A/N: WOW! That was Insane! I come to check my email and suddenly I get 21 reviews in my inbox! I hope to see a lot more of those! So as a treat for such ample opinions, comments and compliments I'll post up the next one.

And let me tell you that some of you were right about certain theories regarding the story! Good job! However there is more to this story that might make things very interesting indeed.

Disclaimer: Oh, I wish I were the author of Harry Potter! That is what I'd truly like to be. *Music* Cause if I was the author of Harry Potter… everyone would be in love me!

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Chapter 5

"Persona"

She drew her head away from Ron and watched him walk out without even a look towards her or Harry. Hermione fell to her knees in shock. Harry rushed over to her and asked what had happened. She told him and he remained stunned as well.

"No heart beat? Not a sound?" asked Harry.

"No… his heart always beats so loudly… so I know I didn't make a mistake. There was nothing. Empty, like he was just a shell,"

"You don't think he did something to himself do you?"

"If he did, its all my fault," she whimpered.

"Hermione… Come on. Let's go. He told me that he'd tell me what was going on soon so please don't worry,"

Harry helped Hermione up and both walked out slowly. However, amidst their stride they left behind a unknown shadow hidden in one of the changing compartments. Once they made their way into the deserted pitch, the shadow ran in the direction of the forbidden forest with great speed. Once within the castle walls and in the common room, Ginny ran to them in a hurry.

"What was that all about?" she asked curiously.

"What?" asked Harry, now settling Hermione.

"Well - Ron running away like that! He came in before you did and just went up the stairs like nothing happened,"

"I don't know Ginny - wait. He's in the dorms then?"

"Hasn't come down since," said Ginny.

Harry rushed up the stairs after resting one of his dearest friends on a chair. He was going to end this ridiculous game but when he got up, the room was empty. Harry's mind was in a real whirl. Ron hadn't come to sleep in the dorms for the entire week.  And now he seems to be the only wizard ever able to apparate in Hogwarts… how?

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For the rest of the month it continued and Hermione was desperate to get to the bottom of it! Ron's state wasn't natural and she wanted to know what kind of potion or spell could do this to him. She tried to concentrate hard with the tiny squeaks that emanated from time to time as she researched.

'Imagine! Ron giving me the slip! Not on your life! I'll crack this and then I'll tell you everything! I'll tell you everything in my heart!' she told herself as she managed to sneak out, 'Moste Potente Potions' with the help of Harry's invisibility cloak. Hermione was concentrating all of her energy into finding out what happened to Ron and forgot completely about Draco or even studying. She wasn't ahead of the class anymore but actually right in time with it. This became apparent after a particularly interesting potions class.

Snape was lecturing the class about how to prepare a very difficult potion by the name of "Curalithium". It was a potion that could cure most hexed on jinxed victims. Harry was truly nervous for it involved some very precise mixing and carefully prepared ingredients. Hermione was surprised that she didn't remember most of the preparation methods because she had only gotten half way into reading it. Ron however looked as bland as always. Harry would usually pair with Ron during practical lessons but decided he'd be safer with Hermione; not that the redhead seemed to care at all. Ron didn't pair up with anyone and decided to work on it alone.

"Harry, maybe this potion could work on Ron!" whispered Hermione as Snape made his rounds.

"Maybe…" he whispered back.

Snape still had a bit of a limp from the wizard duel he had fought when Voldermort attacked the school last year and was far less harsh with the trio then before. However, this did not change the fact that he noticed Ron making a few mistakes in his mixture.

"Mr.Weasley, I believe that you must add the essence of Acacia before the Opaleye dragon's scale. Tell me why you are not following instructions?"

Ron just looked up and poured the mixture into the sink next to him and began to start over but Snape was looking for an answer and did not request for the disposal of the potion.

"Mr.Weasley, I believe I asked you a question. Answer," he said sternly but the boy did not say a word. "Once again, speak!"

Harry had never noticed it until now. Ron had never spoken when he was in that state. He used to think that he was just ignoring him but he never breathed a word with the exception of that day during Quidditch match. Snape, now thoroughly aggravated with the boy's impertinence, had begun to shout.

"For this insolence 10 points from Gryffindor!" he shouted, as Ron remained silent without even fidgeting at Snape. "Staying quiet are you? Do you think this is funny? 20 points!" still nothing. "30-40-50 points!"

"Oh for Merlin's sake… He can't speak Snape!" said a voice that no one expected at all!

Strangely enough, Draco Malfoy had decided to speak up. Snape looked from Draco to Ron and back again. He released Ron from his deadly stare and marched over to the silver haired Slytherin.

"And… how do you know this Mr. Malfoy?" asked Snape.

"Cause - he - hasn't been talking for the last month! Even if you hit him over the head he won't make a sound! He probably has laryngitis or something…" said Draco his voice steadily growling lower.

"Laryngitis usually doesn't last for an entire month," he stared at the two boys. "I'll return the points back to the Gryffindor house but I will not tolerate any more cheek in my classroom," he said as he hobbled away.

The students were all very perplexed by Ron already but this - not reacting to Snape was bizarre enough and now, Draco defending him? What was happening? Hermione and Harry were still in disbelief. Harry thought about Ron not speaking while Hermione only thought one thing: Malfoy knows something.

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It was now December and Hermione knew that she had to get to the bottom of this. As Draco was walking along the corridor Hermione was ready to confront him and tear him away for a complete interrogation. She didn't like the fact that he knew something about Ron that she didn't. As she was about to jump Harry came running with Ginny and caused a huge racket by shouting her name. Draco heard them and turned around to walk in the opposite direction. Hermione was furious but she knew it wasn't their fault, how could they have known she was planning an assault? Ginny and Harry were both out of breath as they reached the bushy haired girl.

"I – know – I know – what's wrong – with Ron!" said Harry regaining his composure.

"You do?? What Harry??" she asked eagerly.

"Well, after seeing what was going on… that he had no heart beat, he didn't have emotion, he didn't speak and that he disappeared in the castle, which is IMPOSSIBLE! I could only conclude -"

"That, that thing walking around here, isn't Ron at all!" interjected Ginny.

"What?" asked Hermione.

"The only time for the past month that we've seen the REAL Ron was at the Quidditch pitch after the first match of the year when you came down to congratulate us. Notice how different he was until he went into the cabin?"

"You're right," said Hermione. "But how did he -"

"Remember the "Persona" charm?" asked Ginny.

"What??" she breathed.

"Like this," said Harry… "Illuros Persona!"

With a wave of his wand Harry managed to conjure a duplicate of himself. Ginny giggled. "Hmmm… two Harry's!" she thought, though one was dim and stared into nothingness. This body double was the exact duplicate of Harry, everything was identical from his messy fringe of black hair to his remarkable scar.

Hermione was starting to flip the pages in her manual-like mind. She then remembered that she learned that spell last year in charms class and that Ron was particularly good at controlling his persona. They obeyed their counter parts by completing any task that was order of them and those that were skilled at conjuring their double could put in their orders without even speaking.

"However -" began Hermione. "Ron has to be telling his persona what to do everyday, so he's still near the school! But where is he?"

"That we haven't figured out yet," said Harry until he looked at Ginny grabbing the fake Harry's arm.

"Ginny!" he said with a puppy-dog face.

"Oops! Sorry, got confused there!" she said smiling.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Yes, Ron's double! No wonder! 'I guess you did give me the slip after all,' she said her mouth slightly curling into a smile. 'I told you, you were bright Ron!'  This also explained the fake Ron's disappearance in the dormitories. After the end of the day, the double would just disappear and another would be conjured in its place at the appropriate places. But where was the real Ron? And how was he able to avoid being seen, yet be close enough to the school to conjure his persona??

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A/N: This is the way it works friends! This is a finished story! I have the ending and the middle all written down... So to get more FAST, like the way this was posted, review and tell me what you think.