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“You left your bag in the dining hall,” Ron said, his voice quavering a bit, “I wanted to see if you were okay.”
I looked at George, wondering if he felt as awkward as I did.
“Ron,” I said, my voice shaking a bit, “I-“
“There’s nothing to explain,” he said flatly, his eyes not meeting mine, “my brothers have always been better than me. How could I compare to George?”
“Ron!” George said, “Don’t say that!”
Ron turned around and fled from the common room.
“I don’t know what to do,” I said helplessly.
“He’ll come around eventually,” George said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“He’s my little brother,” he said, “he always ends up like this. He’s a bit depressed for a while, then he heals and is good as new.”
“I don’t know,” I said, “maybe we should put off “us” for a while, until Ron has time to heal.”
“Why?” George whined, “I’ve liked you since fourth—“
He broke off embarrassedly.
“Fourth year?” I gasped.
“Yeah,” he said bashfully.
“I’m really sorry,” I said, “it’s just that I need time to think about this. About you and Ron.”
“Do you like me?” he asked.
“I do,” I said, “but I also like Ron, and I need time to think about the whole thing. I don’t want to hurt either of you.”
“You do realize by not choosing, you’re hurting both of us?” he asked.
He, like Ron, got up from the couch and slipped out of the Common Room, leaving me alone on the couch.
I sat there for a while, and then I started to cry.
Why was life so complicated?
Ron was sweet, there was no doubt about it, but he had many flaws. His clinginess was just the tip of the iceberg. George on the other hand, I barely knew anything about. I knew that he was a prankster, which I normally shunned. He was also kind to the people he cared about and extremely loyal.
“Hermione?” Ginny asked, slipping into the seat George had most recently vacated, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m in love with two of your brothers,” I said.
She gaped at me in shock.
“Ron I knew about, but who’s the other one?” she asked.
“George,” I said.
“Hmm,” she said, seeming to consider this for a moment, “you two do seem to complement each other in a strange way.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said, “it’s weird, but you do. But I thought you hated George. What changed things?”
“I talked to him this afternoon by the lake, and I guess things just clicked,” I said.
“What’s your problem then?” she asked.
“Well both of them know I like both of them, if that makes any sense,” I said.
“Ah, I see,” she said.
“What should I do?” I said.
“I would choose George,” she said decisively.
“Why?” I asked.
“Well he really likes you,” she said, “and for a long time too. Also you get annoyed by Ron easily. You like him more like a friend. George would keep things interesting.”
“Wait, you knew that George liked me?” I asked, “Why didn’t you mention anything?”
“You just needed time to figure things out on your own,” she said, smirking at me.
“I think I’m going to put things off until the wedding,” I said.
“Oh right, I almost forgot about that,” Ginny said, “Bill and Phlegm’s wedding. Do you have your dress?”
“Yeah,” I said, “did you check with Professor McGonagall if we had clearance to leave?”
“I did,” she said, “and we got it. I don’t understand why Phlegm would put the wedding in the middle of the school year. A lot of us are invited.”
“I don’t know,” I said, “I thought she was supposed to be smart---triwizard tournament and all.”
“So are you packed for tomorrow?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said, “do you need me to help you pack?”
“Sure,” she said, “let’s get you cleaned up before the rest of them come back from dinner.”
We hurried up to her dorm room and I spent the rest of the night helping Ginny cram her neverending suitcase with clothes.
*
“HERMIONE!” Ginny screamed.
“What?” I said.
“We have to go,” she said more calmly, “the portkey’s going to arrive soon.”
“Ugh, I overslept, didn’t I?” I said.
“Yeah, what’s the matter?” she said, “you never do that.”
“A lot on my mind I guess,” I said.
“Have you decided yet?” she said.
“I’m kind of leaning toward George right now,” I said, “I’ll make my final decision at the wedding.”
“Okay,” she said, “I’ll wait for you outside while you get dressed. Your suitcases are already in McGonagall’s office.”
She left, and I quickly got dressed. We raced to Professor McGonagall’s office, where she and George were waiting.
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked.
“They went on separate portkeys,” he explained, “there were too many of us to fit all on one.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Are you all ready?” Professor McGonagall asked.
We all nodded, and grabbed on to the hairbrush which had started to glow.
A/N: I'm kind of iffy on this, there will probably be one more chapter :P
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