Hermione furiously ran up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. She screamed the password at the Fat Lady (who was too drunk to notice anyway) and ran inside.

How could he do this? The one night she wanted to be acknowledged for once, and he ruins it!

She knew Ron was right behind her. She considered fleeing to her dormitory, but she thought better of it. If she stayed, she could have another chance to scream at him.

Before long, Ron came barging into the common room, every part of skin she could see on him was red.

Then he caught sight of her. His expression softened, only for a microsecond, at the sight of her tears. She saw the true Ron, the Ron who made her laugh. Then his expression hardened again, and she saw only the shadow of Ron Weasley.

He was approaching her. She knew he was going to scream at her, so she decided she would beat him to it.

"How could you do this to me, Ron? The one night I wanted to be noticed by someone other than a teacher and you shatter the whole evening for me!"

Ron looked taken aback. "How could I do this to you? You're the one who went to the Ball with Krum!"

Hermione glared. "So? You're the one who wanted his autograph; he was your favorite Quidditch player until just a few hours ago!"

"He's USING you!"

This set Hermione off. All of the sudden, she was screaming at Ron as loud as she could, and he was screaming back. They both didn't seem to be making any sense, just run-on sentences, and expressed anger mixed into one.

Finally, Hermione couldn't take it any longer. She stopped yelling, which made Ron stop after he finished his long rant about Krum trying to get to Harry.

She suddenly understood everything. She understood why Ron didn't want her going to the Ball with Victor; she understood why he was so jealous of him…

It was her.

"Then you know what the solution is, don't you?" she said in a lower voice then what she had been using.

"What's that?" Ron shouted at her.

"Next time there's a ball, pluck up the courage to ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"

With that, she ran up to her dormitory, leaving Ron gaping.


Hermione cried for at least an hour. She heard Lavender and Parvati come in the room, both talking rapidly about their evening, and she made sure her curtains were closed around her four-poster. Her heart burned with jealousy. If only her evening had turned out as planned…

A few minutes later, she heard a third voice in the room. "Is Hermione in here? I didn't see her turn in. She's not still at the Ball…"

There was silence. Parvati and Lavender had both been in the common room when Ron and Hermione were having their row. She figured they knew she was up here, she assumed they didn't want to bother her. And to be honest, Hermione liked it that way.

Finally, Hermione heard Parvati answer the new voice, "Yeah, she's in bed."

There were footsteps, but Hermione didn't move from her lying position in bed. She was still in her dress; she had been too upset to change. She heard the curtains open, then close again. She felt more weight add to her bed as the person sat down.

"Hermione, what did Ron do?"

Hermione faced the person. It was Ginny.

She didn't want to tell her. It was too humiliating to recall just yet…

Suddenly, the whole story started pouring out of her. Ginny sat listening attentively.

"…and then I said, "next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"

Ginny raised her eyebrows at this. "Wow Hermione, that was as good as confession for the both of you."

"Oh, shut up," Hermione snapped angrily. "I honestly have no idea why I even hang around him anymore. He has to be the most vicious person on the planet, especially when he's jealous."

Ginny laughed. "Hermione, all boys are like this, they're all the same. They're jealous maniacs, and they want what other boys want."

Hermione frowned at this, then her eyes widened. "What, you don't think…?"

Ginny nodded. "My brother loves you!" she said teasingly.

Hermione ignored this, and shook her head. "I can't deal with this, I'm going to bed." She lay back down and turned her back on Ginny.

"Alright, you can avoid talking about it now, but I will be back."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Ginny was right.


Hermione dreaded facing Ron the next day. She wasn't sure what he would do, maybe he would start screaming at her again. Then again, she wasn't sure she would be able to resist screaming at him either.

However, maybe he would act like it didn't happen.

Knowing Ron, it was likely this was doubtful.

Hermione sighed, and started down the hall to the common room, to find both Ron and Ginny walking down to breakfast.

She considered running back up to her dormitory and staying there for the rest of the day. She couldn't do that, it's only Ron. Why did she care so much?

Hermione was about to turn and run, when she heard Ron say to Ginny as they exited the common room: "I don't get it Ginny, why do Hermione and me fight so much? We don't fight with Harry."

After hearing this, Hermione decided to follow behind Ron and Ginny down to the Hall, just close enough behind to hear what they were talking about.

She was able to catch the portrait before it slammed shut, and she was able to just catch Ginny's response: "…I can think of a few reasons."

"Oh, shut it," Ron said grumpily. "I don't know what to do, and I don't know how I can ever face her again. I don't want to fight anymore with her…I just snapped last night, I couldn't control it!"

"Ron, maybe it's that great, green monster in your chest."

Hermione's eyes widened at this response from Ginny, and she hastened to keep up without being noticed.

Ron didn't answer to her answer. Ginny sighed. "Ron, just go about your usual business, and if she gives you trouble, just walk away. But I rather doubt she'll want to start a fight. She wants to be friends with you as much as you with her."

"Then why do we argue and row and fight?" Ron asked, frustrated.

Ginny looked slightly sympathetic at her brother. "I think you both are hiding something."

By now, they were just outside the Great Hall. Ron and Ginny stopped walking, and Hermione hid behind a suit of armor.

"Ron, just do what you know is right. Don't listen to your jealousy."

Ron frowned at her at the word, "jealousy". Ginny smiled at his glare and left him by himself as she strode into the Great Hall. Ron sighed, and followed.

When Hermione knew they were gone, she stepped out from behind the suit of armor, and followed Ron into the Hall, knowing they would both patch up what had happened the night before.