Harry hastily left the common room, leaving Ron and Hermione stunned and awestruck. Ron was holding the bottle of Felix Felicis and staring after Harry with bewilderment. Hermione was standing next to him, clutching his arm with fear. He had just told them he was going with Dumbledore to help destroy Voldemort.

Ron blinked and seemed to come to reality. He turned to Hermione. "You need to take some of this," he said, indicating the Felix Felicis. "Leave enough for Ginny."

He held the bottle out for her to take, but Hermione only stared at it. "Aren't you going to take some too?"

Ron bit his lip, and bravely shook his head. "I don't need any of it. I need to make sure you and Ginny are safe if we have to fight tonight."

Hermione's mouth fell slightly, she was clearly touched. "Ron, Harry said we all need to take some, I'm not taking any of it until you do."

"C'mon, Hermione, don't do this –"

Hermione gave Ron one of her famous death stares, but Ron was the least bit threatened. "That doesn't work on me anymore. I've known you for five years, Hermione, your death stares do nothing to me."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. Ron stubbornly forced the bottle into her hand. "C'mon, just take it Hermione, why are you being so stubborn?"

"I'm being stubborn?" Hermione's eyes lit up like fire. Not a good sign.

"You're the one who won't take the stupid potion!" Hermione accused, tears brimming the sides of her eyes.

"God, don't you understand?" Ron shouted. "You need it much more than I do, I don't want to see you blown up by a Death Eater!"

"Ron, I'm a much better dueler than you, if anyone needs it, it's you!" Hermione seemed to regret what she said right after she said it, because her face showed it all. Ron pursed his lips, internally debating on whether to scream back at her or not. He sighed, and leaned against a nearby table, drowning Hermione in the billowing silence.

"Ron, I'm sorry –"

"Hermione." Ron said her name suddenly, and Hermione stopped. "I know you think I'm being a stubborn prat but really, I'm only thinking of you." It had taken all of Ron's willpower to say that out loud. Hermione looked surprised and taken aback, but touched all the same. She seemed to realize right there that all Ron was trying to do was protect her.

But Hermione being Hermione, she stood her ground. "And I'm only thinking of you, Ron. I've already felt that awful feeling that you get when you think someone's dead when you were poisoned, and I don't want to feel it again."

Hermione sighed. She sat down on one of the tables in the common room. What she said next was barely heard, and Ron had to strain to hear. "I can't lose you, Ron."

Ron was inwardly stunned. He had no idea how much she cared. After three years of denying it, he had finally accepted that he was in love with Hermione Granger.

His thoughts were interrupted by Hermione's voice.

"Can't we just split it with Ginny equally? That way we're all lucky on the same level."

Ron wasn't immensely happy, especially since they all had a slight chance of dying, including Hermione. Despite this, he nodded, mostly to avoid more arguing.

Hermione held out the bottle for him. "I promise you, I'll drink after you if you drink first."

Ron hesitated for a moment. He then took the bottle from her, and despite his agreement to her, he tried to drink as little as possible. He passed it to her, and she drank enough to leave enough for Ginny.


When Ginny appeared in the common room a few minutes later, Ron and Hermione told her where Harry had gone. Her reaction was exactly what he expected, but he had never seen Ginny look so heartbroken.

"He left without telling me?" she raged. "But – surely he understands – I mean, doesn't he care what could happen?"

Ron and Hermione put their arms around Ginny's shoulders, and it was a miracle she didn't throw them off. "Doesn't he care enough about me to find me and tell me where he's going?"

Ron could feel his ears burning with embarrassment for his sister and best friend. However, Hermione didn't feel the same way.

"He loves you, Ginny," she said. "Harry had to go, Dumbledore was waiting. We were in the common room, and if you had been there, he would have said goodbye. He's only thinking of you, Ginny, and he wants you to take some of the Felix Felicis."

Hermione held the bottle out for her, and Ginny reluctantly took it. "I take it later. I'm going to bed." She climbed the stairs to the girls' dorm and disappeared.

"She'll be fine," Hermione said automatically.

Ron wasn't so sure. "Only if Harry comes back alive."

At this, Hermione's brown eyes widened and her face flushed. Before Ron could react, she had a firm grip on his collar and Ron was actually scared of her for the first time.

"You listen to me, Ron Weasley!" she said through clenched teeth. "Harry is not going to die. He's with Dumbledore, so he'll be fine! Anyway, he can't die. He's survived so many times, it's probably impossible for anyone to kill him."

"Alright, Hermione!" Ron took her hands and attempted to loosen them from his collar. "I'm sorry, it's just with the war –"

"You think the war's creating stress for you?" Hermione's voice was slowly growing higher with each sentence. "You think you're cracking under pressure because of the war?" Her voice choked with tears, and she loosened her grip on Ron's collar, much to his relief.

They stood like this for a few more moments, Hermione's hands still tight on Ron's collar, and Ron's eyes not leaving hers.

She finally gave up and let go of his collar. "He'll be fine." she said, as if to reassure herself more so than Ron.

"Hermione –"

Hermione ran her hands through her bushy hair and ignored Ron. Ron approached her carefully, and when he placed his hand on her shoulder, she completely broke down into tears.

She fell into his arms and Ron, confused by her sudden emotions but still willing to help, wrapped his arms around her instantly. She seemed to be holding onto him as if he was her lifeline, and Ron knew he would be the first to volunteer if she ever needed a lifeline.

She finally stopped crying enough to tell Ron why she was so upset. "I'm sorry, I'm just so worried for my parents. Ron, they're muggles, and I haven't told them enough about the war, so they don't know to go into hiding! These two worlds I'm trying to live in are driving me mad! I can't live in both, and I can't pick one over the other! Ron, I don't know what to do, and I always know what to do! I can't stand everything we've had to go through for the past five years!"

She burst into more tears, and Ron instantly took her into his arms once again. When she calmed down once again, Ron pulled her away from himself. "Listen to me, Hermione. I didn't realize the war was affecting you in such a horrible way, and I can't stand it when you fall apart like this.

"But I promise you, we'll going to make it through. This whole war that's coming, I'm going to make sure you, Harry and me are never split up." He hugged her to his chest, and she clutched his neck. "If one of us dies, we all die. Especially you."

Hermione pulled away from him to look at him in the eyes. Ron nodded seriously. "You can bet that I'll definitely die if you ever die." Hermione looked touched but scared too. Ron tried to fix what he had said. "That's not going to happen though. There's no way I'll ever let anyone touch you. That's a promise."

Hermione smiled that lovely smile he had fallen in love with. "Thank you, Ron. I'm glad I have so many people looking out for me in this world." She let go of his neck and sat down on one of the couches. Ron imitated her movement, but lay down on the same couch.

"I'm going to get some sleep," Ron told her. "I haven't had enough boring classes to sleep in lately." This statement did what he wanted it to, and made Hermione laugh her beautiful laugh that made him grin.

"Fine, I've got to finish some homework anyway." She got up and turned her back to him, and he instantly fell asleep.


Ron woke to the sound of many frantic voices. He felt another body next to him, and he found that Hermione had fallen asleep on his chest. He took in his surroundings. There were many people bustling throughout the common room, yelling "Death Eaters in the castle!" He frantically woke Hermione, who instantly got up off the couch and helped Ron up as well.

"Ron, what's happening?" she asked him frantically, noticing the screaming people around her.

"Death Eaters in the castle," Ron repeated grimly. He shot Hermione a look that she instantly understood. Time to fight.