It was plain to read the surprise on Ron's face when Hermione floated down to the Great Hall for dinner, although she wasn't really sure that she should blame him. After all, it wasn't as if she'd left the library at any reasonable hour since they had returned to Hogwarts for the repairs. Or maybe it was the overly happy mood that she was in, unable to pull the smile from her face, when she sat next to them at the table.

"Can you pass the parsnips?" she asked, her spoon dipping into the savory middle of her Yorkshire pudding, while her mind was filled with thoughts of Salazar.

Did they have roast dinner in the Founders' time? What were meals like at Hogwarts then? She hadn't even thought about it once, but it might be her new reality if she decided to stay.

"Uh, sure," Ron said, before passing her the dish of buttery white vegetables. "Are you feeling alright, Hermione?"

She gave him another smile. "Of course," she answered honestly. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you are sort of acting like you drank a litre of felix felicius," Ron said, eyeing her warily.

Hermione made a little noise, before reaching across the table and pressing her hand to the top of his. "You are so sweet to ask, but honestly, I just had a really rewarding day in the library," she explained. How else could she tell him about the absolutely stunning things she'd read about herself in Salazar's journal.

Ron, Ginny and Lavender all shared an odd sort of look.

Eager to get the attention off of her and her daydreams, Hermione turned the questions back on them. "So, how was the dancing last night?" she asked.

Lavender's mouth was hanging open in surprise and Ron went an interesting shade of red. "Yeah, it was fun," he said with a huff, after a little while. "Sorry you couldn't come with, too."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Hermione reassured them. "I had fun on my own."

Ron's eyes narrowed at her, but he didn't say anything about it. He leaned back after half a beat. "Merlin, I can't wait to get out of here," he said, annoyed at still being at Hogwarts. "I'll always love my time at Hogwarts, but I am ready to move on to the next thing."

"You are so lucky that Kingsley was able to get you into the Auror Academy," Ginny said, nudging his shoulder. "Mum can't even complain about you not getting your NEWTs."

Ron and Ginny did most of the talking through the rest of dinner, with Lavender piping up every now and again, but Hermione's mind kept wandering. She tried to eat as quickly as possible so she could get back to Gryffindor tower and start packing. Midnight couldn't come too soon.

With her plate cleared, she stood up abruptly. "I think I'll head back to the dorms now," she said, scrunching her nose at them. "If I don't see you again tonight, I hope that you have a pleasant evening."

She left them all staring at her while she hustled back to her room. Once she was inside, she dug around in her trunk until she found her little beaded bag. Making a small noise of triumph, Hermione stood with her wardrobe and trunk open, trying to think about what she should take with her. She couldn't take everything after all. Certain books and other items might cause a terrible shift in the timeline, if she wasn't careful.

She laughed to herself — that was if she didn't cause a terrible shift in the timeline!

While she was pondering, the door opened and Ron stormed in. He stilled, seeing her shoving a pile of jumpers into her bag. "Going somewhere?" he asked, looking suspicious. "You weren't thinking of leaving Hogwarts without telling me, were you?"

Hermione bit her lower lip. "No," she said. Technically, she wasn't planning on leaving the castle at all. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, I want to know what the hell you were on about at dinner," he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked fully annoyed at having to be there.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Ronald," she scolded. She'd been perfectly polite, albeit a bit abrupt at dinner. But, she knew that Ron, Lavender and Ginny had their own thing going. No point in disrupting it.

"You had fun on your own last night," he said. "I know that you are probably upset that we did our own thing last night, but that's no reason to be so... so... I don't even know what you are being. You are too happy."

"I went to the past last night, Ron," she said, throwing her arms up in the air. "Like I told you. I had a good time there. To be honest, I always do."

"Not this again!"

"Yes, this again," Hermione insisted. "And, I've invited you to come with me, so you could see, but you didn't have the patience to wait with me for a little while. No, you had to run away and stalk back to Lavender!"

"You cannot be so jealous," he warned her. "Yeah, I was having some fun with Lav — and Gin! At least I'm not crazy enough to think that I am talking to the bloody Founders!"

"I have been talking to the Founders!" Hermione said, feeling her ire rise. They lived in a magical castle with bloody magic. Voldemort had been brought back from the dead multiple times. Hermione had used a time turner for Merlin's sake! Why was it so hard for him to believe that she had met the Founders?

"Here we go again," he muttered, shaking his head.

"The parties are always in Helga's rooms. Godric was gone on a hunt last time, but Salazar is perfectly pleasant and —"

"Salazar!" he said throwing his hands up in the air.

"And Rowena thinks that you are cheating on me!" she accused, unable to help herself.

It was as if all the air in the room had been sucked out. Hermione could hear her heart beating wildly in her chest, the constant swoosh of blood loud in her ears. This conversation had been a long time coming, but she did not feel entirely prepared to have it.

"Are you even listening to yourself right now?" Ron asked, looking at her like she hit her head.

"Ron," Hermione said, her voice a warning, while she felt all of the fight leaving her. "I am not stupid or blind. You and Lavender went dancing last night and I couldn't come with? Do you think that I don't see what's happening?"

He huffed. "How am I supposed to defend myself against accusations made by people who aren't even here?" he scoffed. "Rowena Ravenclaw told you that I'm cheating on you?"

Hermione frowned and stepped closer to him, pressing her hand to his shoulder. "Ron," she repeated, a knowing look in her eyes. Her gaze dropped to the floor. She knew it would hurt to admit this. "The thing is... I realized that the thought of it — of you cheating on me — it didn't even bother me. I just... it was like I already knew deep down."

"Hermione," he said, his head dropping back to stare at the ceiling. "What do you want me to say?"

"You aren't denying it, Ron," she said. Even if he never admitted it, she knew in her heart that it was the truth. And, she suspected that Lavender would only be too happy to confess if she was pressed.

She recognized the hard set of his jaw, the chip on his shoulder. He was feeling defensive and was going to lash out. He would try to hurt her emotionally, just to soothe his own ego.

"Alright. Alright, yeah," he confirmed. "Lavender and I have been sleeping together. But what can you expect, Hermione? A wizard has needs, yeah. And, it's not like you were putting out, so —"

"Oh that's rich!" she said, annoyed that he would try to spin this back on her. He was the one who cheated on her.

"Well, it's true," he argued back.

"Ron, we haven't even gone on a proper date," she hissed. "How could you think that I would just jump into bed with you?" To be honest, her hesitancy was not solely because of the lack of dates, if she was honest. She just didn't feel that spark with him.

"Lavender doesn't seem to mind," he said, sullen.

"So you did then. Cheat on me," she said, once again surprised at how little it hurt her to have it confirmed.

"Yeah, but it's not like we were ever exclusive, Hermione," he said, hoping to steamroll over her and still come out as the good guy. "It's not my fault if you didn't understand that."

"Hm," Hermione said, cocking her head to the side. If he didn't think they were actually exclusive, she would have to reason to feel guilty about the kiss. "Good. Then you won't mind that I kissed someone else, too."

"What?" he asked, his face getting red. Huh, apparently he did mind. Rules for thee and not for me, it seemed. "Who? Was it Pucey?" he demanded, taking a step closer to her — forcing her to crane her neck to look up at him.

She was incredulous. "Pucey?" she repeated. "Why would you think it was Pucey?"

"Oh, maybe it was part of the 'really rewarding time' you had in the library? Or your insistence to spend every waking hour there with that smug, Slytherin prick," he raged. "And don't think that I haven't noticed the way that he stares at you. Godric, it makes me sick!"

Hermione gawped at him, unable to comprehend how he was managing to be jealous and the aggrieved party when he had bloody cheated on her! "No it was not Pucey," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "I can't believe that you are acting like such a jealous little pig. Adrian has been nothing but friendly and attentive to me, which is more than I can say about you."

"Oh, Adrian now, is it?" he mocked her.

Unable to help herself, she gave his shoulder a shove, which in another context might have been playful. "Ugh, I am done having this conversation with you," she insisted. "Obviously we are not suited to one another romantically. We should have just remained friends and even that I am reconsidering."

Hearing that she might not want to be friends with him anymore made Ron still. "Hey," he said, reaching out to cup her jaw gently, delicately. "Let's not be hasty."

She shrugged out of his hold. "Listen, if you only came back to Hogwarts with me because you thought that we were going to shag, well... I think that you should leave," she encouraged. "We might not want the same things and that's okay."

He looked at her like he was a kicked puppy. "But... we're not going to stop being friends, right?"

Hermione sighed. "Yes, we will still be friends," she agreed. "But... maybe a bit of space wouldn't be the worst idea.

Ron grimaced. "I have been thinking about going home for a bit before I have to start training in September."

"That sounds lovely," Hermione said, kindly. "I am sure that McGonagall will release you. You've certainly done your share to help Hogwarts."

Ron gave her a soft little smile. "Yeah, I suppose you are right," he said. He looked at her, bouncing on his heels awkwardly for a moment, trying to decide what was right to do. Ultimately, he pulled her tight into a hug. "Owl me when you return to London, alright? And, try not to work too hard in the library, okay?"

She smiled back at him. Yes, it had been a big fight, but... it felt right for them to let each other go. "I won't," she promised and then she watched him go.