Another Songfic. (Big surprise there, huh?) This one can go out to… Jenni! (as usual) Yes, it's a Ron/Hermione. Yes, it's strange. Yes, it sucks. I'll probably take it down in a few days when I get sick of seeing it. For right now, though, enjoy it. And to tell you the truth, The song annoys me… usually. It didn't the last time I heard it. I've got another songfic rolling around in my head too, so it doesn't look too hopeful for History of Magic or The Herald, so be patient. Translations are at the end of the fic, before the song. Enjoy!

I Miss My Friend

Hermione rubbed her eyes and sat down at the dingy table. "Harry," she whispered, "I don't have much time, I've got an early meeting tomorrow." The brunette glanced around the dark pub. It had been years since she visited it and she didn't know if she was glad to be back, or dreading what she knew was coming.

"Hermione, I've got to go for a little bit," the raven-headed man stood from his seat and smiled down at his friend. "I think Ron's around here somewhere… Maybe he'll sit with you? You know, to keep the scum away."

Hermione's eyes turned dark. "Harry, I don't think that would be a good idea."

The man grinned. "When was the last time we ever did anything that was a good idea?" Hermione called out after him as he left, but he continued on, ignoring her protests. While she was glowering, a thin redhead made his way over.

"'Mione?" The girl ignored him. "Hermione, just listen to me all right?" He sighed at sat down across from her, in the seat the other man had vacated only a few moments before.

"Ron," she snapped, glaring into his blue eyes, "I don't think there's anything you could say to me that would change anything."

"I miss you, Hermione." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I miss so much more than just you though." Her sighed and wrung his hands in his lap. "Hermione, I miss everything about you. But I miss not being your friend more than anything else." He sighed and felt a light blush. "I miss my friend."

~Flashback~

Hermione smiled and leaned against Ron's shoulder. A thin arm wrapped around her shoulders and she snuggled in closer to him under the thick quilt. In front of them a fire crackled, and behind them students chattered about upcoming tests, present homework, and past quiddich matches. Ron brushed a strand of curly brown hair from Hermione's eyes when she looked up at him. It promptly fell back. Hermione laughed after glancing up at her hair. "It has a mind of its own, I suppose."

"It has a wonderful mind." Hermione let out a tinkling laugh. "Come to Trelawny's tower with me."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do, Ron? Find my future in a crystal ball? Read my tea leaves?"

He smirked and leaned into her ear. "I always thought The Astronomy Tower was a bit over-rated, didn't you?" Hermione shot to her feet, the blanket falling to the floor.

"Ron," she asked a bit too loudly, "Didn't you say you were going to help me reconcile things with Trelawny tonight?"

The two smiled and bounded out of the commonroom.

~*~

Ron hurled his broom into the shabby locker outside the changing rooms. The cabinet shook and threatened to fall apart. From behind the redhead came a soft stilling charm. He turned to glare at whoever had disturbed him.

Hermione stood leaning against the far wall, her red and gold scarf wrapped around her neck, a heavy wool cloak keeping the wind from chilling her to the bone. "Ron," she whispered, pushing her self off the wall, "it was just a game."

"No!" he shouted. "It wasn't just a game! It was a game against Slytherin! Slytherin, Hermione! Gryffindor never loses to Slytherin, it just doesn't happen!"

"Ron, it was bound to happen eventually…"

"No!" Her kicked at the broom cabinet and it threatened to fall apart again.

Hermione took a hesitant step forward, placing a gentle hand on Ron's shoulder. "Ron, please, calm down." He refused to look at her. "Ron…"

The brunette trailed off. The redhead sighed and turned to face her. "Hermione, I'm not mad at you, all right?" She looked away, appearing hurt. "'Mione," he whined, "Please don't hate me."

She turned to him. "Ron, I'm not mad at you, all right?" His eyes lowered and she smiled.

"Kinda stupid of me to think a game was that important, huh?" She nodded and wrapped her arms around him. Ron smiled and carried her away from the quiddich pitch.

~*~

Hermione set her chocolate eyes on a set of blue ones belonging to Millicent Bulstrode. Across the hall Draco Malfoy locked stares with her two best friends. The two women were not as outspoken as the three boys had the habit of being.

"Why do you even stand up for him, Bulstrode? He doesn't love you."

The taller girl growled. "How would you know, Mudblood? Who do you have to love you? Scarface? The Weasel?" She let out a laugh, "Like the Weasel could ever love anybody. He's probably out for your money anyway."

Hermione's eyes burned fire. "Caesaries caeruleus," she shouted, navy sparks flowing from the end of her wand.

Millicent attacked with her own. "Lippitudo!" she shouted, her wand sending forth sparks of gold. The two hexes smashed against one another in midair, bouncing onto the two girls and leaving them on the floor.

Hermione blinked. She looked at the Slytherin. She felt fine. The other girl looked fine. They both blinked. Millicent opened her mouth to speak but Hermione cut her off. "Your hair looks nice." She sounded sincere.

The Slytherin put a chubby hand to her head and glared. "What color is it?"

"Brown."

She ran her fingers through it. "It feels… fuller."

"It looks a bit longer." The two helped one another up from the stone floor, ignoring the gaping mouths of onlookers. "How've I been hexed?" Hermione brought a strand of hair to her face. Still curly, still brown, still thin and still frizzy. She checked her clothes, and their seams. Still intact.

Millicent looked closely at her face. "I can't see anything." The two shrugged and parted ways, Millicent pulling Draco back towards the dungeons, and Hermione urging the boys back towards Gryffindor tower.

Outside the portrait- hole Ron held her back. "Hermione," he began, "That was strange back there. Exciting, but strange. And I don't think that you should do things like that. I mean, you're a strong witch, yes, but you're also very-" the words in Ron's mouth died down. He stared into her eyes.

"Ron, what is it?" Hermione placed a soft hand on the redhead's cheek. "What happened?"

"Hermione," he squeaked, "You're supposed to have brown eyes!"

The brunette was running to her dorm faster than Harry flew to the snitch. Her parents would just kill her if magic had changed another part of her appearance. They had had a big enough fit when she let Madam Pomfery shrink her teeth. She stared into her mirror without seeing. She wasn't looking at herself. She was looking at… well, someone else. Blue eyes. She was looking at blue eyes.

A knock at her door shocked her back into reality. "Come in," she called, not caring who it was.

"You know," a deep voice sighed, "it doesn't really matter what color they are. They're still the same eyes I fell in love with." Hermione felt tears well up as Ron sat in front of her. "They're still beautiful."

She smiled. "Really?" He nodded and she hugged him. "I guess I did get something out of it then."

~*~

Ron sighed. The snow was falling heavily and everybody seemed to be having so much fun. It wasn't fair. Hermione gently sat next to him on the window seat, glancing out at the snow he was watching fall. She took one of his callused hands in her soft ones. "Will you be okay?"

He shook his head, but refused to let any tears fall.

"Oh Ron," she wrapped her arms around him, an awkward sight for anybody watching. "Ron, it's nobody's fault."

A sob escaped from him and he fell deeper into her arms. "It wasn't fair Hermione! He shouldn't have had to die!"

"I know, Ron, I know." She rubbed his back and let him cry. "Sometimes things just aren't fair."

His clumsy tears fell onto her yellow cardigan. "We never even got to say goodbye! We never even got to apologize!"

"I'm sure he knows, Ron." She shifted beneath him and he leaned against her.

"But what if he doesn't, 'Mione? What if he died thinking we thought he was a prat? We really did love him!"

"I know, Ron. And he knew too. He died protecting what he knew he had to. He died because you loved him and because he loved you."

He let out another sob. "I never even apologized for all the horrible things I did! I knew Fred and George had stolen his Prefect badge, and I didn't tell him! I dyed his hair purple and never apologized! I called his work stupid!" He clung tight to the thin girl. "I called it stupid and the entire time he was trying to protect us all!"

Hermione kissed him gently on the forehead. "It's all right, Ron. It'll be all right."

~End of Flashback~

Hermione refused to look up from the table. She knew of she did her eyes would be caught in his blue orbs and she would have no hope left.

A thought hit her.

"What if," she wondered, "I would have nothing but hope left?" Her mind raced while her eyes focused on the grubby table. Hope. How long had it been since she felt hope? Hope for a world without Voldemort. Hope for a world with peaceful international relations, both in the wizarding and muggle worlds. Hope for anything. Hope for happiness. She glanced up at Ron. He smiled.

"Hermione," he took her hands in his. "I know that we won't be able to solve everything. I mean," he blushed, "there were a lot of problems. But, please, you can keep my girlfriend away from me, but don't keep my best friend away from me. I need my friend."

Hermione smiled. She took a deep breath and nodded. Yes, she could do that. She could do friends. She had gone through too much to not give him that. Yes, she could give him his friend.

Fin.

"Caesaries caeruleus" means, "A head of blue hair." As a hex it would (ideally) turn one's hair blue.

"Lippitudo" means "inflammation of the eyes." In other words, as a hex it would make the eyes become inflamed, or unhealthy. Imagine a really bad head cold or attack of allergies.

"I Miss My Friend" By Daryl Worley

I miss the look of surrender in your eyes;
The way your soft brown hair would fall.
I miss the power of your kiss when we made love
Oh, but baby most of all, I miss my friend.

The one my heart and soul confided in.
The one I felt the safest with,
The one who knew just what to say,
To make me laugh again,
And let the light back in.
I miss my friend.

I miss the colors that you brought into my life.
Your golden smile, those blue-green eyes.
An' I miss your gentle voice in lonely times like now,
Saying it'll be alright, I miss my friend.

The one my heart and soul confided in.
The one I felt the safest with,
The one who knew just what to say,
To make me laugh again,
And let the light back in.
I miss my friend.

I miss those times, I miss those nights,
I even miss those silly fights
The making up, the morning talks,
And those late afternoon walks:
I miss my friend.

The one my heart and soul confided in.
The one I felt the safest with,
The one who knew just what to say,
To make me laugh again,
Let the light back in.
I miss my friend.