A/N: FINALLY! Exams are over. Well, I'm gonna have final exams in 3 weeks. I'm soo excited. I'm glad I'm back to updating this story! I'm so excited to write the Yule Ball chapter which doesn't come until later chapters, sadly. Thanks to JeanAndBilius, WeasleyIsMyKing540, mysterious Guest 1, and anonymous Guest 2 (THE LUCKY 50TH REVIEWER!).

I'm currently thinking of what to do because I've just reached 50 reviews. Which I thought was impossible to accomplish, but I guess it wasn't :D Thanks for making this teenager with raging hormones happy and grateful. Thanks to those who have stuck thick and through with me on the adventure of becoming a F.F. writer! I think I improved ever since the first few chapters of this story.

As always, feedback is appreciated!

Warning: Swearing.

Disclaimer: No, just no. I don't own HP or any of these characters in this story. J.K. Rowling does though!

Chapter 17 ~ Dark Magic

Hermione sat at the maroon colored couch in the corner of the tent, looking at how happy the Weasleys were, and surprisingly Harry as well. Hermione had never seen them so happy in such a long time. She's never thought that any of them would see the light of the day ever again since they've all learned the truth of Pettigrew. Harry more specifically, kept his feelings to himself over the past few months every since the incident about Pettigrew. A small smile crept along her face at the sight.

The flaming red haired boy stopped laughing along with Harry, to spot a lonely Hermione sitting by herself. He walked up slowly to her. Ron sat next to her on the maroon colored couch. He drank the last gulp of his butterbeer and settled it aside. He cleared his throat, wanting to end their silence.

"Hey.." Hermione greeted him.

"Hey.." He replied, with a lopsided grin.

Ron's stomach started to do flips and turns. He smelled smoke and fear.

"Hermione! We have to get out of here!" Ron screamed out loud.

Confused, she questioned him, "Why?"

"EVERYONE OUT! Fred and George take Ginny! Ron, Hermione and Harry, stick together!" The shout of panic came from Arthur.

The tent started to burn done. Everyone in the campground went to evacuate the place by apparating or some even used a portkey to get out.

There were wizards and witches scrambled about, panicking and running all over the place. The screams of terror filled the once happy land. As soon, as everyone from the tent went out, they were separated from one another. The trio was separated from everyone.

A rush of panic filled the place. Ron sniffed the air to smell the scent of Hermione or Harry. All he smelled was fear.

"RON!" Hermione screamed out while being dragged away from him. Ron's eyes widened at the fear in her voice.

"HERMIONE!" He called back.

Ron was wandering around hopelessly in search of his family and his two best friends. It must have been hours because the whole camp was burnt to crisp. It left fumes of ashes, entering Ron's lungs.

Ron sniffed around to smell the scent of vanilla. It was Hermione. Ron ran to the scent which leads him to a very weary Hermione and Harry, who were looking and pacing around for Ron.

"Hermione! Harry!" Ron went up running up to them. Hermione and Harry spotted him, relieved to see him alive and well.

Just as about Ron was there to hug the both of them, a shadowed figure appears before him, casting a curse on him. He was struck by a dark green curse. Before he fainted, he saw the man having yellow eyes. He wore a black cloak and a hoodie.

"We've returned.." The husky voice whispered menacingly.

Ron was welcomed to the darkness.

Ron woke up from the morning rays, from the opened window of his room. His eyes fluttered open, and his eyes started to dart around the room until he saw a very weary plumped woman with flaming red hair.

"Ronnie!" She exclaimed shocked, yet happy to see him awake.

"M-mum. Wha-what happened?" Ron's voice turn out raspy, from his dried mouth. He started to remember a few of the events, as it flashed before him.

"Hermione!" He shouted put. He looked around not caring if his body was in a weak state.

"Ronnie, please calm down. She'll safe. The rest are too.." Ron sighed in relief laying back on his bed. He took deep breaths.

"What happened to me? I remember seeing dark green sparks.." Ron said to his mother.

"Healer Franklin Greenfield will tell you.." A short man with short sandy hair appeared in Ron's room.

"Ah, I see he's awake.." Healer Greenfield said. He approached Ron, and cleared his throat, ready to tell Ron everything.

"Now, how are you feeling Mister Weasley?" He questioned him, while he scooted a stool near his bed.

"Feels like I've been hit by 10 bludgers all at once.." Ron commented. Healer Greenfield chuckled from his response.

"It'll get better, don't worry." The healer flipped through the pages on his clipboard rereading his inspections.

"Ah, yes. You've been cursed with dark magic. A dangerous curse, for the one who had been hit by it.." He said reading the paper.

"Wh-what's gonna happen to me?" Ron said acting a little more weary, than usual.

"This dark magic makes the person more animal like. Your temper will be unsustainable. Whenever you experience this, you could cause harm to the person nearest to you." Ron's eyes were wide open by the information.

He shivered at the thought of hurting Hermione. He'd never!

Ron looked up at his mother, who was also shocked by the report.

"Don't worry, there's a potion the lessen the chances of that ever happening." He said as he showed the vial of dark purple, with a swirl of cyan blue in the middle. Ron had cold sweat dripping down on his forehead.

"Well, I'll leave you two, alone. I must be off to my next patient. The poor wizard had his legs stunned for hours, due to an abnormal curse. Cheers!" The healer disapparated. Ron looked at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths.

"Oh, Ronnie.." Molly said in a saddened voice. She felt sympathy towards the youngest son. He's been put up with too much tough shit. She knew he would lose his innocence at a such a young age.

"Mum, I wanna take a nap. I'm just. Tired." He told his mother. She nodded her head and walked out, leaving the door slightly ajar on her way out.

Ron closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

"Harry, is Ron alright?" Hermione questioned the boy who had messy jet black hair. He looked at her chocolate brown eyes.

"I'm sure he's alright. He's just isn't feeling so well. That's all." He gave her a reassuring smile. Just when Hermione was about to comment on his response, Molly came in with a saddened expression on her face.

"Mrs. Weasley! What happened to him?" Hermione immediately asked the mother.

"H-he's fine. He'll prevail.." She replied to her. Hermione however, wanted the truth. She stood up and ran up to stairs to Ron's room. The bushy brunette spotted him and closed the door behind her shut. She scooted a chair near to the side of his bed. He looked at his resting body. The first thing she saw was his unbelievable pale face.

She saw him moving a bit.

'Probably, a bad dream..' Hermione said to herself. He started to mumble under his breath, making Hermione even weary. His resting figure turned to the side where Hermione was observing him.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Ron grabbed Hermione's wrist, tightly as if he were a snake choking his prey.

"Ron, stop!" Hermione yelped out in pain.

"Kill. Kill.. KILL!" Ron tugged roughly onto Hermione, and it made her fall on his bed. Hermione was in a state of panic. Ron growled as if he was in his werewolf form. Hermione saw his teeth getting sharper, and claws were forming.

"HELP!" Hermione yelled out. She dug into her pockets with her free hand, but she soon realized that she had left it downstairs. She was scared of the situation at hand. Ron Weasley, the one whom Hermione fancied, was hurting her? Hermione whimpered in pain, as she saw the angry expression on Ron's face. She heard the door swung open quickly.

"Impedimenta!" She heard Mrs. Weasley's voice saying the spell and pointing her wand directly as Ron's figure. Ron was frozen at his spot. His hand was still grasped around Hermione's wrist. Her hand almost looked completely pale.

"H-he started to lash out, but he was still sleeping!" Hermione said, with her eyes clouded with confusion. It looked like she was about to cry.

"Hermione, dear.. He's been cursed with dark magic.." She said in a soft tone. Hermione's eyes were wide with the information. She looked down to see the unaware Ron. She sighed with sad eyes and tried to retreat her wrist back to her. She looked up at Ron's mother.

"Unfreeze him. I know how to deal with this." Hermione said to Molly. She took a deep breath and mumbled an incantation and pointed her wand at Ron's frozen state.

Ron was once again, lively. He was moving around more violently. Hermione cupped her free hand on Ron's soft pale face. "Ron.." She whispered in a soft tone.

Ron's eyes opened, it was clouded with confusion and hate. However, Hermione knew he thought she was still the attacker in his nightmare. He blinked a couple of times. His eyes softened at the sight of Hermione with her concerned chocolate eyes. It almost looked like she was about to cry. Ron was panting in a rapid pace, sweating as if he ran 50 miles. He saw he was grasping onto Hermione's wrist rather tightly. The terrified red haired boy retreated his hand away from Hermione's wrist, not wanting to cause anymore pain to her.

"Wh-what happened?" Ron managed to croak out. He was trying to avoid any eye contact from Hermione.

"You had a nasty nightmare. I guess you thought I was the attacker in your dream.." Hermione elaborated at the confused red haired boy. Ron swallowed the lump in the throat. His eyes wandered about and it landed explicitly at Hermione's wrist that was glowing a dangerous color of red. Her hands were still pretty pale, but it was soon filled with the same dangerous red color.

"Did I do this?" Ron whispered, as he gently grabbed Hermione's wrist to get a better view of it. Guilt wrapped him up as if he was suffocating to death.

"It's alright. Don't worry." Hermione reassured him with little success.

"It's not alright!" Ron exclaimed unexpectedly, making Hermione jump a bit. "I harmed you! I'll never forgive myself!" He paused. "I'm so bloody stupid.." He said with sorry eyes.

"It's not your fault. You were just consumed by the dark magic in you." Hermione came up with the most logical answer she could come up with. Ron just nodded his head for, no. Molly came in with a vial of Sleep Draught.

"Hermione, let him rest. My poor son has put up with too much and this is just adding to his insecurities." She said to Hermione. Hermione nodded and went off of the stool. Ron noticed she was about to leave him.

"I'm sorry.." He said in a whisper.

"It's alright, Ron.," Hermione said to him with a small smile. Ron returned the smile with a lopsided grin.

"Drink up, Ronnie." Ron drank up all the contents of the vial. His eyes became heavy. The last thing he saw was Hermione wiping away a single tear from her right eye.