Chapter 7

Ronald Weasley stared at his partner, curiosity lighting his face. He looked at her slightly in awe. They were in the practising rooms, versing simulations of dark creatures they would come across. Many groups surrounded them, including Neville Longbottom, versing their own beasts. They were learning to communicate without speaking, knowing the others habitual response to a given situation before it happened, so as to save themselves time in any given scenario. Their final test was tomorrow, and the pair would either pass together, or fail together. Individuals could not qualify.

Fay was a happy girl, Ron was learning. She was doing what she was passionate about, and that passion radiated out of her face. She smiled with an uncanny resemblance to a woman who knew she could take on the world. She was not fearful, but portrayed every essence of confidence; she was courageous in any situation. And that's why Ron was so curious as to what her boggart would turn into.

The two stood in a defensive stance, Fay slightly in front of Ron. Her hair was braided in two, parted down the middle and looking even shorter than usual. They wore black, skin fitting clothes. They were especially designed by George, which allowed a wizard to be protected from most curses when struck. Once absorbed they would become invisible, and their attacked would not be able to see them.

Legs apart, leaning slightly forward, wands in their hands and expressions confident, Kingsley nodded and the trunk holding the thing that brought terror was opened.

It span around and around, shifting and changing and shimmering until it decided upon Fay's greatest fear. Before her, stood none other than Fay herself. Yet this girl looked evil. Her hair was a dark red, and long and matted. She wore black leather, in a promiscuous way that Fay would never dress. And under her arm was a trophy. Around her neck was medals and adornments of success. She was bruised and haughty in appearance, and on her forearm was none other than the dark mark.

The real Fay lifted her arm steadily, muttering under her breath. "I'll never be like you. Riddikulus!"

The other Fay popped! And all of a sudden she was pink everywhere. She wore a big princess dress, the kind with frills and tulle. Her hair was candyfloss coloured, and had turned into poodle-like fair. Her trophy was now a Chihuahua, yapping pathetically in a pink handbag. Ron laughed aloud, and Fay did too, and confused, the boggart shifted and began to change.

Ron gulped. It was his turn.

Bellatrix Lestrange had been dead for months now, killed by the hand of his own mother. And yet, it was like nothing had changed since the day they were abducted into the Malfoy Manor. She stood their, looking sinister in her usual psychotic way. She sneered at him, and raised the small dagger at him, the one that had marked his beloved's upper extremity, and the knife that had killed little Dobby. Ron began to panic inside. It was supposed to be a spider, he thought to himself, grasping at strings that didn't fit. Bellatrix could never die. She was too dark for that. She was coming for him, a blood traitor. Bellatrix's lip curled, as she took a shaky, almost sadistic step towards him.

"Ron! She's not real!" Fay cried out, trying to bring Ron back to reality. Adrenaline was shooting through his veins, trying to determine whether he should run or fight. Courage and bravery poured into him, and an almost idiotic way, and he raised him wand at the woman who haunted his dreams.

"Riddikulus!" he hissed between his teeth. The boggart shimmered and struggled, before it began to morph into a clown. Her hair the Weasley red, her nose red and clothes traditional and silky. Ron smiled and Fay laughed aloud. The boggart squealed, and jumped back into the trunk, which snapped shut once inside.

Ron took deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He turned to Fay and shrugged a little. They knew what the other felt in that moment, as they had spent every minute together for the last six months. Fay's greatest fear was that she would succumb to the darkest evil and succeed in her desires through that, like other wizards she went to school with. Ron was terrified of what felt like unfinished business with the deceased, most evil woman he had ever come across.

He was thankful tomorrow was Saturday, as it was a Hogsmeade weekend, and he longed to see the woman he wanted to protect with all his heart.

Hermione sat in Charms staring at her candle, as she ignited it and extinguished it with the silent flick of her wrist. Nonverbal charms, while NEWT level, were something she was well accomplished in. She sighed and sifted through her thoughts. She had kissed Draco Malfoy. And she had enjoyed it. Not to mention she had almost died, at her own hand, none the less. Was she depressed? She seemed to think not. She was just overwhelmed. She was confused as to her feelings. She missed her boys, especially after spending more than a year alone with them, fighting with them and saving the wizarding world.

But she felt like that was all she would be. That was all she would amount to. Hermione Granger, the once golden, now merely silver woman who felt stuck in her life. She didn't want to be at Hogwarts right now, although at the same time she really did want to be at Hogwarts. She just felt stupid, like she was stuck; like she wasn't moving forward in life, but reliving the past every night in her sleep. Except that one night where she hadn't dreamt without drugs to help her. The night where she felt like she could live forever.

That was her first night sharing a bed with a man. Hermione was pure, and believed in the sanctity of marriage. She believed one should wait, to give their whole soul to their spouse, especially since in a wizarding marriage one literally ties their soul to their partner. She was innocent in her actions, and saved her kisses for moments where it was so overwhelming she had to. Ron had been raised on the same beliefs. His parents had waited, and look at the loving home they built for their family.

Guilt consumed her. Ron had been her best friend for years, since she was twelve. She had lived her whole life with him there; she had discovered her identity alongside him, and he was woven into the fabric of herself. But the brunette couldn't help but wonder whether her identity of her childhood was the same as it is now. But she hadn't had that urge to kiss him since the battle of Hogwarts. Their Last Kiss, the kind you feel in every cell of your body, had been when Ron had been accepted into the Auror program and they had celebrated at Grimmauld Place with their friends. They would kiss cheeks briefly upon greeting, but that was the most of it. And yet she had grabbed Draco and felt a passion she hadn't experience since then.

Hermione ran her fingers along her lips, totally engrossed in her thoughts. Her candle was burning still, and she hadn't tried to snuff it out for several minutes.

Not at her own hand, the flame went out and Hermione was brought back to the present class, her last class for the week. Confused she turned to Pavarti who shared her table, but the witch was turned around gossiping with her sister. She frowned, trying to figure out who did it. She scanned the room, and caught the eye of a handsome man who had dark skin. He grinned at her cheekily, and raised one eyebrow, asking a question Hermione wasn't sure she understood. She looked as Blaise Zambini questioningly: what did he want? She was suspicious as he levitated a note towards her.

Scrawled on a torn off corner from his text book (which annoyed Hermione as he was ruining a purposefully good book), was two words.

I know

Hermione's blood heated as she looked at the words. Know what? She was panicking, as there were many secrets she hadn't shared with anyone. What could Malfoy's best friend know? Oh. Hermione's stomach dropped. Tomorrow she was going to see Ron in Hogsmeade. She didn't want him to know. She hadn't made up her mind yet what she was going to do. Hermione scrawled on the back of his note and sent it back to him. He read it and smirked, agreeing across the room to what Hermione had written on the paper.

She was about to talk to a snake about her infidelities. She felt weak.

Hermione walked slowly from class, looking around her for a sign of the Slytherin. She'd asked him to meet her after class. She felt an unfamiliar hand slip into her own, and she jerked backwards, her hand flying out of Blaise's grasp and hitting a second year with the back of her hand. She muttered an apology and scanned the nearly empty hallway, before she grabbed Blaise's sleeve and pulled him behind a tapestry.

"Oh, this is cosy. Want to repeat what happened with you and dear Draco the other day?" he teased, being coy towards the girl, who was like a fox caught in the headlights.

"Did he tell you?" Hermione squeaked; she was beyond nervous.

"Well we are best friends Granger," he drawled, looking around him and the tiny alcove, poorly lit. Draco and Blaise were similar in their manner of speaking, much like Harry and Ron, Hermione surmised. "You can calm that racing heart of yours Granger, your secret is safe with me. I just wanted to introduce myself properly. Thought we could be friends. Another little trio for you. And since Draco would be Ron, which would irk him, I'd be Potter- King of the Wizarding world. Sounds like fun to me."

He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. It was a bit of a relief really. She wanted more friends, since Ron and Harry were gone. "Fine, we can be friends, but some ground rules first. Don't tell anyone anything I tell you, unless I myself have publicly discussed it. That's it. Oh, and you have to participate in inter-house bonding."

Blaise shrugged his shoulders. "Draco is my only friend here, and oh look here, I am inter-house bonding. Just made friends with a frizz ball," he teased, ruffling her hair. "And just so we're clear, I'm team Draco."

Hermione rolled her eyes and poked her head out the tapestry, before leading the way back to their common room. Zambini whistled and draped his heavy arm over Hermione's shoulder as they made their way back. It would've annoyed her, yet she was enjoying not walking around the place alone. She spent too much time in her own company, and her thoughts were running in circles. She was grateful for companionship, but not only that, tomorrow she would see Ron, and she was a nervous wreck.

A/N: you won't believe how hectic my last couple of weeks have gone. My mac broke, and then my half finished chapter didn't save and my grandpa shut down my computer, so I lost that and had to re-write it. To make up for it, I'm going to upload two chapters today. Thank you to my new followers and favouriters. I hope you like it. One of my reviewers expressed interest in hearing more about Ron, so I chucked in some of that. Love you!