Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters. Look to JK Rowling for that.

OBLIVIATE!

Chapter 2

Blackness… I opened my eyes. I? Who was I? And where was I? This place was dark… to be truthful, it scared me a little. And who were these people surrounding me? They were holding pieces of wood for some reason. I must have wandered into some sort of weird cult.

"He's awake, Master." One of the people standing in front of me said quietly.

My eyes widened when I saw the owner of the next voice. He was pretty ugly, flat nose, red eyes… not a pretty sight.

"Mr. Weasley… can you hear me? Do you know who you are?"

I shook my head in the negative.

"Perfect…"

****

Hermione Granger tossed her long, brown hair and glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. Ron was almost an hour late! She paced back and forth, wringing her hands together and staring at the fireplace.

Where was he? She was worried something had happened to him on the way to her house, but how was that possible? All it took was a handful of Floo powder and her address...

Hermione had been both extremely excited and extremely nervous at the prospect of Ron staying in her house. She hadn't seen him in two months and missed him greatly. She missed his red hair, his blue eyes, his way of always defending her and, yes, even their little fights. She wanted to see how he had changed over the summer, as well as letting him see how she had changed.

Her hair was less bushy, thankfully, due to a potion she had concocted secretly last year. She had grown a little taller and her figure was more mature, as it should have been. She was almost 15 years old.

After an hour and a half, she gave up all hope and her anger reached a fever pitch. She wrote him a scathing letter:

Ron,

Who do you think you are, letting me wait for almost two hours? I was asking you to my house on the pure goodness of my heart and this is how you repay me? Some friend you are… I don't want an explanation. You don't deserve my forgiveness, so you're not going to get it. Never speak to me again!

I hope you rot in hell, Ron Weasley!

Hermione

She put the letter in an envelope and went up to her room. Hedwig had arrived earlier with a letter from Harry, so Hermione tied the letter to Ron on her leg and carried her to the window. As she watched Hedwig fly off, she began to worry about whether she had been too harsh…

Truth be told, she wasn't all that angry at Ron. She was beginning to get a little worried in fact, as he would have somehow notified her if he was unable to come. Hermione had a soft spot for the redhead, and she couldn't bear to think that something horrible might have happened to him.

****

"Mum, an owl came for Ron." Fred called out to his mother.

"Well, put the letter on the kitchen table and he'll get it when he comes back from Hermione's." Mrs. Weasley replied from the backyard. She was doing the annual "DeGnoming", as Fred and George had refused.

"But the letter's from Hermione." George called back.

Mrs. Weasley straightened up, a particularly vicious Gnome still clutched in her hands. It bit her and she swung it over her head. She released it and went inside the house, not noticing the Gnome fly straight over the fence and into the field beyond.

She took the letter in her hands, then opened it slowly. Her face paled when she read it.

"Oh dear. Where could Ron be?" She put a hand to her cheek and looked up at the twins. They were grinning, but the expression on their faces changed rapidly as they saw their mother's distress.

"What is it, Mum?"

"Your brother may be missing…"

****

Hermione was flipping through the large volume of Hogwarts: A History when an owl arrived at her window. She recognized the owl as Ron's and opened the window. The letter attached to his leg was written in his mother's hand. Trembling, Hermione opened the letter:

Dear Hermione,

I don't know what to tell you, but Ron isn't here. I am very worried, however, as he is not at your house either. He was leaving by Floo powder at the correct time and should have arrived at your fireplace shortly afterwards. Fred and George confessed to me that, when they gave him flowers to give to you, he sneezed. I'm afraid this may be the cause of his disappearance. If he contacts you at all, please inform me at once. And don't be angry with him, he's quite taken with you.

Mrs. Weasley

Hermione gasped and sat down heavily on her bed. Ron was missing… oh God.

****

Harry arrived at the Leaky Cauldron a few days before September the first, the day he would finally get back to Hogwarts where he belonged. The innkeeper gave him a room and he stowed his things before heading into Diagon Alley.

He looked into Quality Quidditch Supplies, hoping there would be an updated model of his Firebolt, but was disappointed as all that was in the display was a pair of Chudley Cannons robes. The bright orange fabric suddenly reminded him that he was to meet Ron and Hermione at Gringotts in twenty minutes. He hurried to the large, somewhat daunting building and waited on the front steps, hoping to glimpse one, or both, of his best friends.

He saw Hermione first, struggling along the street with a large bag in both of her hands. She saw Harry and waved, causing the bag to fall out of her hands. Harry ran over to her and helped her put her things back into her bag.

"Thanks Harry." She straightened up, then gave him a large hug. "How have you been?" She asked when they had separated.

"Alright." He grinned, then noticed that she was distracted, glancing past Harry in an attempt to see something, or someone. "Ron's not here yet."

He grinned when he saw her blush. "Oh please. I wasn't looking for him…" She trailed off when Harry started laughing. "Look, Harry, I think Ron may be in trouble. He was supposed to visit me a few days ago and he never showed up."

"He probably just forgot." As soon as the words left his mouth, Harry knew it was a lie. Ron would have jumped at the chance to be alone with Hermione. The idea of him forgetting about it seemed very unlikely. "Maybe he was sick or something and figured you would just get upset if he told you."

"No, that's not it. His mother doesn't know where he is either. It's like he's disappeared." The distress in Hermione's voice was evident and Harry put his hands on her shoulders.

"Wherever he is, Hermione, he can take care of himself."

"Harry, what if… you know what happened at the end of last year… what if You-Know-Who-" She broke off and swallowed audibly. Then she was looking past Harry and gave a small cry of surprise.

"Harry, look!" He turned to where her finger was pointing and saw a familiar red-headed figure wandering down the alley.

"Ron! Hey Ron!" Harry and Hermione rushed up to their friend and grinned. Hermione went to give him a hug when he stepped back a few paces.

"I'm sorry… do I know you?" He looked from one to the other, then grinned.

Harry, thinking it was a joke, smiled back and patted his friend on the shoulder. "How have you been, Ron?"

"Don't touch me, Potter. I have friends in high places." Ron then pushed past them and continued walking down the alley.

Hermione blinked a few times before speaking. "Did… did that just happen or was that my imagination?"

Harry shrugged, knowing something was seriously wrong. Ron had never called him "Potter" before, even when they were fighting. The only person who called him that was-

"Malfoy?" Hermione gawked as she noted who Ron was now speaking to in the farther reaches of Diagon Alley.

Harry turned and looked, seeing Ron and Malfoy talking animatedly in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies. Malfoy gave Ron a friendly punch to the shoulder and Ron laughed.

"What the-"

"Well, hello you two. I've been hopin' to run into yeh." Two enormous hands clapped onto their shoulders, almost causing their legs to give.

The two teens turned around and recognized their friend, Hogwarts groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Rubeus Hagrid.

"Hiya Hagrid."

Hagrid looked at both of them, then glanced around himself. "Where's Ron then?"

Hermione turned slightly and pointed at Malfoy and Ron, who were making their way towards them.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's impolite to point, Granger?" Malfoy smirked.

"Oh, eat slugs, Malfoy." Hermione replied with a tired sigh. Harry glanced at Ron, wondering if he would notice the reference and saw Ron's face furrowed with confusion for a moment.

"Leave her alone, Malfoy."

"Ooh, Potter's come to save the mudblood." Draco replied in a whisper that only the five of them could here.

"Watch your mouth, Malfoy." Hagrid piped up from behind Harry.

Ron spoke up finally. "What a group, a brainer, an orphan and a half-giant. Pathetic."

"You used to be part of this 'pathetic' group, you know." Hermione said softly, sounding as though she was going to break into tears.

Malfoy didn't wait for Ron to reply, he just pushed him past Harry, Hermione and Hagrid and into the crowd beyond.

"Now what is he doing hanging around with the likes of Malfoy and speaking like that?" Hagrid wondered aloud. "Somethin's not right."

"What's happened to him?" Harry asked Hagrid, hoping the large man could provide an answer.

Hagrid looked down at Harry and Hermione and let out a great sigh. "I don't know, Harry. But something fishy is going on."

"Obviously. Why else would he be friendly with Malfoy? Especially after Malfoy insulted Ron at every chance he got in the past four years." Hermione stated.

Harry thought for a moment. "This must have something to do with Malfoy because he wouldn't act friendly towards Ron if he didn't gain something."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you two will find it out. I'm off to find some more flesh-eating slug repellant. See you on September the first!" Hagrid said cheerfully before wading through the crowd, head and shoulders above everyone else.

"I guess we'd better get our school stuff. C'mon Hermione."

The two friends headed off in search of their schoolbooks, both mourning the lost friendship of a certain redhead.