Here is the next chapter! Read and enjoy!

Ron at breakfast, and Hermione in thoughts

The great hall was filled when Ron arrived. Everyone was chatting with each other, no doubt about the ball the night before. Ron felt sick. Why was everything as normal when he wasn't?

He made his way to the Gryffindor table glancing at the Slytherin table. Malfoy hadn't arrived yet. Ron snorted. He bet the slytherin had been sleeping the whole night, peacefully in his bed. Why would he be effected by the nights happenings?

When he sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table, all of his house mates went silent before they started whispering. Soon, more people started to notice that something was happening at the lions table. He could hear two girls talking to each other.

"Why isn't he sitting by his girlfriend?"

"She's not here silly!" the other girl informed her friend. Ron looked up towards the other end if the table. No, they were right. She wasn't there. Ron went back to his breakfast and was soon joined by Dean, Seamus, Neville, Lavender, and Parvati.

They didn't say anything at first, just checking if he was about to tell them what had happened, but Ron stayed silent. What was he suppose to say? Surely not the truth, that much was clear.

"What happened?" It was Dean who had spoken, and the others looked like they where going to bristle any minute. Ron gave Dean a look that clearly told him to back off.

"I don't want to talk about it guys. I'm not in the mood." Surprisingly, they didn't ask anything else. They started to eat some breakfast, and after a while, Lavender spoke up.

"I can't believe Hermione did that to Tess." She spoke in a low tone, revealing her anger at the girl. Seamus slammed his fork down in the pile of pancakes and Neville held a hard grip on his goblet, looking at it with a hard glare. Ron wondered if Neville knew that it was just a goblet, or maybe he imagined that it was something else.

"After you left Ron, she started to make excuses. Saying that she hadn't meant to say all that, that she had been rash and that Tess knew that she really didn't mean it. She stopped when Neville told her off."

At this, Ron looked up at his otherwise why friend. "What?"

Neville blushed. "I told her to start using that great brain of hers. I mean, just because Tess went to the ball with Malfoy doesn't mean that she don't care about her. And if Malfoy can make Tess happy, I will have no problem with it."

They all stared at him.

"What? You can't seriously say that you haven't seen how lonely she is? She has friends of course, maybe more than anyone of us have, but except for Ron, she has no one she feels that she can talk to."

Ron stared.

"Yes Ron, she told me that herself. I don't know if you know how much you mean to her."

Ron couldn't take it anymore. He gathered his things and threw his bag over his shoulder and started to leave. "Where are you going mate?" Dean asked.

"I see you in class", was Ron's reply. He had to get out of there before he broke down in the middle of the Great Hall.

When he came out to the entrance hall, he ran up the stair and turned right and int a empty class room.

What Neville had told him had made him want to cry. She trusted him, more than someone one else. He just had to help her out of this, no matter the costs. He breathed three deep breaths before stepping out into the corridor again, and headed for transfiguration class.

Hermione walked down late for breakfast this morning. She was a bit nervous about her house mates reactions.

She didn't really know why she had said all those things. Sure, she had been truthful, but now she would be completely alone with no friends. Good Hermione, really smart! She thought for herself. Openly defy The girl who lived. Splendid.

She had always been in the shadow of Tess, always. When she had arrived at Hogwarts, she had thought that she would be able to prove to everyone that she was smart, and that that would give her lots of friends. But things never goes as planned.

Theresa Potter had been in her year, and she had taken all the attention. Everyone had ignored the clever brown haired girl, and everyone had seen the small girl with the ugly scar on her forehead.

And now Tess had betrayed her, going out with Draco Malfoy, the mudblood hater. And stolen her boyfriend! OH she was going to show that girl.

Severus had seated himself beside the bed. He held a book in his hands and looked at the girl in his bed. She had changed over the years. He remembered when he first had laid eyes on her seven years ago.

He had seen James Potter.

But now, all he could see was a young black haired girl, with a face totally unknown to him. She was no linger the living copy of James, and when he thought of it, she had never really been.

She moved slightly and her eyelids started to open. He set aside the book and looked at the green eyes that now was staring at him. Severus was chocked at all the emotions displaying in the young womans eyes.

She just stared at him, trying to speak with her eyes, and soon, tears started to make their way down on her cheeks. She hide her face in the soft pillow and soon, her whole body where shaking.

Severus didn't know what to do. He had never been good at comforting people, but as her sobs grew louder, he couldn't resist. He rose and took the step up to the bed, sitting down beside the girl and lifted the her up from the pillows and gathered her in his arms. At first, she stiffened, but soon she melted int his arms and rested her head on his chest, crying as silently as possible.

Severus just sat there, hugging the girl close.

Tess was aware that the man holding her was her potion master, but right now, she really didn't care. She felt her emotions boil inside her, and all she wanted to do was to scream, but she stayed silent.

She barely remembered what had happened, all she could remember was Hermione's hurtful words, she standing on the banister looking down to a certain death and Ron's voice pleading with her to step down. Also, she remembered slipping and being caught by a blond haired young man, that had to be Malfoy.

When she thought about Ron, she cried even more. She had promised. Promised not to do that again, and she had broken his trust. He was going to hate her now. Oh god, why couldn't Malfoy had let her fall? She was just a useless waste of time and space, and now, she was sure that Ron would leave her too, just because of the trouble she had made. What a horrible person she was!

She felt comfortable in the warm arms, and thought that this had to be the first time she had been hugged like this, like...like the hug of a father.

She knew that the man would release soon, when he realized what he was doing, and she would be rejected again.

Okay people! I want LOADS of reviews!