Disclaimer: None of the people, places, or things surrounding Hogwarts and the Wizarding world are my creation; they belong to the wonderful Ms. Jo Rowling.

A/N: I just continue to find ways to make this story longer, don't I? Somebody, please let me know if you think I'm dragging the plot along too much…I hate it when stories do that, and would feel horrible if mine did the same.

All right, this chapter takes place sometime between when Harry left with Dumbledore to find the (fake) Horcrux, but before the Death Eaters attack Hogwarts in full force. I won't be covering the battle—sadly—because I'm not confident enough in my action-writing abilities, and didn't want to spoil this chapter for everyone.

Phillyactress: Yes, "GoF" mas most definitely funnier than the 3 other movies combined...and if you take away his very bushy eyebrows, Cedric was very hot! I'm trying to drag this story out as much as I can...thus, this chapter. I wasn't going to do it--originally, it was just going to go straight to Dumbledore's funeral, but then I started thinking about what was going on before the battle. Reading your suggestion, I'm thinking that I might even do another chapter before the funeral--something about the Hospital Wing...but I'm not sure if there's enough time for Ron and Hermione to be alone (and not make the story boring) before Harry comes in...we'll see. :-)

DCoD: Did you see your quote! I really thought that this was the best place to put it...love can be taken to mean the Ron/Hermione type of love, but also the loyal love between the Trio and their friends. It's such a beautiful quote, and I love it! Thank you for your comments on the Harry/Ginny kiss scene; I really wanted to show what Hermione and Ron were thinking, because imagining their reactions while I was reading it made me giggle (after I squirmed from the cuteness, of course). Plus, I wanted to put in a tad of Harry-Ron bonding...i.e., the "silent communication". Yes, Ron is charming...when he wants to be, that is. Haha...and your comment about getting a big head made me laugh--that's just the type of thing he did whenever Lavender (hiss!) looked at him, didn't he? Thank you for your review, once again!

BEV Granger711: They did just have to ruin the moment; well, Hermione did, with that brain of hers that never seems to stop. The reason I did it was because I prefer stories that have the main characters finally really getting together at the end; I sort of hate when they're all gooshy and together in the middle--where's the plot after that? And Fred and George were hysterical in this movie! I was sitting next to my Ron at the movie, and when the twins were making of Ron while he was dancing with McGonagall (haha!), he kept yelling: "I want a twin, so I can do that!"

RonMione4eva: Thank you...I was trying to make Ron's "I love you" sound sweet and very together, but still Ron. Thank you so much for noticing! Of COURSE he loves here; if you want affirmation, read on in this chapter. And thank you--I really love that you enjoy my story so much!

Machiavelli Jr: I went and found that clip after you mentioned it...good lord, I have never laughed so hard! It's so perfect: "What are you doing..." Yes, you'd never think that Ron had the guts to say what he did...but think about how frustrated he must be. Hermione's constantly getting in the way of them just being together, because she starts thinking of all these things that could wrong. In his mind, Ron thinks that she needs proof that a relationship would work: an "I love you" is proof. Yes, Michael Corner is still a git (if you're Ron...), but the "idiot" of the moment is Dean, because he's most recent. Thank you once again for your astute observations!

fernie172: I loved the "you're making it snow" scene, too! It was a joy to write. Thank you--I've always thought that at some point, Ron and Hermine would talk about Harry and Ginny...if nothing else, for Hermione to calm Ron down before he decides they need a "chaperone" everywhere they go. I'm glad that I could help with your story--there was really nothing wrong; I just thought that Ron wouldn't call Hermione "love" until they were, like, 40 years old! Rock on, and I LOVE your story:-)

Azu Luna: Thank you! Hermione really does need to learn to just stop over-analyzing and just live for now. She'll get some very interesting advice from an unexpected source in this chapter, that tells her to do just that. I loved your rendition of the Snape-Harry-Ron scene...I just about had the same reaction as you did, only mine was complete with snorting lemonade out of my nose as well!

Blonde-Titch: Yay for the Harry/Ginny couple! Who are smart enough to live in the NOW...well at least, until Harry gets all "noble" and ruins things. (Though I've got some interesting theories about that...which you might see pop up in the epilogue a few chapters down the road.) I want to give Ron (and Harry) a hug, too. He's such a loyal friend, that it makes me want to cry, knowing that if one of the Trio is going to die (knock on wood!), it will probably be Ron, for some stupid loyal reason. Sigh. The bits with Myrtle and the bathtub...given how incredibly HOT Harry is now...coupled with the strategic placing off the giant egg!...oh, I laughed so hard!

Broken Rain: Not a problem, my dear, you are the one reviewing my lil' ole story. And it was an emotional chapter, wasn't it? But I thought it should be--and in keeping with that, this chapter and the couple following it will also be tear-inducing.

legolascrazy17: "Oh, for the sake of Merlin!" Beautiful: I'm sure that's exactly what everyone else was thinking. I also wouldn't mind Harry kissing me with that blazing look in his eyes, though quite honestly, I prefer Ron above any and all male characters in the Harry Potter universe. I will give you that the actor who plays Draco in the movies is hot...but I've never liked the bad boys...plus, Draco is a whiny, spoiled brat, who might not be inherently evil, but is still a scaredy-cat. Don't worry; you're really not the only girl who's boy-craziness extends to fictional characters. Think about the extremists who go around wearing Harry Potter towels in freezing cold weather! And yes, I do know who my Ron is...for now. We'll be graduating in May, and though he's my best friend's brother (...yes, it really is something out of one of those bad teen movies!), and we'll still talk after high school, we won't be as close...and sadly, I won't ever get a chance to actually date him. Sadness! My heart did race when he was hugging me, and I nearly had a heart attack, on top of the adrenaline from the WIN that was already pumping through my veins. I'm sorry that you have to envy me...if I was there, I'd go find you a boy to be your dearly devoted Ron, I promise! Ron admitting that he loved Harry! YES! I knew it had to be in there somewhere, right? Thank you so, SO much for your reviews...I heart them all!

To everyone else: THANK YOU! I'd like to thank each and every one of you, but there's not enough time in the world for that... :-D

"How the heart thunders and the mind forgets when the one you love is in trouble." --The lovely reviewer, DCoD

"I'll be fine, I'll be with Dumbledore," said Harry. "I want to know you lot are okay…Don't look like that, Hermione, I'll see you later…"

And he was off, hurrying back through the portrait hole and toward the entrance hall. –Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, pages 552-53 (U.S. Edition).

Chapter 12: Fighting for Love

Ron stared off after Harry, holding the small vile of Felix Felicis, and watching as his best friend set off to do Merlin knew what. He glanced warily at Hermione, who was sitting on the chair behind him, where she'd collapsed after hearing what Harry intended to do. She held a somewhat calm, yet also very terrified expression on her face, the same look that Ron was confident was in his eyes.

"He'll be all right, Hermione," he said under his breath, hoping to convince himself as much as her. "It's just as he said…he'll be Dumbledore."

Hermione appeared at least somewhat mollified at hearing this, but the frightened expression was still in her cinnamon-colored eyes. "Something bad is going to happen tonight…isn't it?" she asked quietly—timidly—not at all like the normal Hermione.

Oh, bloody hell. He had to put a stop to this right now, Ron decided, swiftly moving over to her. He couldn't deal with an anxious Hermione and Neville, especially when Malfoy could very well attack at any given moment, if Harry's suspicions were true. (And the more tense things got at the castle, the more Ron was beginning to believe Harry's story.)

He knelt down in front of Hermione, grabbing her chin lightly between his hands so she couldn't look away. Seeing the blatant terror in her eyes, he had to fight the urge to simply take her in his arms, and never let her go.

"Hermione, please don't start cooking up scenarios of how this night could go wrong…that's the last the thing we need right now, is your brilliant mind thinking about things it shouldn't be thinking of."

Hermione didn't respond immediately, instead, seemed to look inward, pensive. "Ron…why are you being so nice to me?" she asked finally.

Ron jerked back in surprise. "You're my friend?" he responded in a confused question.

"Yes, but after the way I treated you that day…at the party. How—how can you…I mean, why…" She trailed off helplessly. She knew that discussing their feelings and relationship—if there was even one left—at this time was not the smartest choice…but part of her felt that if she didn't at least know where they stood before going to whatever they had in store for them tonight, she wouldn't be able to concentrate fully. And that could get her killed, she knew.

Ron heaved a sigh. "You really want to have this out now? RIGHT now?"

Hermione bit her lip before nodding slightly. Ron struggled with himself for a moment. He thought of all that Harry had asked them to do—find Ginny, get any members of the D.A. to come to their aid, watch Malfoy. But looking at Hermione, he felt himself unravel a bit.

He sat down on the small coffee table in front of Hermione's chair. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably as she stared back at him, her gaze unwavering. "All right…well…I s'pose…oh, hell, Hermione, what'd you want from me? I want you to not worry for once, going into tonight. We need your kind of thinking—"

"My kind of thinking?" she interjected before she could stop herself.

'Clear thinking," Ron amended. "No mess-ups, you know?" He paused. "…And you seemed upset, so…" He shrugged. "I dunno what you want me to say."

"Did you mean it?" Hermione asked, pink staining her cheeks. She looked away from him as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

As much as he wanted to question what she meant, Ron knew exactly what she was asking. He felt the blush creep up his neck and settle around his ears, which were now a blazing crimson. Merlin, how he hated these conversations!

"Hell, of cour—I mean…yes…Hermione, I meant it, but that doesn't mean that—"

His words were cut off when Hermione threw herself into his arms, knocking him off balance as his arms instinctively went around as they fell to the soft carpet. He closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the feel of having her this close to him again…he'd been worried that he'd never get another chance. When he opened them again, he found Hermione on his chest, smiling at him, her arms crossed in front of her.

"That's all I wanted," she said happily, before pushing herself up and off of him. Ron jumped up after her, confused yet again.

"What? You mean there's nothing…er, you don't have anything—" To say back? She silenced him with a quick, chaste kiss on the lips. He puttered to a stop, shaking his head in disbelief. Tonight was really going to an odd one.

"Ron, much as we'd like to…continue this…"

His eyes blazed at the meaning behind her words, and his breath caught when he saw an answering spark in her eyes. Damn you, Voldemort, was Ron's only thought. Always bloody ruining everything!

"…We have to get Ginny, and then try and track down any D.A. members we can," she continued, though the small flame never quite left her eyes.

Ron nodded reluctantly. "I think Ginny said something about studying for her O.W.L.s in her room," he muttered.

Hermione nodded. "I'll go up and get her," she said. She placed the Marauder's Map in his hands. "Find Malfoy, if you can, and any of his friends…Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle…"

"I know who his blasted cronies are, Hermione."

Rather than get angry, Hermione nodded as an apology. "I know, I'm sorry…it's just that we can't afford for ANYTHING to go wrong tonight." With those ominous words, she turned and headed up the stairs, Ron watching in abject fear as she went.

At the entrance to the fifth year girls' dormitory, Hermione took a steadying breath before pushing open the door. Ginny lay on her bed, seemingly absorbed in a book. Hermione approached her and was just about to put a gentle hand on her shoulder when Ginny's head popped up.

"He's with Dumbledore…he'll be fine," Ginny said before Hermione had opened her mouth.

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you…"

Ginny shrugged. "Harry's given me some details, though I'm not nearly as up to date as you and Ron, of course." Hermione thought she saw a bristle of anger at this, but Ginny merely continued. "And I knew that something was up tonight…I could see it in his eyes."

Hermione cocked her head to one side. Apparently everyone underestimated Ginny Weasley; it was a mistake she vowed never to make again. "Well, he's asked us to keep watch over Malfoy on the Marauder's Map. He also wants us to gather any D.A. members we can find to…well to be there if something happens."

Here, she saw the first prickle of fear in Ginny's body. She tensed up briefly and her eyes flashed with fright, before she stood and nodded. "I'm here to help," she said, determined. Hermione made a mental note to remind Harry that Ginny wasn't nearly as fragile as he seemed to think she was sometimes.

"Ron's downstairs with the Map. Why don't you go down and join him, and I'll use those coins from last year. Maybe someone still watches them."

True to Hermione's prediction, someone was still watching the coins they'd used to alert members of the D.A. of a new meeting time the previous year. Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood answered the call, meeting Ron, Ginny and Hermione in a corridor near the Room of Requirement.

"Wha—what are we doing?" Neville asked, and Hermione wanted to applaud him for sounding only a bit scared out of his wits.

"We're watching for Malfoy, or anything that looks suspicious while Harry is with…" Hermione caught herself, unsure how much to tell Neville, Luna, and even Ginny. "…While Harry's not here," she finished. Judging by the looks on the others' faces, she could tell it was a flimsy cover-up.

Ron broke in. "Look, we're just doing what we—the D.A.—got together to do last year."

Hermione nodded, grateful that she appeared to have some leadership help in Ron. "Ron, why don't you, Ginny and Neville take the Map, and watch the Room of Requirement. Luna, you and I will wait outside Snape's office…just in case."

If Luna or Neville seemed surprised at the mention of Snape's name, they didn't let on. Luna merely smiled serenely, looking a bit odd considering the circumstances. The others looked at her in bewilderment. "My inner knowledge tells me that we are all going to be fine," she said dreamily.

Ron pulled out the bottle of lucky potion, trying very hard, it seemed, not to laugh. He quickly explained what the potion was for, then passed it around, as each person took a sip. "That should keep us all safe—er, lucky—for the next couple of hours," he said a bit doubtfully, staring down at the vile, as if ordering it to work.

As Ginny and Neville set off around the corner to the Room of Requirement, and Luna started making her way do the dungeons and Snape's office, Ron grabbed Hermione's arm, holding her back.

"Hermione, hold on," he said quietly. She looked into his eyes, and was startled by the emotion swimming in them. Fear. Blatant fear in a quantity she'd never seen before…not before his first Quidditch game…not even before they walked into the horror of the Department of Mysteries last year.

With a hard swallow, Hermione turned to Luna. "Luna, why—why don't you go on a bit ahead…be careful, though, all right? Yell if you hear or see anything." Luna simply smiled again, and continued walking.

She turned back to Ron, her eyes wide with worry. "Ron…"

He took a deep breath, raking a hand through his hair, a gesture Hermione had taken to mean he was nervous. She laid a hand on his arm, and he jumped, but then put a trembling hand over hers. "Hermione, please be careful," he said hoarsely.

Hermione felt the tears begin to well up. He had such a terrified look on his face. "Ron, we all will be careful," she said gently. "We can't afford not to. You said so yourself."

"Yeah, but…" He trailed off. Merlin, this is hard to say. "We'll be separated. Probably for awhile, if this thing Harry's doing is going take a long time."

Her eyebrows drew together. What was he trying to say? "If we're separated, I—I won't know…know where you are," Ron finished in a whisper. "I won't be able to—to see you."

"Why'd you put us in different places?" he asked on a breath, but Hermione caught it as if he'd shouted it.

"Oh, Ron, you must know I don't want to…well, I'd rather be fighting next to you. But—but I just thought this was better. You and I…we're the most…" She paused, blushing. How could she make this not sound conceited?

"We've been through all that stuff with Harry, years before the lot of them," he said for her. Hermione nodded gratefully.

"You and I, we're…well, we're experts," she said bitterly. "How I wish for something better to be expert at…"

Ron smiled, but it never reached his eyes. He remained serious and silent as he pulled out the familiar looking vile of Felix Felicis once more. Hermione's eyes caught the small bit of remaining liquid, and suddenly, she knew exactly what Ron intended.

"Ron, no." She backed away. "You know I could never…"

"Hermione, you don't understand! If—if something happened to you…how do you think that would make me feel? Knowing that I could have helped, but ruddy couldn't 'cause I was somewhere else? Take it."

"No! We're all going to be in this together. How do you think I would feel, knowing that I had a better chance of getting out of this alive than the others? If—if someone else got hurt…or worse…" Ron shuddered, and Hermione did the same.

He groaned. "Would you just…"

"Absolutely not," she insisted. "Ron, what did I just tell you? You and I probably have the best chance right now. We—I—can't be selfish and take more than I should. Please, just put it away. Or better yet, find someone else and give it to them. I—I think I overhead McGonagall saying that Bill and Tonks were coming tonight…give it to one of them."

Ron sighed, but reluctantly put the bottle back in his pocket. "Fine, but I don't like leaving you," he said gruffly.

Hermione's edge immediately softened and she stepped closer to him. "We'll be all right, Ron. Now that we have the potion…after all, that's what it's for."

"But what if we didn't have it?"

She screwed her eyes shut, not even wanting to consider the potential outcomes. "But we DO, and we're going to make the most of it." She leaned into him briefly, and his grip on her arms tightened. "I don't like leaving you, either, you know," she murmured. "But you'll keep Ginny and Neville safe."

"Oh, so now I'm baby-sitting," he returned. She smiled, but seemed to then sober right away, as if the mere thought of joking was breaking some sort of rule.

"Ron, I have to go. I've left Luna alone too long. Stay with Neville and Ginny. I'll see you soon, okay?"

She moved away, but Ron made a rough sound in his throat, and reached for her one more time. He pulled her into his arms, crushing her to his chest. She shivered, but then sighed into the crook of his neck, making sure to breathe in his scent and remember every detail about him.

"I need to go," she said after a few moments. She pushed back on his chest, hoping to convey that she wanted to stay with him as much as he wanted to be with her.

Ron let her go, and as he did, Hermione wanted more than anything to tell him all that she was feeling for him in that moment. But she couldn't; the words became blocked by the growing lump in her throat. With one last, lingering glance, she turned and walked down the hallway.

I love you, Ron Weasley.

A few moments later, she met up with Luna outside Professor Snape's office. Luna was waiting patiently, sitting with her back against the stone wall, humming an unfamiliar tune to herself. Hermione shook her head wryly. And to think she'd been worried that Luna had been without a companion for too long. She sat down across from Luna, so she was facing the door to Snape's office.

"And now we wait," she murmured, more to herself than to Luna, who glanced up.

"This thing we're doing tonight…it's nice," the blonde haired girl said softly. Hermione smiled softly, nodding without really paying attention. She knew her mind wasn't completely focused, and vowed to get it there. "It's almost like having friends again," Luna continued pensively.

At that, Hermione perked up, ears reddening. She had said at the end of the previous year that she would get to know Luna better…Ginny had after all. "We all like you, Luna…it's just…we're all in Gryffindor, you're in Ravenclaw. We don't see each other very often."

Luna seemed to accept that. "Ginny has always been nice to me. She's stopped people from laughing at me before."

Harry had mentioned something about that, and the thought made Hermione smile. "Yes, well, if I had been there, I would have done the same. You're unique, and nobody should poke fun at that."

The girls lapsed into silence, and Hermione wondered yet again what exactly Harry was thinking would happen here tonight. It was obvious that Snape wasn't in his office at the moment…but she knew that if he was up to something, chances were good he'd come here first.

"He loves you, you know," Luna spoke up after a bit. "Ronald."

Hermione blushed. "He's—"

"Told you that, yes I know." Hermione's jaw dropped; Luna Lovegood was far too strange for her own good sometimes. "I could see it, from the way he looks at you. Especially how he was looking at you tonight. As if the thought of not knowing what was happening to you frightened him more than a sprig of mistletoe filled with gnargles."

That was quite possibly to most lucid sentence she'd ever heard come from Luna's mouth, Hermione realized, even with the gnargle-filled mistletoe. "I…I know," she confessed, cheeks pinking even more.

"But you have not told him you love him," Luna observed.

Hermione paused. "No…no, I haven't."

"Because you are afraid. You and Ronald fight, sometimes do not even speak to each other. You wonder if that will happen if you try and be more than friends."

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, a bit miffed that Luna seemed to understand her emotions better than any of her friends—possibly even herself. "Well, it's something to be worried about, don't you think? Especially with everything that is going to happen. Look at tonight! We're going to fight, you must know that…and this is just the beginning…and Ron and I are considering—"

"Stop it," Luna commanded, and Hermione's mouth snapped shut, eyes blazing with anger. NO ONE had ever spoken to her like that…not even Ron when he was really annoyed with her.

"Excuse me?"

"Stop thinking those things…those thoughts are not good for you. Live in the moment, Hermione Granger. You and Ronald love each other, and love—though I must confess I am skeptical of it—is something that we all will need to survive this. Let that love come through for all of us…tonight…and forever more."

Luna finished her speech—the longest Hermione had ever heard her speak—and sat back against the wall, staring at Hermione with a dreamy, yet slightly smug expression in her pale blue eyes.

She was speechless, she suddenly realized. She—Hermione Granger—had nothing to say. Everything that Luna had said made sense…albeit, in an odd way.

Let that love come through for all of us. "Fight for love," she murmured under her breath.

Luna heard that and smiled peacefully. "Exactly, Hermione." She continued to smile. "Isn't this nice? Talking like this…it is like having a friend…" She continued to chatter, but her words faded into the thumping of Hermione's heart, which she could hear behind her ears.

Let that love come through for all of us. Fight for love, Ron, she commanded him silently, wishing to make him hear her thoughts. Fight for our love—it's there, and I promise the next time I see you, I will let you know that.

A/N: I just love Luna. She's always amused me, but she is also quite brilliant, making astute observations when everyone least expects it. She has always reminded me a bit of the Fools in Shakespeare's plays; because they are considered "insane," they can do or say whatever they want, and those comments are usually more sane than what the other "normal" characters say.

All right…we will have an "I love you, RON!" reconciliation VERY SOON, I promise! I just wanted to put this chapter in, because I've always wondered what was happening at Hogwarts before Malfoy and the Death Eaters came…all that waiting…can you imagine? Anyway, let me know your thoughts! Cheers!