Thank you all for reading!

Chapter 5 The awakening

Hermione woke up next morning in a terrible mood, she'd had another nightmare in which Ron and her had a terrible fight, he had told her she was an ugly know it all and that he'd never see her as anything else; she had cried and screamed her heart out at him during her dream; now laying awake in her bed and feeling that the pillow was somewhat damp she wondered if she had also really screamed in real life. She looked around and to her surprise found everyone else was still asleep.

"Typical" she thought, "nobody gets an early start on the day", she climbed out of her four poster bed and to her surprise found a letter on her trunk.

"That's odd, usually we get our mail until breakfast" She took the letter and immediately a small gasp escaped her mouth.

"Mione" it simply read.

She recognized Ron's handwriting. She opened the letter quickly, Ron never wrote to her, not even during summer break. She read the letter hungrily, it was short but made it's point.

"Mione, I'm sorry. I know I was a prat for trying to ask you to the ball until the last minute, please find it in your heart to forgive me.

I just hope that whoever is taking you appreciates how special you are and shows you a good time.

Sincerely

A clueless git (Ron)"

She couldn't believe it, Ron actually was apologizing, he called her special, she sat down on her bed, it was almost too much to bear, but she couldn't change her mind now, Victor had asked her since the moment they announced the ball, she had turned him down several times saying she needed time to think but really waiting for Ron to puck up the courage, she had finally told Victor yes, when she had lost all hope and now this! No, it wouldn't matter, even if she wanted to go with Ron she couldn't back down now, besides he had been asked too, she heard Lavander and Parvati talking about it yesterday, a 7th year, apparently pretty too. She laid down again on her bed watching out the window, she curled to her side and hugged her pillow.

"It's too late now" she whimpered, a tear rolling down her cheek. It was true a few hours later the ball would start. But she did not notice a white barn owl perched in a shadow on the top of her four poster bed watching her from above.

Please R&R.