Do not own anything although i do wish i had a Draco...

hey guys i kno it's been AGES since i've updated but i've decided to make it up to you - i think u'll find this chapter a wee bit longer than what's usual but not by much because i was just so anxious to update that i couldn't bring myself to add more.

Plus i find this cliffy just too GOOD to resist leaving you with it... muhahahahaha

enjoy

R.

The Previous Night:

Ron cursed under his breath. One minute – one minute – he turns around for one minute to pee – leaving Harry to keep his post under the Invisibility Cloak by the Library – and now Harry's gone.

Ok I get it that Harry's a little paranoid – but there's only so much Death Eater work you can do with Hermione with you.

So now there he was – at Merlin-knows-what-time – wondering around the castle like a prat. He couldn't just leave Harry. What if something happened?

Strolling with his hands deep within his robe pockets he checked the Room of Requirement, the Slytherin dungeons, the Gryffindor Common Room – including the Boy's Dorm – and the Lake. Nowhere. Harry was nowhere.

Huffing, he looked at his watch, about the only muggle thing he owned apart from clothes and sighed. It was getting late. And the more he stayed out, the more chance a Prefect would catch him.

Deciding that Harry could find his way back without him, Ron trudged back to the Gryffindor Tower and was so busy looking behind him for Prefects that he didn't notice somebody until he banged into them so hard that he stumbled backwards a few steps. He swore.

"Lumos!" They hissed and then added, "watch'it Weasel!"

Ron looked up to see the person he least wanted to see.

"Shove off Malfoy!" he growled at the blonde, whipping out his wand.

"Watch your mouth Weasel!" Malfoy snarled, he too raising his lit wand. The light burned Ron's eyes and sent everything around them into blackness.

They began to circle each other. "What are you doing near the Gryffindor Tower so late, Malfoy?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"None of your business, blood traitor!" he snapped then smirked. "And what are you doing out so late, freckle face?"

Ron flushed angrily.

"Hmm I wonder if I should say anything to Blaise," he said in mock thought, "or Filch,"

"Oh shut up Malfoy, you're out too," Ron fumed, feeling his temper spark.

"Oooooooh! I hear VOICES!" came a cackling voice from above.

Both boy's faces snapped up.

"Peeves," Malfoy cursed. They stared up for another few seconds before looking down at each other. Malfoy smirked, "be seeing you Weasel,"

Ron, who didn't want to let Malfoy get away unscathed, hissed, "oh no you don't Malf-!"

But it was too late. With a hushed "Nox!" everything went black and Malfoy disappeared.

Ron cursed but hurried to hide behind a suit of armour as Peeves got nearer.

"Trouble makers! Trouble makers! What do you do?" he sang, "pretty Peevesie! Wicked Peevesie! Will findyou!"

Peeves gave a wicked cackle before the whoosh of wind announced him gone. Ron stood stock still for a few more seconds before poking his head out from behind the armour.

But before he could take another breath, something hit him hard around the back of the head and Ron stopped thinking for a while.

Present Day

"Hermione! Hermione!" Harry's voice called.

As hurriedly as possible Hermione wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned to give her friend a watery smile. "What, Harry?"

"We've found him!" Harry huffed, putting his hands on his knees as he tried to regain breath. "He was under the Willow by the lake – we found him!"

Hermione felt a ball of worry forming in her chest, "What? Found who?"

Harry sent her a disbelieving, confused look through his fringe-line. "Ron, Hermione. We found Ron,"

The brunette grasped her friend's arm and shook her head in confusion. "What do you mean you've found him? Where was he?"

Harry stared at her. "What – haven't you…? Hermione, Ron's been missing all morning,"

Hermione froze, feeling something cold grab her. Ron had been missing? "Missing…?" she said faintly.

"Yes, Hermione!" said Harry angrily, "missing! Seamus, Dean and me have been looking for him all morning! We thought you and Ginny were at it too!"

"What?"

Harry stared in disbelief. "Didn't you notice?"

But Hermione had caught onto something else, desperate not to think of it that way. She hadn't notice. She hadn't noticed her friend was gone. What did that mean? "Ginny?" Hermione rasped, "Ginny didn't tell me anything! Wait – Ginny and me were just walking together! Why didn't she say anything?"

Harry growl. "Never mind that now, we need to get to the Hospital Wing!"

He snatched her hand and pulled her into a run.

"Harry! Harry! Slow down!" she gasped clutching her stitch with her right hand as he pulled ferociously at her left.

On the way they saw Ginny, who immediately called out to them. "Hermione? Harry?"

Unable to stop, Hermione simply grabbed her hand and forced her into a run after them. Ginny, who felt like she'd just been hit by one of those big, red muggle busses, stumbled along behind them, having to use her best friend as a rope to keep her upright.

After a lot of cursing, yelling, stumbling and gasping, they reached the Hospital Wing and were immediately greeted by half of the Gryffindor Tower – most of which were Weasleys anyway – telling them to shh!

The rest of Ron's family had apparently Flooed in immediately, except Mr Weasley – the only reason Hermione could think was that his job hadn't let him – and all stood huddled around the bed in which he slept.

It was then, when the Weasleys' parted to hug her hello, that she caught sight of Ron.

The whole right side of his head was sparkling darker than it should be and, with a sickening twist of the stomach, she realised that it was blood. Faintly she noticed the bottle of Skele-Gro on his bedside and with another jolt she saw that his head wasn't quite the right shape, flattened and wobbly where it shouldn't be.

The rest of him was concealed under the Hospital Wing's pale blue covers and Hermione was grateful for that small mercy.

"RON!" Ginny screamed, to which almost all the boys flinched and moved their hands up as if to cover their ears, and flung herself at her older brother.

But even Hermione, blinded by tears, saw that wasn't a good idea, and wasn't surprised when everybody jerked forward simultaneously to stop her. It was Mrs Weasley, however, who caught her first and now they both stood crying wrapped in each other's arms.

Numbly, Hermione looked over to Harry, who was watching his friend with an expression that looked like he wanted to fling himself at the redhead, and caught his gaze. Wordlessly, he pulled her into a hug, tucking her head under his chin.

"How did it happen?" she whispered after a while, her words mumble into his neck. "How did you find him?"

Harry's arms tightened a little and his cheek moved soothingly over her forehead. "We found him under the Willow, – you know – the one by the lake? It was raining. He was drenched and bleeding all over,"

Hermione whimpered a little, tears welling up.

"Shh, shh, it's ok," said Harry, rubbing her back.

"I didn't even notice!" she cried quietly against his neck, and let out a sob. "I didn't even notice!"

He didn't say anything to this, just kept rubbing, and Hermione cried a little louder as her heart slowly shrivelled up.

"But I don't get it," Hermione said angrily, "why didn't Ginny tell me? I could have helped!"

"Tell you what?"

Hermione jumped and turned in her seat at the Gryffindor table to see Ginny, big brown eyes swollen and puffy, standing behind her – looking quite dishevelled.

"Oh," said Hermione softly, welling up a little at the tears in her friend's eyes. "Ginny how are you?"

The sound of Harry eating opposite her stopped.

Ginny sighed and fell heavily on the bench beside her. "I'm alright, I guess," she sniffed, then she shook her head, "tell you what?"

Hermione hesitated. Would the argument upset her? "Ginny why didn't you tell me about everybody looking for Ron?"

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed. "How could I tell you?" she said, her voice thick, "I didn't know," then her eyes filled with tears, "you think that if I'd've known I wouldn't have done anything?"

Hermione looked at her in alarm. "No! I didn't mean-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Ginny yelled, emotion taking control of her, "save it for someone who deserves not to be treated like a human being!"

And with that, she strode out of the Great Hall.

"Ginny!" Hermione cried.

"Leave it," Harry said softly, grasping the brunette's wrist.

"But I didn't mean-"

"She knows that," said Harry, letting go of her, "she's just a little emotional, is all. Mind you, we are too. I don't think it wise for anyone to provoke us today,"

Hermione sighed. "I just wish I hadn't brought it up now," she put her head in her hands, "she didn't know! I came off as a right...!" she trailed off, not wanting to swear.

Harry frowned, – she saw the creases in his cheeks through her fingertips – and shook his head. "I wonder why she didn't,"

Hermione looked up, puzzled, "you told her didn't you?"

Harry shook his head, "we were busy trying to find him – I told George to tell you,"

Hermione gaped.

George?

George stood staring at his bare-chested self in his private dorm. Most of the skin on his front was singed from the Blast-Ended Skrewts – they were still growing at a phenomenal speed and needed daily tending.

He winced, dipping his fingers in the pale-coloured salve he'd picked up at the Hospital Wing after the long hours spent there.

It had gotten dark outside by the time he'd gotten back and his chest had been burning with renewed vigour after all of the waiting before treatment.

Wincing and hissing slightly, he pushed his salve-smeared fingers onto his chest and begun rubbing it in, groaning and wincing at the burn.

There was a tap, tap, tap so quiet that the first time, George didn't hear it. It came again, louder and George identified it as the door. Frowning, he put down the open salve on his bedside and went to open it.

"Hermione?" he breathed, a little stunned.

But before he could say anything else, she interrupted. "You've been ignoring me!" she fumed.

"What?" he blinked, and then swallowed, "I haven't been-"

"Harry told me that he told you to come and tell me about Ron!" she yelled, "you wouldn't not tell me something as serious as that if you weren't ignoring me!"

George sighed, "look, 'Mione-"

"So you're admitting it?"

The redhead gave her a weird look, "I don't know what you want me to say,"

"I want you to tell me why you're ignoring me!" she yelled, so loud that a few Gryffindors poked their heads round to stare into his room.

Hushing her, he circled around her and closed the door with a quiet snap. "Hermione-"

"Ever since you – you b-beat Malfoy it's like you never say hi to me anymore an-and I don't understand!"

"Hermione-"

"Well I do – you're ashamed – and you should be – but that doesn't mean you should ignore me," she stopped, scratched her head then furrowed her eyebrows, "oh but it does! Never mind – I should leave. This was all a waste of-"

"Hermione!" George yelled, cupping his palm over her mouth. "Shh – I'll talk now ok?"

She nodded and he sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I suppose I have been ign-avoiding you, and yes I suppose I am ashamed but Hermione I think I've really just been trying to pick up the guts to tell you that I swear that I didn't mean to hurt him-"

"George I didn't come here to discuss Malfoy, I just wanted to know the reason that you-"

"But that is the reason Herms!" he said frantically, "I've just been feeling so – so mortified – with the whole thing and I couldn't – I just couldn't face you," he fell heavily back onto the bed, wincing behind his hands at the sting in his chest as he did. "I'm just so sorry you had to go through that,"

George sat there, feeling that horrible feeling in his chest like someone had dumped a bucket of water on him before Hermione's change of topic startled him.

"What happened to your chest?"

George looked at her through his fingers, studying her face for a few seconds. "Skrewts," he said simply.

There was silence for a few minutes, in which George's hand slowly went back to covering his eyes, before; "you should really get that treated,"

"Salve's on the bedside," he mumbled.

Some more silence in which all he heard was the rustling of robes.

Suddenly Hermione was sitting beside him. The bed dipped, however slightly, and he straightened up in time to see her small fingers, smeared with salve, reach forward to touch his chest.

He hissed a little at first contact but swallowed it up when she muttered a quiet sorry; and soon the pain ebbed away and all he could concentrate on was the pressure, the circular rubbing motions she was making, on his chest.

He exhaled shakily, using her force as an excuse to lean forward into her touch, ignoring the mild stinging.

There was silence but it was not at all uncomfortable as George slowly let his head loll forward…

Hermione cleared her throat and pulled her fingers away from him quiet suddenly, leaving the redhead to clear his muddled thoughts. "Um," she said, and looked up at him with flickering eyes, "I think that should be enough…" she said quietly about to put the black lid back on when their eyes connected.

The world seemed to stop as they both lost themselves in each other's brown orbs, and Hermione couldn't help thinking, in her dazed state, how red and brown went oh, so well together…

They were quiet close now. When George had leant forward he had placed his right hand slightly behind her, by her rear, to lean on, putting his right shoulder by her left one in a way that still left his broad chest facing her. Then his head had rolled forward leaving it just above hears and very close. The position would not have been too… endearing had they not been looking at each other, but as soon as they did its meaning changed completely.

Hermione was completely transfixed by his eyes, her face arranged into what George thought was the most adorably innocent expression, and it was only a faint voice in her head that registered the dip in the mattress as the redhead leaned forward…

The lid of the salve slipped between her fingertips and landed on her foot. The salve case was made of plastic, so it didn't hurt her in anyway, but the rattle it made when it hit her foot then the floor, though quiet, was enough to nock them out of their stupor.

They both looked down at it for a few seconds – and instantly their position became a lot less… endearing – before leaning away from each other with nervous glances and laughs.

It was then that Hermione noticed a great, black hawk hovering outside George's bedroom window.

She jumped, gasped, and all but sprinted towards the glass, shoving it open, snatching the small note it had – so small that it had to be held in it's beak – brought to her and slamming the window shut before it could enter.

"Hermione? What is it?" George asked slowly, receiving no answer.

He watched Hermione's face in alarm, as it turned from anxious, to wide-eyed, to extraordinarily pale and blank. She swallowed, jerked her chin up high and started making her way to the door with hurried steps muttering, "I'm sorry, Fred, but I have to go," before stepping out the door in a flutter of robes.

George slumped against the posts of his bed, stunned, staring at the door in shocked silence. "I'm George," he mumbled, to no one in particular.

But before he could recover, he noticed that, in her haste, the small piece of parchment the hawk had brought her had flown out of her grasp and onto the lush crimson carpet.

Numbly, he got up and picked up the little note with long, pale fingers.

It read;

My patience is wearing thin.

Punishments are due to those who won't obey.

Won't you obey, my sweet?

Be seeing you.

X

T.S.P

alight that's it for now! hope u liked it!

gtg - bedtime!

night

R.