A/N: hey guys! First off I'd like to start off by thanking my wonderful cousin Amanda who was my inspiration for this chapter. ;-) I posted this chapter a couple weeks ago, but took it down after a day or two. I thought it was too short and needed something else, so added to more segments. Hope you enjoy, and please R/R!

CHAPTER 4

"Safe in his arms

Close to his heart

But I don't know quite where to start…"

Harry was getting worried. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning and Ron had not returned to the dorm. Not to mention that exams were only a few hours away. He sighed as he rolled out of bed and dug in his trunk to find the Marauder's Map. He then grabbed his robe and his invisibility cloak and headed out into the dark corridors. It took Harry a few minutes to find Ron on the map. He was sitting outside by lake.

What in Merlin's name is he doing out there in this weather? He thought to himself as he shivered underneath two layers of cloaks. The sun had not been out in days and the chilly Hogwarts halls were only a preview of the cold that loomed outside the giant wood doors. Harry had nearly reached the Prefect's bathroom when he saw someone coming out of the arched entry. He quickly hid behind a corner and waited. Even with the invisibility cloak he did not feel like taking any chances tonight. Winter break was just a week away and he was not planning on starting it off with any extra detentions.

Harry held his breath as the light from the tip of an anonymous wand grew nearer. Then suddenly, with a small cling on the floor, the light went out. Whoever was on the other side of had obviously dropped his wand.

"Oh shit." Take that back, her wand. A muffled groan could be heard followed by a soft thump of someone getting on their hands and knees to search for the lost wand. Harry took this as his chance. At this rate Ron would be a frozen statue by the time he got to him. But before he knew it, he had tripped over the hem on his cloak and fallen loudly to the hard and cold stone floor.

"Who's there," said the girl, who had now found her wand, lighted it, and whipped it in Harry's direction. It took him a moment before he could make out the face behind the bright light being emitted from the wand to be none other than Ginny Weasley. Not wanting to scare her anymore, he slowly untangled himself from the invisibility cloak that lay on top of him.

"It's alright Ginny, it's just me."

Ginny let out an audible sigh of relief before saying anything. "Harry, what on Earth do you think you're doing!" she said, in a tone that sounded too much like Mrs. Weasley to be comfortable with. "Wandering around in the middle of the night, you had me scared out of my mind!"

"I could ask you the same question," Harry said with a smirk.

Ginny's face turned shades in anger. Harry simply chuckled – she was so much like Ron. "For your information Harry Potter, I was just coming from taking a bath."

"At three in the morning?"

"Exams start tomorrow! It's been full all night!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down, I was just joking." Harry picked himself off the floor and proceeded to light his own wand, now that he knew it wasn't a teacher sharing the corridor with him. That's when he saw Ginny for the first time. Well, obviously not for the first time, but in some ways. She held a thick maroon robe tightly to her chest, and her hair was down and wet. Harry couldn't help but smile at her fuzzy pink slippers, before his eyes caught hers. They stood for a few moments in awkward silence, though Harry didn't know why. What was it that had so suddenly glued his feet mercilessly to the ground? And why was it, that he, Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, could defeat Voldemort on more than one occasion, but was not able to move or say anything at this very moment? It wasn't making any sense to Harry, but suddenly he realized that Ginny was clad only in a robe, and his cheeks were heating up in a shade that would rival any of the Weasley's. That's when he realized that she was pale as snow, and her teeth were chattering. Of course she would be cold. She was wearing close to nothing with wet hair in the middle of a corridor that must have been just a little better than freezing. Harry didn't hesitate one more second to rip off his robe and place it gently her shoulders.

"Look at you, you're shivering." He said.

"Oh, am I?" Ginny giggled nervously, "Thank you."

They shared one last look that made Harry feel a whole lot warmer than that robe had ever made him before they said there goodbyes and Ginny hurried away. Suddenly Harry was left alone in the corridor, and the cold was slowly creeping back onto his skin. He was covered in gooseflesh, but for some odd reason, he didn't care the slightest bit. He had to force himself to remember why he had come out here in the first place, and threw his invisibility cloak around his shoulders to find Ron.

Harry suddenly felt very silly that he had given his robe to Ginny. It was a good way below zero on the white Hogwarts grounds, and even though it was only snowing lightly, a fierce wind threatened to blow his cloak right off his back. Harry could see Ron sitting at the edge of the lake what seemed like miles away. It took all the energy he had to run through the snow to get to him.

"Ron," He said as he approached the redhead, "it's late and it's freezing. Come on, let's get you inside."

Ron did not even turn to look at him. He simply mumbled something under his breath that was quickly carried away by the cold wind.

"Sorry?"

"I can't."

"Now is not the time to be stubborn Ron, I'm freezing my pants off here. Now let's go!"

"No Harry!" Ron suddenly yelled, then returned to a defeated growl, "I can't… I won't. There's no use anymore. She'll hate me when she finds out."

"What? Who'll hate you? Ron come inside or we'll both catch our deaths out here."

That's when Harry saw him. He was the most pitiful thing he had ever seen. Dried and frozen blood clung to his nose, and dark bags encircled his almost painfully droopy eyes. You could tell he was in pain from head to toe, or at least would be if the cold hadn't numbed him over. Who knows how long he had been out there. Ron winced as Harry helped him to his feet and lifted his arm over his shoulder. He had been drinking; he could smell the alcohol on his breath. Ron wasn't one of those people who got crazy when they were drunk. He was actually quite mellow. But Ron's quiet scared Harry now, and he was seriously debating in his head whether it would be worth the trouble they would both get in if he took him to the hospital wing. In the end Harry had decided it was best for Ron to be in his own bed, and neither said a word until Harry was tucking his drunken friend under the warm covers of his four poster.

"Hermione will hate me for this…" Where the last words that were mumbled out of Ron's tired mouth.

Outside lightning flashed and sleet pounded on the long windows that looked over the Gryffindor common room. Hermione sat content by the fire on this early Monday morning. It was the first day of Hogwarts' midterm exams and she had decided to start it off right. No distractions. No enchanted maps. And most importantly, not even the thought of a certain Ronald Weasley. Just Hermione, and her beloved books.

The sun had yet to rise when the footsteps of the first student stumbling down the stairs could be heard. Or maybe it was more like… limping? Hermione turned to see Ron, the very thing she was trying to avoid, the source of her countless raving thoughts and troubles, carefully limp down the last few stairs like a wounded animal. He looked pitiful. He clutched his side and sported a very nasty looking welt on his nose. He stopped for a moment, and their eyes met. It was the most miserable look in the world that Ron was giving her. One of so many emotions swirling together making it impossible to read. Neither one said a word, until Hermione finally broke the gaze and painfully managed to make herself return her eyes to her books. Ron stood for just one more moment, then sadly limped his way out of the common room, no doubt heading for the hospital wing.

Only seconds later a second pair of feet could be heard coming down the staircases. Ginny Weasley hopped over the last few steps and ran to Hermione sitting comfortably in her plush armchair.

"Did you hear what my prat of a brother did last night?" Ginny exclaimed.

"No, but he just came through here," Hermione sighed, putting down her Arithmancy book, "he looked dreadful."

"Well he deserves it," continued Ginny, "He tried to beat up your boyfriend."

The anger that swelled in Hermione's chest came so quickly that it gave her no time to think rationally.

"What?!" Hermione yelled, standing up in fury. Ginny grabbed her by the arm and forced her back into her seat.

"Not so loud, people are still sleeping," Ginny shushed.

Hermione fought hard to control herself. "Why?" She finally managed.

"I'm not sure," replied Ginny, "you know Ron, he's got such a temper. It could have been anything."

The thought never occurred to Hermione that the Ron may have been defending her honor. She simply thanked Ginny, grabbed her books, and rushed out of dormitory to find Draco.

Ron walked as one condemned along the chilly stone corridors. It was a horrible day outside, which reflected perfectly his own. It had taken a wrong turn earlier that morning at the Ravenclaw party, and was getting continually worse with each moment. The look Hermione had given him in the common room had been unreadable. He didn't know if she had found out about the fight just yet, but eventually she would, and she would surely never talk to him again. Ron didn't blame her.

He was on his way to the great hall for breakfast and had just spent two hours in the hospital wing. Although he looked much better, he felt more horrible than ever. Just as it seemed it couldn't get any worse, it did.

"Ronald Weasley!" No one ever used his full name unless it was bad. Ever.

"What on earth did you think you were doing last night," shrieked the shrill voice of Pansy Parkinson. Ron was tempted to stay with his back turned to her forever, but knew he could not. With a sigh of defeat, he turned to face his furious girlfriend.

"Pansy just let me-"

"I've put up with you long enough Ronald. And if you think I'm going to-"

"It's over." Ron was not completely sure were those words came from, or why he said it. All he knew was that the expression on Pansy's face was priceless.

"Excuse me."

"That's what you were going to say right. Or at least something like it eventually. I was just taking a short cut. We both have places to go to, people to see. Might as well get it out of the way."

Pansy was furious. Ron was sure he could see smoke coming from her ears. "Why you little- urgh! I can't believe this."

Without so much as a finished insult, Pansy marched away, undoubtedly to find her next victim. He couldn't help but smirk. Somehow, he was beginning to feel a little bit better. Now there was only one thing left to do.

Ron waited until after exams had finished for the day before he began to look for Hermione. He found her in her private room, which had two entrances – one from the Gryffindor girls' dormitories, and the other from a private stairway hidden in the maze that was the Hogwarts corridors. Ron had memorized his way through the dark hallways long ago. He had even used the room a few times to sneak into the girls' dormitory, much to Hermione's dislike of course. When he finally reached the arched wooden door that led to her room he stopped. He stood in front of that damn door for what seemed like an eternity. For some reason, he could not bring himself to knock. It was as if both his arms had been plastered to the side. And even if he could somehow free himself from this self inflicted restraint where would he start? There was so much to say. And would she even listen. Of course she would, she was Hermione, Hermione always listens. But then again, she had every right not to. Ron stood, fighting with his own thoughts, arms plastered to his side, until suddenly, the door flew open.

"I thought I smelt something stink," Hermione glared before she went to shut the door again.

"Hermione wait," Ron blurted. Somehow his hand had reached out and stopped the thick wooden door from closing. "We need to talk."

Hermione stood for a moment, as if contemplating Ron's words. Then, to his great surprise, she opened the door wider as a motion for Ron to enter. "Yes, we do." She said simply.

It had been a while since Ron had been in this room. It was dark and still storming outside a beautiful arched window. On the opposite side of the long room stood a fireplace, next to it stood an overstuffed maroon and gold armchair. A large, 4 poster bed sat in the middle of the room, and directly across from it stood a very neat looking desk with a book propped open where she had left it.

It wasn't until now then Ron realized Hermione was dressed for bed. A white satin robe clung loosely around her figure, and her frizzy brown hair was left down. He hadn't seen it down in ages. But this was the way he liked Hermione the most. Relaxed with her hair down and wild. Until now Ron had forgotten how much he loved that curly mass of hair.

Hermione was sitting patiently on her armchair, and Ron took a seat on her bed.

"I don't even know where to begin," he said truthfully, "I am so sorry… for everything."

"What you did to Draco was completely out of hand," scolded Hermione, "and… and I'm not sure if I'm willing to forgive you for it."

Ron sighed. They both knew that this was about much more than his confrontation with Draco. And he had to fight hard not to argue that that was the only half-way decent thing he'd done in a long time. Now was not the time to fight however. Now was the time to beg.

"Look, I've done some ruddy screwed up things lately. And if you never want to talk to me again, I understand. But, I don't know if I could live with that." At this Ron stood and started pacing around the room, lost in his thoughts, rambling as many apologies as he could. "You are my best friend Hermione, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to loose that. I promise I'll never do anything like this again. I hate hurting you Hermione. I hate making you cry. If it were up to me I'd see that you never shed another tear in your life. But it's not up to me. As much as I wish it was, its not. What I can do, is make sure you never cry because of me again. And be there for you when you need someone to hold you and tell you everything's okay. I want to hold you Hermione. I want to be there. I've done an awful job of that lately. But if you could ever find it in your heart to forgive me, I promise I'll never not be there again." Ron suddenly realized he wasn't breathing, and sighed heavily while running his stressed hands through his bright red hair. "Am I making any sense at all?"

Ron stared at Hermione. Her face was unreadable. She was getting so good at that lately. Then slowly, a small smile crept onto her face, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Perfect. You're making perfect sense," Hermione said.

Ron kneeled down and wiped the tear away with his thumb. He was almost taken by surprise when Hermione pulled him into a hug so tight he couldn't move. But he didn't care. Right now he was the happiest man in the world. Or at least happier then he had been in a long time.

"I've missed you Ron," Hermione sighed.

"I've missed you too Hermione."

The rest of the week passed in a haze of studying and exam taking. And when it was all over, the Hogwarts students couldn't enjoy the upcoming break enough.

Hermione had just settled into the biggest couch in the common room with a new book her parents had sent her as an early Christmas present. She concentrated hard to ignore the clamor of excited children packing their bags and discussing winter plans around her. Tomorrow they would all take the train back to King's Cross and Hermione would be left in peace for two glorious weeks.

"Ahrem" Hermione heard above her. She looked up to see Ron and Ginny.

"Hello you two," she said pleasantly as she sat up, "exams go well?"

"Yea," Ginny chirped.

"Um, they were alright," said Ron, who was scratching his neck nervously, until Ginny elbowed him in the side. With a brief "ouch" Ron started, "Um yea, so Hermione… I've already asked Harry. And he said yes. But I… er… we, as in the Weasley family. Well we were wondering… It was Mum's idea you see. There's going to be a big party at the house on Christmas and-"

"What the stuttering idiot is trying to say is, would you like to spend the holidays with us Hermione?" Ginny asked brightly.

"You mean, at the burrow?" said Hermione.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," said Ron awkwardly.

"I would love to," she smiled.

"Wonderful," said Ginny.

"Really?" squeaked Ron, "Ahrem – I mean, cool." Both girls laughed and Ron turned a violent shade of pink.

"Come on Hermione, I'll help you pack." Said Ginny. And with that the two girls left for Hermione's room, leaving Ron alone with a very unnatural color rising in his cheeks.

This time Draco did not have to wait long before his father entered the room. He had decided what he was going to do earlier in the week, and had thought about it the whole train ride home. When Hermione had found out what had happened at the party, she had flown to his side. She had personally taken charge of getting Draco healthy again, and had stayed with him the whole time he was in the hospital wing. She never asked specifics, all she knew was that he had been hurt, and that seemed to be all that mattered to her. That's when he decided he could not do it any longer.

"Exams went well I expect," Lucius said as he strode into the room.

"Yes father," said Draco, taking in a deep breath. Then standing up he prepared himself for what he was about to say.

"Good," continued Lucius, "Now I've received further instructions for the-"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no father. I refuse to go along with you and your stupid plans any longer."

"It is not up to you Draco, or me. It is the master's plan. And you will do as he says."

"No father. I quit."

Lucius began to let out the closest thing to a chuckle one as evil as he could manage. "It is not so simple."

"Oh but I think it is," said Draco, headed for the door, "I'm leaving."

"Not so fast," growled Lucius, and before Draco could even turn around, he had unleashed the unforgivable.

"Imperio."

a/n: please R/R!