So sorry I haven't updated in so long! My computer hasn't been working properly for about a month, so I haven't been able to work on this. But it's finally working again, so here you go! Remember, I'm mostly basing these chapters on the movie, so the dialogue that I have not written myself will most likely come from the movies instead of the books.

I do not own harry potter, or any of its characters. I just worship J.K. Rowling for creating it :3

"You're Amazing, you are."

Compliments from Ron tended to be far and few, so each one he gave her made her stomach do flips, no matter how minor the praise was. She glanced up at his as the words escaped his lips.

"Always the tone of surprise", she echoed the phrase he had spoken just days earlier with a grateful smile.

Just days. It suddenly struck her how much had happened in the past little while.

They had been fighting death eaters in mid air only days ago.

Moody had died only days ago.

Hell, they had been at the wedding only minutes ago.

Although Hermione was usually one to keep calm in situations, the dizzying realization of all that had happened struck her, overwhelming her with its presence. Her knees wobbled slightly and she became incredibly light headed, as if she were about to faint from the stress of it all. Not wanting to distract the boys from the task at hand, she kept herself busy by rummaging around in her bag for some more appropriate attire.

The trio had tried to plan what they would do ask the headed towards a small café, but it seemed more appropriate to wait until they had reached grimmauld place. Until they were secure, they had only discussed small details, like ideas for travel and what exactly they needed for the quest.

It was then at the coffee shop that Harry noticed a flaw in their plan. Heaving a sigh, he explained.

"My rucksack with all of my things, I've left it at the burrow."

Hermione shook her head, discreetly sliding her bag forward. It took the boys only seconds to catch one.

"You're joking…"

"I've had the essentials packed for days…" Hermione began to explain. Ron could only smile fondly at her. Of course she would have everything ready. Without her, Ron was sure that he and Harry wouldn't make it through a week. They would have no supplies since Hermione would be the one to remember to pack it. She would know spells for healing and protection that they didn't . She would keep them all focused.

He was so glad that she could protect herself well. He was sure that she was a better dueler than him, so if he could fend off death eaters fine, so could she…

Harry's gaze went from Hermione's face to the space in between hers and Ron's shoulders, staring at two suspicious figures. They had looked far too familiar when they entered the shop only seconds ago, and now Harry could see them reaching stealthily for their wands. Just as Ron started asking about which of his clothes she brought, He commanded them to get down.

Blinding flashes shot out from where the men were standing, curses heading for the vulnerable trio. Fortunately, they had all found cover before the curses could reach them. Only popping out from their shelters to fire offensive spells, the three fought bravely against their opposition. It wasn't long before one was on the ground, stunned. With a few final spells cast at the second death eater, Hermione finally shouted 'Petrificus Totalus", effectively freezing him as he too collapsed.

The waitress who had taken their orders a few minutes previous walked in to see what had happened. Before her mouth could even open to ask a question, Hermione had stopped her.

"Go." Her voice was authoritative and confident, and slightly menacing, as if saying no to her command would mean the death of you. "Leave!" The lady had left on weak legs, rushing away from the scene. The three proceeded to turned out the lights and close the blinds as to not raise suspicion.

Cautiously heading towards the fallen threat, eyeing them carefully in an attempt to put a name to the face one each man.

"This one's Dolohov," Ron had cut through the silence, his voice strong. "I recognize him from the papers." Though they kept an eye on the other man, Harry and Hermione too looked at the man splayed out before them.

"What should we do with you, huh?" His voice had suddenly turned from a tone of comprehension to one of mocking. He sounded so cold, so merciless, like he was willing to kill the men in a second. They way he spoke sent shivers up Hermione's spine, but not in the way his compliments did. For the first time in her life, Hermione was genuinely scared of Ron. "You'd kill us if we turned around, wouldn't you?"

Hermione tried to speak, to snap him out of this dark place he had seemed to wander into. But after his name fell from the mouth, the rest of her words died on her mouth. The pure hatred in his voice shook her, and made her feel that he could turn around and snap at her if she said the wrong thing. So only his name could be spoken, and it came out as a desperate plea.

"What if he did Mad-eye?" He had turned look at them, and Hermione now saw that it was not hatred in his eyes, it was grief. He wanted some sort of payback against these men for taking their comrade's life. He wanted a justice that could not be served. Before she could even think of something to say, Harry spoke up.

"We'll just have to warp their memories."

She froze at his words, and her gaze became fixed on the enemy before her. Sure it would be easier to cast the spell on him than it was to cast it on her parents, but she knew that as soon as someone spoke the one simple word, all the memories of that horrid event would come flooding back. She would be reminded of how her home was now empty and abandoned, that her parents were off living a different life, one without a daughter. She was sure that the vision of her face fading from the photographs would be burned into her mind as soon as she heard the charm again.

Ron took one last look at Dolohov, then he turned to Harry. "Alright, you're the boss." He looked to Hermione who seemed to be lost in thought as she looked down. She had visibly paled, and he knew that she must have been thinking of her parents. He wanted to just reach out and hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but given the urgency o the situation, he chose not to. As much as it pained him to do it to her, he knew that she had to say the spell.

"Hermione", he called to her gently, but it had no affect on her. Reaching out to capture her attention, he brushed the knuckles of his finger against her cheek as softly as possible. She finally snapped out of her daze and looked at him in confusion.

"You're the best with spells." That was the only reason that he was making her do this. If he or Harry did it, they might screw it up and the death eaters would know where they were. Then they would all be in danger, and Ron would blame himself for letting her get hurt. Hermione would be able to perform the spell right. Though he felt horrible for putting her through this again, he figured that her safety was much more important right now that her happiness.

Ron's words reached her ears as she refocused on the task on hand. As it was a compliment, her stomach started to do a flip, but it lurched to a stop as it dawned on her that he was asking her to repeat the spell that had caused her so much grief such a short while ago. Meeting his eyes, she understood that he was only thinking of their safety when he requested that she cast the spell. But at she looked at him, she saw a tinge of guilt mix into his blue eyes.

Turning away as he passed her by, Hermione focused on the man in front of her. Shifting her feet slightly as the memories started flooding her head, she gently spoke.

"Obliviate."

And all was quiet once more. She had finished casting the spell on both mean and now just stood, trying to suppress the awful feelings that the memories brought with them. She sniffled a bit in an attempt to keep her tears at bay. In any other situation, the small sound it made would probably have been inaudible, but the silence allowed the noise to reach Ron's ears. His eyes were now flooded with guilt as hers were filled with unshed tears.

Trying to shake off what had happened, she cleared her throat. "Well, we should probably be off then…" Her voice was shaky and it became obvious to both the boys that she was trying to hold back a sob. Harry headed over to the table where her bag had been abandoned to retrieve it while Ron staying with Hermione. He shuffled closer to her and bowed his head slightly in order to make eye contact.

"I'm so sorry I made you do that, I just wanted to be sure that you would be safe and-"

"Ron, it's fine. I know you had your reasons", she cut him off as he tried to justify his already just actions. Her voice was still weak and she was trembling ever so slightly as she sifted her weight from foot to foot.

Neither really knew what to say after that. Ron couldn't come up with any words of comfort, and Hermione was trying to get her breathing back to normal instead of focusing on her talking. Needing to make her feel better, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a brief hug, letting his chin rest on top her head. Her fingers were curled into loose fists which rested lightly on his chest. She stood there, taking deep, even breathes in order to calm herself. Harry had come back and was now stroking her arm gently, also wanted to give her some comfort. She had explained the situation with her parents to him the day after they had arrived at the burrow, though she had been much less emotional then, so Harry didn't know what an impact it had on her. Ron, of course, had been there right after it happened. He had been there to soothe her.

She soon pulled away from the two, the tracks from her spilled-over tears now dry. Saying 'thank you' to each of them (her gaze lingering longer on Ron), she gaze a grateful smile and reached for her bag. She took Ron's hand in preparation to apparated. Just before Harry's hand met hers, Ron leaned over and spoke gently, only to her.

"You were great with the spell, by the way, and the dueling. Just, truly brilliant."

She felt her stomach do a flip before it was pulled by the sensation of apparating.