Disclaimer: Hey so yea nothing, but the storyline belongs to me, obviously.

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Chapter 8: Aftermath…..

"You what?!?" Harry and Hermione asked shocked.
"Ron what the heck are you talking about? You don' love me!"
"Ron you're not thinking clearly"
"Oh shut up Harry. Yes I am!" Ron shouted back at his shocked friend. "Hermione, I love you. I always have. Here, you want proof?" Ron dug into the pocket of his cloak and pulled something out. He flung it at the floor in front of Harry and Hermione. It was his notebook.
Harry picked it up and gave it quickly to Hermione who carefully opened it. On the first page was a picture of Hermione from second year with a heart around it. Both Harry and Hermione's mouths dropped to the floor. She began ripping through the pages, finding poems, and hearts with her name in them, songs and an account of feelings. It resembled a journal.
"Oh my gosh, I guess he does."
"I have figured that out already Harry! But I don't love him! I only like him as a friend."
"Well obviously he doesn't want to hear that 'Mione."
"I know but - Petrifficas Totallis!" Ron's arms and legs snapped together and he fell flat to the floor. He resembled a slate of concrete with red hair. Ron's wand broke in half when he slammed on the ground, causing his control over Draco to be no more.
Draco fell out of the air hitting his head on a desk the landing on the cold stone floor.
Harry ran over to Ron who was still as solid as could be, while Hermione of course rushed straight over to Draco. He was clutching his stomach in agony. Snape ran up to him behind Hermione.
"Professor, we have to get him to Madam Pomfrey."
"Obviously Ms. Granger!" Snape snapped with sarcasm in his voice. "Everyone go to the Hall immediately. When it is time, go to your next class. Do not let me hear that you did not or you will have to deal with me." He glanced at Crabbe and Goyle. The class began to make a beeline towards the exit. Harry and Hermione though, still remained next to Ron ad Draco. "Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, did you not clearly hear my instructions?"
"But Professor -"they chimed together.
"Now! I will take Mr. Weasly out of his current…state, and send him immediately to the Headmaster. And I will get Mr. Malfoy taken care of. Now, go and follow along wit the rest of your classmates. Do not sidetrack and try to find either one of them." He looked at Ron then Draco.
Hermione and Harry climbed to their feet and walked towards the Great Hall together in silence. Before Harry broke it.
"So erm - Hermione. You and Draco huh?"
"Yea." She answered while looking down at her feet.
"So when did this happen?" he asked in a soft and caring voice.
Hermione stood still. Her head fell in her hands and she sank to the floor against a wall, crying. Harry knelt down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. She burrowed her head in his robes and sobbed even more. He didn't mind though, all he cared about was the welfare of his best friend. "Oh Harry, I can't even remember. About two or three days ago? I cannot even think straight at the moment!"
"Shhhh. It'll be alright Hermione." He lifted her chin off his damp robes. "Okay? Just trust me. Everything will turn out fine in the end.
"How do you know?"
"I just know. It will be alright. This whole thing will be straightened out."
"Oh thanks you so much Harry. You're the best friend anyone could ask for." She pulled him into a big hug.
"I know." He responded flattering himself a little. They both laughed. "Come on, we should get a move on." Harry helped her to her feet and began to walk the opposite way of their next class.
"Um, Harry, Charms is this way." She said pointing to her left.
"You think I don't know that? We are not going to attend anymore classes today. Are you kidding me? This day has been hectic enough."
"But Snape said-"
"Hello! Reality check 'Mione." Harry snapped his fingers before her. "Since when do we listen to anything Snape has ordered us to do? Why stop the flow now?"
"Very true." They laughed once again.
"And erm…how about after you get some rest we could er…go and visit Draco? You will probably want to see how he is. Won't you?"
"Of course I would! Thank you so much Harry." And once again she hugged him as tightly as she could.
"So I will just bring you back to your room. I can come back later and we will go see how your 'man' is doing." Hermione elbowed him in his side. "Ouch!"
She smirked. "Alright. But um Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Could you stay with me? Please? I could use someone to talk to right about now."
"Sure."
"Oh I knew you'd understand. Thanks. You're the best." They began to walk towards Hermione's dorm.

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"Mr.Weasly?" Ron groggily opened his eyes to find an unpleasant sight in front of him, Snape. "Huh?"
"Get up." Snape stood Ron up by pulling him up by the neck of his robes. Ron gasped for air.

"What are you trying to do? Kill me?"
"You deserved it after what you did to Mr. Malfoy."
It took Ron a moment to remember what he had done. When he did, he scoffed. "Oh, yea, right." Under his breath he said to himself "I deserve a medal."
"What was that?" Snapped Snape.
"Nothing, nothing."
"I thought as much. Now, go straight to the Headmasters office. Professor McGonagall is waiting outside the door to escort you there. To make sure you do not go running away from your punishment. Which I am sure will be very harsh. Now leave!"
"Yea, alright fine." Ron lazily got to his feet and staggered outside, almost bumping into Professor McGonagall while exiting the room.

"Follow me!" she ordered sternly. They walked a couple of paces away from Snape's dungeon when he popped his head out of the large oak door.

"Oh, and Professor." McGonagall turned around on her heel.

"Yes, professor?"

"Will you call for Madam Pomfrey and ask her to come to my class room?" McGonagall nodded and continued leading Ron to Dumledore's office.

When they arrived at the stone winged gargoyle, she said the password 'Butterbeer' and told Ron that the Headmaster would be waiting for him upstairs.

Ron slowly walked up the spiral staircase and came to an open door. Even thought it was open, he still knocked. The white-haired, elderly professor looked up at Ron from this half moon spectacles. "Ah! Mr. Weasly, please take a seat." he held his hand out to a red velvet chair in front of his desk. "Well, as if I have heard correctly, we have a very serious situation on our hands." Ron stared at him blankly. "Hmm. Before I tell you what I have been told, I would appreciate hearing you version of the story first. If you don't mind?" Ron shook his head. "Very well, you may begin." He nodded to Ron.

Ron started out on how Hermione had been acting very odd and that Harry and himself were beginning to get worried about her.

"Well, naturally you would worry about her."

"Right so..." he continued on telling Dumbeldore how they both finally decided that they needed to find out what was actually going on. "...so we snuck into the Head boy/Head Girl tower and when Harry and I went into Draco's room, I found a picture of Hermione under his pillow and..." he went on to how he decided himself that he had to protect Hermione because Harry wouldn't hear it. "...then I added some Red Falcon's Blood into his potion..." and he had finished with how Hermione had knocked him out.

"Yes...I see." Dumbeldore nodded.

"So, as you can see, I had to do it! To protect her! He must have brainwashed her or something because she said that she loved him! And since her and Malfoy are enemies, I know that that could not be true."

"Ah! On the contrary Mr. Weasly, it was not your responsibility to do anything to Mr. Malfoy. Seeing as you had no exact proof that he was to harm Miss. Granger."

"But we had the picture!"

"But you didn't know and still do not know what the picture exactly meant."

"Well, I assumed that it was something bad because I mean it was Malfoy!"

"Exactly my point. You assumed. You didn't take the time to gather all of the facts. But, as I now understand, you do deeply care for Miss. Granger. And naturally you would act quick and try to save the day. Am I correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright, please return to Gryffindor Tower at once. I need to check on Mr. Malfoy. I will figure out what your punishment shall be later on."

"Yes, Professor." Ron sulked out of the office and slowly paced to Gryffindor Tower. He didn't feel like looking for anyone. Not like anyone would want to see him anyway.

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Back at Snape's room, Draco was just barely regaining conscience. Snape sat him up against a wall and shook his shoulders very lightly. "Mr. Malfoy?" the only response Draco had given him was a small groan of pain. Just then, Madam Pomfrey had walked into the room. "Ah, will you please assist me in bringing Mr. Malfoy here to the hospital wing?" Her mouth and eyes were wide in shock. All Snape got out of her was a nod. She helped him levitate Draco up the stairs, round corners and onto a bed in the hospital.

"What happened to him Serveus?" she asked in a rather concerned tone. Snape had explained what had happened just a few moments ago. Her mouth dropped once again. "Mr. Weasly did this? Ronald Weasly? He is such a sweet lad. What in the world would have made him ever commit something like this?" Snape had scoffed at her thinking that Ron was sweet. "Alright well I guess that will be all for now Serveus. I think I will be able to take it from here.

"How bad it is?" Snape muttered plainly towards her.

"Not too bad. Mr. Weasly did not have control over him long enough, or put enough Red Falcons Blood in to do too much damage."

Snape nodded and left back down to his office.

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"...so last night I wake up and he is saying that someone is going to pay."

"Who?"

"Ron."

"No, I mean who was he talking about?"

"Oh! I dunno! But I'm guessing now that it was Malfoy."

"Yea no kidding. Harry why didn't you ask him who he was talking about when you heard him? He would have told you. And this whole thing might not have even happened!"

"What so it's my fault now?"

"No, I never said that!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that Ron was capable of doing something like this? I never would have thought that Ron would ever do something like this."

"Me neither." A soft tear rolled down her cheek...yet again. "I still cannot believe that he did this." she burst in to tears, yet again, and covered her face with her pruned hands. Harry walked over to the couch that she was sitting on, sat next to her and (you guessed it) yet again, placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. Hermione's head dropped down on Harry's chest. "Why?" she looked up at him with teary eyes. "Why would he do such a thing? And he has the nerve to say he loves me too Harry! I hope that it's not true. Oh please tell me that its not true Harry. I only like him as a friend, nothing more, or less."

"I don't know Hermione. He has never told me about it. Maybe he was just not in the right state of mind at that point. After all he was acting odd. Okay well, maybe a little, a lot more than odd."

"But Harry, that book! That retched book! What was that book then?"

"I don't know." he shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh god, don't let it be true."

"Well, he did, used to, like you."

"Huh? When? When did this happen?"

"Oh my gosh! In the fourth year, I thought you knew! Everyone knew it. He was devastated that you were going to the Yule Ball with Krum. How's the old bugger doing anyway?"

"Who Krum?" Harry nodded. "Oh like I know? I could give a flying crap about that stupid little git! Excuse my language."

"Um...okay."

"He just totally ignores me everytime I write him. Probably has 20 girls fawning over him. Damn celebrities. I hate them all. Except you of coarse." she gave him a smile.

"Oh don't remind me." he laughed. "How about we go and see how Malfoy is, huh?"

"Yea alright. I guess so. I hope that he is alright. I couldn't live with myself if anything bad happened to him. God I want to kill Ron!" she slammed her fists down hard on her legs. "Ow!" she scoffed

Harry rubbed her leg. "You alright?"

"Yea, I guess I'll live."

"Sure?" Hermione nodded. "Alright, let's go." he helped he up and they went to visit Draco.

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He was Draco Malfoy, her enemy, someone she could never love, yet somehow she did.

"She doesn't love him! She can't love him! This cannot be happening to me! My life is ruined all because of that stupid little git! I hate him, with passion!" Back in Gryffindor Tower Ron was talking to himself, and sounding like a drama queen while he was at it. "I wonder what Dumbeldore is going to do to me. He had better consider it attempted murder, because it defiantly was. Without a doubt.

Malfoy has another thing coming if he thinks that he got away easily. Oh no, there's more. There will always be more!"

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A/N- Mwahahahaha! Dun, Dun, Dun!!!! Hey sorry I haven't updated in a loooooong time but I had the school play! I didn't mess up once yay!!!! And sorry that this chap was kind of bad, I wrote it in band like every other day, lol. there are two parts I love in this .....'He was Draco Malfoy, her enemy, someone she could never love, yet somehow she did.'....and....'she slammed her fists down hard on her legs. "Ow!" she scoffed. Harry rubbed her leg. "You alright?"'....this may be the start of a beautiful friendship! Maybe! maybe not, I dunno yet. but I like the idea, still playing round with it. but, her main man will always be Draco, I will never make her leave him, or him leave her....forever. bye review! I need them im in review denial!!!!!!!!!! please!!!!!!!!