Grave Revelation

By Redd Butterfly

Disclaimer: Anything Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

Chapter Two: Distress

Mom and Dad left for the clinic at around eight o'clock. I heard them leave. I've been hearing them leave for the past three days. It's not that they make so much noise getting ready, but because I don't sleep well anymore.

At first, I would sleep late, but wake up late as well. Then I would sleep late but wake up a little earlier. My waking time got earlier and earlier that, in the end, I stopped sleeping at night all together.

I would just stay up, hear my parents' car leave the driveway, and only as soon as they were gone would I be able to sleep. But on this particular day, I couldn't sleep even an hour after they've gone.

Giving up, I got dressed in some day clothes and made my way to the kitchen to have something to eat. No, I didn't feel hungry. I stopped getting hungry after my second day here. But I was not going to go anorexic.

No. Way.

So I made myself a sandwich, took it to the living room, sat on the couch, opened up my copy of Hogwarts, A History, and began forcing myself to eat.

Later (I don't know how long), I lied on the couch. I guess a full stomach and a good read was all I needed because I was asleep before I realized it.

~ * ~

"Thanks, Dad."

"You just be careful."

With that, Ron stepped into the fireplace, gave one look at his family, threw the Floo Powder, and—

"Hermione Granger's house!"

The Burrow disappeared in a swirl of emerald-green flames. After a few seconds of high-speed spinning and blurs of fireplaces, Ron landed perfectly in the Granger's fireplace.

He leaned forward so he wouldn't hit his head as he made his way out. Ron was surprised when he straightened his back and got a good look at the Granger's living room.

Ron knew Hermione's parents were dentists, but he never really understood what that meant. At least he now understands one thing about that muggle profession—dentists must make a lot of money.

The Grangers' living room was as big as the entire first floor of the Burrow. Its walls were white and the ceiling was high. A huge painted portrait of the Grangers hung on top of the fireplace. There were a bunch of electronic muggle devices that were held in what looked to him like a huge book shelf on the right wall. The sitting area was in front of him, with all the couches facing the "book shelf."

He didn't get to marvel at the room any longer for he had just spotted his female best friend lying on the largest couch with Hogwarts, A History sprawled across her abdomen.

~ * ~

I was having a dream.

My parents and I were eating dinner together. Mom and I were laughing at a story Dad was telling about a little boy's attempt to get rid of the line of spit that connect the spitting bowl and his lower lip. I was having a pleasant time, and I couldn't remember ever being so happy since I got home.

Suddenly, the windows behind my dad shattered with a stream of green light that ended up hitting my father on his back. He fell forward into his mashed potatoes, and mom and I just scream.

Then some hooded men walked into the dinning room from the kitchen and some from the hole where the glass window used to be. Two of them raised their wands at me and my mother. "Avada—"

~ * ~

"NO!!!!"

I sat straight up screaming. Then a figure rushed to my side and knelt down beside me. Thinking he was a Death Eater, I gathered all the strength I had and pounded him continuously with my fists. Tears started rolling down my cheeks as a yelled for him to get away.

Instead of hurting me back, however, the stranger put his arms around my waist and hugged me tightly.

"It's ok, Hermione," he said softly in my ear. "Shhh...It's just me."

My arms stopped pounding but my eyes didn't stop tearing.

That voice. I know that voice. This wasn't any stranger. That voice could only belong to—

"Ron?"

I moved back a little to see if it was really him.

Red hair, beautiful blue eyes, and the most perfectly handsome face filled my vision.

Thank Merlin, it is him!

I quickly threw my arms around him and sobbed into his shoulders. He got up from his kneeling position on the floor and sat next to me on the couch, allowing me to sob on his chest as he hugged me.

~ * ~

After several minutes of whispering soothing words to Hermione as she cried on his chest, Ron noticed that Hermione seemed to stop shaking. Taking this as a sign that she was done, he pulled back to face her.

As she straightened up, Ron saw that tears were still streaming down her face. Before he knew what he was doing, his right hand made its way to her left cheek, and his thumb wiped away the newly fallen tears. Then he brought his same hand down to hold her left one.

"So...You...um...want to talk about it?" After a few seconds where Hermione looked like she was debating something with herself, she slowly nodded.

To Be Continued...

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

A/N  Thanks to those who reviewed and are going to review. (Belated) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!