Disclaimer: I merely played with J.K.R's characters.

Chapter 3: Hogsmeade

Ginny sat next to the fire, wiggling her toes. It had been a long day. Ginny opened her diary to a new page and started writing with a fresh quill.

December 8th

Dear Diary,

I just got back from Care of Magical Creatures where Hagrid made us find Snuggling Snow Bunnies. Sounds harmless, right? Wrong. Whoever named them had waayyy too much firewhiskey. They're almost worse than the skrewts! Hagrid said they had a special talent and that we would learn what they did. Oh, and we did.

Hagrid starts the lesson out by showing us a huge crate full of the little fuzzy creatures. They were adorable! (Notice the past tense.) Then, Hagrid just dumps them out and they go scurrying into the snow just like the nifflers he showed us last week. But there was one difference. These didn't come back.

So, Hagrid gets very upset and we all feel bad. After all, the little bunnies were cute. He asks us to help round the bunnies up. Not so hard, right? Wrong. We start trudging through the snow, dragging out feet so not to step on one, while burying our hands through the snow, blindly. When, all of the sudden, I find one. How do I know? It BIT me! Yes, the cute, adorable, fuzzy, little white fluff ball BIT me! Their special talent? Biting. Not only did it bite me, but my arm kept getting colder and colder until I realized the bunny was dragging me down with it! Not only does it bite whenever it sees the light of day, but drags the intruder down with it.

Now, I have many microscopic bites on my fingers under the multiple coats of gauze Madam Pomfrey put on my hand. So the reason why I am writing all funny is because Madam Pomfrey bandaged my hand up like it was about to fall off. Honestly.

And if that isn't enough, Harry saw my hand.

I was coming back from the Hospital Wing and was in a great hurry because I was thoroughly annoyed I had to go there in the first place, when I saw Harry coming down the corridor. Now, normally, I would hide behind a classmate or lose him by running around people, but today we were all alone. I was trapped.

I quickly attempted to hide my hand from his view, but it was too late. He came up to me and our conversation went something like this…

"Hey Ginny. What happened to your hand?

"Oh, nothing. I have to go."

And I walked away. I walked away looking completely stupid. Of course I couldn't tell him about my hand because it would make me look like a baby. He would laugh at me if I told him I was attacked by a Snuggling Snow Bunny and that would confirm his decision about not letting me participate on his plans, so I walked away. But attempting to not feel stupid didn't work, because he gaped at me while I walked ahead with a bowed head.

I'm so mad at myself! Why didn't I just smile at him and walk away. Or why didn't I just make something up? Like… I don't know… that it got hit by a rampaging bludger… or that Grawp ate my fingers. I'm so stupid!

"Hey Ginny!" Hermione plopped down next to her and Ginny immediately slammed her diary shut.

"Hey Herm- Whoa! What'd you do?" To say that Hermione was covered head-to-toe in snow would be an understatement.

"Well, when I was walking back from Astronomy, Ron and Harry snuck up on me and decided they needed some target practice."

"Ah, I see," replied Ginny, attempting to cover up the fall of her face when Hermione mentioned Harry.

"So, are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" Ginny asked Hermione. She hoped that maybe, just maybe, Ron would have asked her.

Hermione tilted her head sideways and produced a false smile.

"Come on Ginny, you're brother wouldn't notice me if I hit him over the head with a beater's bat!"

"Maybe not… but he might if you did it about twenty times," Ginny suggested, laughing. "Hermione, did it ever occur to you to ask him?"

Hermione seemed thoroughly puzzled.

"Ask him. Me? Why would I ever do a silly thing like that? No way. Your brother just needs to figure it out for himself."

Ginny sighed. Hermione was right, of course, but if the two of them weren't so stubborn, none of this would have happened in the first place. But she couldn't say anything, as she was guilty of being stubborn herself.

"Fine, fine. Don't say anything."

"I won't. So, do you want to come to Hogsmeade this weekend since Ron is a complete idiot?"

"You sure you don't want to ask him?"

"Ginny!" Hermione cried, throwing a quill at her.

Ginny walked into the Three Broomsticks around noon. She pushed open the old wooden door and stepped inside to find Hermione sitting with books laid across a table in the back.

Hermione waved her over without taking an eye off the book she was reading, which was a mystery to Ginny. How did she do that?

Ginny plopped her bag down and waited until Hermione looked up.

"How'd you do that?" Ginny asked.

"Do what?"

"Wave me over without looking up!"

"It's called peripheral vision."

"I know that… but were you looking over at the door the whole time? You never even stopped reading!"

Hermione looked utterly confused, so Ginny decided to change the topic.

"Anyway, what's new with you?"

"Ginny, we need to talk."

Ginny laughed and fidgeted with her Butterbeer nonchalantly. Playing innocent was her best bet.

"We are talking."

"You know what I mean, Ginny."

Ginny remained still. Of course she knew what she meant. That, however, did not change the fact that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Ginny, we need to talk about Harry."

"I don't want to talk about him." Ginny knew she sounded childish, but she didn't care.

"You can't keep avoiding him! You know he keeps trying to talk to you. Why won't you let him? You always run away or make up an excuse."

Ginny winced inwardly. She needed to change the subject and change it fast.

"Hermione, what are these books about?" Ginny asked, feigning interest.

Hermione paused for a moment, but then scowled.

"Ginny! You can't avoid my questions."

"Hermione, I really don't want to talk about this right now."

"When are you going to, Ginny? I have waited patiently, trying to make you open up to me. But every time I even mention Harry you freeze and then leave the room moments after! You can't avoid him Ginny. I can help, if you'd like."

"Hermione, I don't need a psychiatrist." Ginny retorted, coolly.

"You don't know what you need! You think you can avoid him forever. You think that you can live in your own little world. You think that everything will magically be-"

"No! You don't know what I think. You have no idea what I think!" Screamed Ginny, losing it, causing people to stare.

"Well then, what do you think? I'm dying to know."

"I think you should stay out of my life! You have no idea what it feels like to be dumped because your boyfriend feels like you won't be able to protect yourself. You have no idea what it feels like to walk into a room of my friends, secretly discussing things without me, and then telling me I'm too young and to go away." Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly, but Ginny kept ranting on. "You have no idea what it feels like to be the damsel in distress! People think it's glamorous and heroic, but it's not! You have no idea what it's like to avoid your best friend, ex-boyfriend, and brother for months. You have NO idea what it's like to be ME, Hermione!" Ginny screamed, not noticing everyone in the Three Broomsticks silently staring at her.

Ginny picked up her bag from the table and turned around to storm out, when she froze.

Behind her, stood Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley.

Pure horror froze Ginny as she stared at them and wondered how much of her lengthy rant they had heard. Ron looked past Ginny and made a questioning face at Hermione.

And it was then that Ginny realized Hermione invited them.

"Hermione," Ginny started, wheeling around. "You set me up. Decided to play the psychiatrist and bring us all together? Invite Harry and Ron and try to salvage everything?" The look on Hermione's face confirmed Ginny's guess and she kept going. "I can't believe you did this. By the looks on their faces, correct me if I'm wrong, but they didn't exactly expect to see me here either."

Ginny stood for a few minutes to let everything seep in, and then stormed out the door and into the bitter weather.