"It's time for one of our girl-to-girl talks, Hermione," Ginny chimed.
Hermione reluctantly looked up from her book as she sat on her bed that night, peering at Ginny, who was sitting on her bed in a swaying crisscross form.
"What?"
"Well, discuss things, you know," said Ginny, tipping over onto her bed, now in a laying position. "It's hard to talk to people like Ron about your feelings, and don't even suggest Harry."
"Ah…yes," said Hermione, comprehension dawning on her. "Why haven't we been doing this before?"
"Because every night you fall asleep with a book on your face," Ginny said. "Basically all you do is read at night."
"It's such a guilty pleasure," said Hermione significantly.
"Like snogging my brother," Ginny sniggered.
"Excuse me? He's the only one I've ever snogged," Hermione snapped.
"Ah yes," said Ginny reminiscently, rolling over so she was upside down with her head hanging off the bed and staring at Hermione. "Michael and Dean…though not exactly up to my standards."
"Do I want to know?"
"Probably. You see, you've got to not be a sore loser, prat, git, and I'm you're princess."
"Does that mean I have to chuck Ron?"
"Poor Hermione, the jester…."
Hermione threw her pillow and Ginny's pink face.
"Oh yeah? Well, what about your prince?" Hermione mocked.
"Not funny, Hermy," said Ginny slyly.
"Arghh…don't call me Hermy," grumbled Hermione.
"Ron calls you Hermy," Ginny pointed out.
"Don't be thick - that's because it's Ron,"
"Is that your pet name?" Ginny inquired with another snigger.
"Eww…Ginny stop it," Hermione said testily.
"Are you ever going to marry him?"
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Because I have a right to know,"
"You do not,"
"Do to. I might be your sister-in-law."
"Then Harry will be my brother-in-law, right?"
"I don't know if that's exactly right. Work on your relative terms."
"Are you going to marry him?"
Ginny pondered the thought for a moment, then sat up because all the blood was rushing to her head.
"I will give you an answer, unlike you."
"Oh, really?"
"If Harry ever asked him to marry him, I think I would. When this whole thing is over first, of course."
"Hmm," Hermione mumbled, laying down and returned to her book.
"I mean, I still like him," Ginny continued, vaguely aware that Hermione was absorbed in her book. "But, you know, it's for his own good. Our own good, I guess. But I think we're fighting more of a losing battle here, because Voldemort manipulates people Harry isn't even close to. Like me when I was eleven, and that was when he was best friends with you and Ron, and I haven't seen you two being used."
The silence in which Hermione did not speak registered to Ginny that she was not listening.
"Uh…Hermione?" Ginny said, inclining her head.
But when the only sound Hermione made was a snore, Ginny sighed as she gave the book on Hermione's face one last look, and turned off the lamp.
"'Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear - ' Wait, do I consider you 'dear'?"
Harry awoke on his birthday to the sound of Ron's singing.
"It's okay, you don't have to finish the song," Harry grumbled, rubbing his eyes with one hand and groping around the bedside table for his glasses with the other.
"Aww…just when I thought I had that career in the bag," said Ron jokingly.
Harry and Ron dressed as usual and went down to the kitchen, but when they arrived, there was a great amount of "Happy Birthday" chants provided by everyone, even the Weasley twins, Mad-Eye Moody, and Tonks. Ron, however, seemed more interested in examining Harry's vanilla birthday cake breakfast.
"Happy birthday, Harry," said Hermione, presenting Harry with a parcel.
Harry got a bag of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum from Hermione, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from Ron, a Foe-Glass from Moody, the latest copy of Quidditch Through the Ages from Tonks, and a box of some of Fred and George's joke shop products, and a sack of Dungbombs from Ginny.
After eating their way through Harry's birthday cake, (Ron having two pieces, and Ginny accused him of being a pig, and Hermione shaking her head sadly) the adults informed them that they needed to go inspect a room a few stories above them.
"Boggarts are loving the house now that no one's been in it for a while," Tonks said, who's hair was a long, crimped lavender.
"It shouldn't take too long if it's the only thing up there," Moody growled. "But we doubt that."
As the adults trooped upstairs, Hermione watched them through the open door. It was only until they were all the way upstairs when she said, "I wonder where Lupin is?"
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Tonks seemed ill just talking about him."
"Do you think he's the ill one?" Ginny asked.
"We haven't seen him either," said George.
"Maybe he's hurt!" Hermione said fearfully. "You know, doing what he's doing, he could - "
"Either that, or he's turned to the Dark side," Ron said jokingly.
"It's not funny, Ron!" Hermione snapped. "They don't ever want us knowing anything, it's so annoying! What do they think we'll do, run away and try to find him?"
"I think so," Harry said, who had been absorbed in his own thoughts about this matter until now.
"Still - " Hermione persisted.
"Let's just forget about it," Ron interjected. "He's probably fine."
Hermione huffed slightly, and her expression seemed to show that she had disappeared into her thoughts.
A few minutes later, after everyone was done eating, Hermione quietly confided to Harry and Ron that she was going to do more Horcrux research if she could.
"Enjoy yourself," Ron said.
"I will," Hermione said in a dignified manner.