A/N: Thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed!!! =) MUAHZ!

To: padfoot ( ), thanks HEAPS for your really positive and encouraging reviews! =) Hope this chapter is good enough! I'm on a roll at the moment… so I should be updating pretty often. Once I start to lose it… I'll try and make my chapters a bit longer, yeah? =) Badvt, I beg to differ, coz Harry's a teenager, he goes through weirdo mood swings and stuff, so he needs someone to blame everything on, and Dumbledore just happens to be there, so he makes the likely candidate… but thanks anyway! =) Brigid of Co. Mayo, thanks for your info into Hermione's name! I'm really glad that you like my story! =) And NO WAY would I have made it Bellatrix! sassy, here's more Ron for ya! =) well… some anyway…. =) Bland Taste, this is my second fic, but I only did one chapter of the other one. I ditched that one… coz ever though DMHG is fun to right… it just didn't sit well with my obsession with RWHG!!! =) hehehe… so here's the next chappie! =)

Chapter 8:

Dumbledore rose from his seat. "Welcome everyone, to yet another year Hogwarts! Before I begin, I'd like to make the usual announcement: First years, you must know that the Forbidden Forest is indeed that, strictly forbidden. That is all." And with a wave of his hand, the Great Hall was filled with "oohs" and "aahs", as a great feast appeared on all the tables.

Usually, Ron would be onto his fifth helping ten minutes into dinner, but this year it was different. Harry's not here, he thought to himself. He's running around England, heading out on a suicide mission or so it seems. He NEEDS us the bloody git! Why won't he let us help him?

Ron was nudged out of his thoughts by Hermione, who glared at him. It wasn't a threatening glare, because he saw the pain that was reflected in her eyes. She smiled sadly, as she took his hand under the table, and squeezed it gently, reassuring him. What did I do to deserve her? thought Ron. He nodded slightly, telling her that he understood her: We musn't let on.

He served himself a generous portion of roast. Ron looked over to Hermione's plate, which she had just finished. It didn't look like she had eaten much. Looking over to Ginny's plate, things looked the same. He didn't quite trust himself to eat; his stomach was churning over thoughts of Harry-

He's going to be ok. As long as he doesn't do something stupid, he'll be fine.

Absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't notice Hermione and Ginny get up from the table, until he felt a tug on his hand. The hand that had held that perfect small hand.

Hermione glanced at him. "We're going up to the Owlery."

Without a word, he abandonned his half eaten dinner, and followed the two girls out of the Hall.

They walked in silence, not wanting to say anything. Finally Hermione spoke up, a slight quiver in her voice. "I got an owl before we left this morning."

Ginny and Ron both looked up from their feet. "From who?" asked Ron.

She tried a smile. "It wasn't Harry. It was my parents."

Ron looked back at his feet. "Oh," saying it like nothing else mattered.

There was another silence, before Hermione spoke again. "My sister's run away."

There were tears in her eyes as she said this. Ron took her hand in his own, not knowing what else to do.

"I'm sure she'll be ok," he murmured, not really knowing the right words to say.

Ginny eyed her brother. She knew that he didn't know what to do, so she supported Hermione on her other side.

They made it up to the owlery, Hermione sniffling, Ron murmuring, and Ginny deep in her own thoughts.

Hermione checked the owls for any sign of a message from her parents or, should she dare hope, her sister. A small barn owl, tucked away in a corner, was almost overlooked by Hermione. However, in her desperation, she had re-checked them all, and had noticed it in the corner, a small white piece of paper attached to its leg. She carefully untied it, and gasped when she saw the familiar writing.

Hermione, tell Mum and Dad I'm fine. I'm being looked after. I'll be alright. And tell them I'm not going to be you. M.

That was all, but there was enough there for Hermione.

Ginny, who had been reading over her shoulder, spoke up. "What does she mean by she's not going to be you?"

Hermione smiled briefly. "Before I left for the Burrow, she got her letter."

Ron clapped his hands and whooped. "That's amazing. BOTH of you! Wow!" He leaned forward to kiss her, then remembering that Ginny was there, he pulled back, managing to squash their noses together.

Ginny stifled a laugh.

"I wish it was that easy, Ron," Hermione said softly. "She didn't WANT to come."

Ron stopped. "What do you mean?"

Hermione sighed. "It's not that easy for us Muggles to suddenly believe that magic exists!" she said, exasperated. "We grow up with stories that witches are big, fat ugly women with warts all over their faces."

Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Where'd Muggles get THAT impression?" she asked.

Hermione laughed. "My parents were so proud of me when I got my letter, but my sister, she was a little scared. She's only 11 this year, and you wouldn't say she's the brightest. She doesn't trust it all."

"But magic can fix so many problems," Ron argued.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Ron, shut it."

"No, it's alright. For me, it was different. I'd always felt like there was more to the Muggle world than I knew, so when I got my letter, it was more of an adventure for me." She shrugged slightly.

They sat in the owlery for a while, Hermione clutching the small scrap of paper in her hands. Suddenly, she jumped up. "It must be very late. We better get back to the Common Room."

The others agreed silently, and followed her down the stairs, as she led the way.

Once they arrived at the Common Room, Hermione whispering the password to the Fat Lady, "Peaches and cream", they went their separate ways, the girls up to the Girl's Dormitories and Ron, on his own, up to the Boys'.

As he got himself ready for bed, he made the mistake of casting a glance at the empty bed next to him.

HARRY! Come back please! We need you here! I need you here!

Ron had never realised how empty things would be without Harry. He just hoped that it wasn't a foretelling of what was to come. Hermione was his best friend and his 'girlfriend', but sometimes a guy needed a fellow guy's point of view on something. Seamus and Dean already talked to each other about EVERYTHING, and now with Harry gone, Ron would go back to his usual lonely self.

Ron settled himself in bed, hoping for a dreamless sleep, but it wasn't to be.

"Ron!"

Ron jerked his head around. He saw Harry lying on the ground, his shirt soaked in blood.

"Watch out!"

Turning back around to take heed of Harry's warning, he was confronted by Malfoy.

"Crucio!" A jet of light came out the tip of his wand, but Ron rolled aside, thanking the numerous hours of Quidditch over the summer that he landed without so much as a bruise.

As he got up, Ron noticed someone lying down a couple of metres away from him, their brown hair matted with blood.

"NO!" he yelled. It couldn't be… Dodging all the other Death Eaters, he reached the person, and turned their body over. To his surprise, and withheld relief, it wasn't Hermione, but someone else.

Her eyes fluttered open, her icy grey irises-

Ron woke up with a jolt. There was something about those eyes… only they weren't usually on a girl… they were on a certain Slytherin.

A/N: Ok… I have no real idea where this is REALLY going… well actually I do. But just not chapter by chapter… Well, hope you like this chap, coz I rewrote it coz it was moving TOO quickly, but now I hope it's ok. Please RR! =)