Chapter 3

Ron sprinted in through the portrait hole, red in the face and out of breath. Hermione followed him closely and now she wanted a word with him. She had been calling his name as he ran out of the corridor and to the Gryffindor Tower. He did not talk to anyone as he made his way into the portrait hole and up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

Knowing Hermione would not have a chance at talking to him now she sat down in one of the chairs closet to the empty fireplace. Ginny walked over to Hermione to see if she could find out what had happened in the corridor below. She glanced over towards the portrait hole but there was no one there.

"Hermione," Ginny spoke quietly. "Is everything ok?" There was a moment of silence before Hermione looked up at Ginny with tears in her eyes. "It was awful Ginny. I had just walked out on Ron after he told me that…" Hermione paused but Ginny nodded her head to say she understood.

"Anyways I was just so upset that I had to get out of there so I headed down to the library to maybe find a book to get my mind off of things and then Harry cornered me. I told him that I didn't want to talk but he insisted on it. So I told him to make it quick. He was muttering a little and then Ron appeared. And then Malfoy appeared."

Hermione took a big deep sigh before continuing with her story. "I tried to get out of there because I was too upset to deal with Ron and Harry fighting with Malfoy but Harry would just not let me leave. So finally he blurted out that he… he…"

"He what Hermione?" Ginny asked, not fully sure if she wanted to know the answer to this question.

"He told me he loved me." Hermione on the verge of tears although Ginny could not understand why she was crying. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, was in love her. As much as Ginny envied Hermione there was nothing she could do. So why was she crying?

"Was that all?" Ginny tried to hide her bitterness but it wasn't working too well.

"Well then Ron came by and punched Harry and then punched Malfoy. Although Malfoy didn't really do anything I suppose." Hermione said, now mumbling to herself.

The mere fact he exists is a just enough cause to punch Malfoy. Ginny thought to herself. She opened her mouth to say something to Hermione, but a few moments later Harry walked in, his hand held over his face to hide the rather large bruise now developing on his right eye. Ginny ran over to Harry but he brushed her off.

"Harry are you alright?" Ginny asked him, knowing the probable answer.

"Your brother," He began, "Is off his rocker. He's gone completely mental." What Harry didn't see was that Ron had finally emerged from the boys' dormitory and was now staring straight into the eye of his best friend. Ginny looked up at Ron and then back to Harry. Hermione now became extremely interested in her shoes, not wanting to have any more conflict with the two boys, knowing she'd be in the heat of an argument.

"Completely mental huh?" Ron said as he approached Harry.

"What is your problem mate? Why are you punching me for no reason? Did you mean to hit Malfoy and your aim is just that bad? I knew you had problems but c'mon Ron seriously."

"Sometimes Harry I think you are too focus on your own problems to worry about anyone else. Did you ever think I just don't like you?"

"Where is this coming from?" Harry said bewildered and confused. "Ron you're being stupid."

"Yeah, that's me. Harry Potter's stupid sidekick." Ron said fiercely as he walked towards the portrait hole.

"Ron listen to what you are saying." Ginny finally said after a long period of silence, which was unusual for her.

"Figures you'd be sticking up for Harry. Let everyone side with him. He already gets all the fame, all the girls," He glanced at Hermione for a moment but then looked back to Ginny. "All the fans, everything. And for years I followed blindly as his faithful sidekick, believing I was his best mate. But now that he's taken away the one thing that I wanted…" He looked at Hermione again.

"I already told you Ron, Harry does not control how I feel about boys." Hermione said looking into Ron's eyes.

"What is this all about?" Harry asked curiously.

"Like you don't know." Ron said harshly as he walked out of the room.

"Ron!" Ginny said hoping her brother would at least pretend to be nice. Everyone was slightly afraid to say anything else, especially since Harry's emotions seemed to be teetered on the edge as well.

"What is going on here?" Harry asked the two girls who remained in the room.

"Well," Ginny started but she kept looking at Hermione for help. She buried her head in her hands and refused to look at either Harry or Ginny. "Ron has feelings for Hermione." Ginny said each word slowly as if she was sticking a knife inside Harry after each word she spoke. "Strong feelings."

"And he didn't think to tell his best mate?" Harry said getting angrier.

"Now you know how he must feel." Ginny said, hoping to calm Harry down. But he only shook his head and immediately walked back out of the common room. Hermione and Ginny stood there awkwardly for several minutes until other people started trickling into the common room. They then both disappeared into their own dormitories and did not come out until morning.

The next morning Hermione rose early and headed down to the breakfast table long before anyone else. Normally she would have waited for Harry and Ron to meet her down there but she was not in the mood to speak to either one of them. And after what had happened last night, she doubted if Ron would still be in a mood to speak to her. So she sat alone at the Gryffindor table and ate her breakfast slowly until a familiar red-head showed up.

Ron did not notice that Hermione was sitting down at the other end of the table alone. Perhaps if he had, things would have turned out differently. But he simply grabbed a piece of toast and left. Hermione looked in his direction, hoping to attract his attention but it was no use. Ron was completely useless in the mornings anyways and after his adventure last night, he felt even worse.

Neither of them bothered to remember that it was the first day of the Christmas holidays. Ron walked out of the Great Hall, his head hung low when he accidentally bumped into someone. He bent down to grab his piece of toast that he dropped and was surprised to see a certain teacher standing in front of him.

"Mr. Weasley please keep your head up and watch where you are going." Professor McGonagall said in her usual harsh voice. Ron merely nodded his head and mumbled, "Sorry Professor," before walking back up the marble stair cases.

"Mr. Weasley." The professor said once more, although her voice this time seemed so much gentler. "Where are your other companions. I would have thought that you and Mr. Potter would have already found yourselves in some kind of trouble by now. The Christmas holidays have seemed strangely quiet." She said with a sort of a laugh. Ron tried to smile but it wasn't working.

"Well the holidays have just started." Ron said quietly, trying to cover up his extreme melancholy mood. But she seemed to have noticed that there was something bothering him.

"Mr. Weasley is there anything you need to talk about?" She said with a strong hint of compassion in her voice. He shook his head and Professor McGonagall sighed deeply. "Well I hope you know that I am more than just one of your professors. As your Head of House I can guide you and advice in all matters of life."

"I just thought you were here to give me lots of homework." Ron said with a faint smile.

"As your professor yes, but at as the Head of Gryffindor House perhaps I can do more for you. Please stop by if you ever find you need anything." She said to him with a smile and walked off. Ron headed back to the common and sat in one of the large cushion chairs by the fire. He couldn't remember how long he sat there, watching the snow fall on the window or the occasional snow ball crashing into it but before he knew it he could see the light leave the horizon and darkness fall upon the school.

It was the slam of a door that woke up him. He turned his head to see that the common room was completely empty except for a rather large book resting in a corner of the common room that Hermione usually read in. He walked over to the book and noticed it bore the title; Hogwarts, A History. He picked it up and examined it briefly. He was just about to set it down when he saw someone standing on the edge of the stairs to the girls' dormitories.