Chapter 16



Stupid bloody Viktor Krum, Ron swore internally as he threw a stone into the middle of the pond. You great Bulgarian git, he thought, throwing the next one even further. Why did you have to come here and mess everything up? If you had just stayed at your own bloody school where you belonged, none of this would have happened. But you had to come to Hogwarts and get all chummy with Hermione. It's not enough that you have everything else I've ever wanted. You had to go and try to steal her too. And you're still fucking trying aren't you? Ron seethed, as he leaned his shoulder against a tree and glared at the pond.

Out of rocks to toss, he watched as the ripples from the last stone he'd cast washed against the muddy bank and the surface of the pond became smooth once more. It's all just some big game to you, isn't it? Like she's some elusive snitch you can catch if you just chase after her long enough. Well I've got news for you, Vicky... I'm going to be there waiting for you. If you ever touch her again... taking a bludger to the face will seem like a fucking picnic compared to what I'll do to you.

He knew that she was there before she even spoke, but Ron decided to ignore her. He didn't want to talk to her. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to be left alone.

"Your brothers want you to come back in the house," Hermione said as she came up behind him.

"They can sod off," Ron barked, not even bothering to turn around and look at her.

Don't say it, Hermione told herself. This isn't the time to nag him about his swearing. You'll just set him off, she thought with a sigh. "You'll need this then," she said, reaching around his back to thrust his wand forward. Ron looked down at his wand and then took it out of her hand. Not wanting to pull away yet, Hermione wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him from behind.

"You shouldn't be out here, Hermione," Ron said, but with less anger in his voice then before. "Those blasted reporters are probably still skulking about."

To his utter surprise, Ron heard Hermione chuckle behind him and her hold on him tightened. "Poor Harry," she teased as she leaned into the hug and pressed herself firmly against his backside. "Just imagine how shocked he'll be when he sees our picture plastered across the front page of his morning paper. I can see the headline now, 'The Girl that Escaped cheats on The Boy Who Lived.'"

"That's not funny, Hermione."

"It's ludicrous," she said as she stood on the tip of her toes and rested her chin on his shoulder. "But I bet Harry would get a kick out of it. Once he got over the shock of seeing us together, that is."

"I don't think so," Ron said, pulling away from her.

"Come on Ron, don't be like this," Hermione implored. "You didn't expect me to let them cart him off to prison did you?"

So she does know why I'm out here, Ron thought, still not willing to look at her. "No, I suppose not," he finally admitted, both to himself and to her.

"Then why are you so upset?"

"I don't want you seeing him," Ron answered without thinking.

"Who said I was going to see him?" Hermione asked.

"He'll want to talk to you," Ron stated. "Apologize to you. Thank you."

"So?"

"He'll want to see you," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Probably," Hermione admitted.

"I don't want you to."

"Then I won't," she replied quickly.

Completely taken off guard by her reply, Ron spun and looked into Hermione's deep brown eyes. "What do you mean you won't?" he asked skeptically, as if she were trying to trick him.

"I mean I won't see him," Hermione stated coolly, her face betraying no emotion what so ever.

"Ever?" Ron asked as he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"Well... I don't think I can promise that," Hermione admitted to him honestly. "But," she added when she saw him bristle, "I won't see him again until you are ok with it."

"What if I'm never ok with it?"

"Then I suppose I'll never see him again," she replied.

"Why?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"Why what?"

"Why would you agree to do that?" he questioned.

"Because I love you, you idiot," Hermione stated as her calm facade finally crumpled and she grinned at him despite herself. "Because I don't want to hurt you, or upset you, or see you get all jealous over nothing," she tried to explain.

"It isn't nothing," he shot back bitterly.

"It is nothing, Ron," Hermione stated, her voice taking on a note of irritation. "But until you realize that, I will stay away from him. You have my word. I will not see Viktor Krum again until you realize how thick you're being."

"THICK?" he shouted angrily. "You think I'm thick?"

Hermione had to bite her lip to keep herself from smiling. She just couldn't help but find his distress endearing. "In this particular case? Yes," she informed him.

"First you call me stupid, then you... you laugh at me?" Ron asked resentfully.

"Are you mad?" Hermione asked as she fought down her own anger. Being insecure about Viktor was one thing. The fact he actually believed that she would ridicule him when he was upset was another. "I'm not laughing at you."

"I can see you biting you lip to hold it back."

"Oh for heaven's sake, Ron."

"You think this is funny?" he cried miserably.

"Of course I don't," she shot back.

"Then why are you smiling?" Ron demanded.

"Because you are so damned adorable," Hermione replied, no longer trying to hide the fact she was annoyed.

"WHAT?"

"You heard me. You are adorable. Sulking out here all worried and upset about something that is absolutely ridiculous," she said.

Ron opened his mouth to stay something back, then appeared to think better of it. He pressed his lips together tightly and settled for giving her an incredulous look instead.

"You went and got yourself all worked up over nothing," Hermione stated irritably. "Your brothers are afraid to confront you." Although they'll never admit it, she thought to herself. "So they sent me into the lion's den to do it for them. Of course they knew you wouldn't maul me, and we roar at each other so often it's second nature. But I don't want to roar at you. I don't like seeing you upset and insecure. I don't want to fight with you. All I want to do is wrap my arms around you and kiss you until you realize you are being a stupid prat. That's why I'm biting my lip and holding myself back. Because if I don't, I'm liable to pounce on you," she admitted. "But... I don't really want to do it out here in the open. Especially with reporters sneaking about. So please, Ron," Hermione implored as she reached out and took his hand in her own, "won't you come back into the house?"

"You are unbelievable," Ron stated. He didn't know whether to be insulted or flattered by what she'd just said.

"Is that a bad thing?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"I'm not sure about that either."

"Will you come back inside?" she inquired.

"Are you planning on snogging me if I do?" he asked, still unsure if it was a ploy she was using to get him into the house. And if it is? he wondered. It's not like I'm going to refuse.

Ron watched as a wicked smile crossed her lips. "Actually," Hermione replied as she took a step closer to him, "I'm planning on snogging you regardless. Out here, in there, it doesn't much matter to me anymore."

As she advanced, Ron unconsciously took a step backward and found his retreat cut off by the tree he had been leaning against earlier. Not that he really wanted to escape. Her reply had just taken him by surprise. He had been almost certain her offer was part of some strategy designed to get him into the house. He now realized he had been wrong and that perhaps she had been serious when she said he was adorable.

All too quickly, Hermione closed the distance between them and Ron felt her press herself up against him, pinning him to the tree. Without saying a word, she looked up into his eyes.

BLIMEY, he though, mesmerized by her lips. He closed his eyes in an attempt to escape their pull. As he did, he heard someone groan. It took him a moment to realize the sound had come from him. "Hermione?" he asked, his eyes still shut tightly.

"Yes?" she replied softly.

Thrusting his hand deep into his pocket, Ron dug around and pulled out a plastic container and handed it to her. "I think these are yours," he said.

She took it from him with a smirk and quickly squirreled it away. "You're a master of subtlety," Hermione chuckled as she pulled her hand out of her own pocket and watched Ron's face turn crimson. "I said I was going to snog you, not shag you."

"Can't blame a bloke for trying," he said, finally opening his eyes and shooting her a cheeky grin.

"No, I suppose I can't," Hermione replied with a chuckle. "Not when the bloke happens to be you. So?" she asked, her bright eyes locked on his. "Out here then?"

"No," Ron said, pushing her away from him. He noticed her expression change from amusement to surprise, even if she did manage to hide it quickly. "I don't reckon it's a good idea to get too... er... distracted out here," Ron explained, taking her hand and leading her back towards the house.

"If you say so," Hermione said as she allowed him to pull down the path leading away from the pond. "Still, a bit of privacy would have been nice. There are entirely too many people in your family. We're never going to get a chance to really be alone, you know? Someone is bound to walk in or..." Ron stopped so abruptly, she ran right into the back of him. "Ron? Is something wrong?"

"Did you hear something?" he whispered.

"No..." Hermione replied as she followed his gaze to the tall grass to their right. She hadn't realized how overgrown that field was when she marched down to the pond to get him. When she felt Ron's grip on her hand tighten, her heart began to thump wildly against her chest.

"Here," Ron said as he let go of her hand and reached into his pocket again. He quickly pulled her wand out and pressed it into her hand. "I got this out of your trunk earlier. Can you run?" he whispered.

She didn't have a chance to answer him. Startled by the clapping sound generated by a group of birds taking flight in the field beside them, Hermione jumped and instantly turned away from Ron to see what the commotion was.

Ron, who was in front of her, his own wand now pointed at the grass, pushed Hermione behind him. "Go! Now!" he hissed, pushing her towards the house.

She couldn't leave. She seemed rooted on the spot. Hermione stood her ground behind him; silent; eyes wide; waiting.

"Hermione!" Ron whispered urgently, trying to get her attention. "GO! I'll hold off whoever it is."

This time Hermione looked right at him and shook her head, refusing to leave. She saw the fear in his eyes give way to anger.

"Damn it," he hissed.

"Shut up," she whispered back. "I'm not leaving you."

"Bugger!"

"Ron, don't swear."

He goggled down at her. "Are you for real? We're cut off from the house by a field that is probably crawling with Death Eaters, who are going to attack us any minute, and you're worried... about me... swearing?"

"Well swearing isn't going to help," Hermione shot back irritably.

"So what do you suggest?"

"Either we make a run for the house together, or we stand and fight whatever comes at us. But I'm not leaving you alone to..."

"Or," Ron said, staring at the grass in front of them, "we attack first." Before Hermione even had a chance to process what he had said or object to it, Ron sprinted into the field.

....................

Hermione stood there for a moment, completely horrified, her mouth open in shock.

STUPID BLOODY PRAT! Those were the first words to pop into her mind as she watched the tall grass engulf him. What is he thinking? Running into a field full of Death Eaters, she asked herself as she plunged in after him. He better pray that they find him before I do, she thought as she chased after him.

She was only seconds behind him, but she didn't know the area the way Ron did and the grass was so tall that Hermione was unable to see where he went. As Ron had to be at least 6 feet tall now, if not more, this was an unexpected development. Hermione was starting to suspect that the field might actually be enchanted, perhaps in an attempt to keep muggles away from the Burrow. The grass certainly hadn't looked this thick from the path. But now that she was inside, it was much thicker and taller then she would have suspected. In fact, it was so dense that she suddenly realized if she went in any further, there was a good possibility she would lose her way. As she had no idea where Ron was, she had no choice but to stop running and listen, in the hopes that she'd at least be able to hear him moving somewhere ahead of her. Unfortunately the field was dead silent, which only strengthen her suspicion that there was indeed some sort of spell on it.

This complicated matters, Hermione thought, looking back over her shoulder in the direction she had just come. She knew that the path was directly behind her, which meant The Burrow was behind her and off to the left. I can't risk getting lost in here, Hermione thought as she looked up at the sky and tried to use the sun to acclimate herself with her surroundings. DAMN IT! she swore to herself, as she realized that wasn't going to work. She knew what she had to do, but did she dare do it? Was it worth getting expelled? She could go back to the house, but that would mean leaving Ron out here all alone. No, she wasn't going to do that.

With a sigh, Hermione placed her wand in the palm of her hand and uttered the spell. "Point me," she said, causing her wand to turn in her hand and point due North which let her know that the Burrow was located North and slightly to the West of where she stood.

Well so much for not using magic, she thought as she cautiously began to move forward. This field had better be crawling with Death Eaters, because if it's not, and I get myself expelled helping you chase a fox or some blasted bird, I'm going to KILL you, Ron Weasley.

As Hermione slowly pushed her way further into the field, she couldn't help but notice the eerie calm surrounding her. There was no noise what so ever. No movement either for that matter. Despite the fact there was a slight breeze blowing, the grass was not swaying at all. Even her own footsteps seemed rather muffled.

"Where is he?" Hermione whispered to herself as she studied the field. Alert and tense, her wand gripped tightly in her hand, Hermione started to consider apparating to Ron. Of course if I try to apparate anywhere, it should be back to the Burrow where I can get some help, but I can't just leave him out here alone. And if I apparate again, I'm sure to get expelled. What if we are out here chasing nothing? she wondered.

Hermione was startled out of her thoughts, when the grass moved to her left. She immediately spun around and narrowed her eyes at the spot as she strained her ears for any other sound of movement. That wasn't nothing, she told herself as she took a silent step forward. Hermione pointed her wand at the spot the noise had come from and was just about to cast a stunning spell, when she was blinded by a brilliant flash of white light.

She covered her eyes and instinctually took a step backwards when she heard a low hum that seemed out of place. As the humming sound cut off abruptly, Hermione heard a throaty growl and a loud thud that was unmistakably the result of something large being slammed to the ground. She realized that something large, was in fact a person, when she heard them grunt as the impact expelled all the air from their lungs.

Blinking away the spots that were still clouding her vision, the first thing Hermione saw was his red hair. With a wave of relief, Hermione realized that the growling sound she had heard had come from Ron as he tackled a man to the ground. He was still sprawled out on top of the man, pinning his shoulders to the ground with his knees. Hermione could hear the man gasping desperately as he tried to get back the air that had been knocked from his body by the force of his fall.

"RON!" Hermione shouted, running up behind him to stare down at his quarry. What she saw startled her. It didn't make sense. The man pinned to the ground couldn't have been more then a few years older than Ron and herself. He looked so young; so pale. His eyes; they weren't the eyes of a Death Eater. They weren't full of hate and malice. They were full of... fear. Dropping to her knees beside the man, who was clearly too terrified to even attempt to struggle, Hermione reached out and grasped his arm. She quickly forced the sleeve of his shirt up so she could study the skin on his forearm.

"He's not a Death Eater," Hermione said, dropping his arm and looking up at Ron, who continued to glaring murderously at the man he had pinned to the ground.

"RON! He isn't a Death Eater."

"He tried to curse you," Ron growled. "I saw him. He blinded you with that spell."

"It wasn't a spell," Hermione said as she reached down and picked something up off the ground. "It was a camera," she explained holding it out by a leather strap and letting it dangle in the air for him to see. "He must be one of those reporters Fudge tipped off."

The man pinned to the ground started nodded his head frantically. "Yes...," he agreed as he looked up at Hermione, his eyes still wide. "... Daily Prophet."

"BLOODY VERMIN!" Ron shouted, but even as he did so, he shifted his weight off the man's chest, allowing him to get a decent breath. "Stalking around in the grass, scaring the daylights out of us," Ron growled. "Your lucky ALL I did was jump you."

"THEY'RE OVER HERE, DAD!" Bill shouted as he came crashing through the grass and halted in front of them. He couldn't help but stare incredulously at his youngest brother, who was sitting on top of a strange man, glaring menacingly at him.

"Ron... Hermione... Are you two all right?" Mr. Weasley asked as he parted the grass and entered the depression Ron had created when he collided with the reporter. Panting hard, Mr. Weasley leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath.

"Yes," Hermione replied.

"What on earth... were you two... thinking..." Mr. Weasley asked, his eyes jumping from Hermione to his son, "...sneaking off into this field?"

"We didn't sneak," Ron said defensively as he released the reporter and rose to his feet. "We heard a noise when we were coming back to the house."

"Someone was following us," Hermione interjected.

"So you go crashing into the field to confront them?" Mr. Weasley questioned, raising up to his full height.

"You!" Bill said, glaring down at the reporter still cowering on the ground. "I thought I told you to clear off." Without another word, Bill reached over and grabbed the camera out of Hermione's hand. The reported gasped loudly when Bill opened the back and pulled the film out, exposing it to the light.

"HEY! That's..." But what it was, the reporter never finished saying.

"I clearly told you NO PICTURES," Bill shouted down at the man, as he wrenched the film completely out of the camera and banished it with his wand. After the film vanished, Bill tossed the useless camera back down on the ground.

"What if it hadn't been a reporter?" Mr. Weasley scolded. "What if it had been Death Eaters? You could have been killed."

"They would have killed us just as easily if we had stood there and waited for them to attack us first," Ron said irritably. "At least this way, we could surprise them."

"Just wait until your mother finds out about this. She is going to kill you."

"Not if I get to him first," Hermione muttered under her breath. Bill was the only one that actually heard her, as evident by the smile he quickly tried to hide.

"You aren't really going to tell her, are you Dad?" Ron moaned.

"It's not like I can hide it from her," his father grumbled back, knowing he'd likely end up sharing the blame. "You two go running off half cocked, doing magic in the middle of the ruddy field..."

"We didn't do any mag--" Ron started to protest and then stopped abruptly. He spun around to look at Hermione, who was glaring angrily at him. "You didn't?"

"Of course I did," she spat out as she narrowed her eyes even further. "What were you thinking, running off like that? It scared the hell out of me when I couldn't find you. I couldn't risk get lost, so I cast a direction spell."

"Lost?" Ron asked as if the very idea was ridiculous.

"This field is enchanted," she shouted at him.

"Yeah, I know," Ron replied.

"Well I didn't. You might have mentioned it before you went charging off into it. Oh forget it. What's the point?" she asked sarcastically as she threw her hands up in the air. "Someone tell me which way the house is," she demanded, turning away from Ron. "I'm finished talking to you."