Disclaimer: Nothing I own

In Which There is Plot

"Ron. Ron! Slow down," Hermione puffed as she ran along side her redheaded friend whose legs were definitely stretched too far.

"I'm only walking."

"Yes but you're walking with legs that are a lot longer than mine!"

Hermione stopped to catch her breath as Ron opened a classroom door, glanced inside and then slammed it shut.

"Look Hermione, I never said that you had to come with me."

"No you didn't but if I hadn't come and you found him... well who knows what you'd have done."

Ron paused in the slamming of the next door down the corridor, "Why do you think I'd do something bad?"

"Maybe because you're making such a huge racket when it's almost curfew- you're inviting trouble and obviously not thinking clearly."

"Obviously." Ron muttered dryly and returned to scouting the rooms, this time however the door made a soft thud rather than a ruckus bang.

Hermione sighed as Ron turned around the corner of the passageway and strode up the staircase at the end. Huffing slightly she followed. "Are you really going to go traipsing all over the whole school looking for him?" she asked, but Ron ignored her. "Maybe he just needs more time." This got his full attention.

"More time. More time. Hermione it's February he's had seven months to get over Sirius." He bit back his words. "Sorry," he breathed, "it's just that... it's getting to me y'know."

"I know," she agreed and placed a consolatory hand on his shoulder, "but the Harry's changed and he's been through a lot. Our best friend from a couple of years ago hadn't brought back V...Voldemort, and he certainly hadn't seen the last member of his family that cares about him die without a body to truly mourn over. Maybe he's been through too much to talk to us yet, we just have to be patient," she sighed and looked gloomily at the worn floor beneath their feet, "I don't think he'll ever be the innocent little boy you met on the train ever again and, to be honest, I don't think we will be either."

"I never knew that you were a little boy Hermione," Ron quipped in an effort to lighten the mood that had darkened with the sunset. She removed her hand from his shoulder and used it to gently hit him on the arm, a weak smile playing on her lips. "But its more than that," Ron continued, returning to his serious tone, "he's not talking to us, he disappears at odd times and don't think I haven't noticed that him, the cloak and the map don't stay in the dorm most nights. Hell, they were gone tonight." Hermione stared at the ground drinking in his words. "I know that I can't say it's more than just losing someone 'cause there's nothing just about that but Hermione... he's just... he's not." He gave up trying to put his gut feeling into words.

Hermione looked into his eyes and smiled slightly. "What?" he asked.

"Well I suppose that I can now grudgingly admit that you have the emotional range of a teacup as oppose to that of a spoon."

"Thanks," he muttered dryly, dragging his eyes from hers and returned to the fruitless 'Harry Scouting'.

As they delved deeper into the school the classrooms became more disused and the floor dustier. The portraits became unfamiliar and Hermione felt a twinge in her stomach at the thought of soon becoming lost. Desperate to get rid of the silly nerves she restarted the conversation.

"So what are you going to say when you find him?"

"Well first I'll stun him so he can't run away from answering-"

"Ron!"

"-then I'll ask him why he's been pushing everyone away that tries to talk to him and why he's been glaring at Dumbledore ever since we came back."

"And what are you going to say when he has tears in his eyes and yells at you that he's just lost his Godfather."

By now they had checked the outside grounds and over half the rooms of the school: classrooms, closets, hidden passageways, they'd even been to the room of requirement three times and Ron was ready to snap.

"I won't believe him!"

"Fine. Go on, I've had enough of this! I take back what I said- you are emotionally stunted. Just because he's male doesn't mean that he can't grieve! You can spend all night looking but I'm going to the common room, which is where he probably is by now!" the echoes of Hermione's yells were quickly joined by those of her stomping footfalls as she stormed her way back the way they'd come.

"Fine!" Ron yelled back and opened another door.

Suddenly a brilliant bright, yet silent, white flash filled the corridor blinding him and causing Hermione to turn back in surprise. "Ron!" she called desperately as she stared at the spot he'd been standing in only seconds before to see no one there. Moving on reflex she ran to the door only to find it gone, in its place stood the doorframe filled with a wall of stone.

Up stairs in two identical places, in two identical offices, two identical timers clicked into place beginning with the identical numbers of 2,592,000. At their two identical desks two identical headmasters raised their identical eyebrows in surprise.

Ron blinked away his temporary blindness from the light and stared at the corridor around him trying to work out what had just happened. In front of him the doorway had filled with stone and he turned to ask Hermione what the hell was going on when he saw that the wall wasn't the only thing that had changed. In front, staring at him with eyes wide with disbelief stood his long missing best mate. He seemed to be guarding Hermione, who had the same look of shock echoed on her face.

"There you are H-"Ron began only to be cut off as Harry raised his wand.

Suddenly the world went black.

AN: thankyou to my one revewer, hint hint, and i'm still really desperate for a beta. Please.