A/n: Warnings of drug abuse, physical and emotional abuse and subtle mentions of non-con. Very brief. Chapter edited 11/23/18.

She tapped her quill against the parchment again, failing to take any notes as the teacher lectured on, and checked the clock for perhaps the hundredth time this lesson. She simply couldn't focus.

It was just after ten. She'd meet with Molly and Arthur after the initial meeting between them and their son to admit not only that she knew Ron was in a bad place but that she also failed to do anything about it until it was much too late. Setting the quill down she resisted the urge to bury her head into her arms, rubbing at her eyes instead, searching the room for the head of blond hair two rows ahead of her. Finally after sticking to her side for the first two bloody lessons he let up and went to sit with his mates. More than anything she desperately needed privacy at the moment.

Blinking the exhaustion away, she replayed the hours before breakfast this morning when things got so much worse. She'd be a fool if she thought she could justify any of it, and the added dilemmas associated with it all didn't help everything else rushing through her head.

Turning her attention down to the blank parchment she closed her eyes, remembering the last few hours before morning.

"Checking now won't do us any good," Draco reasoned, grasping her arm. She didn't want to wait there in the common room, not after spending the last twenty minutes in absolute certainty that Ron was running, and Lavender was probably in tow. "It's the middle of the bloody fucking morning. We'll just be stumbling around in the dark."

"Aren't you used to that?" she snapped, pushing his hand away. "After all this time you're certainly just as good at sneaking through the dark as I am – as Ron is. He's going to get out of the castle and Merlin knows where he'll go after that!"

He frowned, his brows creasing slightly as he reached out for her again. But she didn't seek his comfort anymore. Maybe she did earlier before Ron's interruption, but now her mind was again solely focused on the redhead who caused her so much distress. She couldn't rest now, not with her heart beating painfully in her chest. "Hermione-"

"You don't want to go after him anyway," she continued, jerking her body away from his towards, dragging herself towards her bedroom. "You'd be happy if he ran off, less of a problem for you."

"Maybe it would be," he agreed, his footfalls chasing after her as she entered her room. She didn't bother trying to slam the door, shutting him out like she did Ron. Instead she scrambled around for something to throw on her feet, her wand still grasped in a white-knuckled grip. "I'm more concerned about you running off after him in the middle of the damn night. Don't you think that's something he wants?"

She laughed, but the noise came out as more of a sob than the angry jest she intended. Sitting heavily down on her bed she glared up at him, willing the git to understand.

"Ron's nothing if not able to predict my emotions," she muttered, staring off behind his head at the wall. "After all this I doubt he wants anything to do with me."

"Are you dense?" he snapped, forcefully grabbing the socks back off her feet even as she slipped them on. "Whether or not Weasel was stupid enough to cheat on you isn't the point. He didn't spend the last several years lusting after you-"

She felt her cheeks heating up as she kicked his hands away, glaring up at him. "He wasn't lusting-"

"Every teenager is lusting after someone," he interrupted, crossing his arms. "He didn't spend all that time trying to get you just to let you go. He might be with Brown now, but I'm certain if you throw yourself at him he'll have second thoughts, and that's the last thing you want. Do you think he'll be more forgiving because you chased him in the dead of night?"

His words felt like a blow, and she wrapped her arms protectively around her middle as she held his gaze. Their heart-to-heart earlier may as well not have happened with the way he was cutting her down. "I don't expect Ron to be forgiving about anything. He's rightfully mad at me in his own head, thinking I spoiled all his plans. But I can't just let my friend disappear into the night! He'll self-destruct out there."

"He may just as well be up in his dorm," Draco seethed, stepping back from her as they argued. "We have no confirmation that he left, and the last thing you need to do is go wandering through his room looking for him. I'm sure that won't get his mind spinning."

"Draco," she snapped, standing. "I just want to make sure he's not going to do something that's going to end up hurting him even more."

He met her eyes, lifting his chin definitely as he spoke again. "And what if his actions end up hurting you again?"

She wanted to slam her head into the desk. Of course Ron may hurt her, and given his history she wouldn't put it past him. But she also didn't believe he could've fallen down this path alone, and she'd seen firsthand Lavender getting high with him not long ago. For all she knew, she was the grand mastermind behind everything.

Even as she tried to argue the point, it didn't make sense. Why would Ron listen to Lavender, another girl, when he could barely be bothered to listen to her? Glancing down at her bag she wondered if she should just leave class early and get some air.

It didn't matter anyway; he was gone, and so was Lavender. They were both reported missing this morning and it didn't take a genius to put the pieces together. Where they went was another matter altogether, and with everything else going on a Ministry worker would likely appear at the school to investigate soon enough. Now it was just a matter of time.

Still, she couldn't quiet her thoughts. After their argument last night she ended up tossing and turning in her bed instead of pursuing Ron, and even as the hours ticked on she could hear Malfoy in the living room rolling around, sleeping on the couch, their drinks forgotten. He didn't trust her to not go searching.

He knew her too well.

Her heart fluttered a little as she turned her attention to Draco again, his blond head bobbing as he spoke with Blaise. He'd been attached to her side this morning except for breakfast, worried she may take matters into her own hands. He'd only given her space this hour because she'd begged him to. She couldn't handle his suffocating presence.

He wouldn't approve of her thoughts anyway. He'd say she cared too much for Ron.

Glancing at her bag a second time she decided she couldn't handle things anymore, and dragged out a copy of today's assignment that she'd done two weeks ago. She didn't usually mind doing the work again, but today she couldn't be bothered. She had other things to do than worry about schoolwork this afternoon.

Turning in her assignment, she tried to ignore the vein starting to bulge in Draco's head. A quick peek at his paper as she passed proved her had several more sections of the assignment to answer, and he couldn't just rush out of class after her without making a scene. This would be the only time she could get any peace before the meeting, and she desperately needed it.

There would be no meeting with Ron now, just one between Hermione and the Weasley's. She didn't know if she could stomach it.

Avoiding Harry and Ginny as she slipped out of the room, she made her way back to her dorm. No reason to carry such a cumbersome bag with her to a meeting where none of it mattered. She'd just shed her bag and school clothes in place of something more comfortable when she caught a glimpse out her window to the world outside, and she took a moment to stare out.

Traveling to town was prohibited. McGonagall made the announcement this morning without any explanation. Staring outside she could see Hogsmeade in the distance, the colorful etching of the caravans off to one side. They appeared almost hazy this morning, and she had to blink twice to focus. It looked busier than normal down there, and despite herself she couldn't help taking a closer look. Using her wand to magnify the window like a looking glass she zoomed in on the scene far away, quite proud of herself for mastering such a handy trick.

The caravans were packing up.

She leaned closer to the glass, practically pressing her face against it as she took in the picture before her. It was still a bit distant, like standing on the main road of Hogsmeade instead of right in front of the collection of travelers. Frowning she scanned the front carts, wondering if word got to the travelers already that they were no longer welcome.

That settled it then; Ron was long gone. Without his addiction being close by there was no further reason to hang around near the school he was desperately trying to escape. She leaned back from the glass and sighed, her hopes deflating. Part of her hoped he would hang around to get high again, and the Willow's Weep could be his downfall. Maybe they could even find him if that was the case, but she knew luck wasn't on their side.

Hermione was closing the magnified mirror when something caught her eye, causing her to stall. There, flicking through the dead space between tents, something red was moving swiftly through the crowd.

No bloody way.

She watched a moment or two longer, not believing her own dumb luck that Ron hung around. He stepped between two caravans a moment later and paused, a bundle of something in his arms. Leaning closer to the mirror again she couldn't mistake the telltale signs of the drug nestled into his arms.

A head of brown and blonde highlighted hair followed, and she had to swallow the lump in her throat at the unmistakable picture of Lavender standing beside him, the two stuffing bottles into a bag at her waist. They stood only a moment longer, kissing briefly before they turned and headed towards the forest, their hands linked together.

She couldn't stop the strike of pain in her chest. Damn it, she didn't need to feel jealous when Ron kissed someone else anymore.

But damn it, she did.

Dashing from her room, shoes barely on her feet, she tried to reason with herself. Ron and Lavender had to be traveling out of sight to apparate, which only gave her a few minutes. They'd be long gone by the time she made it to town, unless they were currently hiding out there. And even then, the space was probably hidden from the naked eye.

She wracked through her brain, looking for a solution that was absolutely crazy. Other than hurrying down there herself, she couldn't think of another fast route. She couldn't apparate within the school, and she wasn't nearly fit enough to run down there, much less in minutes. But telling anyone, searching for Draco or Harry or Ginny, would waste time to find Ron that she simply didn't have.

Why did she have to see them? It wouldn't be a problem if she never spied them through the bloody magnified window.

Without paying much attention, she found herself on the first floor heading towards the entrance. Skidding her feet on the floor she forced herself to stop, staring at the sunshine outside as she panted. She didn't even notice where she was until she stopped right there.

"Granger?"

Hermione jumped and spun around, caught in the act of leaving. The door wasn't closed, not like she expected, and it was just as surprising to see Theo standing behind her, brow furrowed as he studied her in the late morning light.

"Oh, Nott," she said, patting down her hair. "You startled me."

He nodded, seemingly unfazed by her jittery attitude. Aside from a few scarce times with Draco she'd rarely spent any time with the Slytherin in question, and the most she knew about him was that he had the same controlling addiction Ron did.

Then again, she'd never seen him lose it and hit anyone either. Maybe it really did have to do with all the alcohol Draco and Blaise shoved down his throat, swapping one terrible addiction for another.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He was still in his school robes, his cheeks lacking color this morning. She wondered if he was starting to go into withdrawals. "Headmistress said no one's to leave the castle, remember? She's got a bloody ward on the exits. You can leave but they will know."

Right, how did she forget that? "Well, you see, I was just-"

"Draco mentioned you might try to leave school today," he continued, his eyes searching out the entrance again. "He asked that I study up here this period. I guess he wasn't so far off."

"I'm not trying to leave," she snapped, hands on her hips. "I'm just-"

"Looking for Weasley?" Theo asked, stopping whatever comeback she was forming. "Draco mentioned it a few days ago on one of my good days."

"What did he say?" she asked, her mouth going dry. He said he wouldn't tell anyone, didn't he? So maybe that didn't mean his friends.

"He just said not to trust the oaf, though I can't say I trusted him much to begin with." He shuddered, hands visibly fisting together in his pockets. "Redheads. Can't trust the lot of them."

She bit back a retort, a plan forming in her mind. Fickle as it was, it was better than waiting around or going ahead without anyone knowing. "Actually Theo, there is something you can do for me."

He blanched, whether from the use of his first name or her sudden mood change she didn't know. "And what is that?"

"Which tent is it that sells Willow's Weep?" she asked before she could lose her nerve. Try as she might the image just wouldn't stick in her head of the front of that tent. He frowned immediately and reached forward to grasp her writ. She flinched at the contact, but he was so much gentler than she was used to users of the drug being that there was no need, and they met eyes in an uneasy silence.

Theo wet his lips. "Draco may have also mentioned the git's been using you as a punching bag." He let go of her arm but held her eyes, fingers tapping against his thighs. "There's no way I'll help you go out there to search Granger. Draco will have my head, and if Weasley finds you he'll likely have yours."

"Ron isn't a monster," she snapped, ignoring the twinge in her gut that told her that wasn't true. "But if he was hanging around it was only for one thing, and I saw him getting more of the Willow's Weep – don't ask how, just trust me. He's going to bolt, he and Lavender both. And it could take ages to find them again. I may have shown him too many spells during the war to throw off tracking charms. If he remembers any it will make it twice as hard to find them."

Theo frowned, looking uncertainly between Hermione and the castle door, as though Draco may appear at any moment and catch them. She ignored the pain in her heart, wondering why he didn't trust her enough to not sanction his friends around the castle to watch for her sudden escape.

It's not like she was proving his point right now or anything.

"You're going to go to Hogsmeade anyway, aren't you?" he sighed, stepping back from her, "even if I draw my wand. I don't think I've ever won in a dual against you."

"You haven't," she agreed, leveling her gaze. "But Draco and Harry and everyone else will be twice as frantic if I go alone." She ignored the heavy feeling in her chest, telling her Ron was likely already gone and all her efforts were wasted. "I don't like the tents any more than I like the drugs. But you've gone before, and I'll be certain to keep you from succumbing to addiction again. Walk with me and you'll cut my time in half."

It also gave her someone else to lean on if she did find Ron. Who knew where his mind was right now, especially if he was hanging out so close to the school. Watching her closely Theo nodded once, and she almost wished he hadn't.

She had to go and try to find Ron, even if Draco warned her against it. She owed her friend that much.

"They all look the same."

"They are different colors," Theo replied, walking side by side through the caravans with her. It was true, people were packing up to leave. By nightfall everyone would likely be gone. She kept close to Theo, grateful she hadn't come alone. Everyone was in a bad mood, and two duelists in a fight had a much better chance than one.

She kept her mouth mostly closed, afraid she'd say something she'd regret. Draco's warnings and Harry's concerns weighed heavily in her mind, and if she thought about them too much she would tell Theo to turn back. He was already going against everything by coming with her. Disabling the wards to get out of the castle took a bit of effort, but nothing she couldn't handle. Now she just had to hope Theo wouldn't lose sight of why they were here at they got closer to the tent.

In theory, they didn't need to get very close. She mostly wanted to walk near the edge of the forest and see if her wand would point her in the right direction of Ron. If he was still nearby, he'd be easy to find that way.

Unfortunately, the only sign she'd gotten from her spells indicated that Ron was somewhere in the mess of caravans, and that was the last thing she wanted. If he was in here, that only meant one thing.

Theo already told her they should turn back twice. Why he felt the need to help her find Ron was beyond her, but she didn't dare ask. He'd surely put up a fight to drag her back to the castle then, and she only had so long until people noticed they were gone. Once Draco noticed, there was no way he wouldn't think of coming here. Her time was limited.

"Are you sure you want to go in?" Theo asked for the third time as they rounded another disheveled corner. "If he is using it-"

"Then all the more reason for me to come in. If nothing else I'm a good distraction. Ron can't get away from here. Everything will be so much worse if he does."

"You keep saying that," Theo agreed, stepping past some pushy salesman who kept pushing fish at them, "but can you prove it? Maybe a quick dose of reality is what he needs to snap him out of using it completely. It sure worked on…"

His words trailed off and she jerked her head up, glaring at him. "Sure worked on who?"

Theo shook his head, apparently regretting what he said. "No one..." He hesitated, sighing. "Me. It worked on me, once upon a time."

"From what I understand you're still struggling," she argued, not buying his lie. "Who did it work on?"

He shook his head, pointing to the following tent. "No one, Granger." He pointed towards one of the tents, distracting her. "There, that one. This is where I've been buying."

Hermione nodded once, peeking in through the flap of the tent. Despite the fact that the caravans were closing up, it looked like there were at least many more people in there than last time. Moving the product apparently created a surplus in demand. "Good, now I just-"

"You won't go in alone," he argued, stepping closer to the tent, "Draco will kill me."

She scrunched up her nose, meeting him by the entrance. "You keep saying that."

Hermione ducked in before she could lose her courage, taking in the scene before her. She quickly realized there was easily triple the amount of people in the tent as last time, the curtains drawn closed on all the back rooms and a line forming to get to the counter with the rude attendant. She blinked several times against the horrid smell of the tent, shoving back the memories of Ron's distant, detached behavior from last time before she lost her nerve here.

He'd be no different this time if he saw her.

Theo took up the last bit of space behind her, and she could feel how tense he was standing there. Bringing him was a mistake, making him fight against something he obviously struggled with. Yet another poor choice to chalk up against her and all her shite decisions she'd made as of late, but it couldn't be helped now. They were here, and there was only one thing to do now.

"'Mione!"

She scowled and turned towards the voice, fighting down the annoyance in her head from the last time he'd called her that. Ron sat sprawled in a chair much too big for him, his body initially hidden from view near the entrance. He was leaning forward now, his grin so much like the goofy lovable Ron she was used to that it nearly broke her heart.

This wasn't her Ron though. He stood and stumbled towards her, the other patrons apparently not noticing him. Theo stepped in front of her then, his eyes looking uncertainly between her and the ginger as though he wasn't sure when to intervene.

Ron seemed to notice, and stopped just out of reach to glower at them, unsteady on his feet. "A new one?"

It took her a moment to realize he was speaking to her, what with that glossed over look in his eyes and the fact that he wasn't even looking in her direction. "Ron, Theo just walked me-"

"I see you won't get high with me but Slytherin's are an entirely different story." His goofy smile was gone, replaced by the same angry, calculated look she'd grown to know. She wasn't sure what he was talking about anymore, with the way his eyes danced over Theo's form to the line of patrons and back. "It's not even the Ferret this time."

"Ron," she snapped, grateful when her voice didn't tremble, "Theo just walked with me down here. I was looking for you."

"Lavender said you'd probably do that. Found us faster than we thought."

She frowned. "Ron, you're exactly where I expected you'd be. Come on, let's go back to the castle." She crinkled her nose, forcing herself to spit the next bit out. "Lavender too."

His glossed over eyes turned to focus on her, and she barely registered the line moving in front of them. "To the castle?"

"Yes," she replied, wondering where the argument was. "Remember, school? We need to talk, all of us. Everything will be better so long as you don't run away."

"I'm not running away," Ron snapped, stepping closer. She squared her shoulders, refusing to be afraid of him. It helped an awful lot when she saw Theo's wand whip out, suddenly pressing into Ron's neck. "No, we're here to help."

"To help what?" she asked, suddenly confused.

"Lavender said," he began, rubbing at his forehead as though he couldn't remember. "I've lost her I think. Someplace in the tent. She said it's time."

Hermione swallowed, the sense of foreboding suddenly rising in her mind. "Time for what?"

"Time," Ron stressed, as though he wasn't quite sure. The glossy look was still there, taking over his expression but something else lingered beneath it. He nearly looked confused. "I don't know what. But they promised."

"Who promised?" she snapped, glancing around the tent. No one seemed to be paying attention, but suddenly that didn't seem to matter so much. Ron's ramblings were beginning to frighten her. "What did they promise?"

Ron softened, as though forgetting everything they'd been discussing. He reached out past Theo and stroked her cheek, the pad of his soft finger like a blade in her skin. She jerked back, not wanting him to touch her.

"You," he whispered, his expression breaking back into the goofy grin. "I can have you."

"Weasley," Theo stressed, and she jumped at the sound of his voice, nearly forgetting he was there. She saw his wand press further into Ron, and he obviously hadn't forgotten a thing about the Slytherin. "Who the hell could promise you that?"

Ron grinned, something sick and broken snaking out beneath his expression. He gestured around the room, the space full of people who hadn't been paying a wink of attention to them. But they were. They were all looking on now.

Even Lavender, perched in the open space of one of the back rooms, the curtain thrown aside. She had the same goofy, distanced look that Ron did. And neither of them looked like they were going anywhere.

The pieces of the puzzle clicked together in her head. It was no mistake she'd seen them through the magnified version of her window.

It was always a trap.

Theo said something she missed in the chaos of the next few moments, Ron's body flying away from them and back towards the far wall. Her wand came out on instinct, her training taking over when the rest of her refused to. Theo had one hand on her arm, half dragging her out of the tent as all the patrons turned, their large dark eyes watching her.

Of course, when you can't rule people by force, it's easiest to create an army that won't fight against you. As Theo dragged her out of the tent she realized why the space felt so dangerous, so untrustworthy. Maybe they came on a good day last time, and that's how she never noticed.

A lot of those faces following her out of the tent looked an awful lot like Death Eaters.

They didn't have an army anymore, so what better way to sway people to your side than give them something they can't refuse? Glancing at Theo as they hopped over various spots in between the caravans, she wondered how he resisted the temptation and Ron hadn't.

How did Ron get so tangled up in a drug war?

She forced the thoughts out of her head as they ran, unable to focus on the fleeting possibilities. She'd heard nothing of a drug war in wizarding Britain, and surely something like that would make the news, or at least the gossip circles. How something like that stayed under wraps was beyond her.

Maybe she was overthinking it all.

They made it out of the caravans easily enough. Glancing back she realized no one was following them. Her stomach dropped as she looked around, Theo picking up on her anxious mood. Just because people weren't behind them didn't mean that they were simply gone.

Swallowing hard she tried making sense of what she'd seen. Several of them looked like Death Eaters, not people she knew but people she'd seen among the ranks. She could be mistaken, driven by Ron's strange behavior and the fact that she put the both of them in a dangerous situation. She tried putting her mind in order as Theo took off back there, dragging her with, putting distance between them and the tents. Maybe it was all in her head.

But Theo struck first when Ron got angry, and it wasn't to get at the drugs but to try and keep her safe. He wasn't emotionally charged like Draco or Harry to this situation, and he didn't really give a damn one way or the other until now. There had to be more to the story.

She hurried in front of him, stopping him when he crashed into her. "Did you know!?"

Theo stepped back, glancing around them as though he expected something to crawl out of the shadows. "Granger not here-"

"The Death Eaters," she continued, getting right to the point. "Did you know they were there?"

He shook his head, placing a hand on her back to push her along, the tents getting farther and farther away from them. "I've heard, I mean, there were rumors-"

"So yes," she deadpanned, stopping in the middle of the path. "That wasn't my mind making those faces up. There were Death Eaters there?"

Theo nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Yes. I don't know who controls Willow's Weep or any of the other shit there Granger, but there were rumors. After the war the paradigm shifted, people still wanted control and power." Jerking his head back to the tents, he met her eyes. "They didn't stop following us because they couldn't catch us. Those people were making an example out of Weasely."

Her chest tightened as she started at him, eyes growing wide. "What does that mean?"

"People are easy enough to control if given incentive," he replied, clenching his hands. "Maybe the drug lords controlled this before, but things are changing. I've heard of it, but never really believed it. But even people like Weasley are becoming entangled in the drugs now. Look what they do!" He gestured around them, starting up the hill again. "We need to go before they catch up."

She barely managed to control her rage as they started running back again. "So you knew Death Eaters had a hand in this," she snapped, keeping pace with him. "I don't think anyone high up knew this before, least of all the Ministry. If the Death Eaters can control people with drugs they could create a cult to do anything they wanted if they are drugged and brain-washed enough. I can't believe I didn't stop Ron sooner. This is bad, really, really bad."

"I don't think you could've stopped him. His mind was made up."

She let his words hang in the air, fleeting eyes glancing around them. She didn't believe for a minute that people were done pursuing them, and Theo was right to be nervous about talking about this out in the open. If anyone thought they knew too much, they would be in so much more trouble.

She came to save Ron, but found out so much more; now it hinged on the idea of whether or not she could do anything about it.

Glancing back over her shoulder, she willed herself to not overthink. Whoever followed them wouldn't suddenly let them go, there had to be a catch that she couldn't allow them to fall for. Remembering Ron's distant eyes, she shuddered to think what the group did when someone trespassed on their secrets. Wetting her lips she tried to think of something to say, barely making herself force the words out. "Theo-"

Hermione gasped, suddenly taken down from the side by something heavy. She fell into the earth, grunting when her shoulder hit first and pain exploded there. Whatever hit her from the side sat up, and it took her barely a moment to make sense of what she was seeing.

"Ron, Ron get off!"

He was sitting on top of her, apparently the heavy thing that took her down in her moment of distraction. She couldn't focus on him just then, whipping her head back to the caravans again, wondering what kind of trick this was. There was no way Ron reached her so quickly.

He was busy using one hand to lovingly stroke her cheek, the other hand toying with the top of her blouse. He was muttering something that she couldn't understand, the goofy grin back in place.

She kneed him in the back, but it did nothing to obscure his attention. He didn't even seem to notice. "Get off me Ron!"

"You can come with," he said, his eyes big and full of love. Love that seemed to be temperamental, and hinged just as much on his addiction as it did his mood. "You have to come with, or they'll get mad."

"Get off me!" she snapped, using one hand to break her knuckles over his face when he didn't listen. His head whipped to the side and she scrambled beneath him, attempting to get him off of her. Distantly, she wondered where Theo was.

"Shh, shh," Ron snarled, regaining his composure faster than expected. Her eyes widened, and she wondered where his anger was. Usually by now he would've gone off. "You have to come. You can't go."

She shivered when he bent to kiss her, attempting feebly to shove him off. Her wand was within grasp, the fingers of one hand flicking the wood as she struggled. He wasn't in his right mind, but he wouldn't really hurt her again, would he?

She almost laughed out loud at how stupid that sounded.

His fingers were playing with the buttons on her blouse again, the other arm holding down her shoulders. She refused to focus on what he was doing, instead twisting the wand around until she could grasp it and not simply touch it with her fingers.

She couldn't focus on what Ron was doing, or she'd panic.

Biting his lip did nothing to deter him, and she shivered when his fingers found their way inside her blouse, ripping the two remaining buttons instead of undoing them. He was completely lost somewhere between being high and being angry, and if he would just stick with the first feeling for a while she could get him off of her.

His mood changed then, the arm on her shoulders shifting to tighten over her throat, and he pulled back from her long enough to glare, his fingers still slipped beneath her blouse and bra.

"You're not having fun."

Her eyes widened, and for a moment she wondered if he recalled where they were. "Of course I'm not-"

His hand on her arm shifted again, this time lifting her up to strike her hard enough across the face that her head lulled and she momentarily forgot what she was reaching for. His other hand squeezed the soft skin of her nipple beneath her bra and she screamed, the pressure so much harder than she expected and so very unwelcome it made her shiver. She gasped, and for a moment she could taste blood in her mouth.

"You're not having fun," he snapped again, the hand now on her jaw forcing her to look up at him. He squeezed his fingers into her. skin, his other hand trying to work a response out of her by fondling her breast again. "You're supposed to. I'm me."

She didn't quite know what that meant, and maybe her head was playing games with her after slamming into the ground from the force of his slap. She coughed once, shifting her hand back as something cool touched her fingertips. Somewhere down the line his jerky movements pushed her close enough to her wand.

She didn't hesitate. Without blinking she whipped it up and sent him sprawling into the nearest tree, her eyes immediately dancing around for Theo.

He was crumbled several feet from her, and she forced herself to get up on shaky legs and check on him. Ron was groaning but currently making no move to get up, and she didn't see any other attackers. Pulling at her blouse she tried to keep it closed, ignoring the sick feeling rising up in her as she approached the Slytherin. She had to hold herself together right now or she'd be sick.

"Theo," she whispered, sinking down beside him. Her head hurt and she didn't dare think about Ron just then, instead studying the dark haired male. It appeared someone had knocked him out, but that was the extent of the damage. No wonder he was nowhere around when Ron jumped on her.

She swallowed, fighting the bile in her throat. It was a setup, one Draco warned her against. There was no way all those people jumped up suddenly, chased them, and then struck down Theo so Ron could speak with her and try to use her. What made her important enough to be singled out didn't matter; it was either her importance or Ron's sway that prompted the singled out attack, and she didn't much want to think about either.

Ensuring that he was still breathing and well she whipped around, eyes taking in the space around them. They were no longer in sight of Hogsmeade but on the path, and anyone could've seen them if they were traveling, which was a risky move. She didn't see Theo's attacker but that didn't mean anything. Her eyes fell on Ron again, who was watching her now with a mixture of anger.

"You struck me," he snapped, his words less jumbled now. She recognized the anger in his voice almost instantly. Why he found it surprising that she fought back didn't matter; what did was that he attacked her yet again.

"And you were hurting me," she argued, keeping her distance. Her blouse was still clasped between her fingers, the loose ends flapping in the breeze. Her nipple was dully throbbing, reminding her of Ron's failed attempt. "You-"

"You were with Malfoy," he argued, eyes angling up to hers. It was such a petty reason she nearly charged him right then. "You were supposed to spend time with me."

"I was trying to get away from you," she hissed, eyes wide. "You've been hurting me Ron, and I'm sure you'd try to go a whole lot further if I didn't stop you now. I came out hoping I could keep you from making more mistakes." She shook her head, touching her cheek. "I don't know why I bothered. I should've let you go."

He grinned, the manic grin she'd gotten so used to in the last few weeks. "You should've. I told them you'd come."

Her eyes flashed and she felt sick, wondering if he even realized what he was doing anymore. "Ron, those people… they're the ones-"

"They didn't kill Fred!" he snapped, getting up off the ground. She held his gaze, willing herself to not shake. She needed to find out what she could and try to make sense of Ron's decisions. "Not them. Others. And they won't kill me. They are helping."

"They're giving you what you want," Hermione argued, hardening her gaze. "No one's helping you right now. Not Lavender, not the drugs, not anyone."

He scowled, taking two steps back instead of forward. "They said you would be like that. But you're my 'Mione. I thought you'd understand for me."

"I don't understand anything!" she snapped, turning her eyes up to look for the second attacker. "You're not making sense, and you're digging yourself a bigger hole no one can save you from. What you're getting tangled up in is so much bigger than some drugs in a tent Ron."

He grinned, and she involuntarily shrank away from the crude expression. Off in the distance she could hear screams, and she wondered if people were looking for her or were being hurt. "I know."

He sent a stunning spell at her then, which she sidestepped and countered. He used his wand to cut through three tree limbs, and it took her more effort than she liked to avoid the three falling dilemmas as well as making sure one didn't land on Theo's unconscious figure.

Spinning back she readied herself for the next attack, one hand still holding her blouse. She paused, noticing the blank landscape in front of her, and dropped her stance.

Listening to the surroundings for several moments she heard the cries again. Two were very distinct and they were definitely searching for her. But try as she may she couldn't find Ron, either in the trees or rushing down the path. He'd used the distraction to disappear, a coward's escape.

She barely noticed when Draco appeared in the clearing, his hands immediately grabbing her and spinning her around. His eyes took her in a moment, his grip tightening on her as he looked over the marks. She cringed when he touched her shoulder and retracted his hands, using his wand to stitch up the ruined front of her blouse before she said anything. His eyes were darken than usual, murderous.

"Hermione," he whispered, one hand coming up to rest on the cheek that wasn't bruising. He thought all this was because Ron was mad at her for following. He had no idea.

She stepped forward and let her head fall into his shoulder, feeling better when his arm wrapped around her. Past his shoulder she could see Blaise crouched beside Theo, several other teachers and a few individuals she didn't recognize crowded around watching, a couple stepping forward to help. Two took off towards the caravans, and she sincerely hoped they were ready for a battle.

Harry stood a few steps behind Malfoy, his gaze watching her. She'd never seen him look quite so angry before.

"What were you thinking?" Draco snapped, his fingers coming to lift her head and hold her gaze. His touch was so soft, so forgiving compared to Ron's rushed fingers and painful grabs she couldn't help the tears that pricked her eyes.

She couldn't possibly make things worse.

"I wasn't," she whispered, holding his gaze. "But they are. We can't stay here; we have to go to the castle. Draco, they're dangerous."

A/n: This chapter was finished several days ago but I was unhappy with it and retyped it three more times. I think I'm satisfied with this story as of now. The drug do play a part not just with Ron but with everything. To the two reviewers who commented on grammatical errors I'll hopefully be going back through and editing the chapters soon, but time hasn't allowed for it. I wanted to get a new one out instead, and this one's long to make up for time. There will continue to be updates, but I got a big promotion at work and it eats up more of my time now. I hope you enjoyed and see you next chapter! Let me know what you think of the turn of events.