Chapter 9

Hermione watched the expression on Ron's face as he observed his best friend comforting his little sister. This was very odd to him and he really didn't know how to feel about it. On one hand, he thought to himself that he rather it be Harry than someone else. On the other hand, he didn't want to see Harry touching his sister like that.
Then he looked closer at the two of them. Harry was comforting her where he and Hermione could not. Maybe she needed that person in her life, and if that person happened to be Harry, then so be it. Ron had decided at that very moment that he would support Harry and Ginny and their relationship.

"Come on Ron, let's leave them alone" Hermione said, tugging at his sleeve. The two of them walked back down to the common room in silence.

***

Ron awoke the next morning with a smile on his face, dreams of Hermione as usual. They've plagued his dreams since the day he met her. They'd only gotten more detailed over the last year and he wasn't complaining about that.

He felt a grumble in his stomach. He was certainly ready for a big Sunday breakfast. He rolled over to see if Harry was awake and he found an empty, made bed. Thoughts began racing through Ron's mind and he took back every promise of support that he had made to himself the night before.

Ron grabbed a robe, put it on, and left his room. He traveled down to the girls dormitories and decided perhaps he should take a few breaths before busting in and beating the living day light out of his former best friend for shagging his little sister. When he entered the room, he saw the curtains drawn around Ginny's bed and it looked as though all the other girls in the room had gone to breakfast already. He pulled back the curtain to see Harry and Ginny, lying in almost the same position he had left them in the night before. He felt a little relieved but still suspicious. He tapped on Harry's shoulder to wake him up.

Harry slowly opened one eye and then the other and looked up at Ron.
"Ron… its not what it looks like… I just… we just… fell asleep"

"Well, come on let's go, you wouldn't want anyone to see you like this."

Harry carefully unraveled himself from around Ginny, trying not to wake her, and guiltily looked at Ron for touching his sister in such a manor.

When they reached the hall Harry was afraid to say anything at all, he didn't know how Ron felt about all this and he didn't want to provoke any anger.

"Is she feeling better?" Ron asked.
"I dunno, I hope so, she didn't say anything at all, just cried" Harry told him, looking at the floor.
"We've got to get to the bottom of this Harry"

"Yea, I know, Hermione's probably going to want to go to the library, I'll meet you down there, I'm gonna take a quick shower"
"Alright then Harry, see you in a bit"

Ron did all he could do to not say something about Harry sleeping with his sister, even if it was innocent. He still didn't like it one bit.

He walked into the common room to see Hermione sitting in front of the fire, wrapping her finger around a single curl that draped in front of her face. This certainly got his thoughts off Harry and his sister.
"Hello Ron"

"Hello Hermione"

"Where's Harry?"
"He's taking a shower, he said he'd meet us at the library, though I really don't know what we're going to be looking up considering we don't have evidence of anything or any clues to lead us in any which direction that would involve book reading"

"Stop your rambling Ron, its better than sitting around. Perhaps we can research Lord Voldemort or something. Just make ourselves useful."

Ron naturally nodded and followed Hermione out of the common room.

"So is Ginny alright?"

"I dunno, why don't you ask Harry, the bloody git slept with her last night"
"HE DID WHAT"

"No no not like that" Ron said, laughing, "Are you kidding, he'd be dead right now! No I mean he fell asleep with her"

"Oh, well I think that's sweet"
"Well I think it's disgusting. I don't like those two together, I don't like it at all"

"They're not together, he's just being there for her, besides, Harry likes someone el…" Hermione's eyes grew wide and she wished she hadn't started that particular sentence.

"What was that? Harry likes someone else? He's messing around with my little sister?"

"No no Ron its not like that! Ginny knows he doesn't want to be with her"

"Well why doesn't he want to be with her?! You're telling me there's someone better than Ginny in this school?! What's Harry playing at?!"

"Ron, I thought you didn't want Harry to be with Ginny" Hermione was quite confused at this point.

"Who does Harry like? And why don't I know about it? And why do you know about it and you haven't told me? What kind of honest relationship do we have that you don't even tell me who my best friend likes."

"Ron stop being a stupid prat, if Harry wanted you to know he would have told you. Obviously he was afraid you would act like this, and oh look, he was right! If I were him, I wouldn't have told you either!"

"Oh that's just lovely Hermione, maybe you were right about us after all" and with that, Ron turned and walked away from her, leaving her in the hallway to begin to cry. He heard the soft whimper but couldn't give her the satisfaction just yet. He turned a corner and stood against a wall, taking a deep breath and wondering if he overreacted. Should he go back and apologize?

Hermione stood in disbelief of what just happened. Did he just break up with her? She could feel her eyes swelling with tears as she watched him walk away. She stood there paralyzed, wishing he would turn around and apologize to her but he disappeared around a corner and she backed up to lean against a corridor wall. She closed her eyes and let the tears fall, how could the boy she loved make her feel like this?

Just then she felt someone put their hand over her mouth. She opened her eyes, hoping to see Ron or Harry but it was Draco Malfoy.
"Hello mudblood… get in a fight with your weasel?"

The tears ran quicker down Hermione's face and she tried to get out of Malfoy's grasp but he had his hand tightly around her wrist and his body pressed firmly against hers.

"Well, Granger, I was supposed to just kidnap you, but now that I have you here, alone, I might as well have my way with you first."

Hermione tried to scream but only got a muffled noise out before he started kissing her neck and rubbing his hand up her skirt.

Ron took a deep breath and decided he should go back and find her and apologize for being the prat that he was. She and Harry were both right. He does have an attitude problem and doesn't know how to control his temper. If he were them, he wouldn't have told himself either. He turned the corner to see that Hermione wasn't in the hallway anymore. Damn. She probably went back to the common room, he thought. He began to make his way down the hallway and as he glanced over to a dipped corridor, he saw his Hermione being ravished by Draco Malfoy. He quickly pulled him off her and before the terms "wand" or "magic" could even cross his mind, his natural instinct took over and he connected his fist with Malfoy's with all the rage he'd felt for him for the past 5 years.

Draco stood up, holding his nose and his wand. Ron grabbed it with no fear and snapped it in half. Malfoy decided there would be no way to get around it and began to drift down the hallway.
"Talk, Granger, and you will be dead, I can assure you of that." he said as he disappeared around a corner.

Ron looked over to Hermione who had slid down the wall and was sitting against it, vacant expression on her face, tears still wet on her cheeks.

"Hermione, Hermione are you alright? What did he do to you?"

Hermione just sat there staring into blank space.
"Hermione, please say something" Ron looked as though he was going to start crying himself.

"He didn't do anything to me" She said, standing up, "You got here in time"

Ron looked relieved for a moment then went to embrace her in a hug. She pushed away from him though.
"Hermione?"

"I just don't want to be touched right now Ron" she said, with a look of disgust on her face, "Let's just go back to the common room."

Ron looked hurt and he felt determined to harm Malfoy permanently. He didn't even want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't come in time. Although he worried that Hermione would turn him away forever, he understood that maybe she needed some time, and that she was probably mad that he left her there alone in the first place, subjected to harm, but God, he loved her, and wanted to be holding her right now. She was walking quickly back to the common room, they reached the portrait hole and spoke the password. They went in, and Hermione went straight up the stairs, not looking back once at Ron.

*Eh sorry about that, but it will get happier!… its all part of the big plot going through my mind! But pleasepleaseplease review!! I'd like to thank Tears from the Moon for all your support and inspiration!! You really help me to continue updating! Thanks!!