Drastic Measures, Chapter Four
bye M. Sloane

A/N: So sorry about the wait… My computer broke, with the almost finished chapter four on it.  Then, I moved. I finally picked up my computer yesterday… I was dying without it. I realize that my family cant live without computers… (well, we could, but you know what I mean) every family member has one, and uses one. My mom teaches people how to use computers. Which is great for finding good deals on great computers. My new CD burner (on my new computer that broke after a week and a half) makes audio cds in, get this, FOUR MINUTES. Haha. Anyway, here yah go. 
Big thanks to everyone who reviewed, too… It inspires. I'm glad people like what I'm writing. Have you ever gotten your first review from a random person? Its like, tingly happiness. Anywho, thanks.

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Ron stormed through the portrait hole.  He grabbed Harry's arm, dragged him up the stairs and threw into the dormitory. Shutting the door, he looked around to see if anyone was in there, breathing a sigh of relief when he found the coast clear.

"Would you mind telling me why you dragged me up here in a huff?" Harry asked, bewildered, as he sat down on his bed.

"I went to apologize to Hermione," he told Harry quickly, "You know, after that row we had down in the common room?"

"You apologized to her?" Harry asked, thoroughly surprised.

Ron glared at him. "Anyway, Malfoy was there."

"What was that prat doing there?"

"I've no idea," Ron replied truthfully, "But anyway, he snatched a book from 'Mione, and she punched him, made him bleed. He went on about how it was pure blood, and how it was the best blood she'd ever be around. Called her a mudblood. But when 'Mione told him that his family had the bad blood, he hit her."

"What?!" Harry stood up, his fists clenched.

Ron bit his lip, then flashed the smallest smile. "Don't worry. I, er, got a bit mad. Gave him a beating."

"Good," Harry retorted, sitting down again, "The stupid git deserved it."

"She made me stop, you know, when I was really just getting to it," Ron said bitterly. "Malfoy didn't have his bodyguards, an easy target."

Harry looked at his friend quizzically.  "So why am I up here? You could've told me that in the Common Room."

"Right," Ron said with a nod.  He was speaking very quickly now. "back to the story. So I gave 'Mione back her book, but, well, it wasn't a book."

"What do you mean, it wasn't a book?"

Ron bit his lip again. "It was her diary."

"Hermione has a diary?" Harry asked, taken aback.

"Apparently," Ron said with a shrug. "But anyway, we had another row, and she stormed off, and there it was."

"There what was?"

Ron threw a book at him. "This."

Harry opened it, and read the first page. "Property of Hermione Granger." He looked at Ron. "Ron, is this her diary?"

Ron scuffed his feet, and looked around worriedly. "Yeah."

"Have you read it?"

"Erm, no," Ron said, slowly. "You know I'd love to, but, well, she'd kill me.  She'll kill me anyway, Harry! If I give it to her, she'll think I've read it, even if I haven't!  But I couldn't just leave it there- anyone could find it! She'd kill me if I left it!"

"Well," Harry looked at him, "are you going to read it?"

Ron looked down at his hands. "Um, I want to… But I know I shouldn't."

They both looked at the book, which now sat closed on Harry's bed.

Light bulb. Or Lumos, because Ron didn't take Muggle Studies, and though Hermione was Muggle born, and his father was the head of the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts of the Ministry, Ron still didn't understand the magic of electricity.

"Harry, I've got it!" Ron exclaimed, suddenly looking very excited and proud with himself.

Harry gave him a curious look.

"Well, you read it, and tell me what it says.  Then, if she asks if I read it, it wont be a lie!" Ron said in a rush, flushed by his own brilliance.

Harry thought about it for a while.  "Erm, fine. But only for you."  He reluctantly took the book and opened it near the end.  Flipping forward a few pages, he looked up at Ron.  "I've found her last writing."

Ron bit his lip.  Did he really want to know what Hermione had written that badly?  Then he remembered the Justin, written in her perfect handwriting.

"Read it. Tell me what she said."

Ron watched his best friend's face as he read.  Harry's green eyes looked somewhat worried as they went back and forth along the lines.  Ron wondered what he was reading.  He'd know, soon enough, though.  He could wait.  To pass the time, he paced the room, back and forth, back and forth.

After a few moments, Harry shut the book.  Roughly.  Ron could tell that something wasn't right…

"I can't do this, Ron. I'm sorry," he gave his best friend an apologetic look.

"Fine," Ron said, the color rising in his face.  Harry gave him the book, and left.

He looked at the book in his hands.  It was quite small, and plain.  It would look like just another of Hermione's books.  No one would care, because no one cared about Hermione's books anyway.  She reads too much, Ron thought with a smile.  Almost anything about Hermione made him smile. He was head over heals for her, after all.

Ron checked the date of the first writing.  It was in their Fifth Year.  The first day of their fifth year, to be exact.  Ron thought back to it; it felt like the distant past.  She had written a lot since then, and yet, the book was so small.  Hermione was clever, though, she'd have thought of a way to make the book have more pages than it looked like.

Two years.  Two and a half, actually.  In that time, had he changed?  Since their Firth Year, when Ron had finally realized and accepted his feelings for Hermione, had he changed?  Sure, his haircut, and the quidditch position, and he had more experience.  But he had matured, hadn't he? He wasn't still a stupid, annoying boy, was he?  She sure seemed to think so.

Ron ran a hand through his red hair.  Was it worth it to read it?  If she found out, she might never forgive him. He might lose her trust forever.  And how could, well, anything happen between them if there was no trust?

Ron stared at the book.  Is it worth it?