Title: Catching the Fallen

Rating: PG-13

By: Casserole and Pie

Disclaimer: No we do not own Harry, we do not own Draco, we do not own Ron, we do not own Hermione, we do not own Voldemort, we do not own Anything, except for maybe our word processors. And since we would like to go to college some day maybe you could not sue us?

Nine

Confrontation

"Honor isn't about making the right choices. It's about dealing with the consequences."

Koto Midori

Hermione rapped sharply on Ron's apartment door. He appeared after only a few moments of time lag, opening the door and giving her a questioning look.

"Is it true?" Hermione demanded.

"What true?" Ron had an edge to his voice and Hermione was sure he knew she knew and was going to ask.

"That you're a Death Eater?" Hermione glared at him. Ron sort of hung his head and shrugged, moving aside so she could enter. Hermione stormed in, a billow of black air electricity and storm cloud. Ron watched her stomp and fume. He could almost imagine her bushy hair giving off sparks, her eyes certainly did.

"I can't believe you!" she cursed, "just can't believe you! Why would you do something like that?" Ron tried to explain, assuage her anger, but nothing he said helped. She just looked at him as if he was something nasty, something she'd never really seen before, something she wouldn't care to look at again.

"I don't believe it, you knew better then that." she muttered. It pained Ron to see her look so ashamed of him. "You aren't the person I fell in love with" she murmured aloud to herself. The slight sound snapped Ron's head up.

"What?" Hermione was looking at him, past him, starring off into time. Her face was so sad.

It's irrelevant now. The person I loved no longer exists." Hermione suddenly snapped out of her trance of thought, turning her eyes back to Ron's face with a vengeance. Her moment of sad tranquility was gone as if it was only a brief ray of sunlight in a rainstorm. "To hurt Draco just to get back at Harry. To go so low! I expected better, Ron, I really did. Harry and Draco are not speaking now, because Draco doesn't want to hurt Harry with the truth. I used to think it was bad when they kissed at dinner, but this is ten times worse." She was glaring again; Ron wasn't sure if he liked this Hermione or the deeply saddened lost in thought Hermione. Both pained him to see. He tried to bolster himself, make the blame slide away.

"This is all your fault! You started everything- I wanted you to think-" Ron tried, but the accusation died on his lips, Hermione was looking at him, expression livid.

"How is this my fault?!" she snarled. Ron looked at her and knew exactly where the blame rested. He sank down into one of the chairs in the living room where they stood. Hermione seemed to realize that he knew. Her gaze softened, if only minutely.

"Go to Harry." She said gently, coming to kneel down beside the chair. Her eyes were imploring and Ron tried not to look at her.

"I can't" his voice was strained there were tears not far away he knew, he tried to stave them off. "Harry hates me."

"Harry doesn't know. That's the whole problem." Hermione sounded frustrated now. Ron turned to look at her a question in his face.

"If Harry doesn't know, how do you know?"

"Draco told me. The spell you did didn't take Muggle doctors into account. Thanks to fast work Draco's still around." Hermione looked a bit smug. Ron grimaced; he had failed on all fronts. What would Voldemort say? And he couldn't go to Harry, surely not now.

"I can't" He said again, and there were tears this time. Hermione softened even more. Taking his hand and looking at him with deep sad eyes.

"Come back with me. Tell Harry, he'll listen, he'll understand, he does have forgiveness, but it won't be around for ever." she stood, pulling Ron up with her. "Come on."

Hermione's bike was leaning against the side of the building, Hermione wasn't sure they'd fit, but she climbed on and Ron squeezed in behind her. She pushed up the kickstand and took to the street. Ron clung to her as if for dear life and Hermione felt a twinge of…something, though she really couldn't say what. Then a small timid voice came from behind her.

"Did you mean what you said?"

"What did I say?"

"That I wasn't the person you fell in love with." Ron's voice was small and fragile, hopeful too it seemed. Hermione was perplexed, where was the conversation going?

"So?"

"Were you in love with me?" Hermione thought a moment, the poor lost boy riding behind her, wishing on her words. Had she really been in love with him, there had been a time, but…

"I don't know. It doesn't matter any more- you've changed too much." Hermione pulled into Harry and Draco's drive way, parking the bike along the side of the house and taking out her keys.

A/N: Hermione is a bet pissed. I like her like that, gives a purpose to all that bushy hair (lets of sparks well). Poor Ron. But he does need a bit of a whack to make him see straight doesn't he? Can Hermione save the day? Can I get my email to work? Should we (the Noctem Kitchen Pastry crew) write another fanfic together? What should it be on?