Love and Loyalty

Chapter Two

"Ron! Ron, wake up!" hissed Harry.

"What?!" yelled Ron as he sat up bolt right in bed. A thin layer of sweat covered his entire body. He was shaking, shivering actually, as if a cold wind had blasted right through him. The dorm room was dark but Ron's eyes soon adjusted and saw that Harry was staring back at him, worry and fright written into his face.

"You, you must have been having a nightmare. You were screaming," explained Harry.

Ron thought for a moment. He didn't remember having a nightmare. All he remembered was been awoken out of, what must have been, a deep sleep.

"You were, um...you were calling out for Hermione," said Harry embarrassed for Ron. Harry was sure that had it been broad daylight he would have seen Ron turning a deep shade of pink at this very moment. He thought at least Dean, Neville, and Seamus went home for the holidays. There had been no one to hear Ron except for Harry. Otherwise he was sure Ron would have been mortified.

"Hermione," Ron whispered. The dream came back to him like a blast from a wand. Although, like Harry had said, it was a nightmare, not a dream. "We've got to check on her! She could be in danger!"

Ron threw off his bed covers. In his haste he didn't even think to put his robe on over his pajamas as he flew down the cold stone stairs to the common room. Before he could throw open the door that led to the girls' dormitory, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, a hand that belonged to Harry.

"Ron, that's the girl's dormitory! We're not allowed up there remember!"

Harry could see an internal struggle playing out on Ron's face. He was fighting his urge verify Hermione's safety and break a school rule. Normally he wouldn't have had too much trouble with this dilemma, but his actions would be breaking the inner sanctum of the girls' rooms and right now that wasn't what he wanted to do. Ron made up his mind. He swung open the door and whispered as loud as he could, "Hermione! Hermione!"

A few seconds later a girl with shoulder length red hair, her periwinkle blue robe pulled tightly around her, emerged down the steps. She was rubbing her eyes. When she saw Harry and Ron at the end of the steps she muttered, "Ron what are you doing? Don't you know what time it is?"

"Ginny," said Ron urgently. "I need you to go check on Hermione...make sure she's alright."

Ginny just stared at Ron. "I'm sure she's fine, Ron," said Ginny frowning at the request. She thought maybe her brother was trying to play a trick on her much as their older twin brothers constantly subjected her to.

Ron opened his mouth to say something but didn't get a chance. Harry said, "Please Ginny."

Ginny looked at Harry and felt an urge to blush. In her tired state, it hadn't fully dawned on her that Harry Potter, the boy that made her tongue tied all the time, was standing there. Then she did blush and say, "Alright. Be back in a few."

Ginny rushed back up the stairs. But at the bottom the wait seemed like forever to Ron. This did not go unnoticed by Harry who said, "Don't worry. She'll be back in a few minutes."

Ron didn't seem to hear Harry as he peered deeply up the dark stairs for any sign of movement. Finally, they heard two girls whispering. Hermione and Ginny had come down the stairs.

"Hermione," breathed Ron with a happy sigh of relief. He fought the urge to pull her into a great big hug.

Hermione, for her part, looked rather cross at being awoken at some very untimely hour. "What's wrong?" She looked back and forth between Ron and Harry but no answer seemed to be forthcoming.

Ron's mind blanked. "Uh...uh...uh...," Ron stuttered.

Hermione's face changed from one of annoyance to one of true concern. "Are you okay, Ron? Is something wrong?"

Ron panicked. He couldn't tell her about the dream. He couldn't tell her what she had said to him in his dream. It was a silly nightmare. Nothing more. "It was nothing," he said quickly. He grabbed Harry's shoulder and hurried him back to their dorm rooms leaving a confused Hermione and Ginny starring after them.