Chapter 31 – Like You'll Never See Me Again

Ron watched Hermione putting on her school shoes.

"You got Girls classes first?" he asked her as he fixed his tie.

"Yep," she replied putting the watch on her

"Okay, then I'll see you in DADA," he said kissing her quickly before walking out the door.

He didn't wait for a response because he knew that he wouldn't get one.

Ron walked slowly down the stairs to the common room. The smile on his face disappeared.f

He felt the jolt on his arm and he felt fear and panic rush over him but knew it was not his own.

'So it works,' he thought to himself.

He had spent all of last night modifying Hermione's watch. It was a spell he had found in one the books in the forbidden section of the library. In normal circumstances it was commonly used by Healers to check on the state of their patients, but he modified the spell slightly. He looked down at his watch and saw Hermione's name floating on the face.

Now he knew what she was feeling whenever she had sudden changes in emotions. He should feel guilty and a part of him did, after all it was an invasion of privacy – but…

Ron dropped his hand to his side and stopped just before he reached the common room.

'But…'

"Ron?"

Ron was jolted from his inner reverie when Harry walked towards him.

"Are you alright?" Harry looked at him in deep concern.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He replied but instantly regretted it.

His voice was hoarse and strained.

Harry simply stared at him.

"About you and Hermione – "

"I'm starving, let's get some breakfast," Ron cut his friend off.

As they walked in silence towards the Great Hall Ron felt Harry's eyes on him.

"Is everything okay?" Harry said as they sat down to breakfast.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Ron said cheerfully as he placed sausages and eggs on his plate.

"You haven't been sleeping," his friend replied.

"Awww," a fifth year Gryffindor suddenly said from beside them, "Lovers quarrel. What's wrong Ron? Potter keeping you up at all hours?"

'Who the hell was this kid?!'

Harry saw the boy with dark brown hair, and strange grey eyes looking at him. The boy was tall and he had a laid back look to him. His tie was hanging loosely around his neck and a few of the top buttons on his shirt were undone.

"Shut up, Davis."

Ron looked over at Neville in surprise. Neville was glaring at the fifth year angrily.

"Jeez, sorry for breathing," the boy retorted before looking away.

Harry noticed the boy glare at Neville before he turned to talk to his own friends.

Neville continued to glare at the boy until he stood up to leave..

"Where you going?" Harry asked Neville.

"Professor Sprout needed help with something," Neville explained before leaving the room.

"Bye," Ron said before turning back to his breakfast.

"I'm fine," he said when Harry continued to stare at him as though waiting for him to keel over.

"Hmmm if you say so."

Hermione kicked off her skirt and quickly pulled her trousers on. She was running a bit late and had only a few minutes to change in the girls toilets before going to DADA.

She drank the vial of liquid, she always carried a few spare ever since Ron chewed her out about being careless.

Certain that she was quite alone she checked her hair once more in the mirror before she walked out of the bathroom.

"I know, I know," she said to herself when she felt her watch jolt her, "I'm late."

Ron placed his head against the table top and waited for their new teacher to enter the room.

"Tired?"

He looked up when he noticed who had just walked into the room.

"Bill?" Ron said in surprise sitting up instantly, "What are you doing here?"

His older brother smirked at him before ruffling his younger brothers hair.

"Position opened up," Bill explained, "Surprised Remus or Tonks didn't tell you."

"I actually thought Tonks would be our new teacher," Harry said from beside him.

"She was their first choice, I'm just the stand-in till she's – "

Ron suddenly screamed causing everyone in the room to jump.

"What the hell?!" Harry said grabbing at his chest, "You scared me half to death!"

"Uh – uh…I gotta go!"

"H-hey!" Ron heard his brother say but he ignored the cries behind him.

There was only one reason why his watch would shock him like that. Hermione was in danger.

He looked down at his watch before running down the hall towards her location.

'Please be okay.'

He felt like his legs were made of lead and he willed them to move faster – why was he so slow?!

He felt another jolt run through him and he screamed at the pain and anger. He rushed down the hall, almost tripped over a student but continued without a second thought.

He threw himself into the room and his blood ran cold at the sight before him.

Bill and Harry followed Ron down the hall.

"Bloody hell he's fast," Bill cursed under his breath.

"Where'd he?"

"Left!" Bill shouted pulling Harry's arm.

There was only one reason why Ron would fly into a panic like that but Harry prayed that he was wrong.

They burst into the room just as a piercing scream echoed down the halls.

Harry stopped dead.

Malfoy lay in a pool of blood and Ron was standing over him.

Hermione was on the floor her back to the wall and her eyes glued to Ron's face. Harry noticed that Ron had covered her with his cloak, but not before he saw the ripped remains of her schools clothes.

Bill let out a deep breath.

"I hate you!" Hermione screamed at Ron, "I hate you…hate…hate you…"

She broke into sobs and Harry ran towards her, but when he approached she screamed and pushed him away.

"Don't touch me!"

Harry stared at her in shock.

"Ron?"

Harry turned around to see Bill looking at his younger brother.

Ron was knelling on the ground now checking Malfoy's wounds and trying to stop the bleeding.

"What did you do?" Bill asked his brother.

Ron looked up at his brother.

"He was hurting her," Ron explained, "So I stopped him."

Hermione cries became louder and she began to rock back and forth.

Bill sighed before standing up from the floor.

"Get Professor McGonagall," Bill ordered Harry.

Harry instantly sent out a patronus to relay the message to McGonnagal.

"I'll have to go back and take care of the students," Bill explained after a moments thought.

"Go, I can wait for her," Harry said.

"Not a chance," Bill said instantly, "I was a teenager once you know, the instant I leave you will come up with a crack pot plan to try to lie yourselves out of this mess. Well that's not going to happen. If Ron did this then…"

"Then I'll accept the punishment," Ron continued for his brother, he looked up at them from the floor, "You should take him to the infirmary."

"I certainly will and you can come with me to explain what on earth you did to him."

Harry turned to find McGonnagal standing in the doorway.

Hermione awoke some time later and found herself in the infirmary. Panic instantly gripped her and she sat up in the bed.

"Whoa, easy."

Hermione turned to see Harry sitting beside her and he wasn't the only one. Ginny, Lavender, Remus and Tonks stood around her bed, all with faces of concern and if she didn't know any better…pity?

"What happened?" she said hoarsely, grabbing at her throat when she felt the ache.

Ginny handed her some water and she drank the cool liquid in one gulp.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Remus said sitting down on one of the chairs placed around her bed.

The others followed and they all sat around looking at her. It was only when they had all disappeared from her line of vision did she see the person leaning against the opposite wall, his arms folded and his expression stern.

"Malfoy…attacked me…" Hermione began looking away from Ron.

She held her head as she tried to remember the events of the last few hours.

"I've seen the way he looks at you,' Malfoy sneered pulling her up from her shirt collar, 'And I don't care if you are a guy, I'm going to torture you so that I can see that smug smirk wiped off his pathetic face."

"Said he wanted to get back at Ron," Hermione felt tears run down her face, "Wanted to hurt me…"

She felt the others around her looking at each other. It was Tonks who finally spoke up.

"And…did he?"

Hermione took a deep breath. She looked up and her eyes met Ron's.

"Ron came in before any damage could be done."

All eyes turned to Ron.

Ron didn't say a word he simply looked at Hermione.

"What happened to Malfoy?" she questioned when she didn't see any other people in the hospital with her.

"He's fine, amazingly," Remus said, "It was only one big cut along his chest, but Madame Pomfrey was able to fix him up."

"So…he's…still here?" Hermione said between deep breathes.

"No," Tonks replied and Hermione saw the auror's hair turn a jet black colour, "Dumbledore's dealing with him."

"And…Ron?" Hermione looked at Ron, who was still standing silent in the shadows, "What happens to Ron?"

"We don't know," Harry said from beside her.

"Don't lie to her," Ginny said standing up from her seat, "He's going to be suspended for the last few weeks of school."

"Su – suspended?" Hermione said in barely a whisper.

She felt the tears come freely now.

When she next looked up Ron was gone.

"Is he alright?" Hermione asked in concern now that the red head had left the infirmary.

Harry shrugged.

"Hasn't really talked about it."

"This is all my fault," Hermione fell back into the bed in despair.

"No its not," Lavender said instantly, "It's that despicable piece of trash…what was his name?"

"Malfoy," Harry said with disgust.

"Yeah, it's his fault," Lavender continued squeezing Hermione's hand.

"Alright, that's quite enough, your twenty minutes are up," Madame Pomfrey came into the room and shooed the others away.

"We'll see you soon," Ginny said waving goodbye.

"Don't make that face," the nurse said, "You'll be out of here in a few hours. Here, drink this."

Hermione took the drink the nurse offered and though it tasted like wet socks she drank the entire contents.

As soon as she lay down on the bed she felt herself drift off to sleep.

A dark figure stood above her. Their hands were cold, she wanted to scream, to move, to do anything but she couldn't. The figure leaned down and kissed her.

Hermione jolted awake.

She breathed heavily as she looked around her.

She was in the infirmary and she was completely alone.

She lay back down on the bed and curled up into a ball.

"Ron…"

"Are you trying to kill me?!"

"That's a bit melodramatic mum," Bill tried to defend his little brother.

"How else did you think I would react when I arrived here in a panic only to see my youngest son covered head to foot in cuts and bruises and drenched in blood?!"

"Molly please, this isn't helping," Arthur interrupted his wife.

Ron walked back and forth packing his belongings.

"Suspended? You were suspended! Of all my boys, you were the last one I thought who would be suspended."

"It'll be alright, it's only a few weeks left till school ends for the year," Arthur tried to placate his wife.

"That is not the point!" Molly pushed Arthur away, "This will go on his school record, who will hire a thug?"

"He's hardly a thug, mum," Bill said from the door.

"Don't you start," his mum turned on Bill instantly, "I have plenty to say about you and your…lifestyle."

Bill made a face at the way his mother referred to his job.

"It's not like he didn't have a reason," Arthur said taking a seat on the bed.

Molly glared at him.

"Get off!"

Everyone jumped when Ron suddenly spoke.

Arthur instantly jumped off the bed.

"That's John's bed," Ron explained before he continued packing.

"Who is this John anyway? As far as I'm concerned you're better off being away from him."

"Well that's good he's been suspended then isn't it," Bill retorted.

"He's the cause of all this trouble…and we don't see him getting punished," Molly continued ignoring Bill's comments.

"He was attacked dear," Arthur sighed.

"Well either way, I don't think it's fair that our Ron gets all the blame for some nobody-transfer-student."

Ron slammed his suitcase closed.

"Don't you dare say a bad word about him," Ron walked over and stood in front of his mum.

"Scream at me, hit me, kick me out of the house if you like – but I will never let you say a bad word about him."

Ron stared down at his mother for a few moments before turning round and collecting his things. Molly stared at him in shock.

"I'm ready to leave now," Ron said walking out the door.

Arthur shared a concerned look with Bill before the family left the dormitory.

A/N: I'm glad you all are still reading and commenting, that makes me so happy! :)

This chapter was very strange to write. Before I started typing away I thought I knew how I wanted the story to go but the instant I began to write from Ron's point of view he put me straight. I'm sure you other writers know the feeling when the characters take over and you have no control over what they are doing, well this chapter is pretty much what Ron wanted to do and now that I think about it, his version is soo much better :P

Do you still wanna know what happened in that room? Well maybe if you comment I may write the next chapter even faster...muahhahaha....

Song for this chapter was: 'Like You'll Never See Me Again' by Alicia Keys