You know, if you think you see something there between Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger, you're not alone. Dumbledore suspected something.

So did Cho.

And Viktor.

And Rita Skeeter.

And Ron.

"Are you sure they're supposed to look like this?" I pulled at the collar of my dress robes. "They don't feel right."

"Your bow tie is off." Hermione said absently, adjusting it. She was wearing a beautiful dress. "This is why we have practice, so we don't have to ask these things right before the ball." We were getting a few odd looks, standing around in our finest outfits while everyone else was wearing normal school robes.

"Where'd you get those robes, Potter?" Came a cold, drawling voice. We both turned to see Draco Malfoy strolling towards us. "A leprechaun shop?"

"How is it that in a castle this big, you're constantly running into us, Malfoy?" Hermione snapped. "Stalking us?"

"Looking forward to when they throw your lot out, Granger, you and all the other mudbloods." Draco sneered. I reached for my wand, but was stopped by a timely voice.

"What did you just call Ms. Granger, Malfoy?" McGonagall suddenly appeared around the corner.

"Nothing." Malfoy replied, evidently not able to think up a better lie. After his run in with Moody, he didn't look like he had the nerve to go up against another teacher. "I was just going."

"Unfortunately for you, I in fact did hear what you called her." McGonagall shot back, scowling. "I think we'll take 100 points from Slytherin, for using that foul word. And a detention, for lying to a professor." Rage flickered across Malfoy's face.

"See you later, Potter." He growled, taking off. McGonagall watched him go with a look of distaste, but she just looked tired when she turned to speak to us.

"I was delayed, a quarrel between a Durmstrang student and a Ravenclaw… come in." She opened the classroom door, and gestured for them to go in. Once inside, she sent the desks sweeping to the sides of the room with a wave of her wand.

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione said gratefully. McGonagall smiled faintly.

"You're quite welcome, Ms. Granger." She said. "Now, the opening dance… it may seem difficult at first, but you two should grasp it easily enough. Mr. Potter, you and Miss Granger will be joining the dance floor last of the champions, after Mr. Krum." She went on into the details, giving the us some direction, then stopping to adjust things—

"Mr. Potter, this is a dance, not a rush to Quidditch!"

"Ms. Granger, you will be attendng a ball, not an exam, so a smile would be quite allowed!"

It was a full hour before she was satisfied.

"Well, I shall rest easier, knowing my students are prepared." She said, moving the desks back into position. "If you two hurry back to your common room to change, you should be in time for dinner."

"And Ms. Granger?" McGonnagall called. Hermione turned. "Should certain foul words be thrown about again by Slytherins, as I suspect they will, please inform me at once. I will not stand for such language at Hogwarts."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was tired of this. Of Ron's behavior. Ever since I had asked Hermione to the ball he had been treating both me and her with a cold, sneering indifference. I wasn't ignorant enough to not understand why he was doing that, but I expected more of a friend. He had his chance—just because he didn't realize Hermione was a girl until I asked her, didn't mean he had some claim to her.

I waited until I saw him alone on the Marauder's map, and tracked him down in a corridor. Of course, he immediately turned and headed the other way when he saw me.

"Ron." I called, walking rapidly after him. "Stop!"

"What do you want?" He snapped, giving me a look like someone who had just seen something particularly disgusting. I cut to the chase.

"Just one question." I said trying to sound normal. "Are we done?"

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" Ron scowled. "You're the one that chased me down just now!"

"You know what I mean." I said evenly, keeping my voice down. "First, you called me a liar when I said I didn't put my name in the goblet. Now you're cold because I asked Hermione to the ball."

"You think you can do whatever you want, don't you?" Ron said angrily. "You're the great Harry Potter, and I'm just a stupid Weasley." I fought the urge to hex him.

"I risked my life to save your little sister, Ron, so if you're going to start claiming I think I'm better than you or your family, it just counts against you, not me." I retorted. "Answer the question. Yes or no, I'll take either answer. Are. We. Done?" He paused for a moment, and I saw the scowl deepen on his face.

"Yeah, we're done." He said, pushing me aside and walking off. I froze. I honestly hadn't expected that. Three years of friendship, condensed into a single act and thrown away like something that had turned rotten. A ill feeling was rising in the pit of my stomach. I started walking, rapidly, not really paying attention to where I was headed.

"What happened to you, Potter?" A voice growled behind me. I turned to see Professor Moody stumping along.

"Bad day." I replied shortly, looking around for the first time in a half hour. I was near the headmaster's office.

"Yeah?" Moody asked. "What's wrong?" I hesitated, a little unsure if I should be complaining to a professor. Moody sighed. "Spit it out Potter. This isn't a year to be keeping problems to yourself."

"Ron." I said, a little too embarrassed to look him in the eye. "We were friends ever since we met on the Hogwarts Express, first year. And he just turned… he loathes me now. Me and Hermione."

"Oh." Mad-Eye said knowingly, catching my last few words. "You and Hermione?"

"He acts like he hates us both." I shrugged. Moody looked exasperated for a moment, but didn't rebuke me.

"Well, do you like her?" Moody said simply. I nodded. "Does she like you?"

"Yeah. She was really happy when I asked her." I recalled, smiling a little. "And, out by the lake… we…"

"Then don't worry about it." Moody said gruffly. "All is fair in love and war, Potter. If Ron can't be your friend anymore because of a girl, he was never really your friend in the first place. Got it?" I nodded. Moody gave me a rough pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." He said. "Finish your classes for the term, then work on that egg. In fact, I'd say Hermione could help you figure it out. She's a smart girl."

"Thanks, sir." I did feel a little better. "So… you don't think Ron has the right to be acting like that?"

"Potter, Ron didn't stand a chance with her." Moody laughed. "Even the other professors see it, and that was before you asked her to the ball. You and that girl rarely leave each other's sight."

You know, the Prisoner of Azkaban summarizes the difference well between Hermione's relationship with Ron, and her relationship with Harry—as well as the difference between Ron and Harry.

When Draco starts bullying Ron by the Shrieking Shack, Ron cowers behind Hermione, unable to even meet Malfoy's eyes when he weakly tries to retort for an insult.

Later, inside the Shrieking Shack, the trio is confronted by Sirius Black, who they thought at the time to be an insane murderer. Hermione steps in front of Harry and grabs him around the middle to keep him behind her—only for him to break away and charge at Sirius. Later, when Harry and Hermione time-turn a few hours back, and a werewolf-transformed Remus is about to attack the duo, Harry shields Hermione.