A/N: This is just a little piece based on a vague theory I had. And I added in some founder's stuff, just for fun. The end is a bit off, but I'm keeping it. Enjoy!

"Ron!"

"You can't save him now, Mudblood!"

"No!"

"Crucio!"

"No, Ron! Stupefy!"

"Ron! Ron!"

"Hermione, I... I..."

"Shh, Ron. It will be alright. Everything will be alright."

& & &

Hermione was pacing, her mind racing. She was in the house she had come to call home. But there was no time for silly thoughts like that. She had more important thoughts to think. She had to think about him.

Ron's bedroom door creaked slowly open, and Hermione stopped pacing with a jolt. Mrs Weasley stepped out, looking weaker then when she heard that they were going. Looking weaker then when she heard what Harry had to do.

The younger rushed to the older, fear and weakness spreading to her visage. And her heart.

"What is it? Will he be alright?" She was practically shaking.

The eldest could only nod. She stepped aside, leaving the door open for Hermione. She knew it was time for her.

She sped through, worry overriding her manners.

& & &

He lay still on his bed. On the bed he had always had. On the obnoxious orange bedspread with the two black C's. His face was still, he looked almost peaceful, lying there.

But Hermione knew better. She had seen him sleep before. He never lay so still, and certainly not so silent. It was disconcerting to watch, but she could not take her eyes off him.

Carefully, apprehensively, she placed a hand on Ron's forehead. He was burning up. Sweat covered his freckly face. Quickly she withdrew her hand.

Then she crumpled her head on his chest. Why did they have to do this to you? She asked, crying into him. Because he's Harry Potter's best friend, that's why. Her head rose, expecting-no-wishing to meet his blue eyed gaze. But why did he also have to be mine?

& & &

"Hermione, you look a dreadful mess." Molly was standing in the doorway, wrapped in a large Weasley jumper. "Come downstairs and have some breakfast."

But Hermione did not answer. She was sitting in a chair next to Ron's bed, which was her new post. She had not left the room in days, and really did look terrible. Her busy hair was matted, and her face tear stained. She had not slept much either. How can I think of sleep? Was her answer to her body's pleas.

"No thank you, Mrs Weasley," Hermione answered, in a voice that sounded as if it had forgotten how to be used properly.

The woman only nodded as she left the room. She understood that the duty had been passed along, and so she left in peace.

& & &

"Ron!"

Bloody Hell. He was cornered.

"You can't save him now, Mudblood!"

Oh Damn. And his wand was gone too.

"No!"

No. No. No. He was not going down like this.

"Crucio!"

Agony! Unbearable! Torture! He screamed and crumpled.

"No, Ron! Stupefy!"

It lessened. Misery. He was going... going...

"Ron! Ron!"

But he had to stay. He had to help her.

"Hermione, I... I..."

He forced himself to open his eyes, looking right into hers.

"Shh, Ron. It will be alright. Everything will be alright."

He was gone.

& & &

Days turned to weeks, and weeks elongated to seem like years. But Hermione was to sensible to believe that she had been watching, waiting, for more then two weeks. But it felt like so much more.

Ron's condition had not improved. If anything he felt like he was going to go up in flame any moment. It will be a miracle if he pulls through. The thought drifted in without warning. She pushed it right back out again. We can't be thinking thoughts like that. No, no, no.

So, to keep her mind at ease, she began to read to him. It might have been useless, but it was the only thing that she could do.

And so Hermione read to him. Out of a book she never would have believed he would hear. She read to him out of Hogwarts: A History.

& & &

He was sitting a long table. One of four tables in a Great Hall. A man wearing red robes was sitting at the head of his table. Ron decided that if he ever needed a knight in shining armor, he'd call this guy. He looked like he could face a hundred giant spiders, and never even flinch. Suddenly a large stream of violet stars shot up towards the ceiling, from a Witch two tables down. The ceiling was covered in smoke for a moment, before returning. But not in its normal form. It looked just like the sky above it.

Cheers erupted from all around him. A motherly looking witch from the next table squealed and rushed over to the one who had performed the spell. "Oh wEna! It's wonderful!"

There was only one other adult wizard in the room. He wore a snake around his neck. He looked evil, to Ron. But then the snake man caught the eye of his Knight, and he was surprised to see them both grin at each other.

Why would the Knight befriend the Dragon?

& & &

Hermione had enough. Ron wouldn't want to read this, even if was conscious. He would probably not want to know that he had been forced to listen to it against his will either.

So, with a snap, she closed the book. But now she felt lost. Lost, hopeless, and without the sound of her voice, totally alone.

She wouldn't stand for it. By the look of the window, it looked to be very late, or very early. Hermione knew it would be easy to sneak down to the room where her things where kept, unnoticed and unheard. But she knew that the moment she left something would happen to Ron. Something for the worse.

She left the door ajar, as she ran at top speed to fetch her books. When she returned she shut the door guilty. She began pouring over the books. Looking for something. Something.

& & &

A floating sensation. Like being on a broomstick. Ron looked around him and saw that he was, in fact, floating on a broomstick in the middle of a large, open field. About ten other people were flying around him, chasing one another and passing a large, red ball.

He was darting around, the broom he was on was not as advanced as the one he usually flew on, but was still fairly good. He had not been a broom in so long; it felt good to finally fly again.

"Well this wont do at all!" the man who had sat at the head of Ron's table flew up next to him. "All this open space? We might loose something!"

"Allow me to fix that, Godric," called the snake man from down below. He muttered something, and out of his want erupted a large wall, that surrounded the people on broomsticks.

"Excellent!" Godric called, speeding along the walls, before coming to a stop. "Oy! Round up, everyone."

What was going on?

& & &

"Please, Hermione dear, you must at least go and wash yourself up a bit." Molly was standing in the doorway, looking as worried as Hermione had ever seen her. Her flaming red hair seemed to have lost some of its sheen, and her blue eyes had a gaunt look about them.

"No thank you Molly," Hermione replied, still pouring over, One Hundred Magical Herbs and Fungi, "I've got loads of work to do."

Mrs Weasley nodded and stepped out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Hermione left it there, not interested in the state of the door or room surrounding her.

Dadorian Tupius

While the odor of the crushed leaves is highly toxic to anyone that inhales it,

the medical uses of this exotic plant are innumerable.

One of them being its ability to revive people suffering from Crucitis.

When the roots of the Dadorian are boiled, they gain many medical qualities,

and, when included in the right potion, are able to cure this terrible disease.

& & &

Ron was sitting in a huge arm chair, the very same chair he used to sit in when he was at school. The Common room looked almost the same, only with less chairs and paintings. And definitely less student inside it. But the fire burned just as brightly, and he felt just as home in it.

There was no difference really, Ron thought, even the whisperings of gossip still floated shamelessly about.

"Did you hear? They might not be letting them in"

"Yea, you notice there aren't any in that house anyway"

Ron's ears perked up.

"The tensions are getting high now. They aren't as friendly as they used to be."

"It's a pity; we only have four teachers to begin with."

"And they seemed like brothers!"

"But really, I'm a muggleborn! They can't just stop letting us in."

These wisps of gossip pulled at Ron's memory. Something Professor Bins had once said probably. He could feel something big happening. Something in the very core of the school.

A rift formed between Slytherin and the others...

& & &

The stack of books Hermione had accumulated over the years was alarming in size at best. If she had time, she would have marveled at the fact that these days she really did not need the Hogwarts' Library, when her own collection of books covered all the topics she could think of researching.

But she did not have the time to stand around and gawk at a stack of books. Hermione was sitting at the edge of Ron's bed, pulling A Beginning Healer's Guide to Magical Ailments onto her lap.

She found the page she was looking for, and eagerly swallowed the information.

Crucitis

Crucitis is a rare, but terrible disease.

It is caused when a person is subject to a particularly strong Cruciatus Curse.

The Cruciatus Curse, is of course, Unforgivable.

Crucitis places the victim of the curse into an almost deathly state.

The victim will fall into a state best described as 'sleep.'

While in this sleep, the invalid will run a fever and sweat, but their temperature will slowly decrease over time.

After having Crucitis for about a month, it will be essential for the invalid to receive nutrients, but, because of the nature of their illness, will be unable to eat or drink.

It is at this time when they usually pass on.

The only known cure for Crucitis is the Crucidorian potion.

The Crucidorian potion is extremely complex, and utilizes the Dadorian Tupius plant.

When brewed and administered properly, the Crucidorian potion will restore the person to full health, though they will need at least (varying from person to person) a week of rest.

& & &

There was a worried air about the castle. Ron wasn't the only one who could feel it. It seemed common knowledge around the school that the teachers were tense. Gossip always flew quickly at Hogwarts. But none of the inhabitants could have guessed how tragic the truth was.

Once they had been all so eager to help one another, making the school the best place it could be. But now, it did not seem so. Especially the one.

The truth of the matter was soon brought to their attention. Ron was sitting, eating breakfast, when shouts began to echo throughout the Great Hall.

"You can't! Be reasonable! They have magic!"

"They are of muggle! Muggles don't have magic!"

"Well, if you look at it, they do, technically have magic. Not much is known about how it gets there, but you cannot deny that it is there."

"I'll deny whatever I bloody well want!"

At this Helga's eyes filled with tears. "What did they ever do to you?" she asked, before fleeing the room. Rowena went to comfort her friend, but not before shooting the man who caused the trouble a deathly glare.

"Leave."

"What?"

"Leave, Salazar. Leave. And never come back."

"What?! I created this place! Without me, it is nothing!"

"I said leave. Do you understand me?" The Knight had not looked at his friend the entire fight. And he wasn't looking now.

"I can tell when I'm not wanted!" The Dragon turned, and almost flew out of the great oak doors. But he stopped. "One day, my one true heir will return. And then, then you will see how right I was." A strange hissing came from his mouth.

And then he was gone.

& & &

She was desperate. It had been three and a half weeks. There was only half a week before Ron would begin to...begin to...She shuddered at the thought.

But there was still hope. Somehow, some way, Hermione had found his illness. And, more importantly, she had found the potion to cure it. Snape was good for something after all, she thought to herself, stirring the potion fervently. She had the Prince's copy of Advanced Potion Making open on the bed. The potion usually took a week to make, but with Snape's shortcuts it would only take three days.

Hermione listened to the faint simmering of the potion. Two more days, she thought, with a glance at Ron. He was still pale and sweat was visible on his forehead.

Just two more days.

& & &

Ron was staring blankly at the great stone ceiling in his dormitory. It seemed so quiet. Almost peaceful now. The quiet surrounded him, carrying him off to sleep.

But then suddenly, as if in a dream, he heard a voice calling him.

"Ron, Ron, can you hear me?"

He opened his eyes. The ceiling seemed blurry. Less solid.

"Ron? Ron? Please wake up. Oh please, please wake up."

He blinked. The room he was in seemed to be made of smoke, and the voice seemed more real.

"Oh no. It didn't work. I should've just brewed it the normal way. I've failed. Please Ron! Ron!"

The voice sounded desperate. He blinked again.

"Hermione?"

She was sobbing on the copy of Advanced Potion Making, but then she looked up.

"Ron?" she choked. "You're, you're, okay?"

"Yea, I guess I am."

And with that she threw her arms around him, and sobbed into his shoulder.

& & &

Hermione was rummaging through her books, which were now strewn across the floor. She couldn't understand why, but Ron had asked her to read to him. To read to him out of Hogwarts: A History.

Molly had come up to Ron's room, fearing the worst, when she heard Hermione sobbing. It had not been a shock to find her crying into Ron, but it had been one to see Ron comforting her back.

She had been ecstatic. "Ron!" she cried, "You're alive! You're okay! My baby! My baby boy!" And hugged him, a difficult task seeing as Hermione was doing it already, and he was lying down. Then she went downstairs, resolved to making all of Ron's favourite foods for dinner.

"Here it is," Hermione announced, pulling the book out from under a pile of socks. "I don't know why you of all people would want to read it though," she muttered, as she returned to the stool at his bedside.

"Something I dreamed about," he responded, looking eager. "Uhh, Hermione?"

"Yes Ron?"

His ears were red, but he kept talking. "I... I... Want to see the book."

She shifted her seat, closer to his head. "Better?"

Ron was still red. "Umm no," he admitted. "Could you... Well maybe, come over here?"

Hermione looked at him curiously. "What do you mean? I could just give you the book to read if you want."

"No, I don't want that. I... I..." Ron's face turned very red, and he said the next bit very fast. "Could you come on the bed with me? And read it to me from here?"

She smiled and clambered up next to him. "Better?" she inquired.

"Yes."

"Now, what part did you want to hear about?" she asked, flipping through the pages, a slight pink tinge in her cheeks.

"How the founders met. How Godric and Salazar met."

& & &

He was in for it. He was done for. This was the end. All his hard work had come to this. Cornered in a dark castle. By a snake. A big, filthy snake. Trust Godric to leave his wand in his cloak pocket by the door.

"Help! Oy! Help!" he knew his shouting was in vain, but maybe he could scare the snake into leaving by making noise. "Help me! Somebody please!"

The snake started slithering toward him, fangs bared, and ready to strike. Godric gave a strangled cry and threw his fists out, ready to fight hand to venom.

But then...

A hissing noise came from nowhere. The snake abruptly stopped, turned, and went away. Just like it had never wanted to kill him in the first place.

A man stepped out from behind a stone wall, he was smiling. "You shouldn't mess 'round with snakes mate."

"He came after me! I was just looking for a place to start my school, and he attacked me!"

"You're starting a school?"

"Yes. Godric Gryffindor. I'm starting it with Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw."

"Salazar Slytherin, at your service."

Godric stared at the man for a moment, before giving a whoop of delight. "Slytherin? I've been looking for you! We want you to help with the school!"

"Sure. I can get rid of all the snakes in this castle if you like."

& & &

Hermione closed the book with a snap. "And then they were friends after that. Until, of course, the pureblood argument started."

"He saved him? That's why? Wow."

"Why do you care anyway Ron?"

"I don't know," he said rubbing his eyes, "I must've been dreaming about it. I wonder why?"

She blushed when he said this, and he raised a quizzical eyebrow. "I was reading to you out of Hogwarts: a History actually. But I stopped before right after the creation of the Ceiling in the Great Hall.

"Hermione!" he gave her a smile and she returned it. "But what happened later?"

"Well it says that Salazar died young, and alone. But he must've had a kid, if You-Know-Who is his heir. And Godric lived a long time; he did have a big family."

There was a happy silence, as Ron and Hermione just smiled at each other. It didn't last long.

The door opened with a bang. Molly was standing in the doorway, looking worried. "We've just got an owl," she told them breathlessly, holding out the letter. Hermione took it from her, feeling very awkward for being found lying in a bed with her son, but Mrs Weasley didn't seem to notice.

"It's from Harry!" she tore it open, and read "Dear Molly and Hermione, and Ron, if you're well. I've done it. The last one is gone. I'm going after him. I am going to kill Voldemort."

There was a pause. "He's mental," Ron announced, though he looked worried.

"He can't go without us! He'll be killed."

But Molly just stood there thinking. Finally she said, "This is Harry's battle. He'll be fine. He always pulls through."

A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed it. Review if you like, don't if you don't!