I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Do you have an extra quill I could borrow?� Harry Potter asked me after I turned around. We were just starting a quiz in Transfiguration class and he was all out of things to write with. Typical boy. I dug around in my bag and soon retrieved a black feathered quill, just like we were supposed to have. I handed it to him. “Thanks,� he said.

“Do you need ink?� I whispered to him as Professor McGonagall handed out the tests to the back row.

He shook his head, showed me his full bottle, and smiled.

“I just thought I had quills, but I guess I didn’t.�

I grinned, turned around again, and got back to the quiz. It was quite easy compared to our History of Magic test I had just taken the day before, and I breezed through it.

Before I knew it, I was walking into the Great Hall for lunch with my friends. I noticed Harry and his friend Ron sitting a few seats away from me, but neither of them paid any attention to me. I observed.

The sunshine coming in through the windows caught Ron’s brilliantly red hair at perfect angles, making it shine and seem as if it were on fire. It was a complete mess, although smooth, and curled in all the right places. A tingly, queasy kind of feeling started to grow in my stomach as I watched him. I had known him for almost seven years, yet I never looked at him this way.

Then, all of a sudden, as if he knew I watching him, his eyes flicked onto mine, making me jump. As much as I wanted to, I didn’t look away. At first, he frowned, but then he smiled. I smiled back and looked back down at my plate. I wasn’t even paying attention to the conversation my friends were having.

I stole another glance at Ron, but he was done looking at me. He was now quietly speaking with Harry. What were they talking about? Me? Yes it was— Ron peeked at me again. He was looking pretty serious and didn’t smile. Harry turned his eyes toward me, too, and I could feel my face grow hot. I looked away and tried to get caught up in the girl’s conversation, but hardly following. I couldn’t tell if Ron was still watching me, but I did my best to look cool.

We all soon finished our lunch and headed outside for Care of Magical Creatures Class. Hagrid had told us a few days earlier that he was going to surprise us today. Unfortunately, he also said that it would be a long wait and he might not show up for at least twenty minutes. But that gave everyone plenty of time to talk about the dance coming up. Just like Muggles had “Homecoming� dances, Hogwarts held a Christmas dance for the sixth and seventh. Everybody would wear fancy robes and such. The main topics of every conversation was who was the mystery band that was going to play, who was wearing what, and which boy was going with which girl.

I didn’t have a date— yet. I was the only one of my friends to not have one and I wanted one badly.

As I was standing with my friends, I dared to steal another glance at Ron, who was just a few feet away from me, along with Harry. They looked deep in conversation, and Hermione, their best friend, looked as if she wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, she scowled as she listened to them, but when Ron and Harry looked at her, she gave them an obviously false smile and acted as if she agreed with whatever they were talking about. It was quite interesting to watch.

Hagrid's surprise was nifflers, little creatures who were intrigued with shiny objects. Just like in our fourth year, we were each given a niffler, and whomever’s niffler found the most gold that Hagrid had buried, won. Last time Ron won, and I had a fleeting feeling of hope that I would see him win again. Unfortunately, Dean Thomas won, although I was still happy for him, considering he was also my friend.

Since that was the last class of the day, everybody headed back up to their dormitories and either bummed around for the rest of the day or did their homework. I chose to go to the library and start on my Defense Against the Dark Arts paper on grindylows.

As I was searching the shelves, five books already in my arms, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a hairy red thing floating around by the table where I was sitting. I turned my head around ever so slightly to see Ron walking over to the bookshelves that were behind me. I smiled quietly to myself, an excited feeling rising in my stomach.

I found another book on grindylows and decided six books were enough for now. I went over to my table, plopped the books down, and sat in the chair. I took out a roll of parchment and started to write on the paper, opening the first book that was on the pile, entitled The Mysteries of Grindylows. It was quite an interesting read at first, but I instantly forgot about it when I felt yet another tap on my shoulder. It was Ron.

“Could I use one of your books? I think you took the last ones,� he said, smiling.

I grinned sheepishly and handed him half the books.
He looked hesitantly at me, but then asked, “Could I sit there?� He nodded to the seat across from me since his hands were now full.

“Sure.�

He dumped the books on the table again and sat in the chair.

“Have you found anything on them yet?� he asked quite loudly, making Madame Pomfrey give him a sharp Shh!

I giggled when Ron rolled his eyes after she turned away. “No, not really,� I said.

A minute of silence followed as I pretended to be interested in what I was doing. I wasn’t even paying attention to what I was reading and I turned the same page five times back and forth.

“So are you going to the dance?� Ron said suddenly, making butterflies form in my stomach.

“Yeah... Are you?�

“Yeah.�

Another minute of silence.

“So… are you going with anybody?� he asked, staring at one spot on his parchment and not moving his quill. My heart started to beat very quickly, and I was sure that he would be able to hear it.

“Well, my friends for now, although they all have dates and won’t want to hang out with me that night,� I replied, hoping I didn’t sound too obvious.

“Would you like to go with me then?� he mumbled, his ears turning extremely red.

My stomach sucked in with excitement and my heart started beating really fast. “I’d love to,� I nodded, smiling.

He looked up. “Really?�

“Yeah!�

“Well,� he whispered, almost gazing into my eyes. I smiled and he suddenly realized what he was doing. “Um, I really should be going. See you later.�

He got up hastily, thanked me for the books, and ran out the library with a broad grin on his face.

I finished up my essay twenty minutes later, although it wasn’t my best work— I couldn’t help thinking of Ron. I gathered my things and went back up to Gryfinndor tower. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting around the fire with Dean and Seamus, both giving me a warm smile and moving over on the couch so I could sit down by Ron, who immediately went pink. Hermione frowned.

“So Ron told us you two are going to the dance together,� Harry started, grinning. I nodded.

“What a complete and utter surprise,� said a voice coming from the balcony. Ginny was standing there, watching us. I noticed that Harry’s face went from smiling to completely ecstatic. He got up from his chair to let Ginny sit down as she came down the stairs. She took it and blushed. Ron glared at her.

“Who are you going with, Hermione?� Ginny asked, brushing off Ron’s pathetic look.

“Oh, um, I dunno, I don’t think I’ll go with anyone this year… I’ll just go by myself.�

“Who are you going with?� Seamus asked Ginny. Harry’s ears perked up.

“Colin Creevey.�

Harry looked back down. We all talked until dinner time, when we all sat together in the Great Hall. My best friend, Parvati Patil, who was sitting next to me, once told me that she liked Ron, although that was many years ago and she was now happy for me. Her sister, Padma, had gone to the Yule Ball with him, and I had gone with Seamus. I thought there were a few sparks, but I turned out to be wrong and we just remained good friends. There were no sparks between Ron and Padma, considering the fact that she split before they could even dance once.

All the Gryfinndors headed back up to the tower after dinner, so the common room was quite crowded. After a few hours it was 11 o’clock, although nobody seemed to want to go to bed, possibly because it was a Friday. Neville Longbottom decided to engage me in a conversation about the Herbology lesson the day before, but I couldn’t care less and just wanted to get out of there. While Neville took a break in explaining to me what a grangroot was by tying his shoe, I took the opportunity to look around the room for somebody else to come in this conversation. My eyes fell upon Ron, who happened to look at me at the same time.

“Help!� I mouthed to him. He nodded and came over just as Neville stood up again.

“Like, I was saying, Professor Sprout thinks I’ll make a fine herbologist someday—�

“That’s really cool, Neville,� Ron interrupted, smiling at him. “Although I think you mean botanist.� Neville’s cheeks turned slightly pink.

“You’re right…� he said sheepishly, and walked away.

“Thanks,� I said to Ron after Neville had left.

He came a lot closer to me than necessary, and I realized that he wanted to talk quietly to me, not wanting to draw any attention. He looked straight into my eyes and my stomach did a back flip.

“Actually, I was kind of wondering if you’d like to go for a walk— get away from bad conversations?�

I laughed. “Sure,� I replied, smiling and looking into his eyes.

He took my hand and led me through the crowd of people and out of the portrait. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Hermione watching us like hawk, although I couldn’t do anything about it.

You could hear a pin drop in the corridors, and both Ron and I let out a huge sigh. He was still holding my hand.

“So where—� I started, but Ron quickly shushed me.

“Filch could be out here— we don’t want him to catch us.�

I narrowed my eyes. “Why? What’ll we be doing?�

“Nothing! Nothing— it’s just… I don’t have a really good record with him, that’s all,� he said quickly, flashing me a smile. “Besides, we’re not supposed to be out here.�

I rolled my eyes. “Oh.�

Ron looked down at our attached hands and quickly let go. We both blushed.

“So where are we going?� I restarted as we walked through the corridors to nowhere.

“I wanted to show you something— I don’t suppose you’ve been there at this time of night?� Ron whispered back.

“Um… what are you talking about?�

“You’ll see. I think you’ll like it.�

We walked in silence for the next five minutes on a path that seemed to go to the Astronomy Tower, and I soon realized that I was right.

“Astronomy Tower? Why?� I whispered, taking hold of Ron’s hand again as he helped me up the ladder.

He smiled at me in a fond way. “It’s a surprise.�

I looked at him curiously but smiled. I trusted him.

“Close your eyes,� he whispered, taking both my hands. I shut them instantly.

I heard a door open, then quietly close. Ron pulled me along a few more feet.

“Open them,� he whispered.

The sight that met my eyes was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen.

“Oh, it’s gorgeous,� I whispered, staring up at the full moon and the sparkles that surrounded it.

“Yeah it is,� Ron replied. I looked at him. He wasn’t looking at the sky.

“Look— a shooting star,� Ron said, taking his eyes off me and pointing up. Indeed there was. Streams of red, gold, and white shot out of the tail as it soared across the stars. I felt Ron’s hand melt into mine for the third time, but there was a different feeling about it. I turned my head and looked into his eyes.

He was coming closer.

“I really like you, Lavender.�

I just gazed.

He was just an inch away from me now, and I could feel the heat coming off of him.

Ron’s hands made their way to my hips, while mine were slowly moving to the back of his neck. Just as he leaned in closer to me, I smiled slightly and realized just how much I loved astronomy.

Everybody knew what happened between Ron and I during the next few days, considering the fact that any romance at Hogwarts was interesting. Everybody we knew was happy for us— everybody except for Hermione. She deliberately refused to talk to him. Whenever he would walk into a room that she was in, she would get up and walk out. Ron would be totally confused and rush after her to get her to tell him what was wrong, but he never got anywhere. I had my own thoughts about Hermione.

“Ron,� I said after we had been going out for a week. We were walking to Transfiguration, hand in hand.

“Yeah?�

I hesitated. What if he got really angry? He was best friends with Hermione. I took a chance anyway.

“Do you think Hermione’s jealous?�

“Yes.�

I was totally surprised.

“What? Why?�

“Well, I’ve always been jealous when she talks to guys and she’s always been jealous when I talk to girls. It’s always been that way.�

“Oh… are you still jealous when she talks to other guys?�

Ron stopped just before we went into the room. He looked at me in the eyes and kissed me.

“Of course not.�

I smiled.

We went inside and sat by Harry and Hermione. Hermione instantly moved on Harry’s other side. Ron sighed, and we sat down.

A few hours later we were eating dinner, but Hermione was nowhere to be found. Ginny came over by us and Harry eagerly scooted over to make room for her, but she went back to where she was sitting, accompanied by Colin. Harry scowled.

“They’re not going out, you know,� I told him.

“So you can still ask her,� Ron added.

“I don’t like her,� Harry shot.

Everybody else rolled their eyes.

“Right,� said Ron.

“What’s that supposed to mean?�

I swallowed and opened my mouth to argue. “It’s just so obvious— you’re completely into her.�

“No I’m not!�

“Yes you are, everybody can tell! Just go over there and ask her!�

“In front of Colin?�

“No, that would be really stupid. Do it later! I know she still likes you.�

Harry’s face lightened up. “She does?�

I nodded.

Just as I did that, Ginny came by us again. Harry immediately sat up and thrust out his chest. I almost burst out laughing.

“Do you guys have any more of that cake? Colin ate all of ours and nobody else got to taste it,� she said, eyeing the pieces left on the tray.

“Sure! Take it all!� Harry exclaimed, giving her the entire tray with an unnecessary grin on his face.

“Thanks…� she replied, looking curiously at Harry. Her eyes then opened wide, and she blushed until her ears turned a bright pink. “Bye,� she said quickly, and walked away.

Ron and I turned back to Harry, but he had already shrunk into his robes. The only visible part of him was his forehead, which had turned beet red.

“I think Ginny learned something today,� I teased him.

Harry replied in a muffled tone. “Shut up.�

I was changing into fancy robes a few days later— I was getting ready for the dance. They were dark purple, outlined with silver. My hair was curled and put up, with a few strands falling on my face. I looked great. Parvati had on almost the same thing as me, except for a dark magenta outfit. She was ready before me and was so excited that she left without me and went down to the Great Hall, where the dance was taking place.

I was putting my makeup on when Hermione walked in our dormitory. Her face was tearstained.

“Oh— sorry,� she said hastily, and made to leave. I grabbed her arm and forced her to sit down on her bed.

“What’s up?�

Hermione looked into my eyes and completely broke down.

“I— I— I can’t tell you!�

“Yes you can, Hermione, you can tell me anything!� I said, patting her back.

She shook her head.

“Come now, why don’t you get ready?� I got up and picked up her robes that were on the floor. I laid them on the bed and smoothed them out. “Dark blue looks so pretty on you.�

“I’m not going.�

I blinked. “Of course you’re coming, don’t be stupid.�

She shook her head again.

“Why not?!�

Hermione sighed. “Look, I really don’t want to talk about this.�

“Hermione, the only way you can feel better is to come and dance your ass off tonight.�

She almost glared at me.

“Fine, keep your ass on, I was just trying to help.�

There was a second of silence. Hermione then got up and took her robes to her bed.

“Are you coming?� I asked.

She smiled and nodded.

I grinned. “Good.�

Since I was all ready, with my hair up in its curls and my makeup perfect, I took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked out to Ron.

Ron just stared at me as I walked down the stairs to the common room. I kept my head held high as I smiled down at him, eventually taking his hand.

He stammered. “You— you— you—�

“You look great, Lavender,� Harry finished for him, grinning. He was wearing robes of dark green, which really brought out his eyes. Ron was wearing deep blue, and although Harry looked really good, I thought Ron looked ten times better.

“Beautiful,� Ron whispered as he kissed my cheek.

Hermione came down the stairs a few minutes later. She looked eagerly at Ron, but he didn’t even notice her. Her face fell immediately, and tears once again swelled up in her eyes.

“Nevermind, I’m not coming,� she announced stubbornly, making Ron jump and look at her.

“Come on, Hermione,� Ron said pleadingly.

“No!�

“Plea-�

“And don’t try to stop me!� Hermione stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to the dormitories.

“Hermione!�

There was no answer.

“What has gotten into her?� said Ron, staring up the stairs. He looked at Harry, who looked away.

“So let’s go, then?� I said, changing the subject. I felt very sorry for Hermione and didn’t want any more attention drawn to her.

Ron nodded, and hand in hand with him, we went down the corridors down the Great Hall, Harry following behind us.

We entered the hall and my breath was instantly taken away. All the normal lights were off, and there were little baubles floating all over the place, glowing in different colors.

The house tables were gone and the only table that remained was a little one in the very corner for food and drinks.

Dumbledore stood up from his chair and walked to the podium that was at the head of the room. He smiled grandly at us all.

“Welcome to another Christmas Ball,� he said. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s shake it!�

Everyone laughed as lively music filled the hall. Ron, Harry, Parvati, Dean, Seamus, Ginny, Colin, and I started to dance. It was a great time. Soon, though, we were having such a good time that we didn’t realize there were only five minutes left in the night.

“This is the last song of the night, so we decided that it’s a slow one,� Dumbledore announced.

A beautiful tune filled our ears, and I was drawn to Ron. He put his arms around my waist and held me close. Our lips closed on eachother’s for a second and I put my head on his shoulder. We moved slowly, just rotating in a circle, until the song ended.

We looked for Harry, but he was nowhere to be found. Ron and I walked back up to the tower with his arm around my shoulders and mine around his back. Neither of us said anything until we reached the door to the girl’s dormitories. We gazed into eachother’s eyes.

“Goodnight,� Ron whispered.

“Goodnight,� I replied.

We inched closer and closer until there was no space between our lips. I don’t know what it was, but this kiss was possibly even more amazing than when he took me to the Astronomy Tower. Maybe it was the tongue involved!

It only lasted a minute or two. I opened the door to the dormitories and, slowly letting go of his hand, went inside.

I flung myself on my bed and grinned into the dark velvet of my canopy. I didn’t even bother to change. I wanted to let my hair down, and to do that I needed my hairbrush. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I thought I must have left it downstairs in the common room.

I quietly went down the stairs because everybody else was already sleeping. But as soon as I stepped on the bottom stair, I heard somebody weeping. It was Hermione.

“I don’t know what’s gotten over me, Harry,� she said, sniffing. The two of them were sitting in front of the fire on the couch. My hairbrush was on the table in front of them. Damn.

“It’s like— as soon as they started, I just couldn’t stand it,� Hermione said.

“I know what you mean,� Harry told her. Hermione looked at him.

“Ginny?�

Harry nodded.

Hermione sniffed. “Do you think they’ll last?�

Harry shook his head. “I hope not.�

“Same with me.�

There were a few minutes of silence.

“Hermione?�

“Yeah?�

“Don’t worry, okay? They aren’t meant for eachother— it’s just a fling, like you and Viktor. If you really love Ron, just tell him,� Harry whispered. My mouth dropped, but then closed again. So it was true. Hermione really loved Ron.

“He’ll never go out with me.�

“Hermione, are you kidding me? He loved you so much before he started with Lavender— and he still might. Have you never noticed the way he just stares at you sometimes?�

“Yeah, but then he goes and snogs with Lavender.�

“He probably thinks you don’t like him anymore.�

Silence.

“Fine, he doesn’t think that, Herms.�

Hermione laughed sadly. “Please don’t call me Herms, Harry.�

“Sorry.�

Hermione smiled at him. “I don’t think I could ever ask for a better friend.�

She scooted next to him and hugged him tightly.

“I’m going to bed now,� Hermione said, standing up.

That was the last thing I saw. I ditched my hairbrush and dashed up the stairs. I threw myself in bed and made like I was sleeping right before Hermione walked in. Still sniffing, she dressed and got into bed herself, falling asleep a few minutes later.

I turned over and looked at her. I felt so incredibly sorry for her that I regretted ever going out with Ron— look what I had ruined! I stole all that away from Hermione, one of my friends. I was such a bitch.

I just watched her sleep, thinking of all the things I could do to make her feel better. The only one I could think of was to dump Ron. That way, everybody would be happy, and Hermione would have the man she longed for and loved.

It was all resting on me.

Problem was… I loved Ron too.

The next four months with Ron were so much fun. We kissed in the hallways whenever we could, much to the dislike of Hermione, although we never even saw her anymore. She hung out more with Ginny now, who started dating Harry a week after the dance. She and Colin apparently had a fight and Harry came to the rescue, making Ginny’s feelings for him flare up again.

Ron and I were eating lunch that day when the mail came in and I got a package from my grandparents, sending sweets. They said that they wanted me to reply as soon as I could, so right after Potions ended in the evening, I wrote the letter and went straight to the Owlery.

I called down a big barn owl and attached the note to its leg. Before walking back out, I watched it soar into the sky until it was just a speck in the distance. After that I went to the library to get a few books for a Transfiguration essay and spent an hour or two there. The trip back to the tower felt longer than when I had left it, and I just wanted to get back to Ron. I had been gone for quite some time.

“Chocolate cherries,� I told the Fat Lady, and she swung aside.

But the next thing I saw tore my heart out. I stepped in the room, looked at the couch, and saw Ron and Hermione— kissing.

All I could do was stare. They didn’t stop, either, they just kept at it. I wondered how long it would take until Ron realized I was there, but they both had their eyes closed.

I must have stood there for hours, or at least that’s what it felt like. People came and went, all looking at Ron and Hermione, but they didn’t say anything.

I felt like he had ripped out my heart and smashed it on the ground, forming an empty feeling in my soul. He didn’t truly care for me. He cared for Hermione beyond all reason— he never kissed me like that.

I noticed that I once again left my hairbrush on the table in front of them, so I took the opportunity. I hoped Ron would see me. He did.

As soon as I picked up the hairbrush he broke away from the kiss and looked up at me in horror.

“Having fun?� I whispered dangerously, glaring at him. I turned around and stomped up the stairs. Ron chased after me, leaving Hermione on the couch.

“Lavender, stop!�

I didn’t.

“Please, stop!�

Ron caught my arm just before I opened the door to the dormitory.

“It was just a kiss!� was his excuse as his grip tightened.

I felt tears leaking out of my eyes.

“Just a kiss?! How can you say that? I was standing there watching you two and you didn’t look up once!�

A guilty silence was his response.

“I’m so, so sorry, Lav,� he finally croaked.

“Don’t be,� I snarled, tearing my arm away from him and opening the door. “It’s over.�

*****************************

I couldn’t stop crying. The first guy that I had ever loved had betrayed me, and was now dating the girl he cheated on me with. That’s right— Ron and Hermione were dating. He asked her the day after I dumped him, much to everyone’s surprise. But what really shocked me was how everyone was so much happier for them than when Ron was dating me. One of the only people who were on my side was Parvati, but even she was happy for them.

I hadn’t talked to Ron since I dumped him and, quite frankly, I didn’t want to. But one day I couldn’t help it— he cornered me in the Charms room.

“Talk to me!� he pleaded as I shrank away.

“Why?!� I yelled, bottling my fear. We were the only two in the room— I had come back to retrieve my ink bottle that I left in here and Ron came in. “Every time I look at you two, Ron, I feel like my heart is being ripped out all over again! I don’t want to have anything to do with you— I don’t want to hurt anymore!� I began to walk out, but he caught my hand, turned me around, pulled me toward him, and pressed his lips against mine.

All my emotions and feelings for him rushed forward, and I wanted nothing more than to keep kissing him.

But it wasn’t right.

SMACK!

“Aargh!� Ron backed off and rubbed his cheek.

“How could you! How could you do that to me— to Hermione— again?! You know how she feels about you! How could you cheat twice?!� I screamed at him. He seemed to be in shock.

“I don’t know what came over me— it was like— déjà vu or something…� he said, quite confused.

I blinked. “What?�

“Look, Lav, I’m sorry— I don’t know what came over me, honest,� he apologized.

I glared at him and picked up my bag that I dropped. “You already used that excuse,� I hissed. I wanted to leave, but my feet wouldn’t move. We just stood there, looking into eachother’s eyes.

It was then that I realized how much I missed him. But as much as it tore my heart, I knew we were not meant for eachother.

“Ron, look,� I said gently, walking over to him, “we can’t do this again. We can’t be together. You know as well as everybody else that you and Hermione are meant for eachother— there’s no point for us to go out again.�

He put his hand on my face and looked deep into my eyes. “I still want you.�

“Don’t do this,� I whispered.

“I want to do this.� He took my hands in his, but I looked away and released my hands.

“No. No means no, Ron, and quite frankly, I don’t think you understand the meaning of it.�

He gave me a sad smile, which was so incredibly adorable that it made me melt. But I still refused.

“Hermione won’t know,� he said, trying to tempt me.

That was the final straw. “I can’t believe you, Ron! When did you turn into such an ass?! Hermione loves you and you love her-�

“I love you both!�

“No, you don’t, Ron!�

“I think I just proved to you that I do!�

“Get—it—straight,� I said through gritted teeth. “We’re done!�

“Do you still love me?� he asked, moving ever closer to me and gazing into my eyes.

Tears swelled up in my eyes and my heart started to race as I thought of what to say. “I did love you, Ron. I did.�

He looked down.

I walked over to him. “I’m sorry. But that’s just the way it is.�

Ron looked into my eyes and nodded.

I picked up my bag and left.

I was soon in the tower again and I spilled everything to Parvati. She told me to keep my chin up— the right guy would come along soon, even if it wasn’t Ron. She said that I shouldn’t blame Ron for what he did to me— his feelings were mixed up and he didn’t know what was going on. I gave in, telling her that she was right and asking how she got so smart.

“Experience,� she said, grinning.

Seamus then came over and sat with us.

“Are you all right?� he asked me, looking very concerned.

I nodded. “I’ll be fine.�

“’Cause you just say the word and I’ll beat Ron up for you, I swear—�

“That’s really sweet of you, Seam, but no. I can take of myself.� I laughed.

He shrugged. “Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t let it go so easily.�

Seamus was acting odd… why was he acting odd? I looked at Parvati, who was looking between us with glossy eyes and a smile floating around her mouth.

“I think I’ll leave you two alone,� she said, getting up from the room. She left the common room. Seamus and I were now the only ones there.

I’d never been uncomfortable in front of Seamus… but I suddenly found myself wishing a crowd of people would come through the portrait at that very minute.

Well, I didn’t exactly get what I wanted.

The portrait swung open and in walked Ron, alone and looking sheepish.

Seamus stood up quickly, and Ron froze when he saw us.

“What were you thinking, Weasley?!� Seamus shouted as he stomped over to Ron, who remained quiet.

I went over to them and gently placed my hand on Seamus’ shoulder.

“Seamus, don’t start anything.�

He ignored me. “WHY DID YOU KISS HER?!�

He pushed Ron violently to the floor and I screamed. For a second, Ron just stared back up at Seamus, but then jumped up and lunged at his stomach, knocking him to the ground with intent fury.

“Stop it! Stop it right now!� I screamed at them.

“Why must you take everything from me?!� Seamus yelled, punching Ron in the nose.

“I’ve never taken anything from you!� Ron shouted back, kicking him in the shin.

“You knew I loved her— I’ve always loved her— and now you’ve gone and messed up everything and you’re gonna pay!�

“If you want her so bad just take her— I already have—�

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!� Harry’s voice yelled— he just came through the portrait with Dean, but with the commotion, I didn’t notice them.

Neither did Ron or Seamus.

“Coward!�

“Traitor!�

I had no idea who said what. All I knew was that Harry was trying to wrestle Ron off of Seamus, and Dean was trying to wrestle Seamus off of Ron. They succeeded, getting five feet between the two boys.

“I don’t care anymore, okay?!� Ron shouted, sweat rolling down his head. “You just take her!�

“How could you talk about Hermione like that?!� Harry yelled, looking furiously at the back of Ron’s head.

“I’m not!� he replied, panting. “I’m talking about… her.� He nodded in my direction.

I stood there, stunned. Seamus loved me. And according to him, he always loved me. I turned my eyes over to him, but he was glaring at the floor as if it had just insulted him.

“Seamus?� I said weakly.

“Yeah… it’s- it’s true,� he admitted.

There I was, standing in the middle of the common room, between four guys who were all wound up over me. What was I going to do?

All I knew was that I could never look at Seamus in the same way again. Did I love him too? This entire time my feelings have been caught up in the “Ron War� and I’ve been neglecting him.

“I have to think about this,� I said. I turned around and went upstairs to my dormitory.

I flung myself onto my bed. What was I going to do? How could I make up my mind about Seamus in just a little while? Well, for one thing, Ron was definitely out of the picture. I doubted him and Seamus would ever speak again.

Life was so much easier when I was five and boys were icky! I thought angrily to myself. This was so confusing!

I didn’t know anything. Was I going to start dating Seamus? I didn’t know. It certainly wasn’t fair to him that I couldn’t make up my mind. I really did feel an awkward, odd feeling in my gut while I was in the common room alone with him. Did that mean that I liked him?

****************

A month had passed since Seamus admitted to liking me, and by that time I had figured everything out.

I liked Seamus. A lot. It would, of course, take some time for me to fall completely in love with him like he loved me, but I knew I wanted to be with him. I knew that there was no fear of rejection in telling him my feelings. The only thing was that I was nervous.

“Go for it!� Parvati told me encouragingly while we were walking down to the common room that Friday night. “Just ask him to go on a walk and tell him! There’s no rejection!�

I nodded. The common room was pretty packed with students of all ages. Seamus was, of course, playing Wizard’s Chess with Dean.

I found my way over to them, Parvati following me.

“Hey, guys,� I said and Seamus immediately looked up at me, allowing Dean to take his queen.

“Um, sorry about that…� I apologized, smiling slightly.

“That’s all right,� Seamus said quickly and stood up, looking intently at me.

“Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk or something?� I asked him and he nearly fell over with shock.

“Sure!�

I grinned at his excitement and lead him out of the portrait. There was now that usual embarrassed silence between us as we walked around the dark corridors.

“So…� he started uneasily.

“Yeah…� I replied stupidly.

We walked on for a few more minutes in silence, until-

“Lavender, you don’t have to be nice to me,� he said quietly.

I stopped walking and faced him. “What do you mean?�

“I mean you don’t have to talk to me and stuff if you don’t want to. You know how I feel about you, and I understand that you don’t have feelings for me back,� he said, looking deep into my eyes.

“But you don’t understand.�

“Yeah, I do. It’s just hurting me more and more each time you smile at me because I know that I could never have you. I don’t think we should be friends anymore.� He looked at the floor.

“I agree completely,� I said. I realized that I had hurt him but he would understand in a moment that I meant something completely different than what he thought.

“Well, I- I guess you’re right. I mean-�

“I think we should be more than just friends.�

His head shot up.

“What?�

I nodded and smiled. “I really like you, Seamus.�

“Really?�

“A lot.�

He gave me a small, mischievous smile. “I really like you, too.�

I laughed. “I know.�

We gazed into each other’s eyes as we leaned into eachother. I closed my eyes and just before we touched, I knew that this boy would be true to me all the way. I knew he really, truly cared about me.

Our lips pressed hard against each other’s. We stayed there for ten more minutes, just kissing. Being there with Seamus in that dark, dusty corridor was better than anything I had ever shared with Ron, better than our first kiss in the Astronomy Tower, better than dancing with him at the Christmas Ball, better than spending any time with him at all.

Stupid Ron.



******
O.K. that’s the end! I hope you all enjoyed it! Keep checking for updates on my other two stories, both Ron/Hermione, “When Harry Wasn’t There� and “All He Ever Wanted� Thanks to all my reviewers, especially deatheaterbabe, for your kind words!