Hello! ^^ I haven't been keeping up very well, have I? I blame the internet.

Well, I'm starting this in study hall, so who knows when I'll finish...but here's chapter 14!

...

"You're not getting away that easily."

Hermione began to hyperventilate.

"Please," she whispered. "Please, let me go."

Rodolphus sneered and laughed once, a low, deep, smug sound. A slight "Heh," in the back of his throat.

"I don't think so." Then he launched himself forward, wand aimed at Hermione. Moving quickly, she managed to shield herself. But it seemed that was all she was capable of doing. She couldn't think of any spells of hexes or even curses that could be used to do anything other than protect herself.

"'Mione..." Ron mumbled from the cot. He sounded as though there was cotton in his mouth. He was slipping away.

She didn't dare turn to Ron. She was already cut and bruised and bleeding and broken. But she listened closely.

"Come on, little girl," said Rodolphus. "Why don't you hurt me? Come on, I want to see what the famous Hermione Granger is capable of."

She blocked another curse and he laughed shortly again.

"I knew it. You're far too weak. Don't I deserve it? Don't I deserve to be killed for what I've done to Draco and Sirius? To the Weasley?"

Hermione gritted her teeth and continued blocking spells. One whizzed past her shield and struck her through the rib cage. She cried out and fell to her knees. She hissed, trying to stay in an upright position. She aimed her wand again, prepared to block. She wasn't sure how much longer she could do this, and she wasn't sure when the other Death Eaters would come back, but by now, she was sure she would die.

She wasn't going to give up until she was positive, though. Perhaps if she kept on, Ron would miraculously escape. She hoped so. Despite what they'd been through, she couldn't lie and say she didn't love him. Because they HAD been through so much.

Ron was still mumbling her name. "Hermione!"

That was loud. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"What?"

"Stupefy!"

"What?"

"Stupefy!" He cried. "It won't hurt him! Just like you said, he doesn't deserve pain and he's probably not even worth it. Stupefy!"

Rodolphus laughed. "That's funny, little boy. This girl is far too weak to hurt me. She won't do it."

"Stupefy!"

Rodolphus flew backwards, landing in a pile of twigs and bushes.

Hermione, still on her knees, whimpered as she tried to crawl over to Ron. She took his hand.

He was crying. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I...I don't know what's wrong with me but...Hermione, I never meant...I love you..."

"You're being so nice..." Hermione mumbled. "What's happening?"

"Hermione..." Ron was struggling to breathe. "Hermione, I think Rodolphus dead."

She turned her head and clasped her free hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. A branch was protruding through his chest. He was dead.

"Hermione, it wasn't me."

"Of course it wasn't you, Ronald," Hermione mumbled, trying not to cry as she attempted to stand. "I did it."

"No," Ron said, using the last of his strength to help Hermione to her feet. He lay on the cot, staring up at her. "I mean hurting you. It wasn't me."

Hermione looked away. She didn't understand and she didn't want to think about it, so she began walking, his cot levitating behind her.

"I'm serious!" he said in such a strong voice it shocked her.

She pressed her hand over the gaping wound over her ribs. "I don't understand," she said, shaking her head rapidly.

"Hermione, before last year, have I ever one hurt you? Physically, I mean?"

She thought about it before shaking her head. "No."

"Of course I hadn't. And I never meant to! It was...it was Rodolphus."

"How do you reckon that?" Hermione asked, her breathing becoming laboured.

"I've had this...this weight on my chest up until just a few minutes ago," Ron mused, staring up at the canopy of trees above them. "And once Rodolphus was dead, it was gone. I didn't feel aggressive or angry. I felt like I did before seventh year."

Hermione shook her head. "That doesn't even make sense. How...? I don't understand..."

Breathing was hard. The pain was going away. She was tired. Was she getting closer to the ground, or was the ground getting closer to her? She was about to find out.

"Hermione!..."

...

Hermione woke up warm and with a dull throbbing in her side. She touched where it hurt and found her torso and shoulder was wrapped in bandages beneath her night clothes. Her hair smelled clean and flowery, and her mosquito bite itches were gone. She was comfortable.

Opening her eyes, she found herself in her old room at Number 12. She say up quickly, bringing her hand to her head to stop the sudden spinning.

Soft hands brought her back down. "Be careful, there."

She shook her head lightly before focusing on the face near her own.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, grinning. She jumped forward, pressing her lips to his. He, shocked, stepped backwards, bringing his hand to his mouth.

Hermione blushed and did the same thing. "Er..."

He smiled, though, and returned the gesture. Hermione smiled and bit her lip. "Erm...what are we doing back here?"

Draco say down beside her in bed. Hermione brought her head to rest on Draco's shoulder, the one not connected to a broken arm in a sling.

"Weasley managed to crawl the entire way back to the hut with three broken ribs, a broken arm and a broken leg, not to mention all of that blood loss. He said you'd killed my uncle and had passed out half-way back to the place, so I made myself crutches out of a set of tree branches and managed to levitate you on Ron's cot back to camp."

Hermione pressed herself closer to Draco in a hug. He absently tightened his arm around her as he continued. "By that time, the other Death Eater's were beginning to catch up with us. But while I had gone after you, Sirius had woken up and sent a patronus to the Order, and Harry apparated over with a portkey. We got back here yesterday, just before the Death Eaters showed up."

"Wow..." Hermione mumbled. Then she sat. Her head spun again, and Draco pulled her back against him.

"Quit moving so much. You'll hurt yourself."

"I got here yesterday? What time is it?"

"Around six pm," Draco replied. "You've been out for a while."

"And...how are Sirius and Ron? Is Ron okay? Did Sirius get his eye back?"

Draco shook his head. "Sirius will never get his eye back. But he says the eyepatch will be nice for picking up girls."

Hermione laughed weakly. "And...Ron?"

Draco sighed. "He's not doing so well, 'Mione."

Hermione's heart sank. "I want to go and see him."

Draco shook his head. "You need to stay here and rest. That spell went clean through your stomach and out your back."

She shook her head as well. "No. I want to go see him."

Draco sighed. "Alright, but you've got to go in a wheel chair."

Hermione nodded and Draco helped her from bed with his good arm. It appeared that his leg was already healed, though he was limping a little. Once Hermione was in the chair, the spinning in her head died down and Draco began pushing her down the hallway.

When they entered Ron's room, a hand flew over Hermione's mouth. He looked awful, all bruised and swollen. Something like what she looked like back when they were together. Mrs. Weasley was sitting at his bedside, holding his hand. Ginny was sitting in the background with Harry and the twins.

Mrs. Weasley stood. "Let's give these two their privacy," she said, ushering everyone out of the room.

Draco wheeled Hermione up next to Ron's bed before he ambled out silently, shutting the door behind him.

Hermione took a deep breath. Her eyes were welling up with tears as he realised how awful he really looked. "Hi, Ron," she said shakily.

A battered hand reached out and brushed her cheek. His split lip smiled. "Don't cry, 'Mione. You're not dying."

Her heart broke. "You're not dying, either! You're not! Do you hear me?"

Breathing was hard with her tears and her injuries. Ron continued to stroke her cheek. "Don't stress yourself, 'Mione. You've got to get better."

Hermione wrapped her own bandaged hand around his. "I don't want you to die."

"Ah, life won't be so bad without me," Ron said. But he was crying, too. "Maybe your nightmares will stop."

She frowned and shook her head. "Ron, stop it."

"You'll be much better off with me gone. Everyone says so."

"They didn't mean it like this!" she cried. "They meant-they meant-oh, you know what they meant!"

"No one deserves to be hit," Ron said, rolling his head so he was staring up at the ceiling. "So the ones who hit others don't deserve anyone. It's best this way."

Hermione dropped her head down onto his chest. He stroked her hair lightly. Hermione cried into his chest for Merlin knows how long. He was crying, too, as she told him she still loved him, it wasn't him, it was Rodolphus. Just like he said. She believed him. She believed him!

"But I still let him make me hit you," Ron said. "I was weak. If I really tried, I could have prevented it. I love you."

Hermione let out a sob. "It wasn't your fault. I love you, too."

And there they sat, until Ron was no longer moving.

...

I'm thinking only a couple more chapters after this one.

Wow. This was very packed with things happening.

Oh, well!

I honestly hadn't planned on killing Ron until it happened. And I don't know how exactly Rodolphus was controlling Ron. That's all up to you, I suppose. I'll probably explain in the next few chapters.

Anyways, feedback? Much obliged. :)