She looked at her wristwatch. She had lunch now, maybe she should to go to the library and talk to Luna? She walked up to the Entrance Hall, and into the Great Hall. Luna sat by the Ravenclaw table, but hurried across the Hall towards her when she saw Ginny sit down by the Gryffindor table.

"Why are you looking so happy?" she said, and sat down next to her. Ginny looked up hastily, and smiled.

"Well, you know... it's lunch."

"You can't fool me, Ginevra Weasley! You've done something."

"Done what?" Ginny said, still smiling. "I haven't done anything."

"Come on, tell me!" Luna shouted. Several students in the Hall turned their heads to see what caused the noise, and Luna lowered her voice.

"It's nothing," Ginny said, and finished her lunch. "How was the library?"

Luna looked at her for a long time, and then she shook her head.

"It was okay. But Gin, please!" Ginny took her friend by the hand and dragged her out through the Hall, out in the Entrance Hall and out on the grounds. It was a couple of days before Halloween, and it was freezing outside. And there she told Luna what had happened.

Harry took a deep breath and leaned back in his armchair. Sure, he liked to be at Hogwarts, he actually loved it, but sometimes it felt as though he was trapped in a roundabout – he couldn't go the one way or the other, because everyone was staring at him and wanted a piece of him. Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid – no one understood the way he felt. Well, that was perhaps not really the truth; someone had understood the way he felt. Sirius had known, but that was too late for that now. Harry suddenly wished with all of his heart that he had had a chance to talk seriously with his godfather, but no. Sirius Black was dead, and therefore the opportunity to discuss things with him was gone.

Harry closed his eyes, tried to think if something else. But all that was needed was to hear Sirius' name, then it all flooded him. On the inside of his eyelid it all came before him – how his godfather had fallen backwards behind the curtains and didn't reappear. The ache in his chest became harder, more painful, and a tear fell down his cheek.

"Harry? Are you alright?"

He opened his eyes and tried to focus on the dark shadow in front of him.

"Hermione?" he said, not believing his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Hermione snorted and sat down next to him by the table.

"What do you think, Harry? I was worried, and Ron couldn't explain how you seemed to feel, so I thought that I would check myself."

"Weirdo." Harry suddenly smiled and hugged his friend. "I'm glad you're here, Hermione. Ron's all right, but I mean... you can't talk to him about some things."

"I so know what you mean," Hermione said, looked slightly aback after Harry's hug. "But what do you mean about some things?"

Harry felt his cheeks go red.

"You know – things like... love. I mean, yeah, Ron understands how I mean, but he can't explain to me why girls do what they do."

"When it comes to that, Ron gets frightened. Just as when he sees a spider."

Harry smiled for a bit, but became serious again.

"And then there's – well, Sirius."

"Oh Harry," Hermione said with a soft voice. "You really miss him, don't you?"

"It's silly, I know," Harry answered. "But sometimes, it feels like it happened yesterday, and not nearly two years ago."

"Yes. I know what you mean," Hermione said. "But we can't do anything."

"I know." Harry sighed deeply. Then he changed subject.

"What's the matter with Ginny?" Hermione, looking startled for a moment, caught up with him.

"I don't know. It seems like she's in love, but it's not Dean Thomas, or anyone else I know."

"As long as it isn't Malfoy, I don't care." Harry's green eyes turned black.

Earlier that day, Draco Malfoy had played him a joke. Malfoy had thrown a Furnunculus-spell at him. It had hit him in the face and boils had covered his face and arms. After help by Ron, he had run to the Hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey had made a simple boil cure potion. After drinking it, Harry had felt like an idiot.

"Well, what could you do if it was Malfoy, Harry?" Hermione said. "But I agree that it was a very nasty thing to do, casting Furnunculus-spells at people. But on the other hand, the boil cure potion is very simple, isn't it? I mean, we did it in our first year."

"Yeah," Harry mumbled. He changed position in his armchair. "But it still hurts." Hermione nodded.

"Yes, I understand that. Well, now, where is Ron? I haven't seen him since dinner."

She looked around the room, and caught sight of Ginny coming into the common room through the portrait hole. Her face was red, and she looked angry. Suddenly, the portrait flung open again, and Ron climbed inside. Hermione jumped to her feet, and called to him:

"Ron, we're here!" Ron looked at her and shouted;

"Not now, Hermione!" Then he spotted Ginny.

"Ginevra! Get back here now! GINNY!" Ginny ran towards the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Ron ran after her, but when he entered the stairs, it transformed itself to a stone slide, and Ron sailed to the bottom of it and landed hard on the floor.

"Ron!" Harry got to his feet and helped his friend up. "What's the matter?"

Ron stared at him for a moment with dizzy eyes, and then he shook his head and looked angry. "It's Ginny," he said.

"Yes, we understand that,"Hermione said. "But what's with Ginny?"

"I saw her kiss Draco Malfoy!" Ron sneered. Both Hermione's and Harry's jaws dropped.

"Yeah, precisely," Ron said. "Draco Malfoy! Of all people on Hogwarts, she had to choose him!"

Hermione hastily looked at Harry. Harry's eyes had turned black.

"Did it look like she was doing it out of free will?" he said, and stared at the stair to the girl's dormitory.

"Believe me, it did!" Ron said angrily. "Actually, she was the one who did the kissing in the first place!" Hermione laughed. Both Harry and Ron turned to look at her.

"Oh please!" she said, wiping of the tears from her face. "I know you two don't like Malfoy, but if he likes Ginny and Ginny likes him, can't you guys let it all go then?" She sat down by the table again.

"You saw what he did to me today!" Harry nearly shouted. "Should I let it all go then?"

Ron, looking shocked, turned to look at Harry. His eyes narrowed.

"And why are you so interested in the whole thing?"

Harry couldn't answer that. The beginning of a row hanged like an unfinished sentence in the air.

"Come on, Ron, he's just as concerned as you are," Hermione said, and turned up her eyes. "You two can be really childish, you know that?"

The two of them stared at her.

"Well, I think it's just good for her. She hasn't had a boyfriend for almost a year now, and if it has to be Malfoy, well – then so it is!"

"Merlin's beard!" Ron growled. "I thought that you would know what I mean – his father's a scum!"

"Yeah, so? I don't see you taking after someone, so give me one good reason that he would."

"He's a Malfoy, Hermione," Harry interrupted them. "And the Malfoys are the same, all of them. I believe Draco proved that today pretty good himself."

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Hermione sighed, and got to her feet again. She disappeared up to the girl's dormitory. Ron and Harry still stood up, looking after her. Ron sank down on the closest chair and hid his face in his hands. Harry sat down next to him, not sure of what to do.

"Oh my good..." he heard Ron sigh.

"What?" Harry couldn't help himself, he just had to ask. Ron looked up hastily, and then looked down again.

"I still can't get used to the thought of Ginny and Draco together." He shuddered. "What a horrible thought!"

Harry smiled vaguely.

"I agree. I mean, Ginny and Malfoy... More likely Draco and Pansy Parkinson."

Ron looked up at him with a broad smile on his face. A second later they were laughing. The idea of Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson seemed so "out of space", neither Ron nor Harry could come to think of the idea to come close to Pansy – not even if she had wanted them to. To tell the truth, Pansy hated them as much as they hated Slytherin. But, on the other hand and not to forget, Pansy had been Malfoy's date at the Yule ball in their fourth year.

When they had stopped laughing, they sat still for a couple of minutes, Harry thinking of Sirius and Ron thinking about the Ginny/Draco matter. When Ron finally stood up, yawning and stretching, Harry still sat down.

"Are you coming up?" Ron said, but Harry shook his head.

"No, I've still got some things I haven't done yet," he replied. Ron yawned once more and walked up the stairs to their dormitory.

"See you later, then!"

"Yeah, good night!" Harry called back. He hadn't any things to do, he just wanted to sit there alone and think. Think of Sirius, and of Ginny. Was he jealous? Or was it just because he didn't like Draco Malfoy...