The pay-back has begun!

Chapter 2 – Operation; love-sick

The next morning Hermione woke up with the intention of putting her plan into immediate action.

'Phase one- operation love-sick' she thought.

Her plan for today was to convince her fellow sixth year Gryffindors that she was in love, and to make absolutely sure that Ron was among the convinced.

She went through her usual morning routine of getting ready for the day ahead, and then swaggered down to the common room smiling with all the enthusiasm she could muster. She wasn't at all surprised too be greeted by the (rather sick) scene that was Lavender and Ron going for gold on an armchair, near the fire. Lavender was sitting on Ron's lap, he had his arms around her waist and she was caressing the back of his neck. As soon as Hermione entered Ron's field of view he deepened the kiss and the groping became a hell of a lot more obvious.

This is what Hermione had grown used too over these past few weeks and was expecting it. It didn't throw her of course; she didn't let the fact that it broke her heart show as she continued to beam around the room.

She then did something that was so… weird, that everyone in the common room stopped what they were doing to watch what they obviously thought was going to be a fight (Harry was preparing himself for having to tear Hermione off Lavender).

Hermione had approached Ron and Lavender and now looked like she was going to interrupt them.

"Excuse me, Lavender can I have a word please?" Hermione's tone was civil and rather sweet. This didn't stop Parvati from giving Harry a series of nervous glances.

"What is it?" Lavender answered in an equally non-aggressive tone after prying her lips from Ron's. Lavender and Hermione have never been nasty to one another (unless you count yesterday when Lavender laughed at a particularly nasty joke of Ron's), but everyone knew they were jealous of one another when it came to Ron, and were therefore expecting the teen-hormone equivalent of Hiroshima any time now (all eyes were on them).

"I was wondering…" Hermione continued, fully aware of the fact they were being watched, "if you would like to have my invitations to go to Slughorns party. I won't need them, I have other plans with…erm… someone else. Anyway, I thought you and Ron could go instead. Hear." As she said this she produced two tickets from her inside pocket and handed them to Lavender.

"Wow. Really? Hermione, I don't know what to say. Thank you!" Lavender exclaimed. Ron just looked dumfounded and couldn't say a word.

Before anyone could say anything else, Hermione turned on her heels and walked out of the portrait hole and down to the great hall for breakfast.

"What the bloody hell was all that about." Ron had finally found his voice after 5 minutes of silence.

"I don't know, but I am not complaining." Came Lavenders response. "Invitations to Slughorns party? You know, I'm beginning to really like that girl."

Ginny, who had witnessed the whole event, couldn't help wondering what Hermione was up to. And then as if by magic the answer came to her in the form of her older brother's sudden realisation of something Hermione had said.

"Hang on a minute, she said she had other plans with someone." He said, starting to get suspicious.

"So what, it's got nothing to do with you, has it?" said Lavender, obviously sensing Ron's growing suspicions.

"Do you think she's seeing someone in secret?" Ron was starting to show his jealousy a little now, and Ginny couldn't help but smile as she admired Hermione's handy work.

Down in the great hall, Hermione was busy getting ready for the next little act she would have to do in order to further any suspicions she may have aroused up in the common room.

The first one to venture down to breakfast (after Hermione) was Ron. Hermione was glad to see that he was red in the face. She had obviously gotten his attention.

Ron, knowing full well that he and Hermione were not on speaking terms, he had begged Ginny to come down to breakfast so that she could be the messenger.

Sure enough, just two minutes after Ron walked in; Ginny was on her way over and sat next to Ron, opposite Hermione.

"Ron wants to kn…aww, you prat!" Ginny stopped saying whatever she was going to say as Ron, quite noticeably, pinched her upper arm in protest.

If possible Ron's face was getting redder, obviously embarrassed at what Ginny had just 'let slip'.

"I mean," Ginny began again "I was wondering, what other plans you've got for the night of Slughorns party?"

And with an elbow-nudge from Ron she added, "And with whom are you going to be with?"

"Well…" Hermione was going to love teasing Ron like this, "it wouldn't be a secret if I told you now, would it." She couldn't keep a cheeky grin from spreading across her face as she said this. It soon faded however, at Ron's sudden angry outburst;

"Bloody women! Who is he Hermione? What's his name? Stop playing these stupid games and just tell me who you're going out with!"

At this, Hermione got up calmly and gracefully and, with another cheeky grin on her face, whispered "that's my dirty little secret Ronald Weasley." She then turned and headed for the exit. Before she left she turned back around to address Ron again; "besides, if you can get someone to suck on your face, Ronald, it mustn't be that difficult to gel a lover?" she then turned around and continued to walk away. But not before noticing the look on Ron's face, he looked like an angry bull preparing to charge.

After the scene in the common room and after word got out about what Hermione had said to Ron in the Great Hall, the rumours and theories were flying around about Hermione and her new secret lover.

"If she even has one"

"Yeah, yeah Lavender. We all know your theory abut Hermione pretending to have a boyfriend just to make you jealous." Ginny replied

Ginny and all the six year Gryffindors, minus Hermione, were sitting in the common room. It was now 9pm and the only interesting topic of conversation that didn't involve death and Death Eaters, was Hermione and her love life.

"Well it make scene, doesn't it" Lavender said in a matter of fact way.

"Does it?" Ron asked, a little confused.

"Look," Lavender was talking as if what she thought was the most obvious thing in the world. "She is jealous of what I and my Won-Won have."

"So…?"

"So, she's going to pretend that she has a better boyfriend than me, to make me jealous in an attempt to split me and Ron up!"

By now everyone was looking at her as if she was a loon, until;

"Hey! What do you mean a better boyfriend?" Ron couldn't hep but feel a little insulted.

"Oh, nothing baby. I didn't mean it like that." Lavender pouted, giving him her apologetic puppy-dog eyes.

Just then Hermione came through the portrait hole looking a little disshelved but also rather happy about something. Immediate silence and a wave of shocked confusion engulfed the occupants of the common room. People were not used to seeing the goody-goody, know-it-all prefect act in such a peculiar way, the way she looked just added to the disbelief. Her robes were draped over her arm so that her shirt, skirt and legs were visible. Her top 2 shirt buttons were undone (revealing a little cleavage), and her hair was just a little messier than usual. The most shocking thing was that she had lipstick marks on her collar and a love bite which was just visible through her white shirt, just above her left breast (dodgy to say the least!).

She sighed to herself before giving the room a quick scan, smiling to everyone she then disappearing up the staircase to the girl's dormitory.

Ginny didn't hesitate to follow. She was just about to disappear up the staircase herself when she herd the common room burst into conversation. The last voice she herd was Harry's- "what the bloody…?"