"Did you see him again today?" Gemma asked as Hermione walked in and took a seat on the jacket she'd spread out on the floor.

"I see him every day." Hermione laughed. "I want to thank you, Gemma."

"Why?" the disembodied voice asked.

"For talking to me about this." she replied. "I do feel like a bit of an idiot, coming into a little used restroom and talking to thin air, but it helped."

"Why do you sound as though this is our last talk?" Gemma asked sounding worried.

"Oh, it's not." Hermione assured her. "It's just that Brenda apologized, and I've been talking to her."

"Even after she treated you so shabbily?" Gemma asked.

"Brenda's sense of humor is, different." Hermione explained. "And, she's been through this little phase or whatever it is, and she did it quite well."

"Of course, because she walked away with the guy, right?" Gemma pouted.

"I'm not going to stop talking to you all together, Gemma, its just that I can talk to Brenda too, and it wont' be as weird, because everyone can see her." Hermione said. "You're not mad, are you?"

"No." Gemma lied. "You're free to speak to whom ever you like, on what ever topic you like."

"I've got to go." Hermione said, getting to her feet. "It's a parent's day, and mine are due to arrive...oh bother, ten minutes ago!" she grabbed her jacket. "I'll talk to you soon." she called as she ran out the door.

"Sooner than you'd think." Gemma giggled.

--

Hermione could see Sirius standing talking to Dumbledore as she headed down the stairs. Brenda was with him, waving to Hermione before turning her attention back to the conversation. Brenda wasn't a student there anymore, but her sister-in-law was working there now and a student teacher of sorts, and she came often to visit with her, and to catch up with the friends she'd made in her short time there.

She spied her parents talking to Professor McGonogal and smiled to them, trying to push her way through a throng of students who seemed to be determined to stand about, not letting anyone by. As she waited, she let her eyes wander again and saw that Dumbledore had moved off and Brenda and Sirius were standing together talking quietly. A few stray words drifted up to her, and what she heard caused tears to spring to her eyes.

"If I have to listen to her go on much more, with out ever giving me any clue as to who it is..." Brenda said.

"You're not being very patient." Sirius scolded.

"You'd lose your patience too, if you had to put up with that girl." Brenda replied.

"You're the one who wanted her to talk to you."

"Well, now I wish I hadn't." she said. "She's pathetic."

Hermione stared in shock as she heard her supposed friend talk and didn't even realize the people had moved out of her way and that her parents were walking towards her. She held back her tears, and swallowed her anger as she walked along in between them to show them around and give them an idea of what she did every day. She would just have to ignore the voice telling her to run back to her dorm and cry.

--

"There, there, Hermione." Gemma said softly as she watched Hermione cry in one of the stalls.

"I can't believe she'd say something like that." Hermione sobbed. "She said she understood."

"Some people have no feelings." Gemma said. "But, don't worry, I'm here for you, darling."

"Thank you, Gemma." Hermione said as she wiped her face with the back of her hand. "I can't talk to Ron or Harry about this."

"I understand." Gemma said. "Whenever you need to talk, you know where to turn."

"This is just wonderful, my confidant is esentially my invisible friend." she sighed.

"Is this better?" Gemma asked as she let herself slowly appear before Hermione's eyes.

Hermione sat staring at a girl, maybe a year older than Hermione's own sixteen years, long black hair, and a pair of ocean blue eyes. She was short, and thin, and though she said she'd attended Hogwarts years before, the uniforms proved not to have changed over those years.

"It is." Hermione nodded. "A bit."

"Good." Gemma smiled as she came to sit next to Hermione. "I'm glad I can help make you feel better."

"So am I, trust me." Hermione laughed. "It's almost dinner." she said as she glanced down at her watch. "I need to go."

"Alrighty then." Gemma said. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Thank you, Gemma." Hermione said as she got up and walked out the door.

"So, you think she'll help us?" a man's voice asked from above Gemma.

Gemma looked up and smiled. Her dear, sweet Richard. The tall, blond, god-like man she'd fallen in love with so many years before.

"Yes." Gemma nodded. "Don't worry, Richard, we will be together."

"She hasn't even told you who this man is she's so stupid over." Richard said as he floated around the room.

"All in good time." Gemma said. "I told you, we need to take this slowly, we don't want to frighten the stupid girl off."

"Slowly?" Richard asked as he stopped, floating above the sinks. "We've been waiting sixty years, Gem."

"I know." she said as she flew up to meet him. "Just a bit longer."

"I hope who ever it is she fancies is nice looking at least." he said, resigning himself to the fact he was going to have wait, even longer.

"Does it matter?" she asked. "So long as he's weak enough, so then we can be together."

"You're sure she's weak enough?" he asked, jerking his head in the direction of the door Hermione had just exited.

"Oh, trust me, my love, she is so far beyond weak." she laughed. "She has no friends she can confide in about this man, and the one she thought she could, mocked her behind her back today."

"Very nice touch there, my dear, I must commend you." Richard laughed and applauded.

"Thank you, thank you." she bowed. "Soon, we can be together." she sighed and began to dance around in the air. "Just think of it."

"I am." he said. "I've been thinking about it for more than half a decade."