Meanwhile, Hermione was in the library, as she had gotten up extra early to study for a test Snape was giving them. She, unlike many of the other 6th year girls, was already fully dressed in her robe ready for classes. She was reading a particularly boring book on different potions for different purposes and she found herself thinking about Ron (surprise, surprise). She thought about the way his freckles were scattered across his face, how he got so angry with Viktor Krum and Malfoy, how his ears turned red whenever he was embarrassed and how he had looked sleeping in the Gryffindor common room. But when she realized she was thinking about Ron she blushed furiously almost as much as Ron really. ' Stop it' she scolded herself ' I'm thinking about Ron! Ron! An insufferable prat who doesn't know how to speak English correctly! For goodness' sake Hermione he swears, and you fight with him all the time!' she angrily thought and the logical part of her mind took over. ' He's your best friend Hermione. Nothing mor--' But Hermione's thoughts were cut short when Ginny came bursting into the library shouting her name furiously. Hermione jumped and stood up, "Ginny I'm here" hermione was as confused as ever. Ginny was breathing fast and looked like she had just run a marathon. " Gin, what's wrong?" "Oh Hermione" Ginny rushed over to her and hugged almost all the life out of her. Hermione gasped and replied rather breathlessly " Ginny while I am flattered, why are you hugging me like you're never going to let me go?" " Oh, explosion in the common room and Ron, --" Ginny suddenly widened her eyes in shock "oh no Ron! He was-- and harry- they rushed and hole in -- oh and screaming and they- they ugh disgusting--" Ginny's tone changed from surprise to worry to happiness to wonder to disgust so rapidly in that sentence (if you can call it that) that Hermione was just as confused as she was in the beginning, maybe even more so. "Ginny slow down. I have no clue as to what you just said there apart from explosion, Harry and Ron" Ginny was about to start and explain what had happened properly when it was Hermione's turn to look shocked. " Oh no Ginny was there an explosion?" and at this Ginny nodded and started to explain more when Hermione cut her off again. Hermione gasped and said in a panicked voice " Oh no Harry and Ron! They were caught in the explosion and were horribly killed and that's why everyone was screaming." But just as Ginny was about to explain everything, Hermione did something which shocked even Ginny...she fainted. ~~~ "Alright everyone except the 6th year girls leave the room" professor McGonagall said sharply, after conjuring a temporary wall to hide the 6th year girls from any more humiliation. " I said everyone OUT! " prof. McGonagall shouted the last word and the rest of the Gryffindors left. "Well that was...unexpected" Harry grinned at Ron beside him as they walked to the great hall. "Yea, that's one word for it" Ron was grinning as well, when suddenly he stopped in the middle of the staircase. His face turned a deathly white when he asked Harry slowly "Harry, where's Hermione?" At this harry stopped dead in his tracks as well and turned to face Ron his face paler than usual. "I didn't see her Ron. Did you?" that was all Ron needed. He rushed back to the common room and crashed straight into ... Draco Malfoy. "Oy! watch where your going weasel! Rushing to your girlfriend are you?" Draco sneered but not for long as Ron rushed back to Draco and pushed him against the wall forcefully. "Where's Hermione, Malfoy?" Ron asked menacingly. " Your girlfriend? How should I know where that mudblood is!" Draco said angrily about to take out his wand. "Try and get your wand and you wont have an arm to hold it" Ron slammed Draco on the wall causing Draco's wand to drop on the ground. " NOW WHERE'S HERMIONE?" Ron was now shouting at Draco while Draco shouted back "I TOLD YOU I DONT KNOW WHERE THAT FILTHY MUDBLOOD IS WEASEL!" "NEVER CALL HER THAT FERRET BOY" Ron snarled slamming Draco on the wall yet again and was about to do so again, when Harry showed up and pushed Ron off Draco. "HARRY--"Ron started but Harry quickly interrupted "I know where Hermione is." "Then let's go" Ron pulling Harry before Harry shook him off and they both raced to the hospital wing. ~~~ Hermione woke to find herself in a white bed and looked around groggily. She recognized she was in Madame Pomfrey's hospital wing and attempted to get up. Madame Pomfrey however was too quick and insisted she get back in bed. After protesting to no avail, Hermione reluctantly got back into bed, but after remembering about Harry and Ron she sprang back up again. She argued stubbornly with Madame Pomfrey until Madame Pomfrey gave up and let her go. Hermione ran out into the corridor only to crash into...Harry, Ron and Ginny. Her eyes widened in shock and she was left with her mouth hanging open. She finally managed to stutter "wh-what?" Ginny FINALLY managed to explain to Hermione exactly what happened. After hearing this Hermione hugged both Ron and Harry. "Aye, Mione your kind of squeezing out all my air here" Ron laughed weakly, secretly, equally as relieved as Hermione to find her safe and uninjured. "Ahem" Ginny cleared her throat loudly "um I think we should go to eat now before breakfast is over. Don't you think?" "Yea i'm starving" Ron replied enthusiastically while Hermione just rolled her eyes at him. "Ron, you're always hungry" "Yea, but didn't you hear? I said I was starving, not hungry Mione. Starving" Ron grinned at her while he walked off toward the great hall, where breakfast was being served. 'Typical Ron' she thought grinning jogging to keep up with him. ~~~