A/N: Am I happy that you all liked the previous chapter and dropped so many fantastic reviews, started following and added this to your favourites? Nope, I am overjoyed and relieved :)

Now that I have successfully massacred Hermione's character, she will have to redeem herself for not only Ron but you guys as well.

Sadly all characters (including Ron) still belong to JKR

Chapter 6: Something Different

The next time he saw her, she was once again standing near the window, watching the muggles walking by in the street below.

There was the smallest movement indicating that she had heard him enter but she refrained from turning around to face him. "Can they see me?" she asked quietly and Ron placed her lunch tray on the table before replying.

"No."

"Oh..." she responded. Ron could only see her profile but he could make out how she watched the life beyond her prison with a mixture of amused longing.

She had changed into the provided clothes after all and was wearing a red knee-length dress. Her hair reached her waist in thick curls and was set free, the not too gentle breeze from the window played with it. The small sleeves and short length of her dress showed way more skin than her high-necked school robes ever did. Granger turned slightly to lean on the windowsill on the left, and he couldn't help watch her. The dress clung to her body, clearly marking the swell of her breasts and then tapering at her small waist only to flare open again before ending just at her knees. Then her hand went up to her hair in that painfully familiar gesture and Ron turned around abruptly to look away. He had almost reached the door when she spoke again.

"What happens to me when you leave for school, Weasley?" her voice was laced heavily with hopeless melancholy.

He closed his eyes momentarily, taking in a deep breath and curbing the urge to leave at the earliest. Civil conversations were not quite their strong point. "Sit," he replied. This job if his, although rather insignificant in nature, was mentally exhausting. He had not expected her to obey but she seemed to be curious enough. Turning around, she quietly moved ahead and sat on the edge of the bed, her hands clasped together on her lap. Ron remained standing, though, leaning heavily against the wall, just next to the door, his arms folded at his chest.

"You won't have to miss school," he said and watched her eyes lit up. He looked away hurriedly to watch the sky through the window instead. "You won't be able to attend classes personally because you need to be kept hidden. However, you will still be at Hogwarts-" he paused briefly, "-in a secret chamber. The professors will know, and you'll not miss out on your education. Don't ask me the details, I'm not aware either. But I've heard it's getting sorted."

He barely saw her smile as he turned around, eager to leave. Just when he had reached out for the doorknob she spoke once more.

"I am bored," she announced this time, and even without turning back, he could visualise her pout.

"So?" he inquired, not bothering to mask his annoyance.

"You can't keep me locked in here without my wand and my books! I have no company at all! What am I supposed to do all day?" she asked like a moody child.

He gritted his teeth and turned around to face her again. She didn't quite seem to understand the gravity of the situation or what risk she was under. "Cherish the fact that you are alive and safe, perhaps?" he spat sarcastically and stared at her coldly. Her eyes had pooled over. Back in the day, he'd have done all in his power to make her happy, now he only saw a great actress at work.

"I miss my family, Weasley. I... I feel very lonely. Can't you even get me something to help me keep my mind off of my parents?" she beseeched, rubbing her palms before wrapping her arms around herself.

He doubted that the true reason for her anguish was having to plead to him for help. It, quite obviously, was damaging her pride beyond repair. Knowing that it was nothing but an act, he continued to stare at her sceptically, allowing himself the satisfaction of seeing her cringe with the way he watched her. Perhaps in her mind, he was soiling her just by looking at her high and pure form, he thought bitterly. But his mask was up. Nothing in his features gave out what he thought of her request and he could she was getting restless. Then, without any kind of reply, he turned around and left.

...

Ron came down to the kitchen to find Tonks stocking up a small Potions cabinet while describing the different vials to Harry.

"Hey, Ron! How's it going?" she asked cheerfully.

He frowned in response. "It's fucking amazing, Tonks. We're stuck indoors during our summer holidays, babysitting a spoilt rich Slytherin. I couldn't have asked for more, could I?"

"He is still not taking it well, is he?" she asked Harry and Ron was annoyed to find Harry shake his head and snicker.

"Nope."

Ron was on the verge of coming back with an apt reply when the door to the kitchen opened again, Dumbledore walked in, followed by Lupin.

"Aah, Mr Weasley!" beamed the old man. "How's Miss Granger?"

Ron had a hundred different words he could use but kept his thoughts to himself. "She is bored and needs books now," he replied in a flat voice.

"Well, I can help with that!" responded the Headmaster and waved his wand, but nothing happened in that room at least. For a moment there, it seemed as if there was a mysterious glint of something in the old man's eyes but Dumbledore had gone back to conversing softly with Lupin and Ron wasn't so sure. He turned to face Harry instead. "At least I don't have to carry a trunk full of books upstairs for Her Highness," he grumbled before pulling out a butterbeer for himself.

It had been only ten minutes or so that Ron and Harry had taken up their places opposite an old chessboard while the senior members still sat discussing Order matters when loud screams were heard from upstairs.

All pair of eyes turned towards him.

"I hate that woman!" he swore, and throwing away his queen's side castle roughly on the board, rushed out in a huff, taking two stairs at a time to reach the third floor.

"WHAT NOW?" he yelled as he barged into the room.

Hermione Granger was standing in front of the desk that now had four racks of books. One large volume, however, was lying on the floor at her feet. She turned around at his voice to show her hands; the palms of both displayed angry red boils. "What is this?" she cried accusingly as angry tears rolled down her face.

"I don't know!" he replied honestly looking between the fallen book and her hands, very confused himself.

"Of course you do!" she spat. "Look what it did to my hands!" she sobbed.

Ron stood there in confusion unable to fathom why the headmaster would send her a cursed article.

"Go ahead! Pick it up for yourself and see. Let's see how brave you are." she challenged while gritting her teeth in pain.

He looked at her with furrowed brows as anger flared at her insinuation. Bending down, he picked it up without so much as a twitch. Staring at her hard, he dropped it on the desk with a loud thud.

"B-but it burned me!" she cried in surprise, staring bewildered at the book and then, his unscathed form.

He scoffed at her and flipped the cover open, very surprised to find nothing but the blank pages before he realised she was screaming again.

"Now m-my eyes are b- burning too!" she wailed. "Don't just stand there! Do something!"

Grasping the seriousness of the situation, Ron closed the book shut urgently and ran downstairs as fast as his legs would carry, hoping the old man had not left yet.

"Sir! A blank book burned her hands and eyes!" he gasped, panting as soon as he found their elderly professor.

"Ah... that could happen," replied Dumbledore sadly before he flicked his wand and a long glass bottle of gooey black liquid emerged in front of them on the table. "Miss Granger needs to apply this on her eyelids and hands," he said, handing over the bottle to Ron.

He took it, thanked the teacher, and had almost turned away before he remembered something else. "Pardon me, Sir, but I touched it too and nothing happened to my hands. All I could see were blank pages but her eyes started to burn," he asked confused.

"That is because you are worthy enough to read the information that is held in that book, Mr Weasley. It appears blank as it's not yet the time for the book to reveal it's secrets to you," he explained patiently but cryptically. "Miss Granger, I am afraid, is yet to prove her worth in that area. So she can neither touch nor see it without causing herself physical harm," he added

Ron and Harry share a confused look between them.

"Now you must run along, my boy. I am afraid the boils are not really very nice," Dumbledore urged and Ron left quickly with a small nod of his head in thanks.

...

"Here, apply this on the burns," he said urgently as he re-entered her room. Hermione was whimpering softly as she sat on the bed, her eyes shut tight. Ron noticed how even the back of her palms showed the boils. He assumed she might have tried rubbing them over her eyes.

"Can I see, you idiot? Help me out!" she spat in between whimpers and Ron almost had the urge to throw the potion bottle away and leave her to fend for herself. It took him a lot of willpower to ignore her snarky reply and approach her. He took a few drops of the salve between his fingers and rubbed them over her eyelids. She lifted up her chin, as he ensured to cover the corner of her eyes as well, sighing in relief. A few seconds later she opened her eyes to meet his. Ron glared at her with annoyance hoping she'd show at least a tiny sign of gratitude.

"Hands now!" she ordered instead. He clenched his jaws and applied the ointment on both her hands, rubbing them with his coarse fingertips as she moved uncomfortably at his touch. The boils disappeared immediately and she sighed again in relief, turning her hands back and forth to admire the unblemished skin. "That was horrid! What was it?" she asked casually, but without even a slight hint of gratitude.

"A curse on the book," he replied flatly. "You've got to be worthy enough to touch it," he provided corking the bottle back, not bothering to look at her any longer.

"WHAT?" she spat incredulously, evidently quite offended at his response, "So you are 'worthy' enough and I am not?!"

"Yeah, so it seems," he replied with a smirk himself.

"Surely the standards to measure worthiness is pretty low, I must say," she scorned before lifting her chin up in a proud way and moving ahead a few paces. "I'd rather get those burns than stoop to your level of filth anyway," she hissed, turning back slightly to watch him.

He stared at the ungrateful girl, breathing heavily to control the rage that came flooding back as he remembered everything he had heard her saying in the library weeks ago. He had a terrible urge to lift the book straight up and shove it back into her hands. But then, he remembered what she had said.

'What if he becomes all bold during the summer and decides to snog me? Do you know how many times I have to wash my hands after we accidentally brush hands? Mother says all kinds of diseases grow in filth. No way am I doing that!"

With fury almost rendering him blind, Ron shoved the bottle deep inside his pocket, and even before she noticed, his much taller form was right next to her.

"W-What are y-you doing?" she asked panic-stricken, all haughtiness from moments ago wiped off that pretty face as she backtracked.

"Showing you what 'filth' actually feels like, Granger," he replied, nothing but anger and hurt guiding him. He grabbed hold of her upper arms and shoved her back against the wall, not very gently either. Some primitive part of his brain cheered as he pressed his body to hers, holding her in place while his fingers cupped her face. He angled her face up and cutting off any protest from her, captured her lips roughly with his. His heart hammered away in his chest as he closed his eyes at her touch. He vaguely registered her squirming against him but he could neither stop nor think. He deepened the kiss as she let out a gasp. Kiss... could they even call this a kiss? He felt her soft curves blend against his, and all the dreams he had once had surfaced along with all the hurt she had caused. He poured the hurt back by intensifying his assault. Shuddering a little, he bit down on her lip, just about holding back from actually hurting her, and quickly ran his tongue over the bite. He heard a small gasp and sucked hard, vaguely realising that at this rate, she'd probably be left with a bruising. She was still wrapped in his embrace and as the anger slowly ebbed the pain resurfaced and Ron found himself slowing down, kissing her as he had always hoped to. She was flushed against him and he wasn't sure when she had stopped struggling.

With the fingers of his left hand still entangled in the soft curls at her nape, he dropped his mouth to her jawline and then the spot just below her ear, planting small kisses, her familiar fragrance was still intoxicating as ever. But this wasn't love- it was revenge. Blind with the hurt that he had hidden from all, he placed a finger on her shoulder, touching that soft skin of hers, before tracing it down against the neck of the dress. He stopped where the neckline dipped into a V and he felt her shudder and draw in a sharp breath, her eyes closed shut, faced flushed. Ron placed his mouth close to her ears and her small frame shuddered against him.

"Say thank you, Hermione," he whispered, his breath coming out in gasps. "Otherwise, I swear this mouth of mine will reach places from where you won't be able to wash my filth off." He could feel her tremble at his words, and it was a while before she muttered a soft, stammering thanks.

No sooner had she uttered the words, Ron pushed himself off her. She stood rooted on the spot, shaking a little, eyes firmly shut. Hermione looked thoroughly snogged- a small dark mark was visible on the corner of her mouth.

"Disgusted aren't you? This is how my filth feels like," he spat before he turned around and left the room, banging the door shut behind him.

It was only once the door had closed behind him that he could see clearly and the guilt actually hit him.

What the fuck had he done?!

...

As the door to her room banged shut, Hermione slowly slumped to the ground realising with mounting horror that she had never seen this side of Ron's nature before. He had always seemed so casual, someone who could be easily toyed around with before being cast aside without a second thought. This new side of him was scary and intriguing- she didn't understand him at all...and yet... she placed her finger on her lip...

How on earth did his touch leave her so aroused?!

A/N: I am away from home for a few days so am uploading this from my phone. If there are typos please overlook them, for now, I'll edit once I am back.

Thanks to each one of you who read and especially those who motivated me by reviewing, following or adding this story to your favourites. Thank you guys

I promise I'll respond to all your reviews once I'm back home.

Please don't forget that review. Thanks :)