Chapter 1

60 YEARS AGO…

"Ginny, dear, Hermione will be here any minute. Go upstairs and clean your room immediately. I hope you don't expect a guest to sleep in a messy bedroom. I'm going out and when I get back I expect it to be spotless. I'll see you later, pumpkin," Mrs. Weasley said before leaving via Floo powder.

Ginny rolled her eyes and did as she was told. She went to her room and began to straighten up, humming her favorite tune. She had to admit she was excited for Hermione's arrival. She wished Harry could be there as well, but he was needed in the war. She couldn't wait to see Hermione; it had been ages since she had seen her. She wanted to know what news she had of the outside world. The Weasleys had saw fit to keep the Ginny secluded from the affairs of the War since she was still a child.

Ron had decided to stay home and help his mother seeing as his father and all of his older brothers were involved with the Order and the War. It had been months since any of them were seen or heard from. Mrs. Weasley was a mess and Ginny could tell she and Ron were all that could keep her stable. Ginny often heard her mother crying late at night.

The room had grown increasingly hot and stuffy during the time Ginny spent cleaning it. She walked over to her window to open it for some cool air. She was surprised, though, to see that Hermione had already arrived and was sitting in the grass talking to Ron. She smiled widely, but it quickly disappeared when she saw Ron punch a tree. Hermione then feebly got up and tried to control him. She fell backwards in her attempt. Again she got up and stalked away, clenching her sides in apparent pain. Ron seemed unmoved.

Ginny could not believe her eyes. Her own brother, Ron Weasley, had assaulted Hermione.

20 MINUTES BEFORE…

It had been one of the nicest days that anyone had seen in a while. It had been raining unseasonably for a long time. The sun was bright and shining. It was so nice out that Ron saw fit to take a stroll out to the lake in the backyard and enjoy the change in weather. He had been sitting against a tree watching the ducks swim by. He had also been anticipating the moment when the girl he so yearned for would take those first steps toward him and smile that beautiful smile of hers. He would wrap her in a hug and they would stay lost in it, forever.

But this was only a daydream for in actuality this girl could not stand to be in his presence. She gave him looks of disgust and displeasure when ever they were within footsteps of each other. She thought he was immature, that Ron knew. He prayed she would just see the real him and share in the feelings he had for her. But that was a bit far fetched, considering their history. Ron closed his eyes a drifted to sleep with sweet thoughts of his love.

Pop.

Ron's eyes fluttered open. She was here. He smiled. Though his smile faded once he saw her hunched form on the ground, crying and in obvious pain. His heart pounded in his chest. It hurt him so much to see her like this. She was struggling to move, but in too much ache to do so. Ron rushed to her side.

"Hermione, what happened to you?" he asked while gently taking hold of her arm to support her. She turned her face to him revealing black, purple and blue bruises everywhere.

"Ron? What are you doing out here?" she asked, her mouth evidently blood-filled with each spoken word. She shook her arm out of his grasp and coughed blood onto the grass.

"Who did this to you?" he asked, ignoring her question. She did not answer.

"Hermione tell me what happened!"

"I'm fine, Ron! Just leave me alone," she said, raising her voice.

"No you're hurt, Hermione. Let me help you."

She merely looked at him. Ron gathered her up in his arms and to his surprise she did not struggle. He brought her over to his vacated tree and leant her against it. He conjured up a cloth and used it to clean Hermione's face up as best he could. She winced at the pain, but still did not speak. She shed a single tear. Ron had never seen her like this before. He softly caressed her wet skin and wiped the tear away.

Ron slowly stood up and looked at her. She turned her head away from him and focused her attention on the lake. She waited a few moments before she finally spoke.

"No one was supposed to be out here. If I had known you would be here I would have apparated somewhere else."

"I don't understand why you don't want me to help you. I'm you're friend."

She whipped her head around and faced him before saying, "Hardly. You've spent your time making me miserable since we met. The only reason I tolerate you is because of Harry. He's all we have in common."

This hurt Ron more than anything. She basically had just ended any hope that he had.

"Well fine, I'll just go get mum and have her take a look at you. I'll get out of your hair," Ron said turning to leave.

"No, Ron. Please don't go," she pleaded weakly. He looked at her, confused. Didn't she just tell him she didn't want him there? He looked at her searching for an answer to the question he was afraid to ask in fear of her changing her mind. He sat down in front of her.

"I don't want to be alone," she explained. He nodded.

"Can you tell me what happened?" he asked after long moments of uncomfortable silence.

She looked at him and sighed.

"This all happened because I'm a stupid girl," she answered vaguely.

"I don't understand. Who did this to you?" Ron asked practically pleading her to answer.

"Viktor."

"KRUM? How in Merlin's name did that piss pot get near you? I thought you ended it with him in fourth year!"

"I did, but he sent me a letter last week asking me to come and visit him in Bulgaria. He said he would like to see me again, spend time with me before the Quidditch season started up again. So, I went. And I had been staying with him this past week. When the time came for me to get ready to leave he surprised me with a romantic dinner and proposed to me. I tried to tell him that I am too young to even be considering marriage. I'm only eighteen. But Viktor Krum is not one to be rejected. So this morning, I woke up to find him sitting near my bed. He was just watching me. He told me that I wasn't leaving and he will have me for his wife. He told me I will accept him as my husband; even if he had to beat the acceptance into me. And so he attacked me. I kicked him where it hurts most one good time which bought me enough time to apparate to the only place I could think of; the place where I feel safest. Here."

"We have to tell somebody about this. He'll be arrested. We'll get him, Hermione," Ron said.

"No, I'm afraid we won't. You see, there wasn't a single person who witnessed Victor and I together. He will deny having seen me at all. There is no evidence of me ever being in his house, and if there is he is smart enough to get rid of it. He is an international super star. He could easily declare me some deranged groupie or something. It's my word against his, and that's like comparing a rock to a building. It won't work."

"He can't get away with this!" Ron yelled.

"I'm afraid he can, Ron" Hermione reasoned.

"No, 'Mione, he hurt you. I will not let him get away with this. I'll fucking kill him!"

Ron's blood began to boil. He gripped his fists so tight that his knuckles began to turn white. His face was red with rage. He quickly stood up and began to pace back and forth, not saying a word all the while. He screamed in frustration and punched the tree. He didn't even wince at the pain. Hermione grew scared and somehow got herself up. She hobbled over to Ron and tried to grab his arm to stop him before he seriously injured himself. He made to punch the tree again before he even realized Hermione's grip on his arm. She was knocked back by the force of his punch. He looked at her in horror of what he had just done. He didn't mean to hurt her. She looked at him in disgust, a look he knew all too well.

"And you wonder why I call you immature. You act irrationally, and now look what you did. Forget this, Ron, I'm going inside. Don't follow me."

She got up with what little strength she had left and walked away and into the Burrow leaving Ron feeling a range of emotions, everything from hurt to enraged.