Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter related stuff, characters or anything else.

(A/N: Please, if you take the time to read my story, please spare just a few of your minutes to click the review button and send me your comments. Thanks! Smiles .)

Hermione's Troubles:

Chapter Nine:

"Lily, did you hear?" Zoe screeched, running across the Common Room. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend next weekend, on the 11th of January!" She exclaimed. Everyone instantly ran over to the notice board, which was surrounded by a bunch of younger Gryffindors.

"Oi, move!" Sirius grouched, shifting his way through the group. "Yeah, there's a Hogsmeade weekend soon." He said with a mischievous smile, rubbing his hands together. "So Angel, are you up for it?" He asked his girlfriend. Angelica blushed at the use of his nickname.

"Sirius." She said jokingly.

"But Sirius!" James whined. "You can't be serious?" He quipped plaintively. "You can't just ditch me!"

"Go with Lily." Sirius said with a shrug. Hermione glanced at Remus, who was staring mistily between Lily and the Hogsmeade announcement. Hermione's happiness faded.

"You know she won't date me!" Lily gave him a calculating look.

"Perfectly right James. No dates unless you promise to deflate your ego." She said icily, wagging a finger at him mockingly. James winced.

"See!"

"Sooo, Remus. Hogsmeade weekend. You want to go with me?" A voice said silkily. Hermione whipped around. Renae was leaning on his shoulder, looking only inches into his eyes.

"I… err… I… umm…" Remus stalled, casting a plaintive look to his friends. Everyone looked away.

"Remus? Hogsmeade?" Renae insisted. Hermione scowled.

"Ah… I'll get back to you." Remus said quickly, disappearing out the portrait hole with a panicked look on his face. Sirius and James burst out laughing. Renae looked highly insulted and fled up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Lily shot them a nasty glare.

"That is why I won't go out with you, Potter!" Lily retorted angrily. "That was really mean! You know she likes Remus!"

"Hey, Sirius was laughing too!" James shot back defensively. "And so what. I know someone who likes Remus as well, and anyone would rather her than Lily. Hermione flushed scarlet and slid behind Vanessa, who was watching silently.

"It's you, isn't it!" She whispered triumphantly to Hermione, catching her blushing. "They've been making references like that all winter!" Hermione nodded very slightly, imperceptible to anyone else around them. A loud bell rang over head.

"Time for Transfiguration!" Lily said happily, bouncing on the balls of her feet slightly. Vanessa's face fell. Her only lesson with nearly all the Ravenclaws.

"Let's go then." She said resignedly, grabbing her bag and some books. Hermione shrugged glumly.

Brushing a strand of her thick bushy hair, Hermione walked along a corridor, with a vague idea of going to the Library. Passing by a classroom, Hermione heard a familiar voice float through the door, which was slightly ajar. Hermione peeked through the door,

Inside the classroom, Remus was facing a redheaded girl.

"Lily, I didn't really ask you to come here because I was having trouble Charms." She caught the end of Remus's sentence. Hermione's heart sank.

"Then, why are we here?" The fiery red-head said quizzically.

"Will you go to Hogsmeade this weekend with me?" Remus asked suddenly. His eyes were whirling mistily, his face the essence of hope itself.

"Remus, I…" Lily said in shock. Remus looked at her, his grey eyes meeting her emerald ones.

"Do – do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" He asked cautiously, seeming to regain his normal amount of self-control.

"Remus, I'm sorry, but… no." Lily said gently. Lupin's face visibly crumpled, all hope vanishing into a void of rejection.

"Oh, okay." He said brokenly. He turned slightly, as if to walk away, but Lily put a hand on his shoulder, turning him back around.

"Remus, I do like you." She assured him, looking deeply into his eyes. "I like you as a friend, and even as slightly more than a friend." She blushed, and Hermione felt tears prick at her eyes.

"So, you-" The werewolf's face brightened.

"No." Lily said firmly. "Remus, believe me, I'm sorry, but it just couldn't happen. It wouldn't work. James loves me. You'd have to give up everything if they found out."

"I'd do that." He said quietly.

"No, you won't. I won't let you. Remus, I like you. As more than a friend. But mostly as a friend. And that is the way it has to be. James loves me. And… I love him." She admitted.

"But, Lily, please…" Lupin said, staring at the love of his life as she stepped away from him.

"No, Remus, I'm sorry." Lily stepped forward and kissed him, softly, just once. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, eyes streaming with tears. Then Lily bolted out of the room, throwing the door open. Hermione jerked back just in time as Lily exploded through the doorway and ran down the corridor in the opposite direction from Hermione.

In the classroom, a very sad and lovesick Remus Lupin stared sadly at the open doorway through which the love of his love had just fled.

Outside the door, tears coursing down her face, Hermione ran off in the direction of the Room of Requirement, the only place in Hogwarts where she could truly cry in privacy.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Angelica said quietly, staring at the listless girl across the table from her. Hermione just shrugged.

"I'm fine." She mumbled.

"You haven't even touched your food." Vanessa added, a slight frown creasing her forehead.

"I'm fine." She said unenthusiastically. "Really."

"Okay." Angelica said in a voice that implied the exact opposite. Then she turned and started talking to Sirius.

"It's Remus, isn't it Hermione?" Vanessa said quietly. Hermione glanced along to the table where Remus was sitting, picking dejectedly at his food, then looked over at Vanessa.

"It's that obvious?" She replied sadly.

"No, not really, but I know about you." She smiled slightly. "I know about how you feel towards Remus." She shrugged. Pain flickered in Hermione's eyes.

"I'm fine, really." Hermione replied back forcefully. "Drop it, please."

"If you insist." Vanessa said gently. "But remember, I'm always here to talk." She walked around the edge of the table, hugged Hermione, then walked out. With a distressed look at Remus, Hermione walked out of the room.

"What's with Hermione?" Sirius asked his girlfriend, looking soberly at Angelica.

"She's upset because she heard Remus ask Lily out!" Zoe informed everyone in the Hall at the top of her voice. Angelica winced, and Sirius looked scandalized.

"Is that true Moony?" He said outraged. The 17-year-old werewolf avoided his friends gaze. Sliding further along the seat to escape Renae, who had been trying to climb into his lap and was now sitting in shock.

"Lily, is Zoe telling the truth?" James demanded. Lily blushed scarlet, then nodded.

"I'm sorry Remus." She said quietly. "But yes, James, he asked me to Hogsmeade." She admitted.

"Remus!" Sirius said angrily, springing to the defense of his best friend. "How could you! That's something not even Snivellus would stoop too! Trying to steal your best-friend's girl! Although, I doubt if Snivellus ever had any friends." He added snidely.

"James, I, I'm sorry-" Remus began, looking desperately at his dark-haired friend. "I-"

"HOW COULD YOU!" James bellowed at the teen werewolf. Remus looked as if James had hit him across the face, he actually flinched.

"James, I said no, it's fine." Lily interjected hurriedly.

"IT IS NOT OKAY!" James continued, awakening everyone at breakfast to the fight. "Remus, I though you were my friend." He said icily, I guess I was wrong." Remus cast a heartbreaking look at James and Sirius, who were regarding them with the utmost disgust. Meeting their arctic gaze, he turned and strode out of the room, eyes glimmering with tears.

In the Library, Hermione curled up in a corner, arms wrapped around her favourite book, 'Hogwarts, a History.' Tears were streaming down her face in torrents. More than anything she wished she could go into the hidden alcove, but knew that if Remus burst in then she'd never be able to explain how she'd gotten the password.

"I wish I'd never come here." She muttered miserably. "I wish I was home. Back with Harry, and Ron, and Ginny…" She trailed off. "More than anything right now I wish I'd never met one Remus Lupin." She said savagely, wiping tears off her face. A few meters away, an armful of books fell to the floor, making a massive thump. Hermione looked up into the tear streaked face of one careworn and miserable Remus Lupin. He turned, leaving all the books on the floor, and fled.

"Remus, Remus, wait!" Hermione called desperately, running after him. He stopped, and slowly turned around.

"Yes Hermione?" He said forcefully.

"Remus, I didn't mean that, I-" He held up a finger.

"I saw you at lunch Hermione. You saw what happened. Right now I hate myself." He shrugged. "I can't believe I asked her to Hogsmeade." He said, voice wavering. "It was so stupid." He seemed to have forgotten Hermione's presence. "I just hope James will speak to me again…" He looked her directly in the eyes, and shrugged. "I just don't care anymore." With that, he walked off. Hermione started crying again, fierce tear streaking down her cheeks.

"Why! Why Lily!" She whispered violently at his retreated figure. Going back and picking up her bag and school books, she sunk into a chair. For a long time she remained like that, just staring at the shelves, the glistening tears overflowing from her chocolate brown eyes dropping with a splash onto her robes.

(A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, I've just started working, and have assignments in nearly every subject, so I have NO free time. As a result, updates will be even slower than first estimated. Sorry! )