A/N: First of all, I apologize for the delay in posting. It's been a trying month and I didn't have much time for anything non-school. Much love to my fabulous readers, especially pettybureaucrat and cherry-cokegirl. I'm glad someone else would like nothing more than to kick Draco where it hurts. However, since he's not real anywhere but our heads and books…

Err, the disclaimer is on the first chapter, I own nothing but my crazy imagination.

I really like reviews. My muse whispers to me when I read them, and this rabid plot bunny comes up to me and drags me off. It's kind of fun. 

NOW FOR THE CHAPTER!

IV

Harry stroked Hedwig in an effort to calm her down as Ron paced around the room. He's going to wear a hole into his floor with all that pacing! Harry thought irritably. Pausing to spare a glance at the window, Ron scowled then continued pacing.

There was a spectacular thunderstorm outside the Weasley home. Thunder occasionally shook the house and Harry had a horrible vision of the entire thing coming tumbling down around their ears. Hedwig was trembling visibly due to the ferocity of the storm, combined with the equal ferocity on Ron's face whenever he looked outside or at the now dry owl.

Harry sighed. When he told Ron about the plan he had, the rash Gryffindor didn't think that maybe they should wait until the storm was over to put it into action. It was a very simple plan, really: send Hedwig with a note to Remus, and then follow her on broomstick to wherever he happened to be hiding. It's amazing how quickly the plan went wrong… thought Harry. Ron took Hedwig outside and was mounting up on his broom when his mother found him and threatened to hex him to next Thursday if he didn't get out of the rain. She fussed over Hedwig ("The poor owl, what were you thinking sending her out in this ghastly weather!") and told Ron that he could send a letter with Pig when the storm cleared. Ron however seemed to think it was all Hedwig's fault. Harry shook his head sadly. He wasn't sure why Hedwig couldn't stand thunderstorms like this, but might have something to do with how it might be more terrifying being with an angry Ron and an impatient Harry instead of with her own kind.

Harry felt a pang at this thought. He missed Hermione dearly, and missed Ginny also. Wasn't it enough that Hermione was missing? Couldn't Ginny just come home to him? That was a dangerous thought too, and he pushed it away.

I can't give in! If I ask for her help she'll just get hurt. Look what happens to everyone I ever cared about! Shake it off Harry…

Ron finally stopped pacing and lay down glumly on his bed. He stared at the ceiling for a while, then shattered the silence with a hesitant sentence.

"Hey Harry… You know… Ginny might - "

"No way, Ron." Harry stated with finality.

"You don't even know what I'm going to say mate!" Ron said, exasperated. "Would it kill you to listen?"

Harry snorted, thinking of how many times Hermione had said that to both of them over the years, then frowned. "Go on then."

"I've been thinking about it for a while, and Ithinkshemightstilllikeyou". Ron said the last bit a little too fast for Harry to fully comprehend at first. Continuing on while carefully not looking at Harry's facial expression, "She was really… happy with you, and she's not been herself since Dumbledore's funeral." He looked a bit pained that he was admitting that his baby sister should be dating at all, especially since it was his best mate and had broken her heart in the past. "I know that you don't want her to get hurt in the war, but… trying to keep Ginny from doing something is asking for a lot of trouble. I've been on the wrong end of her Bat-Bogey hex more than a few times for things I've done. Plus, didn't Dumbledore say… I mean, isn't love the one thing you've got that You-Know-Who… V-Voldemort doesn't have?"

These words from Ron's mouth were probably the most surprising thing Harry had ever heard. The fact that he actually said Voldemort's name was a cause to examine this carefully. He tried a light-hearted tone,

"Hey Ron, are you feeling ok? You're not under the Imperius or some Death Eater using Polyjuice, are you?"

"Harry! I'm bloody well serious!" Ron looked injured at the suggestion that he might not be able to fight off Imperio if it was cast on him, and Harry laughed.

"I'm just messing with you, mate. All joking aside though, why are you bringing this up now? Surely you don't want your sister to be with such a …" Harry searched for a word, shook his head and said instead, "The whole point of me not being with Ginny was to keep her safe. Voldemort wouldn't hesitate to capture her and use her to get to me."

"Right, you think that being friends with you isn't enough to get someone into trouble? Look at Hermione!" Ron choked on her name, and turned away, his eyes very shiny. He kept going though,

"You think the Order members' families aren't targets anyways? Come on Harry! We've all got bull's-eyes painted on our backs until that bloody madman is taken care of! Hell, she could probably help us find the horcruxes, seeing as she got hoodwinked by one of them. I know you miss her, and I miss her too. It's bloody irritating when your sister avoids you because you're sharing a room with someone she thinks doesn't like her." He dropped the volume of his voice and said, "I miss them both, Harry."

"Me too Ron," is all Harry said.

• • •

Deep underground, Hermione's only indication that there was a storm going on outside was the water that started dripping from somewhere in the hall outside her dank cell. Her ear fixed onto it and after a while she became very irritated with the constant drip…drip…drip…

"I'm going to go mad if I have to listen to that any longer!" she cried out, unable to take it any longer. Her voice seemed out of place here, as though only silence were permitted. Where did she remember that from? The force of the memory hit her so hard she would have staggered had she been standing.

FLASHBACK

All around her were books, some stacked neatly on shelves, while others were haphazardly piled around her at a table. This was her sanctuary, the unbroken silence of the library and the company of books. Furrowing her brow in concentration, she didn't hear anyone come up to her or pull up the chair across from her. Only the feeling of eyes watching her tore her away from her book. She looked up and saw straight into deep brown eyes across from her, seemingly entranced by her. His goofy grin touched her heart as he reached over and took the book from her, whispering, "You would be here. Quit looking things up! Can't you take a break for once?" He stood up and took her hand, the goofy look replaced by something serious.

"Hermione… I…" he trailed off. "You know I wasn't that interested in Lavender right? I mean, she… Alright, I'll admit it, I was jealous of McLaggen and you going to Slug's party, and you with Krum at the ball, and I just wanted to make you feel like I did." His ears were a deep maroon by this point.

She stood up and said softly, "I forgive you," and surprised herself by kissing him right there in the library.

END FLASHBACK

Wow… Hermione thought to herself. She laughed and thought, Not only do I know my name, but apparently someone out there cares about me.

She lay back down, and for the first time in her memory in this hellish dungeon, Hermione smiled.

So my faithful readers, like it? Hate it? Have a random comment about nothing in particular? Feel free to review! Wouldn't mind breaking the 10 review barrier wink wink nudge nudge.