HERMIONE'S POV

As I entered the infirmary my eyes were so clouded with tears and my brain so frazzled with guilt that I didn't even notice that no one was here protecting or caring for Ron. A single tear ran down my cheek as I approached his gurney. I had to tell him and I had to tell him now. I knew that I would have to retell the story once he'd been cured and revived but I couldn't go on with the weight of my own guilt crushing me anymore.

"Ron" I said aloud, "I have something to tell you and it's something that you're not going to like hearing. And before I tell you, I want you to understand that it is no fault of your own. I-I have been cheating on you." Even as I said it I could feel my heart rip in two. I began sobbing uncontrollably. I threw myself onto Ron's chest, hugging him and squeezing his shirt into my balled fists.

"I'm so sorry." I repeated turning to look him in the face. "It was with Draco. I don't know what is wrong with me. I swear Ron I wish it'd never happened. I wish I could take it all back. In truth I can't stand Draco. I don't know what made me do it and I promise that I'll never do it again. I know that you can't hear me right now but I promise I'll tell you as soon as you're better. I promise." My sobbing turned to a wail as I hugged with what little strength that I could muster. My knees felt like they may betray me that any moment I might fall to the ground. My heart quaked inside my chest. My vision completely blurred out by my tears, so much so that I never heard anyone approaching me from behind.

"Hermione, come come now dear." Hagrid said in the most gentle way that I had ever heard him speak. "Everyone makes mistakes."

I turned and flung himself into his huge chest and arms. After a moments embrace, I looked up at him. His big cheeks were flushed and eyes were red, I could see that he'd been crying too.

"Hagrid, I'm a horrible girlfriend and a rotten person." I confessed. "Ron was the perfect boyfriend and I lied and betrayed him."

"Hermione, listen to me. What I'm going to tell ya, may not make complete since until you're older but I want ya to hear it anyways. You're young. You've made the mistake that young people make. Sometimes, things just happen and we let ourselves get swept away by our, well, our hormones to downright truthful. It doesn't make you a horrible person. Really it doesn't. It just makes you, well young."

"But Hagrid I cheated on Ron. And you don't understand. I was with Draco when Ron was bit. If I hadn't been, then Ron wouldn't have been wondering the hallways looking for me and he would have never been bit. This is all my fault." I buried my face in Hagrid's stomach and continued crying.

"I'm telling ya child, this wasn't your fault. The only person's fault this was be that damned halfblooded vampire. No one else. So dont'cha be taking the blame for things that you didn't do. Ya hear me?"

RON'S POV

Ron lay there unable to move, unable to scream. Anger raged inside him like the venom that coursed through his veins. After hearing Hermione's full confession, he knew that if survived or if he was saved, the first thing that he was going to do beat Draco Malfoy within an inch of life.

ALICE'S POV

Okay, so now my nostrils were on complete overload. Not only did I smell Jacob's wet dog stench and the deep musk of the real werewolf, but now Leah and Seth had joined the fray. Even though I couldn't yet see them, I could smell them. My nose knows, trust me.

I decided now that reinforcements had arrived it was my time to strike. From a stand still position, I sprung into a full run instantly. Using all my vampiric natural abilities, I raced in a large winding arc towards the wizard. He released his hold on Edward and began casting spells my way, all of which missing, barely. The tree's blurred past me, as I pushed myself like I'd never done before.

The wizard and the big guy never saw it coming. They were so fixated on me that they totally left their backside open and that's when Seth and Leah struck. Leah was the first to draw blood. Her massive canine teeth plunged into the wizards shoulder and he screamed in agony as Leah hoisted him into the air, flinging his body into a cluster of trees. Seth pounced on the big hairy man, knocking him flat onto his back. To his credit the werewolf, in human form was doing a rather good job fighting off Seth's bites and claws.

With the wizard now distracted I raced straight to him. Before I could reach him, the wizard seeing that the tables had turned quickly cast a spell, turning himself into a wisp of black smoke that raced off through the forest. What a coward! I thought. I didn't even get to make him pay for hurting my family.

That's when I heard one of the worst blood-curdling screams I'd ever heard. "SETH RUN!" It was Jacob yelling. As I turned I saw Seth lying in a bloodied heap on the ground, right before my eyes, standing on his hind legs, stood a nine foot tall, honest to God, werewolf. Of everything I'd seen and witnessed in my existence, this was by far the scariest sight yet.

From a lying position on the ground, Jacob phased and he and Leah charged the werewolf. I too charged. Edward if you can hear this we're going to need help. I thought as hard as I could.

BLOATMAN'S CORNER: Hey peeps, I know at the end of the last post, I said to expect the posts to come every couple of days, and then I didn't post for nearly a month. I'm sorry. Sometimes life happens. But I'm back now. *Crossing-my-fingers* With only 2 chapters left this story should be finished by this weekend.

Again, sorry about the delay and as always, THANKS FOR READING! Please feel free to leave a review.