Chapter Ten
"Hermione!"
She thought she could hear someone calling her, but she didn't care. She had had the nicest dream. Ron had finally said he loved her…
"Hermione, wake up! You'll miss breakfast!"
Oh my God
. She sat up straight and almost knocked Parvati over. Last night… It hadn't been a dream. "Sorry," she called to Parvati, as she danced out of bed and towards the bathroom to brush her teeth.When she saw Ron later at the breakfast table, Hermione's heart leaped. He looked up and smiled at her, but shook his head. Remember, she told herself. Now is not the time. Keep it private for now. She smiled back and continued eating. Today, though, the food tasted so much sweeter.
She met up again with Ron that evening, after dinner. She had spent the day with the Patils and Lavender, actually tolerating their presence for the first time in years. She bumped into Ron (literally!) coming around the greenhouses.
"I need to talk to you," he said the instant he saw her, without stopping for formalities. Lavender shot a more-than-friendly glance in his direction, but he ignored it. He took Hermione's arm and led her over to a bench that sat by the side of the lake, and they sat down.
"Yes?" Hermione asked. "Is everything OK?"
Ron hesitated, then sighed and put an arm around her shoulders. "You read the article about the 'suspicion' around me, didn't you?" he asked quietly. She nodded. "I- I'm not so sure it's rumors," he said, turning to look at her. "I think I must have caught your insanity or something, but the 'rumors' sound like they could be true."
"What?" Hermione stared at him. "What do you mean? You have been helping You-Know-Who?"
Ron winced, then answered. "I can't remember much about the days around when Harry and Ginny went missing," he whispered. "I'm all muddled up, Hermione. If I try and think about it, my thoughts stray." He looked up and smiled wryly. "Somehow, I get the idea that's not normal."
"But- how could you be?" she asked, bewildered. "You're not exactly the type to go off betraying your best friend. Besides, there's nothing that says it was you."
Ron sighed and stared at the ground. "But that's just the thing. If I didn't help him, who did? My family are the only people who know where Harry lives. How else could You-Know-Who have found him?"
Hermione scoffed. "You're not the only ones that know where he lives," she said confidently. "I know where he lives."
Ron looked up, eyebrow raised. "Yeah? Where, then?"
"He lives in Surrey," Hermione answered matter-of-factly. "See?"
Ron opened his mouth to say something snide, then closed it. "He lives at number four Privet Drive in Little Whinging, in Surrey," he said. "And only Fred, George and I know how to get there." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "See what I mean? And I'm so damned confused about the days around when they went missing. Mom says I was in shock, but what if I wasn't? Oh, God, Hermione, what if it was a memory charm? What if I did?"
Hermione chewed on her lip. What Ron was saying made sense- almost. But she knew Ron would never sell Harry to Voldemort. He was too- too good for that. Wasn't he?
I'm going nuts,
Hermione said to herself for about the tenth time that week. Of course Ron would never do that! What am I thinking? She shook her head, desperate to clear it of the treacherous thoughts flooding through it, and told herself again and again that it couldn't be true. It couldn't possibly be true. Oh, yeah? that voice said again. Remember in Arithmancy, when you did that weird equation with all the guilt and suspicion? Professor Vector said that Ron was linked to the conflict!"Shut up!" Hermione cried suddenly, before she could stop herself.
"What?" Ron looked up again, a frown sharpening his features.
"Nothing," she whispered. "Sorry."
Ron massaged his forehead. "I don't know," he said finally. "Maybe I am nuts. It's just too weird. And ever since we met Harry, weird stuff seems to follow us around."
Hermione smiled at him. "Well," she said quietly. "I'm already nuts. You won't be short on company."
He grinned at her and put an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "I don't know what I would do without you to keep me sane," he teased her. On a more serious note, he added, "Thank you for listening to me. I needed to let that out."
She frowned and ran her thumb along his burn scar. "How long has it been bothering you?" she asked.
Ron sighed. "About a week, give or take a few days." He put a hand gently on her cheek and pulled her so close that their noses were almost touching. Hermione put her arms around his neck and hugged him, sensing his need for comfort. His arms tightened around her waist, and she could feel one of his hands run up her back, returning to her face. He pulled away from her, then leaned in and kissed her deeply.
For the first time, Hermione actually found herself kissing Ron back. She shivered as his mouth moved over hers, filling her with happiness. His hand slid around to the back of her neck and entangled itself in her hair; he pulled her even closer.
Hermione started, suddenly realizing that her mouth was open, and that Ron was taking advantage of that. She almost pulled away, then decided that she liked the feeling she got from his kisses. Ron shifted so he was pressing her into the back of the bench, and she tightened her arms around his neck. God, how she loved him…
Something- she wasn't sure what- was giving her a feeling of uneasiness. She realized she could feel some kind of emotion radiating from Ron. She could feel his anxiety and worry, the deep-seated terror at all that was happening around him. She couldn't read his thoughts, no, but she could sense what was going on in his head. She jumped.
Ron pulled away, his breath ragged. "I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely.
Hermione blinked. "For what?" she asked, still stunned by what she had just encountered.
He frowned. "I- I went too far," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have come on so
strong-" He stopped as Hermione put a hand over his mouth to shush him.
"You didn't do anything wrong," she said quietly. "I'm not mad at you." She shivered as Ron ran a finger under her eye and around her ear, through her hair. She could still feel it, though fainter, now, and tinted with shame and resentment. But as he smiled, and pulled her to him again, and kissed her, she felt these emotions all but evaporate, leaving behind one simple thought- love.
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