A/N: Hooray for updating on time! Thanks to JeanAndBilius, WeasleyIsMyKing540, heronlove, loverhr, ShilenKnight, BuzzWeasley, Sparkleforreason and Orange Chicken for your great feedback! I'm pretty sure most of those reviews contain a very familiar question:

What's happening to Ron? :0

Well, something IS happening to Ron. We just don't know it (well I do hehe). Also, remember that Ron usual doesn't know what he is feeling at times. He forgot about emotions, completely. To fully understand it, he just needs someone to express it to him. Then there are similar reviews saying:

Ron and Draco hanging out together? DF!

Remeber, Ron and Draco are connected by blood. Ron just wants to talk to someone he is blood related to. He wants to experience something he's never felt in forever. Yes, Draco will be a bad influence, but it's cousin bonding time lol.

Anyways, I'm glad that's off my back. On with the story!

Warning: S-W-E-A-R-I-N-G

Disclaimer: Nopety nope nope.

0o...HG...o0

0o|\ From Out and Beyond /|o0

0o...RW...o0

Chapter 10 ~ Dancing With Strangers

"She's dancing with strangers, falling apart

Waiting for Superman to pick her up"

Waiting for Superman - Daughtry

Hermione started to notice some changes in her ex-friend. His eyes would sometimes flash black and bags were under his eyes. She had heard that he was getting lessons from Dumbledore on how to control his powers. From Dumbledore, he told her Ron was undergoing problems with his powers. He was slowly losing grip onto his powers and his powers are the equivalent to his emotions.

Hermione would try to spark a conversation with him, with little success. He would shun her completely to hangout with Draco. It was understandable he would want to hang out with his cousin. Ron just wanted to remember what happened in his past so he could move on.

Their relationship grew and grew as days went by. It left a certain brunette with bushy hair jealous. She was guessing it was her fault to drive him into seeking for a new friend. Heck, he even joined the quidditch team as a keep. Though, she didn't know why he felt hostility towards Ernie.

During her years of attending Hogwarts, Ernie was kinda there for her from time to time only to greet her with a genuine smiles. Sure it was nice to have a friend, but there was something missing in Ernie.

Ernie wasn't Ron..

Even at the slightest mention of Ron's name and Hermione would uncomfortably squirm.

Ron tried avoiding her by befriending more students around Gryffindor easily. Harry, Ginny, Neville, Seamus, Dean and Luna seemed to enjoy his company. Hermione would sit in a corner to watch Ron having so much fun with them. Without her.

She envied him.

Ron is still developing feelings such as anger and such. Maybe he doesn't know what betrayal truly feels like or he felt it before but he didn't know why. All these complications filled her head, making her distracted from her Potions essay, which Ron hadn't even started on! Hermione looked down at her half finished essay and sighed out.

Ron was changing. He doesn't know how to control his emotions or power. Even at the thought of the positive boy Hermione used to know, reminded her of a lost boy. Hermione wished that he could help him. Ron was losing control of himself, ever since the fight they had.

I just wanted to help you, Ron, she said to herself.

She looked around her empty room, looking at the alstroemeria flower Ron had given her in his meadow.

Ron was a complicated being. He doesn't know what is what, emotional wise. He has a mysterious past that he wants to learn about, even if it hurts him. Here she was, she who was complaining about how horrible her life was without friends and being bully when you have Ron.

What contributed more to her hurting heart was that she didn't have her friend to celebrate her birthday with. Ernie had to go and help out Professor Sprout because he received detention for some apparent reason from McGonagall.

Somehow, this birthday was somehow more worse than the last years.

\FoaB/

It was October now, yet Hermione and Ron haven't spoken since the incident. Ron used his quidditch practices as a way to let out his anger. Hermione dealt her sadness by talking to Ernie about everything and reading books.

"Can't you believe it's October already?" Hermione said in a hushed voice over to Ernie.

"Yeah. Time goes by pretty fast," Ernie smirked.

"Thanks for being here for me, Ernie," Hermione said with a smile small.

"Anything for you, Hermy," he grinned.

It made her cringe whenever Ernie said her god awful nickname he gave to her, Hermy. She awkwardly laughed. Then, she saw Ron who so happened to pass by, bumping into Ernie.

Ron quickly took a glance of Hermione. She didn't know if this was an imagination or not but Ron's eyes showed sadness and a beg for forgiveness. He then walked away from them off to dinner.

"C'mon, let's go," said Ernie. Hermione waved goodbye to him and she sat alone as she ate slowly. She looked over to see Ron talking animatedly towards Harry and Neville, as Ginny scolded the twins. Hermione quietly snorted due to the fact that Ron still couldn't pronounce some words fluently.

Then, Dumbledore gathered everyone's attentions. "You may all know that the Hallowe'en feast is coming up. Well I'd like to announce something very spectacular to you all, including the 4th and 7th years."

Mumbles that were exploding with excitement shot across the Great Hall. Hermione however didn't look very please with the:

A dance!

-rumor..

"I'd like to invite all 4th and 7th year students, to the Masquerade Ball!"

A burst of excitement filled the Great Hall. Girls screaming with joy, as the boys looked troubled. Umbridge looked at all of them with disgust.

"Do remember there shall not be any inappropriate clothing!" Umbridge bombarded in the excitement, silencing them.

Dumbledore rolled his eyes at Umbridge's remark. He sighed and said with a smile, "If we guess who you are, your mask shall disappear and you will lose. So you all may use magic and potions on anything that seems too obvious for someone to guess."

A dance.. It was official. Dances and Hermione Granger obviously don't mix! No one would ask her out. Well, maybe Ernie- but that's not the point. She was a complete loser and laughed at when she didn't have a date to the Yule Ball last year. Hermione sunked into her seat and sighed out.

\FoaB/

It was the week before the Masquerade Ball. Hermione was still hoping that someone might finally ask her out. Being curious, she asked Ron if he had a date. Unfortunately, he did have a date. It was the gossip queen, Lavender Brown.

Now all Hermione could do was cry. She was devastated when she had heard Ron was with someone else, especially if it's Lavender. Hermione felt like her heart was stabbing several times by Ron. It was starting to tear apart, not even stitches could help it revive.

Hermione laid on her bed and snuggled with her pillow. She was just wishing, maybe, just maybe, she could win back Ron and live in peace.

Hermione woke up feeling groggy. She looked over to see Ron gone. He was presumably training his powers with Dumbledore himself. Hermione groaned out loud and got ready for another mundane day.

She walked downstairs to see a crowd of Gryffindors looking at the announcement board which was filled of silly rumors and such. Hermione felt pity for that board.

Then someone gasped. "There she is! The slut!"

Everyone turned around to see the perplexed face of Hermione.

"You're the slut who stole Alicia's boyfriend, Ernie!"

"You're the whore who fucked him for attention!"

Hermione backed away from the riot. What in blazes was going on? Then, something broke in her. A girl went up to her and pulled her hair. It was none other than Alicia Diamond.

"You fucking whore!" the tan girl with envious curly dirty blond hair punched Hermione at her face. "You bookworm bitch!"

Hermione tried fighting back without prevail. Then, Alicia spoke up, "If any of you talk about this, I swear I'll kill you!"

"Tell a professor or even anyone, I swear next time will be a killer," she glared at Hermione.

As a grand finale, Alicia kicked Hermione at the stomach. The viscous girl walked away with a crowd of students following her for the whole story to be told again.

There laid the hopeless Granger. Her eyes red and puffy from her uncontrollable tears. She sobbed to herself, until she got back up.

\FoaB/

"Is it a yes?" Michael Corner asked Ginny, with a forced smile that the Weasley was oblivious to even care about it.

"YES!" Ginny pulled the Ravenclaw into a bone crushing hug, similar to her mother.

Though, a certain Slytherin with a combed back white blonde hair with cold steel eyes watched the whole scene. After the two couple parted away, Ginny so happened to head towards where Draco was at.

"Oi, Weaslette," Draco gently grabbed onto her wrist.

Ginny groaned out in irritation. "What is it, Malfoy?"

"I wouldn't trust, Corner," he said to her.

"Excuse me?" Ginny said through gritted teeth.

"Trust me on this," the Malfoy retorted. "I've seen Corner just playing around with girl's hearts just for the fun of it."

Ginny's ears turned pink, and she huffed, "I'll prove to you that Michael isn't a prat!"

She left an annoyed yet worried Malfoy behind to see her figure disappear into the distance.

A/N: This is my shortest chapter so far! Check out my other story Behind These Cold Walls if you're interested in a certain prince and princess falling in love with each other! Thanks for reading and have this free poster of 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUPERT GRINT! SORRY I DIDN'T GET YOU ANYTHING!'