't interrupting anything," Hermione said breaking the silence and motioning towards where Ron's hand was slowing running up and down Jaden's lower leg that was up on the window seat beside him.

"Nope you weren't interrupting a thing. I was just feeling a little homesick and Ron was trying to make me feel better." Jaden explained to Harry and Hermione not even realizing what Ron was doing.

"Well it looks like he succeeded," Hermione said before huffing up the stairs.

"What's gotten into her lately?" Ron asked to no one in particular as he watched Hermione march up the stairs to the dormitory.

"Ron, are you really that dense?" Harry asked astonished.

"Apparently because I have no idea what her problem is." He said staring blankly at his friend.

"Jeez Ron! I can't handle you sometimes!" Harry said before he took off towards the dormitories.

"Sorry Jaden, but I have to find out what the deal is." Ron said giving her an apologetic look.

"It's no problem. I should probably be getting back to my work anyways." She said then leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" He asked as his ears turned pink.

"For helping me out."

"I didn't do anything though. I just sat there."

"Sometimes that's enough," she said getting up and walking out of the common room to head to the library. Ron just stared after her until she was out of sight then took off up the stairs to go and find Harry.

"Bloody hell Harry! What was that all about?" Ron demanded as he walked into the boy's dormitory.

"What was what all about?" Harry asked back innocently.

"Don't be daft. You know exactly what I'm talking about! Jeez… and you're the one calling ME dense." Ron said as he flopped down on his bed.

"Well you are dense Ron." Harry said as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Dense about what?"

"Come on Ron. You are dense about girls!"

"Well of course I am! Every male is dense when it comes to girls!"

"You top the charts though."

"How so?"

"Well just now in the common room is a pretty good example. You asked what's gotten into Hermione lately right?"

"Right…"

"Well you have! Not literally of course, but Ron she fancies you and seeing you with Jaden makes her upset. You can't deny that you have feelings for Jaden and that upsets her."

"I'm not going to deny that I have feelings for Jaden, she's a great girl, but I don't think that that's what has Hermione upset," Ron replied skeptically. "Need I remind you of what exactly happened last year? I didn't think that you would have forgotten it do quickly. How did you come to this conclusion anyway? Did she tell you that she fancies me?"

"No she didn't. I took an educated guess."

"You educated?" Ron laughed. "I don't think so!"

"No really. I just watch her expressions and actions around you and I swear that she still likes you."

"Then why did she break up with me last year?" Ron asked while rolling his eyes. "Oh that's right she liked you. Hold on… correction… she "loved" you."

"Don't bring that up Ron. You know that she was just confused with her feelings, she apologized for it."

"I know that she did, but what does she expect me to do? Take her back just because you didn't like her the way that she liked you? I have pride and dignity Harry. Yes I was upset when she broke up with me, but I got over her. It took me half of the school year and a whole summer, but I got over her."

"I'm not asking you to take her back, I'm just asking you to consider the fact that maybe you have another shot with Hermione and that maybe this time you guys can make it work."

"I don't know Harry. I don't know if I could go through that again. It hurt too much last time." Ron said with a sigh. The two then sat in silence for several minutes until Ron continued by saying "maybe Hermione's just upset by that fact that she has competition in Jaden. I mean she's not used to having to compete for our attention. It's always been just the three of us, but now Jaden has joined our group…kinda…so she's not the only girl anymore. Jaden's also her competition in school work. I mean no one has ever come close to getting the kind of marks that Hermione gets in school, but Jaden is pretty smart. If our first couple assignments are any indication of what she's capable of, Hermione has her work cut out for her. Jaden could take her spot as top student. Jaden also plays Quidditch, something that Hermione would never do. You know her fear of brooms, so maybe she's jealous that Jaden has something over her like that."

"Maybe you're right Ron. Maybe you're right…" Harry said thinking about what his best friend had just said. It was a strong possibility that maybe Hermione just didn't like Jaden, because she was competition and not because Ron was paying so much attention to her. The more Harry thought about it, the more it seemed likely. However, he was still convinced that Hermione wanted Ron back, even though she hadn't come right out and said it. Her actions spoke louder than her words. All Harry knew for sure was that Ron had a dilemma on his hands. In the end he was afraid that his friend would have to choose one girl over the other.

Hermione walked into the girl's dormitory in a huff still upset about the scene she and Harry walked into just moments before. Sure it seemed innocent enough, but then Hermione saw how Ron was caressing Jaden's leg. That right there was not innocent!

"Hermione what's wrong?" Lavender asked looking up from doing Parvati's nails.

"It's Ron," Hermione sighed as she flopped down onto Ginny's bed.

"What about him?" Parvati asked suddenly interested.

"I just don't know what to do!"

"Do about what?" Ginny asked looking up from her book. Hermione spent the next little while explaining to the girls about what she feared was developing between Ron and Jaden and how she wanted Ron back, but was afraid that that was never going to happen now that Jaden had entered the picture.

"Hermione don't be silly!" Parvati said blowing on her nails to dry the pink polish that Lavender had just put on. "I know that it seems like Ron wants Jaden right now, but that's just because she is the new girl!"

"Parvati's right," Lavender said. "Seamus is going all crazy over Jaden as well, I mean he won't stop talking about her, but it's obviously because she's new. I mean the boys are used to seeing us everyday for six years now. It's not that they are bored with us or anything, it's just that a new girl adds some excitement to it. Eventually the excitement will wear off and Ron will be over it. He knows that he's supposed to be with you."

"I used to think so and then I went and messed everything up last year and now I don't know. I seriously think that he's over me," Hermione sighed as she covered her face in her hands.

"Then we just need to give you a fresh new look so you can give Ron some excitement as well," Lavender said eyeing Parvati.

"Excuse me?" Hermione said looking at the two girls who were now eyeing her intently.

"Makeover!" Parvati said as she crossed the room and sat down next to Hermione. "I'm thinking new, sexier clothes, makeup, new hair style, which will lead to a new attitude on getting Ron back."

"So true! Just leave everything to us," Lavender said rummaging through her trunk to find Hermione an outfit to wear to dinner. Ginny chuckled softly to herself watching what was unfolding before her.

"I'm staying way out of this one," she thought as Lavender and Parvati worked their magic on Hermione. Pretty soon it was dinner time and Hermione was ready to be "unveiled" as Parvati called it.

"Alright we need to make sure that Ron is already in the Great Hall before you come in because you need to make an entrance to catch his attention."

"Parvati's right," Lavender said finishing up Hermione's makeup. "If you are in there before Ron then all this is for not because you'll already be sitting and Ron won't get the full affect. So you can walk in with me and Parvati about ten minutes late as to make a "fashionably late" entrance."

"Girls this is silly, I mean is he really going to notice at all. This is Ron we are talking about remember?" Hermione said admiring the girls work in the mirror. She was now wearing a short black skirt with black strappy heels and a tight white blouse. Her hair was done stick straight, something that she had not done since the Yule Ball in fourth year, and her makeup was much heavier than she usually wore it. Her eyes were done up in grays giving them a smokey feel and her lips were painted red.

"Of course he's going to notice! Every male in the Great Hall, including Professor Snape is going to notice you walk in!" Lavender said with a laugh.

"Yeah you look hot Hermione," Parvati said giving herself a once over in the mirror before dinner.

"Just so you know Ron and Harry have just left for dinner," Ginny said poking her head back into the room. She was sent out earlier to be the look out for when Ron had left so the girls would know when to leave. "Hermione you look great," Ginny said eyeing her friend. Ginny knew that her brother would notice her, but she wasn't sure how much he'd like the "new" Hermione since Ron had never been into the real made up type of girls. They were too "high maintenance" for him he always said.

"Thanks Gin!" Hermione said smiling at her friend. "I'll meet you down there ok?"

"Sure thing," Ginny said walking out of the room. Even though Hermione was one of Ginny's closest friends it was still hard to forget that she had broken her brother's heart the previous year. Ginny was a Weasley and with that came a family loyalty and protectiveness that ran very deep. Everyone knew that Ron was fiercely protective of Ginny, but what most people didn't know was that it was the same for Ginny over Ron. Even though he was older than she was, she knew that he was a sensitive and at times very vulnerable person. She just hoped that if Hermione's plan worked that she wouldn't break his heart again, because if she did she would have one very upset Weasley after her. An angry Ginny was something that not many people wanted to come into contact with, since she also possessed the famous Weasley temper.

"Hey Gin!" Jaden said as Ginny walked up to the table. "Have a seat."

"You feeling better? Hermione said that you were feeling a bit homesick before," Ginny asked as she sat down with Jaden, Harry and Ron.

"Yeah I'm doing a lot better now. It comes in waves you know?"

"Oh I know," Ginny said as her eyes kept darting towards the door.

"Should we be expecting something to happen?" Harry asked noticing Ginny's fidgeting.

"You could say that," Ginny said motioning towards the doors as they swung open and in walked Lavender, Parvati and Hermione. All three girls no less than strutted over to the Gryffindor table.

"What's this all about?" Ron asked eyeing Hermione intently, a move that did not go unnoticed by Ginny.

"Lavender and Parvati decided to give Hermione a make over," Ginny explained. "I think she's trying to get a boy's attention."

"I see," Ron said still not taking his eyes off of Hermione. The girls made their way over to where Ron, Harry, Ginny and Jaden were sitting and Hermione sat down next to Ron brushing her foot against his leg as she crossed hers. Ron looked at her, eyes open in shock as she just gave him a seductive smile back. Ron looked away from her quickly and swallowed hard. He cast a glance at Jaden who was sitting on his left talking intently to Ginny. Then he looked back at Hermione, on his right who was biting her bottom lip as she placed some food on her plate. He managed to catch Harry's eyes across the table and gave his friend a troubled look. It was then that Harry knew that he was right all along and that his best friend had a serious dilemma on his hands. But whether or not Ron knew that it was him whom Hermione was trying to impress was anybody's guess.

Title Song – Dilemma by Nelly and Kelly Rowland