A/N: Thanks so much for reading - please continue to let me know what you think as you go!


"I'm through accepting limits, 'cause someone says they're so–no, wait, do I really want to do it like that?"

Hermione sat cross-legged on her queen-sized bed singing to herself, only the dim light on her nightstand and her phone screen illuminating the room. The clock on her pastel sage green walls read nearly nine o'clock, which meant that she'd been working on her lines for nearly two hours. Her legs were growing sore, prompting her to stand up and stretch. She sauntered over to the window and enjoyed the feeling of the cool glass as she pressed her forehead against the pane.

A thin layer of snow and ice covered the branches of the maple tree outside, and the glow from the streetlights lit up fresh flakes falling gently from above. It looked like a winter wonderland, the kind of scene that Hermione always loved as a child. Despite its inherent beauty, though, her attention was drawn elsewhere. Ron's house was visible from her first-story window, and her eyes locked on his bedroom. It looked like a strobe light was on in the room, a sure sign that he was playing video games instead of working on schoolwork or practicing his lines.

Typical. I bet he and Lavender already have it all worked out already.

Three days had passed since their first rehearsal, and while she hadn't addressed it directly with Ron, she was sure that the two of them had ended up meeting up after school. At each of the next few rehearsals, Lavender was draped all over him. It didn't help that they'd been rehearsing Dancing Through Life, which required the two of them to dance together. Every time Lavender had a point of contact with Ron, she ensured that it lingered well longer than necessary. He could've moved away, but he never did. Sure, he didn't return all of her sappy smiles or approach her specifically, but that was of little comfort to Hermione.

When that evening's rehearsal had ended, Lavender had offered him a ride home in her Tesla. He was clearly interested, and even though he ended up declining and accepting his normal lift home with Hermione, she could tell at the time that he would have rather gone with Lavender. It was probably just that he was too nice to inconvenience her since she lived in the opposite direction. They were both fairly quiet the whole way home, Ron opting to flip through his phone instead of making conversation.

Probably because he couldn't stop thinking about the sure thing he'd just thrown away.

And to make matters worse, he barely left her any space on the center console! Hermione always drove with one elbow propped up, but every time she set it down and found a comfortable position, his lanky body shoved over closer to her, pushing his arm against hers and forcing her to move. Why couldn't he just keep to his side?

All of the frustrations of the night came out of her in a low growl as she yanked herself away from the window and restarted her Spotify, the familiar tune of Defying Gravity blaring through her AirPods. Just as she started singing along, though, she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Hermione called, pausing the music.

Her mother's head popped around the corner as the door opened. "Hey, you need any help?"

"Help?"

"You're practicing Defying Gravity, no? Well, it's a duet. I could sing the other part if you like."

With a wave of her hand, she chuckled and invited her mother in. Acting had come naturally to her, most likely because her mother was an accomplished actress when she was younger as well. Hermione knew that she'd never have a bigger fan than Jean Granger.

"No, that's alright," Hermione said, removing her earbuds. "I could use a break anyway."

"You've been working pretty hard lately. The show just started and it already seems like it's occupying all of your free time."

"I just want to make sure I know what I'm doing. I need to get off book as soon as possible so I can work on small refinements. Elphaba is a complex character; I want to do her justice."

Mrs. Granger took a seat on the bed next to her daughter and ran a calming hand through her hair. "You will, I have no doubt."

"I hope so."

"Oh, I meant to ask," her mother continued, eyes lighting up with excitement. "Did you talk to Mrs. Trelawney about flying? Elphaba flying is one of the coolest parts of the show."

"I did, as a matter of fact. She thinks we'll be able to pull it off at the end of Act One. They did Peter Pan several years before I got to high school and still have the pulley system in place. They're going to run a bunch of tests to make sure it's still safe and well-maintained, of course, but we should be able to use it by showtime."

"That's great! I think. As a mother, it's vaguely terrifying as well, but I'm sure it'll be quite the spectacle. It was probably my favorite part of the show when we went to see it on Broadway."

"I remember," Hermione replied with a grin. "You wouldn't stop talking about it for days."

"Well, it was amazing! You'll be amazing too, I have no doubt."

"I hope so. We'll see…"

The irritating thing about her mother was that she always picked up on the slightest hint of frustration or worry. It was impossible to hide anything from her, not that Hermione often wanted to. She was fortunate to have a mother who was as supportive as Mrs. Granger, and she usually took advantage of it when something was on her mind.

When it remained quiet for several seconds, Mrs. Granger ducked her head to try to meet her daughter's eyeline. "Uh oh, are there already issues popping up? Is this about Lavender?"

"No, not really. I mean, she's never pleasant to deal with, but it's fine."

"Well that's good. Are you having trouble getting along with Mrs. Trelawney?"

"Never. She adores me."

"That's great! I hope I don't have to keep guessing forever, but I suspect I'll be on to something with this next one. Your character has an on-stage kiss, does she not?"

There was no point in lying. The deep crimson shade of her face gave her away immediately. Yet, Hermione couldn't help but refute a little, wanting to keep some things to herself. "She does…"

"You never told me who's playing Fiyero, by the way."

Of course she hadn't. So far, it had helped her avoid the exact conversation they were barreling towards. "Oh, I suppose I didn't. It's Ron, actually. He decided to give the show another try this year."

"I see," Mrs. Granger replied, her tone giving away her newfound curiosity. "How do you feel about that?"

"I think it's great. He's a really good actor. The show will be better with him in it."

"Hermione…"

She could feel her mother's knowing glare on her.

Time to spill it, I guess.

"It is a little weird, I suppose. Not that he's back; I'm honestly really glad he is. But…I do have to kiss him on stage."

"You don't have to, I'm sure. If it's bothering you–"

"No, Mom, it's fine," Hermione interrupted. "We already had a conversation with Mrs. Trelawney and amongst ourselves. We all agreed that the kiss should stay in the show."

"I'm sure that could be revisited if needed."

A silence fell over the room as Hermione considered her options. Maybe it did make sense to bring it back up again. After all, Mrs. Trelawney had said from the beginning that she'd be fine with whatever they chose. Who said their decision wasn't malleable if things changed? Or people changed?

But she knew she couldn't do that to Ron. The conversation had been weird enough the first time around. Repeating it to retract her agreement with the plan would be mortifying. He would assuredly think that it was because she didn't want to kiss him, things would get even weirder, and they would end up drifting even further apart than they already were.

She took a deep breath and collected her confidence. "No need. It's a little awkward, sure, but it'll make the show the best it can be. It's finally my time to play a major role, and I have no intention of only participating halfway."

"Dear, I'm so proud of you for working as hard as you have to get the part you deserve. I know you'll be brilliant. I don't happen to think it's all or none with that particular scene, but I'll respect your decision either way," her mother said, giving her daughter's hand a squeeze. "Just remember that…well, the lines can blur a bit in these situations. You and Ron have been friends for a long time. You know I'm not one to pry, but if there are any feelings besides those of platonic friendship on either side, these types of roles tend to lay those feelings bare."

Yeah right, like I'd be that lucky.

"I appreciate your concern, Mom, but Ron and I will be fine. I think that having been friends for as long as we have will actually be helpful. Nothing's happened in a decade of friendship, so I don't know why it would now."

"Nothing?"

"Yeah. Pretty much nothing."


Sixth Grade

June 12th

Dear Diary,

School's over! We made it through sixth grade! Not that I had any doubt we would, but still. It's a relief to be done, and I can't wait to move on to the summer. I have a lot of fun plans already set up including science camp, theater camp, and a family vacation in which we're going to visit a few national parks that are on top of my bucket list. Everyone says the geysers at Yellowstone smell horrible, but I think that even if that's true, it'll be worth it to see them in person.

That's not the only reason I'm happy that school is over, though. To be honest, I'm kind of happy to be getting a bit of a break from Ron for a while. In case you forgot, diary (I know you didn't since I won't shut up about it), it's been just over a month since he kissed me and then pretended everything was entirely 100% normal. During that time…I don't know, it's just been super weird. If normal can be weird, that is.

He's just kept on acting like nothing happened. I've tried to see if there are any differences in his behavior, and I just can't find any. Which is fine, I guess. I hoped that things might start to change between us, that maybe he would start to see me as (ugh, this sounds so cheesy) more than a friend, but we're friends. We're friends.

We are friends.

Why do I hate writing that so much? I might cross it out later.

Also, if anything, he's gotten a little weirder lately. Every time we walked home from school together (which was most days, of course, since we had the same last-period class and stayed after for activities on most of the same days), we'd be having a nice conversation until the last couple of blocks of the walk. Every time, I would turn and catch him staring at me. Not saying anything, just staring. Like a creeper or whatever.

And then I'd be like, "uhh, can I help you?" And he'd just say, "oh, no, nothing," and keep walking but not talk for the rest of the way home. It happened like six times in the last few weeks. What is that all about?

All things told, it'll be good to have this break. I could really use the time away from school, away from life, away from Ron. I probably won't be able to stop thinking about him entirely because he's stuck in my mind, but at least I'll have fun and interesting things to try to distract me. Because I could really use the distraction. Clearly nothing is going to happen between the two of us, so the faster I can get over him, the better.

Love, Hermione Granger, Age 12


"Okay. Like I said, I'm not going to press any further," Mrs. Granger said, standing up and heading toward the door. "Just…be careful, dear. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Mom, relax. I am fully aware that I am not Elphaba and Ron is not Fiyero. I can keep the character separate from the person, and I'm sure Ron can as well. But if anything changes, I promise I'll talk with him and Mrs. Trelawney."

"Alright. I trust you entirely. Now, are you sure you don't want help running lines or something?"

Hermione closed her script and tossed it onto her desk. "No, I think I'm going to stop anyway. I have a little work to finish up and then I should get to bed."

"Sounds good. Can I get you a snack or something?"

"Umm, maybe I'll come down in a bit. Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. And remember, you can always talk to me if you need to."

"I know, Mom."

With one last smile, Mrs. Granger pulled the door closed, leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts. She'd always hated the idea of lying to her mother. Delicate situations required careful metering out of information, though, and she didn't feel like explaining everything. Some of what she'd said to Mrs. Granger was true, but she'd definitely stretched the truth in other spots. Of course the kiss scene worried her, especially in light of Lavender's new infatuation with Ron.

Why did these types of high school situations have to be so fraught? Shouldn't it be simple? She's playing one part, he's playing another, and they happen to kiss. If the two of them could handle it, then nothing else should matter. But teenage politics were often multi-layered, and one misstep could cause serious ramifications.

As she lay on her bed thinking, though, a thought came into her head, a thought that she probably should've had hours ago.

I'm sitting around torturing myself when I could just talk to him. We're still friends; it's not weird if I text him.

Grabbing her phone, she found his name in her text threads. But what to say? She couldn't just come out and ask if he'd been cozying up to her nemesis.

Tactful, tactful, tactful. Start simple.

Hey Ron, need a ride to school in the morning?

He usually took the bus to school, but now that she was giving him a ride home every night, why not in the morning as well? She sure wouldn't mind the extra time together.

It didn't take long for his response to come.

Hmm rly? That would b great thx

Of course! Again, we're going to the same place. Unless you have some kind of late start tomorrow?

No i have nml sched

Okay great! I'll swing by your house around 7:30?

Awesome thx. Now i can stay up late n sleep late!

You're just staying up late to play video games, aren't you? :)

They wont beat themselves

She laughed to herself. No matter how old he got, Ron was still a child at heart. It was one of the things she appreciated most about him, probably because she was so much the opposite. As far back as she could remember, he would always ask her if she wanted to play video games with her. Tetris was always his favorite, and he used to challenge her to races. He won every time, of course, but she remembered having fun despite all the losing.

Good point. Are you at least spending some time working on your lines?

Yeah im good learned em all

Learned them all? Already? Ron was an excellent actor, but the last time they did a show together, it was nearly a month into rehearsals by the time he could put down the script. He was older and more mature, though, so perhaps he just buckled down and did the work.

Or perhaps someone helped him along the way.

Hermione had to know. She started typing again, her neck and back muscles tightening with anxiety.

Really? I'm impressed! How did you manage to do that so quickly?

Lots of practice i guess. Idk it was ez

Oh, just ask. You know you'll drive yourself crazy if you don't find out.

Did you have help? I can't imagine one of your brothers volunteering to help you out. Or Ginny. She wouldn't be able to get the words out because she'd be laughing too hard.

His response took a little longer to come, but a few minutes later, the three small dots appeared next to his name.

Haha no not ginny n def not fred or george my mom actually

That's sweet! I bet she loved helping you.

She was a lil too excited but all good, it helped. Better than the alternative

Alternative? Could he mean…better than working with me?

What alternative?

Lavender she kept askin me to come over

So that must mean he never–YES! But don't show your excitement. Play it cool. Confirm first.

Oh right, to work on Dancing Through Life. How'd that go?

Didnt go. Altho Im a lil curious abt her crazy huge house

Confirmed!

I'll admit to being curious about her house too. It must be nice to have your own private stage. I'm stuck rehearsing in my bedroom, coincidentally also occasionally with my mom.

U still got that poster of zac efron? U could practice w him

Why she'd ever let him see the poster was beyond her. It was originally a gift from a well-meaning aunt of hers who assumed she'd have a crush on the actor because, in her words, 'all the tweens do these days'. Hermione had put it up once as a joke, and Ron had happened to come over before she had a chance to take it down. For the last six years, he'd never let her forget about it.

Leave Zac out of this! He's a gentle soul who did nothing to you!

Haha how r us regular dudes sposed to compare 2 that tho?

Oh, you compare just fine.

Oh, you shouldn't even try. Zac ran away with that competition years ago :D

Fr tho u and i should practice sumtime. we actually have alot of scenes 2gether

Her eyes scanned the words multiple times, trying to allow herself to believe what he was saying to her. She wanted to make sure she was understanding things correctly before internally freaking out.

Not three minutes ago he'd said that he didn't want to work with Lavender at his house, but now he wants to come over to my house and work with me? Umm, yes please!

That would be great, we can definitely do that at some point!

2morrow after rehearsal? Unless u hv friday nite plans

Where was this coming from? Sure, they'd been getting more friendly again lately, but she hadn't seen him display that level of forwardness in years. It almost started to feel like things were back in middle school when it was just assumed that they were each other's main options for a social life at all times. The thought of getting back to that place made Hermione's whole body feel lighter.

Yeah, that would be great. We'll try to get through some of our scenes without scripts, okay?

Sounds good, see u tmrw brite and early

Yes, 7:30am sharp. Don't be late.

I wouldnt dare

Tossing her phone onto the bedspread, she smiled as she fell backward onto the mattress. Everything about their conversation made her feel so much better. She was so sure that he'd gone to Lavender's house where who knows what could've happened. It didn't take long for someone like her to pounce. Knowing that he had skipped it gave Hermione hope that maybe he wasn't as interested in Lavender as she'd originally thought.

Which didn't mean he was interested in her or anything. They were just starting to get back into their friendship, so it would be insane to think that him spurning Lavender meant that he wanted to be with Hermione. Not that it stopped her mind from considering it.

Most importantly, it was becoming more and more clear that Ron enjoyed spending time with her again. For the moment, that was an excellent start.

As she thought more about him coming over to her house the following day, though, one thought immediately popped into her mind.

I've got to clean my room!