Disclaimer:  Nope, I'm not J.K. Rowling nor am I pretending to be her!

*** Thanks goes out to Hermione Weasley…I've got to admit I'm writing this story by the seat of my pants and therefore have no idea whether or not Hermione will end up under the curse…or Ron for that matter.  I swear characters have minds of their own!  Thank you so much for reviewing!  Triniroo, you have been a very faithful reviewer and I've got to compliment you and thank you for that!  I must admit, I'm not as good of as a reviewer as you are!  It is much appreciated!  (Oh, and you're right: I AM evil!)  Hp addict, I'm sure you'll be much happier with the length of this chapter (it is longer) and I'm really glad you like it (and thank you so much for your input on the War with Iraq).  Pinkchicklet, I really can't tell you if Hermione is next or not…but I'm sure you'll enjoy this chapter just the same!  Thank you so much everyone for reviewing!

Chapter 16: Insecurities

"Just don't let Harry know that ye know, alright?" Seamus had asked.  Hermione, to be kind, had agreed that it would be their little secret.  She had agreed until she saw Harry that is, in which case she could only hear the blood rushing in her ears.  She was deaf to everything else.

Harry was seated across from her redheaded crush playing chess, what else?  Harry was, as usual, losing horribly bad.  Hermione silently rooted for Ron.  Harry deserved to lose after telling Ron how she felt about him.

She sat on the arm of the sofa and smiled down at Harry.  Ron still avoided her eyes.  Hermione rolled her own toward the ceiling.  Good Merlin. 

"Harry, when you're done I have a question about Arithmancy homework," she stated.  Harry's fingers froze over the chess pieces.  Had she gone insane?  He didn't have Arithmancy and not only that but, but, Hermione Granger asking him to help with her homework?  It was as ridiculous a thought as Ron asking Harry which pawn on the chessboard to move.  It was just that ridiculous.

Ron's head snapped upward and he watched her momentarily.  Hermione could feel his eyes on her but refused to return the gaze.  Her cheeks heated up naturally.  She couldn't tell him she loved him.  She just couldn't.

"Wh-what?" Harry stammered. 

Hermione stood up swiftly.  "On second thought Harry, please come with me," she requested. 

Harry really couldn't argue with that voice, nor did he really want to.  She moved away from Ron and so did Harry, until… "Wait!  Hermione, maybe Ron ought to hear this too?" he suggested, trying to be thoughtful.

She seemed to consider this for a moment, then, looking back and forth between the two boys she made her decision.  "No, Harry, really I do think you're better suited for this type of homework problem."

Harry hung his head.  He swore he would come back from the dead just to haunt Ronald Weasley.  He would live in the attic of his house forever, just like the Ghoul in the attic at The Burrow.  He swore he would…only he'd be a lot louder than that damn ghoul and he'd be violent.  Perhaps he could apprentice under the Bloody Baron…

Hey, it was just an idea anyway, right?

She spun around to face him as soon as they were out of Ron's earshot.  Waving frantic hands in the air, those observing the two friends had a pretty good idea what Hermione was ranting and raving about even if they couldn't hear her.

"How could you tell him?" she asked in a hissing whisper. 

Her arms were flailing about the air and Harry was afraid she would beat the daylights out of him right there in front of everybody.  Oh please let me wake up in the cupboard beneath the stairs.  Oh please, oh please.

"He told you!" Harry immediately let out.  Ron was going to die!

"No!" she nearly shouted and several heads, one being Dennis Creevy, turned and looked at the two questioningly.  "No," she repeated, this time much quieter.  "He didn't say anything.  And you can just never mind who did tell me, I just want to know why you did it."

Effective every time, Hermione bit her lower lip and looked like she might cry.  Damn her.  "Look, I didn't mean to say anything Hermione.  It just sort of popped out of my mouth."

"Well," she huffed, "I still am not happy with y—

The portal-like door was thrown open, letting in a loud gust of wind and an ashen-faced Alicia Spinnet came through.  Angelina was behind her, sobbing like a wreck.  Immediately Fred went to his girlfriend.  He wrapped his arms around her but that didn't seem to help her tears, if anything it seemed as if they intensified.

Alicia nearly fell to the floor as her knees gave out.  She didn't start crying but rather stared blankly at the wall. 

No longer was Hermione angry at Harry.  Harry forgave Hermione immediately.  Ron's shyness disappeared like a New York minute.  They were no longer three separate people but once again the Magnificent Trio.

Fred stroked Angelina's heaving back.  He wanted desperately to ask her who it was but he absolutely refused to do so until she had settled herself down enough not to choke over her words.

Alicia was fairing off far better then her tall black friend but she seemed in utter shock as she watched the wall disbelievingly.

George tried waiting.  He really did.  But when it came to tense moments like this, George had ants in his pants, or at least that's what his mother always said.  He just couldn't handle the wait any longer.

George grabbed the Chaser's shoulders and shook her until her eyes focused on the wall in front of her and then on him.  " 'Licia, what is it?" he asked as he groped around for ideas in his brain.

Alicia looked at him full in the eye.  "It's Lee, George.  Lee's been taken to the Infirmary."

***

"What the hell do we do if both of them are under the spell or blessing or curse or whatever the hell it's called?" Ron asked as Hermione as the three of them rushed to the library.  The awkwardness of the situation had disappeared immediately upon hearing the fate of Lee Jordan.

"I don't know Ron!" she shouted back.  They had come to the tricky part of the castle.  The staircases could be awfully slippery and if not slippery, Peeves had a nasty way of just popping up at his every whim.  And then there was the fact that every once in a while a step just managed to disappear.  Poof!  And then it was gone.

By the love of Merlin don't let Peeves find us…or Mrs. Norris or Filch or Malfoy or…Or the list of people, and entities, they didn't want finding them at that moment would have taken two feet of parchment to fill. 

Hermione stood between the boys and took a full, dramatic moment to look at each of them.  Her eyes gazed into Harry's steadily and she silently promised to tell Ron how she felt…eventually.  Looking at Ron though, both their gazes faltered.  Hermione wasn't embarrassed that Harry told Ron anymore rather she felt like she did after he hugged her that one night that seemed so long ago.  She felt a giddy happy.

"Let's hope the stairs don't disappear," Harry said out loud, voicing his friends' opinions.

"I'm with you there mate," Ron agreed with a happy grin across his face as he looked over Hermione's head to his best guy friend.

Hermione looked down at the vast expanse of treacherous, potentially moving terrain (i.e. the stairs) that lay out before them.  She was nervous.  She was afraid too.  What if the stairs moved?  What if Peeves popped out?  What if Mrs. Norris caught them?  They weren't out after hours but she was fairly sure Filch thought he hadn't handed out far enough detentions yet this year. 

"Uh, Hermione, what are we waiting for?" Ron asked.  He had no idea why they were just standing at the top of the staircases, watching them like they might disappear right before their very eyes.  Oh yeah, that's right, they very well could disappear right before their very eyes.

Her brown eyes found Ron's.  "I-I'm scared," she acknowledged quietly.  Even to her own ears it sounded ridiculous.

"You're scared of the stairs?"  OK, so Ron could be an incredible prat sometimes.

"No," the word escaped her mouth before she could catch it.

A concerned Harry peered around Hermione's profile.  "What's wrong?"

She hated explaining feeling stupid to the boys.  She really did.  "What if I fail?" she asked.  Blast her stupid mouth!  Couldn't she just ignore them and skip down the stairs the way the First Year girls did?  Did she really have to be so completely honest with them?

Hermione could feel Ron's blue eyes staring intently at her.  She had to admit that maybe, just maybe, she wasn't as honest as she'd like to be.

"I've already made a mistake once, what if I do again?" she wondered.

"You won't," Ron said firmly.  It surprised her how utterly prattish he could be one minute and how sweet the next.  "Harry and I are here to make sure you don't."

Harry grinned devilishly.  "Not to interrupt this romantic moment or anything," he began in his best apologetic-like voice, "but I really would like to keep Lee as the announcer so if we could just move on that would be good."

Hermione smiled but it was smile tinged by worry, and a lot of it too. 

Ron found the strength to take hold of her hand and give it a light squeeze.  "It'll all be alright Hermione.  You'll do fine," he told her reassuringly and somehow Hermione knew he wasn't just talking about Lee.

Look at that!  Two chapters in one day!  It must have been my six o'clock class.  See, I was all kind of blah after a relatively long day and that's when I came home and wrote that short chapter 15.  But then I went to class, we discussed current events and that kind of thing and when I'm frustrated, I write and so voila!  That is how chapter 16 was born!  OK, so how was it?  I think it got kind of corny at the end but that the corniness went well with the story.  How is everything working for you guys?  Did you like it?  Please keep reviewing.  It really does make my day! 

*** As a side note, please pray/light a candle/meditate/whatever-it-is-you-do for the Allied forces in light of the war…and not only for the Allied soldiers but also the innocent Iraqi lives that will be lost.  Remember, it is not Iraq we are against, but Saddam HusseinI apologize if this request has offended you.

I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which is most free.

~ Former President William Harrison, 1829