Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah, not mine.

A/N: I've been wanting to get this chapter up for a really long time, sorry for the delay and hope you enjoy!

Chapter Five

Hermione sat down, sighing, on Ginny's red couch one week later. Hermione shook her head as she watched Ginny scrubbing away like mad at the nonexistent germs in the apartment she once shared with Harry. She understood now what Ron had meant about Ginny and too hoped it was just a phase.

"Ginny?" the red-head continued to scrub the floors, the muggle way. "Ginny!" she said louder.

"Not now Hermione, busy."

"Ginny," Hermione stood up and walked over to where Ginny sat, scrubbing in between tiles.

She pointed accusingly at the steps Hermione had just taken. "I just cleaned that spot!"

"Oh Merlin!" Hermione cried out as she forcefully lifted Ginny up. "You're starting to see imaginary germs!"

"They're not imaginary, your shoes are dirty!" she glared at Hermione's shoes.

"I've come here every day for the last three days and in that time I've never seen you do anything but clean. Didn't you just clean this bloody floor yesterday!"

"Yes, but that was magically. Now I have to clean whatever magic left behind. Magic doesn't do as good of a job as we all think 'Mione." she put one hand on her hip.

"Yeah well you don't have to scrub the floor."

"It helps relieve my anger and make time butterfly!"

Hermione gave Ginny a questioning look. "Make time go what?"

"Butterfly." she said with confidence, but then looking at Hermione's face became more unsure. "Isn't that the phrase?"

"I think you mean, make time fly."

"Yeah, that too." Ginny nodded as she took a cleaning spray and moved to the kitchen.

"How could you get that one wrong?" Hermione said as she followed her.

"My brain's mush, I dunno." Ginny shrugged as she cleaned the kitchen counter for the fifth time that day.

"Ginny, you keep doing that and you're going to become a germaphobe."

"I like a clean house, it that a crime now?" Ginny asked pointedly.

"It was fine the first day but now it's the fourth and it's getting creepy."

"Then go home!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Gin, I've seen you clean every corner of this place, including the ceiling. I assure you, there's no dirt to be found, no dust left to collect, no area left uncleaned that you need to scrub germs away."

Ginny shook her head and washed her hands. "There's one place... just one." she said as she walked past Hermione and out into the hall.

Hermione followed her, "There's no way!" she said, stopping as she saw Ginny standing in front of the bedroom door, tapping her right foot. Hermione tilted her head slightly. It was true, not once had she seen Ginny step into the bedroom she and Harry had once shared. Hermione had a realization. "You haven't gone in there at all have you?" Hermione asked.

Ginny shook her head, "No. I've been sleeping either at the Burrow or on the couch. Luckily I still have some old clothes and stuff in my old room."

They stood there for a while until Hermione broke the silence. "Are you going to go in?"

Ginny looked at Hermione and blinked, shaking her head, "No."

"You should."

There was a pause of silence. "I should have a long, long time ago." she nodded, staring at the door.

"So why not now?"

"Because."

"Because what?" Ginny took one deep quick breath and hurriedly opened the door before she changed her mind.

Light streamed in from the windows and Hermione stood in the doorway. Harry's robe strewn on the hastily made bed. A small pile of books on the dresser next to perfumes and only a few bottles of cologne. Some clothes peeked out from their drawers and a pair of shoes sat neatly in front of the bed. Besides that the room was organized, Ginny's doing.

"It's clean." Ginny said, turning around.

"Yeah."

"Can I just-" she made a gesture and Hermione knew what it meant.

"Of course, I'll be home if you need anything." Ginny nodded.

Hermione decided to walk home, it would take about 20 minutes but Hermione really didn't mind. It was a beautiful day and she just wanted to enjoy it. Ron would curse her if he knew she was strolling about without someone for protection.

It wasn't the safest of times seeing as Voldemort was still around but thanks to Harry, much weaker. Something Harry had done, a spell, that made Voldemort increase by age until he was but an old wrinkled ''man'' and also made his powers decrease by a long shot.

Hermione still didn't know exactly what Harry had done and it was a long messy story but Hermione's theory was that Harry had used a spell that "shut off" half of Voldemort's brain, well, that's how she saw it anyway. To get to the point, the Dark Side hadn't acted up. Probably Death Eaters fawning over Voldemort and trying to decide what to do, and perhaps even who could take his place. After all, he was pretty much useless now.

Taking her keys out of her front jean pockets, she unlocked the main door to the building and entered. Leaving the door close with a clank as she made her way to the lifts. Hermione greeted her neighbor as she made her way out of the elevator.

Entering her flat she saw an unfamiliar dark owl patiently waiting for her arrival on one of her wooden chairs, a letter attached to it's leg.

"Whatcha got for me?" she spoke quietly and merrily to the bird as she stretched out her arm and let the owl take place there. Taking the letter from the owl's leg he, or she, flew away out of the open window.

Be careful.

Was all the letter had said. Hermione flipped the paper to see if anything else was written on it but it was blank. A full page blank but with the simple writings of "Be careful". Hermione shrugged and tossed the paper.

"Probably just Ron." she muttered before going into the kitchen to get herself something to eat.