Hermione ate her breakfast as quickly as she could and excused herself from the table. She could feel the grown-ups' eyes on her as she left the dining room. There was something in their gaze that she couldn't quite place... So she decided to retreat to her room for the rest of the day.

As soon as she was alone, she groaned. Her actions had been rash and dangerous. She didn't mean to hurt Ginny, but her hex was too strong and it hit the girl as well. Thankfully, Lupin was present to undo the damage, but it had drained him, since that night had been the full moon's eve. How could she have been so stupid? Now he would have to face his transformation magically spent!

She threw herself on her mattress. They had moved to Grimmauld Place early that morning, and she was tired. She tried not to think of anything, and soon fell asleep.

Someone was moving in the room. Hermione opened her eyes and looked around lazily. Apparently, Ginny was unpacking. She smiled: It meant that Mrs. Weasley's efforts to give Hermione her own room had not been successful.

"You're awake."

Hermione snorted as an answer. Her friend had a way of stating the obvious that was rather endearing. She propped herself up on her elbows.

"Have I been asleep for long?"

"Not really..." – Ginny replied as she sat down on Hermione's bed.

Hermione looked around, feeling slightly guilty.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Better than Ron, anyway." – Both girls smiled, but Hermione's face was serious almost instantly.

"I was wondering... What was he doing in our room? It was rather late, after all."

Ginny blushed and looked away.

"I might ask you the same thing. What were you doing, not in bed, so late?"

"I – I" – Hermione stuttered, knowing that she had to lie if she wanted Ginny to answer. – "I was trying to get into the boy's room."

Her friend opened her eyes wide. Hermione laughed nervously and shrugged.

"I had this crazy idea... I wanted to watch Ron sleep..." – She finished sheepishly.

"I knew you liked him! I knew it!"

Ginny's eyes twinkled triumphantly.

"Okay, okay, enough. I've said my piece. Now it's your turn to come clean."

"Um..." – The redhead paled considerably and swallowed hard. – "Promise me that, if I tell you, you won't say a thing about it to anyone."

The girl was distressed, so Hermione simply nodded. Ginny didn't look too convinced, but continued.

"Ron and I have this deal where, if something happens to Harry, I have to control myself, you know? I can't overreact or panic..." – She sighed. – "And then all of it happened, and I didn't keep my end of the agreement. I got upset, and frustrated, and angry, so bloody angry!"

Ginny swallowed again and blinked furiously.

"So he came to our bedroom, to remind you of your promise?"

"Yes, he did. Ron had promised me it would stop once we left Hogwarts. He said that Harry would be fine, because he had never been attacked during summer. I thought he was telling me the truth. I thought You-Know-Who was evil and all, but that he let Harry have his summer breaks." – A tear was wiped away before others started falling down her cheeks. – "I was an idiot. I was angry at Harry for suffering, and at Ron for lying, and at You-Know-Who for... Well, for everything! And Ron tried to calm me down, to make me understand that You-Know-Who was depraved and that he couldn't help being like that. He would keep coming after Harry until it all ended... Ron tried to soothe me, he really did... And then we were attacked, and –"

Ginny's words were drowned in her tears, and Hermione sat up to hug her, feeling a knot forming in her throat as well. She had harmed Ron, her best friend, when he hadn't done anything wrong!