Authors Note:

School's almost over so I'll be updating A LOT more! I don't own Harry Potter…so yeah….

suckr4romance: Thanks! They'll be translating the prophecy soon and I hope it'll be a good plot twist for you to enjoy!

DaggerQuill: Your words are actually what inspired me to write this next chapter!

AmieAM: I hope you like this new chapter! Thanks for being the first to review!

Chapter Two: More Secrets to Come

Hermione woke up in the middle of the night, but she felt very refreshed. Her mind seemed more aware, and the world was a lot clearer. She yawned and winced as her arm throbbed suddenly. It had been healed by magic but there was still a phantom-like feeling in her arm. She remembered suddenly how the wound had been administered:

People were running in every direction, trying to fend off the deatheaters. Hermione had not seen Dumbledore since Voldemort's arrival merely an hour ago. They had been warned but not soon enough to remove everyone to safety. The younger students were barricaded in caverns under the castle while the professors and older students were fighting, desperately hoping that reinforcements from somewhere would arrive. The Order and the Ministry were not responding very quickly…

A bright light flashed as the Forbidden Forest began to erupt in flames. Hermione ran towards the castle, searching for Harry.

"Noceo!" A death eater suddenly screamed, directing his wand at her. Hermione lunged to the side, the curse grazing her arm. She screamed but kept running, though her eyes were blurring. She had to warn Harry…where was he…

Hermione fervently wished that Voldemort had not found him yet.

The more she ran, the more her arm seared and throbbed. She screamed suddenly when someone grabbed it.

"SHH! It's just me," Justin Finch-Fletchley hissed.

"Where's Harry? Where's Ron? Have you seen them?" she asked frantically.

Justin did not reply nor did he let go of her arms.

"Justin?" she asked slowly, her voice quavering. Justin's grip tightened and Hermione knew something was wrong.

"Do it!" a voice yelled from behind Justin.

Hermione suddenly realized that he was under the Imperius curse. He suddenly screamed in protest but then quickly put his wand to Hermione's throat.

She looked down at the wand, trying to judge how quickly she could get to her wand and how quickly he could blow her to smithereens.

"Mortara!" a voice suddenly yelled. There was a flash of yellow light and then Justin quickly let go of Hermione.

"Imperius curse," he gasped.

"Hermione!" Ron said in relief, as he stepped over the death eater.

"Where's Harry?" they both asked each other in unison.

"He was with Voldemort by the whomping willow," Justin said quickly.

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances before taking off at a sprint to get to Harry.

A flash of red gleamed in the sky and Hermione's arm burned in response. She ignored it, however, and kept running to Harry.

Ron woke up tangled in his sleeping bag as Harry's last words kept burning in his head:

"Ron," Harry panted as he ran his hand through his sweat-drenched hair. "I heard Voldemort."

"Harry, calm down," Ron replied, not much calmer.

"You and Hermione can't be anywhere near us when we fight."

"What are you-"

"If Voldemort gets you and Hermione then he can get it." Harry looked fervently around as another explosion rocked the castle. "It's time," he yelled, as he took off down the hall.

"Get what? Harry?" Ron yelled and took off running after Harry.

"Stay!" Harry yelled back just before another explosion caused the hallways between them to collapse.

Ron looked around at the dark. He wondered to himself what Harry had been talking about. A pain shook his body when it hit him for the thousandth time that Harry was no longer here to answer that question.

Ron untangled himself from his sleeping bag and stood up, stretching slightly. Feeling thirsty, he walked to the end of the cave where the pool of pure cave water flowed softly.

"Lumos," he murmured so he could figure out which passageway to take. Entering the third passage, he quickened his pace, wanting water.

He stopped suddenly and pulled out his wand when he saw another figure sitting by the pool of water.

"Ron?" the figure said softly.

"Hermione," he croaked. "Bloody hell, get some sleep."

"I'm fine," she replied, handing him a cup with water. Ron quickly took it and gulped it down. She watched Ron drink the water, vividly remembering happier days at the breakfast table where she and Harry would watch Ron devour whole plates of sausages before the owls would come.

Ron wiped the water from is mouth and sat down in silence by Hermione. Neither of them was quite sure what to say, but they felt comfort being together in this lonely time.