One Month Later…

It had been a long time since Ron was in the hospital. Hermione still picked fights with Ron and he still badgered her about the girl who liked him as Harry watched on. The morning after Harry went to receive Slughorn's memory, Ron broke the news that he had broken up with Lavender that very night. Hermione pretended to be surprised when in fact she had eavesdropped on the entire thing. She crouched by the stairs and listened as Ron and Lavender went at it. "WON-WON, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!"

"I didn't do anything, Lavender! Why are you so possessive?" Ron asked.

"Because you're my boyfriend! And if you want to continue to be my boyfriend, you're going to want stop seeing bushy haired Granger!"

"Who said I wanted to continue being your boyfriend?" Ron said coolly, that made Hermione almost gasp in surprise. Even though Ron and Harry told her that Ron had wanted to break it off with Lavender, it still shocked her nonetheless.

"But, Won-Won…"

"Lavender, I can't stand your pathetic pet names. I hate it when you try to treat me like a possession. I'm more than that. You insult my friends! Hermione's hair isn't bushy and it doesn't matter because I like her hair," Hermione smiled as Lavender scowled "as a matter of fact, Hermione is more beautiful than you'll ever be!" With that, Lavender started tearing him apart. But Hermione's heart pounding drove out the sounds of Lavender's ferocity.

After Ron told Harry, he started eating breakfast to ignore the sounds of Lavender's moans from the other end of the table. Harry looked up at Hermione knowingly as she shook her head at him. Hermione spent the rest of breakfast trying to make Harry stop his suggestive comments. Before they went off to class that day, Ron pulled Hermione aside. "So…um…"

"Great grammar, Ronald" Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"Well I know that you can help me with it" Ron said with his fighting glare in his eyes. They stared each other down until finally Ron caved. "Look, Hermione, I don't want to argue with you! We do enough of that as it is." Hermione felt the butterflies again as she tried to conceal her emotions.

"Then what do you want, Ron?" Hermione asked patiently. He struggled a moment.

"I want you and me to start talking again. We don't have Lavender making us talk just in the middle of the night…"

"Ronald, we talk all the time" Hermione interrupted confused.

"No, Hermione, we only bicker all the time and only tolerate each other when Harry's around." Ron said as though he was talking to a child. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Hermione, I haven't really talked to you in forever. I miss that."

"Fine we'll talk more" Hermione said smoothly as she adjusted her shoulder strap trying so hard not to grin.

"Good" Ron said then he straightened. "We better get to Snape's hell chamber before we get some points taken away." Hermione nodded and they went to class. They were halfway through Snape's tedious lesson when Ron gave out a loud: "BLOODY HELL!" Hermione turned to see a spider on Ron's desk. Ron's fear about spiders always made her laugh. For some reason it made her think of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz.

"Weasley!" Snape reprimanded with his greasy voice. He looked at Ron mockingly as he noticed the small spider. "A spider, Weasley?" Snape mocking at Ron's genuine fear. Suddenly something in Hermione snapped.

"Professor, I don't think that it's appropriate to mock other's fears! In fact, I don't think Dumbledore would approve of it either." Hermione gave Snape such a glare that he was surprised for a moment. "You are a rude, condescending, chauvinistic pig! We're all sick of your petty insults!" With that, Hermione boldly walked up picked up the spider and put it in a cage full of other spiders. She grabbed her stuff. "I shall refuse that detention slip, Professor. I'd rather talk to Professor Dumbledore himself about what punishments he gives to people who deal with sadistic professors!" Before she ended her boldest stunt ever, she turned to a flabbergast Ron and simply winked at him.

He blinked as Hermione disappeared into the hallway. She was breathing heavily but she was surprisingly exhilarated. She held her head high as she walked to Dumbledore's office.

By dinner time, everyone was talking about Hermione yelling at Snape. Even though Hermione did have outrageous moments (punching out Draco Malfoy, breaking several rules with her Harry and Ron adventures as well as few other events) this one topped it off. Hermione had never really yelled at a teacher before. She met Ron and Harry at the Gryffindor table, ignoring the clapping and whistles of several people cheering on her guts. "Hermione, did you really…"

"Yes, I did" Hermione said stiffly. "Professor Dumbledore promised to talk to Professor Snape about his actions during class as long as I didn't do it again."

"Why'd you do it?" Ron asked. Their group got quiet. Hermione grasped her goblet tightly so she would be able to prevent her hand shaking. She smiled tightly.

"I wasn't going to let Snape get away with mocking you and Harry anymore. It was time for him to stop." Hermione said simply.

"You're lying"

Everyone looked up at Ron in surprise. Even Hermione lost her cool as she spilled pumpkin juice on her robes. "What are you talking about? I'm not lying"

"Yes you are" Ron said simply smirking at Hermione's valiant attempts not to be discovered.

"No, I am not. I wanted to help you and Harry out. Next time I won't." She said shortly as her temper fused. Ron looked at her carefully and started looking very smug.

"You wanted to do it for me, Hermione, because you feel something towards me." Hermione's face almost betrayed her as she struggled with her emotions.

What should I say?

YES!

But he won't feel the same way?

But how will you know unless you ask him?

Ron is too smug about this whole thing…

Who cares!

I care because I don't want Ron to be like this. I want him to find out some other way. I want him to do it because he likes me!

Stop being so sensible! Hermione was glad that these thoughts ran through faster rather than slower. Ron sat waiting, his smug glance was like adding alcohol to an already fast growing fire.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Hermione said. "In fact, I think that you have no idea what you yourself are suggesting. Me liking you? Oh please, Ron! Get over yourself." Hermione got up and left. She could hear footsteps following her. She knew immediately it was Ron. Hermione quickly ran to the Gryffindor Common Room, knowing in her heart that he knew…and she didn't know how she felt about it. Suddenly Hermione would do anything to go back to her sensible self so she could escape love once and for all.