I do not own any of the following. Harry Potter is by the queen JK Rowling. If I wrote it, Ron and Hermione would have got together in the first book. This is my first story ever, so thanks for reading! You can review if you wanna.

The brightest witch

"Don't leave me. Please. Please, you can't." Ron shivered in the rain. Ron had been walking for hours, yet he didn't want to go back home. Replays of that horrid night played over and over again in his head. The screaming, high pitched laughter, Hermione's sobbing. The wizard tried to shake the memories out of his head, but they stuck like glue. Without realizing where he had walked, Ron ended up at Harry's flat. Harry Potter, the boy who lived. Ron couldn't help but chuckle. The boy who lived, that name hadn't been used in years. Harry had never even liked to be called that. The "boy" was now a grown man working at the ministry and in a serious relationship with Ginny. Ron knocked, hoping his best friend was home. A few seconds past and a voice called from within, "coming." The door opened to show a tall figure with glasses and a head of messy jet black hair. "Ron! Mate, it's pouring, come in!" Harry ushered his best friend inside the small flat. The fire was going and a book was open on the small couch. Ron stood at the doorway awkwardly until Harry motioned him to sit. "What brings you here?" Harry asked, grabbing two butterbeers from the small kitchen. "Nothing, just haven't seen you in a while. Are you doing ok?" Harry laughed as he sat down. "I should ask you the same thing. Did you really walk all the way here, in the rain? You do realize you're a wizard, right mate?" The ginger gave a small smile. "Yeah, fine. How's Gin?" Ron asked, taking a sip out of the bottle. "I think we both know you didn't come here to talk about your sister, you guys live together. What's bothering you?" the other stayed silent. "Ron?" Harry nudged Ron, causing him to rise from the couch and walk over to the fire. Facing the flames, he said "Hermione." Ron heard a suck in of breath from behind him. "Hermione?" Ron nodded. He knew it sounded silly. "Do you want to talk about it?" Ron nodded once more.

Ron woke up to snoring. He got up and looked at the other four beds. All were empty except Harry's. Ron looked at the clock. They were late. Ron swore as he got dressed and shook Harry up. The two hurried into the common room and down into the great hall before they talked. As the two Gryffindor's walked to their house table, they saw Hermione reading as she ate her toast. "Morning," Ron mumbled as he sat down beside the girl. "I have been looking for you two for the past half-hour. Did you over sleep again?" The boys nodded, and she rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you got here when you did. Don't want to be late for potions." Harry smiled, "I'm sure Snape would have loved that." The trio laughed. Everyone knew the potion master hated the three Gryffindors. "We better get going, if you two made me late, I might jinx you guys!" Ron laughed as they strolled out of the great hall. The group was half way to the dungeons when they heard a scream. "What was that?" Harry looked around before running off. "Harry, wait for us!" Hermione yelled, following the boy. Ron was close behind as the three arrived on the scene. A small girl was on the floor at the bottom of a set of stairs. She was crying and her bag was spilt over beside her. Hermione pushed through the crowd and knelt beside the young Ravenclaw. "What happened?" she asked kindly. Ron couldn't help but stare at Hermione. She was being so kind to this little girl, helping her up and giving her a hug. "I-I was on my way to class when it- it came and pushed me down the steps." Hermione looked puzzled. "What pushed you?" The girl glanced at hermione, then the people around them. "It-it was ball of fire." She answered. Hermione opened her mouth to ask more, but another voice came in. "What is going on here? Oh Mss. Green, what has happened?" Professor Mcgonagall stepped In. Her hair in a tight bun and her lip in a tighter line, the woman sent all the students a scowl and they rushed off in different directions. "Thank you Mss. Granger, but you need to go to class as well." The teenage witch nodded and left with the two boys. "You were very nice back there, Hermione." Ron said as they headed off. She turned and replied. "Thanks Ron?" He looked at her funny. "What's so questionable about that?" Ron asked. "Well I don't know. When you seem someone hurt, you should help them, Ron." She stopped walking to talk. "I'm just saying, I thought it was nice." Ron stopped also. Harry fought the urge to continue, but knew he would have to stop their argument soon. "Well, I was doing the right thing. You know some people care about the wellbeing of others." Hermione crossed her arms. "Are you saying I don't care about others?" Ron looked down at Hermione, but the girl stood her ground. "You care about yourself first. Then you worry about the others. Good people care for others first, you know." Harry rolled his eyes. People were starting to stare. "Well Hermione, I'm a good person, so I guess you don't know everything." Harry held his breath; his best mate had done it now. "Excuse me? I don't know everything? I'm sure I know more than you." Harry waved nonchalantly to a fifth year passing by. "I know a ton of things!" Hermione rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Guys… Guys… Can we get to class now?" Harry stood between the two, yelling for them to stop. The two walked on either side of Harry, both red in the face. "You know a lot. Ha, please. This is coming from the boy who thinks the Chudley Cannons are a good team." Hermione mumbled, causing Harry to laugh and get a dark look from Ron.

After class, which the trio was just on time for, Hermione and Ron still weren't talking. "I'm going to go study." Hermione said at lunch. Harry nodded, and Ron continued eating. "Because you know, I'm dumb." She walked away as Ron looked up. "I didn't say she was dumb mate. Just that she didn't know everything." Dean sat down across from the boy. "That is where you're wrong Ron, Hermione knows everything." Dean and Harry laughed, Ron looked at his plate. "I know, blimey, she's the smartest person I've even met, but she called me dumb first." Harry raised his eyebrows and Dean spoke, "I heard the whole thing from Flitwick's room. She never called you dumb. She said you don't care about others. But you care that she's mad at you." Ron nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to go talk to her." Ron left the table and Harry and Dean watched. "Boy, he's just digging a bigger hole." Harry said shaking his head. The other boy nodded, "She'll come around though, because she always does." Ron walked out of the great hall alone and headed to the library. He walked in, hoping he would be able to find Hermione. That wouldn't be a problem because she was the only one in the room besides Madam Pince, the librarian. Ron hurried over to the table of one and sat down. "What are you reading?" He asked. Hermione looked up from her book. "Homework, do you need something, I'm busy?" Ron blushed. "I just-" but he was interrupted by a loud scream coming from the other side of the large room. Ron and Hermione jump up to see Madam Pince lying still on the ground. "Call for help!" Hermione yelled to Ron as she went to the old woman.

Hours later, after explaining again and again what happened in the library, Hermione arrived back at the Gryffindor common room. The headmaster had asked many questions. "Did you get a look at the attacker?" Hermione had answered no. "Were you and Mr. Weasley alone?" She answered yes. "And what are two sixth years like him and yourself doing alone in the library during lunch hour?" To this, Hermione asked what he meant, but Dumbledore only got a twinkle in his eyes. Hermione sat down in her favorite chair by the fire. Somebody walked in behind her. "Hey, are you ok?" Harry. Hermione got up and stretched. "I'll be fine. I'm just tired. That's two people today attacked. And nobody knows why. It's weird Harry." The boy agreed. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You always do." Hermione blushed. "Well… Yeah. We always do solve the problems here." Harry laughed and pulled his best friend into a hug, just as Ron came down the steps." A look a pain crossed his eyes. He forgot all about apology he was going to give to Hermione and went back up the steps. "Thanks Harry I needed that." Hermione smiled as they pulled apart and went their own ways. Harry walked up the stairs into the boy's dorm. Ron's curtains were closed, though his were the only ones. "Is Hermione ok?" asked Neville Longbottom from his bed by the door. "Yeah, she's doing fine. A little shook up by today's events." Seamus walked in from the bathroom. "What happened today?" He asked as he put on socks. "Finnigan, you haven't heard?" Dean was taken back. The boys all told the story of the past hours.

The next morning all of Hogwarts was talking about the attack. It reminded Ron of the time in third year when thought to be killer, Sirius Black, broke into the school. Ron had to remind himself that Sirius was good. Sirius, Harry's godfather, was dead. He had died at the end of fifth year. Ron shuddered at the thought of that night, too many things went wrong. Harry, Luna, Ginny, Neville, Hermione and he had all broke into the Ministry of Magic to try to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named from getting a weapon to help him win the war. Ron remembers how Hermione almost died. Hermione, Ron had to talk to her right now. The boy looked around the great hall, but she was not there yet. Ron was about to go look of her before remembering her and Harry last night. Harry was also gone. Ron ate his eggs darkly until they arrived. "Morning mate, you ready for quidditch today?" Harry asked as he sat down. Ron almost forgot about the match against Ravenclaw today. The first match of the season was today and Ron forgot. It was pretty hard to forget too, with practices four nights a week. "Don't worry; we're going to crush them!" Ginny said as she sat my Hermione, who remained silent. Ron laughed at his sister, but agreed. Ravenclaw didn't give a big fight when it came to the game. The only game Ron WAS worried about was Slytherin's in the spring. It was November, there was still a lot of time to practice and build tension between the two houses. "Yeah, I'm ready." He glanced at Hermione. She still hadn't said anything. Harry nodded, seeing Ron wasn't in the mood to talk, instead, he turned to Ginny and talked about plays they were going to be used today. Hermione stood up; wished Harry and Ginny good luck, and left to visit the library before the match. "Wow Ron, she still isn't talking to you? What did you do now you block?" Ginny asked as the bushy hair witch left the great hall. "He said she didn't know everything." Harry piped in between bits. Ginny laughed, "Did you just meet the girl? Why would you tell Hermione that?" Ron looked up from his plate, and Ginny stopped. "I didn't mean it like that; see you at the field mate." Ron left and Ginny rolled her eyes. "Why do they always fight?" She asked. "I don't know, but they better stop soon. I hate when they don't talk." The girl agreed and the two headed off to the field.

"Welcome to the first match of the season! I'm Maggie Dunkin your announcer for the match. Let the brooms fly!" The Hufflepuff fourth year said into the megaphone. The game started with a quick lead in Gryffindor's favor. Ron, flying in front of his ring-shaped goal, looked into the crowd of deep red. He gave up on finding Hermione, and focused back on the game. The match went on another ten minutes before anything happened. The score became 50-20, Gryffindor. When suddenly Maggie screamed, "What is that coming up behind Parker?" Both teams stopped what they were doing. Ginny stopped chasing the Ravenclaw chaser, Ron looked away from the goal. All eyes were on Greg Parker. The Ravenclaw beater turned on his broom to come face to face with a ball of fire. His blue jersey was glowing from the light, his blonde hair turning red. Thinking quickly, the sixth year used his wood club and hit the ball before it could harm him. The ball flew across the field and hit a member of the opposite team. Ron. A scream came from the crowd. Harry and Ginny flew to Ron, trying to get under him. The wizard had fallen off his broom and was plummeting to the ground. Harry sped off towards his best friend, trying to reach out and grab Ron's hand, but he wasn't fast enough. Ron hit the ground full speed. All Professors were on their feet, wondering what just happened on the field. Maggie was still yelling into the megaphone and the Slytherin's chanting, "Play on, play on. No one care's about Ron." Causing Ginny to look up from her brother's side and give the house a dark look. The headmaster rushed onto the field, pushing past both house teams. "Professor, I don't know what happened. What was that?" Parker asked, but Dumbledore walked ahead. Ron was lying on the ground, his foot at a weird angle, his eyes were shut. "Poppy? We need to get Mr. Weasley to the hospital wing." The nurse came out of the crowd of students and waved her wand to make Ron float back to the castle. "This match is canceled, back to your dorms." Professor Mcgonagall yelled from somewhere in the stands, her voice magically louder than usual. Harry and Ginny followed the headmaster, hoping Ron would be ok.

Hope that was good? next chapter will be up soon. I don't know where I'm going with this story, we'll figure that out when I get there. Reviews are welcomed. But I know most of you won't do it. It's fine. Whatever. Please?