A/N1: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

ME-EEE...

Disclaimer: I own no aspect of Harry Potter...but that'd be a great birthday present!! (Hint, hint!)

Note: Look at the bottom for important notes!!!!!!!

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XXXXXHermioneXXXXX (January 3rd, the Burrow)

"So Hermione," Harry said in that eerily calm voice he uses when he's about to start yelling, similar to in 5th year when he arrived at Grimmmauld place. "How long were you planning on keeping Ron and I in the dark about being engaged? And engaged to Malfoy no less." Hermione's eyes widened. "What? I'm not engaged! What are you talking about?

"Well you might as well be. Soul mates. Are you guys somehow bonded together?" Hermione looked down to the floor.

"Sorta."

"Well ok then. You are engaged to Malfoy." Suddenly, Ron's incredulous face peered through the doorway.

"Hermione is engaged to MALFOY? When the hell did this happen? And why didn't she tell us?"

"Yeah Hermione, when did this happen? Why didn't you tell us? Aren't we your best friends?" Harry said, still managing that calm voice although his posture of stiff hands clenched into fists at his sides ruined the effect.

"A couple of months ago."

"I see, and we're you planning on not telling us and then just sending us a wedding invite?"

"We're not getting married. We aren't even engaged!!"

"Sure you're not." Was all Ron had to say.

"Well then, please, in case of marriage later on, don't send us an invite." Harry said as he walked out the door. Ron followed him out after tossing a malevolent glance at Hermione. You could hear him say angrily to Harry as they went down the stairs: "How do you like that, I was coming up here to make amends with her and this is what I get!"

Ginny smiled brightly at Hermione. "That went well."

Hermione looked at her in amazement. "I hope you're being sarcastic. That didn't go well at all!"

Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well I expected them to yell...and neither of them did. And look at it this way: you didn't have to tell Ron, and now they're both mad at you at the same time. Meaning they'll get over it together and one won't will still be mad while the other isn't." Hermione sighed.

"You do have a half-point."

"So...apparently you're engaged to Malfoy."

"I am NOT!"

"You might as well be."

"Shut up!"

"Hmm...Mrs. Hermione Ferret-Malfoy. I don't like it."

"Ginny?!? What the heck? How 'bout Mrs. Ginny Longbottom?"

"Eh...no thanks. How about Mrs. Ginny Potter? Yeah I like that. And while I am Mrs. Ginny Potter you can be Mrs. Hermione Snape." Ginny said laughingly while ducking from Hermione's throwing range.

Hermione gagged. "ABSOLUTELY NOT! You have a terrible sense of humor!"

"Ok fine, even though you would go well with the bat of the dungeons..." Ginny trailed off at Hermione's dark glare.

"Ok, FINE, no Snape, I was kidding anyway. How about Mrs. Hermione Weasley?"

Hermione smiled sadly. "Nope."

"Umm...no offense or anything Hermione, but you and Ron never exactly had a chance together. As much as I'd love to have you as a sister-in-law and as much as my mum would love having you as a daughter-in-law; Ron's really thick and retarded sometimes, even though he means well. And he's stubborn with a terrible temper. You on the other hand are really smart but you are also stubborn. Your personalities clash...that's why you always fight; now you and the Ferret—"

"Will never get along no matter what, despite the mirror, end of story."

"If you say so." Ginny said mysteriously.

"Yes. As a matter of fact I do."

The last two days before they went back to Hogwarts, Hermione decided to retreat to her room to pack ahead of time and read, only coming down for meals. She couldn't take any more of Ron and Harry's cold glares. By now all of the Weasley's had figured out that something happened between the trio of friends and they wisely chose to stay out of it. So for the most part, Hermione was in solitude except for the occasional times during the day that Ginny came up and stayed with her and when she came down for meals of course.

At long last, they were able to leave for Hogwarts. Ginny and Hermione shared a compartment with Alyssa, Elaine, Spencer and Marie because Ron and Harry wanted nothing to do with Hermione, so they spent the ride chatting animatedly. Dinner was a quiet event in Hermione's eyes. She sat where she normally did, but instead of taking their normal seats across from her, Ron and Harry deliberately moved and sat at the opposite end of the long Gryffindor table. She ate robotically and only half-listened to Ginny prattle on about one thing or another. Hermione was so unaware of her surroundings that it surprised her when Ginny was waving her hand in front of her face and talking to her.

"Hello?? Is anyone in there?" Ginny rapped on her forehead. "Helllooooo. Earth to planet Hermy, do you copy?"

Hermione shook her head vaguely. "Yeah, I'm ok."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Ok, then why are we basically the only ones left in the Great Hall?" Hermione looked around in surprise.

"Oh, well I was just waiting for you."

"Mmhm, sure. Let's go then." The two of them left the Great Hall and headed up to Gryffindor tower, Ginny casting furtive glances Hermione's way ever couple of seconds. Hermione noticed this and accidentally misplaced her anger and misery about everything else and exploded.

"Ginny, STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT! I'm FINE!"

Ginny looked hurt. "Hermione, I'm worried about you."

"Well don't be. I'm FINE."
"Well excuse me for trying to be a good friend." Ginny said icily. Hermione immediately backtracked.

"Gin, I'm really sorry!! I didn't mean that. I guess I'm just...I don't know...misplacing my negative feelings. I shouldn't be taking them out on you." She hung her head. "I'm really sorry."

Ginny smiled sympathetically at her forlorn friend. "It's ok. I understand. Don't worry about it; those two idiots can't be mad at you for long. Besides, now you get a break from being their human cheat sheet right?"

Hermione smiled gratefully, "Yeah that is one advantage." Ginny giggled lightly and linked her arm through Hermione's and they walked happily the rest of the way back to the common room.

"Ginny," she said once they got in. "I think I'm going to go up to bed and read. I'm exhausted already. But I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, goodnight 'Mione."

"Night Ginny."

Hermione, as always, was looking forward to classes the next day. They would provide her with a distraction and little time to think about her current quibble with Ron and Harry. It was terrible for Hermione to be so isolated from her two best guy friends like this, she always disliked fighting with them...and it always seemed to be them against her. Just like third year. She thought sadly as she lay in bed with her book.

The next three days came and went in a routine manner for Hermione. She attended all of her classes and meals regularly, even when she would much rather have just stayed in bed all day. Amid that, she continually received angry looks from Harry and Ron and sympathetic ones from Ginny. Every time she got one of those stone cold glares from the two boys, the first thought that ran through her mind was: boy if looks could destroy people I'd be gone 10 times over. It was really starting to get on her nerves, she could sense that she was always being watched and she felt like some animal trapped behind bars in a zoo.

But the next morning, Hermione woke up feeling oddly cheerful. She looked at the calendar by her bed and gasped. It's my birthday today!! I'm 17 now. Ooh yay!! This is perfect timing, because it's my birthday Harry and Ron can't be mad at me. Well they can...but I don't think they would. Would they? In a now cheerful and optimistic mood, Hermione quickly showered and dressed and hurried down to breakfast with her bag. Upon entering the Great Hall, she didn't expect much, but she still expected something: a hug, a chorus of 'happy birthdays' or something. But instead she sat down by Ginny and just waited.

"Hey Ginny! What's up?" Ginny looked up suspiciously at Hermione.

"You sound unusually happy today...what's happening?"

"Nothing." Hermione fired at her, a little miffed that Ginny hadn't remembered her birthday. Well if she doesn't remember, I'm not going to tell her. I'm going to see how long it takes. "Aren't I allowed to be happy?"

"Well yeah but...well I don't know."

"Anyway, have Harry and Ron been down yet?"

"Um, no. Why?"

"No reason really, I was just wondering." Ginny gave her an 'I don't buy it look' but went back to breakfast anyway. Just then, Harry and Ron walked through the doors and went to their spot at the far end of the table without giving Hermione a second glance. She sighed unhappily. Maybe somebody will remember later...

But by dinner time, Hermione was very disappointed. Nobody, not one person remembered that it was her birthday. That had never happened to her before and she didn't know what to think. She picked listlessly at her dinner and moved her food around more than actually eating it. Not feeling very hungry, Hermione just left and went to do her homework in the common room that she knew would be quiet because everyone else was at dinner. She immersed herself into her homework: 3 foot long essays; one for Potions, Transfiguration and Charms, all due in 2 weeks. By the time she was finished, almost everyone had come back from dinner and was socializing with one another in the common room, but still not one of them noticed her or mentioned her birthday. With tears forming in her eyes she went up to her dorm.

Hermione sat down miserably on the edge of her scarlet and gold clad bed. What has this come to? I make a stupid mistake on New Years, keep a big secret from Harry and Ron, and take my misery about that out on Ginny. Thank goodness Ginny understood and forgave me. But Ron and Harry are still furious with me. And on top of that, none my friends, even the ones even remember my birthday! What's wrong with that picture? Hermione longed for the days when the only conflict was whether or not they'd get in trouble for one thing or another. Like first year, with the dragon. We we're only worried about getting caught. Now everything is so much more complicated. She lay down on her bed and waited for night to fall on her birthday that was not very pleasant or fun...or anything like what a birthday should be.

TBC…

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IMPORTANT NOTES: Yes I realize that Hermione's birthday is actually in September, I'm pretty sure the 19th...but I'm not using that. This is an AU already, so changing her birthday won't make too much of a difference to the AU factor.

AND...it doesn't say she is engaged. Because she's NOT. Let me repeat. SHE IS NOT ENGAGED TO MALFOY. Harry said that because he doesn't understand the distinction between "bonded soul mates" and engagement/marriage.

A/N2: ...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! Yay. It actually is my birthday!! Please review. No flames!!

Lovelove, Amanda