Hermione had expected Ron to turn up sooner or later. Sometimes she wondered if he could go a single day without talking to her when the option was there. Between texting and instant messaging, it felt like they were never apart. And she was fine with that, really. She'd been going stir crazy not being able to get a hold of him. She might have dropped by, but she wasn't sure Molly was exactly happy about the way Hermione had been arguing with her.
So Hermione's answer to this dilemma? Sitting in her room reading. It wasn't completely abnormal, of course, but she had been spending rather a lot of time avoiding people. It was just easier not to deal with people when she was frustrated. And she was frustrated. She had no idea how Molly could look so lightly at a chance for something that could absolutely change Ron's life for the better. It was ridiculous how all the parents around here seemed to want to cage up their children and never let them explore their potential. Infuriating!
Nudging Crookshanks aside so Ron wouldn't flop down on the cat, Hermione hardly looked up as he came through the door. She did, however, move over and make room for him. And then, without really pausing in her reading, "Have you been having any strange dreams lately?" The book she was reading was following the most popular subject floating around the net right now.