As Time Ticks Away

Chapter Seven

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"Hermione wake up!" Ron shouted after watching his girlfriends eyes drift close. He had just said something to her that meant everything, and yet she had passed out right in front of him. She hadn't even acknowledged that she heard him. Ron wanted her to know his true feelings, but more importantly wanted her to get better. He picked her up in his arms and turned to Harry. "Let's get her back to the Burrow," he said sternly.

Harry immediately followed his best friend, who had already taken off at full speed. The dash to the front door took forever, even longer than it took to get out there it seemed. But by the time they reached the door both boys were huffing and puffing, all their energy zapped from them.

Ron slowed down and let Harry run in front of him to open the door. Mrs. Weasley had been walking down the stairs as the two boys raced in. She looked at her son and the girl in his arms and knew that something was horribly wrong.

"Living room, quickly," she said as she ushered the two boys into the adjacent room.

Cautiously, Ron laid Hermione on the couch and took a step back for his mom to help. Molly Weasley had grabbed a damp cloth before following the two boys into the room. After feeling the young girl's forehead and placing the cloth there, her hands grabbed a hold of Hermione's hands, a curious look crossing her face.

"You must tell me everything," Mrs. Weasley stated bluntly, releasing the young girl's hands.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Neither of them had a clue what to say; they themselves had no idea what actually happened. Ron was the one who decided to speak up. "We're not sure. She had been missing for a while and we went out looking for her. When we found her she was like this." His mother glared at him as if he was withholding valuable information. Without missing a beat Ron quickly said, "Honest! Mom, why would I lie to you about this?" Silently behind him, Harry nodded to support Ron's statement.

"Alright," the elder Weasley woman said as if in a whisper. "You three just enjoy getting in to so much trouble." She giggled quietly. "Hermione's burning up, but I'm sure you two are aware of that. She could just have the flu but something tells me that it's more than that. We'll have to watch her. I'll let your father know and hopefully he can bring home some ingredients for a potion." Molly stood up and started headed for the kitchen to send an owl. "Watch her carefully. If there is any change in her condition let me know immediately." After those final words she continued her journey into the kitchen.

Ron pulled up a chair so he could sit closer to Hermione. He reached for her hand once more, and once more he was met with a burst of cold. Harry sat on a chair that was located across the room. He didn't want to go anywhere in case she woke up.

"You don't think she was attacked, do you Ron?" Harry asked.

Both of them had been thinking it. The Burrow did have some good defenses up, but neither of the boys knew just how far they extended. It was possible that Hermione had gone too far out. It was possible for someone to apparate to the area outside of the barriers, never knowing the Burrow wasn't too far away.

"I hope not mate," Ron responded. "We won't know for sure until she wakes up." He paused for a moment, a thought crossing his mind. "Mom seems to be relatively calm about all of this. Normally she would be in here doing everything possible to help, but she's not even staying in the same room."

Harry began to consider his best friend's words. He made a really good point; Mrs. Weasley was acting rather out of the ordinary. "Now that you mention it I do notice," Harry agreed. "I think she knows what's wrong with her. "

Ron nodded. "Yeah, and that's what worries me the most."

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She had no idea where she was, she was merely surrounded by high grass. The sky was dark and the stars were out all while a smell began to fill the air. Hermione realized that smoke began to rise into the night's sky, covering the stars that had been providing her light. Instead, a new light emerged in the distance, catching her attention. She immediately started sprinting forward.

It wasn't long before she realized that she was heading towards a massive fire. Once she was aware what was ahead of her, Hermione turned around and started sprinting in the opposite direction. Before she could run 20 feet a large flame appeared before her as well as on both sides. She was trapped. Smoke began to fill her lungs, causing her to cough uncontrollably. It wasn't long before her hands were covered in blood.

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Hermione shot up onto her feet. Her hands were soaked in her blood, just as they had been in her dream. The only difference was that she wasn't in a field surrounded by fire. Instead, she was in the Weasley's living room with Harry and Ron. Both boys had watched her jump out of her deep sleep and watched the scene unfold.

"Mom!" Ron shouted after noticing the blood on his girlfriend's hands. He ran back over to her, having moved an hour or so after they first brought her in. "Hermione what's going on?" He asked.

Regretfully, she shook her head. She knew exactly what was going on but wasn't prepared to tell him. She wanted to find a cure before telling Ron and Harry what was happening to her. "I don't know," was all she managed to whisper as she began to cough up more blood.

Mrs. Weasley ran into the living room from the kitchen, followed closely by her husband, Arthur. Upon noticing the blood, Molly urged her husband to get some towels to clean Hermione up. She walked over to the young girl and had her sit down. The elder woman conjured up a bucket to allow Hermione to cough up the blood into. After it finally stopped coming up she gave the girl some water.

"Feeling any better dearie?" She asked worriedly. Hermione simply nodded, still not knowing what she was going to say.

After a few moments of silence, Harry spoke up. "What happened out there?" He asked, referring to the fields away from the Burrow.

She took a moment to decide whether or not she would lie about overhearing their conversation. But instead she answered truthfully. "I heard you and Ron talking in your room," she started. "I was really upset and needed to go for a walk. I guess I'd walked too far. Lucius Malfoy appeared and," she paused, knowing she had to edit this part a bit, "he ambushed me. I'm not sure what he did. But I was there until you guys found me."

"And thank goodness they did," Arthur Weasley said with a small smile. "None of you can ever wander that far again," he warned with a now serious face. "We do have some very powerful protections up but they can only extend so far. So please be very careful." The trio nodded. "Right then, we'll send an owl to Dumbledore to let him know the situation as well as the rest of the Order so they know that the Death Eaters are circulating." With that Molly and Arthur headed into the kitchen, leaving Ron, Harry, and Hermione alone in the living room.

Hermione laid back down on the couch, the loss of blood beginning to catch up to her as her head began to spin and her vision became blurry. "I'm sorry," she sighed as her head hit the pillow.

"Don't be," Ron responded, "you didn't do anything wrong."

"I could have gotten you two hurt. What if Malfoy was still there when you came out? He could have killed you."

"And he could have killed you too Hermione," Harry jumped in. "We're lucky he didn't. Besides, it wouldn't be another school year if we didn't risk our lives."

All three of them laughed a little. The boys decided it was time for Hermione to get some rest. After a few minutes they decided to give her some time on her own. As they were walking out Hermione whispered, "I love you too Ron."

Ron smiled as he headed up the stairs. She was always the best listener.

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A/N: So ends another chapter. Please review because you're all awesome.