Revised!

Disclaimer: Don't them blah blah, don't sue me blah blah, just for fun blah blah,… ¬¬

A Thin Line

Professor Quirrell ushered them out of the room where the unconscious troll still lay. Harry, Ron and Hermione, still very shaken, followed Professor McGonagall to the hall. She looked down at the three of them and felt a tiny sliver of sympathy for the frightened children. Relief had replaced fear and anger for her students and in the end she decided to save the scolding for another day.

"Mr. Potter," there was still quidditch though, "if you will accompany me to my office there is a brief matter I would like to discuss before you turn in."

Harry looked horrified as the head of house then turned to the other two, "Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, I trust you won't get yourselves into any more life or death situations tonight? Strait to the common room please."

Ron gave a feeble nod and Hermione bowed her head in shame. McGonagall gave a curt nod and a sharp "Good night," as she turned down the corridor with Harry at her heals, who looked back at his friends shrugging.

Hermione and Ron were left alone as an uncomfortable silence filled the empty corridor. After a second they both looked up at each other then quickly cast their eyes back to the floor, silently agreeing to head back to the dorms.

Their footsteps echoed in the hall, filling the void left by their unspoken words. Ron especially, knew he should probably say something. He had to! Having just saved her or not, the guilt of having put her in the situation to begin with was eating away at him. Though, if you looked at it from another angle, it was also just very bad luck on her part. Bad luck she picked that restroom, bad luck a troll decided to come in today, bad luck she was such a know it all show off, ok, maybe not that last part. Still, it couldn't have been entirely his fault. Right?

"Uh," was all that came out. He cleared his throat getting Hermione's attention and tried again, "So... are you ok?"

She made a small indiscernible noise and nodded meekly.

Ron grimaced and looked back down at the floor, not understanding why it was so difficult to talk to her.

"Well, thanks. For what you did back there," he began again, giving her a furtive glance, "I mean, we probably would have been expelled if... you know."

She didn't say anything or even acknowledge she'd heard him. He scowled. Why did she have to make this so difficult?

"And... I'm sorry. For what I said earlier today," he paused, debating whether he should say what he was thinking next or not, "I wouldn't have said it if I knew you were behind me."

The reaction was instantaneous and so was his realization that it had indeed been something stupid to say. Hermione lifted her head, lips pursed and stopped dead in her tracks. He stopped as well (although for the life of him he didn't know why!) as she turned to him with fierce eyes.

"Why?" she seethed angrily, "So you wouldn't hurt my feelings? Or so you wouldn't have to be carrying around all this guilt about what almost happened to me?"

Her words hit dead on and he was left to stare at her in shock as she continued. "What difference would it have made? You still don't like me. Why carry my feelings as a burden you don't have to take? You don't really care anyway."

Ron opened his mouth to protest but was cut off before he could even start. "I'm not blaming you, don't get angry. I know no one likes me very much. It's not your fault, and it's not as if I could do something about it. It's just... the way we are," her voice changed from determinedly high to soft and sad as she said these last words.

Ron tired to swallow the lump that had been forming in his throat as she spoke. Now the urge to say something was even stronger, but how was one supposed to respond to something like that? His first instinct was to say no. Because he disagreed with what she had just said, he just didn't know about which part.

"I can't change who I am just to make people like me. Or so says my mother," she somewhat smiled suddenly missing her mother more than ever, "I just don't know why, they all think I'm a 'nightmare'."

Ron winced at her words, knowing well they had belonged to him before she had repeated them just now.

"Oh, stop it," she said looking up to his guilty expression. "I haven't a grudge against you. I suppose you could say I'm used to it," she said emotionless as her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Well that's a sad thing to get used to," he blurted suddenly.

She blinked slowly, careful to avoid spilling her tears over her cheeks again. He looked embarrassed at having voiced his last comment and found something interesting on the floor. All this must have been making him very uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," he began quietly. Hermione shook her head ready to counter his apologies with one of her own, but he cut her off before she could begin.

"It was my fault you were alone in the bathroom to begin with. I'm, I-I never meant to—," he paused to collect his thoughts and tried again. What was it exactly he was trying to say?

"I tend to lash out, when I'm frustrated. And for the record, I wouldn't have said anything if I knew you were behind me because I don't like to hurt people."

Hermione stared at him in confusion, "I told you, you don't have to apologize for not li—."

"I'm not!" he said quickly, and thought back to what it was he was trying to say, "Apologizing for not liking you. You're right, but that's not why I feel bad. I'm saying sorry for... for judging you wrong, and hurting you in the process."

Her heart skipped a beat at what this could possibly entail. Could he maybe... could they possibly become, friends? Hermione stared at him until he could no longer return her gaze and continued to look upon him as his eyes darted from the carpet to his shoes. Feeling her own face get hot she finally broke eye contact and gave a faint smile.

"I think," she began meekly, "beating up a troll was a good enough apology for me."

Ron gave a wide goofy grin and extended an open hand to her. "So we're even?" She felt her face redden and looked down longingly towards his open palm.

"And, friends?" he asked again.

She looked curiously from his hand to his crooked smile and after a few second of tentative silence gave him a smile of her own. Ron felt his ears go red at the sight, he didn't think he had ever seen her smile like this and was relieved when her hand locked in with his.

"Friends," she said happily.

His smile widened before turning sideways into a smirk, "Just promise me from now on, that you won't lock yourself up with any other kind of large, dangerous creatures when you're depressed."

She gave a small chuckle and offered him a quick nod.

"Come to us instead," he finished.

Her smile widened, "I promise."

It was only when they moved to continue down the hall that they noticed their hands were still together. Ron quickly released her small cold one and took a much needed step away from her. She gave a feeble smile at the awkward moment and walked onward, safely separated, but neither alone anymore.

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Ahhh how we fanfic authors thrive on the unseen moments! Strangely, I think this edited version is much better than the last but, for some reason I was much more excited about it when I posted it the first time. Anywho...

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