"NOOOOOO! RON!" Hermione's shriek rang throughout the Hall. She ran to him, Harry on her heels. She fell beside him, begging him to wake up. The whole school had formed a ring around them, watching, waiting.
Hermione's cries echoed throughout the hall, "Ron, Ron please, don't do this. Why?" Professor McGonagall walked over to them and lifted Hermione up off her knees and had Snape usher her from the hall. Harry was still sitting there, dumbstruck. His best friend in the entire world, the first wizard friend he ever made was lying there, dying. He had to do something.
"Do you mind? Everywhere else is full?"
"Not at all."
"I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley."
"I'm Harry, Harry Potter!"
It seemed like ages ago, but it was still fresh in his mind. He soon felt the hands of Professor McGonagall tugging Harry up as well, while a group of teachers had already gotten Ron on a stretcher and up the stairs to the Hospital Wing.
It was all in slow motion to Harry, his best friend being carried up the stairs, his eyes wide open in shock, the people around him crying. He looked to where McGonagall was leading and saw Hermione crying in Snape's arms. The two teachers led Harry and Hermione into Dumbledore's office. Where they all sat for what seemed like hours, which when Harry thought about it was only ten minutes. He looked around the office, it hadn't changed much since the last time her was in there, two years ago. Although the broken instruments were cleaned up and his desk had been moved, there were no real major changes.
Harry got lost in a train of thoughts again, he remembered the time Ron stuck up for him, the time Ron saved him form the Durslys in the flying car, the time Ron had gone into the Dark Forest even though he was afraid of spiders, and the time Ron and his family had taken He, Harry, to the Quidditch World Cup, and the time-
His thoughts once again were interrupted by Dumbledore coming through the door.
"Thank you Minerva, Severus, if you will so kindly go and check on Mr. Weasley, I would greatly appreciate it and report back." He said.
They both nodded and left, Dumbledore, moved to his chair and sat down.
"Sir- Will Ron be OK?" Asked Harry, he looked over at Hermione and saw that still had her face in her hands and was still crying, of course he didn't blame her, he was on the verge of tears himself.
Dumbledore sighed, "Mr. Weasley is at a stage, where we are unsure about what will happen to him." At that Hermione cried even harder. Dumbledore conjured up some tissues for her. Harry couldn't hold it in any longer; he grabbed some tissues as well.
Hermione stopped crying and looked up at Dumbledore, "Can we go see him?" she asked through soft sobs.
"I'm not sure if that would be a good idea." Sighed Dumbledore.
"Sir- please, he's out best friend, he-" He was interrupted by the door bursting open, making all three of them jump. It was Professor McGonagall.
"Albus! Quick! Something's wrong with him!" She gasped.
Harry and Hermione looked horrorstruck. Dumbledore leaped up and went to the door, stopped, then turned to them. "Stay here!" he said, then shut the door with a snap.
Stay here? How can we just sit here when our best friend is dying? Harry thought to himself. Without realizing it he was at the door, tugging with all of his might. Hermione just sat there staring at something Harry could not see, while tears leaked out of her eyes.
The sky outside got dark, quickly. It started to storm, as the minutes went by the storm got worse and worse. It was starting to reflect Harry's mood. Just as Harry sat back down the door opened once more and once again Dumbledore walked in. Both pairs of eyes shot up at him and one look told them everything they needed to know.
As Dumbledore sat down at his desk he sighed, his once twinkling light blue eyes were full of sadness, despair, and guilt.
He sighed, "I am sorry, but we lost him." A tear trickled out of the corner of his eye, Hermione burst into tears once again, and Harry sat there, shocked that he would never see Ron again.
Hermione got up and ran from the room, she wanted to be as far away from them as humanly possible. She then remembered that she was Head Girl and ran to her room and locked the door. She ran right past Draco, who was sitting in a chair reading a textbook and up the staircase to her room. She flopped on the bed and cried herself to sleep.
Harry sat in the chair in Dumbledore's office, for over 15 minutes, still shocked at what he had heard. He slowly got up and walked to the door and down the spiral staircase, and to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Hermione woke up the next morning dressed in her uniform, had that been a dream? It had to be, that couldn't really happen. She got up and looked in the mirror, Oh no! My eyes are all puffy! "Ron!" she yelled.
She ran out the Heads Common Room and flew to the Gryffindor's Common Room. "Jellyshoes!" she gasped and ran up the boys' dormitory. When I get up there I am going to see Ron asleep in his bed. She told herself.
When she got there she saw Seamus, Dean, Neville, and Harry, in their beds. She ran over to Harry and woke him up. "Harry, was it real?"
He looked into her sad eyes and nodded.
They made their way down to the Great Hall some 20 minutes later. Nobody dared to look at them; the news of Ron had apparently spread throughout the school. Dumbledore made a speech about Ron after breakfast.
"We will all miss him, some more then others." he added shooting a look in Malfoy's direction. "On a lighter note I have something to tell you all. We will be playing host to an exchange student, her name is Arra and I hope you all treat her with respect and show her around the school." He clapped his hands twice and said, "Come on in Arra." The door to the side chamber next to the high table opened and a beautiful girl with long shiny black hair and green eyes came walking out. "She will be staying in the Head Girls Room and be in the Gryffindor house for her stay, you may take a seat at that table." He pointed in their direction and she gracefully made her way over to the table. She walked up the isles and saw Hermione's Head Girl pin and sat down next to her.
"Hello!" she said. She was unaware, that almost every single pair of eyes was on her.
Hermione merely smiled weakly. "You know guys, I'm not hungry, I'm going to head back to the Common Room."
"Oh, mind if I tag along? Ya know, get to know the castle more." Asked Arra.
"Sure."
Arra got up and followed her out of the hall.
Lessons that day were not the same, not without Ron. He made everything worth the while, made everyone laugh. Hermione and Harry noticed it when there was no one sitting in the seat Ron usually occupied.
"Professor?" asked Hermione one day after transfiguration lessons. "I can keep my mind on my work, I mean," her eyes swelled up with tears. "Its just not the same! I cant do this!" She fell to her knees and cried.
Harry sat with Hermione in her Head Girl Common Room and helped her study when Arra walked through the doors.
"Oh, Hello Harry!" she said smiling, Harry couldn't help noticing how perfect she was, her smile and teeth, her eyes, her hair, her everything.
"H-how did you know my name?"
She merely laughed. "You are the famous Harry Potter where I come from." Harry blushed.
Hermione scoffed and gathered up all of her belongings and ran to her bedroom.
"Did I upset her?"
"Its done easily these days." Said Harry.
"Look, I am terribly sorry about your friend, you know the one that-"
"DON'T!" yelled Harry. "Don't say it! If you say it, that will confirm it! And we don't want to deal with that right now, OK?"
Arra looked taken aback. "All I wanted to say was that I was sorry to hear about it- You know at my old school they told us how great you are, all the amazing stuff you did, but they never told us that you were such a brat! You don't care for anyone's feelings do you? I guess even the greatest of people can pretend to be something their not, and you Harry Potter are one of those people!"
She stormed up the stairs and out of sight.
Harry grabbed the nearest pillow and screamed into it.
((Where Ginny Is))
She opened her eyes and gazed around at her surroundings. She was in what looked like a cell. She looked down at her body, everything was there, two legs, two feet, she looked up, two arms and hands at the ends of each. She gave a sigh of relief, she was glad that she had all of her limbs.
She heard a faint clanking of keys and looked over at the door. Lucius Malfoy stalked in, with a huge smile on his face; in his right hand, he carried a cutting knife.
A shriek filled the air, in the distance birds left their perch and flew off into the dimming night sky.