Yes, my dear readers, it's true... jentrem99 had returned. I apologize for the wait. I fell out of writing for awhile. Being unmotivated and lost for ideas is not a good thing. I'm incredibly sorry, but I have the next few chapters planned out and plan on updating again in a few days and finally establishing an actual updating schedule! Exciting! Thanks for the continued loyalty after the long years it's taken to post 10, now 11, chapters.

Now read on!

Hermione woke up to find herself in a rather strange mood. She felt as if she had no energy and she had no desire to leave her bed whatsoever. She stretched out her body, dreading the hours to come leading up to her lesson. She knew she had promised Ginny that she'd at least attempt to admit her feelings to Oliver or find out if he had feelings for her, but she knew deep down that she could never even mention any sort of feelings to Oliver. She was too shy, ashamed, and nervous around him. But as Hermione slowly stood up and walked away from her bed, she vowed to keep her promise and try her hardest to talk to Oliver about it.

Hermione realized that breakfast was nearly over and dressed in a haste to make it down for a meal. When she rushed through the common room, she noticed Harry, Ron, and Ginny lounging around. They called her over to them when they spotted her but she just hastened past, not wanting to deal with her friends at that moment.

Harry and Ron were shocked and curious at Hermione's odd determinedness to get out of the common room.

Rom skeptically watched the portrait swing shut after his best friend and the girl he was currently pursuing and turned to his sister. "All right, Ginny, seriously, what's going on with Hermione? These past few weeks she's been so moody and distant."

Before Ginny could speak, Harry cut in. "She hasn't been totally moody…. I've noticed that one second she will be perfectly normal and happy and then something sets her off and she either looks like a nervous wreck or she gets distracted and can't seem to think straight."

"Which is unlike our Hermione," Ron added.

Ginny shook her head and addressed her brothers question, not looking into his concerned, overprotective blue eyes, fearing that she'll spill her best friends secret out of pity for her brother.. "Firstly, Ron, you have been warned and yelled at many a time by Hermione to keep your nose out of her business. She's your best friend and obviously, in your opinion, your most ideal girlfriend—"

"Wha—"

"No, Ron, I'm talking," Ginny interrupted, now looking her brother straight in the eye. "Now, I don't mean to go all preachy on you, but our dearest Hermione has been moody and emotional the past two or three weeks. As a friend, you're allowed to be concerned about her but not obsessively. Being as persistent as you're being could quite possibly ruin or harm your friendship with Hermione or any chance you have with her romantically. You're just supposed to show your support at times like these and you're not supposed ask so many questions. Now, I better stop talking before I turn into some sort of counselor, but keep these things in mind. I don't want to see my best friend and my brother fighting all the time." Ginny slouched back against the couch, making it seem as if her speech took a lot out of her.

Harry and Ginny watched Ron timidly to see if he would explode or not.

He didn't. He simply said, "Look, Gin, I appreciate the whole spiel and all, but I know how to handle Hermione. She's my best friend for Merlin's sake. I just wanted to know what's up with her, not what you thought on the matter." He then stood up calmly and left to go play some Quiddich to clear his mind.

Harry turned to Ginny with an apologetic look on his face.

"I know, I know," Ginny said. "He's difficult to deal with, that one."

Harry nodded, smiled, and went after Ron, not wanting to upset Ginny further.

Ginny laid across the newly empty couch, pondering all of the possible ways Hermione's situation could end.

Hermione could end up with Oliver, happily married with many adorable little Scottish babies.

She could also get Oliver into a lot of trouble with McGonagall and the policy and never get to see him again.

In that scenario, Hermione could always resort back to Ron, but her brother deserved to be more than a back up guy someone just settled for. Ron deserved someone who truly loved him the same way he loved her. Just like what Hermione deserved.

Ginny sprung up from the couch and left the common room to go find her boyfriend, still brainstorming.

After Hermione's gratefully quiet and quaint breakfast, Hermione returned to her dorm and kept to herself until lunch, switching off between reading and thinking of ways to talk to Oliver at her lesson.

She wanted to sound spontaneous with the conversation, but she also wanted to be planned out enough so that she knew exactly what she wanted to cover when she told Oliver.

At lunch, an hour before her lesson, Hermione made Ginny eat with her alone, causing two disgruntled Gryffindor boys and one very pissed off Slytherin to sit separately from them. Hermione really needed her friend's help.

"Well, Draco's thoroughly pissed…. So, what's up? You planning on telling Oliver today?" Ginny said.

Hermione sighed and glanced over at the handsome staff member. "Here's the thing, Gin…." Hermione started.

Ginny laughed. "Uh-oh."

Hermione laughed in return. "Shut up." She then became suddenly serious. "Could I possibly wait a little longer to talk to him about it?" Hermione questioned nervously while biting her lip, a bad habit that knew was unattractive but she couldn't help but do it anyway.

"What?" Ginny exclaimed, appalled.

Hermione looked around and a few startled Gryffindors. "Way to make people look, Gin."

Ginny rolled her eyes and entered into a heated explanation. "No, Hermione. You have feelings for him, whether immoral for you or not, you just do. You need to know if he returns them in order to know if you're wasting your time on him or not."

Hermione looked uneasily at her very much assured friend. "Well, how do I even know that I have feelings for him? Sure, I used to have a crush on him when I was young and bushy-haired, but that was then. I mean, we've had a few lessons and they've been great, but I could be amplifying my feelings far more than what they really are…."

Ginny smiled. "Oh my dear, naïve Hermione, you may not be sure of your feelings, but I am." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Hermione. Does your stomach do flips when you see him?"

Hermione nodded shyly.

"Do your hands get sweaty and start shaking when you're with him and when he touches you?"

Hermione looked away. "I suppose."

"When you and Wood depart from your lessons, do you feel like you're on cloud nine and that nothing can put you in a bad mood?"

"Yeah, until Ron asks where I've been and why I'm in such a good mood. That obsessive, overprotective…." Hermione grumbled, trailing off.

Ginny clapped once with a happy nod. "Hermione, if that's not love then I don't know what is."

Hermione straightened up and put down the fork she was using to move around her food on her plate. "How could you possibly come to the conclusion that I'm in love if all I do is get nervous around him? It's not like he's all I think about…." Most of the time….

Ginny smiled adoringly at her best friend. "'Cause those feelings, Hermione, are exactly the feelings I experience when I'm around Draco. And, let me tell you, I love Draco with all of my heart."

"Have you told him yet?"

Ginny looked uneasy for a beat but quickly shifted back to her usual cheery self. "No, and it's no big deal. We'll say it when we're ready."

Hermione looked at Ginny with supportive eyes. "Why can't you just say it first? Why does it have to be him to admit it first?"

Ginny sighed. "Because I've always dreamed of my boyfriend saying it first. It's more special that way because it's harder for guys to talk about their feelings than girls. I've never shared an 'I love you' with a boyfriend, and I want it to be special. I can't just blurt it out like I always want to. I want him to say it."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "I understand."

Ginny looked shocked. "Wait! How did we get to my love life! We were talking about you before!"

Hermione put her hands up. "It was a totally unintentional change of topic on my part. Trust me."

"I don't believe—"

"Oh, Merlin! I have to go! I have ten minutes to get to the Room of Requirement! Can I just tell him next week? Please? I need another lesson to work out my feelings."

"Fine…" Ginny exclaimed with a labored sigh.

"Thanks! You're the best! Bye, Gin!"

Ginny pouted and shouted at Hermione as she watched her run off. "You're not off the hook, you know!"

All right, if there was a time to ever review on one of my stories, now would be the time. I just started writing again so I'd love to know if you're still interested in the story and my writing.

Thanks all!

jentrem99