This is a non-canon story. Different couples, different situations, etc. I am changing a lot from the book and doing it my own way. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it. If you do like it, then please, leave me some reviews because I love reading about what people think of my stories.

Disclaimer – I own nothing except my own ideas. Everything else belongs to Rowling.

Chapter 12

The summer before their sixth year was coming to an end and Hermione was finally ready to admit that something was seriously wrong between her and Draco. After the fight at the Ministry of Magic, they had all returned to Hogwarts completely changed. They now bore the scars of real battle and they all seemed to have matured over night. Draco had done a fine job at ignoring and avoiding Hermione at all costs.

During their last few weeks of classes, he refused to even glance at her. In the Great Hall, he never even lifted his head to acknowledge her. Their private room had become cold and empty upon every visit she managed to get in, which meant he had never checked into the room since they returned from the Ministry. What hurt her the most though was seeing every letter she wrote to him being returned to her unopened. She had hoped that with time he would given in and finally write to her at least, letting her know what was going on. She doubted that Ron holding her hand was the reason behind all this...silence. There had to be something more.

So, she spent her summer alone at first before going to the Weasley's. Her parents, of course, inquired as to why Draco wasn't visiting that summer. She had lied to them easily enough, and they believed her every time. She had one more week before they all needed to go on the Hogwarts Express, and she vowed now to write to Narcissa. Maybe his mother would give her some insight as to what was happening with Draco.

She sat up in her cot and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill with ink from her bag. She quickly began writing a letter that she hoped wasn't going to sound too desperate.

'Dearest Narcissa,

I've had no news from Draco and I'm getting very concerned. All I wish to know is if everything is alright, and if you are both safe? Draco hasn't spoken with me since the incident at the Ministry and I'm wondering if something is amiss that I don't know about.

Please, let me know how you both are.

Love,

Curly Genius'

She quickly casted a protective spell on the letter and handed it to her owl. She stared out the window as her last bit of hope soared into the sky and disappeared. She put away her stationery and stood up to stretch before making her way down the various staircases of the Weasley's unique home and walking into the quiet living room. She looked out the window and smiled a bit as she watched the entire family, with the exception of Mrs. Weasley, playing Quidditch. The teams were evenly divided; Harry, Ron and Fred, versus Mr. Weasley, George, and Ginny. It seemed as if a bet was currently in play since they were all playing very seriously.

The sound of pans banging about in the kitchen indicated where Mrs. Weasley was currently. Hermione walked into the kitchen to find a particularly disheveled Mrs. Weasley, flitting about the kitchen while four different pots were boiling on the stove.

"Can I help?" Hermione offered.

"Oh!" Mrs. Weasley jumped slightly, and looked up in surprise before softening her look into one of affection. "No dear, I have everything under control. Why don't you go outside and play quidditch with them? I've actually never seen you play before though…"

"I'm terrified of flying." Hermione revealed as she turned crimson. "Besides, they seem to be playing very...strongly...which means there's some sort of bet involved."

"I don't know how they can be so competitive." Mrs. Weasley shook her head as she stared at Hermione's blushing face. "Come dear, help me chop the vegetables to add to my soup."

Hermione beamed. It was common knowledge that Mrs. Weasley never allowed anyone to assist her in the kitchen. The matriarch was too proud and confident of her cooking to condone any help offered to her. So, this was clearly a monumental turn of events in Hermione's eyes.

She quickly moved over to the chopping board with the vegetables laid out perfectly and began chopping. Once Mrs. Weasley gave her approval after the first carrot, she began to cut faster. Cooking was a passion of Hermione's. It reminded her of potion making, something that she sincerely missed doing every summer. They worked in harmonious silence, quickly producing a vegetable soup, beef stew, shepherd's pie, roast and mincemeat pies baking in the oven. Mrs. Weasley gave a slightly exhausted Hermione a side smirk before pulling out two whiskey glasses and bottle of firewhisky from inside the jar marked 'flour'.

"I trust you to keep my secret." Mrs. Weasley said as she poured some firewhisky into the two glasses before returning the bottle to it's hiding place and handing a glass to Hermione. "Every cook deserves a bit of alcohol for their hard work. You've definitely earned it, my dear."

Hermione grinned and accepted the glass graciously, sipping the drink for the first time in her life. She winced as the inside of her throat suddenly began burning as if it was on fire. She coughed a bit, causing Mrs. Weasley to chuckle as she led them into the living room for a bit of rest.

"Now, I know that you and those two boys out there have secrets." Mrs. Weasley began. "And I know that you, three, are always making plans. But, this summer, you've seemed more down than usual. You can tell me anything Hermione. You should know by now that I love you like my very own daughter. So, what's the matter my dear?"

A bright blush rose to Hermione's cheeks. She lowered her eyes to the glass and hid her smile. She knew that even though Mrs. Weasley claimed to love her like a daughter, there was no way she would understand what Hermione was going through. It was no secret that Mrs. Weasley had high hopes for Hermione and Ron to change their friendship to that of something more intimate. She hated to disappoint the loving older woman, but there was no hope for her and Ron.

Now that she thought about it, Ron had been acting a lot more...intimate...to her lately. She would catch him staring at her at times, or reaching to squeeze her hand whenever they were having a conversation. In fact, just the night before Ron had leaned forward during their conversation and gently removed some toothpaste from the side of her mouth. She had felt very nervous and disturbed by his actions, and vowed to warn him next time it happened.

"Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley pressed.

"I've just been worrying about...my parents." Hermione lied. "Things are getting worse in the wizarding world...and also the muggle world, so I'm worried that they might get...attacked...because of me."

"Oh my dear, I'm sure that your parents will be fine." Mrs. Weasley gave her a reassuring smile. "The order has someone checking in and watching them closely every day. So don't worry too much, alright?"

"I wasn't aware of that…" Hermione murmured in slight surprise.

"I know." Mrs. Weasley finished her drink and stood up. "Well, I best go check on the food in the oven. Can you go out and tell them to come in and get cleaned up for dinner?"

Hermione nodded and quickly finished her drink, handing her glass to the waiting Mrs. Weasley before stepping outside into the huge yard. She waved in the air until Ginny spotted her and flew towards her. She quickly relayed the message and decided to go get cleaned up herself. As she stepped into Ginny's bedroom, she spotted a letter waiting for her on her bed. She gasped and bit down on her lower lip. She wanted to read it's contents instantly, but she could hear the trample of footsteps downstairs as everyone was returning to their respective rooms to get ready. She quickly hid the letter securely and went into the bathroom to wash her hands and face.

Dinner was it's usual loud and rambunctious affair, filled with chatter and a little teasing in Ron's direction from Fred and George. After dinner everyone went their separate ways. Ron disappeared for a shower and Ginny had sneaked away with Harry for some alone time. It wasn't official yet, but it was obvious that the two had feelings for each other. Once everyone was busy, Hermione grabbed her letter and went to a hidden section of the garden that she had found a few days ago. She knew that no one would come looking for her just yet, so she had enough time to read it.

She quickly settled herself in her hidden corner and bit down on her finger until it bleed slightly before touching the paper with her blood. The contents of the paper suddenly appeared and she easily recognized Narcissa's handwriting.

"My Dearest Hermione,

I'm glad to hear from you at last. I know now that my worry about Draco's sudden attitude change isn't in vain. Draco has been very distant with me lately. I've only received cordial greetings at meal times, but the rest of the day he spends hiding in his room. I had hoped that he was at least conversing with you, but after reading your letter, I am now thoroughly concerned.

Perhaps if you saw him...you could try to speak with him? I'm sending him to Diagon Alley tomorrow for a special book I ordered. He should be in Flourish and Blotts tomorrow by 11am. If you can get there, maybe you can see how he really is?

I don't expect another letter tonight. But know that I love you like the daughter I always wanted to have, and you have my support with anything you might need.

Love,

The Angel Mother"

Hermione read the letter again before folding it back up and leaned back against a tree trunk, staring up at the night sky. She reached up to touch her cheek and wipe away the tears that were now falling from her eyes. She would have felt better knowing that Draco was at least confiding in his mother. But now, she was even more worried than before. She had to get to Flourish and Blotts tomorrow. There was no negotiating. She needed to see him. She needed to confront him.

"Hermione?!" Ron's voice echoed from somewhere in the distance..

She had been gone long enough. She quickly hid the letter in her pocket and made her way back to the house. She placed a bright fake smile on her face as she spotted Ron and Harry looking around for her.

"I'm here!" She called towards them as she jogged over.

"Where were you?" Harry wondered.

"I was just walking around the garden." She answered simply. "Hey, I have an idea."

"Uh oh...that usually means school work…or something with books." Ron teased.

Harry chuckled while Hermione shot him a dirty look.

"I was thinking that we could go into Diagon Alley tomorrow." she continued. "Just the three of us."

"I sense Flourish and Blotts written all over this suggestion." Ron murmured.

"Actually...yes." Hermione smiled sheepishly. "I want to pick up a few books that's not on our school's book list. I figured you two could spend some time in the Quidditch store while I browsed Flourish and Blotts."

"That actually sounds good." Ron gave Harry a huge smile. "I am, after all, trying out for Keeper this year. So it'll be nice to get a few things."

"I wouldn't mind checking it out too." Harry smirked. "It'll be nice change from here for a day."

"We can meet at Florean Fortescue after!" Hermione added, knowing that they would never say no to ice cream. "My treat."

"Well geez, Hermione, that's all you had to say." Ron chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked back into the house.

Harry watched closely as Hermione frowned from the gesture and easily slipped out from under Ron's arm. She bid them all goodnight and headed up to Ginny's room. He had meant to talk to Hermione about her feelings for Ron, but he kept getting distracted by other thoughts. He knew how Ron felt because he kept talking about it whenever they were alone, but Hermione's feelings were still unknown. He sensed that something had happened with her recently because of her sober attitude this summer, but she hadn't opened up to them, and he hadn't wanted to press the issue.

"I think I'm going to tell Hermione how I feel tomorrow." Ron whispered to Harry. "What do you think?"

"Um...Ron, I don't know about that." Harry said honestly. "I don't think Hermione is up for a conversation like that…"

"Hogwash!" Ron chuckled. "I know she likes me."

Before Harry could say anything else, Ron waved him off and walked away to the kitchen. Harry sighed and decided to go upstairs to say goodnight to Ginny.

A/N

I hope this was a good chapter! Thank you all for the amazing reviews. I'm loving that you're all loving this! Will update soon :)