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CHAPTER 13

"Ron…are you sure nothing's wrong?" Harry asked for the third time since Harry had entered the boy's dormitory. Ron was in his four-poster, lying flat on his back, staring at the arched ceiling. Harry had returned two hours ago from lunch in the Great Hall to find his best friend in the same exact position that he was now…and the same exact position that he was in the two hours before Harry had arrived.

Harry had immediately bombarded Ron with questions of Hermione's condition and what was going to happen to Malfoy, both of which made Ron's stomach hurt. He told him the truth…sort of. He'd told Harry the complete truth about Malfoy not even getting a damn detention, but he only told Harry that Hermione was recovering quickly. He hadn't told Harry what she was now recovering from.

Ron closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his hands. He could not believe his stupidity! He had almost kissed Hermione! Her innocent and flawless face had been so close he had spotted an adorable freckle to the right of her left eye that couldn't be seen from a reasonable distance. But he shouldn't have spotted that adorable freckle because he should have been at a reasonable distance!

It had been a bittersweet nightmare. He'd wanted to kiss her so badly that he had lost all sense of reason. Why? Why out of the six years that he'd known Hermione did it happen today? Maybe he had inhaled some fumes from Hermione's Anxiety Antidote. Maybe that bludger to his shoulder had jostled something loose in his brain. Or maybe…it was because he had been slapped in the face with the reality that Hermione was not truly safe, even at Hogwarts.

His mind had begun going through morbid hypothetical scenarios since last night. What if Malfoy wasn't above murder? His father surely wasn't…or his father's master. What if Ron had found Hermione…dead? What if he hadn't found her at all? These thoughts were so horrible and extreme, but they wouldn't stop plaguing him!

He had wanted to kiss Hermione Granger. And he had wanted to because he had now had a taste of what would happen to him if he were to lose her. Once he'd tasted that and had time to comprehend it, he'd wanted to taste…her. He had wanted complete proof that she was really alive and okay. He could see her, hear her, smell her, and touch her…he just wanted one more piece of evidence that he hadn't been dreaming. But instead, he'd succeeded in creating a nightmare!

"Ron?"

Ron opened his eyes to see Ginny peering over him with concern. He pushed himself up on his elbows and saw that Harry was sitting on his bed reading a book on Quidditch. No, not reading…hiding.

"What are you doing in here?" Ron asked with a groan before lying back down and closing his eyes. He really didn't feel like being advised or berated.

"Harry came and got me from the common room just now. He says you're acting strangely."

Ron opened his eyes enough to glare at Harry, but he was still shielded by his book. "When did lying down a spell become strange behavior?"

Ginny sighed loudly. "Hmm? Maybe when the spell turns into four hours in the middle of the day with the sun shining outside." When Ron didn't respond beyond a derisive grunt, Ginny turned to Harry. "Harry, would you mind giving us a minute?"

"Yes, Harry would mind!" Ron sat straight up now. Harry's presence was the only thing keeping Ginny's mouth from spouting off questions uncontrollably. Ron looked over at Harry, who looked like he was waging an internal battle of which Weasley to obey. With a sigh, Ron took pity on his best friend. "Ah…get outta' here Harry…"

Harry nodded gratefully and tried to smile, before grabbing his Firebolt and almost running out of the room. Ginny sat down on the end of Ron's bed; she looked miserable.

"I'm so sorry, Ron. I've really screwed things up for you, haven't I?" She said looking down at her hands. Ron was taken aback.

"Uh…what are you…" Ron began confusedly.

"You've gone and told her, haven't you? You took my awful advice and told her…" She said sadly, but then she stood up and started pacing. "Oh! But, Ron, I just thought that she felt the same way! I would've sworn on Merlin's grave that she…"

"Ginny, I haven't told Hermione anything." Ron said miserably. He buried his face in his hands. Ginny stopped pacing.

"You mean you haven't told Hermione that you love her?" Ginny asked, puzzled.

"No." He said, his face still in his hands.

"Then what's happened? Harry said you ran off this morning to see Hermione and you came back like a zombie."

"Ginny…I almost…" He looked up at his sister. She was hanging on his every word. Here it goes, Ron thought as he swallowed the knot of anxiety in his throat. "I almost kissed her." Ron didn't know that Ginny's eyes could grow to that size. She covered her open mouth with both hands and made some sort of a quaking, gasping noise, before lowering her hands back down.

"W-w-what? You…you…how…what…" She hurried over to the bed and sat down. "I…you…she…what did she do?" She finally asked, her hands going back to her mouth.

"Nothing." Ron said sadly. "I finally came to my senses…and then I just…left."

Ginny suddenly stood up and stamped her foot; it briefly reminded him of Hermione. "Ron! You left? You're telling me you were about to kiss her and then you just left?"

"Actually, I highly considered jumping out of the window, then I apologized, and then I left."

"I can't believe this, Ron. You have to tell her how you feel."

"Oh, now we're back to that, are we? I minute ago you said that was awful advice. And, Ginny, I agreed with you a minute ago."

"Well, a minute ago I thought that she had rejected you! But now I know that it's the other way around!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ron, if you almost kiss somebody, and you stop yourself, that means that they didn't stop you. That means, Ron, that she wanted you to kiss her! And now that you've just walked out like that…you've just got to tell her!"

Ron stood up beside his sister. "Look, Ginny, she didn't want to kiss me. I think I came closer to scaring her than wooing her. I told you that I'm not telling her, and I'm not." He said softly, almost desperately. Please, he thought, just drop it.

"But Ron, why? Why can't you just…" She started, but Ron couldn't take anymore.

"Ginny!" He shouted, causing her to stumble a few steps away from him. He roughly raked his hand through his hair. "You keep asking me why! Well, answer this…why can't you just tell Harry!" She immediately stepped forward.

"Shh! Ron, my goodness!" She exclaimed desperately, glancing nervously at the doorway.

"You see. You ask me why…but you know why. All right? You know exactly why, Ginny. Now, I've not once said anything to you about Harry before now. Do you think you could offer me that same courtesy?" Ron said in a harsh whisper. Ginny looked on the verge of tears now. He thought she would probably either scream at him or run out of the room, but instead she stepped forward slowly and hugged him tight around the neck.

"I'm so sorry..." She whispered. Ron felt a sudden urge to cry, but he swallowed the growing lump in his throat. He patted his sister awkwardly on the back, but she abruptly broke the hug and hurried out of the dormitory, wiping at her eyes. Staring after her he thought sadly, I am in way over my head.

Hermione was sitting up in her hospital bed, staring blindly at the pages of Geography of the Magical World Volume Six. It was open to a page about the Great Snowmen of Russia. However, Hermione hadn't read more than the chapter heading. With a distressed sigh she slammed the book shut, and threw it onto the now empty lounge chair beside her bed.

The book was making her angry. Books had always helped her solve problems, or at least cope with them, but Hermione knew that nothing had ever been written that could unboggle her mind at this very moment. Fine, she told herself, if you can't find it in a book, use analytical skills to come to a conclusion.

Four hours ago, Ron Weasley had been leaning over her, staring into her eyes, and breathing heavily. He had been in a perfect position to kiss her, yet he rushed out of the room after claiming to be 'tired' and 'shaken.' Hermione could only come up with three possible solutions. Ron had either been telling the truth, and he had been beside himself with temporary insanity from last night's terror… Or, when he'd leaned over her to grab his Chocolate Frog, he had seen a fleck of dust in her eye and had been about to blow it out, not realizing until the unexpected entrance of Madam Pomfrey that he was basically on top of her. Or, he had truly wanted to kiss her but had for some reason, backed out at the last minute.

The logical answer for Hermione was that Ron had suffered temporary insanity. Why would adorable, fun, care-free Ron Weasley want to kiss plain, boring, uptight Hermione Granger? It just didn't make sense. In six years, Ron had never shown any desire to kiss her. At that first Hogsmeade visit, hadn't he plainly admitted that he didn't like her like that…? But Hermione couldn't forget the way his piercing blue gaze had reached deep within her and spoken to her in some silent language. I want you, I need you, I love you…

Hermione shook her head fiercely and collapsed backward into her pillows. The only way she would know what he'd been thinking earlier was if she asked him. And she couldn't do that! If he did reject her…if he said, "No, Hermione. I don't want, need, or love you," she could never look at him again without being embarrassed, and then what would become of their friendship? What would happen to their trio?

No, Hermione thought. I won't let my feelings get in the way of my friendship with Ron. Losing him as a friend was too big a risk for the chance to gain him as…more. He would have to make the first move in this. Even her Gryffindor bravery wasn't enough to equip her against the possibility of a life without Ron in it. She needed him…she loved him.

Ron was taking deep steadying breaths. Okay, one foot in front of the other. His legs felt like they were full of led and his stomach full of restless insects. Harry was looking at him as if he feared that his best friend had finally lost his mind. Of course he was! They were walking down the Grand Staircase to the Great Hall for the evening meal, and Ron was more nervous than he'd been his first time on a broom! Ron was sure Harry had never seen him nervous around food.

But he was going to see Hermione in just a few more minutes! Should he look at her in the face? Should he sit beside her or across from her? Should he pull his robes over his head and sit at the Ravenclaw table, hoping no one will recognize him? He knew what he wanted to do…run! Run out the entrance doors, onto the grounds, down to the lake, and then jump in and drown himself. But he couldn't do that. Just hours ago he'd promised Hermione that he would never avoid talking to her again.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. Ron looked up with a horrifying dizziness threatening to overtake him. Deep breaths…she was walking toward them with something clutched to her chest. "All right?"

"Yeah, Harry. I'm feeling much better. Thanks…" Her voice sounded flat and her smile didn't reach her eyes. Ron looked down to stare at his feet with his hands thrust into his jeans pockets. A thin layer of sweat now covered his entire body.

"Ron." Hermione said in a small voice. Ron's head snapped up so suddenly he got a rush to his head. "Um…thanks for letting me borrow these."

She held out his textbook and his Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans; she wasn't looking at him, though. He awkwardly took his hands from his pockets and took the items from Hermione; his sweaty fingertips brushed across her slender fingers. He felt as if an electric charge had just traveled from his fingers, up his arm, and all the way to his heart, where it resided for a few seconds, speeding up his heart rate even more. Get a grip! They were just fingers! He'd had ten of them his entire life!

Harry was looking worriedly from Ron to Hermione, as the three of them started for the huge double doors to the Hall; however, a sneering voice came from behind them. Ron instinctively grabbed Hermione by the elbow and pulled her in between himself and Harry before turning around. Ron had felt her flinch at his touch, but he didn't have time to worry about that right now.

"Ah, Granger, missed you today at lunch." Malfoy was wearing his most evil smile, flanked by his two thugs. "I guess you were just too…bogged down with homework." Crabbe and Goyle laughed heartily.

Any suspicion in Ron's mind that last night's perpetrator might not have been Malfoy was wiped away. A blinding fury was threatening to take him over. The chatter from the Great Hall suddenly sounded miles away. He took a step toward Malfoy and in front of Hermione, as did Harry. Hermione had grabbed hold of Ron's arm. He quickly turned to look at her, surprised at her forceful touch.

Her beautiful brown eyes were pleading with him to keep his promise of not touching Malfoy. He should really be more careful about promising things to this beauty who had the power to calm the white-hot fury inside of him with a single look. She had somehow given him the strength he needed to refrain from throwing Malfoy clear across the room. How could two brown eyes have such an effect on him? Ron took a deep breath and turned to look at Malfoy.

"You'll pay, Malfoy, I swear it." Ron said in a low growl, before turning and entering the Great Hall with Harry and Hermione at his heels. Ron felt as though his whole body had gone numb from anger; he was actually surprised that he managed to make his way to the table without collapsing. Hermione sat across from him and mouthed 'thank you' before quickly turning to talk to Ginny, who had just entered and sat down beside Hermione.

Ron ate in silence, thinking of the many awful things he could do to make Malfoy suffer if he were ever given the chance. He tried hard not to stare at Hermione, but he wished so badly that he knew what she was thinking. He didn't dare dream that she had wanted him to kiss her, like Ginny had said. That was just too impossible. But, he argued, she hadn't flinched, and she had closed her eyes, as if waiting. Yeah, he argued back, she had been scared into stillness and had closed her eyes waiting for him to get the bloody hell away from her!

What must she think of him now? Did she buy that bull he fed her about being tired and whatnot? He hoped so. What would their trio be like if Hermione knew Ron's feelings but didn't feel the same way? Would she feel constant pity for him? And how would Harry react?

At the end of the meal, the owls arrived with the new post. Ron had gotten a parcel from his mum; a short letter reminding him to invite Harry and Hermione to the Burrow for Christmas, along with a small plate of treacle fudge. His heart jumped a little. Might he get his hopes up that this Christmas would be spent with Hermione? Harry and Hermione…yes, that's what he had meant to think. Would she even want to spend a month at the burrow? She might be ready for Christmas break in order to distance herself from him.

Harry had gotten a short letter of greeting from Ron's mother, as well. But Hermione had gotten a letter that she had quickly tucked into her robes. Ron was immediately suspicious, especially since Hermione seemed to be blushing.

"Who is your letter from, Hermione?" Ron asked in a hopefully nonchalant way. Just say it's your mother, father, aunt, uncle, third cousin twice removed…anything's better than him.

"Oh, it's…um…nothing. Just…junk mail." She said quickly before taking a large swig of water.

"What? Junk mail?" Ron asked skeptically. Harry leaned over and explained Muggle junk mail to Ron. Ron was confused…why would Muggle Companies send people things that they knew the Muggles would just throw away?

"Ah." Ron said, unconvinced, still looking at Hermione. "Well, I've never seen junk mail before. Can I see it, Hermione?"

"Oh, it's really boring, Ron." Hermione said while standing up. "I'm feeling a bit tired anyway. I think I'll head on up to the common room." Ron was now almost certain he knew whom the letter was from, but he still wanted to see for himself.

"Hermione," Harry began, "Do you really think you should be walking around by yourself at this hour?" He and Ron both glanced over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy and his gang were still bent over their plates, stuffing their faces.

"Yeah! That's right. You shouldn't be…" Ron began fervently before being interrupted.

"I'll walk with her." Ginny said suddenly, standing up. Ron thought she and Hermione exchanged meaningful looks. Ron glared at Ginny, the little traitor. Ginny looked away almost guiltily.

"See you guys later." Hermione said quickly before she and Ginny rushed out of the Great Hall. Harry looked at Ron and shrugged unconcernedly, but Ron stood up from the table.

"I'm a bit tired myself, Harry."

"You're too tired for dinner?" Harry said with raised eyebrows. "Hmm. Hey…is something up with you and Hermione?"

Oh no! Not Harry, too! Lie, lie, lie…no, even better, act dumb. "Up? What do you mean?" Ron said in a voice that was too high to be his own. He cleared his throat nervously.

"I dunno. I thought maybe you'd had another row…" Harry shrugged.

Ron let out a small sigh of relief, "Oh…um, yeah. I think she's mad because…well, I almost hit Malfoy across the hall a minute ago." He lied.

"Oh. Well, I would have loved to have seen it again, but she's probably…well, she's probably right." Harry said plainly. Yes...great...whatever!... Ron's insides were screaming. He had to see that letter.

"Later, Harry." Ron said distractedly, before hurrying out of the Great Hall and up the staircase.

He didn't know how, but he was going to find out who had sent that letter. All the while he was rushing up the stairs, he was asking himself what he was doing. She's free to talk to whomever she wants. I've got no right to delve into her private life. Yes I do! She's my friend, and it's one of my jobs to protect her from her own poor judgment! Talking to an internationally famous Quidditch player, three years her senior! Completely irresponsible! Hah! Irresponsible? This is Hermione Granger; she doesn't even know how to be irresponsible. Why was he arguing with himself?

"I've gone mental!" Ron whispered to himself, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"Yes dear, I think you're right." Said a pretty dark-haired witch from a painting on the corridor wall. Ron scowled at her.

He reached the portrait hole, shouted the password, and rushed inside. Ginny was sitting in the corner reading a novel. She looked up at Ron when he entered, closed her book with a snap, and pursed her lips.

"What's that look for?" Ron asked defensively.

"Just leave her alone, Ron! She deserves some privacy!" Ginny said with her brow furrowed.

"How do you know what I'm about to do? Maybe I was just going to go up to my dormitory!" Ron exclaimed boldly. "Besides, you're one to talk about respecting other's privacy!"

"Tuh!" Ginny clucked her tongue and flipped her hair off of her shoulder before reopening her book and slouching low in her armchair. Ron took a seat by the armchair nearest the girl's dormitory and sat twiddling his thumbs for a moment. If only the boys were allowed up there, he thought, glancing at the girl's staircase before making up his mind. She was probably swooning over the sweet nothings in her precious letter by now. He couldn't take this!

Keeping one eye on Ginny, who seemed to be absorbed in her book, he quietly retrieved his wand from the inside of his robes. Under his breath he whispered, "Accio Hermione's letter." For a moment he was sure it hadn't worked, but then an opened piece of parchment come floating toward him from the girl's staircase.

He stood up and grabbed the letter out of the air, scanning down to the bottom of the page and reading, with great disappointment, 'With Love, Viktor.' Ron didn't have a chance to read anymore, however, because Hermione had come bustling down the stairs with a look of pure astonishment written on her face.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Hermione shouted marching to stand a few inches from him and look up into his face with her hands balled into fists at her sides. "Give that back…NOW!"

Ron was holding the letter just out of Hermione's reach, who was attempting and failing to retrieve it by jumping at it. He would have laughed if this weren't a serious matter. Ginny had marched over to stand beside Hermione now.

"Ron! I cannot believe you!" Ginny said vehemently.

"Oh, what can't you believe?" Ron shouted back. "That I got just a tad chary when you two run out of the Great Hall without a proper explanation! Well, I knew it was Krum, anyway!"

Hermione had stopped trying to retrieve the letter, still held above Ron's head, and was now standing shoulder to shoulder with Ginny. They were looking at him with disbelief, as if he had just done something horrible! Ron pushed the tiny pang of guilt to the back of his mind as he told himself that his intentions were completely good. He was doing this for Hermione's safety!

"Argh! You are just too impossible!" Hermione said, and then to Ron's surprise she turned to stalk off to the boy's dormitories. At the base of the stairs she turned to look at him with fury, "Well? Are you coming?"

Ron was a bit confused, but Ginny was looking at him with the same furious, what-are-you-waiting-for stare. "I'll be down here if you need me, Hermione," Ginny said before brushing past Ron to go back to her corner.

Hermione was already stalking up the stairs, so Ron followed. He was beginning to feel a bit apprehensive; similar to the feeling he got before a Quidditch match. He only wished the Wronski Feint could work on Hermione...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to everyone sending in reviews! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter... The next chapter is coming along slowly, but I'm trying my hardest to post at least one chapter a day! Thanks again!