~*Lean On Me*~

A Ron and Hermione story

(A/N) Okay I know I posted this a little soon but I think you're all thanking me for it right? But then again maybe I should slow down….

Nah!

(Disclaimer)You know the drill. Nothin's for me.

Chapter 9: Unfocused Eyes

For the rest of the week, Hermione sulked around the common room. Ron could often find her sitting near the fireplace with a book in hand. The only thing unusual about this was that she wouldn't move her eyes or turn the pages. She would just sit there staring blankly at the paper. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were beginning to worry a lot about her. She looked horrible. Her hair was messier than normal since she hadn't brushed it, there were dark circles forming under her eyes from her obvious lack of sleep, and she hadn't joined them in the Great Hall for dinner since the day after their meeting with Dumbledore. She hadn't even spoken a word to them and they didn't dare try to talk with her after there semi-quarrel that day. She had asked them to leave her alone and they were going to respect her request. But something was definitely wrong. She was getting worse and worse every day. Emily Woodbanks of Ravenclaw had lost her father and her grandmother a couple of months earlier and she didn't act as horribly as Hermione did now. Hermione seemed to have lost hope in everything.

They were absolutely positive that something was odd about her during Transfiguration class on Friday afternoon right after lunch (which Hermione didn't attend) All of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff seventh year students were sitting in their desks in Professor McGonagall's last hour class.

Ron was sitting next to Harry, but Hermione had chosen a seat across the isle from them. Harry sat scribbling the notes to Chapter sixteen in his parchment notebook, while Hermione sat across from him, her quill set in her hand ready to write down as many notes as she felt necessary. She was sitting looking straightforward at the board, but he could see the empty looking in her eyes that she wasn't taking in any word that anyone said.

"Now then, that completes lesson 1 of this Chapter. I would like a foot long essay by the end of the holidays. That shouldn't be to hard, now should it." Professor McGonagall said almost joyfully. She had a wicked smile on her face that made everyone groan in resentfulness." And yes it is for a grade." That was what the smile meant. "Before you are dismissed I would like to pass out the test papers for the test we had yesterday on the last Chapter we covered."

"How do you think Hermione's doing?" Harry asked Ron as Parvati squealed when she received her paper.

"I'm not sure, but..." He looked around to be sure no one was listening and lowered his voice, "...well I don't think she's doing to good. The last test she just sat there and stared at her paper. Then she circled random letters about two minutes before class ended." Harry made a face of disbelief.

"I wonder what's wrong with her?" he thought aloud.

"Harry, she just lost her mum! What d'you expect? You want her to be smiling and skipping around like looking like a total nut case acting like everything's is fine." Ron stared in disbelief.

"No. That's not what I meant." Harry said with a roll of his eyes. "I meant why doesn't she talk to us like other people do when the loose someone close to them. When I left Sirius I wasn't acting like she is now. Sure I cried a lot, but ...oh shut up Ron... but I talked with you and Hermione about it and well I felt better. Why does she have to be so complicated? Why doesn't she just do like everybody else and talk it out?"

Ron looked over at her again, and put on a sad smile. "Because she isn't like other people, Harry. She just... well... different. She's just... Hermione." He watched as she slouched forward again and rested her cheek on her hand. Secretly he wished it were his hand.

An impatient voice cleared their throat next to Harry's side. They both looked up into Professor McGonagall's irritated sneer. "As soon as you put your eyes back into your head Mr. Weasley you will take this test from me." Ron blushed as a few people snickered and blew mockery kisses in his direction.

"Mr. Potter you did exceptionally well and Mr. Weasley...well... here you go." she said as they both took the papers from her hands.

"Wow! Better than I expected." Ron said looking very satisfied with his mediocre score.

"Ms. Granger, this is definitely not your best work." Professor McGonagall's usually stern meaningful look somehow softened as she placed Hermione's paper on her desk. She shook her head with pity.

Ron watched her as she continued to stare forward at the board with her usual unfocused eyes., but the suddenly her could see her try to sneak a peak at it without anyone seeing. She tilted her head only very slightly towards it then he heard a sharp intake of breath and she stared forward again. He leaned over ever so slightly and shifted in his seat so her could see her grade. She enough she had failed. His mouth fell open in shock. That definitely wasn't Hermione. Her looked back at her face and her could see that she actually showed some sort of feeling in them this time, but that wasn't the one he was hoping for. She shut her eyes tightly shut as a small glistening tear softly slid down her cheek and onto her test paper.

Ron felt his heart drop. He felt so sorry for her right now. Her life had been going downhill since Monday and it seemed to only get worse for her. But what scared him the most was that that was the first tear she had shed since he was sitting with her in the Hospital Wing. How much more could she take?

He watched a small curl fall into her face where it always had since he first saw her. How could something so beautiful be so sad and miserable? He thought to himself. He turned his head as a large knot deep inside himself made his way up to his throat. He realized that he couldn't be a child anymore. No more stupid pointless fights, no more jealousy over Krum, no more worrying over stupid childish things such as being more popular than other or who will win the next Quidditch world cup. He had to grow up. He had to be a man. He had to do it...

...for Hermione.

~*~

"She's just so sad. Just look at her!" Ginny exclaimed as she, Harry, and Ron looked over at Hermione who was sitting alone near a window staring outside at the falling snow. "It's the last day before the holidays and she still hasn't packed her trunk. Why does she have to be so difficult?"

"Hey just lay off her alright. She not like other people. She doesn't want other people to get involved in her problems. She's very proud about herself." Ron said rushing to her defense.

"Yeah well maybe she a little too proud!" Ginny muttered. Ron gave her an evil glare when she met his eye and she stuck out her tongue and crossed her arms. Harry looked from on to the other and began to laugh.

"WHAT?" they both shouted in unison.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing a'tall." He said nervously. He glanced around for a change of subject. "So, Is Mr. Granger going to be going to Grimald Place too?"

"Oh. Well, yes, he is, as a matter of fact. He's been there since Dumbledore heard the news. He says that he really misses Hermione and he can't wait to..."

Ron didn't find out what he couldn't wait to do. As a matter of fact her really didn't care. All he was concerned about for now was Hermione. Her face was pointed towards the window, but he knew she couldn't see outside. She couldn't see anything right now. All she could see was darkness. He knew because that's what he felt right now just looking at her. Her could see her hurt just by looking at her, much less being her. She stood up unexpectedly and walked over near the bookcase where she would leave a lot of her extra books. She ran her hand slowly through the dust that had made a thin layer on it and didn't bother wipe it off of her fingers. She slid silently over to the door that led to the girls' dormitory and stopped dead in her tracks at the foot of the stairs. She turned her head and looked over at Ron and looked him deep in the eyes, her eyes like shining daggers. Ron's legs quivered as pain wretched through his body. Her eyes were so sorrowful, so grave, that it was hard to describe or to even understand. You could only feel it. She blinked and turned back up to the stairs as another tear slid down her cheek. Ron sat there in shock. Almost as if he had just seen someone die before him.

"Oh, Harry! Aren't you supposed to announce an assembly, right now? Ginny yelled unexpectedly in the almost completely silent common room. Everyone jumped including herself at the sudden noise. Everyone's eyes flickered towards them in response.

"Well, you heard the girl! There's going to be an assembly in the Great Hall! Don't just stand there like idiots. Move!" Harry yelled and everyone began to scuttle towards the portrait hole at once.

"What about Hermione?" Ron whispered pulling Harry back down.

He looked up at the girl's stairs and gave a shrug. "She's probably only packing."

Ron looked at hi skeptically. "Harry. Now you saw the way Hermione's been acting. Do you really think she's only packing?"

"I don't know! I just don't know, Ron! I don't know what she's doing right now because she won't tell me. That's what her problem is!" Harry shouted impatiently. No body spared the moment to pay attention though since they were too worried about getting downstairs.

"Well I surely remember someone else who acted the same way only two years ago, Harry Potter! You remember how it felt!" Ron yelled back feeling very angry and scared.

"You know what Ron maybe I did act that way! But you know what, that was when I was fifteen. I'm seventeen now. I grew up. Maybe that's just what she needs. Just to grow up!" Harry retorted fury showing obviously on his red face.

"Yeah! Well just because you were forced to grow up too quickly doesn't mean the rest of us have to be exactly like you!" Ron yelled in response. That was it. Harry stood there a couple of seconds mouthing like a fish out of water, dumbfounded by everything.

"Forget it." He muttered then stormed from the room angrily.

Ron stood up and gazed up to the top of the girl's staircase. During this week Hermione had only caught his eye once or twice, but this last time was different. It meant more to him in some strange way. Harry was wrong. Something was definitely up with Hermione and he was going to find out exactly what it was. He had to get to her before she did something she would regret.

Without even thinking he rushed up to the boys dormitory and flung open the trunk at the end of his bed. There lay his prized broomstick gleaming in the dim moonlight. He hadn't ridden it since he and Hermione had ridden it before their last Quidditch practice. He grabbed it out quickly and tore down the steps taking two at a time.

He mounted it and turned it so it faced straight for the Girl's Dormitory staircase. He wasn't sure weither it would work but it was worth a shot. Growing more and more worried by the second he gripped his broom firmly and kicked off hard from the ground. He flew up swiftly and smoothly. Before he could even realize it he had landed onto the first landing. He cautiously stepped onto the soft red carpet that lined the hallway.

He ran back and forth until he found what he was looking for, a doorway with a plaque hanging next to it labeled Seventh Year Girls.

He cleared his throat out of pure nervousness, feeling his mouth grow dry. Ever so slowly he creaked open the door. In order to be sure he was welcome he knocked and whispered, "Hermione?"

A quick intake of breath was followed shortly by the sound of breaking glass.

"Ron!"

He swung open the door at the sound of his name. He found Hermione standing in the corner, still in her school uniform standing behind her black Potions cauldron, her face full of fright, almost as though petrified in shock. The cauldron was full of a ghastly black liquid he had only seen in pictures. Pictures only to be found in books located in the Restricted Section of the Library.

It was the Death Toxin.

~*~

(A/N) Wow, huh? I'm sure alot of you were expecting something similar to that, right? Maybe not though. Maybe it came as a surprise to some o' you. Well I have nothing else to say other than Happy New Year and please review this Chappie. Thanx guys. Your lots of help. By the way what do you think of the rating is that too high or too low or is that alright? Tell me watcha think!

(Summary) This next Chappie is called Problems and Solutions. It's the end to all those "OMG so depressing" chapters I had before including the one I just wrote above. It's kinda sad in a way. Hermione tells Ron exactly what's on her mind. 'Bout time too. I thought she might explode. Ron kinda like releases some of her tension and helps her through some of her troubles. It's VERY fluffy and extra sweet. I even threw in a little surprise for you. You'll see what I mean when you read it. Let's just say it's VERY VERY sweet and fluffy. You'll love it I promise. Hey you deserved it right? Hehe. By this is not the last chapter although some thought it was when I last wrote it.Happy Holidays!

(Thankies)

~VoiCeZWiThiN- Hey thanx for being such a great and dedicated reviewer.(I'm not sounding to lame am I?) But seriously, I'm really happy you followed me this far. Thanx bunches. By the way I'm pretty satisfied with the speech Ron gave to Harry last chapter too. He's so cute huh?

~iloveron- Thanx lots! I love Ron and Hermione romance too.

~redheadsintrigueme-I hope you can still keep up with me. Hehe. I love your story by the way. If you need some more reviews I don't mind if you advertise in your reviews you know.

~Sarah- I'm glad you like it. I felt it turned out pretty good. I hope you keep reading.

~hp/charmed obsesed- I really don't get how the last chapter was weird? But whatever. Thanks for reviewing. By the way I thought of doing this story H/G but I decided that since I love Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and I LOVED R/H romance I could do both and not have to part with my favorite adults.

~RussellGrl15-Thank you so much! You always manage to cheer me up when I feel bad about a certain ch. Thanx so much for sticking with me this far. It helps having faithful reviews who stick with you.(I hope I don't sound really cheesy) Anywho I really love Ron and seriously I think he is smarter than he appears. You just have to look really REALLY deep inside his cluttered little red head. In my story he does become smarter cuz he learns that if he wants to survive during Voldemort's time. Keep reading and reviewing.

~SisterBear58-Sorry I didn't mean to make you cry! I'm terribly sorry! I left you hanging again this chapter too didn't I?! LOL! I'm sorry!! Please forgive me won't you! LOL! I post really soon! I promise!

~Duckymander- I love Beauty and the Beast too! It's my favorite cartoon Disney movie! Did you realize that its the only show in which the princess falls in love with the prince over time. You know learns to love them on the inside. All the others meet the prince and are like "Oh marry me darling! I love you!" right away! It irritates the hell out me! hehe.

~Katie26- I know you didn't review but if you happen to read my fic anyway, I wanted to say it's alright if you don't review. I know your busy and stuff and I'm not pressuring you to keep up with yours and my story and live normally all at the same time. Review if you can.

~story645- I appreciate you correction on my grammar. I don't understand what you mean by pacing my story? I think its flowing in a very accurate pace. Of course I'm not the critic either am I. I've already finished writing this story and I'm not going to change anything unless its a major mistake. I'm not criticizing you but I really don't like criticism. I like criticizing myself. I only write for the pleasure of others and myself. By the way, I felt that the H/G and R/H was already there in the stories JK Rowling wrote to begin with. I'm only building on what I fell could possibly happen. They are just random ideas that pop into my head. This is just a fun fluff story. It is also the first story I have ever written and I don't mind the errors. I would like to correct them myself please. Thank you.

~ And to my friends from Harry Potter.com

Thanx Everyone!! I LOVE YOU ALL!