Disclaimer: I only own the plot.

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Chapter 8 - Time for some action

"Good morning, brother", Ginny Weasley greeted, walking inside the kitchen and sitting opposite Ron at the table.

"Good morning", the boy mumbled dimly. He had dark bangs under his eyes, and his hair was rather dishevelled.

Ginny helped herself to a bowl of porridge, and only then noticed Ron's gloomy expression. "Had a bad night?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah", Ron replied, nodding.

"You know, Mum has a theory about that", the red-haired girl said, making her brother to stare at her with a raised eyebrow. "She says that people, who can't sleep at night, are suffering from heartbreak. I wonder if that is your problem…"

At these words, Ron almost choked; he managed to say between coughs: "Where d-did you g-get that i-idea from?"

"No need to choke, dear brother that is not going to solve your problem. And don't give me that confused look, 'cause I know exactly what is going on with you", Ginny retorted straight away.

"Y-you do?" Ron inquired rather nervously.

Ginny nodded, and waited until he had finished coughing to say: "You like her, but you're scared to let her know, because you think she only sees you as a friend. Am I correct?"

"So far, so good", the blue-eyed boy confirmed, glancing around to check that no one was overhearing their conversation. "Please, keep your voice down", he begged.

Ginny lowered her voice, and continued: "See, the thing is, if you don't talk to her, you'll never know. Personally, I believe she feels the same way for you, but since you don't make any move, she probably thinks you're not interested. Now, I can help you, dear brother, but I can't do everything alone." She paused, eyeing him comprehensively.

Ron closed his eyes for a few seconds; then, he declared in a faint yet resolute voice: "Ok Ginny, I accept your help. I tried… but I guess I'm not really an expert on these matters…"

Ginny giggled before replying: "You did fine on your own with Lavender…"

"Oh please, don't remind me of that", the blue-eyed boy begged, concealing his face behind his hands, and shaking his red head madly.

Ginny smiled, but promised she would help him conquering the girl he liked.

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'Dear Harry, I hope you're holding on…

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to be locked with your dreadful uncles, but I just wanted to let you know that your friends haven't forgotten you. We wished nothing more than –'

"Who is it?" Hermione asked, raising her head from the letter she was writing. When she saw Ginny Weasley entering the room, she promptly stuffed the paper inside her bag. "Oh, hi there, Ginny", she greeted in a compromised voice.

"What were you up to?" the other girl inquired, walking over to the window-sill and sitting on it.

"Well, I – I was just writing a letter to Viktor", Hermione answered dismissively.

"Can I ask you something personal?" Ginny said, turning her blue eyes towards her friend.

"Hum, sure."

"What kind of relationship do you have with Krum? Are you two just friends or there's something else?" Ginny questioned at last, eyeing Hermione attentively.

"I don't understand why you're asking me this; I've always made it very clear that Viktor is only a friend…" Hermione replied, raising an eyebrow. She stared inquiringly at Ginny, who took a while to speak.

"So", she started, with an innocent look, "say, if someone liked you, how you would feel about that?"

Hermione widened her eyes, dropping her gaze to the floor next and mumbling shyly: "Well, I guess it would depend of the person in question... but why, do you know something I don't know?"

"Oh no, it was just a possibility. Never mind", the red-haired girl relied, smirking. "It was nice chatting with you. See ya later!" And with these enigmatic words, she left the room.

The brunette shook her head disapprovingly, and then whispered: "And they call me crazy…"

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"So, what do you think? Do I have a chance?" Ron asked as soon as his sister stepped inside the kitchen.

"Don't be so hasty, brother", Ginny replied, smiling at her brother's exasperated expression. "One thing I can tell you for sure: Krum won't be a problem. Now it's up to you to make her see how much you care for her."

Ron sighed deeply, and then said: "Well, first I have to convince her to forgive me because of the diary thing…"

"Just do like I told you, Ron; I'm sure that'll work", Ginny replied confidently.

"If you're so sure of that…" Ron commented in a not so self-assured voice.

The red-haired girl opened her mouth to retort, but at the same time Hermione walked inside the kitchen. "Well, like I was saying Ron, I have to go and clean Arnold's cage. Bye!" Ginny exclaimed in a significant voice.

Hermione stopped on her tracks, apparently forgetting what had led her there. Ron seized the opportunity, and said in a truly regretful voice: "Look Hermione, I know you're really pissed with me because of the diary, but I'm really sorry for what I did…"

Hermione sent him an angry look, but she didn't say anything, and so Ron continued: "It was a horrible thing to do, and if you only knew how much I regret it… Hermione, let's not ruin our friendship. Please, forgive me."

The brunette crossed her arms, and after a few seconds in silence, she said: "I'm truly disappointed with you, Ronald Weasley; I would have expected better from you. But since you seem to regret deeply what you've done, I'm willing to forgive you. However", she continued, making Ron's smile fade away, "I must warn you that if you do something else that pisses me off, I'll never speak to you again. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly", Ron replied, cheering a little bit. "I'm really glad you forgave me, and I promise I won't do anything stupid like that ever again."

"Good", Hermione said. "Well, I'm going to look for Crookshanks in the garden; I'll see you later."

Ron nodded, and stared at her back as she walked towards the door that led to the garden. When the girl was almost reaching the door, she turned around and asked above a whisper: "Would you like to help me?"

Ron smiled widely before replying: "Sure I want." He was so excited that he knocked over a chair on his way, and almost fell on the floor. He blushed ten shades of red when Hermione said: "Silly!"

From behind the kitchen's door, a red-haired girl was observing both boy and girl; a truly happy smile was playing on her lips. "Finally", she whispered to the air.

To be continued…