Disclaimer: The song at the end of this chapter belongs to Maroon 5 and is called "The Sun". It is not mine. I repeat, not mine. It's Maroon 5's!!

WARNING: This chapter has a PG-13 rating!! I repeat, PG-13 for a short make-out scene between Ron and Hermione. Voldemort is a sick, sick man and that's why this is here.

You have been warned.

Chapter 10 If Life Were a Photograph (Hermione)

            My name is Hermione Granger.

            I watched with disdain as Harry and Marco got off their bikes, laughing. Marco had lent Harry his old bike, which was still useable but more worn out than the other. Harry was wearing designer jeans and sweater, with brand new Nike sneakers. He looked like he had stepped off the page of a fashion magazine.

            Marco helped Harry with the several bags of clothes that hung from various places on their bikes. Jake and the others had all ready arrived by bird morph. From what they had told me, Harry had needed help carrying his things back to Ax's scoop and Marco had volunteered.

            Only Godric knows why.

            I leaned against the bar door and crossed my arms over my chest. Ron wheeled strenuously around it. "Need some help?" he asked only out of courteousness.

            Harry's face fell when he saw us. He cast his eyes downwards and looked determinedly down at his new sneakers. "No. We can handle it."

            "Maybe you can," huffed Marco, hefting the bags into a better grip.

            I watched Ron wheel forward and take one of the bags from Marco, putting it back in his lap and wheeling it back to the barn. Marco thanked him. Harry followed, giving me a very despondent look as he passed me by. I scowled.

            "Took you long enough," Rachel said when Marco strolled into the barn.

            He wrinkled his nose. With his face turned to me like that, I could see he had ketchup in his hair. I decided I wouldn't ask.

            "You try riding a bike for miles with bags clothes weighing you down," he griped, throwing himself down on a bale of hay. He stuck a piece of hay in his mouth and chewed determinedly.

            "You volunteered," Cassie reminded him gently.

            He took the hay out of his mouth. "I know. I don't know what possessed me."

            I noticed Harry flinch at the word "possess". Why he had this reaction to that word was a mystery to me, but I didn't care. My scowl deepened.

            Jake started to pace. That was a sure sign something was wrong.

            "Is Tobias here?" he asked finally.

            "No," I said. Harry flinched again as if I had slapped him. "We thought he was with you."

            Jake rubbed his face in his hands. "No. I think he just needs some down time to himself."

            Ron and I exchanged looks. There was something they weren't telling us and, undoubtedly, wouldn't be telling us. I could tell that Harry knew, the little git. His lips twitched downward in a frown.

            Why they didn't trust us anymore was a mystery to me. They had trusted Ron and I before, though they had been very suspicious of Harry. I closed my eyes and reminisced:

            Harry, his face contorted with rage, whirled. His robes flared and the wand he clutched in his bloodless fist spewed red and gold sparks. He stomped toward the door and stopped in the doorway. "You'll regret ever laughing at me," he told the Animorphs, who had hidden smirks when he had lost the Quidditch match to Hufflepuff… again. Ron ran after him.

            I shook my head apologetically and turned to the Animorphs. "I'm sorry," I said, furrowing my brows, "He does this after every Quidditch match. The only reason they let him on the team is because he's famous. He really can't play, but they've tricked him into thinking he can. I can't see why Ron became his friend. Ron has just always… been sympathetic to him, and Harry's always been a jerk back."

            Jake nodded his head. "Don't worry about it. It was just our back luck that we ran into him first. I'm glad you two know him, though, or we'd be a lost cause." He grinned.

            I waved a hand, my cheeks reddening. "No problem."

            Ron then returned. He smiled softly. "Don't worry," he said softly, reserving a special smile for me that made my insides melt, "He won't be telling anyone now that I've calmed him down."

            Then, in front of everyone, he gathered me in his arms and lowered his mouth over mine. I kissed his mouth for a moment before giggling, "Not in front of everyone!"

            Looking vaguely disappointed, he stepped away from me.

            Marco rolled his eyes. "Twue wove…is a beautiful ting!" he said.

            Rachel hit him.

            I eased out of the memory when Ron called my name. "Yeah?" I asked, blinking.

            "We're going back to the scoop. Are you with us?" he asked, smiling.

            I grinned back. "Of course I'm with you." I emphasized "you".

            Harry shuddered.

            I pushed Ron carefully back out to Ax's scoop, glancing up at the moon that hung above the horizon. Tomorrow it would be full, which meant that Ax would be shifting into his werewolf form… again, Harry's fault.

            When we got to the scoop, Harry was all ready there. I don't know how he had slipped by us unnoticed, but he had. He was leaning against a tree with his knees pulled up near his chest, a photo album open on his legs. Slamming it shut, he looked up when we entered.

            I scowled at him. Looking deeply hurt, he shuffled over to his makeshift bed and lay down on it, staring at the sky. He squinted into the sky and finally murmured, "Mars is bright tonight."

            Raising a brow, I asked, "So?"

            He turned his head to me. "Mars is the planet that signifies war. Venus is out, too."

            "I know we're in a war with Voldemort," I said heatedly.

            Looking back at the sky, he said, "Right now I'm involved in more than one war."

            I said nothing.

            Ron tugged at my sleeve and jerked his head over to a copse, grinning suggestively. I looked over at the thicket. It decently hid the trees inside from view. I felt a grin of my own spreading across my face.

            Together, we sidled discreetly over to the thicket. When we were sure that we were completely hidden from sight, he pulled me down onto his lap. I giggled and looked seductively at him through my lashes. He smoothly wrapped his hands around my shoulders and pulled me to him, inquiring lips searching my neck.

            I shivered, a spark of passion growing into a flame in the pit of pit of my stomach. It was a warm night, but the feeling in me right now sent shudders down my spine. I pressed my body against his, melting perfectly into his form. My eyelids fluttered.

            His lips finally found my mouth. I felt his tongue slid between my teeth. My hands lightly pressed his face against mine, making sure he wouldn't stop. I had no thought that he would, but it was always reassuring.

            I could feel his hot and fevered breath on my neck. He ran his hands through my hair. The hair tie popped out and let my hair fall across our faces, filling my nose with the scent of lavender. All too soon, he started to pull away.

            "Don't stop," I whispered, pulling him down on me again. My hands snaked up the back of his shirt to rub his skin. He lifted my shirt to expose my midriff. I moaned softly and shivered out of my sweatshirt, leaving only the tank top I had borrowed from Rachel on. I had also borrowed a mini-skirt from her to impress Ron.

            Sweat beaded on my skin. His skin shone in the moonlight with a veneer of sweat. I ran my lips across his smooth forehead. I felt his hands crawling down my bare waist and across my back. I parted with him momentarily to pull off his T-shirt, feeling the six-pack he had acquired when he had been working with the Yeerks. My skin crawled when it touched his.

            I groaned and tipped my head back as I felt his lips traveling down my neck to my chest. Flipping my hair back into my face, I leaned over him and found his mouth again. I was gasping. His hands were down the back of my skirt. I fumbled with the button on his jeans.

            Suddenly, his hands were up my back again, undoing my bra strap. I pressed harder against him to make it easier; my own hands now down his jeans. He arched his back against the back of his wheelchair. I kissed his neck in the hollow between his neck and shoulder as my bra strap came undone. He worked to get the tank top off.

            "Whoa!"

            I jerked. Ron accidentally pushed me off his wheelchair. I hit the ground with a thump and quickly tried to redo my bra strap. Looking up, I saw the person who had seen us.

            It was Harry.

            His face was twisted with torment, shock, and sorrow. He slowly backed away from the grove, tears sliding from his emerald eyes. Turning on heel, he sprinted from the thicket.

            I quickly shrugged into my sweater again and pulled the mini-skirt lower down on my legs. Harry had seen too much of me. I tossed Ron his shirt. He pulled it on and fumbled to re-button his jeans.

            I pushed Ron back to the scoop. Harry was nowhere to be seen. Seeing that he was gone, I quickly ducked behind a tree to change into my nightgown and hot-pink bathrobe. When I emerged, I saw that Ron had changed too.

            I settled down in my sleeping back and pulled my borrowed pillow under my neck. Smiling sleepily, I said, "Goodnight, Ron."

            He beamed down at me from his wheelchair, where he slept (unfortunately). "Night," he said.

            When I looked up again, he was all ready asleep.

            My eyelids were drooping when Harry slid down a nearby tree. I didn't move so that he couldn't tell I was awake. He had the photo album I had seen earlier tucked under his arm. Turning his head, he allowed me to catch a glimpse of the headphones he was wearing.

            Closing his eyes, he leaned back against the tree and slid down to the ground. Tears poured in silent torrents from his eyes. He buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking. The photo album slid from his lap and fell open when it hit the ground.

            I felt a stab of annoyance. What was he crying about? He had no right to be weeping. Just because Ron had a girlfriend and he didn't was no reason to sob like that.

            Silently, I got to my feet and stalked over to him. I stepped on a twig, which snapped loudly. He jerked and looked up at my livid face. Quickly, he slammed the photo album shut and struggled to stand.

            "You're such a wimp," I hissed, so as not to wake Ron up, "Crying because you don't have a girlfriend. If that's even what you're crying about."

            He averted his eyes. "It's nothing," he said, sniffing and wiping at a tear.

            "It's not nothing," I said irritably, "And why do you keep hiding your photo album from me?"

            "Because you wouldn't believe the things you saw," he said softly, "And that it might corrupt your mind if I let you."

            I snorted. "'Corrupt your mind'? What would 'corrupt my mind'?"

            "Anything that reminds you of the past you don't remember," he snapped, trying to walk past me.

            I put a hand on his shoulder. All his strength fled when I touched him. I saw his knees buckle and tears welled in his eyes again.

            "What are you talking about?" I demanded gruffly.

            "Do you really want to know?"

            "Tell me."

            "You were never in love with Ron. In fact, you were in love with me. When I almost died, you went ballistic. Ron nearly killed himself because he thought I died. You two were my closest friends. We went to get the Sorcerer's Stone with me and you told me I was the best wizard you knew. When you were petrified, I did all I could to kill the Basilisk. We met my godfather, Sirius Black, together and learned the truth. You and Ron helped me through the Triwizard Tournament I never entered and you stuck by me even when Ron was mad at me. We defeated the Yeerks together, where we shared our first kiss. When Voldemort tried to possess me, the thought of you and Sirius brought me back. We came here together to defeat the new Yeerk threat and then Voldemort corrupted you and Ron's memories. That's what I'm talking about."

            My face contorted. "That's a nice history you've made up for yourself," I said snippily, "But I believe it no more than any other word that you utter."

            He closed his eyes and brought a hand to his scar, rubbing it. This annoyed me even further.

            "Don't do that!" I nearly howled.

            "If you don't believe me," he managed finally, shoving the photo album at my face, "Then look."

            With a disbelieving snort, I flipped it open. He pumped up the radio he was listening to and unfocused his eyes, looking away into thin air.

            The first few pictures were of his parents. I turned pages until I found more recent ones.

            My eyes widened in surprise.

            There was a picture of us at age eleven, gathered around a hospital bed with Harry in it. He was bandaged in various places, as was Ron. We were all grinning and waving at the camera. I had an arm slung about Harry's shoulders and Ron was bending his knees to be able to get into the picture.

            Shaking, I looked to the next page. I found another picture of the three of us together, in Second Year. As I could tell from the decorations in the picture, it was Christmas. Harry had a green shirt with an "H" on it, matching Ron's mauve one with a gold "R". They had arms around each other's shoulders and they kept grinning mischievously at each other. I stood near Harry with a book tucked under my arm. I was constantly rolling my eyes at them, but grinning all the same.

            I flipped a few more pages, where I found a picture of us in Third Year. It had been taken on the Quidditch Pitch, from the look of things. Red and gold streamers were falling from the sky. Harry was hefted high on Ron, Fred, and George's shoulders. Harry, Fred, and George all wore their red Quidditch robes. Harry was waving his hand above his head with the snitch clasped firmly in his grip, grinning hugely. Oliver Wood stood in the background, clutching the Quidditch Cup and sobbing. A large sign hung from Ron's neck that said, "Lions for the cup!" and flashed brilliant colors. I had a fistful of Harry's robes and was pulling on them, beaming up at him. Every now and then, he looked down at me and grinned at me with a smile wider than my own.

            The next I saw was a picture from Fourth Year. The three of us were together again and in a tent. Harry's robes were torn at the shoulder. He and Ron were shaking hands, grinning stupidly at each other. Every now and then, Ron would reach over and pat him on the back, which made Harry's picture-self laugh. I could clearly be seen behind them, just between their heads, sobbing. I was mouthing something that looked suspiciously like, "You two are so stupid!"

            I went to the back of the book, where I found the last picture. This one included the Animorphs as well as us. Harry and I were leaning together, holding hands and giving each other loving looks. Ron sat in his wheelchair, laughing. Marco kept reaching over to tousle Harry's head. Rachel continually rolled her eyes and grinned, arms folded over his chest. The other Animorphs were gathered beside us, grinning and laughing.

            I was speechless. Well, almost. "H-how… can this be?" I asked in a strangled voice. Then, "You've set this up!"

            "No!" he cried, "I didn't! I can prove it to you!"

            "How?"

            He pointed at the back cover of the book, where there was a silver latch in the shape of a heart. "Touch that and it will open for you. It only reacts to our magic signature, but since I've lost my magic I've been unable to get into it."

            I offered it to him. "I want to see you try."

            Which he did. In fact, he tried so hard his fingers started to bleed.

            He handed it back to me. "See?" he asked, inspecting the gashes on his fingers.

            I nodded, looking sick. Nevertheless, I touched the small heart with my finger. I started in surprise when the heart broke cleanly through the mirror and revealed a compartment full of pictures, which I immediately pulled out.

            I gasped at what I saw. In almost all of them, Harry and I were kissing. The first one was incredibly romantic. With only fairies for light, we stood on the Hogwarts grounds next to a bench. Some fairies danced about our heads. We were so completely involved with each other that we never seemed to notice the camera.

            "No," I said, dropping the pictures and the photo album and backing away. "No. It's not true. You're lying!"

            "No!" he said, reaching for my hand.

            I turned and ran for my sleeping bag, where I burrowed myself in and hid my head. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

            The thoughts whirled through my head as I began to slide into the dark abyss one calls sleep.

            Yet, as I fell asleep, I heard a soft voice singing lightly. I could tell it was Harry from the sorrow in his voice. The words spun rapidly through my head as I slipped into dreams…

"After school, walking home…

Fresh dirt under my fingernails and

I can smell hot asphalt.

Cars screech to a halt to let me pass.

And I cannot remember what life was like through photographs.

And trying to recreate images life gives us from our past.

And sometimes it's a sad song…

I cannot forget,

Refuse to regret,

So glad I met you and…

Take my breath away,

Make everyday

Worth all of the pain I have gone through.

And Mama, I've been crying 'cause things aren't how they used to be.

She said, "The battle's almost won…

And we're only several miles from the sun."

Moving on down the street…

See people I won't ever meet.

Think of her, take a breath,

Feel the beat and rhythm of my steps.

And sometimes it's a sad song.

I cannot forget,

Refuse to regret,

So glad I met you and…

Take my breath away,

Make everyday

Worth all of the pain that I've gone through.

And Mama, I keep crying 'cause things aren't how they used to be.

She said, "The battle's almost won…

And we're only several miles…"

She said, "The battle's almost won…

And we're only several miles from the sun."

A/N: Bwah! Sadness! Sorry it took so long. I've been working on my original fiction story (not to be found at FictionPress.com). I happen to be very pleased with myself, as it's 88 PAGES LONG! SQUEE! ::sigh:: I'm almost halfway done after three long years…

::cough cough:: Anyway, I hope you liked it. The make out scene, by the way, was just to show how serious Voldemort made the relationship between Ron and Hermione be. Thanks for the reviews and, more importantly, the votes! The votes have been cast! No names shall be mentioned, but the final outcome is… DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

::drum roll::

HARRY POTTER: 5

ANIMORPHS: 8

I will be starting an Animorphs/X-Men: Evolution crossover very soon. Check my updates for it. I haven't a clue what I'm calling it yet, so please bear with me. Wah hoo!

Stay tuned for "Chapter 11: Moon Shadow (Ax)"!