A/N: another long chapter for you guys. Thanks to those who reviewed. Now on with the story.

Hermione lay awake in the small cot that had been placed in Ginny's room. She looked over at her friend, whose eyes were shut and was breathing deeply. Hermione felt too full. At dinner Mrs.Weasley had made so much food, and had piled heaps of it on to everyone's plates (including Hermione's, who wasn't use to eating so much). Seconds were even piled up onto her plate. Ever since Hermione had started feeling depressed she had not felt like eating. She knew Ron's mum must have noticed her thinness.

Hermione rolled over to her side, trying to fall asleep. She always had trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places since she was a little girl. Frustrated and exhausted, Hermione sat up and bed and carefully swung her legs over the bed. She was so tired and desperate for sleep she was almost at the point of tears. She stood up and quietly tip-toed over to her truck.

Hermione knelt down and pulled open the lid. After rummaging around for a while she grasped hold of her knife. She stood back up and was about to head out the door to the bathroom when she though: What if someone sees me holding this?

She turned around and went back to her open trunk. Hermione grabbed her pair of sock slippers that had been a hand me down from her mother. They were slightly too large. Hermione pulled them on and tucked her knife inside the sock-slipper on the side of the right foot. Their, she told her self.

Hermione then left the room and soon entered the bathroom on the landing above Ginny's room. Hermione closed and locked the door behind her. A small lit candle sat on the sink, its purpose serving as a night light. She walked over to the toilet and sat down on it. She pulled up the sleeve on her over-sized pajama shirt and held the blade to her skin, dragging it over and over until her shoulder had become a bloody mess. Small, barely noticeable speckles of blood lay on a part of her sleeve. Hermione grabbed a wad of toilet paper and cleaned up the blood and held the wad to her skin the stop the bleeding.

The door knob jiggled, Hermione jumped knowing that of the Weasleys needed to use the bathroom. At lest the door is locked, she thought. Hermione sponged up all the remaining redness that she could see. She flushed the used toilet paper down, washed her hands and before she open the door she tucked her blade into her slipper.

Her fingers pinched and turned the lock, her hands clasped 'round the door knob, and opened the door. In the dark hall way stood a half asleep Ronald Weasley.

"Oh hi Ron", Hermione told her friend as she stepped over the threshold, joining her friend in the dark hall.

"Hey 'mione", he said backing a sleepy, half yon voice. His eyes were barely open and his hair was very disheveled. He didn't notice that his friend seemed wide awake.

"See you in the morning" Hermione told him as she walked down the stairs and Ron in to the bathroom. Ron responded in a uh-huh kind of a yon.

Hermione creped back down the stairs and into Ginny's room. She was still asleep. Hermione crawled into her make-shift bed and soon fell asleep.

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Two days had passed since Hermione arrived at the Burrow. Hermione sat outside reading under the shade of a large oak while the twins, Ginny, and Ron played quidditch.

Soon Ginny touched down on her broom near to where Hermione sat. Hermione looked up at her younger red haired, freckled friend. She was sweaty and out of breath, but there was a smile on her face.

"Hey Gin", Hermione said while closing her book and setting it on the ground. Ginny sat down beside her.

"Hi", she said brightly as she took in deep breaths of air.

Hermione looked back to were the boys were playing quidditch. They were now gone.

"Where did Ron, Fred, and George go?" Hermione asked.

"Inside, their going to go up their swim suits on, we're all going swimming in the lake. You are coming right?"

Hermione felt uneasy. She was expected to swim but if she did….everyone see the marks on her shoulders. "Umm, I'm not sure if I brought my swimsuit of not", Hermione lied to Ginny. She knew very well that it was at the bottom of her trunk. "I'll have to check if I have it or not"

"Alright, but if you can't find it you might be able to fit into one of mine", Ginny graciously offered.

Hermione forced a smile, "Thanks Gin". And with that the two girls stood up and proceeded to the house and up to Ginny's room. Ginny immanently grabbed her suit and headed to the bathroom to change while Hermione pretended to look for her suit.

A loud thunder of footsteps came from the upper floors. Someone was most likely running down the stairs, excited for a dip in the cool lake. The sound quieted down and Hermione realized Ron was standing over her shoulder.

"Can you be any slower Hermione?" He teased

"Well, I'm having a bit of trouble finding my swimsuit"

"Just wear one of Gunny's. She won't mind"

"I could, but I don't really know if I want to swim"

"Hermione, if you can't swim we can teach you"

"I know how to swim Ronald"

"Then what's the matter?" said Ron, now getting frustrated because he really wanted to swim and didn't want to leave his friend behind.

Hermione paused and thought of an answer. "I-I err… feel insecure about how I look in my swim suit."

"Gah, Hermione don't be stupid. I thought you hated it when thin girls like Pavarti and Lavender insisted that they were fat, and now you're doing the exact same thing. Hermione you are not fat and never have been, in fact you look thinner than ever. And I'm pretty sure mum's noticed by the way she has been giving you all that extra food at meals."

Hermione walked over to the cot and sat down, looking at her feet. "Ron, it's not that. I don't think I'm fat or anything like that. I promise." Hermione thought it was a bit odd that she always thought she had an eating disorder. But then again, she had dropped some weight. Some of her clothes were now too large for her also.

"But you said you didn't like how you looked in a bathing suit, and honestly you do look thinner than you were at Hogwarts."

"When ever I don't eat it's because I'm not hungry, and I guess I just have a lot on my mind. I haven't felt like eating or doing much of anything for most of the summer."

"Hermione?"

"What Ron?" Hermione said looking up at him, and finally raising her head.

"You ok?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

"Hey! Are you guys coming or not? Fred and George are already down their" Ginny shouted presently as she walked into the room.

"Not Now Gin, you go on with out us" Her older brother instructed.

Ginny caught sight of Hermione; she was at the brink of tears. "Wha- Hermione what happened? Are you alright?"

"Just fine Ginny", Hermione lied to the younger girl.

"But—"

"Ginny this doesn't concern you" Ron said firmly.

"Alright", and with that Ginny left the room. The two soon to be forth years heard her go down the stairs.

"Ok uh are you alright Hermione?"

Hermione shook her head back and forth, "No, no I'm not"

"What's wrong?" Ron asked gently. He was very concerned about his dear friend. He noticed tears were streaming down her cheeks. He stood up and closed the door while grabbing a tissue and handing it to Hermione. He then sat close to her again.

Hermione didn't say anything she continued to cry, taking in hurried breaths in between sobs. Her face was bright red and slightly scrunched up. She thought of all that troubled her, about all she had let down and those she had lied to. She decided that she was not going to lie to Ron. But some how she couldn't get the words out, she hadn't had a good cry for a while.

Ron sat next to her, not knowing what to do. He felt badly that she was crying, that he inquired so much but he was worried and couldn't understand why she didn't want to swim. He wondered if he should put a hand on her back or hug her, but he didn't want to do the wrong thing and upset her even more, so he just sat their. After Hermione tears began to subside he decided to say something.

"I'm sure everything will be ok. Do you err want to talk about anything?"

Hermione looked up at him and gave him a sad smile, her cheeks shone with moisture. She nodded her head slightly.

"Are you sure?" she finally said.

"About what?"

"That everything will be alright"

"Positive", Ron said and suddenly decided to place a strong, comforting hand on her shoulder. She flinched with pain gasped, pulling away from is hand by instinct.

"Hermione?" he questioned her, concern quivering in his voice.

"Ron please keep this to your self", Hermione said quietly. She felt her heart beat harder, and felt nervous and over-heated "Please, please don't tell your mum or anyone" After she said that she pulled up the short sleeve of her tee-shirt. Ron saw what he had feared when his friend jumped at his touch.

"Hermione" He said with a gasp "I-I thought you stopped"

"Well with exams and everything…."

"Hermione, since before the exams? Why didn't you talk to me, I told you I'd help you"

"I-err didn't want to burden you. You had exams too, and you were also working on Beakey's trial."

"Why would you think that, why would you ever think that Harry or I would put other things before you or anyone else we care about?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, not looking Ron in the face.

"Hermione please stop cutting your self"

"I've tried", she said pathetically "I just can't stop"

Ron sighed, "Hermione if you let me help you I will try to make everything alright"

"I'll try to stop"

"Alright, well I guess we should get those cleaned up", He said gesturing to her shoulder. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go grab a something from down stairs to help heal them"

Ron left the room. Hermione sat alone. She couldn't believe he was acting so nice, she had expected him to freak out but he was staying reasonably calm.

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Oh god, oh god, oh god. Thought Ron as he walked quickly down the stairs. Why didn't she tell me? I told her I'd help her back at Hogwarts. How could she do this? Should I tell mum or someone? No I can't betray Hermione. I'm the only one that can help her. His thoughts circled round and round he almost didn't realize he was in the kitchen.

Alright need to find…ah there it is. He said picking up a book titled Common Magical Aliments and Afflictions. Ron thought it was best to know how to heal Hermione before he actually tried. He knew Hermione wouldn't heal them her self, she couldn't use magic out side of school anyway. He turned through the pages hurriedly.

"Ron, what are you doing?" a voice near the door spoke.

Ron whipped his head around. George.

"Wha- are you doing here?"

"Oh my dear brother have you forgotten that I live here" He said as he dried his hair. He was still wet and had on a pair of green swim trunks.

"Well no I err just thought you were swimming"

"Yeah well got hungry. Do you know if we still have any pumpkin pasties?"

Ron didn't answer; his attention was turned to the book. He started to read how to treat cuts and scraped magically.

"Ron?"

"Wha-"

"Didn't you hear me?"

"Sorry"

"I asked if we have any pumpkin pasties."

"Dunno" Ron said absently as he read.

"What's that you got there?"

"N-nothing"

George walked to his younger brother and read the title of the book. "If you are looking on how to cure that dense head you have I hate to disappoint you but it is incurable"

Ron said nothing. That's odd thought George he normally gets mad when I tease him. He normally at least says knock it off or something. George stood closer to his younger brother and saw was reading.

"Why are you reading that Ron"

Ron shut the book at once. "Nothing…I err was just curious about something"

"You're horrible at lying you know; you didn't bump into anything and get hurt up there did you?

"No I-just"

"Just what?"

"Just lay off it. It's none of your business" And with that he went back upstairs. George watched him leave, feeling as though something was going on and utterly in the dark. Oh well, he thought, I'll find out anyways. Secrets aren't kept long in this house. He shrugged it off and started to rummage through the nearest cupboard to find the pumpkin pasties. It's probably nothing anyway.

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Ron hurried back up the stairs and into the bathroom. He opened the cabinet under the sink, searching for the right thing. "Lets see….burse past, cough potion, burn past, hiccupping solution, sleeping potion, Ah!" Said Ron as he finally found the two potions he was looking for. He grabbed the murtlap essence, wound cleaning potion, and two clean rags. Ron took walked out of the bathroom and down into His little sister's room.

Hermione still sat where she had been when he left. She sat their leg crossed, arms crossed, looking down at her feet. He couldn't see her face with her head pointed down and her bushy brown hair.

Ron steeped into the room, Hermione turned her head as she heard him come it. Her cheeks were tear-stained again. Ron walked to her and knelt on the ground as he opened the first potion (the wound cleansing potion).

"You alright?"

Hermione sniffed and dried her tears with her arm. "Yeah. Just thinking"

Ron pored the potion on the rag and sat next to Hermione.

"Oh. Err I know I already asked this but… is their anything you want to talk about?"

"Oh I just don't know. I haven't really been happy for weeks. I'm so scared about failing and disappointing someone."

"Um could you hold up your sleeve so I can clean it?"

Hermione lifted it, and continued to talk. "And sometimes it seems like no one notice's me or I just feel really left out."

"What do you mean?" said Ron as he started to rub to rag gently over her cuts

Hermione squinted because of the burn from the potion.

"Oh sorry I forgot to warn you, this stuff kinda burns"

"This is worse then the muggle products"

"Well it should work better too. If anything is infected this will get rid of it"

Hermione nodded.

"You were saying"

"Yeah well sometimes when you and Harry go on and on about qudditch or my parents. There so busy with work and stuff. They sometimes have to stop what their doing to help a patient with a bad tooth ache or something. They didn't even notice that I talked and smiled less this summer. At school I guess it's a little different though. I know some people like you, Harry, Lavender, and Parvati noticed I was depressed. But others didn't. Ginny is my best female friend and she didn't. Neither did the teachers, not even a day or two when I cried in class. Not even McGonagall."

"I'm sure she noticed. I know Ginny did, she was really worried. Don't worry I didn't tell her anything."

"Thanks"

"No problem. And some people probably did notice. McGonagall is after all our head of house. She might have even owled you mum and dad. They maybe just weren't sure how to help you if you even needed help. They could have just though it was cause of all you classes"

"Then why didn't they say anything to me"

"Why do you think?"

Hermione would have shrugged her shoulders but Ron had moved on to her other one and was again experiencing a strong burning sensation.

"It is because everyone knows your school work is extremely important to you, and you had more than possible anyone else in the school, if not defiantly the year. With all that work, maybe some people didn't want to bother you and you would be better after the end of the year exams"

"But you and Harry…"

"Don't you even try to say Harry or I didn't try to talk to you. I was the one who went looking for you that day in Myrtles bathroom. It also didn't seem…..well at times it was best to leave you alone", said Ron as he removed the rag from Hermione's skin.

A puzzling look appeared on Hermione's face, her shoulder still felt an uncomfortable burn.

"You would always yell at anyone who disturbed you from your work. Harry and I both tried"

"He doesn't know, does he?"

"No Hermione, I like to keep my word but I had known you didn't stop after that day then…I don't know, I probably would have told him. I told him that I got a chance to talk to you though. I said school was just hard for you this year. I guess at the end of the year that time turned had to do with a lot of your stress."

By this time Ron had already poured the murtlap essence on the rag and placed it on Hermione's shoulder. The burning went away and was replaced with a nice cool sensation. After both of her shoulders were soothed much of the redness was gone but the more recent cuts and the all scars remained. She still also has all the scars on her arms from the school year. They were hidden under a protective layer of make up.

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"Where do you think George is with those pumpkin pasties?" George shed his little sister.

"Dunno" said Ginny as she danged her feet into the lake water. George was out farther in the water.

"Didn't Ron and Hermione say they were coming?"

"They said to go on with out us?"

"But do you think they are coming?"

Ginny shrugged her shoulders "I don't know. They were just talking"

"b'out what"

"Why are you so curious? I don't know I just know Hermione seemed upset"

"Well if they come then we might not have enough pumpkin pasties if they come when George gets back"

Ginny sighed in a frustrated manner. She thought of Hermione, she still didn't seem the same. She had thought everything would be back after her exams. Her mind continued to wonder as she saw George walking towards the lake with a bag of potato crisps in hand.