HARRY POTTER…. announced over all the stands.

            Harry stood up with Cho Chang.  Her hand wrapped tightly around his.  Hermione looked at them disgustedly and rolled her eyes.  Harry had been an Aurora, but after Ron's death he'd become a professional Quiditch player.  Cho was a head honcho at the Ministry of Magic, and Hermione was a teacher at Hogwarts!

            "Are you not excited Harry?" asked Cho. Over the past year Cho had learned perfect English.

"Yes I am…." Harry said slowly, "I just wish Ron was here to celebrate too!"

"Oh you poor baby." Said Cho in a very loving and sickening voice. Then she hugged him and smiled an evil smile at Hermione.  She said in the same voice, "I know, I know me too!"

A tiny tear ran down Harry's cheek.

"Harry may I speak to you… privately!" said Hermione quickly.

"Yes, of course!" said Harry, trying to escape Cho's tight grip. Wipping his shirt, Harry walked over to Hermione. They walked into the hall, which was deserted. Then Hermione said softly to Harry, "I miss him too!"

Harry started to cry and so did Hermione. "I've been thinking," said Harry slowly.

 "Yes?" said Hermione, listening carefully.

            "About what happened to Ron, well you know how he died… he was weak and I think that maybe I'm weak too!"

            "No you're not Harry…. your strong! Ron died because of a trap… you and I both know that!" said Hermione sternly.

            "You really think so?"

"Yes, yes I do," said Hermione. "Now, we need to talk about Cho."

            "No! Hermione, not again," Harry immediately protested.

            "Yes, Harry," Hermione insisted.  "I still don't trust her."

            "She's perfectly fine!"

            "No! She's not! She's…"

HARRY POTTER…. It announced again.

"Can we talk about this some other time?" asked Harry.

"Fine," Hermione relelnted in a pouty tone.

Harry leaned over to kiss Hermione on the cheek, and with that he ran into the stadium, where the crowd cried ever so loudly, HARRY, HARRY!

Hermione, still in the hall; looked at Harry with such delight and happiness; and she smiled inside; her heart was warm from the kiss Harry had given to her. Then she touched her cheek where Harry had kissed her, and a tear rolled down her cheek because she knew she would never get a kiss again as long as Cho was around ….she just realized that she loved Harry so much she was willing to die for him!

When Hermione looked back at Cho; she had her arms crossed…. She was talking to a short man, who had a hood and a long black cloak. Hermione wanted to hear their conversation so she took a few steps, then a couple more, then she could hear the man breathing.  He had short breaths and talking very fast.  All Hermione heard was: "Then you mean we can not have the procedure unless we get Hermione Granger out of the picture?" asked the man.

"Yes that is what I'm telling you!" answered Cho with the same smile and look in her eyes as she had had when she hugged Harry.

"It will be done!" said the man.

Cho then nodded her head, and then the man gave Cho Five golden pieces, and then disappeared.  Cho smiled at the pieces and kissed each one of them.  Cho then looked around to see if anyone was looking at her; she saw Hermione! The woman then packed the gold up quickly.  Hermione got to her seat and thought hard about what she had seen and heard.  She knew she must tell Harry this…… but how?

Harry started to walk back up the aisle from the stage. When Harry got back to his seat Cho kissed and hugged him in front of Hermione, who looked away with disgust.  Hermione asked Harry if they could carry on their conversation and so as before they went back into the hall.  Hermione told Harry everything she had seen and heard, but Harry told her it couldn't have been Cho; Hermioine must have misunderstood what was going on.  They carried on with the conversation until Cho came and told them it was time to go.  All three of them left together, going to Harry and Cho's home for dinner.

When the car pulled up Hermione found herself looking at an exact replica of Ron Wesley's home. At dinner Cho asked Hermione: "May I have a word with you in the living room?"

"Sure," answered Hermione warily.

" Did you hear my conversation with Worm….. never mind his name; did you?"

"Yes I did. And are you going to kill me for it?" asked Hermione supiciously.

"Well Hermione…..I will not kill you while Harry is around.  Or will I?  But then he'll get suspicious!" Cho said with a frightening tone of voice.

"Why did you bring me in here then?"

"To give you a warning!"

"And what is that warning?" asked Hermione.

"The warning is…. (She whispered it like a snake and Hermione got chills down her back)… BEWARE OF YOU KNOW WHO!  He's with me!" With that she left Hermione there in the living room shocked and stiff.

At dinner everything was fine until Harry said his scar was burning. Cho leaned over and touched his scar,  then kissed it tenderly.  As she did so Harry felt as if he was going to die, and the pain was so great he almost screamed.  Hermione went over to Cho and asked her to leave them alone.  Cho hesitated but then left the room.  As soon as Cho had left the room the pain parted from Harry's forehead, and Hermione came and kissed his scar.

"Harry," said Hermione faintly (holding Harry so only he could hear her.) Ron died in the ring of fear, right?"

"Yes," answered Harry.

"Well, why do you think he died?  Why do you think they set him up?" asked Hermione.

" Because he wanted to kill him!"  Harry said grinding his teeth.

"Who's he?"

"Voldemort; Voldemort tried to kill me… Ron wanted to stop Voldemort, he tried to protect me and so they killed him!" another tear rolled down his cheek.  He closed his eyes tightly and more tears overran his lashes.

Hermione stood up, wanting to give Harry some time alone, and walked into the living room. Cho looked into her eyes and said: "Time to die, Miss Granger!"

Hermione then looked at Cho and said "Your lying."

Cho raised one eyebrow and then smiled and said "No I'm not!"

A moment passed and then Hermione turned around and rolled her eyes.  She started to walk back to the kitchen when two men jumped on her; one man was Wormtail and the other was Draco Malfoy.  Wormtail had the dagger he had had when he stabbed Harry in the arm, but just as Hermione saw it he rushed at her, attempting to stab her in the chest with it.  Hermione flailed her arms wildly, knocking Wormtail's dagger out of his hand.  It landed at Cho's feet, and the woman sent a disappointed glare at Wormtail.   He scrambled quickly for the dagger, scooping it up in his hand and murmuring an apology to Cho as he stood. 

Hermione vaguely heard Wormtail's apology, but then Draco Malfoy tried to strangle her, his hands wrapping around her throat mercilessly.  She couldn't breathe; she started to choke and gasp for air, feeling her heartbeat in her head.  She tried to call for help but no one answered; her eyes rolled back in her head, and everything faded to white.  Then her head started to clear, and she could see two golden gates.  She was getting closer and closer to them and saw two men dressed in white robes playing trumpets.  She heard the trumpets louder than ever and ever so clearly.  Two other men were pushing her toward the gates; she fought them, trying to get away, but it was useless.  From somewhere far away she could feel herself lying on the floor, helpless and crying, unable to stop the oncoming dagger or the hands still tightly choking her.  Hermione knew then she was going to die!

Cho was on the other side of the room making it look that she too was beaten.

Hermione felt a cold breeze sweep across her chest, and then somone touched her stomach, but she could do nothing.  She didn't know what was going to happen.  And then an incredible pain shocked through her as the metal blade of the dagger stabbed into her stomach.  After that everything went black.

When Hermione thought all hopes were gone she heard Harry's voice; it was like angel speaking to her, and she saw a ray of white light and Harry saying a spell.  Wormtail screamed, making her shudder.  There was the feeling of water where she had been stabbed and she let out a wail at the pain that numbed her body.  She felt Harry's lips on hers and air rushing through her; her chest rose up at the air coming through and then she saw Harry…  he was a blur among a mass of swirling colors.

Hermione slowly began to understand everything happening around her.  She heard Cho in the background, whining and sniffeling and telling Harry what had happened to her.

"Oh Harry!  It was horrible!  They kicked me and then they punched me… they punched me… it was terrible!"

"Oh shut up!" Harry snapped back at her.  "Hermione's been stabbed!  Now help me clean her up!"  

Cho blinked at Harry blankly, but then moved into the kitchen, continuing her sniffeling the whole way.

"Thh-anks," Hemione croaked, having trouble forming the words.

"Shh!" Harry hissed.  "Don't speak too much, but can you tell me who did this?"

Just at that moment Cho came into the room and only heard "who did this?"  Quickly she ran over to Hermione and pushed the wet rag onto the cut.  Hermione screamed at the pressure, a tear running down her cheek.  She squeezed Harry's hand so hard it turned purple and blue, and she started to cough up blood.  Cho put one of the wet rags into Hermione's mouth, effectively silencing Hermione and preventing her from saying that it had indeed been Cho's plan. 

Hermione glared fiercely at the other woman and raised her free hand to point at Cho, but before Harry could see what she was doing Cho grabbed Hermione's hand, gripping it as if to offer support. 

"You'll be okay," the woman whispered sweetly, but there was an evil look in her eye.

Hermione felt tears of frustration and helplessness well up, and she let them fall, too tired to stop them.