At exactly 8:00 on the dot that same night, Ron was saying goodbye to his sister, watching her leave the school that she had spent six years of her life to go back home to the burrow, where she would be relatively safe from the battle that would soon be waged at Hogwarts.

Hermione watched brother and sister exchange their goodbyes, holding back her tears at the same time. She and Ginny had formed a special relationship over their years at school together, and Hermione could honestly say that besides Harry and Ron, she was ready to trust Ginny with her life at any moment.

Ron turned and slowly ambled back to where Hermione was standing, Harry beside her, watching the other students leave with the Ministry. They would be gaurding the students all the way to the station, and they would stay until the train left the platform.

"I can't believe this is happening," Ron said quietly as he watched the carriges and ministry cars begin to trek down the road that would take them to the station.

"She'll be better off back at the burrow, Ron, you know that," Harry reasoned with him. Ron nodded, but sighed at the same time. "I know, and mom is a skilled witch. But what if the Deatheaters just randomly decide to attack the burrow? She can't fend off their powers; in fact not a whole lot of people can!"

Harry and Hermione just nodded slightly. They knew how difficult it was for Ron to watch his little sister being sent away from him. He had become quite the protective brother over the years that she attended at Hogwarts.

The trio stayed outside, watching the students leave the grounds, their capes swishing in the wind behind them.

"Well," Harry said, turning around, his emerald cape flapping to him, "what do we do now?"

"I suppose we should just go back to our rooms," Hermione said, climbing the steps into the school along with the other students. "We still have to attend regular classes, and we have double potions with the Slytherins tomorrow. I think we should all get a goodnights rest."

"I don't want to rest right now, I want to fight!" Ron said harshly. Hermione was about to respond when another voice interrupted her.

"Weasel, if you fought right now, the only purpose that you would serve would be comic relief."

Hermione, Harry, and Ron spun around to find Draco Malfoy standing behind them. The four of them were the last to walk into the school and with the other students heading back to their respective dorms, they were alone in the hall.

"I don't remember anybody asking your opinion, ferrett face," Ron said, cooly. He and Draco had been enemies since their first year, but since the beginning of the previous year, they had somehow managed to leave eachother alone.

"And I don't remember a time when I cared," Draco returned, just as smartly.

"Malfoy, what do you want? Don't you have a Deatheaters meeting to attend or something?"

This came from Hermione. She had grown from the shy, studious student that she was in her first year. She was now more outspoken, and while she was still studious (she was headgirl after all), she didn't let the fact that she was a bookworm make her appear that she didn't have the ability to spit out a crack or two at someone.

"My, our tongue has grown sharper over the years, hasn't it?" Draco retorted snidely.

"Get on with it, Draco. If you have something to say, say it, and leave us alone. We don't have time to listen to your petty insults," Harry remarked, staring Draco in the eyes.

"The only thing I have to say, is that if and when the Deatheaters come to Hogwarts, you're going to need more than those capes to defend yourselves against them."

Ron snorted. "Yes, I suppose you would know about defense against dark magic. You're bred in it!"

"That hurts, Weasel," Draco said, and he began to walk slowly towards the trio of friends, "I hope your sister didn't forget her cape. Of course, I'm sure the burrow would be one of the first places that You-Know-Who would look for our hero here," Draco jerked his head towards Harry.

"Why would he go to the burrow?" Ron asked, now very interested in what Draco was telling him. Hermione however wasn't buying it.

"Ron, let's go, he's just trying to get a rise out of you," she tugged on Rons arm, but he shook her off.

"Why would He go to the burrow?" Ron asked again, his voice becoming deeper with anger.

"Oh, I'm not saying He would. But if He did, the reason is obvious," Draco answered, "who are you friends with, Weasel?"

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry, who was glaring at Draco, but they didn't say anything.

"I happen to know that Ginny has or had a little crush on our golden boy here. If I know that....well, let's just say that His ears are everywhere."

Before Harry or Hermione could stop him, Ron flung himself at Draco, both crashing to the floor, and began to pound on him with his fists. Ron played Quidditch, so he was very strong and quick.

Unfortunately, so was Draco.

He lept up, grey eyes swirling with rage, and began to fight back with Ron. The fight lasted about another two or three minutes with Hermione and Harry desperately trying to stop them, before Hermione suddenly shouted:

"Petrificus Totallus!"

Both Ron and Draco immediately froze, and then fell back onto the floor. Harry looked at Hermione and gave a sigh of relief.

"I was wondering how long it was going to take before you did that," he said as he bent down to take Ron underneath the arms.

"Well, I was hoping they would listen to reason, but then again it's Ron and Draco we're talking about here," Hermione responded, grabbing Rons legs. Together, she and Harry carried Ron back to the Gryffindor Dorm Rooms.


"Honestly Ron," Hermione was saying as she dipped the cloth into the water again and continued to clense a cut on Rons cheek, "you've got to learn to control your temper."

"Control my temper?! How about Draco learning to control his mouth?" Ron nearly shouted at her as he sat slumped on the couch in the commons room.

"Like Hermione said before, he was just trying to get a rise out of you, Ron!" Harry stated, sitting on the couch next to his bestfriend. "You-Know-Who wouldn't waste his time going to the burrow to get to me, he'd come here."

"You can't be sure about that Harry," Ron said as Hermione finished cleaning his wound, "Ginny....actually, my whole family is like your second...well, your real family. You-Know-Who wouldn't think twice to killing all of us to get to you."

"Ron, You-Know-Who more than likely doesn't know where you live," Hermione reasoned with him, "and if something like that does happen, and it's very unlikely that it would, but if it did, that Aurors from the ministry would be there so quickly to stop him that You-Know-You wouldn't know what hit Him."

"You actually think the Aurors can stop Him, Hermione?" Ron asked looking at her. Hermione returned his stare, but didn't say anything.

"Didn't think so."

"Ron, there's no sence in worrying about something that hasn't happened yet," Harry told him, "and besides, I've fought Vold...You-Know-Who in the past. I've defeated him before. I know I can do it again."

"Yes, but Harry, He wasn't as powerful back then as He is now," Hermione said, a sad look in her eyes. The trio was quiet for a while, each thinking about the future that was enivetable for them.

"Enough of this," Harry said suddenly, "I'd rather be studying then thinking like this."

He, Ron, and Hermione went to their rooms, then came back into the commons and quietly read their books and did their homework.


Draco Malfoy looked at himself in the mirror. A black mark was beginning to form around his left eye, and his lip was considerably bigger than it normally was.

"Damn Weasley," Draco muttered as he took off his cape and drapped it across the chair in front of the desk that the mirror was latched onto.

He took off his shirt, preparing for a goodnights sleep, but before he moved towards the bed, he looked at his left arm.

The arm where the dark mark would soon be tatooed.

Whether he liked it or not.