Abandonment

"This isn't happening. He can't really be gone. He wouldn't do this to Harry-to me," the thoughts inside the bushy haired brunettes mind were running rampant. Nothing was controlled, or safe anymore, even the sanctuary of the beating of her own heart was gone. Hermione Granger. The one girl that always had the answers. She had run clear out of them, and had become a shell of the girl she had been mere months before. Now Ron had broken her. Sometimes they would fight, and others threaten, but never like they were right now. He had stormed away, after fighting with Harry, and left them on their own to fend for themselves. Now she had an ache in her heart the size of Texas, and a feeling in her bones that Ron was going to get hurt.

She closed her eyes, and took in a breath of air. She was seated on a blanket that Harry had brought out to her, an hour, or so ago, and her eyes were red, and puffy. It was obvious that she had been crying, and tears still streamed down her nearly frozen cheeks. She was in fear, for the life of everyone she loved, and now Ron had simply added to her worries. If only he hadn't been wearing the necklace, he never would have fought with Harry, and he never would have stormed out of the tent like he had. She knew this was partially her fault for suggesting that he had to wear it. She felt a breeze rustle her hair, and her throat was sore. She had called out for Ron until her voice had gotten hoarse from her screaming, so she had forced herself to give up.

She glanced down at her lap, and smoothed the creases in her pants. Harry was inside the tent, she could hear him mumbling to himself, and the rustling of the map was visible. He missed Ginny terribly, and she knew that just as well as anyone else did. He checked that map every night, and refused to sleep without it slipped beneath his pillow. Hermione, and Ron used to sneak into each others beds at night to whisper, and talk briefly to each other. Harry never knew about the secret meetings they had, about him, and she knew that he was better off knowing nothing about them. "How could you Ron...," She kept playing through what she was going to say to him if she ever saw him again, and her mind forced her to get carried away.

She stood the tears continued down her flushed cheeks, and she shouted to the trees, and air around her, "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US RON!," She screamed, and slammed her arms at her sides, "HUH! DO YOU LIKE TO HURT ME!" She knew that he couldn't hear her, but she didn't care. She wanted to let her frustrations out, and this was the only way she could do it. She felt arms closing in around her waist, and suddenly Harry's scent was engulfing her as she turned around, and buried her face into his neck. He was all she had now. They had to work together if they expected to destroy, and find the remaining Horcruxes in the world. She knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but that didn't matter to her, not now anyways.

"Shh Hermione everything is going to be fine, he will come back...you will see." Harry mused, and she knew that he was only trying to make her feel better, but she could hear the evident worry in his voice, and she knew exactly how he would feel if Ron ended up getting himself killed because of the fight that had caused his leaving. Hermione pulled away from Harry's warm, inviting embrace, feeling her stomach clench, and unclench in worry, and fear. She couldn't manage words, but she nodded in response to Harry, biting her bottom lip, as she felt his fingertips graze her cheeks, and wipe away the tears that continued to fall, "Bloody hell Hermione...your cheeks are like ice!" He acknowledge noticing the cold feel of her skin, "Come in, we must get you warm" He whispered, and draped his arm around her shoulder leading her into the tent.

It looked small from the outside, but it was spacey on the inside, and very homey. It was probably the closest thing the world had right now to any form of sanctuary at all. She allowed a breath to escape her lips as she allowed Harry to lead her back inside. She wasn't in the right state of mind to be passing judgments right now, and so that was what caused her to go inside just like he asked, and she allowed him to lead her to the bed, "We must get some tea in you" he insisted, while sitting her down upon his bed, and her teeth started chattering within her mouth. She hadn't realized it when she was outside, but her entire body had gone completely numb, and she couldn't even feel her fingertips. Harry walked to the table, grabbing the teapot, before put it over the fire to warm some water, before he rubbed his hands together, going back to her side.

"How...?" She whispered, "How...could he Harry...?" She asked the tears were still in the bottom of her eyes threatening to fall at any moment. She feared for Ron now more than ever. He was angry, and he was lost, and she wasn't even certain he would be able to find them again, or that she would ever even see him again.

Harry moved back to his place beside her, wrapping a gentle arm around her shoulder, while shaking his head, "He was upset...I don't know how Hermione." He said at last after a long period of silence except for the crackling of the fire, and the sound of the wind, and snow outside. She allowed her head to lay upon Harry's shoulder, and stared aimlessly into the fire.

"I miss him...what if...I never see him again?" She whispered the tears falling again as the fire illuminated her eyes. She lifted her head enough to glance at Harry who was still staring into the fire his jaw set, and his glasses set on the bridge of his nose.

He shook his head, "I don't know Hermione..." He whispered solemnly, "I don't have the answer this time..." he told her, before he stood from his spot beside her as the kettle started to make noise, she bit her bottom lip, and closed her eyes, as more tears fell, while nodded. So much had gone wrong, but only one thing had stayed the same. Hermione knew that no matter how much time passed that Harry was always going to be there for her. He was the one thing she could count on fully all the time. She watching him finish the tea, and allowed her eyes to focus in on him as he poured them each a cup, and she took it without saying another word.

She took a sip, felt it flush down her throat, and heat up her entire body in an instant. She didn't want the warmth though. More than anything else she wanted to feel the numb sensations that she had been feeling for the last 3 hours she had spent out in the cold, hoping, and praying that by some miracle Ron would apparate back, and be with them once more, but no such thing happened. She knew that her, and Harry were left to their own means now, and nothing else was going to save them, or be there beside them to protect them.

Hermione finished her tea, and Harry took her cup putting it on the table, before watching her sit silently staring down at her own feet. The silence was deafening to Hermione. She couldn't live without Ron, and she knew that if he died something deep inside of her would die forever with him in this war. She watched as Harry traced his footsteps back to her side, and stared at her gently, and silently. She could see that he wanted to comfort her but he didn't know how. Ron had comforted her, by laying beside her at night, and held her, but now he was gone, and she had only Harry, who was more troubled than any of them by her side. She closed her eyes, and exhaled deeply. She felt exhaustion flowing through her, because she had drained every ounce of energy on Ron.

"You look exhausted...you should sleep" Harry told her at last, and she nodded silently, and he leaned down helping her out of her shoes, and socks, and she pulled off her jacket, and Harry turned away as she removed her shirt, and slipped on one of Harry's. They hadn't had time to wash their clothes, and she had taken to wearing the boys shirts that went down to her thighs. She pulled off her jeans, and threw them on the floor beside the bed, and Harry watched her observing as she crawled beneath the covers. He took a place beside her on the bed, and she allowed a forced, and exhausted smile to form across her lips.

"I will let you rest..." he said softly stroking a stray piece of her hair behind her ear, and shook his head gently. He watched the traces of her skin in the moonlight, and the shadows were shown against the wall as she laid there.

Hermione saw Harry hesitate, before getting up once more from his spot beside her, and she grasped his arm preventing him from leaving her side, "Please..." She whispered, "Don't leave..."he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as she kept a firm, but gentle grasp on his wrist.

"What do you mean?" He asked her seeing her pleading look by the light of the fire. She looked entirely broken, and scared again the smile had faded, and no traces were left across her features in the slightest.

"Well...Ron would always...lay beside me..." She knew it sounded silly, and childish, but she had always been able to sleep better if she wasn't alone, especially when times were as hard as they were right now, and Harry allowed a hesitant, smile to trace his lips, "As you wish Hermione, anything for you" He declared, before lightly slipping off his shoes, and socks. He felt her grasp on his arm cease as he pulled off his jacket, and his shirt, and laid down beside her. She automatically out of habit immediately snuggled up beside him, and buried her face in his chest. He glanced down at her, wrapping an arm around her slim body, and stroked her hair. Before Hermione could stop herself she had mumbled, "Thanks..." And drifted into a slumber, and Harry was soon to follow her.

Sweat was building on Harry's shirt, and violent images were thrashing behind his closed eyelids. Horrors, and nightmares were taking over his never pleasant dreams, and he started tossing, and turning on the bed. Hermione had already awoken, when he had started moving beside her. She watched as he screamed out in his sleep, and jerked on the bed. Tears streamed down her cheeks, "HARRY HARRY WAKE UP!" She started shaking him, after about ten seconds of shaking him he jumped up in bed, and looked around himself. His chest was moving up, and down rapidly, his heart was pounding, and she could see the sweat built on his forehead. She couldn't image the horrors that he witnessed within his mind, behind his closed eyelids.

She didn't think that she could ever dream anything half as bad as what he went through. She lifted her hand, and pressed it to her own pounding heart, for a few seconds before she wrapped her arms around Harry comforting him, "Shhh it's alright now, your safe..." She mused trying to calm his overwhelmed mind. He wrapped his arms around her, and continued breathing erratically, "Hermione...it was him...again..." She always knew what he was talking about, and she knew that now on top of everything else he had Ron, and Voldemort to worry about. She pulled back, searching his eyes.

"Let me make you something to eat." She whispered gently, but he shook his head.

"No...I just need...rest..." he told her his voice shaking, and she furrowed her eyebrows again wanting him to be better, but she knew that neither of them were having settling dreams. Her own dreams had been about Ron, and whether she would even see him alive again. With times being so dark there was no guarantee that anyone would survive, not even the muggle world could sleep easy, even though they had no idea, what sort of chaos the world was truly in. They only knew that strange, and unexplainable occurrences were happening all over England.

"Are you sure?" She asked him her legs tucked under her as she remained beside him. The covers, and bed was drenched with both of their sweat from bad dreams. She nodded, and leaned back against the wall, "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked her voice barely audible. He allowed his eyes to transfer to her, before he lifted his glasses off the table, and planted them on the bridge of his nose once more.

"There isn't anything to talk about Hermione..." he told her, "Ron is gone, and Voldemort is getting stronger, by the day" He shook his head, and planted his own back against the wall, and she glanced over at him. He knew how much she hated for him to speak the name of Voldemort, but yet he still did it. She wasn't as surprised as she once was, it was just a name, but still it was the name of one of the most evil wizards of not only their time, but of all time, with the blood of Salazar Slytherin running through his veins there was no telling what form of power he already possessed, and the longer they had to remain here, the worse things got.

She nodded biting her bottom lip, "I'm sorry Harry...I shouldn't have asked," She knew the subject would be touchy. He never wanted to talk about much of anything anymore let alone something about Voldemort, or his dreams that happened nightly, "We should just...sleep." She mused, and looked over at the dead fire. It had burned out, from the looks of it about an hour ago, but the blankets kept her plenty warm enough, especially with Harry, and his sweating, from all of the dreams he had.

"Hermione-"

"No Harry...I shouldn't have said anything..."

He shook his head, but she had already settled back down into the bed, and turned onto her side burrowing once more into his chest. He couldn't help, but to think that he was a terrible friend. He knew that no matter what he was never going to deserve the form of loyalty that Hermione was giving him, and he deserved to loose Ron. He pulled off his glasses again, and burrowed back under the covers beside her gently wrapping his arms around her once more knowing that if he wasn't careful he would soon loose her as well.

Her soft breathing turned into nearly silent snores as once more they both tumbled into their own private hells. Nothing could rescue either one of them, and they both knew it well. Hermione was trapped within her own mind, and so was Harry due to their awful dreams, and Ron's leaving them both on their own.

She awoke at six AM sharp, and turned over in the bed rolling onto Harry's stomach on accident. She was used to simply rolling out of bed, slipping her feet into her slippers, and starting a timely breakfast. It took her several seconds to figure out who she had rolled onto, before she opened her sleep filled eyes, and saw Harry underneath her waking up from the weight of her. She slowly stood up, and backed away from him wanting him to at least get some form of sleep, before she went back to wallowing about Ron's absence. She wanted to stay where they were as long as possible, just in case Ron decided to come wandering back to her, like he normally did. He almost always came back after a fight, but since he wasn't back yet Hermione was really starting to worry.

She slipped on her slippers, before walking to the kettle Harry had left perched on the table, and grabbed her wand off the table as well filling the pot with water, she walked to the fireplace, igniting a fire, so that she could heat the water. She placed the kettle on the small hook, and walked away looking down at the big shirt that was covering her body. She needed to find more suitable clothes, but decided against it for the time being. She didn't feel like getting dressed, and she pulled the rangled ponytail from her hair, and let her hair flow freely once more, dangling just below her shoulders.

She yawned, silently pacing the floor waiting for the sound the kettle makes when the water is done. She liked doing things the muggle way, which was something that sometimes irked Harry, since it would take mere seconds to use her wand to be able to make the water warm, but right now she needed a small sense of her home, and what it was like back there. The familiar whistle started, so she walked back to the kettle, and pulled it from the hook lightly pouring the water into a cup, and poured another cup for Harry who was now stirring, from the sound.

She silently walked to his side, and wafted the cup beneath his nose, "Here you go Harry..." She told him, "Just how you like it" She knew that he had had another rough night, so she wanted to make him feel at least a little bit better. Silently she watched him sit up in bed, grab his glasses, and shove them up the bridge of his nose. She smiled, handing him the cup, before walking to the table, and seating herself barely making a sound. She was still feeling bad about upsetting him the night before, then again it was far too easy to set off Harry these days. He was always on edge thanks to all that had been thrown at the trio-now duo-over the past few years.

"Rough night?" Harry asked her as he strolled towards her, raising an eyebrow at her outwards appearance. She had dark circles beneath her eyes, her hair hadn't been combed, so she looked like something out of a horror movie. He was honestly worried about her.

She laughed halfheartedly, "Your asking me if I had a rough night? Your the one that woke up screaming" She teased for a minor second forgetting the pain the fortnight had brought. She wanted to live in happy little moments like these for eternity, never having to look back, and see the bad times, but she knew that her thoughts were unrealistic. She had more to worry about then her own problems these days, Harry was part of every decision that was made. They had to think as a team neither of them had to think alone, nor should they think alone.

"Speaking of rough, look at you! Your only wearing my shirt" He teased back, and she shook her head, taking another sip of the tea. She liked wearing her friends clothes she felt somehow it suited her.

"Oh hush, I like this shirt" She informed him.

He nodded, and took another sip saying not another word about her shirt, or style of appearance. He had more dire worries, regardless of what she was doing, "I wonder what Ron would think" He teased, and the conversation rushed to a hault at the word Ron.

She immediately slammed her tea cup onto the table, and pushed the chair back.

"Hermione I-"

"Don't" She huffed pulling on her jeans, coat, and shoes, before storming out of the tent sitting down outside on the snow-covered ground by a tree just like she had the night before. The abandoned blanket was right where she had left it the night before when Harry had forced her inside. She heard the sigh from Harry. He already felt bad she knew by the automatic sigh that he wished he could take back his words, but the truth was out. He couldn't. All she wanted was Ron to come waltzing out of the trees safe, and sound, but he may never be able to do that again now that he was gone for good.

She knew Harry hadn't meant to say it, but it all hurt just the same. It struck her deep down inside for him to say anything about what he had said, but she had to deal with it now. So she remained leaning against the tree watching the sun rising in the east. Praying that a miracle would bring Ron back to her today.

- AN: I have big plans for this story ;D

You will all have to wait and see them! I can't wait to progress through this story, it will definitely be intense/shocking. Please Read, and Review! Thank you!

-Anna