Ginny and Harry were arguing, each talking over the other quickly, raising their voices to get the last word in. Ron listened to their debate but he couldn't make out the exact sentences, just caught words here and there. His focus was on Hermione. He stood, his body rigid and his fists clenched, staring her down evenly. She stared right back at him, not flinching, as if taking him up on some sort of challenge. He'd seen that look on her face before. It reminded him of potions class, of a sixth-year Hermione trying to beat Harry at one of Slughorn's lessons. She was determined. Well, so was he.

"Why did you let us go on and on like that?"

"I didn't know, Harry, obviously!"

"We've wasted all this time, we should have been solving this!"

"Well, what do you think we're doing right now?"

Their discussion was halted by a loud crash, as Ron hurled his sword forcibly against the stone wall behind him. The metal made a sound like a deafening cymbal then fell to the floor with a loud clank. Ron stood over the sword, his head swinging quickly to Harry. His jaw was set and he breathed heavily through his nose.

"What do we do?" Ron bit out. Harry shook his head as if coming out of a trance and Ginny had the decency to look ashamed. All three of them looked back to Hermione. For her part, Hermione turned her back on them, as if refusing to help. What's she playing at? Ron wondered murderously. He stomped angrily around the perimeter of the room, ending up on the other side where Hermione now faced.

"That's not going to work," he said. "You're the brains of this operation. Start talking."

Hermione turned her nose up at him in response, her arms wrapped tight across her chest. Ron felt a strong urge to reach across, grab her by the shoulders and shake her silly.

"Damn it, Hermione, I'm not playing around!"

He saw anger flash across her face, the warning look she usually gave him before the start of a row. Well that was fine with him, he was suddenly very much in the mood for a shouting match.

"Oh, you're not playing, Ronald?" she spit out. "How good to know. Because, of course, I'm just having myself a relaxing evening here!"

He knew what she was doing. Hermione understood better than anybody how to push his buttons and she was using that swotty tone that drove him mental…and not in the good way. But the stakes had suddenly gotten much higher and he wasn't stomping off, she wouldn't push him away this time. She'd have to do a lot better than that.

"Hermione," he said slowly, drawing out each syllable. "Explain yourself. If you don't, I'm coming through that wall myself, and then we'll see if I can't come up with a solution on my own."

Ron watched her carefully. He could have sworn he saw a moment of fear flicker across her face, but she recovered quickly. She was quiet, considering him. Ron could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she contemplated something. What, he didn't know. But at least she was considering letting him in on the joke. That was something, and Ron desperately needed something. He was two seconds away from going completely mad.

"Ginny was right," Hermione said finally, turning to look at Ginny and Harry once more. Ron walked slowly to the other side to stand next to his friends, never taking his eyes off Hermione as he moved.

"I can get out of here if someone takes my place. But, obviously, it's a very dangerous risk to take."

"That's not import-" Ron yelled, but he was cut off by a swift look from Hermione.

"And," Hermione continued, "it will only work with one person in particular."

Ron hung on her every word. Why's she taking so long to come out with it? Beside him, Ron could tell Harry and Ginny were anxious for Hermione to finish as well, though Ginny looked different. She looked almost…disappointed. As if she already knew what Hermione was going to say, and she wasn't happy about it.

"WHO?" Ron shouted, about to lose his very thin grasp on sanity. Hermione took measured breaths as she readied herself to say something. He could tell she was physically struggling with some inner battle, though she was doing her best to conceal it.

"Someone I love."

The air left Ron's lungs and the room seemed frozen, as if Hermione's words were hung in the air where they all could examine them more closely. Someone Hermione loves? Then it was simple. Hermione loved loads of people, she was one of the most loving people he knew. Ginny and Harry, of course, and her parents, though they would be hard to get at the moment. His own parents, all of his brothers in fact. McGonagall or Hagrid would do in a pinch, as would Luna, Neville, any of the house elves from Hogwarts. Ron's mind flipped through the list, coming up with as many names as he could think of to get Hermione out of this. Didn't she have cousins in France?

"She means," Ginny interrupted, "someone she's in love with."

Harry let out a quiet "Ah" at Ginny's statement. Did Harry understand something he didn't? Ron stuttered in surprise and he looked to Hermione's face for confirmation. She was chewing on her bottom lip and Ron could tell Ginny had said the truth. Hermione needed someone she was in love with to take her place. If there was such a person, someone Hermione loved that way, she wouldn't let him die for her without a fight.

Well she could deal with it. Whoever the tosser was, he'd throw the git through the wall himself if he had to. But who? His thoughts quickly transitioned from Hermione's friends to any person he'd ever suspected her of fancying. He almost laughed at the thought. How many hours had he spent jealous over the various blokes Hermione had chatted with, talked about or looked at? Now, it would finally come in handy, this ability to remember Hermione's subtlest mention of a male acquaintance.

"Who?" Ron repeated his question, this time more quietly, but not any less urgently. Hermione watched him, shaking her head at him. He let out a low growl of frustration and turned to Harry manically, as if his mate might have some solution.

"Harry, help me!" Ron waved his hands as he spoke, his desperation rising. Harry looked back at him, his face an expression of pity. Harry looked almost sad and he hung his head for a moment, as if choked up.

"Are you sure?" Harry's question was for Hermione and Ron turned to her as well.

"Yes."

Ginny sniffed and Ron whipped his head toward her, noticing for the first time that his sister was crying. What was the matter with everyone? All of them, they were acting defeated, as if they had already lost something. Ron didn't understand. They could solve this, they still had time, he just needed them to help him.

"Okay, I think I know what's going on," Ron said shakily, looking around the room. "Everyone's afraid to spell it out, because I always get so jealous, right? No one wants to admit who it is, who we have to get. B-but I swear, Hermione, I won't freak out, all right? Just tell me who it is and I promise not to be mean about it."

Ron tried to smile encouragingly, but the task was difficult. His heart beat fast, praying for and dreading the name she might say. It didn't matter. He didn't care any longer that her answer might kill him, that one word from her might slice him in two. He would do anything, suffer any pain to just get her out of here. She must know that.

"Ron…" Ginny started. Her face was twisted in sympathy, as if she knew something Ron didn't, and she was sorry for it.

"No, it's okay Ginny," Hermione interrupted. "I'll tell him."

Ron looked back hopefully at Hermione, feeling like he was on the verge of being able to breathe again. Then she spoke, and her voice was like a cold bucket of water drenching him.

"It's Viktor. I need Viktor Krum."