"Hey Hermione," Ron met her at the bottom of the stairs. "You ready?" Hermione nodded and pulled on her coat. Ron took one look at her and snorted. "That little thing is all you're going to wear?" Hermione looked down at her coat. Sure, it was a little thin, but it was fashionable. In the past few years, Hermione had gotten very self conscious, and fashion was starting to become the topper on her list of priorities.

"I'll be fine Ron." She said, starting towards the door. He grabbed her wrist and shook his head.

"I don't want you getting sick, because if you're sick, that means I can't come near you, and if I can't come near you, we can't do this." He pulled her towards him and kissed her softly on the lips. He lingered for a minute before pulling away. Looking down at Hermione, he saw that her eyes were still closed and there was a silly smile on her face. He cupped her chin and smiled at her. "Go get another coat." Hermione blushed and pulled her face away from his hands.

"I don't have another one." She whispered. Ron rolled his eyes.

He flicked his wand and muttered, "Accio coat," and within a few seconds, his second coat was flying at them. He caught it and helped Hermione into it. "Warm?" He asked.

"Hot," She wrinkled her nose and shrugged in the coat.

"Always," He said as he put his hand on the small of her back and led her out to the others.

Harry and Ginny met them outside the doors to the castle and they started off on their way. They walked towards the Forbidden Forest and down around by the lake. As they walked they spoke about graduation and their plans for leaving school. They waved at Hagrid as he passed with his new wife, Olympe Maxime—er, Olympe Maxime-Hagrid, they were heading to the Great Hall for dinner. As they walked, Hermione heard something behind them. Since it was dark outside, the sounds around her made her feel jumpy and nervous.

"Hermione, are you okay? You seem a little—ahh!" As he was bending down to speak to her, someone came up to him from behind and shoved him forward. Harry was also pushed. Hermione and Ginny felt themselves being lifted and slammed against a tree. Ropes flew at them and bound them to it.

"Harry!"

"Ron!" Hermione and Ginny screamed, then went silent as a figure stepped out of the shadows, pointing its wand at Ron. One other figure stood next to her, and another two behind. The one next to her was holding Harry at wand-point.

"Weasley, do us all a favor and shut-up for once in your life." Malfoy sneered at Ginny. She immediately tried to respond, but found that Malfoy had used a Silencing Charm on her. He lips moved, but no words came out.

"Ginny!" Harry and Ron both started to get off the ground, but they were slammed back down again.

"Harry? How could you do this to me? Leaving me for some—" Amy pushed a black hood of her head and exposed her face to Ron, Harry, and the girls. "—embarrassment to wizard-kind. And you—" She turned her wand on Ron now, "—leaving me for some filthy little Mudblood." Ron's face flushed red as he glared at her.

"Shut up Amy." He hissed, and for once in his life, he held his temper. Hermione listened as Amy told the boys her woes, shooting insults at the girls.

"After you two left me high-and-dry, I was walking down the hallway and I found Draco sitting alone. I joined him, we spoke, and we've been inseparable ever since." She looked over at Malfoy and gave him a sultry look. He grinned greedily and took a step closer to her. Ron's eyes got big and he looked as if he was about to gag. "We've gotten very close and Draco has convinced me to—er—join him in the family business." She giggled. Ginny looked over at Harry and whimpered. He heard her, turned, and put onabrave face.

"Don't worry Love, we'll be all right." Malfoy rolled his eyes and shoved his wand under Harry's throat.

"One more word Potter—" Harry backed up into a tree.

"Blast!" He muttered under his breath. Amy flipped her very blonde hair over her shoulder and shoved her wand in Hermione's face.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving with Draco tonight. And I wanted to leave you with a little something to remember me by." She looked for a moment as though she was going to hex her, but then she turned quickly and pointed her wand at Ron.

"Crucio!" Ron went stiff for a moment.

"RON!" Hermione screamed, straining against the ropes binding her to the tree. They held fast. All she could do was watch as Ron was tortured. Harry tried to go and help him, but Malfoy knocked him in the head, and he was out cold. Ginny just sat, eyes wide open, tears pouring down her cheeks. Then, all in an instant Ron jerked so violently that his whole body was lifted off the ground. His screams filled the air. For about 30 seconds he twitched and jerked. Ron's eyes rolled back into his head as his body filled with immeasurable pain. Finally, after what seemed to him like hours, his body collapsed and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"RON!" Hermione screamed again, straining against her bindings. She glared up at Amy.

"YOU EVIL FOUL HEARTLESS BITCH!" She screamed, forgetting for a moment that it was Amy that held the wand that tortured Ron. Amy walked over to Hermione and stuck the wand under her chin. Hermione lifted her head—now very conscious of Amy's wand. As Amy was giving her threats, Hermione eased her wand out from behind her back. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were too busy taunting Ginny and Harry to notice. Hermione glared at Amy.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" She yelled. Amy was thrown back away from Hermione. Her wand was pulled from her fingers and fell onto Ginny's lap. Ginny quickly looked to Hermione for help. Hermione muttered the counter charm to the Silencer Malfoy had put her under. As Ginny gained her voice back, she and Hermione slipped out from the bindings and turned on Amy, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Ginny started throwing Bat Bogey Hexes at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, so fast they couldn't even see what hit them. Within a few seconds, Crabbe and Goyle had taken off towards the castle. Malfoy managed to miss most of the hexes. Hermione stood over Amy screaming threats at her, holding her wand threateningly over Amy's face. Harry had started to wake up, and not knowing what had happened, ran over to Hermione.

"Hermione!" He yelled. In the moment that Hermione looked over at him, Amy jumped off the ground, ran over to Malfoy and grabbed him by his cloak. They ran into the Forbidden Forest. Harry and Hermione ran after them, but once they hit the edge of the forest, Malfoy and Amy were gone. Hermione cursed, but ran back to where Ginny was kneeling by Ron. He was a ghastly shade of white and was still unconscious.

"Harry—run and get Dumbledore—and hurry!"