A/N: Finally a new chapter! Betad!
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"So...you didn't join of your own free will?" Harry rephrased what she'd just said, and sighed in relief, leaning back in his seat and running his fingers through his short black hair.
"Of course not!" Hermione hissed. "and please remember to kee-"
"Silencio." He said simply and she nodded and withdrew her wand, looking around before casting the charm to see if anyone had heard. It was just then that she saw a familiar red-head clenching his hands and slipping out the door of the tavern. "Hell!"
"What?" Immediate concern filled his voice as he sat straight up in the inn's chair and looked around the room, expecting the worst.
Hermione pointed towards the door. "Ron. He was just there. I think he overheard..." She swallowed hard. "Oh Merlin..."
Harry immediately got to his feet, withdrawing his wand from its holster. "C'mon. We've got to go after him," he said, extending a hand to Hermione. As soon as she was on her feet, he lead the way out of the tavern, looking around in hopes that they'd spot Ron before he went and did anything foolish.
There was no such luck.
"Where'd he go?" Her brown eyes glassy with worry, Hermione looked up to Harry.
"If he overheard the last bit...who do we know that's a Death-Eater and one of the people Ron hates most?" Her eyes widened.
"Malfoy..." she breathed.
Harry nodded. "Draco. The manor." He offered her his hand, and she slipped hers in his trustingly. Together they Apparated to near the Malfoy's manor and headed towards the gates. The sight of the bent and charred wrought iron bars made them both go just that much faster. Heading up the walkway, their eyes were all over the place, wondering where Ron and Draco were exactly. They knew from experience they couldn't Apparate into the house.
A flash of red light from the left side of the house, and the high screams of pain answered that question for them. A succint "Fuck" was said by Harry, and they both took off running then. Harry lead the way by covering his head with his arms and diving towards the window where they'd saw the light.
The glass shattered, and he was rolling smoothly and coming to his feet before Malfoy had even registered who it was that had broken into his house. Hermione followed after him, although not quite so dramatically. "Let him go, Malfoy." Harry's green eyes were ice cold, and his wand steady in his hand as he pointed it at Draco's heart.
Draco raised a brow and said sardonically. "Potter. I knew you weren't really a follower of the-"
Harry glared and put up a silencing spell. Then "Crucio," he hissed. Malfoy hit the ground screaming. He didn't see the horrified look Hermione tossed him before she ran to Ron's side and helped him to his feet.
"What in the world do you think you're doing?!" she scolded her husband, tears in her eyes. "You could have been killed!" Ron paid her no attention, his face white as he stared at Harry who still had Malfoy in the grip of the cruciatus. She followed his eyes and then turned back to him, her hands on his shoulders. "Ron, listen to me! It's not what you think!"
He finally looked down at her, and pushed her away. "Oh really?! Not what I think? So when I'm thinking HARRY has Malfoy under the cruciatus, I'm wrong? I was wrong when I heard Malfoy say that Harry was a follower of the Dark Lord now?? Tell me, Hermione, am I wrong about that?"
"No. You heard right-" Came a voice from the doorway. "But apparently there is something you've not heard..." It was Lucius Malfoy, his wand drawn. The door had been opened quietly, they'd not heard him come in. Knowing what he was going to say, Hermione whirled towards him. "He knows," she spat coldly.
The elder blonde-man sighed. "So i don't get to torture him with the knowledge that his precious Gryffindor wife is a Death-Eater before I kill him? That's too bad," he said mockingly. "I'll just get right to it."
"NO, LUCIUS!" She screamed.
He laughed, and his eyes darted to Harry and Draco, who were now battling it out, fairly equally matched. Hermione followed his eyes for a split second, and then realized she'd been tricked when she heard him begin: "Ava--"
She reacted. Her wand aimed at his chest, she screamed quickly. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" Lucius' eyes widened in surprise as the rest of the killing curse escaped his lips just as he was struck by Hermione's. "Thank God..." she breathed, thinking that the curse would lose its power since he wasn't alive at the end of it. Not realising that hers had killed him not two seconds after he'd completed it.
She turned to smile up at Ron, only to see nothing. Frowning, still not realising, she looked around, then down at the ground, where he lay, crumpled. "No!"came the strangled cry, and she dropped to her knees beside his body, staring at the wide eyes of her now-dead husband, but most importantly, best friend.
She stayed that way for what seemed like ages, just looking at him, and remembering all their good times until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Jumping, she whipped her head around, looking up at Harry and sighing in relief. "Where's--?"
"Dead. I couldn't have him running to Voldemort, and Oblivations can be broke a little too easily by him anyways," Harry said tonelessly as he stared down at the dead body of his best friend. "Poor Molly and Arthur..." he said after a while. "First Ginny, now Ron. Their youngest."
Guilt entered Hermione's eyes, and she opened her mouth. "Harry, I--" But she said no more as he knelt and slid his arms under Ron's body, lifting it up. "Lead the way to the door please, Hermione," he said. "We've got to take Ron back to Mrs. Weasley."
"I--"
"Hermione, we'll talk later. I promise. Right now this is more important." After a moment, Hermione nodded.
"Of course, Harry. Forgive me."
"Always." His voice was warm and soothing, grief just barely tinging it. It was a welcome change from the hollowness of just moments earlier. Somehow it flooded her body and filled her with the strength to go on.
For the moment, at least.
A/N: i've updated several parts of the story, but since it was just correcting other chapters, they haven't showed. I haven't given up on this story, but if I don't get at least a few opinions on how I could improve it, I might. I will try to return the favor, btw.
Lisa: Hermione's reasons for becoming a deatheater are revealed a few chapters back :) Thank you for reading and reviewing :)
HPHGShipper: thank you for the wonderful review, it lifted my spirits a lot and i'll keep what you said in mind :) I hope I didnt disappoint with this one.
Omagic: thank you so much for your reviews. They gave me the gumption I needed to start considering the next chapter of this story and i wanted to publicly acknowledge how much I love your story :)