Saving Hermione - Ch. 1: The Last Ride



Stepping through the barrier hidden between Platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station and looking up at the great scarlet steam engine for the seventh time in his life brought back reminiscent feelings to one seventeen- year-old's fiery red head.

Ron Weasley merged into the crowd of Hogwarts' students looking for the two familiar faces which he had met here for the very first time seven years ago. He had not seen those two faces for two months due to his vacation in Egypt with his older brother Bill.

Over the summer, Ron had helped Bill with his reports for work and had become more studious and attentive to his work. During this summer he also helped Bill out in the field, working in the pyramids and helping haul the treasure the uncovered out of their dusty graves. Do to this physical labor (not to mention the time he spent in the weight room building up to work in the field) he had become much more healthy over the two months of summer.

Just then, he spotted two heads of hair that looked extremely like those of his two best friends. One was a big, bushy, brown head of hair while the other was a mess of wild jet black. As Ron stepped forward through the crowd, he caught a glimpse of the owner of the black head first. Harry Potter had had another growth spurt over the summer, bringing him to 6'1", which was still shorter compared to Ron's towering 6'4" height. After seven years of Quidditch, Harry had developed a hard set of muscles in arms and chest that was visible through his black T-shirt. Ron looked to see into his friend's bright emerald green eyes only to see them looking over his shoulder at something. Ron looked back to find his little sister, Ginny, standing right behind him smiling sweetly back at Harry's (much to the amusement of Ron) big, goofy grin. Harry was not the only one to notice Ginny's summer change. Boys all over the station were eyeing her. Ginny had changed from the gawky, insecure teenage girl into a confident woman over her vacation. Ron was just glad that Harry was finally taking notice. "Took him long enough," Ron thought.

Just then his attentions turned to Hermione who was looking at him in awe, almost like the look he was giving her. Hermione had made a change similar to Ginny's, only a little more defined. She had grown a bit taller, to about 5'7", and had very noticeable curves in what any boy would consider all the right places. She wasn't stick thin, ("How could you be with a full figure," he thought), but not by any means heavy. Her hair was still the bushy mess it always was, just the way he had always liked it. And her eyes were a deeper chocolate brown. Her skin, usually pale from so much time inside a big drafty castle, was tanned a light gold from her vacation in Italy. She had her lips played into a serene smile as he finally met her eyes and lifted her hand to wave him over, which he obediently did.

Hermione Granger instantly found one of the two boys she was seeking. She found Harry after two months in Italy with her parents. "Ah, I see you've grown again," she stated as she came up behind him. He turned around and pretended not to see her while looking over her head and replied, "What? Who said that?!" He then smiled and looked down at her. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Hermione had always been grateful for Harry's companionship. He was like the brother she never had. He worried about her and protected her that way a bigger sibling would. Her other best friend did this also, but only in a different way.

"Have you seen Ron yet?" he asked.

"No, I was about to ask you the same."

A moment later, their fellow Gryffindors walked up and they proceeded to talk to their four friends about who did what over the summer



Just as she was looking around for Ron again during her conversation with Lavender, she spotted him. He was very easy to find due to his vibrant red Weasley hair. He was pushing his trolley through a crowd of fourth years who stared open-mouthed at him as he passed. Hermione could immediately see why. She remembered her letters from him over the summer stating that he was exercising a lot, but she didn't know this meant becoming 6'4" and probably weighing in at 250 pounds. His muscles bulged through his thin blue shirt and blue jeans. His red hair seemed to be a little lighter from the Egyptian sun and his skin was also a little darker. She trailed her gaze to his eyes only to see them looking behind his shoulder at his sister, Ginny, with an amused look on his face and then back at Harry. Realization quickly struck Hermione when she looked back at Harry to see his face. She nearly laughed aloud at his grin.

She looked back at Ron to once more stand in disbelief at his newly acquired look. She looked up to see his dark blue eyes turn in her direction and to her utmost amazement (and slight embarrassment) to see those eyes look her up and down and his jaw drop. She ignored this and smiled when his eyes returned to hers and she waved her hand as an invitation to join them.

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Ron strolled over and stopped his trolley on the side of Hermione with his little sister pulling up right next to Harry. "Well, hello Hermione," he greeted, almost pompously like. "Hello, Ronald," she replied equally as pompous. He then grinned and lifted her up easily into his huge arms and hugged her tightly while she shrieked in surprise. When he set her down she was laughing and grinning in the way that reminded Ron proudly of himself. He then turned to Harry who has just finished saying hello to Ginny with a brief, but firm, hug. Hermione never understood the way boys greeted each other, but it must have meant something because they did it every time they hadn't seen one another for a while. The boys shook hands and pulled into a brief hug with slap the others back with a grunted hello. When they finished this, Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same.

Ginny and Hermione exchanged hugs and welcomes and began talking rapidly about their summers. It was the boys turn to roll their eyes.

Harry and Ron decided to load their trunks while they discussed their own vacations. Harry had, as usual, spent his summer at the Dursley's. Although according to him, it was much more bearable because of his sudden height changed which made him much taller than his uncle or cousin. And with newfound height and muscle, they all were more frightened than before.



After they had both loaded their trunks they came out of the train to see the girls tugging their trunks off the trolleys. Ginny was having a tough time with her, but Hermione might as well be trying to move Hogwarts castle due to all the books piled neatly in hers. The boys watched with amusement for a few moments until Ginny noticed them there. "Well? Are you gits just going to stand there or are you going to be gentlemen and help?" she asked them irritably. Before they could answer with a sarcastic answer, Hermione decided to chime in and use some of the reverse psychology she learned over the summer. "Don't bother Gin, they won't help anyways because their lazy and probably couldn't lift either of our trunks!" Ginny failed miserably at hiding a laugh at the looks on the boys faces. They both looked highly offended and stalked over without a word. Harry picked up Ginny's trunk and carried it away while Ron did the same with Hermione's while shooting glare at her. The girls stood back and watched while waiting till the boys were safely on the train to laugh out loud at their two friends.

When the boys came out and found them laughing, they shared in their own joke. They new exactly what the girls had done. Ron had also learned about many new things this summer, including levels of psychology, and had explained it to Harry on the train. They both said that they were about to pick up the trunks anyways, so no bother.

When the girls stopped laughing, the whistle blew from somewhere signaling them to board the train. After saying their goodbyes to the Weasleys, Harry climbed on followed by Ginny, and then Hermione. Ron was last and before Hermione had a chance to fully enter the compartment, Ron had pulled her back in the hall and whispered behind her, in her ear, not unnoticing the shudder she gave at his breath on her neck, "Nice reverse psychology. I was planning on using it myself this year. Guess I will have to get my revenge on you. That bloody trunk was heavy!" She froze and turned around with a look of utter disbelief on her face. He walked passed her into the compartment grinning widely. Hermione followed a moment later with an annoyed look on her face.

A few hours into the train ride, Ginny was reluctantly dragged off by her 6th year Gryffindor friends from her seat next to Harry into another compartment. This left Hermione with her book, and Harry and Ron with Exploding Snap.

An hour before they arrived at Hogsmeade, Hermione suggested they change into their robes. The boys agreed and left the another compartment to give Hermione her privacy. The only open compartment was at the other end of the train. When they finished changing, the walked slowly back to their compartment. They were about to walk in when they noticed the door ajar and voices coming from inside. Voices that sounded like an angry Hermione, a trying-to-be-charming Draco, and the grunts and sniggers of Crabbe and Goyle. Quietly they listened outside.

"I said go away Malfoy!"

"Now why would I do that, little Mudblood?"

The crack in the door, they could see Malfoy's figure, and it seemed, he too, had grown over the summer to a 6'0" frame and muscular build similar to Harry's. He towered over Hermione, edging his way closer to her with every sentence he spoke. She was standing almost flat against the wall with a defiant look on her face and her hand on her hips, her eyes darting to her robes, with her wand inside no doubt, on the other side of the compartment. She looked unafraid, but Ron could sense the fear coming from her. And if he could, Malfoy surely could.

"Because if you don't I'll hex you all the way into next month!" she near shouted.

"Now, I know perfect Granger wouldn't do such a thing," he said mockingly, again moving forward. She backed instinctively against the wall. Ron's blood was boiling now.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" she managed to choke out.

"No, that and because you are unarmed." He was only inches away now.

"What do you want Malfoy?" She was definitely scared now.

"You came back looking absolutely wonderful this year, Mudblood," he whispered huskily while leaning into her. The look on her face said she was about to cry while Crabbe and Goyle stood there smirking triumphantly. Ron's temper was about to exploded not only at Malfoy's insulting nickname for her but also the way she looked when he leaning into her.

"Just do what I say and I won't tell anyone that you chose to sleep with Draco Malfoy," he simply stated, still pressing onto her full figure, making sure she could not throw her rock hard knee into what he thought was the most precious part if his anatomy.

"You bastard," she whispered while tears welled up into her eyes. Ron could take no more, after his insults, threats, and making Hermione cry, THAT WAS IT!

The door burst open with an almighty force from Ron's hand, shattering the glass, just as Malfoy was about to sexually assault Hermione in a way she would never forget. Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the two bigger, dumber boys behind Ron and hexed them unconscious. Ron, on the other hand, left his wand forgotten as he headed over to Malfoy and wretched his body off of Hermione's. She has a look of utter relief on her face while Malfoy had a somewhat different look.

As soon as Malfoy was pulled off of his very scared and very relieved best friend, Ron threw Malfoy onto the ground and landed his large fist into the smaller boy's jaw. Hearing a loud resounding crack broke Hermione out of her relieved daze to watch Ron beat Malfoy into oblivion while shouting obscenities and threats that made her mouth fall open in amazement and shock. She also felt little butterflies in her stomach as Ron said these things in her defense.

"YOU GODDAMN LITTLE FERRET!" he shouted while delivering a blow to Malfoy's stomach. "DON'T EVER TOUCH HER AGAIN! DON'T LOOK AT HER AND DON'T SPEAK TO HER AGAIN!" he yelled again, putting his fist in a different place on Malfoy with each word.

Ron then proceeded to lift the already bloodied boy up by the collar and slam him it the nearest wall and said in a deathly whisper, "If I ever again see or hear that you did touch her, so help me God I will make sure you never live to the day when you get the DarkMark. Do you understand?" Malfoy glared and reluctantly nodded.

"Good," Ron said in the same deathly whisper. Then, just to seal the deal, he swiftly and suddenly brought up his knee and did what Hermione could not. With Malfoy doubled up in pain, Ron picked him up once more by the collar and threw him outside where he was followed by his cronies.

Ron slid the door shut while Harry was left outside to get a teacher and explain, actually lie, about what happened to the three. With one quick flick of his wand, Ron had repaired the window. He turned around to see Hermione's delicate form curled up on the seat shaking uncontrollably while her body was racked with sobs. Ron didn't realize how much damage Malfoy had caused Hermione emotionally until now. He swiftly walked over to her and gathered her up in his arms to pull her into his lap while he sat down. He rocked her back and forth and smoothed her hair while whispering comforting into her ear. Neither of them noticed when Harry slid the door open and then quickly closed it again not wanting to disturb this obviously private moment and set off to find Ginny to inform her of the rides events.





A/N - So how was that for my first ever chapter? Please tell me I have at least some ability to write! I have a long drawn out plot for this story but if you don't like it let me know. Thanks for reading!