"Where the hell have you been?"

Hermione was startled out of her thoughts, and nearly tripped at the portrait hole. She clutched at her chest and breathed.

"You scared me!"

"Likewise," said a very miffed looking Ron, "you've been gone for hours! I nearly sent a search party out for you!"

His tone rankled, but she held back, "I was out walking Ron, and ended up at the lake. I didn't notice the time."

Ron narrowed his eyes and Hermione was suddenly nervous. It was only a practiced eye that helped her notice his wand was now in his hand. She frowned, but discretely did the same.

The glint in Ron's eye was a bit worrying.

"Where's Harry?" she asked, silently calculating moves in her head. Something was not right, and she was damned if she wasn't going to be at least a little prepared. Severus would have a field day.

"Why did you just lie to me?"

"I didn't lie."

Ron snorted, "well, not telling the exact truth then. Clever."

"I've been told that cleverness is inherent with me."

"Bollocks! Either you're hiding something or you're not Hermione. Petrificus…"

He didn't get to finish the sentence.

"How many times have I told you to not speak the incantation out loud?" Ron would have cringed if he could; Hermione nearly hollered the last part in his face. All he could do was stand there looking like a surprised sculpture.

He could move his eyes though, and rolled them anyway, only to get a sharp rap on his head.

Hermione's furious expression softened a little and she un-froze his head and neck, although she left the rest of his body rigid. Unfortunately for Ronald, he smiled and promptly fell over.

"Not totalis then," she heard him mutter into the carpet, "How'd you do that?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and unfroze him completely. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she snapped at him.

"Hermione, you disappeared beyond Hagrid's hut," Ron whined, rubbing his face gingerly, "I was worried when I couldn't find you!"

"Why were you following me?"

Ron frowned at her icy tone, but tried to explain, "shortly after you left, McGonagall came in and asked about you. She was nearly hysterical when she heard you'd been on your own." He lowered himself onto the couch, and patted the seat beside him.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and remained where she was. She saw him grimace a little and waited for the rest.

"She said she needed Harry for something, and sent me running after you. This is the thanks I get for it… yelled at by a teacher and beaten up."

"I didn't beat you up, although I'd be happy to oblige," Ron winced again, "quit squirming Ronald! One would think you're being interrogated!"

He didn't say anything, and Hermione sighed, sitting down in the armchair closest to the fire. She was tired after the day's events.

"You sound so much like him."

"Like whom?" she asked absently, turning to look into the fire.

"Snape."

Hermione froze. Did he suspect something? Slowly, she turned to look at him.

"Why do you say that?"

"It just is! You even talk like him! I've noticed this for a while now."

"Nonsense, Ronald," she said crisply, getting up to stoke the fire a bit, "you say the same thing for anyone who sounds as stern as Professor Snape."

"He's not a professor anymore Hermione! He's a murderer!" Ron yelled, his voice reverberated through the chamber.

"You're right, he's not a professor anymore."

Ron sat down, his anger deflated. Hermione sat down on the hearthrug. She didn't want to discuss Severus right now. There were too many things on her mind. Most of all, she missed him. She hadn't seen him since that night.

Hermione shuddered, she didn't want to recall the "welcome" he had received. She was still shocked at the kind of cruelty she had indulged in. It gave her nightmares, and she always woke up when Severus ended up bleeding and dying.

It always ended the same way; he would look at her with such sorrow in his eyes, and call out her name. Unbidden, she wondered what would happen if she didn't wake up at that instant.

"Hermione," Ron called her quietly, and she was startled to see that he was standing right behind her, "is there something you want to talk about?"

It was all too much. Tears made their way down her face and Hermione wondered when it was that they had all grown up so? A stubborn or incensed Ron, she could handle; she could even handle a cold-mannered Ron. What she couldn't handle or understand, was a sympathetic Ron with a shoulder to cry on.

He sat beside her and pulled her into a sideways hug, while she sobbed into his shirt. Dimly, she recalled that this seemed familiar, just like the night Dumbledore died.

Thoughts of Dumbledore made her cry afresh, and all the time, Ron just sat there, shushing her, talking nonsense to her. It was all so unexpected. When had this happened? Why did she miss it?

"When did you become so mature?" she muttered into his shirt, and heard him chuckle above her. Then he grew quiet, and Hermione stayed where she was, turning her face to look into the flames. It was nice, like this.

She didn't really expect him to answer, and was not just a little shocked at his very quiet response.

"Right about the time I started keeping secrets, I suppose."

Hastily, she pulled back to look at him. He refused to meet her eyes, but there was something about the determined set of his jaw that had her wary.

"What kind of secrets," she asked carefully.

"I suppose you wouldn't realise, nor Harry. I had to be away quite a lot, what with Harry working with Dumbledore," here he paused to swallow, "and you away on your extra credit work."

"What do you mean 'away a lot'? Where did you have to go?" Hermione knew where he was headed, but she wanted him to say it.

"I was out training with McGonagall and Moody, and sometimes," he winced, "with Snape."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Ron ran his hands through his hair in a familiar gesture, "guess I'm sorry for not having told you before."

"No, it's alright," she patted his arm, "it had to remain secret."

Ron narrowed his eyes at her, "You don't look so surprised by this news."

She shrugged; trying to quell the guilt she felt over lying to him still, "I guess nothing is too surprising to me these days."

He didn't seem to agree, but let it go anyway.

"So where'd you disappear to?" he asked, suddenly remembering.

"I was behind Hagrid's hut, just inside of the forest," it was the truth, anyway, "I was disillusioned," she added.

"Why?"

"I go there to think," she answered, still skirting around the truth, "it's the only place where I won't be disturbed."

"Why, the library too noisy?" he smirked and she elbowed him in the ribs.

"No," she spoke over his yelp, "I don't think the library is a place to sit and meditate. They might worry I finally went catatonic from over-studying."

They shared a small laugh at the weak joke, but it was enough for now. If Ron noted the lameness of the excuse, he said nothing. It was all part of growing up, she supposed. She couldn't tell him everything though, not just yet. As much as Ron had grown up, she doubted that he had matured enough to handle the whole truth, or even half of it.

Hermione knew for sure he'd act all funny if she said Snape had been training her in the Dark Arts. She wouldn't even think of telling him the other thing.

That'd go well.

Ron would explode, maybe kill her and then try to hunt down Snape and get killed in the process. No, that had to wait. There'd be a time for more confessions.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," Ron smacked his head, "McGonagall wanted to see you after dinner."

Hermione didn't look forward to that meeting. At least she had a couple of hours to prepare her answers, and shields, if she wanted to keep things clear. Severus had warned her of the Headmaster's poking and prodding; Hermione wasn't sure if it extended to his deputy as well. Best to play it safe.

They talked of inconsequential things while they headed down to the Great Hall for dinner. This summer, no one had thought to have the single table like last would probably bring keen attention to the fact that the twinkling blue eyes and jovial laugh of the headmaster were no longer going to be with them.

Clamping down on the sorrow and fear that rose to the surface, Hermione sat down to dinner and took comfort at the sight of Ron stuffing food as if there wouldn't be enough to last. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

At least some things never changed.