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AUTHOR'S NOTE: In answer to Dominica's question on whether or not I intend to write more fanficiton: Behind Closed Eyes was so unexpected for me. I was just pulling my hair out as I awaited the sixth book, and I kept going through all the things that I thought might happen or things that I thought would be cool if they happened until a story took shape in my mind! I was just going to write it for myself, but my brother said, "Hey! Check out Fan Fiction!" So I did, and wham! I'm writing a 200k (plus) word novel! It's been so awesome and fun! I definitely think that I've found my passion b/c I write and write and write and write and don't get tired of it! I am going to have to take a break after this story before I start another one, simply b/c I need a break, I don't have a good plotline for a sequel yet, and school is starting back for me… (Senior year in college! Blegh and YAY! Combined…) So anyways, I will have a more definite answer to your question once I post the last chapter! Once this story closes, I will be able to see what's ahead for me more clearly.
Chapter 40
A faint light was filtering through Ron's bed-curtains early Sunday morning, casting a lovely glow on Hermione's serenely sleeping face. Ron had woken a few minutes earlier, and decided that he should wake Ginny, so that she and Hermione could then sneak back to their dormitories under the cloak. However, he had yet to leave Hermione's side.
As soon as his eyes had opened to see the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen lying next to him, he had become transfixed. For six years he had stolen glances at this face. Cutting his eyes at her in class…deliberately sitting across from her at dinner…feigning the need to sit next to her while she helped him with homework…
And now, he was staring, openly, at Hermione Granger, who was lying in his bed! Not only was she lying in his bed, she was wearing his shirt. Blimey was she wearing it… It was just a plain, white t-shirt for Merlin's sake! But Ron had never appreciated the beauty of simple white cotton t-shirts until now.
It had become a bit twisted overnight, so that it had risen up above her navel, which was exposed due to the state of his covers. Only one side of Hermione was covered with blankets. Ron reckoned she had gotten warm at some point, and had ridded herself of them. One of her perfect, white legs was thrown over the blanket, completely bare and beautiful, save for her adorable blue cotton shorts. One of her perfect, pale arms was resting above her head, while the other was resting innocently upon her chest.
As the light filtering in began to become less and less faint, Ron decided that he really did need to send her on her way. If he watched her sleep until he grew tired of it, he would never wake her. So, propping himself up on one elbow, Ron took his free hand and rubbed his fingers gently over her arm. She stirred a bit, turning her head away from him so that a succulent curve of her neck was exposed.
He stretched his free arm across her stomach, pulling her close, and then placed a warm kiss upon her neck. She breathed in deeply and arched her back into a very attractive stretch before her eyes flittered open, and she turned to look at him.
"Ron?" She breathed in a sleepy drawl that stirred a warm sensation in the pit of Ron's stomach.
"Hi." He said, smiling at her.
"Hi." She replied with a smile, "Wha' time zit?"
"I'm not really sure. I reckon it's around seven-thirty or so…"
Without warning Hermione sat straight up with a slight gasp. "Why didn't you wake me?" She whispered urgently; her drowsy tone gone, "We'll be late for Potions!"
"No we won't." Ron said calmly, taking hold of her wrist. "Lie back down."
She looked at him with wide eyes. "No we won't? Ron! We have to-…"
"Hermione, what day is it?" Ron interrupted with a playful smile.
"What day?" She asked in confusion. But then her tense expression relaxed to be replaced with a small smile as she slowly lay back down beside him. "Oh, yeah…" She said simply.
He lay down fully next to her and she kissed him sweetly on his nose. She then glanced down at his bare chest and reached one hand out to rub her fingers along his skin. He was so sensitive to her every touch, it almost tickled. Not enough to make him laugh, but plenty to make him smile.
"May I kiss you?" She asked bluntly. He raised one eyebrow at her.
"What do you mean, may you kiss me?" He asked in confusion, "Of course you can."
She smiled at him before, to Ron's surprise, she leaned in to kiss him on his chest. Oh, Ron thought, as his heartbeat quickened. That explains the question… He swallowed hard as she moved her mouth slowly up his chest to kiss his neck.
"Blimey, Hermione." Ron muttered as she continued to kiss his neck with soft, slow caresses. "I woke you so that you could get back to your dormitory…but if you keep that up, I might not let you leave."
Hermione ceased her kisses to look into his face. "I don't want to leave." She said with a slight pout. He liked her pouts…
"I don't want you to either…but what about Seamus and Dean?"
"It's Sunday." She replied, before asking with slight uncertainty, "We could at least stay in bed until they leave, couldn't we?"
Ron couldn't begin to contain a large grin. "Is my company really all that pleasant?" He asked, earning an adorable smile.
"Hermione," Ron began, as she closed her eyes and nuzzled against his chest, "If you'd like to go back to sleep, I'll stay awake and listen for them to leave."
"That's very considerate, Ron…" Hermione replied, lifting her eyes to his gaze, before continuing with a coy smile, "But to be completely honest…I'd really rather you snog me."
Ron's mouth actually fell open a bit at this statement. Hermione had never been that straightforward before, on this subject, and it was quite arousing hearing her request a snog from him. She had left open an opportunity for him to make a clever and flirtatious comment, but his mind had gone somewhat blank. So, he instead coaxed her to lie back.
She gripped the nape of his neck with one of her small hands and pulled him down into an amazing kiss, but not before he saw the love, desire, and innocence in her brown eyes. With just one glance he had seen all of that, and it had given him a small boost of daring.
After the kiss he gazed down at her. "May I kiss you?" He asked boldly, with one hand fingering the cotton fabric of her shirt at the base of her sternum.
She didn't respond for a moment, and looking into her eyes, Ron saw apprehension and hesitancy join her desire. Nonetheless, she nodded. But her troubled look remained. Ron smiled comfortingly as he made his decision. He raised her shirt just above her navel, as it had been earlier. Then, leaning down over her stomach, he placed a gentle kiss right beside her navel before lying his head back down beside hers on his pillow.
Ron watched her troubled expression fade into a small smile just before their lips met in a kiss…a small kiss followed by a stream of kisses. As their passion began to grow, however, Ron felt Hermione pressing on his chest with her hand. He began to pull away, but she just continued the kisses and the pressing on his chest, so he lay back on the mattress.
Ron then felt a delicate leg moving over his waist and Hermione's mouth leaving his. He opened his eyes to see her climbing on top of him to straddle his hips. Ron had never heard of a case in which a man died from a fantastic hallucination that made his heart stop, but there was a first for everything.
After she had situated herself properly, she laid her torso down upon his, resting her head near his shoulder. "Is this alright?" She asked in his ear, sounding a bit breathless and nervous.
Encircling her to hold her to him, he responded hoarsely, "Perfectly…"
She then began kissing him deeply. Did she know what she was doing to him? Did she understand? Ron wasn't sure, but he was too busy enjoying every second of this unexpected snog to think on it. He was keeping his hands firmly pressed upon her back so as not to stray, but as Hermione moved her lips down his neck to his shoulder, his hands moved to her wonderfully soft legs. From their current position, he could rub his hands over her thighs…actually, he could have reached every part of her from their position, but he only allowed himself to glide his hands down her thighs, where he then rubbed circles just above her knees with his thumbs.
Suddenly, Ron heard the curtains move. He gripped his hands on her knees tightly and then froze completely, except for his chest heaving from his rapidly beating heart. Hermione must have heard the rustling fabric, as well because her kisses stopped as she lifted her head from his neck to look at him with wide eyes, gripping his hips tightly with her legs.
"Ron!"
Ron groaned in frustration at the sound of Ginny's harsh whisper. He turned to see her head peaking in through the curtains. Hermione sat up straight, but she didn't remove herself from her straddling position.
"Ron, if you ever scold me or Harry for snogging again…I will tell Harry about this!" Ginny exclaimed as she crawled onto the bed and sat beside them, letting the cloak fall from her shoulders.
"Oh, Ginny, please don't!" Hermione whined, bouncing up and down slightly with her plea. Ron bit into his cheek so hard he actually tasted a bit of blood.
"Okay, Ginny." Ron said quickly, as his face burned, "I won't scold you or Harry, but could you please leave? And next time say something before you barge in…"
"Hermione has to come with me, you buffoon!" Ginny said as she rolled her eyes, "Unless you want her to get caught again. And I did say something, but you two were too…busy…to hear me!"
"Oh…well…could you just wait outside the curtains for two seconds?" Ron replied impatiently.
"Well, you two need to hurry up because Harry wants to tell you something over breakfast." Ginny said.
"Tell us what?" Hermione asked, absently rubbing her index finger over the hair just below Ron's navel. He could not believe that Hermione and his sister were about to strike up a conversation whilst Hermione was straddling him and driving his body mad!
"About his talk with Dumbledore." Ginny replied, "He told me about it last night." She smiled slightly…more so to herself. "Anyway…I'm going! But hurry up!"
Just as she was about to don the cloak, Hermione grabbed her arm. "Wait, will you look at something?" She asked quickly.
"What?" Ginny and Ron both asked apprehensively.
Hermione looked down at Ron's chest and began poking around a spot under his nipple. "I saw this earlier…" Hermione said casually, leaning down to peer at it. Some of her curls fell into his face. "Is it a freckle? Or a mole? Right here under his…well…It's darker than his other freckles…" She said worriedly.
Ginny leaned over him as well and began poking at the spot. "Ah, bloody hell…" Ron muttered as he rolled his eyes. "Could we do this another time? Or maybe even never ever again?" He asked agitatedly.
"Ron…What if it's some kind of spider bite or something?" Hermione began, "Unless you take us to the showers with you, Ginny won't see it again." She added smartly.
This made Ron smile at Hermione playfully. "The showers? Well, if we left Ginny behind, I might consider-…"
"Ew!" Ginny squealed moving back from them and grabbing the cloak. "Hermione, it's just a freckle. Ron, no shower talks in front of me…ew… And both of you, hurry up!"
With that Ginny disappeared under the cloak and quickly left the bed to wait outside the curtains. Hermione looked down at Ron and abruptly laid down, burying her head in the curve of his neck and kissing him.
"Thank you for an absolutely fantastic morning." She whispered, before lifting her head to look into his eyes with a bright smile.
"It was brilliant, wasn't it?" He whispered back, squeezing her knees gently. She bit her bottom lip and nodded before slowly moving off of him.
"I'm eager to hear about Harry's chat with Dumbledore, are you?" Hermione asked as she situated her clothing and scooted toward the edge of the bed, grabbing the curtain.
"Yeah, I am." Ron replied truthfully, while sitting up and grabbing Hermione's hand.
She smiled sweetly at him; "We'll do this again sometime, won't we?" She asked.
He brought her hand to his lips for a kiss before responding, "Absolutely." After one last smile, Hermione opened the curtains, stepped out underneath the cloak with Ginny, and let the curtains fall behind her.
Ron immediately collapsed onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. That was definitely the most brilliant 'good morning' he'd ever received! He honestly could have happily stayed inside the curtains with Hermione the entire day without food or water. Who needs food or water when you have the woman you love in your arms? Unfortunately, however, she was no longer in his arms. So, he would have to arise from his bed and greet the day, which he did grudgingly.
On the way to the shower rooms, Harry informed Ron that he not only told Dumbledore of his vision of Ginny, but also of his vision of Lucius and Voldemort. Dumbledore said that he, the Order, and the Ministry's Aurors were doing all that they could to find out where Voldemort and his followers were hiding.
This information had only brought Ron a meager amount of solace. Not that he didn't trust that Dumbledore was doing all that he could…it was just that Ron wasn't sure if that were good enough anymore…
So, after Ron had showered and dressed, he had to consciously smile convincingly for Hermione as they met in the common room. As she had said, they had had an absolutely fantastic morning. He didn't want to worry her by being mysteriously quiet after a morning like that.
Apparently Hermione had bought his façade of cheerfulness because she was positively glowing on the way to the Great Hall. Actually, Ron was feeling much better by the time they settled at the Gryffindor table and began filling their plates. It was impossible to feel gloomy and distant with Hermione smiling at him and hanging on his arm.
And, Ron noticed that Hermione wasn't the only one glowing at the table. Ginny and Harry were sitting so close, Ginny's shoulder was actually resting against Harry's chest. This was what she'd wanted from Harry all year. An openly recognized relationship… And now they had just that. They, like Ron and Hermione, didn't have to hide anything from anybody.
"Are you two ready? This may take a while…" Harry asked as soon as they'd all filled their plates.
With their arms tightly linked and hands clasped, Ron and Hermione both nodded at Harry to continue.
"Alright…" Harry began with a deep sigh, "I'm actually going to give you the condensed version because Ginny and I have a date after breakfast."
"A date?" Ron asked disbelievingly. Ginny and Harry exchanged smiles.
"Well," Ginny began, "It's not your conventional date. Dumbledore is tagging along…"
"I asked Dumbledore if he had time to work with me this morning and he said he would make time." Harry began, "So I'm supposed to go to his office after breakfast. He's going to start training me on how to better control this power. He told me I could wait until Monday if I wanted to enjoy the rest of the weekend, but I insisted on starting today."
Ron noticed Hermione nodding approvingly at Harry's words. "Good, Harry. Early training is good." She said earnestly. Ron smiled at her and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"Alright…," Harry began with another sigh, "So, I told Dumbledore about the vision I had of Ginny while at Grimmauld Place. I saw it from my perspective. It was like…just as, last year, I felt as if I were Nagini…this time, I felt as if I were…well…me. Dumbledore agreed that it didn't make sense for Voldemort to send me that vision. One, Ginny was with me at the time…so I knew automatically that the vision was not through his eyes unless he could somehow show me the future. Two, I didn't recognize the place, so I wouldn't have been able to go there even if I'd wanted to."
"Dumbledore also agreed with my next point. If that were a vision from Voldemort, then that would mean that he had been waiting to enter my mind. That was the first time I'd dropped my defenses in months."
"That's right." Hermione said with a look of sincere intrigue, "Mere seconds after you dropped your defenses, you were hit with that vision."
"Right." Harry agreed. "Before I had time to leave my mind and seek his, I had the vision." He then paused and stared at a spot on the table.
"Harry, keep going!" Ginny said excitedly, "This is my favorite part." She then kissed him on the cheek, causing Harry to turn and smile at her before turning back to Ron and Hermione.
"This is her favorite part." Harry said, unnecessarily, before clasping his hands in front of him on the table and beginning, "You two heard what Dumbledore said about my love for Ginny reacting with the Blood Bond and giving me a new power. Well, he still says that he cannot know for sure what my new power involves, exactly, but he now has a new suspicion. He has developed the idea that my new power was not only activated by my love for Ginny, but that it is directly related to my feelings for her. Meaning that I can only call forth the power when I have strong emotions running through me that are particularly related to her."
"Why would he suspect that?" Ron asked, looking to Hermione's furrowed brows and wondering if she were experiencing the same confusion.
"Well, the first time I experienced the actual power…when I blasted the ceiling…it was from jealousy, anger, and frustration over mine and Ginny's relationship at the time. The second time I experienced the power…after Dean and Ginny's kiss…I was feeling the same emotions, and again, it was because of our relationship at the time."
"And yesterday at the hospital," Hermione began, "You became frustrated with me because I told you that you should accept the fact that you can't feasibly protect Ginny from all harm."
"Correct." Harry said with a frown at Hermione, "But Hermione, I wouldn't have hurt you. I know I can control my emotions toward you, Ron, and Ginny."
"But wait…" Ron began, remembering something, "The first time I ever saw your eyes do that glowing thing, we were at the Burrow. It was when my dad apparated to our house to take us to Grimmauld Place."
"I was under the impression that someone was about to attack the Burrow." Harry said simply. "Ginny's home."
"I remember seeing it for the first time after he'd seen that vision of me." Ginny added.
"I remember the first time I saw it, as well." Hermione said quietly, "It was on the train ride home after holiday…after Dean flirted with Ginny a bit."
"So, you can only suffocate people, or whatever, when you're experiencing strong emotions related to Ginny?" Ron asked.
"Well," Harry began slowly, "Yes. That's what Dumbledore suspects. But about the suffocation thing… You see, after Dean kissed Ginny, the first thought I had was, 'man, would I love to strangle him right about now.' Then, before I knew what was happening, he was suffocating. But at Grimmauld Place, I had looked up at the ceiling and wished I could just blast a hole through it…and…well…I did."
"I hope you never get the urge to really hurt me." Ron muttered with an impressed smile at Harry, who smiled back.
"So what did Dumbledore say about your vision?" Hermione asked, sounding somewhat worried.
"Well, once he'd begun suspecting that my power could only be summoned by emotions caused by Ginny…another suspicion grew. He thinks that I may have acquired the ability to see things in mine and Ginny's future."
"No way." Ron said in awe. He looked to Hermione, who still had furrowed brows. "Hermione? Did you hear him?" He asked placing his hand on her knee.
She looked at him and nodded absently, but then turned to Harry, "But Harry," She began slowly, "If you can see visions because of a power that's within you, then why did Occlumency block them out? I mean, wouldn't you have been able to see them before that day at Grimmauld Place when you dropped your defenses?"
"I asked Dumbledore the same thing." Harry replied, "And he said that if I were a more accomplished Occlumens, I would be able to block out mind invasions, while retaining the ability to have my own visions. But because I have not fully compartmentalized my mind, I have been shutting down the compartment that now has the ability to see these visions. I have not yet learned how to put up walls around some areas of my mind, shut down others, and leave others exposed."
"Can you just summon these visions whenever you want?" Ron asked curiously.
"I'm not sure yet." Harry responded, "But I don't think so. I feel like I'll just have them randomly. Sort of like Luna…she never knows when she'll get another vision, you know?"
Ron, feeling slightly dazed, simply nodded at Harry.
"Wow Harry! We should go..." Ginny said suddenly, after grabbing Harry's wrist and looking at his watch. "Dumbledore wants us to be in his office in fifteen minutes."
"What are you going for again?" Ron asked his sister.
"To watch." Ginny replied with a smile, as she and Harry both stood up.
Harry took hold of her hand once they'd stood. "I don't know how long we'll be." Harry said, "Don't wait on us for lunch or anything." He added before turning to walk down the side of the table.
Ron watched them walking, hand-in-hand, from the Great Hall and noticed that quite a few people turned to stare at them. One of which, was Draco Malfoy. Ron spotted him at the Slytherin table, his grey eyes squinting after Harry and Ginny. As Ron was watching, Malfoy turned to look straight at him. He sneered his usual not-so-formidable sneer before turning to whisper to his two goons. Ron's stomach churned a bit at the sight. Why did he feel like they were planning something?
Hermione was sitting, motionless and staring at her breakfast plate, which suddenly disappeared. The scraping of benches echoed through the Hall, but she continued to daze at the table.
Harry could have visions of his and Ginny's future. That thought had not left Hermione feeling too well. It was an awesome power, but if Dumbledore were right…then that vision Harry had of Ginny was real.
Hermione knew that Harry and Ginny were both just happy to have an explanation for his power. They had believed for a month that the vision of Ginny was real…but Hermione hadn't. Hermione had fully believed that it was a false vision. But now Hermione knew that sometime in the future, Ginny would be bleeding and screaming for Harry.
She glanced up at the ceiling to see a blue sky and sporadic clouds here and there.
"Ron, would you like to go for a walk on the grounds?" Hermione asked. Maybe some fresh air would do her good.
When he didn't answer her, Hermione looked down from the ceiling to see Ron turned around in his seat and staring toward the big double doors. "Ron?" She asked.
He turned around quickly and looked at her, "What? Oh, yeah…um…a walk? Sure." He stammered, standing up from the table and taking her hand.
"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly, standing up with him.
He nodded, yet his tense expression remained. Was he worried about Ginny, too? Ron quietly led her from the Great Hall, through the entrance hall, and out of the huge oak doors. There was still a nip in the air, but Hermione was perfectly comfortable in her sweater and no jacket.
Ron was definitely worried about something. Hermione thought as they began walking hand-in-hand onto the grounds. He was staring straight in front of him and gnawing absently on his bottom lip. This was a huge change in his playful, yet loving mood from this morning.
Their morning tryst had been marvelous. Hermione had been surprised and flattered at Ron's bold question, 'May I kiss you?' And although she had consented, Ron had somehow known that she didn't truly feel comfortable with it. His self-restraint and the gentle kiss he had placed upon her stomach had been very sweet and comforting. Enough to give Hermione the daring to move on top of him. Lying atop his chest had been so wonderful! Comfortable, secure, warm, sensual… The memory of it was enough to bring a smile to Hermione's lips even now…but she didn't smile. She was too worried about Ron's mood change at the moment.
Squeezing his hand she asked, "Would you like to go and see Hagrid?" Looking up, she could see Hagrid's hut in the distance.
"He might ask us to come along on one of his feedings, you know?" Ron asked as his stern expression turned into a playful smile.
"Well," Hermione began, thrilled to see him smiling again, "I quite like Grawp actually. He fancies me, you know?"
"Oh?" Ron asked with raised eyebrows. Their hands were still clasped, and they were now swinging their arms back and forth as they walked. "Do I have competition now?"
Hermione giggled, but before she could respond, she saw something behind them out of the corner of her eye. Stopping in her tracks, she turned around to glare at the unwanted company, causing Ron to do the same.
"Look here!" Malfoy exclaimed, throwing his hands out to his sides, with Crabbe and Goyle following behind him, "It's the weasel and his mate."
Ron gripped Hermione's hand tighter, and took a step in front of her. He then immediately removed his wand from his back pocket, prompting Hermione to do the same. Malfoy was the last person she wanted to see on her walk to take her mind off of Harry's vision. Especially since he reminded her of Harry's encounter with Voldemort's mind and Lucius.
"If you want something, get to the point." She said crossly. "If not, beat it."
Malfoy's sneer turned into a hideous glare as he stopped about six feet from them. "You know, Weasel, you should teach Granger some manners before she crosses the wrong person's path."
"And you should shut your mouth before I curse your sorry ass." Ron said through gritted teeth as he raised his wand to point directly at Malfoy.
"If you haven't noticed," Malfoy hissed with a malevolent smile, "There's three of us, and only two of you. I don't think you can afford to curse me. Then again, I don't think you can afford much of anything, can you?"
Crabbe and Goyle laughed heartily at this, and Hermione watched Ron's face turn a bright shade of red as he just continued to glare at Malfoy.
"If you haven't noticed," Hermione began, as anger began to make her hands shake slightly, "There's two brains among us, but only a half of one among you!"
Malfoy mumbled something under his breath before taking a couple of steps forward. Ron released Hermione's hand and his arm went out in front of her. Crabbe and Goyle then split and began walking slowly around them until Hermione and Ron were standing in the center of the three boys.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ron asked harshly, looking around at all of them, yet keeping his feet firmly planted in a defensive stance.
"We're just having a little chat." Malfoy said in a jeering voice, "Are you scared, Weasley?"
"He's not scared of you!" Hermione shouted. This time Malfoy and Ron both looked at her. Malfoy was glaring, but Ron was shaking his head.
"Hermione, let me handle him." He muttered, while taking hold of her hand again.
"I told you to teach her some manners." Malfoy spat, but then an awful smile curved his thin lips, "But Granger, I do hear you've been taught some new tricks. Care to show us?"
As soon as the words left Malfoy's lips, Ron released Hermione's hand and began approaching him. However, Goyle reached Ron first, clamped one large hand around his neck, and lifted him off the ground. Ron's hands grabbed onto Goyle's wrists as he began making horrible gurgling noises.
"No!" Hermione screamed.
She waved her wand at Goyle and a red light shot forth and impacted with Goyle's side. He immediately stumbled backward, and released Ron, who fell hard to the ground on his back. She had just performed her first silent spell! However, it hadn't been very powerful as Goyle hadn't even fallen to the ground. Hermione ran to Ron and knelt down, clasping one of his hands.
"Ron!" She whispered urgently. He coughed a couple of times and then began to sit up. Hermione was reaching down with her free hand to help him when she felt someone grab a handful of her sweater and thrust her hard to the side, where she landed painfully on her shoulder.
Malfoy had his wand pointed down at Ron now, but Ron performed a silent Expelliarmus on him, causing Malfoy's wand to fly behind him. Ron then kicked out with his leg and hit Malfoy in the knee. Malfoy cursed loudly and bent down to grab his wand, however Hermione didn't get to see more because she spotted Crabbe and Goyle both approaching Ron from the side.
"Petrificus Totalus!" She shouted at Crabbe. His eyes went wide for a second before his body went completely rigid and he fell with a thud to the ground. Goyle, however, had taken two long steps toward her. She started to raise her wand, but he grabbed her wrist roughly and threw her wand to the ground. He then moved behind her and grabbed her arms to hold her back.
Now Ron and Malfoy were alone on the ground. Somehow Ron had ended up on top of him, one hand grasping a handful of his white blond hair, while the other held his wand, pressing it firmly into his neck.
Hermione was squirming quite a bit, but to no avail. However, she did get a yell from Goyle when she raked her foot down his shin and slammed her heel into his toes.
"Ah! Hold still, Mudblood bitch!" Goyle growled as he squeezed her arms even tighter. She could feel his thick fingers digging into her skin.
Ron looked up, his eyes flashing with malice, before rounding on Malfoy, "Tell him to let her go!" He yelled while jerking hard on Malfoy's hair.
"Not unless she keeps away from her wand!" Malfoy spat angrily. Ron lifted Malfoy's head by his hair and slammed it into the ground. Hermione gasped and felt Goyle's grip tighten even more.
"You're hurting me!" She yelled angrily, slamming her heel down on his foot again.
Ron looked up very briefly before bending low over Malfoy's face, "With a simple cutting curse I could slit your worthless throat right now! We're not negotiating this! Let…her…go…"
"You wouldn't-…" Malfoy began, but then he gasped and Hermione saw a trickling of blood running down the side of his neck.
"Greg!" Malfoy screeched in fear.
Hermione felt Goyle's hands release her at once. He then took a few steps back to stand beside Crabbe, who was now wiggling his fingers as the Body-Bind curse was wearing off. Hermione quickly picked up her wand from the ground and held it on the two of them as she backed up to Ron. Once she'dreached him, she could hear Ron whispering fiercely to Malfoy.
"Spoken to your father lately? Or Voldemort? Have you?" Ron hissed, a mere three inches from his face. Malfoy kept his mouth closed tightly, but Hermione saw him flinch at Voldemort's name, which was spoken from Ron for the first time.
"I swear if you so much as look at her," Ron began again, "I will not think twice about ripping your black heart from your chest!"
Hermione watched as Malfoy's pale face got paler. Ron then slammed Malfoy's head into the ground again before standing up from him and taking hold of Hermione's hand. Malfoy continued to lie on the ground, the side of his neck still bleeding from a three-inch cut, as Crabbe and Goyle stood their ground a few yards away.
Ron quickly began leading Hermione toward the castle doors. As soon as they entered he led her straight to the staircase and up the many flights of stairs to Gryffindor Tower. The first words she heard him speak since his threat to Malfoy were the password for the Fat Lady. As they entered the common room, Ron didn't slow his steady march to his dormitory stairs and all the way up to the sixth year boys' room.
The room was quiet and empty, and as soon as the door closed shut, Ron turned to her and pulled her into a tight hug. She couldn't contain a small whimper as pain throbbed through her arms. He released her immediately and looked into her eyes with a very intense stare.
"Hermione?"
"It's nothing." Hermione said quickly, "I think I might have a bruise or something."
"From Goyle?" He asked in a dark whisper. She nodded. "How tightly was he holding you?"
When Hermione hesitated to answer, Ron grabbed her hand and gently rolled her sweater sleeve up to her elbow. Hermione was a bit surprised herself to see the many bruises. She knew Goyle had been holding her tightly and it had been painful, but she hadn't realized just how fierce his hold had been.
Hermione looked up at Ron, who now had his eyes closed and his brows furrowed. His jaw muscle was working slightly. He then opened his eyes and slowly led her to the bed.
"Can you heal them?" He asked softly as they sat down. Hermione nodded as she removed her wand. Ron stared at her as she began muttering the appropriate incantations on her bruises. "Did you have your mirror on you?"
She stopped momentarily and looked at him, "No." She said simply, "Did you?"
He shook his head. "No…Look, Hermione…I want you to keep your mirror with you at all times from now on. I will too. We can shrink them and keep them in our pockets, alright?"
"What good would they have done us out there?" She asked.
Ron was quiet for a moment before he responded, "We could have used them if Malfoy, Crabbe, or Goyle had tried anything drastic."
"Like taking me?" Hermione asked calmly. Ron flinched slightly. "Do you think it's Malfoy's task now? Instead of his father's?" She added.
Ron looked at her sadly, but didn't respond. He, instead, scooted closer to her and rested his forehead against hers. "Just promise me you'll keep your mirror with you always." He whispered before kissing the corner of her mouth.
"I promise." She whispered back. They continued to rest their foreheads against one another until Hermione lifted hers to inquire something. "Ron, do you think they would have tried anything on a Sunday morning in broad daylight?"
"Did you see the way they were circling us?" He asked with raised eyebrows.
"It's my fault that it got out of hand like that." She said quietly before pointing her wand to her bruises and finishing the appropriate incantations for that arm.
"What are you talking about Hermione?" Ron asked in confusion.
"Well, I taunted them some. And then I threw the first spell." She replied, looking up from her arm. She then rolled her sleeve down and raised the other to perform the same healing spells on theremaining bruises.
Ron grabbed her hand to stop her, however. When she looked up at him, he actually wore a small smile. "You were brilliant, Hermione." He said sincerely, bringing her hand to his lips for a kiss. "That spell you cast to save my neck…was that silent?" He asked.
"Yes." She replied with a small smile. "Like you and Harry said, when you want something bad enough…it's not all that hard."
Ron simply watched her, rubbing her back soothingly, as she finished the last of her healing spells. He still wore his small smile, but his brows were furrowed in worry. She wasn't sure what he was thinking of exactly, but she guessed it might be similar to the thoughts circling her mind.
Ron had threatened Malfoy from even looking at her. And, the rat had actually looked quite fearful. But Hermione almost felt certain that Malfoy would not obey Ron's warning…
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for the brevity of the chapter in comparison to the amount of time it took me to post it. It's due, mainly, to two things. One, I'm moving back to my apartment to start my next college semester (which begins Monday!). And b/c the end is so near. The chapters are taking longer b/c I have to make sure that I include all of the necessary information and scenes and whatnot! And since classes start tomorrow, I will have to write around my class schedule. Ah! But we'll talk about that later. For now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks everyone so much for the reviews. They are wonderful remedies for writer's block! Chapter 41 on the drawing board!