Chapter 7: A Bittersweet Nightmare
To all my faithful reviewers, I love you all! Thank you for putting up with my mediochre writing skills! I love sharing my stories, though. Here we are:
Anyana: You are absitively posolutely right, I am going somewhere. Let's see what are old chum Draco decides to do, hmm? Thank you so much for the review!
RainDancer- Thank you for the lovely review and great suggestion, I have already sent you the next chapter, and I would be happy to post them after you finish correcting them!
Mitzi-Thanks for the wonderful review, I'm so happy you like my story! Here's the next chapter for your reading pleasure.
Mione Weasley- You're definitely going to get your wish with this story, and I think you'll like the end of this chapter. I liked writing it, a lot. Keep thinking about the plot! You're heading in the right direction, but.well, you'll see! Thanks, and please keep reviewing!
Marron04- The next chapter, and the opportunity for Ron to say the right things! Have fun reading, and thank you so much for the review!
Devonny Stratton- Thank you for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter, Ron and Hermione will make up. Don't worry about Lupin, he'll be fine.
Please, keep reviewing, I enjoy reviews from everyone! Even flames! Though if this includes any Harry/Hermione shippers, you shouldn't have bothered reading it in the first place. Cheers!
This chapter is devoted to my great, anime-obsessed, IMing friend, Brian, and my glamorous and oh-so-enormously talented Beta-Reader, Britney! The curtain lifts tonight on a breakfast table, where four very awkward people share their meal.
Disclaimer: WB, don't sue me, I know you stupidly took it into your own hands to own these rights, I'm not selling anything of it, but it wasn't your idea!!! It was the wonderful, very smart JK Rowling!(unless she decides to bring Harry and Hermione together, I would burn all my books, then, but anyway) And by the way, I'm thinking of starting a petition against you! Just kidding! Scared you, didn't I?
At breakfast the next morning, the situation was terrible. Ron and Hermione sat at opposite ends of the table, scowling at their food. Lupin and Draco looked uneasily at them, and then shared an anxious glance.
Hermione felt as though she was in school again. But not in a good way. She felt almost exactly the way she had the morning after the Yule Ball, nervous and angry, yet still regretful. Why did I have to attack him like that? I know that he didn't mean it, and it was kind of a compliment. Why does this always happen? We start to get closer and talk to each other, and we get in some sort of fight. Every time. She stared across the table at Ron, and tried to decipher his thoughts. Although he was scowling, too, there was something much deeper in it. It was a sadness, and that ever- present loneliness, darkness. It seemed to pour out of his eyes with some invisible, desperate force. While thinking, Hermione picked at her food, and got lost in her thoughts.
Noticing that Hermione was staring at him, Ron looked up. She was just picking at her food, and he had had five helpings already. Lupin saw this, too, and cleared his throat.
"I guess I should tell you this now, you won't be able to stay here tonight. I really love having you, and would gladly let you move in, if it weren't for my, well, problem. I'm changing tonight and I don't want you to be in danger, and better safe than sorry. But there is someone who can take you." He said the last statement in some hesitance.
At this, all three put down their silverware and turned to him, tired, weak, and annoyed. "Okay," Ron said, "where do we go now?" He was dreading the answer, obviously. Lupin looked sympathetic, bit his lip, and said, "Professor, professor Snape is taking some time from teaching for something else, too. He consented to let you stay with him."
"Really?" Hermione asked, seriously hoping that he was trying to be funny. Draco paled a little bit, or at least went paler than he usually was . "I apologize. but I'm sure he can help you out a lot, with the polyjuice potion and the plan. As soon as I'm safe again I'll owl you to come back, also.
They agreed, sighing heavily. "Well, it's a good thing I didn't unpack, isn't it?" Ron said, trying to brighten the dull situation.
Hermione went back upstairs, and started packing, again. She was now going to have the worst part of her life, if I even live through this, she realized. The three of them were going to go live with their former worst teacher (except for Draco, of course). Then they had to take the form of Death Eaters, possibly facing Lord Voldemort, do horrible, illegal things, and then they'd have to find Harry, and continue to find Ginny afterward, not to mention that she was in an argument with Ron.
There was a sharp tap at the door, and again, two times. " Come in," she said. Ron opened the door gently, came in, and closed it behind him. He was standing in an oddly formal way in front of Hermione, and rocked on his feet nervously. "Um, 'Mione, I just wanted to say sorry about everything, and I was wondering if you would forgive me and be my friend again." He sighed, and wrinkled his brow.
"I know, I heard you last night, I didn't mean to chew you out, I just, you know, I'm stressed, and."
"Yeah, but I wasn't just talking about last night. But, anyway," he held out his hand to Hermione, who tilted her head confusedly at what Ron had just said. "I really am sorry Hermione, it was wrong of me, I sincerely apologize, and I really need you to be, er," Hermione smiled when he said this. Now she knew what he was talking about, and though he had apologized before, this seemed more real, and she felt as though this was really needed, that they were friends. She shook his hand firmly. "Alright, then."
"We'd better get going," he said, sounding a bit excited.
"Yeah," said Hermione, feeling somehow as though this whole scenario was a lot better than she thought it was five minutes ago.
He was smiling, and almost bumped his head into the door when he tried to leave. He laughed and said, "I closed the door, didn't I?" Then he opened the door and left. Hermione laughed, too. Oh, Ron, what would I do without you? We, I mean, of course. What would we do without you? Hermione continued to pack, but was interrupted by another knock on the door.
"You don't need to knock every time you come in, Ron."
"It's not Ron, it's Draco," he said, opening the door and coming in. "Oh, I'm sorry, Draco. What is it?"
"I just wanted to know if you need help with any of your packing, oh, and here's your book back."
Hermione took the book, and stuffed it into her suitcase, carefully, of course. "Oh, no, I'll manage. Why do you ask?"
"I don't know, I just wanted to help out my friends. I'll go ask Ron if he needs any help," Draco said, happily, and then left to go find Ron.
When everything was ready to go, they met downstairs. Lupin joined them, holding a small leather pouch in his hand. "I have something for you that I think might help you in your task. Each one defines each of you in its symbol, and its color defines how you're feeling. (Oh, mood necklaces, Hermione thought.) I had nine of them made, so that each of you will get three, the necklace of you, and one of each of your two friends. Here, Hermione," he said, and handed her three of the necklaces.
One of them clearly was her, it was a thick book in the middle of the pendant, and around it was a gem, which glowed in an undefined color. The others were just like hers, only one of them was a knight chess piece, and the other was a lizard that looked at first glance as though it was a snake, but if you focused on it enough, it was a very handsome reptile. Hermione put all three of hers on, and her necklace, the one with a book on it, turned a cheerful blue color. Ron put his three on, and his necklace turned turquoise, meaning he was a bit more thoughtful and melancholy than happy, but calm enough. Then Draco put his on. It turned a fiery, tense orange. They looked questioningly at him. Hermione decided to change the subject, though.
"Thank you so much, Professor!" she said, giving Lupin a big hug.
"Oh, you don't have to call me that. I'm not a Professor anymore!"
"You might as well be," said Ron, grinning, "thank you," he said, shaking his hand.
"Yes, thank you," said Draco awkwardly, trying to smile. They said good- bye, and left once again, to go to Snape's house. Through the day, Hermione noticed that Draco's orange pendant was turning brighter and brighter, till it reached the point of being pastel, the beginnings of white.
"Are you alright, Draco?" Ron asked. Apparently he had noticed it, too, and beat Hermione to asking him about it.
"What? Oh, yes, of course. I'm fine. Can't wait to see my favorite professor!" He said, giving them a half-smile.
Ron gave Hermione a "who-does-he-think-he's-kidding?" look, and she returned it. He walked a little slower, so that he was next to Hermione, a couple paces behind Draco, or just out of hearing range.
"What's going on with him?" Ron muttered, not looking at her.
"Don't ask me, but his necklace is acting up! What do you think it is?" "Well, have you noticed that he's been acting odd lately? I mean, he's stopped being sarcastic, he's asking if he can help with things! That's not Draco Malfoy. I don't know, but it seemed to start with the whole "friends" situation. When do you think was the last time he had true friends? "
"I agree," she said," never. And he's overwhelmed that there are people who don't have a catch to being nice to him. Especially us, we used to be his worst enemies! But why is he scared?"
"I guess we will have to find out/ Oh. And while we're talking about Draco, what really happened on the stairs? I promise I won't get mad." Ron gave her an innocent puppy face. "I already told you the truth Ron. Draco's a friend. He was helping me. Just like Harry would."
"Really? Seriously?" Ron asked, still unconvinced.
"Yes!" She said, and smiled at him with unbelief.
"Alright. Okay, then," said Ron, and he started walking ahead again. Hermione looked down at the pendants again. Hers was bluish-purple, Draco's was getting whiter every second, and Ron's was an orangey-pink? Since when has Ron been in a pink mood? Hermione thought. She started thinking about the conversation they had just had. Then a question occurred to her. Why did I relate Draco to Harry? Why did I say "just like Harry would?" I could've said "just like would have" as easily as I said Harry, couldn't I? "Just like you would have." No that wouldn't be right.
It was about seven O' Clock that night when they arrived at Professor Snape's house. It was a stark white house, with forest green shutters, and a large stone wall surrounding it protectively. It was a giant house. They walked through the open gate, and up to the door.
Ron pulled the rope, which happened to be an old-fashioned doorbell. A loud dong resounded from deep inside the house. Snape opened the door solemnly.
"Come in," he said, not cruelly as it would usually be, or sardonic, but very firm. They stepped in, cautiously, and placed their bags by the door, where the Professor indicated to put them. "So," he said, looking at all of them deeply, as though trying to figure out what they were thinking, especially Draco, for some odd reason. "You're looking for Mr. Potter. That's a very daring and dangerous mission for some who are as young and.inexperienced as you." This was old Snape. He was trying to intimidate them again. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
He led them to a simple, elegant dining room, where there was a nutritious, warm, wholesome meal waiting for them. "Oh, yes!" Ron exclaimed, he just couldn't control himself. "Supper!"
"Oh, thank you, Professor Snape! How wonderful!" Hermione smiled, and her necklace became a dark, rich yellow. "You're welcome. You may tuck in, if you'd like." This sounded very un-Snape-ish when he said it; but then again, he was the one who had let them stay at his home and Dumbledore trusted him. Hermione thought that this was a rather good change for Professor Snape to be developing. "Draco, I need to discuss a, situation with you, if you'll excuse us," he said, quickly, and led Draco out of the room. He almost slammed the door behind them.
They started to help themselves to the food, but stopped after a glance at each other's necklaces. Both Ron's and Hermione's were yellow and content, but Draco's was pure white. Immediately they ran to the door and struggled to hear the conversation through it.
".who's side do you belong to, Mr. Malfoy? Ours or theirs?"
" Well, Sir, I.I.I'm on, our side, of course."
"You are? Are you sure? You weren't ever on, their, side, were you?" After this question was asked, there was an awkward, brief pause of silence.
"Yes."
"Why is that, Mr. Malfoy? Because you loathe Potter?"
"But I don't any more! I mean, Sir, my father forced me to become, you know, and I was only half willing to, because I hated Potter, and Ron and Hermione."
"Yet you are now on first-name terms with them, what happened? You never even referred to Crabbe and Goyle by their first names. "
"They were only my official friends, Professor. My Death Eater friends. Ron and Hermione are my true friends, the first real friends I've ever had, really." "And they trust you? They must."
But Ron and Hermione had stopped listening at this point.
We trust him, but we're eavesdropping on his conversations. And he trusts us. This is very nice, oh, some friends we are. Now I feel horrible, Hermione thought, and went back to the table to eat her dinner. Ron vocalized what she had been thinking.
"Bloody hell," he said, wrinkling his brow, and following Hermione back to the table, looking rather glum.
"'Mione? I don't feel so good."
"I know. I don't either."
After dinner, time passed slowly, they started preparing the Polyjuice potion and sharing their plan with Professor Snape. The highlight of the evening was when they started preparing the potion, and it just so happened that Snape had pre-stewed lacewings, so the potion would be ready in two days, instead of a month.
That night, Hermione didn't sleep well, she was tossing and turning for a long time. When she looked at her clocks, one said that it was two A.M., and the other informed her You Should Be Asleep. All of the sudden, she heard a soft whimper. Hermione brushed it away, reasoning that it was the wind playing tricks on her ears, and rolled over, trying to fall asleep. Then a minute later, she heard a yell.
She sat up and looked at the necklaces. Draco's was a usual orange again, but Ron's was a pale green. Hermione shot out of bed, slid on her slippers, and hurried to his room. When she got there, his door was open, but the light was off.
"Ron, can I come in?" She asked quietly, and Ron jerked awake.
"What? 'Mione? Oh, come in." his voice was very deep, much lower than usual. He was now sitting in bed, with his hand and head resting on his knees, reminding Hermione of that statue of the man sitting and thinking.
"What's wrong?" She didn't bother to turn the lights on, but sat next to him, beside the bed, and bit her lip anxiously.
"Nightmare," he said roughly, and dragged his arm across his face. Oh, dear. Ron's crying. This must be something very serious.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, lamely. Oh, Hermione, do you know how idiotic you sound? She accused herself.
"I, I.dreamed that Voldemort was murdering Harry, and making Ginny watch him die," he said, through reluctant sobs. "If Ginny ever had to see that, if I really ever had to see that, if Harry was murdered by him, I don't know 'Mione, I think we might both just die." He broke a few more sobs again, but tried as hard as he could to choke them back.
Hermione moved and sat next to him on the bed. She engulfed him in a big hug, running her hands through his bright red hair. "Shh, don't worry Ron! You know that will never happen. We're going to find them, and together we'll kill Voldemort, and all those horrible Death Eaters. It will end up just like a fairytale where everybody good and true lives happily ever after." She comforted him ad best she could, and they just hugged for a few minutes, until Ron spoke.
"I miss them, 'Mione. No, it isn't just that. A part of me is missing with them. They are so important to me. The most evil man in the world is holding my best friend and my poor little sister against their will. 'Mione, it's all up to us to get them back, and I know that I can't live without them. The only thing that really keeps me going on this is you; I don't know how I would survive if you weren't around to help me. But we are together, and that's all we need really, right? If we helped Harry get to the (Philosopher's) Sorcerer's Stone, then there isn't a doubt I have in the world that we'll help him defeat Voldemort. You are right, Hermione. Thank you."
She just smiled, and hugged him a bit harder. "I'm gonna go to bed now, okay Ron? Will you be alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good, I'm, I'm just fine."
"Okay. Goodnight, then."
"Goodnight, 'Mione."
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, and said thanks again with a small smile. Hermione went back to bed, and thought about the dream, but she wasn't bothered by it. It was only a dream. Just before she fell asleep, she looked over and saw that two of the pendants lying on the nightstand were a rosy pink.
~Evyfleur
To all my faithful reviewers, I love you all! Thank you for putting up with my mediochre writing skills! I love sharing my stories, though. Here we are:
Anyana: You are absitively posolutely right, I am going somewhere. Let's see what are old chum Draco decides to do, hmm? Thank you so much for the review!
RainDancer- Thank you for the lovely review and great suggestion, I have already sent you the next chapter, and I would be happy to post them after you finish correcting them!
Mitzi-Thanks for the wonderful review, I'm so happy you like my story! Here's the next chapter for your reading pleasure.
Mione Weasley- You're definitely going to get your wish with this story, and I think you'll like the end of this chapter. I liked writing it, a lot. Keep thinking about the plot! You're heading in the right direction, but.well, you'll see! Thanks, and please keep reviewing!
Marron04- The next chapter, and the opportunity for Ron to say the right things! Have fun reading, and thank you so much for the review!
Devonny Stratton- Thank you for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter, Ron and Hermione will make up. Don't worry about Lupin, he'll be fine.
Please, keep reviewing, I enjoy reviews from everyone! Even flames! Though if this includes any Harry/Hermione shippers, you shouldn't have bothered reading it in the first place. Cheers!
This chapter is devoted to my great, anime-obsessed, IMing friend, Brian, and my glamorous and oh-so-enormously talented Beta-Reader, Britney! The curtain lifts tonight on a breakfast table, where four very awkward people share their meal.
Disclaimer: WB, don't sue me, I know you stupidly took it into your own hands to own these rights, I'm not selling anything of it, but it wasn't your idea!!! It was the wonderful, very smart JK Rowling!(unless she decides to bring Harry and Hermione together, I would burn all my books, then, but anyway) And by the way, I'm thinking of starting a petition against you! Just kidding! Scared you, didn't I?
At breakfast the next morning, the situation was terrible. Ron and Hermione sat at opposite ends of the table, scowling at their food. Lupin and Draco looked uneasily at them, and then shared an anxious glance.
Hermione felt as though she was in school again. But not in a good way. She felt almost exactly the way she had the morning after the Yule Ball, nervous and angry, yet still regretful. Why did I have to attack him like that? I know that he didn't mean it, and it was kind of a compliment. Why does this always happen? We start to get closer and talk to each other, and we get in some sort of fight. Every time. She stared across the table at Ron, and tried to decipher his thoughts. Although he was scowling, too, there was something much deeper in it. It was a sadness, and that ever- present loneliness, darkness. It seemed to pour out of his eyes with some invisible, desperate force. While thinking, Hermione picked at her food, and got lost in her thoughts.
Noticing that Hermione was staring at him, Ron looked up. She was just picking at her food, and he had had five helpings already. Lupin saw this, too, and cleared his throat.
"I guess I should tell you this now, you won't be able to stay here tonight. I really love having you, and would gladly let you move in, if it weren't for my, well, problem. I'm changing tonight and I don't want you to be in danger, and better safe than sorry. But there is someone who can take you." He said the last statement in some hesitance.
At this, all three put down their silverware and turned to him, tired, weak, and annoyed. "Okay," Ron said, "where do we go now?" He was dreading the answer, obviously. Lupin looked sympathetic, bit his lip, and said, "Professor, professor Snape is taking some time from teaching for something else, too. He consented to let you stay with him."
"Really?" Hermione asked, seriously hoping that he was trying to be funny. Draco paled a little bit, or at least went paler than he usually was . "I apologize. but I'm sure he can help you out a lot, with the polyjuice potion and the plan. As soon as I'm safe again I'll owl you to come back, also.
They agreed, sighing heavily. "Well, it's a good thing I didn't unpack, isn't it?" Ron said, trying to brighten the dull situation.
Hermione went back upstairs, and started packing, again. She was now going to have the worst part of her life, if I even live through this, she realized. The three of them were going to go live with their former worst teacher (except for Draco, of course). Then they had to take the form of Death Eaters, possibly facing Lord Voldemort, do horrible, illegal things, and then they'd have to find Harry, and continue to find Ginny afterward, not to mention that she was in an argument with Ron.
There was a sharp tap at the door, and again, two times. " Come in," she said. Ron opened the door gently, came in, and closed it behind him. He was standing in an oddly formal way in front of Hermione, and rocked on his feet nervously. "Um, 'Mione, I just wanted to say sorry about everything, and I was wondering if you would forgive me and be my friend again." He sighed, and wrinkled his brow.
"I know, I heard you last night, I didn't mean to chew you out, I just, you know, I'm stressed, and."
"Yeah, but I wasn't just talking about last night. But, anyway," he held out his hand to Hermione, who tilted her head confusedly at what Ron had just said. "I really am sorry Hermione, it was wrong of me, I sincerely apologize, and I really need you to be, er," Hermione smiled when he said this. Now she knew what he was talking about, and though he had apologized before, this seemed more real, and she felt as though this was really needed, that they were friends. She shook his hand firmly. "Alright, then."
"We'd better get going," he said, sounding a bit excited.
"Yeah," said Hermione, feeling somehow as though this whole scenario was a lot better than she thought it was five minutes ago.
He was smiling, and almost bumped his head into the door when he tried to leave. He laughed and said, "I closed the door, didn't I?" Then he opened the door and left. Hermione laughed, too. Oh, Ron, what would I do without you? We, I mean, of course. What would we do without you? Hermione continued to pack, but was interrupted by another knock on the door.
"You don't need to knock every time you come in, Ron."
"It's not Ron, it's Draco," he said, opening the door and coming in. "Oh, I'm sorry, Draco. What is it?"
"I just wanted to know if you need help with any of your packing, oh, and here's your book back."
Hermione took the book, and stuffed it into her suitcase, carefully, of course. "Oh, no, I'll manage. Why do you ask?"
"I don't know, I just wanted to help out my friends. I'll go ask Ron if he needs any help," Draco said, happily, and then left to go find Ron.
When everything was ready to go, they met downstairs. Lupin joined them, holding a small leather pouch in his hand. "I have something for you that I think might help you in your task. Each one defines each of you in its symbol, and its color defines how you're feeling. (Oh, mood necklaces, Hermione thought.) I had nine of them made, so that each of you will get three, the necklace of you, and one of each of your two friends. Here, Hermione," he said, and handed her three of the necklaces.
One of them clearly was her, it was a thick book in the middle of the pendant, and around it was a gem, which glowed in an undefined color. The others were just like hers, only one of them was a knight chess piece, and the other was a lizard that looked at first glance as though it was a snake, but if you focused on it enough, it was a very handsome reptile. Hermione put all three of hers on, and her necklace, the one with a book on it, turned a cheerful blue color. Ron put his three on, and his necklace turned turquoise, meaning he was a bit more thoughtful and melancholy than happy, but calm enough. Then Draco put his on. It turned a fiery, tense orange. They looked questioningly at him. Hermione decided to change the subject, though.
"Thank you so much, Professor!" she said, giving Lupin a big hug.
"Oh, you don't have to call me that. I'm not a Professor anymore!"
"You might as well be," said Ron, grinning, "thank you," he said, shaking his hand.
"Yes, thank you," said Draco awkwardly, trying to smile. They said good- bye, and left once again, to go to Snape's house. Through the day, Hermione noticed that Draco's orange pendant was turning brighter and brighter, till it reached the point of being pastel, the beginnings of white.
"Are you alright, Draco?" Ron asked. Apparently he had noticed it, too, and beat Hermione to asking him about it.
"What? Oh, yes, of course. I'm fine. Can't wait to see my favorite professor!" He said, giving them a half-smile.
Ron gave Hermione a "who-does-he-think-he's-kidding?" look, and she returned it. He walked a little slower, so that he was next to Hermione, a couple paces behind Draco, or just out of hearing range.
"What's going on with him?" Ron muttered, not looking at her.
"Don't ask me, but his necklace is acting up! What do you think it is?" "Well, have you noticed that he's been acting odd lately? I mean, he's stopped being sarcastic, he's asking if he can help with things! That's not Draco Malfoy. I don't know, but it seemed to start with the whole "friends" situation. When do you think was the last time he had true friends? "
"I agree," she said," never. And he's overwhelmed that there are people who don't have a catch to being nice to him. Especially us, we used to be his worst enemies! But why is he scared?"
"I guess we will have to find out/ Oh. And while we're talking about Draco, what really happened on the stairs? I promise I won't get mad." Ron gave her an innocent puppy face. "I already told you the truth Ron. Draco's a friend. He was helping me. Just like Harry would."
"Really? Seriously?" Ron asked, still unconvinced.
"Yes!" She said, and smiled at him with unbelief.
"Alright. Okay, then," said Ron, and he started walking ahead again. Hermione looked down at the pendants again. Hers was bluish-purple, Draco's was getting whiter every second, and Ron's was an orangey-pink? Since when has Ron been in a pink mood? Hermione thought. She started thinking about the conversation they had just had. Then a question occurred to her. Why did I relate Draco to Harry? Why did I say "just like Harry would?" I could've said "just like would have" as easily as I said Harry, couldn't I? "Just like you would have." No that wouldn't be right.
It was about seven O' Clock that night when they arrived at Professor Snape's house. It was a stark white house, with forest green shutters, and a large stone wall surrounding it protectively. It was a giant house. They walked through the open gate, and up to the door.
Ron pulled the rope, which happened to be an old-fashioned doorbell. A loud dong resounded from deep inside the house. Snape opened the door solemnly.
"Come in," he said, not cruelly as it would usually be, or sardonic, but very firm. They stepped in, cautiously, and placed their bags by the door, where the Professor indicated to put them. "So," he said, looking at all of them deeply, as though trying to figure out what they were thinking, especially Draco, for some odd reason. "You're looking for Mr. Potter. That's a very daring and dangerous mission for some who are as young and.inexperienced as you." This was old Snape. He was trying to intimidate them again. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
He led them to a simple, elegant dining room, where there was a nutritious, warm, wholesome meal waiting for them. "Oh, yes!" Ron exclaimed, he just couldn't control himself. "Supper!"
"Oh, thank you, Professor Snape! How wonderful!" Hermione smiled, and her necklace became a dark, rich yellow. "You're welcome. You may tuck in, if you'd like." This sounded very un-Snape-ish when he said it; but then again, he was the one who had let them stay at his home and Dumbledore trusted him. Hermione thought that this was a rather good change for Professor Snape to be developing. "Draco, I need to discuss a, situation with you, if you'll excuse us," he said, quickly, and led Draco out of the room. He almost slammed the door behind them.
They started to help themselves to the food, but stopped after a glance at each other's necklaces. Both Ron's and Hermione's were yellow and content, but Draco's was pure white. Immediately they ran to the door and struggled to hear the conversation through it.
".who's side do you belong to, Mr. Malfoy? Ours or theirs?"
" Well, Sir, I.I.I'm on, our side, of course."
"You are? Are you sure? You weren't ever on, their, side, were you?" After this question was asked, there was an awkward, brief pause of silence.
"Yes."
"Why is that, Mr. Malfoy? Because you loathe Potter?"
"But I don't any more! I mean, Sir, my father forced me to become, you know, and I was only half willing to, because I hated Potter, and Ron and Hermione."
"Yet you are now on first-name terms with them, what happened? You never even referred to Crabbe and Goyle by their first names. "
"They were only my official friends, Professor. My Death Eater friends. Ron and Hermione are my true friends, the first real friends I've ever had, really." "And they trust you? They must."
But Ron and Hermione had stopped listening at this point.
We trust him, but we're eavesdropping on his conversations. And he trusts us. This is very nice, oh, some friends we are. Now I feel horrible, Hermione thought, and went back to the table to eat her dinner. Ron vocalized what she had been thinking.
"Bloody hell," he said, wrinkling his brow, and following Hermione back to the table, looking rather glum.
"'Mione? I don't feel so good."
"I know. I don't either."
After dinner, time passed slowly, they started preparing the Polyjuice potion and sharing their plan with Professor Snape. The highlight of the evening was when they started preparing the potion, and it just so happened that Snape had pre-stewed lacewings, so the potion would be ready in two days, instead of a month.
That night, Hermione didn't sleep well, she was tossing and turning for a long time. When she looked at her clocks, one said that it was two A.M., and the other informed her You Should Be Asleep. All of the sudden, she heard a soft whimper. Hermione brushed it away, reasoning that it was the wind playing tricks on her ears, and rolled over, trying to fall asleep. Then a minute later, she heard a yell.
She sat up and looked at the necklaces. Draco's was a usual orange again, but Ron's was a pale green. Hermione shot out of bed, slid on her slippers, and hurried to his room. When she got there, his door was open, but the light was off.
"Ron, can I come in?" She asked quietly, and Ron jerked awake.
"What? 'Mione? Oh, come in." his voice was very deep, much lower than usual. He was now sitting in bed, with his hand and head resting on his knees, reminding Hermione of that statue of the man sitting and thinking.
"What's wrong?" She didn't bother to turn the lights on, but sat next to him, beside the bed, and bit her lip anxiously.
"Nightmare," he said roughly, and dragged his arm across his face. Oh, dear. Ron's crying. This must be something very serious.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, lamely. Oh, Hermione, do you know how idiotic you sound? She accused herself.
"I, I.dreamed that Voldemort was murdering Harry, and making Ginny watch him die," he said, through reluctant sobs. "If Ginny ever had to see that, if I really ever had to see that, if Harry was murdered by him, I don't know 'Mione, I think we might both just die." He broke a few more sobs again, but tried as hard as he could to choke them back.
Hermione moved and sat next to him on the bed. She engulfed him in a big hug, running her hands through his bright red hair. "Shh, don't worry Ron! You know that will never happen. We're going to find them, and together we'll kill Voldemort, and all those horrible Death Eaters. It will end up just like a fairytale where everybody good and true lives happily ever after." She comforted him ad best she could, and they just hugged for a few minutes, until Ron spoke.
"I miss them, 'Mione. No, it isn't just that. A part of me is missing with them. They are so important to me. The most evil man in the world is holding my best friend and my poor little sister against their will. 'Mione, it's all up to us to get them back, and I know that I can't live without them. The only thing that really keeps me going on this is you; I don't know how I would survive if you weren't around to help me. But we are together, and that's all we need really, right? If we helped Harry get to the (Philosopher's) Sorcerer's Stone, then there isn't a doubt I have in the world that we'll help him defeat Voldemort. You are right, Hermione. Thank you."
She just smiled, and hugged him a bit harder. "I'm gonna go to bed now, okay Ron? Will you be alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good, I'm, I'm just fine."
"Okay. Goodnight, then."
"Goodnight, 'Mione."
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, and said thanks again with a small smile. Hermione went back to bed, and thought about the dream, but she wasn't bothered by it. It was only a dream. Just before she fell asleep, she looked over and saw that two of the pendants lying on the nightstand were a rosy pink.
~Evyfleur
