Notes: To Magnolia Lane and Tianer, you're not imagining things; I originally uploaded this first chapter under a different title. Then Jessica edited it for me and suggested I upload it in smaller chapters so people would have the option of taking a break in their reading without getting lost in a chapter. I apologize for the confusion and thank everyone so far for the kind reviews.

Chapter Three

All three tests had gone smoothly, as they had expected, and they had excitedly trudged off through the snow until they reached a location that they could apparate to Ron's warm home from. With two slight poofs and one silent arrival all three appeared in the burrows kitchen, where Ron had instructed. Molly had shrieked at their arrival and dropped a large pile of texts she'd been fixing in shock. Glaring she shoved all three out the door into the snow, and slammed it shut in their faces, Ron's eyes going wide in surprise at her reaction. They hadn't even uttered a word when, a moment later, she opened it and apologized kindly, pulling Harry and Hermione back into the warm house, and shutting the door firmly in Ron's face again. Harry sat guiltily at the kitchen table and looked at Hermione for guidance, who seemed a bit stunned, as their friend trudged around outside in the snow, no doubt freezing.

"He's as bad as the twins." Molly was muttering to herself even as she happily made some tea for her guests. Five minutes later Ron trudged down from upstairs, muttering under his breath as he shook snow from his hair. He had climbed up the side of the house and stumbled through his room's window to get in, knowing his mother wouldn't unlock the main door.

"Ron, I'm so proud of you for passing your test!" His mother had then beamed at him, giving him a crushing hug and releasing him as though nothing had happened. Ron took it in stride and grinned, sitting at the table and starting up conversation about school, his punishment for scaring her forgotten easily by both Weasley's. They stayed until Arthur came home so they could say hello and then apparated back to Hogsmeade, trudging back to school happily with a tin each of Molly's best shortbread cookies.

"She's absolutely batty." Ron had finally declared and Harry laughed, feeling elated with seeing his adoptive parents again. It was decided that on the next Hogsmeade weekend they would visit the twins at their new store, seeing as none of them had seen it yet. Of course Hermione said they had to clear it with their head of house first, because while the Weasley's were well protected from the dangers of Voldemort, Fred and George were in London and didn't have the same security. Ron had agreed easily, much to Harry's bother. Over the last few months Harry had noticed a new protective streak in Ron, one that, while not ceasing their normal mischievous behaviour, was more cautious. Hermione had noticed this too and pointed it out one night in the library, when Ron had been off talking to Madam Pinch about disciplining some rowdy fourth years.

"He's sticking awfully close to you isn't he." She stated and Harry grinned, feeling a warm tingling spread through him instead of annoyance. After everything they'd been through together he was just glad Ron still wanted anything to do with him.

"That's what best mates are for." He replied and she cut the conversation short as Ron returned.

OOOOO

They won their first quidditch match against Ravenclaw, though it had been a close game, and celebrated well into the night. The next morning in History of Magic they had all slouched in their seats, even Hermione, who was only paying half attention. It wasn't an uninteresting class by any means, it was just that Harry was too tired to care. He hated Monday mornings.

"…of course you've all heard about how the war of 1713 ended, when the feared wizard Doytil simply drained his enemy of all power, no easy feat for a wizard with even his extraordinary powers…"

"This is all in the book, practically word for word." Hermione huffed, flipping to the proper page to prove her point and Harry was relieved, seeing as he didn't want to pay attention right now.

"…there have only been fourteen known instances where this fashion of magic has been publicly practiced, though I do place emphasis on the known. It was the cause for the assassination of the head of ministry in 1458, the reason for the formation of Galindral's werewolf army in 1629…" Their professor floated around in front of the board, scrawling the dates across it and maintaining his normal vocal pitch.

"Can't we have, just once, a history class that is informative?" Hermione moaned quietly to her two friends and then looked shocked as she gazed at Ron, who was quietly scribbling away on his parchment. "Are you actually taking notes?" She asked, the surprise evident in her voice.

"It's much more useful than griping about being here isn't it?" Ron snapped, concentrating on his work. Harry looked at him in surprise, and noticed that he had become a bit pale since the class had started. He looked over at Hermione and saw that she was concerned rather than angry at her friends bark. She nodded at Ron's hands and he noticed that they were shaking a bit, making his writing messier than was usual. The two friends instantly forgot about their class as they watched their friend.

"Are you feeling okay Ron?" Hermione asked quietly, leaning over Harry slightly to get a better look.

"I'm fine." He replied, not looking up at either of them and visibly trying to steady his hand.

"You don't look so great Ron, and we can see that your hand is shaking." Ron sighed and put down the quill, looking over at his friends briefly.

"I might have a bit of a bug, but I'm fine. Leave it alone would you? I don't feel up to fending off questions right now." And they stopped pestering him then. His hands didn't stop shaking the entire class, but he did regain some of his colour and by the end he apologized for being snappish. "You know how I am when I'm sick." He offered, looking at Harry for confirmation. It was true, Ron had been in bed all day once at the end of the summer, and had been a right brute. He hated people asking him if he was okay, and he hadn't liked all the attention. He wanted attention for doing well at something, being sick seemed to embarrass him more than anything.

Later that night he went up to bed early and Hermione instantly leaned close to Harry so they could speak quietly in the common room. The fire was roaring in its place and there were quite a few people milling around, either looking for something to do or studying.

"There is something up with him Harry."

"Come off it, he's just a bit under the weather." He defended even though he wasn't sure he believed what he said.

"He's been different all term, though I admit he hides it well." She stated and Harry was startled to see that she fully believed what she said.

"What do you mean?" He asked and waited only a moment before she informed him.

"I'm not really sure what's wrong with him, but I swear he's hiding something. Do you remember when I asked you if he was all right on the train?" Harry nodded. "He's still doing that sometimes, looking over his shoulder as though he's checking who is there." Harry had, in fact, noticed that. But he knew that there were a number of reasons that Ron could be reacting that way.

"He's just dealing with the battle Hermione. It scared us all badly and we all cope differently. If Ron needs to make sure who is around him at all times then who are we to say any differently." He felt a bit guilty even as he said this, because he didn't truly know if it was the answer. Ron hadn't really spoken much about how he actually felt about the battle. There had been many brain jokes, lots of aggravation over healing too slowly, and a great amount of concern for Harry's own welfare, but not much on his feelings about that incident. Whenever Harry had asked he had been expertly dodged on the question, usually by having it turned on him. Ron would make a great counselor, seeing as he seemed to know that Harry's questions were usually based around something that was bothering himself, as well as his concern for Ron. Come to think of it, he never got a straight answer out of the red head.

"What about his sudden protectiveness of you?" She combated and Harry shrugged, not really sure what to say to that. "How about him turning as pale as a ghost like he did this afternoon?"

"He's sick Hermie, it's his nature to go pale like that."

"Yes, well I've caught him twice before like that, and he wasn't sick then. I'll bet he's just fine tomorrow."

"What are you going on about?"

"I've walked in on him at the library twice now, where he's tucked away in some corner reading something secretively. He's hiding something Harry, and he's worried and he doesn't want anybody to know." Harry gazed into her brown eyes, seeing the truth in her words. If Hermione Granger was worried about Ronald Weasley, then there was something wrong with his best friend. Harry had sensed something was off for quite some time now, but he had been trying to ignore it, because it was what Ron was trying to do. They'd both been so busy, what with quidditch, school, and Harry's extra lessons with Snape and McGonagall, that they didn't have time to worry, and he figured Ron would tell him if anything was wrong when the time was right. Harry felt his face fall. "You've noticed something's up haven't you?" She demanded urgently, trying to find a solution when they didn't really even know if there was a problem.

"He has been a bit different, in moments. I don't know how well he's sleeping, and I've noticed that he eats a bit less than he used too. It's strange though, sometimes he'll be perfectly fine and then, moments later, it's as though he's seen a ghost or something."

"You don't think those brains are affecting him somehow?"

"After all this time?"

"Who's to say he hasn't been hiding it from the beginning Harry? No doubt he doesn't want to make anyone's lives more difficult than they already are, especially ours or his family. I think he'd keep his own worries bottled in so that he doesn't cause any pain. You're still dealing with everything that has happened and everything that will happen, and his family is still dealing with Percy and everything else on top of that. He's afraid Harry."

"Of what?" He demanded, suddenly frustrated.

"That's what we need to find out. I've been trying to figure out what those brains in the mystery department were, but I'm not having any luck. Maybe you could ask Dumbledore?" She suggested gently and Harry looked away. He still loved Dumbledore dearly, but things had been strained for him lately. Finally having the truth, and seeing the powerful wizard cry, and dealing with Sirius's death…he just felt awkward around him now. Especially after he trashed his office, though he felt that the emotional release had been well deserved and he knew the headmaster wasn't upset. He was saved from answering when Dean scurried down the stairs and headed straight for Harry, worry etched into his features.

"Harry, Ron's being sick in the toilet and he's not letting Neville or I in to help him." Harry and Hermione both stood but they knew that she wouldn't be allowed into the boys dormitory. Harry immediately stormed off up to the group toilets to find Neville standing outside of the door, trying to get Ron to let him in with no success.

"Ron, open the door eh?" Harry heard his friend cough but there was no response. Neville looked at him worriedly. "Ron…"

"Go away, 'm fine." Ron muttered through the door.

"You're not fine Ron, let me in." Their only response was Ron vomiting again and then he was quiet, choosing to ignore them. Harry banged on the door in demand, his worry and temper flaring.

"Ronald Weasley, open this door right now or I'll owl your mother!" He shouted, and it was only a moment before the door swung open to the small room and Ron sat back, leaning against the wall. He was pale and perspiring, but he managed an aggrieved sigh.

"You don't need to owl her, you sound just like her." He grasped his stomach and rocked back and forth a moment as Harry knelt next to him and the other two boys huddled closely behind.

"What's wrong with you?" Harry asked, putting a hand to his forehead and feeling the heat radiating from him. "Never mind. You're going to Madam Pomfrey's right now." With Neville's help they hoisted Ron's lanky frame off the ground and started half dragging him to the stairs. Dean followed with a trash can in case Ron was going to be sick again and Hermione joined the group as they slowly marched to the hospital wing. They must have made quite the sight as they bundled Ron in there and gently deposited him on a bed as the healer bustled over and demanded to know what was wrong. They were made to wait outside while she looked him over and it was half an hour before they were allowed in again. Harry and Hermione were practically bouncing off the walls in worry while Neville didn't look much better. Dean was the one trying to keep them calm as they bustled back in and waited expectantly.

"He's just got an elevated fever, no doubt from all those practices you have out in that cold." She stated and looked at the concerned group with a small smile. "He'll be fine and back in class tomorrow; he just needs to get a good night sleep."

"You don't think anything else could have made him ill…possibly?" Hermione asked and Harry was too worried about his friend to scold her for prying.

"No, it just looks like a combination of stress and not enough rest. Now off to bed before curfew hits, you'll see him tomorrow for breakfast." Harry saw his friends red hair sticking out from his blanket a few beds away, but he was pushed out with the rest of them before he got a good look. If he had he might have noticed that Ron was awake and listening to them quietly. Madam Pomfrey would have been upset if she knew this but the Weasley lay still and with his eyes closed so he wouldn't give anything away. He felt Harry's eyes linger on him a moment before they were all made to leave and Ron sighed in relief as the door closed. He would get a good rest tonight and go about school as normal tomorrow. Hopefully any suspicions that his friends were formulating about him would be alleviated after this, and he would be able to get a grip and go on with his normal life. Exams were coming up and he really couldn't afford to fail any, despite his fears.

OOOOO

The next morning Ron slipped quietly into breakfast, noting that the sky was filled with fat snowflakes that fell heavily to the ground outside. The atmosphere was a mixture of morning sluggishness, grumpiness, and the almost overbearing peppiness of the few who really relished getting up early. His sister Ginny and his close friend Hermione fell into the group of energetic morning people, though he was glad to admit that this didn't make Hermione any more overbearing than usual. After five and a half years of knowing her he was accustomed to this by now. Ron never had troubles waking up once he was out of bed himself, but he used to have troubles getting out of bed. Nowadays he had trouble staying asleep for the most part, the only exceptions being when he stayed up late enough to develop a level of exhaustion that he had to struggle against just to get to bed. Luckily none of his dorm mates, and especially Harry, had noticed this new quirk of his yet. He had worked hard on excelling in privacy spells that kept them unaware of his tossing in his sleep, and he had even gone so far as to develop a spell that cast a continuous mimic of his snores for when he lay awake. The strange thing though, was that he never felt tired, despite the fact that he was down to an average of five hours of sleep a night. On the upside he was becoming very adept at calming Harry down from his nightmares before they really got started, and their roommates were none the wiser of his friend's fears. Ron knew how much Harry hated people knowing about his problems, he was a private person and only confided in his closest friends.

"Ron! Over here!" Hermione called and waved enthusiastically to where her, Harry, Neville, Seamus and Dean sat, and he headed over with what he hoped was a sheepish look on his face.

"Morning." He mumbled and sat down, leaning back a bit when a cup full of cranberry juice floated over and landed haltingly in front of him. He looked over at Neville's beaming face and realized that his friend had sent the drink using his wand in the left hand instead of his right. Ron grinned proudly and saluted with his glass, warming up to their company quickly, and began piling a few eggs on toast, staying away from the bacon for now.

"You're looking a sight better." Dean enthused and Ron noticed that they were all looking over him rather intently, searching for any possible signs of sickness. He felt his face heat slightly in embarrassment and tried to cover it by taking another gulp from his glass.

"Pomfrey's got her potions straight I'll give her that. She told me in no uncertain terms, that the only time she wanted to see me again was from the staff table and the quidditch stands. I don't reckon she's too fond of me." He grinned at Hermione's typical eye rolling and Harry's slap on the back.

"Don't take it personally mate, she's said the same thing to me on several occasions."

"The problem is that you don't listen." He retorted, grinning at the mock look of hurt that appeared on Harry's face.

"It's a right bit cosier sleeping in the hospital wing than in the dorms with the way you snore."

"Perhaps we should rent out a cot for you there then, I hear the service is fabulous."

"Are you two quite through?" Hermione asked and Ron was heartened by the grin that Harry cast her way. It was always a relief to see a true smile on Harry's face, which Ron had ensured there were more of this year then there had been last. Harry was still working as hard as ever, to the point where he was taking extra classes with McGonagall and Flitwick in preparation for his battle with Voldemort. Ron had attended a few of them, as had Hermione, and he had to admit that after every class he felt a bit more confident with his level of magic, though it wasn't as advanced as Harry's own. On the occasions that Ron didn't go Hermione usually did, and it was those moments of peace that Ron took to researching on his own, away from prying eyes.

Yesterday he had made himself sick with a sudden onslaught of fear and stress, which he usually succumbed to only when alone and able to slowly calm himself. He was doing everything he could to keep his secret and try to learn more about it without upsetting his friends. In truth he was afraid that they would turn him away if they ever found out the awful truth, and he was sure his family might react in kind. He couldn't cope with their loss, or with Harry's loss, and that fear along with worry over the fact that he might somehow hurt them one day is what triggered his panic sickness. From now on he would have to work even harder to keep them oblivious, and he should probably stop attending extra classes with the professors. They were the most experienced with magic in the school, and if anyone discovered something was wrong with his aura he would be in trouble. Thank goodness he didn't take divination anymore.

"Hey? Are you okay?" Harry asked softly and Ron broke free from his thoughts and grinned, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, at them all. It seemed that this entire group would be watching for any signs that something was wrong for a while now, and he immediately told himself off for being a prat around them so soon.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Pass the marmalade?"

"It's right in front of you Ron." Ginny scolded and then he felt her waiting in anticipation. The jar in question was in fact too far for him to reach, as she obviously knew. Ever since he'd summoned that paper all those weeks ago she had been trying to get him to do it again. He rolled his eyes and pulled his wand to call it over when she huffed and pushed it within arms reach and glared.

"Honestly Ginny, if you want ambidextrous magic you should just ask Neville, he's becoming awfully adept at it." Her glare deepened even as Neville smiled in pride and Dean and Seamus looked between them all in interest. Harry seemed to be completely ignoring the exchange, beyond used to it by now, but Ron was sure that Hermione was waiting just as intently as Ginny had been for him to summon the jar. He grabbed it and smeared a small amount on his toast, just wanting a hint of the flavour and nothing more. He wasn't a big fan of a lot of sweets in the morning. He was about to take a big bite when he felt a familiar presence enter the room and he looked behind him sharply to watch Draco Malfoy strut in. He felt Hermione and Harry both follow his gaze but ignored them as Draco looked up and met his eyes, glaring rudely before heading to the Slytherin table. Honestly, the teenager had a sharp wit and cutting tongue, he just didn't understand the concept of subtlety. Ron turned back to his food as though the exchange hadn't happened and felt Hermione staring at him.

"What?" He demanded indignantly through a mouthful of bread.

"What did you say to him to make him back off all of us?" And he rolled his eyes, trying not to tense noticeably in his seat. He felt Harry shift curiously beside him, no doubt wondering the same thing even though he had yet to ask. Ron had been relying on his best friends engrained sense of politeness to stave off asking that question, and until now it had worked like a charm.

"Who?" Dean asked, having missed the exchange between Ron and Malfoy. Neville and Ginny looked a bit curious but not as puzzled as Dean, which meant they knew exactly who Hermione was referring to.

"Malfoy. He's refrained drastically from saying nasty things to me all term and I know he's done nothing more than glare at Harry."

"What makes you think I have anything to do with it?" Ron demanded, searching for a way to turn the subject.

"Oh, no reason, except that he avoids you like the plague and every time you two are in a room together you hold a glaring contest until he backs down. He never backed down before, and he has never, not once in the last five years, avoided a confrontation with you."

"He's just come to his senses is all. You're forgetting that his dad is no longer popular in the wizarding world, seeing as he's an imprisoned Death Eater. Draco's a nit, but a smart one at that. He doesn't want more trouble heading his way because of us."

"See, it's this 'trouble heading his way' bit that has me asking what he's afraid of. The rest of Slytherin are not holding back to the extent he is, though they have stopped pestering us as much without him leading them on. Come on then, spill it. What did you say to him?" Ron shifted uncomfortably under their gazes, knowing that he'd have to tell them something but still not really wanting to. He had been relatively surprised himself when Malfoy had not only listened to him, but heard what Ron had been saying to him that day on the train. He knew he had been taking a gamble when he told the cunning boy to stay away, but he meant every word.

"Ow!" He yelped as a foot connected with his shin under the table when he took too long to answer, and he glared at his sister. He was beginning to feel a bit caged into talking, and he didn't like that at all. "It's not your business what we discussed." He scoffed and felt his ears beginning to heat in anger. He saw Hermione's eyes narrow and held back a grin (despite his growing anger) at the way Dean, Seamus, Neville and Harry leaned back to escape both girls withering glares. Ron had grown up under Molly Weasley's glare, and though he was still nervous of her temper he was always up to a match against these two. Sometimes he thought he was the only one in the school insane enough to take them on.

"It is when it involves us, and seeing as you're not denying that you said something you might as well tell us what happened." Hermione pointed out calmly, even though Ron could easily feel how incensed she was at being left out of something.

"It doesn't matter if I deny it or not, it's still none of your business." He snapped, but she was just getting warmed up.

"It is our business, seeing as what you said may backfire and he could be plotting something truly awful and trying to throw us off his trail. I think we have the right to know, don't you Harry?" Oh, now she was playing dirty and he would not stand for that, even from his closest friends.

"Don't bring Harry into this! He's got enough things to worry about on top of being pulled into a stupid argument. Keep walking Parkinson!" He snapped without looking over his shoulder and the girl who had been approaching them stomped off in a huff, angry that he had thwarted her eavesdropping. Hermione leaned back slightly and looked at him in shock, and then a new kind of determination entered her eyes and she stood abruptly, grabbing her bags.

"We need to talk, right now. Let's go." She ordered and he glared at her, crossing his arms in defiance. She was not going to win this argument.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Fine, then we can talk here, with an audience, and I know how much you love a good audience." Maybe she was going to win this argument. She glared at him threateningly and he instantly picked up on the notion that this conversation was going to be more personal than a mere spat. He stood and glared at her, swinging his old and almost worn out book bag over his shoulder. She might have won this argument, but only until they got somewhere more private.

"Coming Harry?" He asked politely, as though they were heading to their next class, which didn't start for a half hour. Dean, Neville, Seamus and Ginny seemed stunned at their sudden change of pace and looked between them as Harry stood and casually grabbed his bag.

"Wouldn't miss this for a quidditch match." He replied and winked at Ron, trying to calm him down a bit. Ron merely shrugged and then stormed after Hermione, not trying at all to hide how annoyed he was. He caught up to her just before she reached the doors and he grabbed the back of her robes suddenly, halting her progress. She turned to glare at him just as it swung open sharply and a group of seventh years barged in. She had just missed being smashed by the rushing group, but his saving her just seemed to make her more… intense. He stormed forward and a group of third years scuttled out of his way. She had to rush to keep up to him this time but Harry, being a bit taller, didn't have too much trouble. He had to walk fast though, because it would help him to calm down.

Five minutes later he burst into the room of requirement and dropped his bag on the floor, ignoring the hooks by the door. There were no chairs in the room, and it wasn't any larger than his bedroom back at the burrow, but it was big enough to hold the three of them and he whirled around to face her. Harry stood to the side, waiting to see what this was all about.

"What is it that is so important you couldn't talk about it over breakfast?" He demanded and she glared at him, crossing her arms.

"How did you know Parkinson was there?" She asked, and despite her glare her voice was calm and reasonable. He took a deep breath and shook his head in confusion, not following the abrupt change of topic.

"What?" She didn't seem phased by his ignorance and repeated the question in a slower tone, as though speaking to a particularly idiotic individual. He resented that.

"How, did you know, that Parkinson, was there?"

"Where? At breakfast?" She nodded and he thought back…he had told her to sod off, there was nothing unusual about that.

"I saw her…" He trailed off when she started shaking her head, and then blanked as he really remembered what had happened. She had been behind him, and there was no way he could have seen her. He had let his anger get the better of him, and had dropped his guard around his friends again. He was such an idiot, and now Hermione wasn't going to let it go. "I heard her." He changed his story and saw Harry frown as they both picked up his lie.

"Ron, please, what is going on? We're worried about you." She said and he could feel how true that was. They needed an explanation, and they deserved an explanation. She had been holding back this interrogation the entire term, and he knew it. She had sensed that something was wrong with him from the beginning, and now he needed to tell them something. If he didn't then they wouldn't trust him anymore, and he wasn't ready for that yet. He moved and sat in the plush chairs that appeared when none of them had been looking. They sat across from him, and Harry was looking more and more worried by the second. This is exactly what he didn't want: to cause further disruption in his already complicated life.

"I don't really know Hermie. I just…sense things differently now then I did before."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, leaning forward urgently.

"I mean I sense things differently then I did before, how else do you want me to spell it out for you?"

"You mean you sensed that Parkinson was walking to our table to pry?" Hermione asked and he nodded. "You mean you sensed the group that almost trampled me at the door, and pulled me out of the way?" He nodded again and she frowned. "Ron, are you empathic?" He looked away, suddenly unsure he wanted them to know this.

"Hey, it's okay if you are Ron, we're not going to throw you away because you can sense things differently than most." Harry said quietly and those few, kind words made him want to tell them everything that was wrong. He wanted to tell them, and Harry especially, how he knew he was different now, and he knew he would never be the same again. However, he wouldn't let himself do that, he couldn't. Not yet at least. For now he would let them help him with this one problem, the rest was for him to deal with alone.

"I'm not sure empathic is what I would call it. Just…more aware of those around me." Hermione's eyes seemed to light up, as if the answer to an age old question had been discovered.

"That's why you've been so jumpy! You can feel people's presence when they get too close. That's why you're always looking over your shoulder to see who's behind you." He nodded, slightly annoyed that she had picked up on that when he had tried so hard to restrain that particular response.

"Ron, that's wicked!" Harry suddenly looked excited and Ron frowned.

"Wicked? I've turned into a spitting image of paranoia's poster child. I can feel whenever there are people around me but I hardly ever know who's there!"

"But just think Ron, once you become more confident in the skill you can see anyone around you! Not even invisibility cloaks could fool you." Harry explained, not taking any offence to Ron's bark. They had been friends a long time.

"How long have you had this sixth sense?" Hermione asked and Ron pulled his knees up to his chest, hooking his arms around them loosely.

"Since I woke up from being attacked by those brains. I think one of them used to be an elf or something, and…woke up my senses." He trailed off, remembering how confused he had been the first few days after waking up. The healers hadn't known what was wrong and Ron hadn't been coherent enough to explain what he was feeling. When he finally gained control he began to worry about what they would think and had kept his change to himself.

"Oh Ron." She stood up suddenly and came over. He dropped his legs at her approach and she hugged him tightly, letting go a moment later as if realizing that she was possibly strangling him. "You must have been so scared. I've read about how painful and confusing it can be for dormant empaths to suddenly wake up to their gift. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I was afraid you'd think I could read your minds and that you'd stop being my friends."

"After everything I've put you through you think I'd turn away because you could sense if I was around? You really are daft." Harry stood and pulled Ron to his feet, embracing him reassuringly for a moment before releasing him, and then punching him on the arm, hard. "Don't keep something like this from us ever again you hear? We could have been helping you to practice these senses the entire term!"

"That's right, we've lost a lot of valuable time. I'm going to have to do more research so we can help you learn how to read what you sense. I want you to be able to walk into a room and know exactly how many people are there. You could be our new spy detector!" Hermione was positively beaming as she walked to the door, pulling her bag from the rack. "Come on, we have class in ten minutes." She called and Ron grinned suddenly, seeing the light in this situation for the first time. Them knowing about this sense business would keep them from thinking anything else was wrong, and he would begin to learn how to use it too his advantage. Harry grinned back at him and they headed to the door.

"Just think of all the pranks we could get away with." He crowed happily, and they headed off to class.

tbc.

Any comments are greatly appreciated!