I know I haven't updated this story in ages, and I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry! I've been really busy and when I sat down to write I just couldn't! Please don't hate me! L

Hermione stirred milk into a cup of coffee, it had been a few weeks since she had been to Hogwarts with Harry. He had told her everything that had happened in Dumbledore's office. Harry seemed to be satisfied with the story but she couldn't help but think there was a gaping hole in it.

Hermione sighed as she sipped her piping hot drink, she perched on the worktop as she drank.

Today she was all alone in the house, Harry had gone out for an interview with the Daily Profit. He was getting paid a lot of money to do it, and had been reluctant at first but he soon gave in.

She had been standing deep in thought for a few minutes when she became aware of the smell of smoke.

"What the?" She asked herself as she followed her nose out into the hall. "Oh Jesus!" She said when she saw a strange ball on fire rolling around on her door mat, a deadly ticking coming from inside it.

It was like a muggle bomb, except it was controlled by magic, and it was on fire.

She pulled out her wand and shot water at the flaming ball, the fire flickered but came back again.

"Oh God!" She muttered to herself, trying to keep a cool head even though she knew that in a few seconds her whole house could explod with her in it.

What could she do to stop it?

She tried spraying it with water again but it didn't work.

"Come on, come on," She said to herself, "think!"

She needed to do something fast, or it would be too late.

She shouted out in frustration and panic, she had no idea what to do.

Well if I don't do anything I'll die anyway, she thought and she pointed her wand at the ball of fire and said the first spell that come into her head.

She closed her eyes, "Stupefy." She shouted, and amazingly the ball froze.

She looked out from behind her closed eyelids and looked in disbelief. She had done it.

"I must be the luckiest person alive." She said to herself, but then again if she was it wouldn't have been posted through her letter box in the first place.

She levitated the ball, opened the front door and threw it as far as she could.

She watched as the ball flew through the air, frozen, she then looked up and down the road to see if there was a sigh of the person who had done it.

It was empty, but then again she didn't expect the person to have hung around. They had probably apparated away straight afterwards.

She went back into the house, now wishing that there was someone else there with her.

She went back into the kitchen and poured her coffee down the sink, she needed something stronger. She conjured up a glass of fire whisky, something she would never normally drink, but she felt that she needed it right now.

As she sat drinking she wondered if her day could get any worse, but her question was answered when an owl flew in through the window carrying a letter from St Mungos.

Harry was in a private room in the Leaky Cauldron. He sat opposite a rather attractive looking witch who was interviewing him for the Profit.

Her Quick Quotes Quill was running up and down on a piece of parchment on the table in front of them.

"Can I just say once again Mr. Potter, I'm honoured to be interviewing you." The witch said smiling at him, showing him a full set of pearly whites.

Harry forced a smile and nodded, that was the fifth time she'd thanked him since he'd arrived.

"Right, so Harry, can I call you Harry?" She asked but didn't wait for a reply, "where have you been for the past 11 years?"

"I've been trying to get back here." He said.

"It took you 11 years?"

"No, but it did take a long time," Harry said, he was getting a little annoyed with the repetitive questions. He was beginning to wish he had never agrees to do this.

"Are the rumours true that you are going to release a book about your travels back to England?" The witched asked.

"No," Harry said.

"The word is that you saved a village from a rampaging giant in India on your way back, is that true?" The witch asked, not taking any notice of the fact he had aid on to the last question.

"No, that's rubbish, there aren't even any giants left now, and if there were they wouldn't be in India." Harry said, "and I didn't even pass through India."

"Right, so it's not true?"

Harry sighed, "no it's not, now can we draw this to a close I have somewhere to be." Harry said. He had no where to be, he just wanted to get out.

"Of course Mr. Potter, just a few more questions." The woman said, "now you live with a Miss Granger, is that right?"

"Yes, but I'd rather not talk about that thank you."

"Yes, but it has been reported that you two are getting very close, could love be in the air?"

"What?" Harry asked, "I, it's, we, no there isn't." Harry spluttered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Harry said, "we're close friends, very close, and we love each other very much, but not in that way."

The woman nodded but he could tell she didn't believe him.

Hermione ran through the halls of St Mungos, she had just received an urgent letter telling her that there had been an emergency and that she needed to get there straight away.

Worry was etched in every line of her face, she knew it had something to do with Ron, but the letter had been vague and obviously written in a hurry.

She reached the corridor where Ron's private room was and she found people standing around, all looking very busy and important.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked as she ran to the door.

"Ah, Hermione." The Healer said, "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" Hermione asked realizing that her worst fears might be true. "What's happened."

"You had better come inside." The woman said and she pulled Hermione through a crowd of people into Ron's room and closed the door.

Inside stood a few people looking around, taking pictures, writing on parchment and filing out important looking forms.

"Ron," she said as her breath caught in her throat. Ron was lying still on his bed, not moving a look of fear on his face.

She ran to his side and took his hand, "Ron, it's me Hermione," she said frantically, "I've come to see you, come on wake up."

Ron did not move, "come on, come on." She said as she became desperate, "wake up!" she started to shake him.

Two hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her away from Ron.

"Why isn't he waking up?" She asked the healer.

"I'm so sorry, he's dead."

Tears rushed out of Hermione's eyes, "no he's not." She said and she broke free and started shaking him again.

"There's no use." The healer said, "come into my office and I'll tell you what happened."

Hermione was steered into an office off the side of the room where she sat down and was handed a drink.

"So how did he………… he………….."! Hermione's voice started to break.

"I'm afraid that he didn't die of natural causes, he was murdered." The healer said softly.

Hermione dropped her drink and it fell on the floor and smashed.

"M…. m……. murdered? By who?"

"We don't know, I heard noises coming from the room, as if Ron was in distress and I came into check. I heard two people apparating away, and Ron was on the bed, not moving." The healer said, trying not to cry herself. "There was a note, but no one has been able to open it, it's addressed to Harry Potter."

"Harry?" She asked, and it dawned on her, the same people that kidnapped hr children must have killed Ron. "I don't understand, how was this allowed to happen?"

"I do not know, an inquiry is happening right now although w fear that it was the same people who have been attacking muggle borns for the last few weeks."

Hermione nodded silently, she knew why it had happened, to get to Harry. If they killed Ron it would hurt Harry, and those close to him.

"Can I sit with Ron alone for a little while?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," the Healer said and she took Hermione back into the main room and got rid of all the people. "I'll be outside if you need me."

Hermione pulled up and chair and sat next to Ron, she took his cold hand and squeezed it.

"How could I let this happen?" She asked, "I was too wrapped up in other things to even come and see you."

Tears fell down her cheeks as she talked to him, "I should have been here more often, we were going to get married, I was nearly your wife, I should have been here."

She put her head down and let the tears fall from her face.

"What am I going to tell the children?" She asked, "you we're getting better, they were going to come and see you when you were better, now they'll never meet you."

Hermione heard the door creak open, he turned and found Harry standing there. Their eyes met and Harry realized what had happened.

He moved towards her and Hermione got up and hugged him. Tears now gushed down her face, with no hope of her stopping them.

"It's going to be OK." Harry said stroking her hair, he looked at Ron's lifeless face. Memories flashed into his mind of them laughing and joking without a care in the world.

"It's all my fault." He whispered to himself, if he had never come back none of this would have happened. He now knew what he had to do to make it stop, once and for all.