Dear Hermione,

It's going to be really strange not going onto the Hogwarts Express next month. I personally really don't want to do this, and you know you're the only person I would say that to. You know I'm only doing it for Harry. I've always only done it for Harry.

I hope you're coming to the Burrow next month, Harry said he is. Dad says we're getting him to the Burrow in a different way because of You-Know-Who, but he won't tell me how. I guess he wants the Order to explain when they get here.

I think things are really going to change, Hermione. None of us are going back to Hogwarts, and it's going to be really weird. I have a really bad feeling that things are really going to go wrong

I promised you last year that I'm never going to let you die. I'm still keeping that promise no matter what happens.

Hope you are doing well,

Ron

Hermione hugged this letter to her chest after she read it. This letter didn't seem to fit Ron as much as the other letters he had written her over the years, but in a way, it did fit him. There were no puns or jokes in the letter like usual, and this almost worried Hermione. But she could tell it was Ron because he told her that he would never let anyone hurt her. His voice was still in the letter, even if he wasn't constantly making jokes.

She picked up a quill and wrote back:

Dear Ron,

I think you're right. It's going to be strange skipping the last year at Hogwarts. Between you and me, I don't want to do it either, but what choice do we have? That's what we get for picking Harry for our best friend, right?

I'll be at the Burrow on July 22nd, and I guess we'll have to wait to see what happens with Harry from there.

Everything's going to turn out fine, Ron. We have the Order, and they defeated You-Know-Who last time, so I don't think we need to worry about it until we have to face You-Know-Who himself.

You never broke your promise, Ron, and I don't think you ever will. I feel really safe about this because I have you and Harry, and I know both of you will die yourselves before you ever let me die. That's why you're my best friends.

Love from,

Hermione

Hermione tied the letter to Pig, who had been waiting excitingly, and opened the window to let him out.

A month later, Hermione left for the Burrow. She had put a spell on her parents (while they were asleep) to protect them and to avoid explaining what she was doing. It had nearly killed her to do this, and she didn't like thinking of if she would ever see her parents again, or if she would be able to lift the spell.

She Apparated to the Burrow after making sure her parents were still asleep. If the spell had worked right, they had no idea who she was. If they woke, they would probably wonder why a teenage girl was in their home.

It was just dawn, but she could see movement in the kitchen window and knew that Mrs. Weasley was up before anyone else, like always. She was expected to arrive at noon, but she was sure Mrs. Weasley would let her in early.

She knocked on the door, and predictably, Mrs. Weasley answered and encircled her in a huge hug.

"Hermione dear, we weren't expecting you until noon!"

"Oh, I was able to leave a bit early, is that alright?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Of course!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "You'll be rooming with Ginny of course, you can go up there now, mind you, everyone's still asleep…"

Hermione nodded, and made her way up the steep staircase.

She tiptoed into Ginny's room, and sat on the cot they had set up for her the night before. She looked over at Ginny, a glimpse of red under her covers. Hermione smiled at seeing her friend again, even though it had only been two months. She put her trunk under the cot, and took out a stack of books. She read for two hours until Ginny began to stir.

When she saw Hermione, she yelped with a start and quickly got up to hug her best friend.

"Hermione, I thought you were coming at noon!" Ginny squealed.

"I – I decided to come early!" Hermione lied. She felt like Ron and Harry needed to know about what she did to her parents before Ginny.

Ginny shrugged. "Alright," she said cheerily. "Hey, d'you want to play a few games of Exploding Snap? I can tell you right now, none of the boys are up yet, especially Ron."

Ginny's eyebrows arched at Ron's name, but Hermione ignored her. "Alright, we can play until we hear more signs of life."

Ginny and Hermione played until ten o'clock. Ginny told Hermione everyone had come to the Burrow for the wedding, Fred and George had closed their shop for a short time and come home. Bill and Fleur had gotten off work, and Charlie had come home from Romania; but unfortunately, Percy had once again ignored his family.

"He's not even coming for his own brother's wedding. Can you believe that?" Ginny said furiously. "Anyway, the Order will be here at noon. I hear Lupin and Tonks got married…"

"They got married?" Hermione said disbelievingly. "When?"

"Just last month. Mum said they told her it was a very small ceremony and they barely invited anyone."

After discussing Lupin and Tonks' wedding, Bill and Fleur's upcoming wedding, and then weddings in general, they both decided they should see if anyone else was up. Ginny quickly got dressed, and they both climbed the staircase higher to the other bedrooms.

Ginny banged on each door in turn and started yelling, "Rise and shine boys, Hermione's here!" Hermione giggled furiously at this, and knew that this would get Ron up.

Ginny's technique worked better than expected. Fred and George wandered into the corridor in their pajamas, both half-asleep. "Oi, Ginny, it's too early for this…"

"It's ten o' clock," Ginny said.

"Exactly our point," the twins said. Ginny rolled her eyes, and continued banging on doors.

Bill was the next to surface from his room, and started to complain to Ginny.

"Where's Phlegm?" Ginny asked Bill who was in mid-rant.

Bill scowled. "Don't call her that, Ginny. She's downstairs with Mum anyway. She was up three hours ago."

Bill's eyes floated onto Hermione. "Hello Hermione, how are you?"

"I'm fine Bill, thank you." Hermione almost had to yell her response, for Ginny was banging on one door in particular more than others.

"C'mon Ron, get up, don't you want to see Hermione?"

A sleepy voice came from behind the door. "You can't fool me, Ginny. Hermione doesn't come until noon."

Hermione giggled and couldn't resist retorting back to Ron. "Oh I don't, Ron?"

"Bloody – "

Hermione and Ginny burst out in laughter while they both listened to Ron hurriedly bustle around and get dressed in his room.

The door swung open in less than two minutes, and there was Ron. His hair stuck up in all directions and made Hermione want to laugh out loud. He looked more like a redhead Harry. Due to the summer, his freckles were much more prominent, and Hermione swore he was covered with twice as many freckles as usual.

"Hello Ron," she said. She flung her arms around his neck and felt, as usual, his own arms wrap around her waist. After they broke apart, Ginny said to Ron: "Great work Ron. Maybe I should get Hermione to wake you up every day. That had to be a world record for you."

"Shut it, Ginny," Ron scowled at his younger sister as his ears turned bright red. Hermione laughed as she led them both down to breakfast.


Two hours later, Hermione found herself at Harry's uncle and aunt's house in Surrey. The plan to get Harry to the Burrow had been explained to the Weasley family and herself, and Moody was now explaining it to Harry.

As Harry argued with Moody about the rest of them turning into himself, Ron squeezed Hermione's arm next to him. "Scared?"

Hermione gave a shaky sigh and nodded. "A bit. I just hope Harry will give in."

"He has to, we're all of age, and we can take him down if he doesn't corporate." Ron gave a twisted grin despite the situation, and Hermione smiled back.

Needless to say, Harry was forced to give in, and Ron and Hermione lined up with Fred, George, Mundungus Fletcher and Fleur to drink the Polyjuice Potion.

"D'you think we'll have any trouble?" Ron whispered worriedly into her ear. Hermione nodded, not wanting to hold back her honesty. "I think at least two of us are going to run into…him."

Ron pursed his lips. He was obviously frightened of what might happen, just like Hermione.

As Moody scolded Mundungus (who had made a wise crack) Ron continued to whisper to Hermione. "If anything happens tonight –" the line began to move as Moody filled glasses with Polyjuice Potion. "I want you to know -" Fleur, who was in front of Hermione was getting her glass of Potion – "I'm sorry for ever hurting you when fought." Hermione, still listening intently, received her glass of Polyjuice. "I'm sorry for accusing Crookshanks of eating my rat." Ron received his glass of Polyjuice. "I'm sorry for getting angry about Krum." Ron swallowed the Potion in one gulp, along with Hermione and the rest of the fake Harrys. "And I'm sorry for making you upset last year with the whole Lavender thing." Hermione stared at Ron with interest as they both turned into Harry. He had never apologized to her for anything he had ever done, and it must've taken a lot of courage to do it now.

Every one of the fake Harrys now looked exactly like Harry, but Hermione knew better. She still saw the famous Ron smirk through his Harry appearance.

Hermione was slowly turning back into herself, her hair was still black, but it was longer, and her eyes were hazel, a color between green and brown. She and Kingsley had appeared in the yard of the Burrow by Portkey. The first person she saw was Harry, and she ran to hug him.

Vaguely, she heard Kingsley ask who else was back and then Lupin's terrifying response: "Only Harry, Hagrid, George and me."

Ron wasn't back. She felt her heart drop several floors into her stomach. They had missed their Portkey. A thousand horrifying possibilities of what might have happened entered her brain…her head was spinning and she felt sick at the thoughts of anything happening to him…

Not to mention everyone else who wasn't back…Bill, Fleur, Tonks, Fred, Mr. Weasley, Moody, Mundungus…

Hermione ignored the conversation going on around her and kept her eyes on the sky above, the last piece of hope she had was trying to grow.

Somewhere around her, she heard Lupin say that George had lost an ear. "Lost an - ?" she was able to reply distantly. She pictured George lying on the Weasley couch with blood flowing from a gaping hole in the side of his head. But she couldn't take her eyes off the sky, or even go inside to make sure he was alright. She needed to be the first one to be in Ron's arms when he came back….if he ever came back…

Don't think that, she scolded herself. He has to come back….

And then two figures materialized out of nowhere. Hermione saw two glimpses of Weasley red hair, but it was only Mr. Weasley and Fred. Nevertheless, she was glad to see them alive.

"George has lost an ear," Hermione told them vaguely, her eyes still on the sky.

Mr. Weasley and Fred both said in unison, "What?" Hermione ignored their response and pointed inside and they quickly followed her directions. Hermione swallowed and prayed for Ron's return.

Not long after Mr. Weasley and Fred arrived , two more figures were spotted in the yard. Hermione saw the glimpse of red and knew this time, it was him. "It's them!" she yelled, almost just to reassure herself.

She ran at Ron, and threw herself into his arms. "I thought – I thought –" she couldn't even finish a sentence. She had been so upset and the relief that had washed over her was almost unbearable in such a wonderful way…

She felt Ron hug her back, mumbling words about how he was fine, but Hermione held on tight. She now knew she couldn't bear to have him away from her, especially because of the war. She was going to become attached to her two best friends and make sure they are never hurt or – she almost died thinking about it – killed.