(A/N: Author's note had to go at the beginning of this one. Sorry.

Anyway… Thanks to my reviewers and thanks to Melissa who helped me with a difficult scene.)

Disclaimer – I own nothing. All props to JK Rowling. And the line 'Let's not argue. I can only hope in time you will understand.' is from Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.

Chapter 15 – Comings and Goings

"My Helen! I've been waiting for you!"

Hermione turned towards the familiar voice.

It was him. It was her Prince! But he was…

"-Different," she said out loud.

"Different how, my love?" her Prince asked, pulling her into his loving embrace.

"Everything was so strange last time," Hermione said with hesitation in her voice.

"You're fighting it. And you're thinking too hard. Love is not something to think about. It's something to believe. Do you believe?"

"Of course I do!" Hermione said.

"But you continue to go see him. I know, Hermione. I know you think you're in love with him, but you're not. Has he ever told you that he loves you?"

Hermione shook her head.

"I do. I've told you, but you were too busy with him to listen."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said quietly.

"Let's not argue. I can only hope you will understand in time."

Hermione racked her brain trying to figure out exactly who her Prince was. She wanted to believe whole-heartedly that it was Ron.

But something deep inside of her told her that even though she wanted to believe it was Ron, her soul wanted it to be Draco.

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"Morning Hermione!" Harry greeted her. "Merry Christmas!" He threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Thanks for the book." She had given him 'Simply Twisted; Simple Curses with a whole new twist.'

"Yeah, thanks a bunch," Ron said, who looked rather green.

"What's wrong with you?" Ginny asked her brother.

"That new book of Harry's is filled with interesting jinxes, you know. Including the full-organ bind. Similar to the full-body bind, only..." He looked like he was going to be sick.

"Go," Harry said. Ron dashed back up the stairs taking them three at a time.

"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I didn't know it of course when I tried it, but the full-organ bind seems to have a lasting effect…"

"You are so adorable when you're concerned," Ginny said, kissing Harry on the cheek. "And thanks for the new broom. You really shouldn't have."

Harry just shrugged and looked at his girlfriend apologetically.

"Ready to head to breakfast?" Harry asked.

"You guys go on ahead. I'm going to wait for Ron. We'll join you soon," Hermione said.

"Ok," Ginny said taking Harry's hand and dragging him towards the portrait hole.

After a few minutes, Ron came back into the common room.

"You look like you feel better," Hermione said. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Ron's forehead lightly. "And you don't seem to have a temperature."

"Hermione," Ron started. He loved every little thing she did, especially the things like waiting for him and being concerned. It made him feel like he was the most important thing in her life.

"Hmmm?" Hermione asked.

"I… Thanks. You're amazing, you know that, right?" Ron said, touching his forehead to hers. She was the most important thing in his life; he knew that without a doubt.

"Hungry?"

Ron stared into her eyes for a couple of beats. Slowly, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly. It was a sensual kiss; no heat or need behind it.

Hermione's heart fluttered to her throat. She closed her eyes and melted into Ron's amazing kiss.

"How do you do that?" she asked after they broke apart.

"Do what?"

"Make me feel like I'm floating. Like I'm breathing air so pure I can fly?"

Ron blushed. "I don't mean to," he mumbled.

"But you do. And I love it." Hermione kissed him again.

"Do we have to go to breakfast?" Ron asked. Hermione laughed and playfully swatted him.

"Of course we do. My stomach is starting to make noises."

"Fine," Ron said defeated. He wriggled his fingers in between Hermione's and they set out towards the Great Hall.

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After breakfast, Harry and Ginny went for a walk on the grounds. Ron, who had made several trips out of the Great Hall after attempting to eat, decided he needed to lie down for a while.

"I promise, I'm ok," he assured Hermione. "I just need to lie down. Give me an hour, at the most, and I'll be cured."

Hermione bit her lip. She opened her mouth to protest, but Ron stopped her.

"Hermione," he said. "I know it's Christmas and you don't think I should be alone. And I know you think I should go to the hospital wing. Please believe me. I'll be fine. Why don't you take a bubble bath or read?"

"Ok," Hermione said, defeated. "But I'm coming to check on you in one hour."

"Alright," Ron said, smiling. "I'll see you in an hour."

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Hermione accompanied Ron to the common room and, after being assured once again that he was going to be fine, retrieved her books and headed to the library.

When she got there, she was shocked to see someone sitting at her favorite table. As she drew closer, she saw the platinum blond hair.

"Malfoy," she said as she dropped her book onto the table.

Draco looked up with a look of contempt on his face. His gaze met hers for a millisecond, and then fell back to his book.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Who, me?"

"No, the other Mudblood invading my space," Draco said, not looking up.

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

"Excuse me?" Hermione shouted.

"You're excused," Draco said absentmindedly, turning a page in his book.

"That was rude."

"Sitting down without asking was a little rude too, don't you think?" Draco looked up and met her gaze once more. He apparently had struck a nerve; she looked livid.

That's what Draco loved about her. She had so much passion. Passion for knowledge, passion for love, passion for life. And her passion seeped out of her intoxication those around her. He stared at her, trying to drink her in. He watched her mouth as she spoke to him. He didn't hear a word she said; he was too focus on the way her lips parted and moved. They were a prefect barrier for her wicked, luscious tongue. He imagined bruising those perfect lips once again in a crushing kiss. He wondered if her tongue was as soft as it had felt the last time they kissed. He began thinking about what else her tongue could do…

Draco snapped back into reality when he heard a book slam closed.

"Please don't stare at me. It makes me uncomfortable," Hermione said. He made her so uncomfortable that she had a hard time resisting leaping across the table and sinking her fingers in his silky hair. She had to stop herself from forming naughty mental pictures of her and Draco. It made her very uncomfortable, indeed.

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Making her way through the moving staircases, Hermione saw a group of Slytherins walking past. They gave her a glare of contempt and Hermione was faced again with the memories of her dreams and Draco. There was just no way that he could be her prince. She wanted Ron, it was that simple.

Giving the Fat Lady the required password, Hermione slipped through the portrait hole. She didn't see Ron in the common room, so after dropping her books off in her own room, she went to find Ron. From the doorway of his room, Hermione could see Ron's head of bright red hair looking down into a book of some sort.

Hermione walked over to her boyfriend's bed and unbidden, raised her slender fingers to brush some of his red hair out of his eyes.

Ron looked up suddenly at the intrusion. Not even hearing anyone enter the room, Ron had not expected to see his girlfriend standing before him. The look in her eyes, though, was what shocked him the most.

"'Mione," he said, in barely a whisper. Her rich, honey eyes shone down at him and Ron could see passion reflected in them. "What are you doing here?" Ron asked uncertainly.

Hermione hushed him as she climbed onto the foot of the bed. Without another word Hermione closed the distance between them and kissed his luscious lips.

Feeling her hands pulling him closer and running down his back, Ron knew exactly what she wanted. This was his chance to make it up to her and he wasn't about to let the other night's mistakes repeat themselves. Ron reached out and pulled Hermione into his lap, never breaking the kiss, as he slipped his hands underneath the hem of her shirt. The first touch of her warm, heated skin against his fingers made all his cares disappear.

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Hours later, the curtains on Ron's four-poster bed were pulled back so forcefully, the curtains ended up in heaps on the floor.

Lucius Malfoy gazed down at the naked couple and sneered. He performed a sleeping spell on both of them. He didn't want them fighting back…yet.

Lucius snapped his fingers and McNair and Goyle appeared behind him. McNair seized Hermione and Goyle took Ron. Lucius grabbed their clothing that was piled on the ground before he exited with McNair and Goyle behind him, still holding their captives.

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Hermione's eyes fluttered open as she began to wake up.

"Ow, my head," she said. Her voice echoed softly off of the walls. She felt as if a piano had been dropped on her. Her head was throbbing and she was pretty sure that she had at least three broken ribs, probably more.

She started to get up but came to realize that she was tied to a chair.

She looked around the room, taking in her surroundings. Everything was dark there was only one torch lit against the wall, and there was a pillar in the middle of the room.

Hermione gasped.

Ron was chained to the pillar. He had a large gash on the side of his head accompanied by a large dried bloodstain.

Hermione looked up as heard footsteps somewhere outside the room. The large wooden door creaked open. She heard the footsteps getting closers, now falling on the cold, stone floor. She saw a man enter the room.

Lucius Malfoy.

He smiled at Hermione.

"Good morning, Mudblood. Ready to die?" His laugh was full of menace.

He turned and looked at Ron.

"Don't worry. He won't have to see you die. We will kill him first."

Ron stirred as he woke up.

"Hermione.." he said, his voice trembling. "What's going on?"

Hermione wished she had her wand. This wasn't right. This was an ambush. They had no chance.

They were going to die.

Lucius approached Ron. Ron stared at him, breathing hard. It hadn't taken him long to figure out what was going on. Lucius took a parcel out of his robes. He unwrapped a long, thin, shining sliver dagger and lifted it to inspect it.

"Do you know the story of this dagger?" he asked, raising his evil eyes to meet Ron's. "It's the dagger that brought our Lord back to us. And now it's going to be the dagger that kills you."

Ron inhaled sharply. One second ago he was asleep in bed holding Hermione close too him after the most amazing night of his life, and now Lucius Malfoy was standing in front of him, preparing to kill him.

Ron looked into Hermione's eyes and he felt it. He knew this was it.

"No..." Ron gasped. "No, I'm not ready," He panicked. "I can't… It's not… NO! I can't die! I'm not ready!" He looked up and locked eyes with Hermione again. Tears glistened in his eyes. "I never got to tell her-"

Ron saw a flash of silver reflected in Hermione's eyes. Lucius pierced the dagger though Ron's core, twisting it. Ron stared at Hermione. Tears were streaming down her face.

"RON!" she screamed. She struggled to get out of her bindings.

"Hermione…" she heard him whisper. She looked up. Ron stared at her. She could see the fear and pain gathering in his eyes.

"Hermione," he started. "I…. I lov…" Hermione waited for him to finish his sentence… but he never did.