Hermione sat outside the tent on the outskirts of a vast forest in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. She felt the heaviness around her neck and she felt the metallic drumming of the locket's tiny heart against her chest as the pendant weighed the chain down. She could hear Ron inside the tent, tuning the radio. Harry had gone walking quite a while ago and Hermione didn't know where. To be honest, she was glad Harry was getting away. Ron had been particularly ornery these last few days and he was getting on both of their nerves. She tried to be as patient as possible with him, seeing as his arm was still healing and he was hungry, like she and Harry were.

Hermione's stomach grumbled hungrily as she rolled her wand back and forth in her palms. She hadn't eaten in days. She'd given her food over to Ron and Harry without them knowing, splitting it up. She would pretend to eat it when she served them their food but really, she was chewing on nothing. She knew it wasn't healthy for her but she had to get Ron better or they'd never be able to leave. Plus, the locket had affected her mood. It affected everyone differently; Harry would become enclosed in himself, very quiet and reserved but he'd be angry, Ron would be furious at anything and anyone he came into contact with, and Hermione would just feel as though a dark, depressing cloud hung over her. The locket would say things to her sometimes. Even as Hermione sat listening to Ron's radio and the birds chirping outside, the outer sounds faded away as whispers filled her mind. She heard a handsome voice speaking as though he was breathing into her ear, sitting right beside her. It scared her but she'd never been able to take it off before it got too far.

Hermione…

She closed her eyes, listening to the voice echo off her skull as all other sounds drained off into silence, her ears filling with whooshing quiet.

Brightest witch of her age… I've seen you, Hermione. I watch you. You don't seem happy with them, do you?

Hermione felt herself lean back against the pole of the tent, completely zoning out.

After all, what could you matter to them? They're just using you, you know. They always have. Think about it, Hermione- when have they valued you outside of your intelligence? When have they ever told you that they appreciate you as a person? Oh, that's right. They never have.

Hermione felt a heaviness begin to seep into her veins, trapping her there. She couldn't move.

Look at you, you pitiful waste of space. You think these people actually care for you? You're nothing more to them than a walking textbook that shows them the way! And, look at what a mess you've made with your parents! They'll probably never get their memories back and then you'll be all alone…

She fidgeted uncomfortably as all of her senses were blocked off. Suddenly, she was mute, blind and deaf.

I've seen the way you look at him, you know- Ron. Do you really think he'd love you after all he did last year with that Lavender girl? Oh yes, Hermione, I know about her, too. I see everything that passes through your cunning little brain. I know that you've thought they got further than kissing. I know that you think Ron's not your little innocent crush anymore. What if he's not, Hermione? What if he's been lying to you this entire time? Will you still love him then? I thought so.

"Hermione?"

Ron doesn't love you. He's just looking for a rebound. That's how teenage boys are, Hermione. One after another after another…

"Hermione, are you alright?"

You're never going to be good enough for him, for Harry Potter or for yourself. Why do you live with the fact that you're no better than the dirt they walk on?

"Hermione, snap out of it!"

It's not worth living anymore if nobody loves you.

"Hermione!"

Hermione's eyes snapped open. For a moment, she had forgotten how to draw breath but then she remembered and her lungs filled with supressed air as she tried to get as much oxygen into her body as possible. Her eyes focused on a pale face in front of her with ginger hair and freckles and two glowing blue orbs in the middle of it. Ron was staring at her with incredibly frightened eyes. Hermione then realized what she was doing.

Hermione was sitting against the tent, her wand pressed deep into the crook of her throat as though she was about to stab herself with the tip of her wand. Hermione could already feel a bruise forming on her neck. The wand fell from her shaking hand much quicker than she expected, making her jump. Ron quickly grabbed the wand from the ground and stowed it in his back pocket so she couldn't hurt herself any more than she already had. Hermione looked around at the forest in front of her and then focused back on Ron. She felt the locket against her chest, it's heart beating rapidly. She felt weak and dizzy.

"D-do you think I'm a walking textbook, Ron?" Hermione asked him, her mind spinning out of control. Ron watched her with a curious look on his face.

"A walking textbook? Where'd you hear that from?" he asked. Hermione swallowed and looked pointedly down at the locket, resting on her chest. Ron stared at it too, his face immediately darkening.

"Don't listen to it," Ron said after a brief silence. Hermione looked up at him. "Don't listen to what it says. It's wrong."

"Wait, Ron, you hear it too?" Hermione asked him. Ron nodded.

"'Course I do. How could I not? I have a weaker mind than you," he stared at it nastily. "…It talks to me. Sometimes I think it can see inside my mind…it scares me." Ron told Hermione. She nodded.

"It scares me too." she admitted. She laughed feebly.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"It's just… I never thought the thing I was most scared of is an inanimate object." Hermione told Ron. Ron smirked.

"It's better than being afraid of spiders." Ron told her, grinning, trying to make her feel better. She smiled back at him a little.

"You probably have a very reasonable explanation for being scared of spiders." Hermione said. Ron laughed.

"There really isn't. I'm just scared of them." Ron told her.

"Well, they are kind of creepy with their eight legs and their beady little eyes." Hermione said. Ron shivered just thinking about it.

"Don't remind me." he told Hermione.

"Did you know that there's a spider called the Camel Spider that's about the size of a small dog and latches onto the underside of the camel's torso and eats it from the torso up?" Hermione said, just to freak him out a little. Ron's face went paler than before. "In fact, I think there are some Camel spiders in this area. I read about them before." Hermione continued. When Ron's face drained of the remaining color it had, Hermione laughed at him. Ron's face finally broke into a smile and he laughed loudly along with her. As they laughed, though, Hermione found herself listening to the locket again as it whispered to her. Her laughter died off.

Worthless…

"You alright?" Ron asked Hermione. Hermione closed her mind off from the locket, trying to concentrate. She looked at Ron and nodded with a closed-mouthed smile.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit tired." She admitted. Ron looked at Hermione's pale face and the bags under her pretty brown eyes.

"When's the last time you ate?" Ron asked her carefully.

"Same time you did." She lied, twisting her hands in her lap. Ron saw that nervous tick of Hermione's and then he looked back up at her face.

"Tell the truth." Ron said firmly. Hermione looked at him with a look of fake confusion on her face.

"I am-,"

"Hermione, you can spout that crap at Harry but I know you better than that," Ron said, his tone serious for once. Hermione swallowed. "I know you haven't eaten in days. You've been giving us extra, haven't you?" he inquired. Hermione avoided eye contact as she nodded.

"Yes, I have, but you both need the strength- you especially, Ron. You lost too much blood. The more food you eat, the faster you'll get well." Hermione told Ron. Ron gave her a look.

"I know that, but you need to eat, Hermione. You can't just not eat anything."

"I have been eating-!"

"You've drunken tea, Hermione. Tea is not what I call a meal." Ron said forcefully. Hermione huffed a little, trying to get off the topic of her health.

"A meal to you might not mean the same to you as it does for me." Hermione said bluntly.

"Yeah, but water and extracts of herbs aren't a meal for any human being." Ron told her. Hermione crossed her arms.

"You don't have to worry about me, Ron. I can take care of myself." Hermione told him, more harshly than normal.

"No, you can't Hermione! As much as you think you can, you can't. You're taking care of everyone else but not yourself." Ron told her.

"Just leave it, Ron. I'm trying to keep us alive." Hermione growled, glaring down at her hands.

"By not eating?!"

"Lay off!" Hermione yelled. Ron flinched a little away from her, his eyes wide. Hermione had never shouted at him like that before. Hermione felt her anger climb up her throat, making her incapable of speaking. She got up and started walking away from the tent, just wanting to get away. Ron followed her.

"So, that's it? You're just going to leave? You could faint in the middle of the forest and Death Eaters could find you!" Ron yelled as she walked furiously away.

"Good! Then I'll finally be rid of you!" Hermione shouted back, fuming. Ron kept walking, understanding why she was acting this way again.

"You don't mean that." Ron stated. Hermione wheeled around, her eyes flaming.

"Don't tell me what I mean and don't mean, Ronald Weasley! You know nothing about me!" Hermione yelled at him. Ron kept coming closer.

"I know enough about you to know that you wouldn't be saying this if you hadn't had that locket on." Ron said gently. Breathing rather quickly, Hermione glared at him.

"Just shut up. You don't know what you're talking about," Hermione snarled. Ron kept coming towards her. Hermione felt panic in her chest and she started to back away. Ron kept walking. "Stop it. Don't you dare come near me." she growled. Ron got close enough and they stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Hermione slapped Ron across the face. Ron recoiled a little but reminded himself that this wasn't Hermione. He grabbed her hands gently and set them by her sides. Looking into her brown eyes, he reached up to her neck to take the locket off. Hermione's hands shot up and but Ron simply stared at her as he undid the chain from around her neck and took the locket away. Hermione immediately felt the dark, depressing and angry feelings diminish from her body as he removed it from her neck. Her eyes changed from furious to shocked in seconds.

"Ron," she mumbled, her voice gobsmacked as she realized what she did. Ron simply shook his head, knowing she was about to bombard him with apologies. He put his finger to her lips and just stared into her eyes.

"It's okay." Ron said quietly, being as gentle as he could. Hermione stared at Ron for a moment before she realized she was leaning in towards him, her lips going directly for hers. Their faces were inches away before they heard a new voice.

"Guys?" Harry had gone back to the tent and noticed they were gone. His voice was coming closer now. Hermione felt the sweetness of the moment fade away as Hermione stared at Ron's lips hungrily. She felt a need in the base of her stomach, her face still inching towards his. That was when Harry broke through the bush carrying firewood and Hermione's face immediately snapped back as Ron held her close in his arms in a tight hug.

"Sorry Harry," Ron said so he could hear him. "Hermione just had a run-in with some Camel spiders. Nasty things, those are."