Chapter 9: Let the Games Begin

Bright light blinded him as sunshine blasted his pale skin, sending warming sensations throughout his entire body. Ron squinted through the unforgiving rays, trying to make out his surroundings. But even still, it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the light, as the loud booming voice of the legendary announcer, Ludo Bagman, vibrated around the arena. "Ladies and Gentleman…Let the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games begin!"

The sixty second countdown until the games commenced had officially started. Ron looked around surveying his surroundings; he was standing on a single pedestal in the middle of a vast green plain. Twenty-three other platforms surrounded the centre of the broad circle where a towering golden cornucopia lay overflowing with a variety of weapons, food, and other supplies that would be essential for their survival. Scattered around the middle of the circle in large orbital rings was a banquet of provisions all decreasing in value placement. Ron's gaze flicked over some of the 'junk' laying in the grass nearest him, realising instantly that he would have to get right into the very centre of the fray in order to have a chance of getting his hands on anything useful.

He looked around himself, eying up his position in relation to everyone else. Every platform was equally spaced around the cornucopia, each an equal distance from each other and the centre so that no tribute had a distinct advantage for when the gong sounded.

His eyes narrowed looking around the ring more attentively as his thoughts returned solely to Hermione's safety. Glancing nervously around, he noticed that on every pedestal stood either a nervous or an arrogant looking individual tribute. Ron's eyes darted around the circle desperately trying to spot her. 'Where is she?' he murmured as his eyes flicked over several small and scared looking tributes. He then turned and saw a composed Lavender and then to his anger, a gleefully smiling Pansy who was currently rocking back and forth on her heels. Ron noticed that her hands were fidgeting around with an invisible knife and making practice stabbing motions, obviously excited by the prospect of getting her hands dirty with the blood of innocent victims. He removed his gaze from the disturbing sight as his eyes continued their search for Hermione… and there she was… her long chestnut hair blowing in the slight breeze, mesmerizing him. His breath caught in his throat as he watched how she impatiently brushed away one of her own curls from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He groaned in appreciation before mentally slapping himself. 'No!' now was not the time to be taken by her beauty. 'Focus Ron!' he scolded himself, but even still he wasted a couple more seconds, hungrily soaking up her sun dappled appearance.

However, he finally managed to gain some self-control as his tactical mind returned long enough for him to note that she was positioned virtually opposite him on the complete other side of the circle of tributes. He noticed that behind her lay a dense forest and other than the fact she wasn't close to him, she had started in a reasonably good position. He looked over at her nearest competitors standing on the platforms that lay on either side of her, managing a small sigh of relief; thankfully she wasn't starting anywhere near one of the Careers, unlike himself who was positioned right next to a sneering Draco. He only hoped she would have the sense to just sprint into the forest and not get caught up in the opening blood bath.

He didn't know how much of the sixty seconds they had left until the gong sounded and the games would begin; he kept on staring in Hermione's direction, silently trying to initiate eye contact, but to no avail as she was still occupied with taking in her surroundings. She was looking behind her to the forest and then tilting her head to the right towards the vast lake across the plain. 'Look at me,' Ron whispered urgently and to his great surprise her head turned instantly, her brown eyes locking together with his azure ones. He was so taken aback that he could only manage a slight shake of his head and hope that she understood his meaning: 'Run into the forest immediately… don't risk getting caught up in the opening battle;' however, he didn't see her response as in the exact moment the gong sounded and a blur of blond hair beside him blocked his view.

'Fuck' Ron cursed, he had been so preoccupied with Hermione that he hadn't been concentrating fully - he had lost any sort of a head start he could of given himself, as now every tribute (bar himself) was either sprinting to the centre of the cornucopia or towards the dense tree line.

After a second of reaction time, he set off at a startling speed darting towards the centre of the cornucopia. As he ran after the heels of Draco, he thought to himself and not for the first time in his life either, that he was thankful that his tall and long legs enabled him to be a very fast runner. In addition, his long strides meant that he was catching up to Draco and his fellow competitors quickly, so that they were now only just a few feet ahead of him.

He was getting close to the middle of the field as the wind whipped his fringe into his eyes. He had now overtaken many of the weaker tributes, although Draco was still in front of him. He slowed only for a second to stoop down and grab at a pack that lay in the thick grass, throwing the strap over and onto his shoulder as he continued on his dash to the pile of weaponry.

A tortured screech of pain cut through the air and rang out over the tremendous noise of charging feet as he finally succeeded in overtaking Draco, meaning that he was in the lead in the race to the centre. The screaming spurred him to put on a short burst of speed that allowed him to be in arms' reach of the huge pile of weaponry. Ron frantically grabbed at a thick leather belt that held three throwing knives already strapped on it. Fastening the belt quickly around his waist, he saw a flash of light that caught his eye; it was reflecting off an intricately crafted and detailed handle of a sword which stuck out from the pile. Wrenching the sword from the pile along with a long spear, he winced as a second scream of pain pierced his ears. Clutching one weapon firmly in each hand, Ron spun around planning to make a sprint towards the relative safety of the tree line since he had probably wasted too much time in the centre already. He would have to get out of there and fast.

A flash of bleached blonde hair caught the corner of his eye as he turned on his heel losing whatever balance he possessed, as he was hit hard in the stomach knocking the wind out of him. He was now being dragged to the ground by a pair of strong calloused hands, trying to fight back as hard as possible. His padded pack, though, took most of the impact as he hit the ground hard. A large body pinned him to the floor by putting pressure on his wrists, making him lose his grip on his weapons as they fell to the ground next to him just out of reach.

Before Ron could even see who his attacker was (though he had a pretty good idea), a punch rained down on him, catching his cheek bone painfully. He blindly raised his right arm shielding his face to prevent a second blow (though was obviously a mistake), as the next hit left tears pricking his eyes as a knee smashed into his groin. Choking in pain, he felt helpless as his whole body was flipped over while a hand grabbed the hair at the back of his head, forcing it downwards and rubbing his face into the dirt.

Draco's cold drawling voice sounded above him.

"Time for you to die weasel"

Ron grunted in response, spitting out a lump of grass as he managed to get an arm free and swung it backwards. Ron realised (happily) that his elbow made contact with the side of Draco's head, hearing Draco let out a cry of surprise. "Ahhh"

The split second of time when Draco pulled back in pain allowed Ron to roll over onto his back so now he was staring up at Draco, who was still pinning him to the ground. Draco's cold grey eyes locked onto his; with a tight grimace forming on his face, Ron watched, unable to do anything as Draco's right hand reached to his belt to pull a long silver knife from one of the sheaths.

Ron's eyes widened in fear as Draco had him completely pinned. His arms were trapped underneath him and the weight of Draco pressed him into the ground, leaving him unable to shift them.

"Don't worry weasel- I'll make this quick." Draco sneered and raised his knife high into the air so that it hovered dangerously over Ron's heart.

"Fu-ck… you…" Ron growled while tossing and turning and trying to get out of Draco's strong grip.

Draco's eyes narrowed and he leaned his head closer to Ron's, blowing hot breath in his face. "Just for that weasel, when I find Granger…I will make sure her death is as long and as painful as possible. Do you understand?"

Ron let out an animalistic growl as his blood boiled. "Grr-rr" How dare he threaten Hermione! He would make sure that Draco now paid the ultimate price. Draco's head was close to his that he pulled back and smashed his own forehead into Draco's nose; blood spattered everywhere as Draco's nose burst open. Draco let out a strangled yelp, losing his balance slightly on top of Ron as blood poured from his nose and soaked the ground and Ron's t-shirt like a crimson waterfall. The shifting of Draco's weight meant that Ron could now move his right arm as it was no longer trapped at his side. Ron curled his right hand into a fist, preparing to punch Draco as hard as he could; but he was forced to change his plan as he watched Draco raise his knife above his head for a second time and slice it down.

"You'll pay for that Weasley" Draco spat while plunging his knife through the air and on its way to Ron's throat.

Instinctively, Ron ripped his right hand free and caught Draco's wrist in mid-flight, leaving the knife's point inches away from his Adam's apple.

"Fu-ck… you…Weas-ley!" Draco rasped with each heavy breath and brought the knife a centimetre closer to its desired destination.

"Give up…Draco yo-ur…too weak" Ron panted as his biceps bulged with the strain of keeping the knife from piercing his throat.

Draco's face contorted in rage and forced the knife downwards another centimetre, proving Ron wrong.

Ron gulped; he had nothing else to give with all his energy being used to keep the knife at bay. 'This was it' he thought. He was going to die before it had even really started, as he would never get the chance to protect Hermione. Thoughts of Hermione swam around his mind and tears welled in his eyes. He would never get to see her beautiful face again, never be able to just sit and chat with her for hours on end…or be able to hold her in his arms. But the thought he was most scared by? It was that he would never have the chance to feel her lips against his own again… never be able to tell her that he loved her.

No! He needed to see her again just one more time. He gritted his teeth in determination, deciding to make one last ditch effort. Still keeping the knife away from his throat, Ron thought fast and his mind clicked. 'Yes! It was a dirty tactic, but he didn't give a damn …besides as the saying goes "All's fair in love and war" and this was definitely more than just a little bit of both.

Ron pooled a mix of saliva in his mouth and spat as hard as he could at Draco, spraying him in both eyes.

Draco recoiled slightly in surprise and in the fraction of the second that he was caught off-guard, Ron pulled his wrist to the side so that the silver knife missed his throat and plunged harmlessly into the soft ground.

Pure red blocked his vision and his fists became a blur as he was punching Draco relentlessly, not even caring when one of Draco's wild flails grazed the side of his head. He was going to kill this piece of scum, that he was certain. So after one last punch, Ron would grab the knife that was stuck in the ground and finally finish him off. Ron's fingers curled into a fist once more as he pulled back and punched Draco hard in the face, following up with a swift elbow to his jaw. A loud, ominous cracking sound indicated the possibility of a broken jaw and a renewed gush of blood spurted from a large split lip on Draco's once unmarred face.

Draco rolled away crying in agony and clutching his face in his hands so that Ron was now able to sit up. Frantically snatching up the curved knife that lay on the ground, Ron made his deathly move. But as he was prepared to end Draco's life, a blood curdling scream pierced his ears and turned to the source of the noise, spotting Pansy from a distance. She had a black haired girl pinned to the floor and seemed to be ripping her apart with a long knife. Not wanting to be further distracted, he stumbled, turning his attention back to Draco. Panicking, he saw that Draco was crawling away from him, trying to reach the spear that Ron had dropped earlier when he was tackled to the ground. A swift kick to the stomach halted Draco's progress with Draco rolling onto his back grunting in pain. The arrogant blonde haired boy stared up at Ron with fear evident in his metallic eyes.

"Don't… please" Draco coughed spitting out blood in panic.

Ron could have laughed out loud at the sight. This coward was actually going to beg him for mercy when he had just a minute ago promised to kill both him and Hermione.

"Goodbye Dra-co…" Ron sneered while bending over the convulsing boy on the ground, preparing to sink the curved knife into Draco's chest. However as he was preparing to finish him off, an arrow shot straight over his shoulder, causing him to duck quickly. Ron spun around to the direction that the shot was fired. To his surprise, he saw Lavender grasping a recurved bow taking aim once more as he dived to the ground so that the next shot whipped over his head.

"Fu-ck" he grunted as he lay in the dirt. 'How was he going to get out of this one?' there was only one way- make a sprint for the woods and hope for the best. Wrenching a second pack from Draco's broken form and pulling it onto his own shoulder, Ron jumped to his feet before stooping and grabbing the shaft of the spear from the grass as he ran full pelt towards the forest.

Pulling the two packs high up onto his back in an attempt to protect himself, Ron made a run for it by zigzagging through the chaos which was the battle ground. He was running for his life, not caring what lay in front of him. His main goal was to reach Hermione. Running quickly, he had to jump over a facedown and motionless body that lay in a large pool of blood, feeling sick. But not wanting to be distracted, he continued running full speed, seeing the clearing of the forest line. Another arrow though whizzed past, making Ron accelerate faster. He was nearly there now, only a couple of metres to go. Almost out of danger, Ron continued running as he saw a final arrow fly past him and embed itself in the bark of a nearby oak tree. 'That was too close' Ron thought. But again, not caring about his own safety, he continued his mission of locating Hermione.

Ron burst into the woods looking back only for a split second. He saw that Lavender had fallen behind and had given up the chase to return to the centre where the battle still raged on. As he continued his quick pace through the forest, he witnessed a grizzly sight. He saw the huge outline of Cormac who seemed to be strangling two unfortunate tributes with his bare hands simultaneously. And yes, there too was Pansy, torturing a second helpless victim by pinning him to the floor while cutting him repeatedly with a curved knife.

He couldn't turn back and help them though. Hermione was his main priority, so he continued onwards paving his way through the foliage. As he dashed through the thick trees, stray branches and twigs lashed against his bare arms and face, leaving multiple scratches and gashes in his skin (not that he cared). His only thought was to find Hermione. He figured she must have come this way, not giving any thought to the possibility that she was already dead. 'No!' Hermione is strong and stubborn. She would have done everything to keep herself safe' Ron thought, praying he was right.

Ron had run for what he assumed was around half an hour by now. The screams, yells and pleas for mercy had faded into the distance a long time ago so that now only silence surrounded him. However, this didn't calm him one bit but rather made him even more paranoid that someone was following him. These thoughts plagued him so much that he was constantly looking over his shoulder every so often just to make sure that he was completely alone before he could allow himself a minute of rest.

While he cut his way through the forest, Ron contemplated his exit from the centre. In truth, it could have gone a whole lot worse, but it all would have been completely worthwhile if he just could have killed Draco. He silently cursed Lavender. Why did she have to appear at that exact moment and save Draco? A couple more seconds and they would have been a Career down. However, now that he thought about it, he was truly lucky to be alive. Lavender was a very good shot and should have hit him with at least one arrow. 'I mean she missed around four shots.' He would have thought that was impossible since in prior training he had never seen her miss a single time. 'Strange' he thought 'maybe being in the arena was affecting her too' though he disregarded that idea almost instantly. After all, she had been trained from birth for this moment. There was no way that nerves were affecting her so it had to be something else. However, he shook his head, not caring to think about it anymore as he didn't have time to waste.

Ron continued on. Now knowing that he was a safe distance from the centre, he slowed down his pace, figuring no one would be following him. He knew he had run for over an hour now and knew he would have to begin his search for Hermione soon. So Ron forged on further into the woods, desperate to complete his search.

Ron walked carefully through the forest, making sure not to make too much noise. Also, to avoid an ambush, Ron would periodically look up into the trees and around him for anyone hunting him. Wiping sweat from his brow, he trudged onwards. 'God it was hot.' Sweat trickled down his neck and the heat burned his face. He needed water fast, but his need for Hermione's safety prevailed over the need for hydration. He continued through the forest, desperately looking through the trees and the forest floor, trying to spot any sign of footprints that could give him a clue of her presence.

He stopped for a second resting his back against a large tree. After all, he hadn't stopped moving since the gong sounded, setting in motion this horrid task. His muscles ached and his mouth was now as dry as the Sahara Desert. There was no denying or delaying the inevitable any longer; he knew he would collapse from dehydration if he didn't locate some water soon. Pulling the two packs over his head, he bent down and tore open the first one frantically, searching for anything to quench his thirst.

The first pack contained a packet of dried fruits, a compass, some bandages and length of rope. 'Crap' all pretty much useless to him at this moment in time. He then turned his attention to the pack he had stolen off Draco. Ripping it open and throwing out a small sheet of plastic and a wooden bowl, he greedily hurried to get his hands on the sparkling plastic bottle that hid beneath. It was filled up to the brim with gloriously crystal clear life-giving water. He greedily twisted the lid open, guzzling down half a litre in one go before closing it and returning it to his bag. Smacking his lips together like he would do just after eating some of his mother's incredible cooking, he rummaged through the rest of the bags' contents and found a spare belt and a set of throwing knives to add to his collection.

However, to his extreme disappointment, there was nothing like a sleeping bag or a tent that would keep him warm during the night. All of these items were just really basic equipment. He knew he would need to either find a warm place to camp or hunt down another tribute for their equipment. But first, he needed to find Hermione as he just hoped she wasn't already dead. Usually a canon sounded each time a tribute died; however, in the opening bloodbath, canons weren't used as so many tributes died that it was hard to keep count. But he would soon find out who had survived the first day in the evening as he expected that the game makers would project the faces of the fallen onto the nights' sky like they did in previous games. And if Hermione was one of those fallen faces, he would certainly go insane.

At the thought of Hermione dying, Ron was about to stand up to start moving again when he heard a twig snap not too far away. He froze as his hand clasped around the knife in his belt, preparing to attack.

The rustling of leaves and bushes was getting nearer. Crouching down and pulling his packs over his shoulder, he carefully made his way around the gnarled tree and towards the noise. He had previously decided that with the exception of Hermione and Rosie, he would kill whoever crossed his path.

As he moved closer to the noise, the trees started to thin out into a small clearing and so Ron crouched down in a bush waiting for whoever it was to cross his path.

A girl stumbled out into the clearing with a bright orange pack on her back. 'Bloody hell' it was Hermione. Relief flooded through him as he had finally found her and what's more, she looked perfectly fine barring some minor cuts and bruises. He was about to come out of the bush to reveal himself when he spotted a glint of metal in the tree line behind her. Ron's breath caught 'was that the trick of the light? or was it…' his heart stopped as he watched Hermione bending over at a nearby tree checking the contents of her pack, as a boy burst out of the trees holding a glinting sword in his grip. Without a second thought, Ron charged with his knife drawn and let out a bloodcurdling yell. "Arrrggh" he shouted as Hermione screamed as the boy came crashing into her, pulling her roughly to the ground.

A second later, he shoulder charged the boy off of Hermione, punching him in the face as hard as he could as blood splattered his fist and t-shirt. He felt a sickening crunch and a muffled cry of pain indicating to him that he had broken his nose.

His blood boiled, this unknown boy had attempted to take his Hermione away from him, and so Ron without remorse was going to end his life. His fist smashed against the boy's jaw, an ominous cracking sound echoed and a second muffled yell signified the fracturing of bone. His left hand sealed around the boy's neck and without any regret, he aimed his knife towards the boy's stomach watching his knife sink deep into the boy's abdomen. As he lifted the boy up with one arm and smashed his body against a tree, Ron watched the boy's eyes roll backwards as his body slumped to the ground clearly unconscious.

"No-one touches… HER!" Ron seethed not caring that the boy couldn't hear him anymore - the whole capital's audience would see though.

Ron could still see red and so he ripped the knife from the boy's abdomen intending to stab him again, but this time straight through the heart when a small whimper distracted him. Turning around, he saw Hermione in a bundle on the forest floor looking over at him with wide brown pools filled with fear as she cringed, anticipating his final blow to the unconscious boy.

As he delved into her beautiful shimmering eyes, his rage faded and his muscles relaxed as he lowered his arm holding the bloodied knife and limply dropped it. She seemed to calm slightly but when he made a step towards her, she started crawling backwards away from him with a look of terror in her once placid eyes.

"Stay away!" She cried.

Ron gulped as his heart shattered; she was actually scared of him. After finally finding her safe, he couldn't live with the thought that she feared him. "Hermione…it's me…don't be scared…I won't hurt you." He said in his most reassuring voice.

She remained silent, still huddled with her back up against a tree staring up at him with wide eyes.

He tried again to breach the distance, but again she backed up against the tree.

"Don't come any closer." She cried, shaking badly.

'Arrrg' he groaned, he would go mad if he couldn't touch her but he controlled himself by putting her needs first. "Okay Hermione, I'll stay right here…I won't come any closer if you don't want me too." Ron said in a steady voice.

Hermione nodded and got to her feet slowly, her back still against the tree. She was completely unarmed and looking around herself quickly, maybe searching for an escape route before she looked towards him wearily across the clearing. He really believed that she might turn and run at any moment but he couldn't let that happen.

"Don't worry…I'm not going to hurt you. We're allies, remember?" Ron reassured her, silently pleading that she would trust him.

"Ron..." She whispered before he interrupted. "Please, believe me Hermione." He begged. Didn't she realise that he could never hurt her. He beckoned her over needing to feel her body against his again. "Come here…you're safe now." He said holding his arms out wide.

She stood still for a moment longer gazing at him before bursting into tears and running at him, crushing her body into his with such a force that they nearly toppled over together. Her arms wrapped tightly around him so that he instantly dropped his weapons to the ground to return her warm embrace.

"I was so scared Ron." She sobbed into his chest.

"Shush… I know but you're safe now." He said subtly inhaling her intoxicating vanilla scent from her hair while his right hand found its way into her bushy brown mane and lovingly tucked several wayward curls behind her ears.

"No, Ron I was scared for you." She mumbled nuzzling her face further into his chest.

"What... why?" He said lifting her chin upwards gently with his hand so that he could see into her eyes.

"Because I… I…lo-…you could have gotten hurt." She whispered almost bursting into a renewed fit of tears.

He was bewildered by her outburst. "But I'm fine and more importantly so are you." He said, burying his face in her hair once more and finding himself unable to resist her perfect scent.

"I know, I'm really lucky." She said turning her head to the side so that her left ear lay against his chest.

He tilted his head downwards watching her eyelids flicker shut and she sighed contently. "I'm so glad you found me Ron." She purred. Her head still rested on his chest and he couldn't help but think that she might be listening to his heartbeat, almost like she was making sure he was real and alive. The thought warmed his insides but reality returned as they were both still very much in danger; he had indulged himself enough and needed to get his mind back on track.

"Come on Hermione, we should get moving." Ron said sadly detaching himself reluctantly from her grip.

"I guess your right…" She said quietly trailing off and looking over his shoulder.

Ron turned around following her line of vision to the unconscious tribute slumped against the tree where he had fallen.

"What are we going to do with him?" She asked in a small voice.

Ron's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly want he wanted to do to the boy- make sure he could never touch Hermione again. "I don't know. You can decide what we do, but I want to kill him since that's what he was trying to do to you." Ron said making sure he outlined the fact that the boy had no regrets when attempting to kill her.

"Can't we just leave him here?" Hermione asked looking up at him and chewing on her bottom lip.

"I don't know Hermione. It would be wise to make sure that he can't come back and attack us." Ron reasoned.

"I seriously doubt that he will be able to follow us Ron, with that hole in his stomach. Besides, he will probably bleed out before he even wakes up. I just don't want any more blood on our hands." Hermione explained.

"Okay" Ron sighed but didn't know why he was agreeing. She could make him do practically anything with just one look he realized. "We'll leave him…start collecting your stuff, we should get moving as soon as possible."

"Okay Ron" Hermione said scrambling over to where her orange pack lay in the mossy forest floor, while he scavenged the dying tribute's sword and equipment.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready" She confirmed.

They started to move through the dense forest with Ron leading the way. Using his sword, he cut a path through the thick branches and vines that blocked their way.

Hours went by but Ron continued to trudge his way through the never-ending forest with Hermione in his wake. It was so unbearably hot. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he would have thought that the game makers were increasing the temperature inside the arena. 'Let's face it, that's exactly what they are doing' he thought to himself.

A small voice sounded behind him. "Ron…please." Pulling him away from his ponderings, Ron turned to face Hermione. Her hair was wild as sweat poured down her neck, staining her clothes. She looked a mess but even still he had trouble not getting a little aroused by her appearance as she looked so hot and sexy. "What's wrong?" He asked concerned.

"I need to rest, please. We've been walking for ages." She panted while leaning against the trunk of a birch tree.

"I know sweetie but I need to get us as far away from the centre as possible." Ron said starting to walk again.

"Ron! - I need to stop for water." She said more firmly, giving him an icy glare.

Ron grinned. She looked so hot when she was angry. "Okay- here, I have some water". He took the half empty water bottle from his bag and handed it to her. "Sorry, it might be a little warm."

"Thanks" She said not seeming to mind the lukewarm water as she took several long sips from it before attempting to give it back.

"No, you keep it." He said.

"But you must be thirsty too Ron." She guessed correctly.

"Believe me, I'm not." He lied easily. "Besides, you're more important." Ron said voicing the thoughts that he was supposed to keep to himself.

Hermione's eyes narrowed as she frowned. "Excuse me! But how are you not as important as me?" She demanded.

"I… just take it okay- I'll manage without."

She seemed to take offence at his honest opinion of their separate values. Her eyes flashed like she was preparing to argue with him. Maybe a fully flung row would take place if he didn't put a premature end to it. He couldn't let their conversation get too loud and possibly alert other tributes to their whereabouts so he did the first thing that came into his head without thinking.

He closed the distance between the two of them rapidly so that their chests brushed against the others and gently but firmly placed his index finger over her lips to quiet her. He watched as her face changed between shock to anger and then to something he couldn't quite distinguish. Her eyes darkened and his own eyes widened as she flicked out her tongue over his index finger before drawing in into her mouth.

He bit down on the inside of his cheek hard, so not to let out a groan of pleasure. He wouldn't dare make a noise and break whatever spell had been put upon her. She looked up at him with wide puppy dog eyes as she lightly sucked on his finger, her teeth grazing it ever so slightly.

In seconds he was rock hard. 'Holy shit' her mouth was so hot and wet and he couldn't help imaging how amazing it would feel if another certain part of his anatomy could ever receive the same incredible treatment that his index finger was currently being subjected.

She started to take more of his finger into her mouth and he wondered briefly if she knew what she was doing to him. Hell, if she only looked down, she would see his massive arousal that tented his cargo trousers.

He couldn't remove his gaze from her darken eyes which never left his own as she hummed contently, sending incredible vibrations down his finger and around his whole body. Ron noticed that she seemed to be in as much pleasure as he himself was in.

A couple of seconds later and his knees nearly gave way as she began twirling her tongue over the tip of his index finger as he finally let out a moan of pleasure.

His groan seemed to bring her back from her trance like state and she instantly flushed a dark shade of red as his finger popped from her mouth with a look of horror plaguing her features.

"Oh my god Ron - I'm so sorry…I've done it again!" She cried hysterically. "I just couldn't control myself!" She wailed hysterically looking around her frantically like she wanted to run and hide.

He couldn't let her run off, so he grabbed her wrist. "Calm down Hermione, it was my fault too. I didn't stop you. I didn't…"

"So you don't hate me then?" She asked apprehensively.

"Believe me Hermione, I could never hate you." He said keeping his hand on her wrist. 'In fact I love you, you just don't know it yet' he thought to himself.

"Really, so we are okay?" She asked timidly.

"We are fine." He reassured her, but he still wanted to try and prevent it from getting too awkward between them.

"Maybe we should just forget about it." He said although he knew he wouldn't ever be able stop thinking about how her hot, moist mouth encased his finger so deliciously.

"Yes, good idea… probably for the best." She agreed blushing furiously but a tiny smile played around the corner of her lips.

"Come on we should keep moving and find a place to camp." Ron said briskly since he didn't want to risk standing directly in front of her at the present time, not until Ron Jr calmed himself down.

She nodded in reply as a slight pink flush still occupied her skin, but other than that, she seemed to be mostly over her initial embarrassment.

-OOOO-

Light was fading fast and the temperature had fallen considerably as the night drew nearer while Ron and Hermione walked through the forest. They both for the most part had been completely silent since Hermione's little accident as their minds were occupied with mostly inappropriate thoughts.

Ron's mind was currently indulging himself in a fantasy where he and Hermione weren't in an arena but a large four poster bed when suddenly a voice cut through his daydream, crashing him back down to earth.

"Ron, it's getting darker…we should find a place to camp." Hermione's voice was hoarse probably from a lack of water.

"I know, I hoped we would find a cave or something but it looks like we might have to sleep in one of these trees." Ron replied.

The patter of feet behind him froze and he turned wondering what caused her to stop.

Hermione was standing still, her eyes wide and visibly shaking. "Hermione what's wrong?" He asked concerned.

"I'm not sleeping in a tree Ron." She said fiercely.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Don't tell me Hermione that you're afraid of heights?" Ron grinned.

He watched her as she folded he arms across her chest. "Of course I'm not, a fear of heights is illogical" She snipped. "A fear of falling, however…" She trailed off.

It all made sense now as to why she didn't want to attend the rock-climbing session in training.

He laughed. She really was so adorable the way her eyebrows furrowed and her cute little nose wrinkled up when she was annoyed.

"It's not funny Ron. If either of us fell from that sort of height…" she indicated the top of the trees "we could break our necks."

His face paled and his laughter ceased now as he had images in his mind of a broken Hermione on the ground. He gulped. "We won't fall Hermione." He promised as a light bulb flashed in his head. "Hey I know…" he took his pack off of his shoulder and rummaged around for the length of rope he had found earlier. "Here we can use this rope to strap you in so you won't fall down." He suggested amazed by his own genius.

Ron waited as Hermione took the rope from his hands looking thoughtful; she didn't look particularly fond of the idea though but took it. "That should work- but what about you Ron? What would you use?"

He waved his hand in the air. "Oh, I won't need it. I don't plan on falling asleep anyway since someone has to keep watch, don't they?"

"I suppose" She said slowly. "Can you help me up then?" She said walking over to a sturdy looking tree and waited for him to give her a boost.

With one hand on the small of her back and the other supporting her feet, Ron lifted Hermione up onto the bottom most branch of the tree.

He let go and she whimpered. "Oh god- what am I doing?"

"It's okay, I've got you, and I won't let you fall." Ron reassured her standing under the tree with arms wide and ready to catch her if she slipped.

"Okay, I trust you Ron." Hermione said shakily climbing a little higher up the tree and finally settling herself on a thick branch using the rope to secure her to it.

"You alright up there?" Ron asked.

A small affirmative in reply allowed him to hoist himself and their remaining equipment up into the tree.

Ron climbed the tree until he was on a branch directly beneath Hermione's one, smiling at the fact that if any tributes on the ground found them then they would have to get past him first in order to reach her.

They sat for a while watching the light around them fade to darkness until it was almost pitch black, before Ron broke the silence. "You should try and get some sleep Hermione."

"I can't, I need to know what happened to Rosie." She said sadly.

"She will be ok, I know she will." Ron replied not completely believing himself. It was true that he hadn't seen Rosie since the gong sounded but somehow he doubted that a tiny twelve year old girl could survive any amount of time in the deadliest competition known to man.

"You can't say that Ron. She's only twelve years old for goodness sake! How is she supposed to win a tournament like this! It's completely barbaric that they would allow children so young to compete."

"I know Hermione; this whole competition is completely messed up, but don't beat yourself up about it. Rosie's fine…you know how strong she is."

"You really think she'll be okay?" She whispered longingly.

"I know so." Ron said simply.

She sighed and he felt sad that he couldn't give her anymore comfort and so they sat in silence waiting for the dreaded images of the fallen to appear.

The minutes ticked by but eventually the Capital anthem started to play. A headshot picture of the fallen tribute in question would appear projected into the night's sky along with their district number. The Capital's anthem faded away and nine separate canon shots fired, symbolising the nine individual tribute deaths of the day.

Ron felt Hermione reach her hand down from the branch above so that her finger tips brushed against his. Summoning up his courage, he intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand tightly to mirror her prayers and hoping that Rosie was alive.

The first picture that showed up was the District 3 girl, which meant that unsurprisingly, all the Careers from District 1 and 2 had survived the first night. He had hoped that his injuries to Draco could have meant that someone could have finished him off, but Draco had up to six other tributes in the Career alliance looking out for him. Ron knew he was only kidding himself as he knew that their alliance not only had control of the cornucopia, but possessed all of the equipment that lay in the centre by now as well. They must have found some medicine somewhere that could have healed Draco and there would probably be enough sleeping bags to keep all of them warm. Really, let's face it, they probably had a whole tent. The image changed to that of the District 5 boy meaning both Theodore and Millicent had also survived. The pictures continued to change from the District five girl and then to the District 6 boy who Ron had stabbed after his attack on Hermione. The girl from 6, both tributes from 8 and the girl from 9 joined the deceased as well. Ron counted on his fingers, there was only one more dead tribute remaining. 'Not Rosie, not Rosie, not Rosie' he chanted in his head.

The face of the boy from District 12 appeared and he let out a heavy sigh of relief. Rosie somehow had made it through the first night too. Hermione squealed in delight. "She did it!" She said happily.

"Told you she would" Ron grinned

The two teenagers relaxed considerably as the sound of each other's breathing made each other sleepy.

Ron periodically closed his eyes before remembering that he was supposed to be keeping watch as Hermione's quiet voice penetrated through the shadows. "Good night Ron." She said sleepily and happily in the knowledge that Rosie was still out there somewhere.

"Good night Hermione, sweet dreams." 'I love you.' Ron thought.

When Ron thought Hermione was definitely asleep, he loosened his touch on her hand but she tightened her grip, not letting him let go. He smiled. If she wanted to keep holding hands, that was more than fine with him.

His eyelids drooped, flickering between half open and closed. It was too dark to see anything, so he decided to rely on his sense of hearing. A slight catch in Hermione's breathing signalled that she indeed had finally fallen asleep but her hand still clutched his tightly. He didn't have the heart to let go; besides, he loved how her hands were so soft and fitted perfectly with his own, that it just felt too good to let go.

He was thirsty and starving but so very happy. He had found her. His plan had not fallen at the first hurdle as Hermione was alive and well and even holding his hand as she slept was an added bonus.

Ron thought briefly of the 9 dead tributes, one of whom death's he had been responsible for, not that he felt any guilt. The District 6 boy had tried to hurt Hermione, no tried to kill Hermione and so it was justified that he had paid with his own life.

Only 15 tributes remained after the first day, and 13 more would have to die before Hermione would be truly safe as then he could give up his own life for her continued existence. He concluded that maybe sleep was for the best, reasoning that nobody could ever find them; they had walked so far today and really he would need to be alert for tomorrow. But then, Ron grinned stupidly. He thought if he was lucky, an accommodating dream about Hermione would allow him some moments of bliss before reality returned once more. Tiredness finally got the best of him. His body now relaxed, and he took one final look at Hermione's sleeping silhouette as unconsciousness swept over him.