Hermione opened the door looking very flustered. She held together a pink robe with one hand and her eyes were unfocused.

"What the hell do you want, Weasel," she whispered hastily and very un-Hermione like.

Ron's mouth gaped open to complement his confused look. Then, he had a hurt look, but that turned into an angry expression. He shoved a box into her hand that was wrapped with red wrapping paper and a green bow.

"Merry bloody Christmas," he spat. He turned on his heels and walked off.

Disclaimer:

Chapter 9

Jenna Lovell

Ron didn't come downstairs for Christmas. Ginny tried several times to bring trays of food up to him, but he refused it. He eventually locked his bedroom.

The kids spent most of the day playing with the Tacky But Wacky Superball Fred and George had given everyone. Harry had put his away after it ricocheted off a wall and back to one of his… extra-sensitive areas.

Hermione appeared to be engrossed in a book titled E-mail: The Muggle's Floo Powder by Edwin Capp, but her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking deeply about the gift Ron had given her which was hiding under her pillow. She hadn't opened it. She didn't know what to expect.

Ron sat at his desk sucking on the end of his quill. He had already written a letter earlier that day, but he still had more to say. He hadn't given her any of the letters. He had tried so hard to, but he was afraid of her rejecting him. Ron knew that most likely the letter would go in the box with the rest of them, but he wrote it anyway.

He heard a sudden burst of laughter coming from downstairs.

'Hermione is probably laughing along with them,' he thought. Hermione really did hate him, and she had moved on.

The eve before their return to Hogwarts, Ginny and Hermione were packing their trunks in silence. Hermione was packing sluggishly hoping Ginny would finish first and leave. She didn't want anyone to know about the box. She had pulled the box out earlier debating whether or not to open the box. In the end she stuffed it under the bed.

"What's that under your bed?" asked Ginny.

Hermione looked down. A bit of red was sticking out from under the bed. Evidently, she hadn't pushed it far under the bed. She pulled it from under the bed and stuffed it into her trunk.

"Uh, it's a Christmas present from, um… Viktor. He sent it to me."

"I didn't know you still wrote to him."

"Yeah, sometimes…"

Ginny looked at Hermione suspiciously and resumed her packing.

The new term had begun again, and Hermione found herself in the library. She was halfway through her charms essay and she reached into her bag to get the book to verify a fact. Her hand brushed across a box. She pulled it out and stared at the Christmas wrapping. She looked around before sliding her finger under the end and ripping the paper.

Under the paper was a white box. She removed the lid and looked inside. She lifted out a black leather bound diary. On the front cover was her name written in gold manuscript: Hermione Jane Granger. She flipped through the pages before setting it to the side and lifting the second item in the box. It was a Natasha Bedingfield CD.

'How did he know I wanted this?' Hermione thought. She put the CD back inside. She placed the diary on top and grabbed the lid. There was a letter attached on the inside of the lid she hadn't noticed before. It read:

Dear Hermione,

I know you hate me, but please just listen.

I know gifts won't buy me your friendship, but the gifts are special in their own way.

You're probably wondering about the Natasha Bedingfield case thing. On the train to Hogwarts at the beginni8ng of the year, you told us how you spent your summer. You mentioned how you heard this great new muggle singer named Natasha Bedingfield. You never mentioned anything else, but I remembered it. I figured that I could get you something related to her for Christmas, so I wrote my Dad asking him to find out anything about her. He sent me this case a few weeks later. I don't know what it is, but I hope that you'll like it.

The diary I gave you is no ordinary diary. I sorta got the idea of them from Tom Riddle's diary. Remember when Harry told us how the diary absorbed his words and answered back? Well, this diary does that except whatever you write is transferred to another diary. I have the other diary. And whatever appears in your diary won't disappear until you read it. Please pick it up and read it sometimes. You don't have to write me back or anything.

Merry Christmas, 'Mione, and a Happy new Year… for the both of us.

Love,

Ron

Hermione put the lid back on the box. She stuffed the box and wrapping paper back insider her bag and got out her charms book to finish her essay.

A couple of weeks later, Hermione still hadn't opened the diary again. She wanted to see if Ron had written in it, but at the same time she didn't.

Meal times would have been very lonely if it wasn't for a 7th year Hufflepuff girl, Jenna Lovell. Jenna had long straight, dark hair. Her complexion was very pale which perfectly matched her silver eyes. Jenna was appreciative of Hermione's companionship having just transferred from Durmstrang a month before.

"So, what's it like over in Durmstrang?" Hermione questioned, helping herself to a piece of chicken.

"In one word: cold. And it was quite frightening with all emphasis on dark arts. The couple of years I was there, I was afraid that one of my classmates would become a death eater! I spent the first year learning Bulgarian. Sometimes I wanted to yell at my teachers and tell them to speak English. At least it was just for two years."

"You've been to other schools?" Hermione leaned forward eager to learn more about her new friend.

"This is actually my fourth school!"

"I take it you're originally from America. Judging by your lack of accent."

"Of course. The school was shielded to look like a bridge surrounded by mist to muggles, therefore making the name of the school Mistbrigde, Americans aren't too imaginative when naming things. Barbie ® took that from us. Anyway, I was only there for my first year. I spent of 2nd through 4th year in Australia at Liteborn. It was my favourite, but we moved again."

"It must be hard moving so much."

"I'm used to it. My dad is retiring from the military in three years though, so wherever we are then is where we're staying. My dad's a muggle by the way."

"Are you half-blooded?"

"Yeah, my mom was a witch. She died giving birth to me. I think that's why my dad join the military a month after. My parents were married for three years, then suddenly mom was gone. He can't stand to be in the same place for over three years.

"I'm so sorry." Hermione whispered.

"It's okay. I'm over it, but I don't think my dad is. Well, I better be off to class. I have Potions. Can't be late." Jenna stood up, grabbed her bag, and rushed out.

Hermione stared at her chicken a minute before gathering her things and heading to class.

After afternoon classes, Hermione immediately went to her dorm. She opened the drawer on her night stand and pulled out the diary. She intended to tell Ron to stop moping around about losing a friend because there were worst things to mope about, but there was a message in it already.

I think it's great that you're friend's with that Jenna girl. Please, don't replace me though… with anybody. Friends are forever.

The message faded away, and Hermione searched her bag for a quill.

BEST friends are forever. We're not exactly the best of friends with all our bickering… have you been waiting long?

She watched the words disappear, then new words appeared in place of them.

Of course we're best friends. Remember when you were petrified (how could you forget)? I visited the hospital more than once a day. I event talked to you… I don't have many classed this year, so I've been waiting for an hour.

(H) We've tolerated each other for almost 7 years now. That's not real friendship.

( R) Sure, we fight… a lot, but I'm not just tolerating. Would I have invited you to my house so much if I just tolerated you? You are one of my best friends. I hope you'll be my best friend again… maybe more, but if you moved on, I'm happy for you. Maybe I should move on. Maybe…

(H) What do you mean when you say 'maybe more' and 'moving on'?

(H) I know you're reading this Ron.

(H) Please answer, Ron.

(H) Please talk to me, Ron.

(H) Please?

Hermione put down the quill and closed the diary. Apparently, Ron wasn't planning on answering back that afternoon. She chucked the diary across the room before storming downstairs. Ron was walking briskly the common room.

"Ron! I need to talk to you!" She walked up to him.

"Can you make it quick? I need to be somewhere." He looked slightly annoyed.

"Where?"

"In front of the Hufflepuff common room entrance."

"Why?"

"I'm meeting someone."

"Who?"

"Do you really have to know everything? I'm meeting Jenna. We're going for a walk. She asked me in Defence Against the Dark Arts class."

"Jenna Lovell?"

"Only Jenna in school. So, what did you want?"

"Um… thanks for the Natasha Bedingfield CD. It was great."

"Is that it?" Ron checked his watch.

"Yeah, you better be off. Don't wanna be late for your date."

Ron chuckled. "It's not a date."

He turned and walked out the common room.

An hour later Hermione was sitting at a table diligently working… and waiting for Ron. The portrait door swung open for the 5th time since Hermione had been sitting there. That time it was Ron. She jumped up, prepared to talk to him. She noticed that he was ten times happier than he was when he left.

"Hey, Ron. So, how was the walk."

"It was… great! She just wanted to tell me something…"

"For an hour? What did she tell you?"

"Are we playing twenty questions?"

"Yes, we are, so answer the question."

"She wanted to get to know me better, is all. She suggested that we hang out."

"Does she fancy you?"

"You really have become like Mum, Hermione."

"I'm just being a close friend."

"Yeah, at the end of our walk she did tell me that she has fancied me for quite a while."

"Do you fancy her?"

Ron glared at Hermione. She put her hands on her hips very Mrs. Weasley-like.

"Yes, I have for about three weeks now. So, I asked her out."

"She's your girlfriend!"

Ron smiled and nodded. He turned and walked up the boys' staircase. He waved and disappeared at the top.

I never expected to get this far in the story. Awesome. As you see, I change the name of the story because I thought it was a more appropriate name for this.

I tried not to make a Mary-Sue. Jenna is one of best friends name, and she does look like the description. Her dad was once in the military, and her mom isn't dead, but she really doesn't get to see her mom because she lives in Florida. The real Jenna isn't 17 either, she's actually on 26 days younger than me. Jenna is a Hufflepuff, because my true house is Hufflepuff (though I want to be in Slytherin) So, that's the background on Jenna.

I'm not really requiring a specific amount of reviews anymore. I enjoy writing this story even if no one enjoys reading it, so I'm going to keep going until I want to stop.

I'm hoping to have Harry and Ginny in the next chapter more. They've really been cast off to the side for two chapters, and they are one of my favourite couples, and they're fun to right. If they weren't fun to write, I wouldn't have all those interactions between them. They're just so cute…

Well, that's all. Review… and stick around for the next chapter.

Arrivederci!

GerardWay'sFanClub