Today had been an overall wonderful day for Hermione. She didn't have Divination, she - luckily - didn't have one of the joint classes with the Slytherins either, and Draco was unusually quiet today when she passed him in the halls. She wondered about that for a moment, but then shook off the thought. If she thought about him too much, he might appear and bother her. She was almost done with her food, and she didn't have any homework or anything to do. On top of that, her, Ron, and Harry were having the most delightful conversation about books. Well, more like Hermione was leading the conversation, Ron was nodding at the appropriate times and saying yes or no, and Harry was doing the same but occasionally interjecting with a few of his own opinions when he recognized the book.

They had Shepherd's pie, Ron's favorite, - well, one of Ron's many favorites - treacle tart, which was Harry's favorite dessert, and pumpkin juice as well, which Hermione thoroughly enjoyed. Hermione finished her food, eager to get back to the Gryffindor common room so that she could get the armchair by the fire, her favorite place to read, and cozy up with the book she was working her way through, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Contrary to popular belief, she did enjoy a good romance book, especially the steamier kinds. But nobody but her and the house-elves knew that, for nobody else would think to look under her bed. She was anticipating a long night of cuddling with Crookshanks, reading by the fire, and then going on to her bed to read some of her more adventurous novels.

Hermione was already anticipating all this in her head when she was snapped into reality when Harry asked, " So... read any good books lately?" in a very suggestive manner, when she knew she had to get out of there, and fast! She only had a couple of bites left, so she held up her index finger as if to indicate ' one moment, please, ' and she shoveled the rest of her food into her mouth. Once she was done, she gathered up her things, and announced, " I'm sorry boys, but I must get to bed. I have a day of studying tomorrow and I need to wake up bright and early in the morning."She stood up, and was about to start walking away, but Ron stopped her, putting his hand on her shoulder gently. Hermione felt like she was blushing, but she wasn't sure, so she turned her head away from him. He said, " Wait what in the bloody hell was he talking about?" By then, Hermione knew that she was blushing, and exclaimed, " Ronald, I really must be going. I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to talk to you later. Goodbye!"

And without further discussion, she wrenched her arm free from his grip, and started towards the Gryffindor common room. She was just passing through the corridors that have columns in them, by the staircase up to the common room, when she heard voices. She immediately ducked behind one of the columns, then peeked her head out. It was Snape and Malfoy! She gasped, and then immediately covered her mouth with her hand. Luckily, they didn't seem to hear. Malfoy was gesticulating wildly, and looked nothing like his usual aloof self. Snape did not seem happy, but he was still listening intently. She watched, and as they neared, she began to hear what Malfoy was saying. 'I understand why he's going behind her back with that girl, what's her name, Rosemary? Oregano? No.. Lavender!'

" Hermione was silent, for a moment, just processing what he said. She understood some of it.. Lavender Brown... with who? Cheating on who? Think, Hermione! Think! Oʜ. She knew what this meant. But.. he wouldn't do that! Oh.. he did not! He did not cheat on her with Lavender Brown. Lavender Brown could rot for all she cared honestly. But..really, Ronald? What does she have that I don't? Sense came back into her, and she realized that she should probably move before one of them spotted her. She cast a quick Disillusionment Charm, making sure to double check in the compact mirror she had in her bag. She was blended in to the surroundings. They wouldn't notice her if she was quick. She dashed up the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible, but still she heard Snape ask " What was that?" and she sprinted faster.

She was about to go through to the Gryffindor common room, when she realized that she would be forced to face Ron, Harry, Lavender even, or anyone else that would probably ask about why she was so upset. She couldn't deal with that. She just couldn't. She remembered the 5th year in Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood. Ginny Weasley was friends with her. Hermione had only talked to her a couple of times, but from what she could tell, she was pretty nice. She knew that Luna would let her in, and probably not interrogate her about why she was upset, so she decided to go for that route. She went the direction to the Ravenclaw tower, and once she reached it, she waited for Luna. Luckily it didn't take long for Luna to arrive, and Hermione quickly used a General Counter-Spell to remove the Disillusionment Charm.

Luna didn't even seem surprised, and looked her up and down, eyes lingering on her tear-stained cheeks. Hermione hadn't even realized she was crying. Luna said, in her usual dreamy voice, ' Why don't you come in.. you didn't have to wait for me." Hermione didn't trust herself to speak, so she just shrugged. Luna knocked on the knocker and answered the riddle. Luna said, "She's with me," and it swung open wider, revealing the common room for Hermione. Hermione gasped in shock. She loved the Gryffindor common room, but this.. this was amazing.

There were so many reading lamps and comfortable chairs, so many that the room was overstuffed, but not terribly so. There were bookshelves on almost every wall, not just containing books. It was very comfortable too. There were tapestries on the wall, taking up leftover space. There were fairy lights, adding a whimsical feel to the room. There were such comfortable looking rugs that Hermione wanted to get down on the floor and roll around. And.. the centerpiece of it all was the massive display, front and center. It had all of the latest news, in the Ministry, at Hogwarts, with Voldemort, even in the Muggle world.

"There was a Recommendations bulletin board, and it was magical, evidently, because, as the instructions said, you explain what you want, in a book, a movie, or any media like that, and it finds you one perfectly tailored to those interests. There was a large study space, with state-of-the-art computers ( she had no clue how ), tons of paper, stationary, and anything and everything in between. There were even some extremely comfy-looking beds in the corners, for guests apparently. And the windows... As Hermione's eyes roamed around the room, she realized she had left out an area, and her eyes skimmed to it. Her breath caught in her throat. There were floor to ceiling windows. With a balcony outside. And French glass doors. With a seating area outside. This. Was. Paradise.

"Hermione remembered that Luna was there, and searched for her. She had settled down on one of the spare beds, and was looking at Hermione intently, eyes boring into hers. Hermione gulped. Luna was the one who spoke first. "So... tell. me. everything." Her eyes widened. This was going to be a long night.