A/N- This chapter is dedicated to my big brother, who would be 36 today, as incredibly hard as that is to wrap my head around. He was the world's biggest jokester, and I just know that he would make fun of me for writing romione fanfiction-lol- but I know that he would also be extremely supportive of me, because that's just who he was.

The last time that I ever saw him, I had a really weird feeling that I couldn't explain, so I hugged him extra hard, and I remember that he laughed a little bit. That was the last time that I ever saw him.

I love and miss him every single day.

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Hermione's body was shaking, and she rubbed the exposed skin of her arms and her legs, trying to both warm and calm herself. She knew that her shaking was mainly due to the pain from her ankle, and the desperation of her situation, rather than from the cool night air. She had been trapped there for what she guessed to be about an hour now, and she had yet to hear any signs of life at all, the only sound was the water gently lapping against the wood. She had made a few futile attempts at yelling out, but to no avail.

She shifted a bit, her bum uncomfortable on the hard floor, and then winced from the pain that radiated from her ankle as the throbbing got worse. The part of her leg that was pinned down from the weight of the boats was tingly and numb, and she hoped that they weren't cutting off her circulation too much. She finally allowed herself to cry, not knowing what else to do. The thought of going to sleep all alone in the boathouse while pinned down by a couple of canoes was just too much. She tried to change her train of thought, hoping it would calm her down, but all she could think about was the fact that she was trapped, trapped and in pain. She slipped Juliet's bracelet into her jean shorts pocket, thankful that she at least hadn't lost it when she had fallen.

Several minutes later, after her tears had slowed down considerably, she heard something that she hadn't heard before. At first, she wasn't sure what the new sound was, but when she realized that it was the sound of footsteps on the dock, her heart leapt into her throat and she could have cried in relief.

"Help me!" she cried, knowing for sure that whoever was out there would be able to hear her. "I'm trapped in the boathouse! Please help!"

The footsteps got much quicker, and they also increased in volume as whoever it was got closer. A now familiar flash of red hair appeared, and she watched as Ron ran into the boathouse, his eyes scanning around wildly before they landed on her.

"What the hell happened?" he asked as he quickly moved towards her, his face alarmed.

She didn't answer as he immediately figured it out and lifted the top canoe. She let out a breath of relief at the decreased amount of pressure on her leg. After he set it to the side, he went for the second one, being more careful this time as he pulled it up and off of her. She let out a loud whimper of pain as the blood rushed back into her leg, and her ankle started throbbing even more than it had before. Ron set the other canoe on the wood before he scrambled down next to her.

"What hurts?" he asked her seriously, his eyes roaming up and down her leg for injuries.

"My ankle," she responded in a weak voice as she tried not to start crying again.

Wanting to help, she shone her flashlight on it. She could immediately tell that it was pretty swollen, and also that it was an angry purple color. She tried not to gasp as she felt Ron's unusually warm hands touching her. His hands were rough and calloused, but his touch was soft, much softer than she would have thought him capable of. He lifted her foot just a bit before slowly rolling her ankle from side to side as he examined it, his face concentrated.

"It's really swollen," he finally said, not releasing it. "Did you happen to hear or feel anything snap at any point?"

She tried to think back, but she didn't think she had, so she shook her head no.

"Hmm," he said, still looking at it. "I think you still need to go to the emergency room, it doesn't look too good."

She suddenly felt alarmed. "No! I mean, I don't think it's broken, and I bet that I could probably walk on it fine if I tried."

Ron gave her a doubtful look. "I really don't think that's a good idea," he murmured.

She nodded at him. "Yes it is. Trust me, I'm fine." The very last thing she needed was to play the damsel in distress, especially around Ron Weasley. She tried to stand up, but was unable to do so without help, so Ron reached out and gently grabbed onto the back of her arms and helped her stand. Once up, she leaned against the wall rather than leaning into him as she regained her footing on her good leg. When she felt confident, she tried to rest some of her weight on her ankle, and instantly screamed out before falling forward, right into Ron's chest.

"Holy shite Granger," Ron breathed as he quickly helped steady her. She bit her lip and tried not to make any more noise as she pushed against him to stand on her good leg, feeling uncomfortable at how she had just fallen into him like that. "That's it. We are going," he said, his tone indicating that she no longer had a choice in the matter. "There's a little 24 hour emergency room only about ten miles or so from here. I'll drive you."

"What will Lavender think?" she asked. She hadn't meant to say that, the question had just popped out of her mouth, and she felt her cheeks pinken in embarrassment at the implication of her words.

He gave her an odd look. "She will think that I'm being a nice person who is helping somebody who needs it," he said slowly.

She nodded at him, but didn't say anything.

"I'm going-" he cleared his throat. "I'm going to pick you up now Granger. Is that okay?" he asked, his voice sounding nervous.

"Um, yeah," she said quietly, avoiding his gaze.

She gulped before he hesitantly wrapped his arm behind her waist. He leaned down and put his other arm under her knees, easily lifting her up as if she weighed nothing. Her heart was pounding, and although she couldn't stop imagining what Lavender's face would look like if she saw them right now, she had to admit to herself that she really liked the feeling of being in his arms. He was warm, and she welcomed it after being cold for the past hour. He had this earthy scent that she was breathing in, and she resisted the urge to lean her head closer to smell more of him.

He walked in silence, and she could feel the awkwardness of their situation in the air around them. She could tell by his face that he felt it as well.

"Why were you out there tonight?" she asked hurriedly, hoping that a light conversation would help break the tension some.

"I uh, I was going to take a swim in the lake," he answered quickly, seemingly grateful that she had started to talk first.

"Why were you alone?" she asked, not wanting to outright ask him why Lavender hadn't been with him.

She felt him shrug. "Lav doesn't like swimming in the lake. She thinks it's dirty."

"Oh," she said, not knowing what else to say.

"It's fine though. I enjoy swimming by myself. It helps me relax."

"You're not scared of, I don't know, snakes or something?"

He chuckled. "The only thing I'm scared of is spiders. Luckily, you don't find too many of those in the lake."

"Well, there are water spiders though," Hermione mused. "They usually prefer ponds, but-" she stopped talking at the horrified expression on his face. "But I'm sure that if you haven't seen them, then they aren't in that particular lake," she continued hurriedly, feeling guilty that she had even brought it up.

"Don't take my late night lake swims away from me Granger," he tried to joke, but she could tell that she had certainly planted the unwelcome thought in his head and would not soon be forgetting about it.

They were now on the opposite side of the lake, heading towards the area where all of the buildings were.

"You're wearing jeans," she piped up, wanting to keep conversation flowing and also wondering why he had changed out of the shorts he had been wearing earlier."If you were going to go swimming, why would you not bring your swimming trunks?"

He gave her a look as if she were dim. "Granger. Why would I bring swimming trunks to swim in a lake, late at night, alone, all by myself?"

She felt her eyes widen in realization. "You mean to tell me that you swim in the lake starkers?" she asked him, her voice barely over a whisper.

He chuckled. "Of course. It's quite freeing actually. You should try it sometime. Just- uh- make sure you don't come out on the nights I do, otherwise, that might end up being a little awkward."

"That won't be a problem," she said quickly, desperately trying not to think of Ron starkers. "Trust me, I have no interest in skinny dipping in the lake in the middle of the night."

His eyebrows suddenly furrowed. "Wait. Why were you out there in the boathouse?" he asked her. "And how did you get trapped under those canoes?" He looked baffled, and she could tell that it was the first time that he had thought about how she had ended up in that predicament.

"Oh. Well, Juliet-"

Ron smiled. "Shadows sister? She's bloody adorable isn't she?"

Hermione smiled. The look on his face was also adorable, and she shook her head slightly, trying to clear it from her sudden unwanted thought. "Yes, she is," she agreed. "Well, she left her bracelet in one of the canoes, and then after dinner she was hysterical-"

"So you went to go get it for her," he finished and she nodded. "Well," he said in a humored tone. "Might want to cool it down on the 'playing hero' bit, as that's obviously my title around here," he said smugly.

She said nothing, but she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, earning her a small laugh.

They were now in the volunteers parking lot, and she looked around, wondering which vehicle was Ron's. He carried her to the side of a small white truck, before setting her down gently on the passengers side. He told her to lean against the truck, and she complied, careful not to put any weight on her bad ankle. She watched as he walked around to the drivers side, and she saw him duck down before coming back up, his truck key now in his hand.

"Where was your key?" she asked incredulously as he made his way back around to her.

"I keep it under my truck next to the tire," he replied nonchalantly as he unlocked the door and pulled it all the way open. "No one thinks to look there," he added as he put his arm around her waist and helped her up into the truck. Once she was in, he shut the door softly and made his way around to the drivers side before getting in. He started the truck, and backed away, the headlights illuminating the dark woods as they started down the long dirt road. Neither of them said anything, and Hermione turned her head to stare out of her window, nervously wringing her hands in her lap. Out of all the people at the camp to find her, it just had to be the boy she had been inwardly obsessing about. The boy who was one hundred percent not available. It seemed as if the universe was playing some sort of cruel joke on her or something.

"It might just be me," Ron started quietly. "But you seem nervous." She turned her head to look at him and he cleared his throat."You don't think that I'm going to...try something on you or anything like that do you?"

Hermione quickly shook her head. "No, no. I don't. Not at all."

He let out a breath. "Good. Because I'm not like that."

"I know," she replied, watching as he stared ahead and pursed his lips as if deep in thought. "Honestly, it's just..." she started before trailing off, embarrassed. She obviously wasn't going to tell him what her thoughts actually were, but she didn't want him to think that she thought he was some kind of creep either.

"It's just...what?" he asked softly as he gave her a sideways glance.

She focused on her initial worry, knowing that it was easier to explain than her current thoughts. "You have a girlfriend. And I'm worried that she-"

"Ah," he cut her off. "You're worried that by allowing me to take you to the emergency room in the middle of the night, that you are going to have to face the wrath of Lavender. Is that right?"

"Something like that," she mumbled, not looking at him.

"Listen. Don't worry about that okay? I'm going to tell her everything tomorrow, and I promise that she'll understand. You don't have anything to worry about...besides, she trusts me. I have never given her any reason not to." He gave her a reassuring smile that caused butterflies in her stomach, and she had to look away from him. He was making it so hard not to feel things for him, and she hated it. Why him?

"Thank you for this, by the way," she said, wanting to change the subject. "I really appreciate it."

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, I'm just doing what any decent person would do."

"And I," she started slowly. "I'm sorry for that night too. Out on the dock I mean." She took a deep breath. "When I said that the camp didn't mean anything to you. It was wrong and unfair of me to say that, and I'm sorry."

She felt nervous as he stared ahead at the road, not saying anything. His face was contemplative, but she had a sense that he appreciated her words.

"Yeah," he finally said. "It was wrong of you, but it's water under the bridge by now. I know that you were just mad- and besides, from your perspective, I can see where you would get that ide-"

"No," she cut him off loudly. "I had no right to say what I did, no matter what I saw- or thought I saw. I have since seen firsthand just how wrong that I was. You care for this camp, and it really shows. And I cant believe how rude I was when you tried to warn me about Cormac. You were right about him by the way."

He nodded gravely. "I know I was. The arsehole is slime."

She nodded. "Yes, he is. I was just hoping so much that he wasn't, that I ended up fooling even myself for a bit there."

"Yeah, Gin told me what happened with him- how he tried to frame you for that word on the shed. I didn't think that I could ever hate him any more, but when I heard about that, I really did." He paused for a few seconds before continuing. "You shouldn't feel too bad about falling for his act though. He's always gone after the pretty girls at camp, but sooner or later, they all eventually realize that he's scum, and he ends up alone again."

Hermione's heart fluttered. Had he just called her pretty? She was glad that it was dark in the truck, because she was sure that her face was pink from the suggestion.

"Why do you hate him so much?" she asked, again turning to him.

He turned to glance at her, his eyebrow raised.

"I mean- besides the obvious. Something had to have happened before right? And then the first day- in the cafeteria-"

She stopped as she watched him grimace. "Yeah, well-" he started to rub the back of his neck and she could tell that he was uncomfortable by her questions. "As for what happened the first day. He left a note on Lavender's car, giving her a time and place to meet him later that night 'for a good time'. It wasn't signed, but I know that he did it. Honestly I think a part of it was just him trying to get me riled up." Hermione nodded, agreeing. "As for something happening before. There was, well, stuff that happened last year, but, I can't really talk abo-"

"No, that's okay!" she cut in. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business, you don't have to explain anything."

He gave her a small nod, and she had a feeling that he was relieved to not have to talk about it. About ten seconds later, she saw the bright red sign of the emergency room ahead. Ron pulled in and turned off the truck. He told her that he was going to see if he could get a wheelchair to wheel her in, and she couldn't help but feel a flicker of disappointment that he wasn't going to be holding her again. He went inside, and it was mere minutes later that he came back out with an elderly nurse who was pushing an empty wheelchair. Together, they helped her into the chair. Once she was sitting, Ron stood there looking uncomfortable, his hands now in his pockets.

"I'll uh- I'll stay out here in the truck until you're done in there, I guess," he mumbled.

The nurse looked between the two of them. "Oh honey, you're certainly welcome to come in here with your girlfriend!" She smiled at Ron reassuredly.

Ron's eyes widened. "She's- she's not-" he sputtered.

"He's not my boyfriend," Hermione cut in hastily, not missing the grateful look Ron shot her.

Even though it was ridiculous, she couldn't help but feel a bit offended at the way he had reacted at the nurse's words.

"Oh. In that case, I apologize," said the nurse, who looked a bit surprised.

Hermione smiled at her before turning to Ron. "Okay, see you in a bit I guess."

Ron nodded, and the nurse turned and wheeled her inside.

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Exactly forty three minutes later, Hermione hobbled out of the small building on crutches, her x-ray pictures in a small plastic bag that was slung over her right shoulder. She saw Ron's truck sitting in the same spot it had been earlier, and she made her way over to it. At first glance, she didn't see him inside of it, but as she moved closer, she spotted him in the driver's seat. The seat was leaned all the way back, and he was sound asleep, his mouth partly open, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't look comfortable at all, his legs bent at the knees as he lay partially on his side. Trying to be as gentle as possible in order not to startle him, she tapped on the glass window. He didn't budge at all, so she tapped a little harder. When that still didn't work, she gave the glass three hard taps, and Ron's eyes immediately opened wide as he shot up and looked around. When he spotted her, his face relaxed, and she gave him an apologetic look. He gestured to the other side of the truck, and she went over and climbed in after he opened the door for her from the inside.

He let out a loud yawn. "So, you're sorted?" he asked, eyeing her now wrapped ankle as he started the truck.

"Yes. It isn't broken, but it's a grade two sprain. I just have to take it easy for about two weeks, keep off of it as much as possible, and use my crutches of course."

He nodded. "I'm glad it isn't broken. That would suck."

She agreed before laying back in her seat. After the excitement of the day, and now the night, she was so ready to crawl into bed and go to sleep.