Ron had lately rarely been seen without the company of Blaise, who had been accompaning him to class. They had been holding hands, and, to hear Harry tell it, they had been doing their fair share of kissing. This made Hermione's heart break, knowing that if he was already kissing another girl, he was so far over her she'd never get him back.
Just after Ron had spilled his heart to her, she had sat in the Common Room, staring at the fire, with the tears silently rolling down her face. There was no stopping them, and she had a nice little puddle in her lap by the time that Parvati and Lavender wandered in. She had been so silent, however, that they hadn't noticed her and had gone up to bed. They figured that she was asleep, as her bed curtains were drawn. It was all for the best, because Hermione had the feeling that as soon as she spoke, she would become a blubbering ball of misery.
Around dawn, she was still staring at the fire, and the tears were still flowing, now streaming onto the floor, having overflowed her lap. She knew that she could not let the rest of the Gryffindors see her like she was, so she stood, brushed the tear stains from her robes, and slipped silently up to her dormitory. She pulled her robes off and slipped under the covers, and silently cried herself to sleep.
* * *
"Hermione, you look awful."
"Thanks so much for pointing that out, Harry. I haven't slept all night."
"What happened? I thought that you and Ron would be 'official' by now."
"You thought wrong. My master plan blew up in my face. You tried to warn me, but I didn't listen. And now I've lost him, for good."
She looked over at Ron from her table in the library, where he was looking cozy with Blaise, reading a book on Herbology. Every once in a while, Ron would whisper something in her ear, and Blaise would laugh heartily. And every time that Ron leaned over to her, Hermione's heart would contract in her chest. She knew that she still loved him. She just didn't know how to get him back.
"Harry, I'm going to go look for another book." Hermione said when she saw Ron get up. She walked over in Ron's general direction, and "accidentally" ran right into him.
"I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't see you there."
"Yeah, right, Hermione."
"So what are you and Blaise studying?"
"Blaise is telling me about this plant that is related to the Jupiter Spider Trap. She's also helping me with my project."
"Whatever, Ron. At least I'm doing my project unaided!"
"Right, with Harry and you putting your heads together. I know how you operate, Hermione. You'll do anything for an 'A'."
Hermione didn't have anything to say to this, but by the look of satisfaction on Ron's face, it showed that this affected her. Forcing herself to look at the ground and not cry, Hermione went quickly, found the book, and dragged Harry out of the library.
"If we're going to study, I refuse to do it in a place where I have to observe 'Mating Rituals of a Hippogriff'."
Harry just shook his head and followed her back to the Common Room.
"Wouldn't it just be better to forget about Ron? How about Viktor Krum? Maybe a semester abroad in Bulgaria is just what you need."
"Harry! My parents wouldn't even let me go visit Viktor, well alone stay with him for a semester of schooling! Besides, knowing my luck, by the time I get back, Ron and Blaise will be engaged and announcing the arrival of their baby!"
"He hasn't even been on a date with her and you already think they're getting married!"
"Come on, Harry! He practically told me that they're going out!"
"I know who Ron really wants to date."
"Oh, really? Who then? I'd love a good laugh. Who? Pansy Parkinson? Millicent Bulstrode? Who?"
"No. It's a Gryffindor."
"Lavender? Parvati?"
"No. . ."
"Who then?"
"Hermione, you're one of the smartest students in the school. If you can't figure it out, then no one will."