disclaimer: see chapter three

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"Damn that girl. She'll get herself killed if she keeps doing this." Ron sat with his head in his hands.

"Is that really so bad?" Fred was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. Shadows covered his face, making it impossible for Ron or Harry to discipher his thoughts.

Ron flared at his brother's words. "What are you saying? Do you actually want Hermione to die?"

"No. I just mean that she'll have died for a reason: protecting those who need it. That's why she stayed in Diagon Ally. There was this little boy, just standing there in the middle of the street. He was crying for his parents; he looked so helpless."

It was silent for a moment.

Fred broke the silence, "When did it change from giving our lives to protect to saving our own skins?"

"So you could be alive to protect other later on." Harry spoke upfor the first time.

"Yeah? And live the rest of my life knowing that I could've done something but ran away so that I could do the same thing the next time the situation happened again? No more of this 'It's all for the greater good' crap."

The sound of footsteps was followed by a door slamming.

"He's right you know," Harry said quietly.

"Yeah, I know."

Hermione didn't move. The conversation she had just overheard played back in her mind. Fred had been right. She had been prepared to forfeit her life to save the little boy and the others in the Ally. She tried to turn onto her side to face Harry and Ron who were still sitting by her bed. The pain that shot through her body caused her to cry out, attracting the attention of the two.

"You're awake! Hermione, don't move." Opening her eyes, Ron's face appeared floating above her.

"No shit…" she managed to choke out through gritted teeth. The simple task of speaking was difficult and nearly impossible.

"Hey, what happened to Miss No-Swearing-Allowed?" Harry grinned despite the bandage covering most of the left side of his face.

"She re-broke her leg, has one hell of a headache and sore throat, a cracked knee cap and a shoulder missing a chunk from it because of some idiot who couldn't aim right missed my heart." Hermione struggled to sit up, failing horribly.

"I'll get Mum." Ron scurried out. He didn't want to be anywhere near the room when Hermione received the news.

"How's Fred?" She looked towards Harry, who cast his gaze down. "I thought I heard him talking a minute ago."

"He's… well, I don't know really. Something happened that day and he just clammed up; won't even speak to George about it. I think what you heard was the most anyone's gotten from him."

"How long have I been asleep?"

Harry stared more determinedly at the floor. There was a hole in his sock. He'd have to get new ones soon.

"Harry…" He flinched at the familiar warning tone in her voice.

"Nine days."

"What!" She jumped up slightly at the reply, but fell back onto the bed, stifling whimpers of pain.

"You're body needed the rest. The healer who worked on you had to take a couple breaks because it was exhausting her. You were… were half-way dead."

"Can you help me sit up?"

"He will do no such thing!" Mrs Weasley bustled into the room with a tray loaded with food and potion bottles.

Harry mouthed a quick "Sorry" before ducking out of the room.

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It was another week before Mrs Weasley allowed her patient to move around the house. Hermione was told not to over-exert herself and if she even thought about leaving, especially to go fight, she would be stuck in her bed for the next year.

All in all, she didn't mind. Hermione wanted to test her limits so she knew what she had to work on before rejoining the forces. She was stretching in the living room when she heard angry voices floating in from the kitchen.

"Fred, just talk to me!"

Silence followed. Hermione assumed Fred was ignoring his twin.

"Please," George begged, "you haven't spoken to anyone in weeks; we're all worried sick!"

"I'm fine." Fred stood up and left to find a secluded part of the house.

George sighed heavily and sunk his head into the cradle of his arms.

Hermione knew he probably wouldn't talk to her, but she had to try. She had to, at the very least, try to find out what was bothering him.

She found him sitting on the floor, in the corner of a little used room. Trinkets coated in dust lay scattered on the shelves. Dust blanketed the once grand tattered furniture. When she came upon him, he was absently playing with a Muggle toy top, spinning it over and over.

Hermione called out tentatively, "Fred?"

"I'm confused."

He stopped and spun the top again. Hermione remained silent, mentally urging him to continue.

"I was conscious you know, in the ally. You hurried over to me and nearly cut the blood flow to my hand finding a pulse."

He stopped again. Instead of speaking again, he looked up at Hermione and stared into her eyes.

She understood. He had heard. He had heard her call out to the man they were sworn to kill. The man who had direct orders to kill anyone and everyone blocking the path to capturing her. The man who had spared their lives and allowed them to escape.

"Draco," Hermione whispered.

Fred nodded, "Draco."

She joined him on the floor and leaned against the wall. "I suppose you want an explanation, right?"

"You wouldn't have sat down if you didn't plan on telling me something."

A hollow laugh escaped her lips. "Yes. You always were good at reading people. That's probably why you've been quiet, right? Couldn't figure out Draco?"

Fred remained silent.

"He was my friend. Don't know how it happened, but he was. Sometimes he was even closer to me than Harry or Ron." She glanced at Fred and saw him giving her an odd look. "Not like that! Get your dirty mind out of the gutter!"

Hermione was rewarded with a small smile.

"I could talk to him about anything and he'd listen. With Ron and Harry, when you bring up a subject they're uncomfortable with all that would be left of them were the dust trails marking their escape." She paused and stretched out her injured leg. "Don't get me wrong, he didn't suddenly change into Barney or anything, still had plenty of attitude and smart-ass remarks to throw at me. I don't think he even realized it, but I never heard him say Mudblood once."

Fred didn't say a word, but he also didn't sigh in disgust and leave.

Hermione looked out the window on the opposite wall. "Not once."

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