Summary: Hermione and Fred are separated by war, their relationship and recent engagement completely hidden from everyone. Terrified for each others safety both still have to play their separate parts.

Pairing: Fred/Hermione

"How was your day then?" The sun reflected off Fred Weasley's hair, making it seem a brighter orange than it really was, and Hermione couldn't help but smile as he gave her his trademark cheeky grin, his face a cross between genuine interest and the spark of humour that he seemed to bring into everything he did.

Then again, that was one of the many reasons she loved him. She lay back against the grass, allowing him to direct her head onto his lap, and looked up at him, eyes half closed as he ran his fingers through his curls.

"Ron and I talked to Harry about the idea we've been having, about him teaching us defence." He brushed his thumb over her forehead, leaning back against the tree he was resting on.

"And how did he take it?"

"I think he'll do it. While he seemed a little defensive immedietely, I expected that. He's been quite quiet, and I think he's considering it..." She reached her hands out before her, stretching before she continued.

"It's important really.. that lesson today..." She trailed off, remembering.

"It's a great idea." Fred said, combing his fingers through her curls, reiterating what he'd told her months before, after their first few lessons with the teacher.

"OWLs are important." Hermione tensed, and Fred moved his hands to her shoulders, rubbing them gently.

"Don't worry, love. And you can look through my notes, i'll help you out." She smiled at him. Both knew that she'd get through the exams, but Fred loved to reassure her.

"It's nice out here." She said sleepily, allowing her eyes to flutter closed, and he took her hands, interlocking his fingers with hers. It was something she said everytime, wondered at, because it never failed to give her a happy buzz that if they ventured far enough out in the grounds they could be themselves, be Fred and Hermione.

"The view's good." He said mischeviously, and her eyes snapped open, and she swatted at him, both laughing before she settled back to her previous position.

"Love you, Fred." she said sleepily, as he returned to stroking her hair.

"I love you, bookworm." A faint smile came across her face as the two sat in the sun, silently soaking up being with each other, as well as the rays.

"Wake up, 'Mione." Ron's heavy hand on her shoulder pulled her sharply out of her dreamland, her memories. The feel of the sun on her face and Fred's arms around her faded, and the harsh reality of the cold floor on which they were sleeping came back.

"Sorry, Ron." She said calmly, and stood up, stretching. He had already turned away from her, and she watched him as he picked up a bottle of water, unscrewing the lid. She caught the glint of the golden chain around his neck and sighed.

The locket made them all irritable, but on Ron it was unbearable. Torn away from his usual home comforts, the locket caused him to voice the irritability that Harry and Hermione were naturally concealing. Harry, because he was suffering enough, she thought regretfully, turning to glance at him where he slept. He stirred, and she made her way over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Hermione found it easier to cope with their situation, because of Fred. She hadn't heard from or seen him in months, could only wonder to his safety. But when she held the ring which hung around her neck, remembered his words to her, she stayed sane, remembered how she had her own secret mission, survive, and get back to Fred. He was her salvation, and in sleep she would lose herself in her memories. Harry was used to starvation, in a terrible way.

"Ginny..." Harry muttered the word barely audibly, and with a jolt Hermione was reminded that Harry had his own Weasley to return to, his own worry. Her smile faded slightly as she tapped his shoulder again. Rather than the happiness that filled her own dreams, Harry's face was twisted in pain and she knew he was having a nightmare.

"Sorry, sorry." He muttered as he awoke, Hermione wordlessly passing him his glasses. She touched his arm comfortingly, but was interrupted by a throat-clearing across the tent.

"What're we doing today then?" Ron's irritable voice caused a look of mutual understanding between Harry and Hermione, and they turned to face him.

"I don't know, mate." Harry looked lost, and Hermione felt the tension in the air pass from Ron to Harry. It was the locket, always the locket...

"We though you actually had something to go on!" Ron was looking for a fight, picking an argument, and Hermione was lost for words. This had come on so quickly, and something in his tone suggested this would actually go somewhere.

"I've told you everything, both of you." Harry was running his hands through his hair and looking from Ron to Hermione. While Hermione felt compelled to side with Ron, for some reason, she was bothered by the visible distress Ron's harsh words were creating.

"We thought you had something!" Ron was shouting now, looking angry, though Hermione noted there was not much feeling behind his words, nothing but venom. But Harry wasn't noticing that, was looking defensive as he stared Ron down.

"I didn't say it like that, I didn't..." Hermione found her voice, finally, to object to the 'we' in Ron's statements.

"Don't lie." Ron spat at her, and she stepped backward, taken aback by the anger in the bite towards her.
"Leave then, if this isn't right for you. Fuck off back home to your mum." Hermione shook her head, putting her hands up between the two boys, fuming. Friendship reduced to tatters as they glared at each other, and she wondered if this would come to more than words, Ron's fists clenching by his sides.
"Maybe I will!" Ron's yell would have bothered the forest around them, had it not been for their secrecy charms.
The boys exchanged several more heated insults, Hermione getting more and more upset, before Harry eventually turned away, defeated, as the ginger boy glared at him with all the hate he had in him, chest heaving.
"Leave the locket." Harry's final words were apparently all Ron needed, and Ron made to ceremoniously take the chain from his neck.

"No, Ron, no.." Hermione felt her throat start to close up, choking back tears as Ron lifted the flap, and left the tent.

"Ron!" Sehe stood up, shaking free of the arm Harry held out, and ran out into the forest.

"Ron! Ron! Ron!" Hermiones screams rang out across the entire forest, she no longer cared if anyone heard her, Ron was needed, they wanted Ron, Ron was her only link to Fred.

"Hermione, he's gone. Come back in." Harry's voice was toneless, and she walked back to the tent slowly, facing him.

"How could he leave?" she said hopelessly, as Harry hugged her to him. He said nothing in response, gave no words of encouragement, as there was nothing really for him to say.

"Ron's back." Bill's two words choked out, and at them Fred jumped up, along with the other few order members in the kitchen.

"What? Are they all? Is everything okay?" Fred heard his questions come out in quick succession, practically falling over each other. Bill met his eyes, answering none of his questions, merely listening to those of those around him.

"What of Harry?" Lupin waited for the general hubbub of the others to die down, and Bill shrugged.

"Ron assures me that both Harry and Hermione are alive. Other than that, he will say nothing. He plans on leaving again very quickly, apparently he got separated from them for some reason..." He trailed off.

"But we can't find them, how will he?" Arthur Weasley interjected, and Bill shook his head once again.

"I want to see my son!" Molly said quickly.

"No, he won't see anyone. Just has to get back quickly, he says." Bill returned.

"He can't cope with this alone..." Molly clutched her husbands sleeve.

"Don't let him go away again!" Arthur was shaking his head at his wife, but moved to take her hand.

"Ron's of age, and has to be trusted, Moll."

After some more debate, it was decided that Ron would not be contacted, as he had wished, that Bill would bring him up to speed on everything that had happened and house him until such a time that he was to leave again. But Fred's thoughts were focused solely on Hermione, he was searching his mind for a way that he could contact her, now that Ron was so within his grasp..

But she was alive. He knew that, Ron had told Bill.

'We both have our roles to play in this war, love..." His words to her only months before rang clear in his mind, and he knew then that contacting her was not possible. A luxury he wanted, but could not have. They had to play their parts separately.

"Fred. We should report this, that he's confirmed that they're safe." With George's prompt, Fred headed upstairs with his twin, only one thought on his mind.

She's alive... He had told himself he'd know if she died, but could not escape the worry that stuck in the back of his mind that she was not.

"Why do you think Ron left?" George's question as they headed into their room confirmed what Fred had been thinking, that Ron would have left.

"We don't know anything, I suppose." George's disappointed look showed that he had wanted to discuss it more, but Fred needed to think about this new development, worry about Hermione, a pastime that he knew would be fruitless, but seemed to be all he did these days.