A.N./ Alright! Chapter 2 is up and I'm still going strong baby! -Even with lack of support from my scarce readers. But, oh-well. I've decided to give it time. Leave a review if you want to or if you have any suggestions for this story. Other than that, I love ya, and read on:D

Falling in Love:

It was almost midnight and the dorm room was silent other then the quiet breathing of Hermoine's four roommates. Other than that, her world was silence, and to Hermoine, silence was peace.

These past few days had become so troubled and confusing, she barely knew who she was anymore, and as she gazed out the window at the deserted grounds lit by the moon's pale light far below her, she realized she had lost all track of time and meaning. Ginny's confession had shaken up her world, and now Hermoine was in a world of tumult and chaos and feelings. A place laced with confusion around every turn. This, she had found, was a place she didn't much care to be. "But I really can't help it," she mussed to herself quietly. "How else am I supposed to react? I've waited so long for this, and now that it's finally happening, I can't just disregard it as though her questions were of no importance. This affects me, and I'm just going to have to accept that." She sighed audibly. This was hard, too hard almost.

The last year, Hermoine's fifth year at Hogwarts; had been very confusing. Around every corner questions had been lurking and it had taken her forever to find the answers to them. Questions about who you are were always the hardest ones to find the answers to; and maybe it was because, for once in her life, Hermoine couldn't find the solutions to a problem simply by leafing through a book. There was no book in the world that was written to tell about her and only her. There was no book out there that you could read and immediately know who you were. The world doesn't work like that, and this can be one of the hardest things to accept.

But the problems were gone now, her questions answered, and new ones had stopped coming. The new self-confidence brought about by the slowing down in arising problematic questions, was calming, and one of reassurance.

She was a lesbian, Hermoine had figured that much out. And she was feminine, not transgendered. She had figured this much out as well. For a while though, she had had a very large debate with herself on what she was. Bi? Lesbian? But that was over now. Boys just weren't interesting enough, so there really was no other choice, for her. Period. And then she had fallen in love. That had been the other big event that she had endlessly debated with herself over last year.

Hermoine had been friends with Ginny since her second year, and Ginny's first year, at Hogwarts. For four years now. They were best friends, soul-sisters even. But then, somewhere along the course of Hermoine's self-questioning and her path to self-discovery, something had changed. Suddenly, being around Ginny didn't feel the same anymore. Being in her presence had caused questions, problems and feelings that she hadn't wanted. She was pretty sure that Ginny wouldn't want them either. So she had kept them to herself. Shit, it had been almost a full year now and Ron and Harry still didn't know. Ginny knew, however. Not that Hermoine had fallen in love with her of course, although she might have had some idea or suspicion; but that Hermoine was Bi, and then later, when the time came, that she was now a "full lesbian" as she had dubbed herself. It had taken a while and little courage, ok, a lot of courage; for Hermoine to tell her this. But for some reason it was easier to tell Ginny then it had been when she had tried to tell Ron or Harry. Maybe it was because she had known ahead of time that Ginny wouldn't care, and would accept her and love her no matter what, or maybe it was just because they were closer to each other then she, Ron and Harry could ever be.

Hermoine still remembered with perfect clarity the moment when she had told Ginny she was Bi….

Flashback……..

It was Halloween night and she and Ginny had just returned from the Halloween feast in the Great Hall. Not yet ready to turn in for the night, the two of them had settled down in Ginny's empty dorm room to talk and eat sweets and play games. For a while they talked about nothing important; boys and classes and who was dating whom and more about boys; but then, after a moment of tense silence, Hermoine knew it was time. Taking a breath to steady herself, she cleared her thoughts and then got Ginny's attention.

Ginny looked up from the board game they were playing and glanced at Hermoine, not really sensing that anything was amiss. If she noticed how nervous Hermoine was, she either didn't show it, or didn't care. Waiting for Hermoine to go on Ginny simply nodded her head, showing that she was, indeed paying attention. And then, Hermoine, who was now too nervous to think of any other was to say it said, "Hey Ginny," she hesitated briefly. "What would you say if I told you I was Bi?"

Ginny simply shrugged in return, saying something along the lines of, 'I wouldn't care, and you know it doesn't really change anything. You're still you.'

No more was said on the subject and a few minutes later, they both turned in for the night. Neither one bothering to put the game away or to finish it.

End Flashback……..

Hermoine smiled a bittersweet smile as she remembered that night. How awkward it had been when she had told Ginny. How scared and timid and shy she had acted, blushing and squirming as she had. But it had been ok, hadn't it? Ginny had accepted her for who she was without making a big deal out of it. That was what she had wanted to happen, wasn't it?

Hermoine thought about it some more, rehashing the scene over and over again in her mind, until she realized something she hadn't before. She had never paid much attention as to why that night had been so awkward and strange. She had never really questioned it, and had immediately written it off to her being scared of admitting, both to Ginny and herself, who she was; but now, looking back, she saw something she hadn't seen then.

That was the night it had all started, the night that all semblance of balance had disappeared and everything got thrown out of whack. This was the night that marked the start of the newfound distance in their friendship. The tense-filled silences and the corny jokes, answered by the newest arrival of shrill, false laughter. Ever since that night, things had been different, and only now it was, that Hermoine knew why.

That night had been the night that she had fallen in love with Ginny.