DISCLAIMER: I don't own nothing…

A/N: This story actually has nothing to do with horcruxes and such although Dumbledore is still dead. The story takes place seventh year so it is after HBP but I didn't want to go into Horcruxes. Everything else is pretty much to the story. Also Ron doesn't play much of a big role. The triangle is between Harry, Draco and Hermione.

Chapter 2: Mistaken Identities

"Bloody Hell!" Hermione woke with a major headache. She couldn't remember anything let alone where she was. "Where the fu…" she didn't finish the sentence as she felt eyes staring at her. She turned to her right to see Ron and Harry sitting there.

"I'll go get Madam Pomfrey then…" Harry got up still in a state of shock hearing Hermione curse. Hermione looked around and saw she was in the hospital wing. She tried hard to remember why she was here when she remembered going out. She went to the lake. 'the lake… she had almost drowned'

"Miss Granger" Hermione heard the voice of the new head mistress. Startled by the abrupt sound she turned to see Professor McGonagall standing next to her bed looking enraged. "Miss Granger would you so kindly tell me what you were doing outside after curfew?"

"Professor… I… I…I needed to think. I couldn't sleep so I first just intended to stay in the common room, but I realized I needed some fresh air so then I went to the astronomy tower. I stood there for a minute then I saw the lake. It was… I don't know how to describe it… I wanted… no I needed to just go and sit by the lake and so that was what I went to do. The next thing I knew…"

"What in the world did you have to think about that you would risk your life with death eaters being able to penetrate onto the grounds at anytime…"

"I was thinking about them." Silent tears started to build up in her eyes. This took everyone by surprise. She had not spoken about them since the day she found out. "Did you know it has been three months? Three awfully long months. It's their anniversary today. It would have been twenty years since the day they said in death do we part." Steadily Hermione's voice got louder. "At nights I can't sleep. I lie to Harry and Ron… I tell them it's because of Head Duties and the work load. I'm sorry guys… I just couldn't deal with it." When she finished she turned her head away too guilty to look at them.

"We'll leave you to rest then." Professor McGonagall said in a quiet voice and began to usher the boys out.

"Professor, who was the one who saved me?"

"Uhh… Harry did. While he was going back to Gryffindor Tower after our session." McGonagall gave Harry a stern look saying 'just play along'

"Thanks Harry… for saving my life…"

"Um your welcome" said Harry in an uncertain voice. He hated lying to her, but truth be told no one knew, not even Hagrid, who found her by the lake. "I'll always be here to help you." He said in a sincere voice. Ron gave him a knowing look that confused Harry, but he let it go and began to walk out the infirmary.

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"What the hell was that look you gave me?" asked Harry of Ron.

"I can't believe you don't know." Replied Ron.

"Don't know what?"

"How you really feel about Hermione. I mean I thought I was supposed to be the blind one."

"I don't know what you're trying to imply, but I don't have feelings for Hermione except a purely platonic…"

"I can't believe your actually trying to use that line with me. Harry I see it in you. Who better to know that look than me who used to fancy her."

"Wait what you mean 'use to' I thought that you two were…"

"Nope, at first I thought I did, but after all the jealousy and such the feeling kind of dissolved into me liking her like I like Ginny and it creeped me out. We talked about it and we just let it go." Without knowing Harry let out a sigh of relief. "See… you fancy her. Don't worry though. I think she fancies you too. Just tell her how you feel."

"…"

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Back in the infirmary Hermione was doing some more thinking. She couldn't sleep and she didn't want to take a dreamless draught so she just laid there thinking of everything that had occurred that day.

Since August Hermione wasn't the same person. She couldn't carry on acting like nothing happened. It was impossible. She had lost her innocence, her childhood when she lost her parents. She had thought about the subject before, but never really thought it would happen. She had always figured she would be there to help them, to protect them. But where was she when it happened… well she was with Harry and Ron. She didn't blame them, she couldn't. It wasn't their fault. She was invited, but she could have refused, she just didn't want to refuse the invitation.

The day after she had left was when it had happened. She couldn't believe it. And she knew, the attack wasn't on her. It was on Harry. They were trying to make her leave him, but it just made her more determined to stay by his side.

The problem was they didn't know which death eater it was. It could have been anyone of them. She was determined to find out and kill the bastard that did it to them. This thought was what led her to make her way outside into the dark of the night.

She always found a comforting feeling in the night time sky. It reminded her of her childhood and how her parents liked to take her up on the roof of their small home and show her the different types of constellations. That was why she first made her way to the Astronomy tower, but she couldn't stay their long because it brought back memories that hurt too much to dwell on. That was when she spotted their tree. The tree where the Golden trio could always be found. It lay by the lake and she felt the sudden guilt that came with lying to her friends. She made her way down to the tree. She felt guilty. She had slowly been withdrawing herself from her friends.

When she got to the tree she found the little knob that stuck out below which they had written HP+HG+RW. She felt the tears burn her eyes as it made its way down her face. She was all alone and it was her fault.

She instinctively reached for the locket that her mother had given to her. It was a family heirloom. It was owned by her mother, who was given it by her mother and so forth. It had no real magical aspect to it, but it always calmed her whenever she reached for it because in it laid a very special picture of her parents and her. It was the day she was born. Her mother had just gotten out of labor and was still sweaty with her hair all over the place with her dad looking pale, and then there she was being given to her mother by her father. There was so much love in their eyes it always made her laugh but at that moment it only made her cry.

She picked up a stray rock by her foot and threw it as hard as she could into the lake. Then she went climbing. She climbed a top the tree. She wanted to feel the wind on her face. She swallowed her fear of heights and began to climb up. When she reached a big branch she decided to stop there and sat on it, when she lost her balance and landed herself in the lake. At first she fought to keep up, but something inside her told her to give up. She thought maybe it was her parents' voices. She then stopped fighting gravity. She just let herself float lower and lower. Then she saw him. He looked like an angel. She thought she was going delusional. He reminded her of her father. Some one she always trusted and loved. She reached out to him but slowly her vision blurred and then she fell unconscious.

She was sure it was the ghost of her father or something. When she found out it was Harry, she then understood why she had felt that way. He was always there to protect her to help her. She then instinctively reached up to feel her locket when…

"My locket! I need to find my locket." She jumped out of bed. She staggered a bit finding it hard to stay up. She saw Madam Pomfrey approach her. She tried to fight her way out of the infirmary to find the locket. She couldn't have lost it… it was…

"Get down girl you need to rest!" Madam Pomfrey said in a firm voice. When Hermione seemed to calm a bit she pulled out a vial that contained dreamless draught and told Hermione to drink it. Reluctantly Hermione took it and fell asleep.