Hermione's POV

This shopping trip was not going well. We were having fun of course, but we were also getting a lot of weird glances. Of course, I assured Luna and Ginny that there was nothing to worry about and I would help them out as best as I could, but after Ginny refused to get every single thing I suggested, things were looking pretty down.

"Ginny, those looked good on you when you tried them on," I insisted, holding out a pair of skinny black jeans with a leather belt.

Ginny sighed and put down the purse she was examining. "Fine, let's just get this over with."

"Are you normally this picky about your robes too?" I asked curiously.

She shook her head. "I just wear whatever mum gets me. I hate shopping for robes. The shops are stuffy and everybody keeps bumping into you all the time." I chuckled at that. She was clearly not a person cut out for shopping. I was sort of like that too, but at least I managed to do my own shopping once in a while. I placed a sophisticated black dress into her arms and she pretended to gag.

"There is no way in hell I'm ever wearing that," she told me, scowling. I put a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll need it. They'll have parties and dances there and you can't just go in wearing just anything." I paused. "Unless you want to wear one of those high waisted shorts?"

I pointed to a pile of them lying on a display table and she started looking through them thoughtfully. "Not really my style," she said after a while. Then her eyes landed on a row of too-large and baggy T-shirts and sweats.

Of course she would have wanted them.

"These look comfortable," she grinned, taking a couple of shirts and sweats of the rack. "I'll take them."

"Well, then you have to buy the dress too, Gin," I almost begged her. I really didn't want my best friend to regret not getting it later. "Try it on."

"Fine," she practically hissed through her teeth. She went into the dressing room and came out wearing the dress. She looked stunning in it. It reached her knees and her fiery red hair was standing out. Right at that moment, Harry walked over. His jaw went slack for a moment. Then he composed himself and murmured.

"You look gorgeous Gin."

"Thanks," Ginny replied going scarlet. Harry spun her around and she let out a giggle before stopping and claiming that the dress was making her back itch. After she changed out of it, we actually had a decent pile of clothes for her: some tank tops, T-shirts, sweats and jeans. She even agreed to buy two cute summer dresses, mostly because she just wanted to get out of there.

Luna had chosen around five summer dresses in bright colors. "Bright colors repel the nargles," she told me with a dreamy smile. I chuckled.

"Okay, but you have to try these on too," I replied, pushing an armful of tank tops into her arms. She went into the changing room and came out after ten minutes with another dreamy smile pasted on her face.

"I'm buying these," she grinned, showing me four flower patterned tops.

Ginny jumped off the stool she was sitting on and hurried over as we finally joined the check out line. "Finally!" she said. "We can get out of here."

Walking out into the sunny street of London, we felt the warm sunshine on our faces and the light breeze that was blowing caressed our hair. Harry and Ginny were walking hand in hand ahead of us. Harry was pointing out all the different shops to her and she was listening to everything he was saying with a huge smile on her face.

I noticed how Harry had changed after the war. He seemed more carefree, more like a teenager. He was always happy when Ginny was around and would now joke around like a normal person. Until now, I never realized just how much Voldemort had affected him.

"This place is incredible," Luna gushed, gazing at the shops and the people. "But I sense Wrackspurts up ahead." I waited for anyone to say something but when no one said anything, I asked.

"Don't you need those special glasses to see them?" Her face brightened and she explained.

"No, when you've become really good after practicing, you don't need them. I practiced a lot this summer."

"That's interesting," I said, not knowing what else to say. She nodded and fell in step with Neville who immediately struck up a conversation with her. That left Ron and I. He was walking a little behind me, carrying two shopping bags full of the clothes he had gotten. Back in the shop, I had cast a glance in the boys' direction and had seen him examining a girls' belt looking like a lost puppy and had tried to hold in my laughter. He really needed help in the muggle department.

As I walked awkwardly by myself while Harry talked to Ginny and Neville walked with Luna, I started feeling a strange sense of loneliness. This was not how it was supposed to be. But Ron had basically chosen two complete strangers over me and that hurt a lot. I didn't even care that I was almost killed because of them. I was thinking about how he had first walked out on us last year, and then how he had let those two death-eaters toy with him.

Was it that easy to turn him bad?

Just then, I noticed Luna whisper something to Neville who nodded. She slowed down and he went up ahead and joined Harry and Ginny. I caught up to her easily and fell in step with her. She stayed quiet for a moment before actually speaking.

"Don't be too hard on Ron," she said and my breath caught in my throat before I could say anything.

"What do you mean?" I finally asked and she looked at me with wide blue eyes.

"You aren't talking to him," she stated. She said like it was obvious, which I guessed it was.

I didn't reply for a minute. I couldn't decide the best way to answer her. Then I slowly nodded my head. "You're right." She took a rubber band out of her pocket and tied her hair into a ponytail before answering.

"Hermione, he would never, ever willingly hurt you," she said.

"I know he wouldn't. It's just... I'm sort of disappointed that he let those girls toy with him. I mean first there was Lavender and then them, and he is just so clueless most of the time." I didn't say anything about him leaving us while we were hunting horcruxes.

Luna gazed around us at the shoos. Harry had taken Ginny into a shop that sold jewelry and Neville was talking to Ron. We stopped in front of the shop and she turner to me.

"Ron can be dumb sometimes. yes," she admitted and I laughed. "But he also cares a lot about the people he loves. You're one of those people. You're not still thinking of Lavender, are you?"

I shook my head with a chuckle. "No, no I'm not. That just popped into my head right now. I just don't want Ron to let other people mess with him. I'm not just talking girls, but in general, you know?" Luna smiled back at me and said.

"He needs someone to teach him that and I think that's you."

I thought for a minute. Maybe I was being too irrational here. Maybe Ron didn't deserve to feel sorry all the time. He was supposed to be happy. Luna was right. He did let people get to his mind sometimes. He just didn't know how not to. I could help him with that. Besides, I would be lying if I said I was not feeling alone right now, while everyone laughed and chatted, I was the odd one out. I wanted to set things right with Ron. I wanted things to go back to how they were.

As I slowly walked over to the redhead standing alone next to a pillar, his freckles prominent in the warm sunlight, I realized something else too. I had no right to decide who he could hang out with and then mope about it. If I did that, I would be just like a certain girl in a muggle book I had read recently. That girl was nothing but needy and clingy and I wanted to be nothing like her.

********************************************
A/N

Haha did anyone catch the subtle reference at the end there? I'm really sorry if this was not that good. See I wrote part of it while I was barely awake and I'm never that good at writing scenes where shopping for clothes is involved :/Anyways, please leave votes and comments! xD