Hey! It's been a while but my workload at the minute is unbearable! Hope it'll calm down in a while but now I've finally got a chance to write the next chapter! And I'm trying to make the chapters longer and then post not as regularly as I intended because I know how irritating I find it when authors stop the stories suddenly or go on for months on end. And now I'm going to get on with it. Enjoy! (:


Hermione marched as fast as she could away from the now quiet group of boys, clutching her folder tightly to her chest. She made her way to her and Ron's room where she kicked open the door and threw her books upon her bed. Attempting to calm herself, she paced up and down the room until she had a sudden flash of inspiration. Without a moment's hesitation she wiped the tears from her eyes and grabbed her purse, slamming the door behind her as she left.


Ron couldn't enjoy playing his friend's Xbox 360. Not only did he feel incredibly guilty about Hermione overhearing him or uncomfortable without going to make sure she was alright, but he didn't understand why they all loved this games console. And it didn't help that he didn't have a clue what he was doing – the only gaming tactic he had picked up on so far was pushing as many buttons as he could at the same time.

"You're rubbish at this mate!" hooted Jacob. Ron tossed the controller onto the sofa and scratched the back of his head in frustration.

"I'm starving! That's why. I can't concentrate without a good meal in me!" Ron muttered feebly. "I'm going to go get some food. Maybe see you later?" he called as he was half-way out the door.

"Stupid Hermione!" he thought as he made his way back to the dormitory. If only he didn't feel so guilty he might have actually been good at the Xbox and now all his new friends probably thought he was some sort of freak. He paused as he got to the door of his and Hermione's dormitory, trying to come up with some sort of excuse to get back into her good books. But to his surprise, when he opened the door, she wasn't there.

"Arghhh." He groaned. "That's it. I need a drink." He mumbled to himself as he locked the dormitory on the way out and began making his way to the nearest pub.


After thirty minutes of getting extremely lost on campus, Ron managed to find his way to a pub that was located exactly three buildings down from the building his dormitory was in. Kicking the gravely ground in annoyance, he warily pushed the door open to 'The Royal Oak' pub. When he got inside, he found the virtually empty pub was quite run down and dated but he collapsed onto a stool beside the bar anyway.

"A pint please?" Ron called to the barman who was standing in a trance, staring at something straight in front of him. Ron glanced to his left to look at what the barman was looking at and blinked several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. For there in front of him was an obviously drunken Hermione who was attempting to climb onto her stool at a table in the corner of the room.

Ron sat there in amazement. Even though he didn't really know her, he hadn't ever thought Hermione would ever do something so reckless. Then he realised.

"Is she doing this because of what I've said?" he thought to himself. He got up abruptly and pushed in the stool to the bar.

"Oi you. Shove your tongue back in your mouth." He called to the bartender as he made his way over to Hermione.

"Um…Hermione?" Ron mumbled as he watched her attempt to heave herself onto the stool.

"Are you…" Ron stopped mid sentence as Hermione managed to turn herself round to face him with a look of pure disgust on her face.

"Ron Weasably…I think that when sometimes people insult other people that those people deserve to have a little drink to calm themselves. And I am one of those people aren't I?" Hermione slurred, clinging onto the table to hold herself upright. Ron grimaced.

"Look Hermione, I really am truly sorry. Now maybe I should take you back to the dormitory and get you something to eat." At the mention of food Hermione paled.

"Oh no…" Ron breathed, retreating backwards as Hermione clumsily galloped towards the toilets.

"Hermione! That's the men's toilets you've just went into!" Ron called to her as he followed her into the toilets. Hermione obviously did not care about this fact and was now lying over one of the toilets being sick. Ron sighed and rolled up his sleeves before making his way over to her. He held her hair back from her face and delicately patted her back, trying to fight the wave of nausea that was washing over him.

Hermione wiped her face with toilet roll before flushing the toilet. Ron helped her to her feet and Hermione clung to him, unable to stand by herself. Ron held onto her tightly, careful not to hurt her and they made their way out of the pub, back to the dormitory.


Hermione woke up with a throbbing headache the following morning. She slowly sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. She glanced to her left and there, asleep in a chair that had been dragged from her desk to her bedside, lay Ron. The details of what had happened the night before came flooding back and Hermione covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"You're not going to be sick again are you?" Ron asked anxiously.

"Oh! You're awake…No, no. I'm fine…Just can't believe I made such a fool of myself last night." Hermione grumbled.

"Well that was sort of my fault, wasn't it?" confessed Ron. "Look, I'm really really sorry about what I said…It was wrong to judge you when I barely knew you. I realised that last night when you were throwing up all over the men's bathroom…"

Hermione grimaced.

"Thanks for reminding me…Look, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't have looked after me."

"Don't worry about it. Let's just say we're equal." Ron yawned. "You kept mumbling things in your sleep – something about the welfare for elves…" Hermione blushed slightly.

"Weird indeed…"