The moment Ron's lips met Lavender's, Hermione felt a sharp pang in her chest. How could he? Why Lavender of all people? Is this what he wanted all along?

She wasn't stupid. She recognized that Lavender was beautiful, outgoing and possessed a natural ability to connect with boys. In fact, it seemed like boys were Lavender's constant topic of conversation, at least in the dormitories.

In stark contrast, she represented the antithesis of Lavender's outgoing nature. She was the studious bookworm, the perennial know-it-all. The Mudblood. Merlin, Harry and Ron didn't realise she was a girl until the Christmas ball, in their fourth year. The experience was both painful and embarassing to say the least.

Jealousy gnawed at Hermione's insides, but beneath it, a profound sadness settled. She lost something she hadn't even realised she cherished, until now.

Yet, deep down, she knew. It was Ron's hair that she'd smelled in her first Potions class. Then, the day he'd signed up for the Quidditch tryouts, she'd been the one to confuse Cormac into missing the last goal. She had done it for Ron because she knew it was important to him. Because she wanted to please him. Because he was important to her.

She somehow had hopes. That maybe, after all the time they had spent together, after enduring countless trials side by side, she had dared to believe that he might be feeling the same way about her. Alas, she was once again proven wrong.

There was no telling what kinds of consequences their friendship would face. She couldn't bear to see him kiss her roommate again, when she had so fervently aspired to be in Lavender's place. Hermione didn't want to be left out again. She'd suffered enough of it in their third year, when Ron had refused to speak to her, mistakenly believing her cat had attacked his rat. She yearned to be as essential to him as he was to her.

"Merlin! Hermione, you're a Gryffindor, pull yourself together! I won't give up so easily!" she muttered under her breath, determined to confront the turmoil within her heart.

As Hermione lay on her bed, her mind a swirl of conflicting emotions, she found herself seeking solace in a new destination. The events of that evening had left her feeling adrift, and a new determination had begun to take root within her. She couldn't let her emotions consume her entirely. She needed to stay focused.

Turning her attention to her roommates, Parvati and Lavender, Hermione resolved to learn more about their beauty routines. It was a subtle way to occupy her thoughts, and perhaps, regain a semblance of control over her life. Maybe it could be the first step towards Ron finally noticing her.

With a book propped open before her, Hermione surreptitiously observed her roommates. Parvati, a graceful girl with long, dark hair, was meticulously applying a scented lotion to her arms, her slender fingers working it in with care. Hermione made a mental note of the brand and jasmine scent that was truly mesmerising.

Across the room, Lavender sat at her vanity table, her blonde curls cascading over her shoulders. She was expertly applying makeup, enhancing her already striking features. Hermione watched closely, noting the specific makeup products and techniques Lavender employed to achieve her polished look.

For her hair, on the other hand, she would have to use stronger means. The next trip to Hogsmeade was scheduled for the following weekend. She had to make an appointment now with the hairdresser before all the slots were taken.

As Hermione observed, she also felt a pang of guilt for intruding on their privacy. Nevertheless, her curiosity was driven by a desire to understand what had drawn Ron's attention to Lavender. She needed to know if it was merely Lavender's external beauty or something deeper that had captured his heart.

In the following days, Hermione continued her discrete observations, becoming a silent student of her roommates' beauty rituals. She learned the subtleties of their routines, the scents that lingered in the air, and the colours that adorned their faces. It was a way to occupy her thoughts and, perhaps, find a way to bridge the widening emotional chasm between herself and Ron.

"Hermione, you look ravishing today!" Ginny greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, before taking a seat beside her at the breakfast table.

"Morning, Ginny! That is so very nice of you to say, thank you. How did Quidditch practice go yesterday?"

"Don't even get me started. As soon as Ron decides to grace us with his presence, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! He complained incessantly throughout the entire practice, because he couldn't block a single goal. He was so unfocused that Harry made us stay an extra two hours. We didn't get back until one this morning, and I have Potions class in 15 minutes!"

Ginny looked like a fury from Greek mythology with the way her temper had flared, but Hermione couldn't help but empathise with her friend. Hermione knew what it was like functioning on little sleep, she usually needed at least seven hours of each night.

"My, my, Hermione, are you wearing mascara?" Ginny inquired, emphasising the last word. "Dare to tell me who the lucky wizard is that you're trying to impress?" she added playfully, winking.

"Nobody, really. I don't know, I just wanted to experiment, you know, to feel more feminine, I guess," she explained, though not very convincingly.

"Sure, Hermione… You're lucky I don't have time to interrogate you thoroughly, but don't think I'm going to let this go! I could help you, you know?"

Ginny quickly downed her glass of pumpkin juice, grabbed several slices of toast, which she wrapped in a napkin, then got up to head to her classes for the day. Before leaving, she added for Hermione's benefit, "I know you're not trying to charm anyone, but if I may offer you a piece of advice, sometimes a small change can make a big difference. It is all about drawing the eye to something unexpected. A slightly redder lipstick, a slightly tighter sweater, or even simply a well-chosen piece of jewellery. Something that this special nobody will not be able to take their eyes off."

With that, she ran off, leaving Hermione perplexed.

She could always ask Lavender and Parvati to lend her some more eye-catching makeup. And she might shorten one of her skirts very slightly, at least to see how she felt in it. However, she didn't have a ton of jewellery. She did have her christening necklace, but she doubted it was the kind of jewellery Ginny was talking about.

But maybe...

She thought back to the bracelet Sirius had given her while cleaning Grimmauld Place during the summer before her fifth year. She had never worn it, finding it too conspicuous. But maybe it was just what she needed now.

That evening, when Hermione was certain that Lavender and Parvati were absent from the dormitory, she went to her trunk in search of the bracelet. After a few minutes of rummaging, with half her belongings now strewn across the floor, she triumphantly laid her hand on it. It appeared even more beautiful than the last time she had seen it. She couldn't wait to put it on.

After carefully packing up her belongings and getting ready for the night, she ceremoniously sat down to put on the piece of jewellery. Her fingers trembled a little as she closed the clasp, the chain being so thin that the bracelet was difficult to handle. But as soon as the clasp clicked into place, she saw it disappear before her astonished eyes.

She would no longer be able to remove the bracelet from her wrist, but strangely, this thought didn't bother her. On the contrary, for the first time in a long while, she finally felt content.

That night, she fell peacefully asleep.