Disclaimer: I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, I want to speak to my lawyer… if I had one… Damn you J.K.!

Ginny paced the common room, worry fixed into her honey brown eyes. Dean watched her from the couch as she walked by him for the umpteenth time. He grabbed her hand.

"Gin, hon," he said. "Please sit down, you're giving me a headache. I'm getting bloody dizzy watching pace like that!" She sighed and sat down next to him.

"I'm just so worried, Dean," she said, pulling her legs under her as she rested her head on his chest. "How could this have happened?" Dean shrugged. The portrait door swung open and both Gryffindors watched as Ron stumbled in, looking like he hadn't slept in a month.

"What's up with you, Ron?" Dean asked. Ron glanced at the couple as he sat down on an armchair.

"Padma," he muttered. "It's nothing…"

"Ron, did you hear about what happened to Hermione?" Ron's head snapped up.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We don't know, but she got hurt really badly," Ginny answered. "Madam Pomfrey won't let us into the hospital wing. The Room of Requirement has also been labeled off limits. Some Ministry officials arrived a few hours ago by Floo. All the students can't leave the common rooms and the teachers are all up by the infirmary. And there's even talk of a body being taken away." Ron's eyes widened.

"A body?" he gulped. Both students nodded. They were silent, each one deep in their own thoughts.

"Are you sure, Albus?" Professor Sprout asked nervously.

"Oh yes," Dumbledore answered as he watched Anthony's body be levitated away on a stretcher. "He is the only one that could cause such marks on Anthony." Both professors moved away from the Room of Requirement towards the Hospital wing. Several Healers from St. Mungo's were entering and exiting the room, all with pale, disturbed faces. Madam Pomfrey hurried out with another Healer, both witches supporting a younger Healer between them. The young Healer had fainted. Dumbledore swept into the infirmary, Sprout following. (A/n: if any one knows Sprouts first name, please tell me, to lazy to look it up !)

The room was cramped with Healers. They were all leaving or approaching a bed. Hermione lay sweating uncontrollably on the bed. She had burn marks all over her body. Hundreds of nasty gashes covered her as well as fang punctures on her arms and legs. Her whole body was pouring huge amounts of blood from the horrible wounds. Her mouth was open, but it was evident that someone had magically silenced her for no sound came forth. Sprout looked away, a handkerchief to her mouth in horror.

Several healers kept pouring Blood Replenishing potions into her open mouth but to know avail. All of the Healers that surrounded the bed kept casting healing spells to get rid of the wounds, but every time one disappeared, another one reappeared, causing more pain in the girl. Finally, mercifully, one Healer came forward with a sleeping potion. Hermione, however, passed out from pain before the potion was administered.

Several large basins were sitting under the bed and they were filled to the brim with thick scarlet liquid. Several Healers came around and cleared the basins from the blood, only to have them to start to quickly refill themselves. Madam Pomfrey ran back in.

"Oh, Albus!" she cried. "What are we going to do! We can't move the girl, it will only cause more bleeding, though I can't imagine how much more. We can't heal her, more wounds appear if we try! There is nothing we can do for her, Albus…"

"The boy," Dumbledore murmured, his eyes fixed on Hermione's still figure. Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened.

"Oh, no you will not!" she shouted. "I will not have a murderer in my infirmary!"

"Poppy, you know what magic has befallen Ms. Granger. The only way to undo the curse is to have the wizard who placed it undo it. You know that!"

"I will not have a murderer here, that is final!"

The raven-haired boy rocked back and forth, shaking violently. The dark, locked dungeon he had been placed in was cold, wet and gloomy. However, the boy was not paying attention to his surroundings. He was remembering what had happened only a few hours ago.

Hermione's screams only angered Harry more. He picked her up and threw her across the room. She hit the floor with terror and awesome pain shining bright in her chocolate brown eyes.

"Harry, Stop, Please stop!" she screamed as flames continued to erupt around the room. Harry raised a hand and smiled maliciously.

"Don't worry, Granger," he hissed. "This won't hurt a bit. EXPLOITIUS ERASUM CONTATUM MAXIMA!"

Not a soul heard the horrible screeches of agony that erupted from deep within Hermione's being. This pain she felt surpassed that of a Crucio Maxima. It surpassed the pain felt when buried in the deepest, most fiery pit of hell. This pain was indescribable it was so awesome.

Hermione could feel her insides begin to disintegrate, her skin being stabbed, burned, skinned, eaten and ripped all in one go. She knew she would die there and then.

"HARRY!"

Godric stepped forward from the fiery furnace that the Room of Requirement had become. Harry spun around just in time to see a bolt of red light hit him in the face. Gryffindor picked up the screaming girl, stepping into the fire to take her to the infirmary.

Harry didn't look up as the dungeon door opened and the old wizard stepped in, a dark look upon his face.

"You are needed, Harry," Dumbledore said softly, not wanting to stir emotions that were probably waiting to break through.

"With what?" came an almost inaudible reply from the seventh year on the floor in the corner.

"You placed a curse on Ms. Granger, you must undo it."

"I'm not undoing the curse."

"Why is that, Harry?"

"Because I don't want to." Dumbledore's eyes widened.

"Why is that?"

"She got what she deserved."

"Harry, this is not you speaking."

"Maybe, but I still won't remove the curse. She angered me. I had every right to make sure she would never anger me again."

"Harry, how did she anger you?" Silence filled the dank room for a few moments.

"She told me she wouldn't marry me."

Godric paced in the fireplace of Dumbledore's office. Since he could only walk freely in the Chamber of Secrets, he was confined to any place that had fire on the ground where he walked.

"That is not what happened, Albus," he said. Dumbledore sat at his desk, McGonagall, Hagrid, Trelawney, Sprout, and Pomfrey were also assembled, though they all looked a little apprehensive about one of the Founders of Hogwarts pacing in a fireplace. "Harry never proposed, and Hermione never said no! It doesn't make sense for him to curse her over something that never happened."

"That's just it, Godric," said Professor Trelawney in that dreamy voice of hers. "It never happened, yet! Young Mister Potter 'Saw' it happen, therefore making him angry. He, however did not realize that this was a dream or premonition because he was wound up in, as you say it, his subconscious. He believed what he saw was reality, so he rent his wrath from the answer on the real Hermione, thinking it was the Dream-Hermione he was cursing. He obviously still thinks he is in that 'reality' and will need to be convinced otherwise so that he can remove the curse from Ms. Granger or else she will be lost." For the first time in her life, Sybil Trelawney had made absolute sense. Gryffindor nodded his approval.

"I will be the one to bring him back to the present," he said, and disappeared into the fire.

Through the graveyard of his fathers, Voldemort glided. The night air hung cold as he passed among the silent graves. Stopping in the middle, he looked up at the full moon as dark clouds passed by. His arms akimbo, he began to chant.

"Hell give back those of old,

Give them back what you once stole."

The ground of the graveyard began to quake, the dirt over the graves shifting.

"Now go back to the land I once called Nevahym,

Take away what is precious from what is precious to HIM!"

The door to the infirmary creaked open and Harry poked his head in. The room was dark except for the moonlight that streamed through one window onto the only occupied bed. The dripping of blood filled the air. Harry shivered.

I had done this, he thought. I was just dreaming her answer. She never gave that answer. I've hurt her for nothing.

He stepped in, closing the door behind him. Walking down the row of beds to where Hermione lay. He knelt beside her, clutching her hand. Closing his eyes, he began to murmur under his breath. Her eyes flew open at the same time his did. They stared into each other's eyes. Hermione started to scoot away, her breath coming out short and pained. Harry stood and held both hands above her dying body.

"ALAISIEUS CROTOSEM!" he boomed. Hermione's eyes slammed shut as she began to shake violently. Harry watched her, worry etched into his tired face. The dripping stopped as the wounds began to seal. The burn marks melted into her pale skin, and the shaking stopped. Her eyes opened slowly and met his.

"Thank you," she murmured before passing out.

The next morning found Hermione sitting up in bed, Ginny, Lavender, and Padma surrounding her. Setting down the piece of toast she had been munching on, Hermione turned her gaze to Padma, who had been silent the whole visit.

"What's wrong, Padma?" she asked. Padma sighed, staring out the window.

"Ron's been cheating on me," she mumbled. All the girls gasped.

"No!" Ginny exclaimed. "He wouldn't… He loves you too much, Padma… he wouldn't…"

"Well he did!" Padma snapped. "He and Cho were found snogging in one of the empty classrooms."

"Padma, Ron wouldn't cheat on you," Hermione insisted, horrified at Padma's bitterness towards the Weasley. "Maybe you heard wrong or something…"

"I didn't hear wrong!" she cried, leaping to her feet as tears began to stream from her face. "I even heard Cho bragging about it in the dorm when she thought I was asleep. I can't believe the two-timing son of a bi-"

"Padma?" She spun around to see Ron standing behind her.

"How COULD YOU, RON!" she screamed, tears falling from her dark eyes. "HOW COULD YOU!" Ron reached out for her but she pulled away, hurt shining in her eyes.

"Padma, let me explain," he begged.

"Explain what, Ron?" she asked. "What are you going to explain! Tell me, Ron, tell me what would have happened if Anthony hadn't interrupted you, huh? Tell me what would have happened? TELL ME!"

"I… I don't know…" A sob escaped her lips as tears flooded anew down her face.

"I trusted you, Ron." Her voice was calmer than she was letting on. "I told you I loved you, and that's how you repay me. Snogging Cho bloody CHANG in some bloody CLASSROOM! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU RONALD WEASLEY AND I HOPE I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!" She slapped him across the face and then, sobbing, she fled out the door. Ron stood watching her, ignoring the red mark on his cheek. He closed his eyes.

"You want to know the funny thing," he said aloud to no one unparticular. "I knew exactly what I was doing when I was with Cho. I knew where it was heading, but yet I did nothing…" He sank to the floor, tears streaming from his blue eyes.

"I never should have gone into that classroom. I never should have left the common room. I never should have left her…"

Padma fell against the wall in the corridor, sobbing uncontrollably. She hated him… she hated him… she hated him…

I never should have loved him, she thought. I never should have given him my heart…

"Padma?" she looked up to see her twin staring down at her, her face all concern.

"Parvati…" Padma began to cry again. Parvati instantly realized what had happened. It must have been Ron. Parvati sat down beside her sister, pulling her into a hug.

"Please stop crying," she murmured. "Ron didn't mean to, Padma. You know he loves you. You know he made a mistake. He never meant to hurt you."

"Then why did he do it, Par?" she cried. "If he loves me, why did he go off with someone else? Why did he hurt me when he promised never to?" Parvati looked down at her sister.

"I don't know Padma," she said.

"I don't want to see him ever again. I don't want to be near him. I don't ever want to love him again." Parvati looked up into the blue eyes of Ron. He stared at Padma, who was to busy crying to notice him.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed, then turned and headed down the hall, putting as much distance between him and the one he loved. With every step, he could hear the ripping of his heart being torn out of his chest.

"Are you sure, Albus?"

"Quite. You will inform her, Minerva?"

"I certainly will not! That girl had enough to worry about without us giving her more pain!"

"I will not keep this from her! If she doesn't, it will only hurt more when we tell her later. Taking all the pain now will help her cope."

"Albus, please!"

"That is final!"

Harry looked up from the fireplace to see Ron enter the common room. Ron was silent the whole time as he walked over and sat down next to Harry on the couch. Harry could see that his friend was hurt about something.

"What's up, Ron?" Harry asked. Ron glanced at him.

"Padma has just officially dumped me," he muttered.

"Why?" Ron was silent for a moment.

"I…" He sighed. "I kind of cheated on her. I was snogging…" He suddenly stopped, staring at Harry. "Aren't you together with Cho?" he asked. Harry turned back to the fire.

"I am… but I don't think I'm in love with her. I mean… before I left, I kissed Hermione. And now, all I can think about is her. It wasn't even a full kiss. It lasted for like a millisecond and then it was over. I think I love her Ron. I really think I do." Ron stared at Harry for a second than looked at the fireplace.

"So you won't get to bloody upset if I told you that the person I was snogging was Cho, would you?" Harry's head snapped up, his eyes alight.

"You were snogging with Cho?" he asked incredulously. Ron nodded, still not looking at him. Harry smiled.

"That girl was never that trustworthy anyway. No Ron, I'm not upset. Well, I am. What the bloody hell possessed you to snog Cho?"

"I don't know!" Ron cried in an exasperated voice. He got up and started to pace. "The whole time I've been here at Hogwarts, I've barely spent anytime with her. It's all been consumed with helping you or Hermione. I guess she thought I was dating Hermione in secret or something, or maybe she thought I just wasn't interested anymore, I don't know! It happened when I was walking down the halls, looking for her. I guess you could say that the 'love' tension was getting to me. I hadn't kissed, touched or been near her for weeks. I was desperate for something. And then, out of the bloody blue, Cho runs up and kisses me. The next thing I know, we're in one of the deserted classrooms, snogging heavily on one of the desks. Then, Anthony comes in and I finally realize what the bloody hell I was about to do." Ron ran a hand through his red hair. Harry got up and put both hand on Ron's shoulders so that they were facing each other.

"You gotta tell her that, Ron," he said. "You gotta tell her that you still love her." Ron shook his head.

"She hates me, Harry. She won't love me again, and I'd be foolish to try and make her. It's over. It's over." He pulled away from Harry and headed up the stairs, not even bothering to wipe away the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

Harry watched him go then turned and exited the common room. Walking up several staircases and down several corridors, he arrived at the double-doors of the infirmary. He pushed open the door and walked in.

Hermione, who was sitting up in one of the beds, looked up from the book she was reading. Her eyes widened in fear and a tint of horror. He approached her, stopping at the end of the bed.

"Hermione," he greeted. She said nothing. He frowned, but contained his agitation, not wanting his subconscious to take over again.

"What are you doing here, Harry?" Hermione asked. He shrugged.

"Came to see if you were all right."

"I'm quite fine, thank you. You can exit through those doors."

"Why are you so determined on getting rid of me?"

"Why are you so determined to stay?"

"I came to see if you were alright, Hermione!"

"Well I was until you got here!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I was doing fine until you decided to show up and try and kill me!"

"…"

"Exactly! Now leave!"

"Did you know Cho and Ron were snogging a few days ago?"

"…Yes…she hasn't exactly stayed single while you've been gone, Harry. Her and a bunch of other boys…well…now that you're back, she'll be wanting you to snog. You are a lot more popular to the public than some of the people she's been dating. Besides, you couldn't be seen with someone less pretty than her, now could you…"

"Hermione-"

"Why haven't you left yet?" she mumbled, not looking at him anymore. "Why are you still here?" The infirmary doors swung open and Professor McGonagall stepped in. She caught sight of the two Gryffindors and sighed.

"Mr. Potter, may you please step outside for a moment," she said in a resignated voice. "There is something I wish to tell Ms. Granger." With one last glance at Hermione, Harry turned and left the Hospital wing. Hermione turned to Professor McGonagall.

"What is it, professor?"

"My dear, I am afraid I have some terrible news…"

From outside, Harry heard Hermione scream. He rushed into the infirmary to see Hermione sobbing uncontrollably into Professor McGonagall's shoulder. Hurrying to the bedside, he asked, "What happened?" The professor shook her head sadly.

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger have gone missing. Order members were on their way to pick them up when they arrived at the ransacked house. Everything was everywhere. Furniture was in the walls, lamps were broken, and the banisters were destroyed along with the whole front wall and door. Blood was found spattered everywhere but upon magical inspection, it was found that nobody was killed inside the house." Hermione began to sob harder. "We have reason to believe that they are still alive somewhere, probably with Death Eater. No Dark Mark was put above the house, so no one was killed then." Professor McGonagall sighed.

"Was anything found on who might have taken the Grangers?" asked Harry, feeling his blood start to boil with anger. His eyes were again starting to be taken over by the horrible red fire, but not fully.

"That is what puzzled Ministry officials and Order members when they checked the house. Nothing was found on the culprits. Just blood."

"What do you mean, just blood?"

"The blood found on the walls was not the Grangers. It belonged to several individuals that the Ministry can't figure out. The blood type doesn't match anybody." Harry turned back the crying girl on the bed.

"It's my fault," he muttered.

"Now Harry-"

"It is!" he insisted. "They went after Hermione's parents when they couldn't get Ron's. They're doing it because of me! Voldemort knows who my friends are, so he's going after them, hoping he'll get me to do something stupid."

"Well, you will not be doing anything stupid, Mr. Potter!" McGonagall exclaimed. "You have already done enough damage to this school and some of its students, we do not need you to continue to add to the problem. I am sure Dumbledore or Godric Gryffindor will see that you stay in line. Now, if you don't mind, I think Ms. Granger would rather be alone instead of us being here rambling on about what's happened to her parents." McGonagall nudged him out the door, following him down the corridor and then leaving him in the Entrance Hall to return to Dumbledore's office. Harry watched her go, then turned and exited the castle, walking down the slope to the lake. He saw two identical raven heads and headed in their direction.

"Padma, Parvati," he greeted, sitting down next to the Ravenclaw girls. Both girls inclined their heads in his direction, but said nothing. Parvati got up and walked away, leaving her sister and Harry alone. Padma glanced at him, her eyes red from crying.

"I guess he told you, huh?" she muttered. Harry nodded. Padma sighed. "I just don't get it. He claims it wasn't his fault, yet he admits that if someone hadn't interrupted them, he would have…" she trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. He could see that she was about to start crying again.

"Padma," he said gently. "Ron told me everything. He said that he never meant to spend so little time with you, it's just that, he was taking care of Hermione with some problems."

"Oh, he told me about that," she spat. "I know he spent more time with her. Almost all the time he had free was spent with her. I was always told that 'Sorry, Padma, but Hermione asked me to help her with some problems' or 'I've got to go Padma! Hermione needs me a little more than you do at the present moment!' Oh yes Harry, Hermione seemed to be a little more important to him than me!" She got up and started to pace. "I followed them a couple times. I saw the way they interacted with one another and it made my blood boil every time he would touch or kiss her. I would be mad, but I never showed it to him when we spent time together. Which was practically never! Then, he goes and tries and shag bloody Cho Chang, and to his disappointment, only gets to snog her! Did he really get bored of me that easily? Were the moments we had during the summer suddenly lost to him when we entered Hogwarts!" Harry stood up, taking Padma's hand to stop her from pacing.

"No, Padma," he said. "Ron never got bored of you! He wanted to be with you, he just…"

"He just what, Harry?" she shouted, pulling her hand away. "He just didn't love me as much as he said he did? He just didn't want to be with me anymore?"

"He loves you, Padma!"

"NOOO!" Tears were falling down her cheeks. "He doesn't love me, Harry! He never loved me! I was just an appetizer to him! I was nothing more than a snack he nibbled on until he could get a juicy steak to sink his teeth into! I will never be anything more to him! He never wanted me! He never wanted to be with me, Harry! He just wanted to satisfy his hunger until he could get something better, that's all he ever wanted!" She sank to the ground, sobbing. Harry kneeled next to her, laying his hands on her shaking shoulders.

"Don't you ever think for one moment that Ron never wanted to be with you," he said softly. "If he could, he would go back and make sure he never even thought about kissing Cho. He loves you, Padma. He really does. He was just sort of weak at that time, and was caught off guard." Padma looked up at Harry through blurry dark eyes.

"Why do you think he was weak, Harry?" she asked him. "Do you think he was weak, or just not strong enough? Or maybe, he just didn't care…" He pulled her into a hug as she began to cry again.

"Harry?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, Padma?"

"Do you think Hermione would forgive you for what you did?" Harry was silent for a second.

"I don't know. I hurt her badly…"

"To answer truthfully, Harry? I think you might have to win her trust back after this. She may have thanked you for saving her life, but she might never forgive you for trying to take it away in the first place."

Voldemort glided into the circular room. Death Eaters stood restlessly, all of them watching their master intently. Voldemort sat in his chair as Nagini materialized out of the darkness of the room.

"Many of you wish to know about the two Muggles that went missing several days ago," hissed Voldemort. "Many of you wish to know if it was I who took them." The Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably. A small smile appeared on the inhuman-like face. "The muggles are the parents of the girl several of you believe Potter is in love with. However, all of you believe that such a stunt could never be held without the Ministry at least finding out who entered the house. Oh, they know it was the Darks work. But nobody, not even you, my followers, can figure out how I took the muggles without them knowing whom it was. You disgust me." A shiver went through the group as Voldemort stood.

"I do not appreciate being doubted," he growled, turning to face them, his red eyes gleaming maliciously. "Lord Voldemort does not appreciate it when his own followers doubt his leadership. You all know what happened to Severus. Maybe the same example should be made of you!" Several jets of green light shot from his wand, which had been hidden in the folds of his cloak. Five bodies hit the floor.

"Now," Voldemort said, "do you doubt my leadership in taking out obsolete Death Eaters? WORMTAIL, BRING THEM!" The door to the room opened and the small man scurried in, two bodies, levitated in the air, following him. Voldemort smiled at the shocked Death Eaters.

"Did you think me a liar? Lord Voldemort always speaks the truth." He turned to Wormtail. "Throw them in the river, they are of no use to me dead."

A/n: I had weeks to finish this chapter, but I didn't want to finish it. Why? Because nobody cared to review. And if you don't review, I won't write! So there! I am dead serious. I was actually considering deleting the whole story, but, Kkroonie, who has my unwavering loyalty and has always been my advisor, from beginning to end, saved you. Thank you sooooooooo much! And to Frostbite Wings: Fortunately, no she didn't die of a heart attack. REVIEW!