A/N: okay, I haven't updated in ages, and I'm really really sorry! This chapter is incredibly and pathetically short, but I kind of like it. It's a bit of a cliffhanger, but I am adding a new chapter tommorow in repentence for my non-updatiness. Now if you please, no reviews about how short this is. I know it's really short. Like, really short. I get it, you don't have to tell me. I wanted to end Hermione's Pov, and When I tried adding Ron's Pov to the chapter, it was just didn't work. The next chapter will be extra long to make up for it ok?

Any way, in other news, I have started a new story, it is called Severing Ties, it is semi-good, so if you like Lily/James, with more romance and teenagerness, then go check it out. Chapter two is up and it's pretty interesting, so please go read if you like aforementioned idea. Well, that's all, so here you go, my short little chapter.


Chapter 9

Playing by the Book

Hermione's Pov

Hermione stared across the aisle at the little redhead sitting in the other seat. The two were now sitting in the small hospital waiting room. Unlike the other worried guests here, they were not waiting to get in, but for others to come out.

Harry had stayed with Lupin in an attempt to bring him up to speed with the horcrux situation without giving away too much. Ron had gone off to visit his mother, leaving the two girls alone.

Ginny was the first to break the silence. "It's not that I don't want to see her, it's just…" she trailed off, looking confused. Hermione had been wondering why Ginny hadn't gone with Ron to visit Mrs. Weasley. "I don't like seeing her like that. It's like she's not really there. I just… well I don't like seeing her like that."

Hermione could understand her. She didn't agree with her, but she understood her. Ginny had always been afraid of being helpless like she had been in her first year when she was used by the memory of Tom Riddle. It was why she didn't want to stay in hiding.

"Well," continued the younger girl, "I don't understand. We should be able to do something. Something to help her. There are so many wizards here, why can't one of them do something?" she sniffed a little.

Hermione chose her words carefully. "Ginny, there are some curses that, well they can't be cured. And there are so many patients here. They're trying to help your mum, but they can only do so much."

Ginny had started to cry, not very much, just twin tears falling down her cheeks. "It's not fair!" she cried, ignoring the tears, "Why can't they help her? She didn't do anything! She was helping us! She was helping Harry! Why is she being punished? Why isn't anyone doing anything to stop the death eater who did this?" The girl reached up to wipe her tears, batting at them viciously.

Hermione was at a loss for words. "They are trying Ginny. But it's-"

Ginny interrupted her. "She was working for them Hermione. She did everything that they told her. She didn't disobey them once, not once, and she's still in this living hell. I'm the one who should be in that room."

"Well, yeah, you should probably be up their visiting her but-"

"That's not what I mean. I should be the one who's up there dying. I'm the one who didn't listen to the orders. I'm the one who didn't play by the rules. I broke the rules of this stupid game. I didn't listen. I didn't want to. I broke the rules."

"Ginny, you can't blame your mum's- erm- state on your running away. She was attacked before that…"

"I'm not talking about running away from home. I did that because I couldn't stand it there. I couldn't stand how they would stare at me. Especially not Dad. He knew it was because of me. Even if I never told him, he knew. And I couldn't stand being around the rest of them."

It seemed that the best thing to do now was to just go along, let Ginny get all of this off of her chest. "Why couldn't you stand it Ginny?"

"They were all so sad. Sara couldn't stop crying for two seconds. And Fred, he was so upset, all the time. I didn't even know why. George tried to make things better, but even he couldn't joke his way out of this. And then I found out about Angelina, and I just had to leave." Hermione remembered seeing about Angelina's death three weeks ago. It had cut her think that even Angelina wasn't immune. She was- no, had been- so nice. It seemed to make everything even more real to think that Angelina would be gone forever, wiped off the face of the Earth like so much dust on a table. But what did that have to do with Ginny?

"But, anyway, that's nothing to do with mum. It's nothing to do with why I should be there and her here. Except she wouldn't be here, she'd be up with me. It's my fault you know. I was there. In the house. When it happened." Hermione looked at her, wide-eyed. She didn't think even Harry knew this part of the story. "I was helping her pack, before the boys got back. We were going to leave the next day. And she heard a knock on the door. Well, of course she called out and asked who it was. They said that they were from the order and that dad was with them. They said dad was hurt. She didn't even stop to think, she just opened the door. There were two of them. I couldn't see who they were. They had their wands up. They saw me, but I just grabbed some floo powder and ran for it. I didn't even stop to see what was happening, just ran. They didn't care, and I just ran."

There was silence for a few seconds. Hermione started to speak, but Ginny cut her off. "Don't tell me they would have killed me. I know they would have, but that doesn't make it any better. I just ran and didn't look back. What if I do that again? What if Harry or you or Ron are caught and I just turn my back and run?"

"Ginny, you know Harry would be the first to tell you to run. And Ron and I, well, we'd understand."

"But if Harry died, and I was there and I didn't do anything, how could I live with that? Doesn't that make me just as bad as them?" Hermione didn't have to ask who they were.

"That isn't even the worst part. No, just two days before that, they had told us how to send for help. They had sent one of those coins, like the type you used for the D.A, and they said if something should happen, to send message on those coins. It was on the table as I ran to the fireplace. I should've picked it up. They would've come." The little redhead took a deep breath. "That's why I should've been the one who was punished. I broke all the rules, and I'm still here. And then I make it worse, I have to run off and show up on your doorstep, ready to beg, and instead, I just blow-up at Harry." Oh, so they'd come back to that bit of unpleasantness.

"Ginny, I want you to know, really nothing is going on between Harry and I. I like… well I like someone else." Ginny snorted. "Really! I do!"

"That wasn't why I was snorting Hermione. 'I like someone else'" she mocked. "Could it be more obvious?" Hermione was about to protest, but Ginny cut her off. "In any case, it doesn't matter if you were kissing Harry, or dating him, or anything else with him, because we are 100 percent over."

Now it was Hermione's turn to snort.

"Okay, maybe 98 percent. In any case, it's over, no hard feelings. Between anyone. Well I can't vouch for Ron or Harry, but I'm really fine now. Just takes a little getting used to, seeing your ex eating another girl's face. Kidding Hermione!" Then in a more serious tone. "Not that it matters, because I'm such a coward, I'll probably be heading for home soon."

"You aren't a coward Ginny. Really, you aren't"

Before she could answer, they heard a scream. Hermione looked up to see a black robed death eater entering through the hospital doors. She smiled a little at Ginny. "Looks like we'll get to see how cowardly you really are."

Ginny just grinned a very shaky grin and raised her wand.