DON'T SHOOT! I have very good reasons for taking 4 weeks to update. I already mentioned in my last update that I might be a week or two late because of exams. Turns out exams were a lot more difficult than I anticipated, sorry about that. But here I am with the newest update! And as penance for taking so long, I will be working all day to get another chapter finished and posted tomorrow. So get pumped!
This chapter is pretty angsty. There is some minor Ron/Hermione fluff as well, so not all bad. Most of it focuses around Harry this time though. Hopefully you guys will be able to understand where I'm coming from with his character.
And I'll update tomorrow or at least before the week is up. I have all summer now until September! Enojy :)! Don't forget to review, give me your feedback or ideas for where to go with this!
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Chapter 7:
Ron was sprawled out in a chair beside the fire in the Gryffindor common room, parchment laid flat on the table in front of him and a quill barely clutched in his nearly limp hand. He had been trying to get some work done on an essay, but found the comfort of the chair he was sitting in to be far too inviting. He hadn't gotten a whole lot of sleep the night before thanks to his racing thoughts about Hermione.
They had been getting along quite well as of late. Probably even better than they had been before they had their falling out in their friendship after the whole Lavender incident. Their relationship had improved greatly since he had apologized and they had talked things out, and he was grateful that she didn't hate him after everything that had happened. In fact, if his intuition was right, he thought she might actually be starting to like him more.
He knew that his feelings for her were getting stronger every moment he spent with her, and he had suspicions that she might reciprocate some of those feelings as well. He was becoming much more comfortable around her, and it had led to a series of flirtatious interactions that he couldn't help but notice had her acting much more shy and girlish around him. It was a whole new side of Hermione that he wasn't familiar with, but he was looking forward to getting to know this side of her much better.
He felt his eyes start to flutter shut as the tiredness began to take over and his breathing slowed. He was about to slip away into sleep, when he suddenly heard a girlish giggle from the right side of his chair. He felt his quill fall out of his hand as he jolted out of his limp position and sat up, head darting around to see who was watching him. His eyes blinked furiously as they tried to refocus, and he felt his face blush at the sight of Hermione sitting on the sofa beside him and smirking at him.
"Oh, err… hey," he muttered, face burning as he bent down to pick up his quill. He knew that he wasn't a very attractive sleeper, and he was embarrassed that she had witnessed it.
"Hey there sleepy-head," she returned, trying not to giggle again. She was sitting with her arms crossed across her chest and an entertained look on her face, and Ron knew he had probably looked like an idiot before she had come to sit with him.
Ron laid the quill gently on top of his blank parchment and brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck as the colour in his cheeks brightened. He could feel Hermione's eyes still on him as he tried to avert his own from meeting them.
He heard Hermione giggle again, no doubt on account of his embarrassment. "So what you are doing down here by yourself? Besides taking a nap for the entire Gryffindor house to see," she snickered, the smirk on her face growing.
Ron rolled his eyes and chuckled back despite the red tint that still warmed his cheeks. "Well, I was going to work on my essay. But this chair was so bloody comfy I just couldn't help myself."
"I see," responded Hermione, the smile still prominent on her face. "I assume Harry is off somewhere with Ginny then?"
Ron rolled his eyes. "Of course. I expect that will be a usual thing now…" he said half-heartedly as he thought about how much he wanted a chance alone with Harry to talk about some things. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he already missed Harry's company and it had only been two days since he had started seeing Ginny. He never realized how much he took for granted being able to talk to Harry whenever he wanted, but now he was feeling it. Hermione looked at him with what almost seemed like an expression of compassion and sympathy, and Ron realized his feelings of missing Harry were not as transparent as he would have liked.
"You know," started Hermione, a quiet tone to her voice as she edged forward in her seat, "it's isn't like he's not going to be around anymore. This is still Harry we're talking about. It's not like he's going to be-"
"Anything like me?" cut in Ron with an even softer tone than Hermione's. He instantly regretted saying it as soon as he saw Hermione's face go from full of sympathy to full of exasperation.
"That's not what I was going to say, Ron," she said sharply as she rolled her eyes. "I was going to say that he's not going to be able to focus all his time into Ginny with everything else he has going on right now. You and I both know he's too much like… well like himself to put a girl above something that he thinks is important enough to take down You-Know-Who. Even if it is Ginny… And he's going to need us to talk about it and maybe even help with it, because we're the only other ones who know. He'll be around plenty. He's probably just excited about this fresh new relationship with Ginny right now."
She continued to stare directly at him as he watched the sympathetic expression start to creep back onto her face, and Ron knew she was right. Harry may be a teenage boy, but he was nothing like Ron. He wouldn't let girls and emotions stray him away from what was important, like friendship and school, or in this case helping Dumbledore.
He caught Hermione's eyes, and the realization that she had been in his position before become more apparent than ever. He imagined that she would have felt the exact same way that he was currently feeling when he had been ignoring her and trying to make her jealous by dating Lavender, and he began to feel guilty again. If anyone knew what he was going through right now, it would be her. What she had said made sense. It might have taken him a while to come around when he was dating Lavender, but Harry was much more in control of his emotions than him and he knew he would come around even sooner. He didn't want Harry to chuck his sister entirely; he just hoped he would spend some alone time with him soon.
He finally gave Hermione a small smile and nodded in agreement. A comforting smile of her own broke out onto her face in return, and it occurred to Ron that one good thing was coming out of Harry not being around: more alone time for Hermione and himself. He suddenly felt excited and giddy, the idea of it had him feeling much more chipper than he had felt seconds earlier. He pushed away all his mixed feelings: feelings of loneliness, guilt, confusion, and exhaustion. He decided that the only thing he would focus on tonight before his detention with Snape would be Hermione.
"Well at least I have you until he's around again" he said with his face to the ground. Feeling rather satisfied with how smoothly and romantically he had inserted that little comment, he lifted his head and gave her a sweet smile. To his dismay though, Hermione was giving him a weird look with a furrowed brow, and then he cringed at what he had said. 'Until he's around again.' That definitely had not come out right...
"I mean, not that I wouldn't have you anymore err, once he's back," he said quickly as he rubbed the back of his neck and his eyes darted to the ground, his confidence suddenly shattering. He was starting to feel nervous at the thought of having hurt her feelings and he was talking much faster than normal. "What I meant was that I have you now so I'm not really alone. And I'll err, still have you even when he is back… So I have you now as well as later. Well, I mean err, not that I 'have' you like you're my property or anything. You don't have to keep me company if you don't want. But I would like if you did. But you don't have to." He snapped his head up from the floor and once more laid his eyes on a very confused-looking Hermione.
Her mouth was in a slight smirk and her face was full of bewilderment mixed with amusement. He knew he was just babbling on like an idiot now, but he quickly added "it's just nice to have you when Harry's gone is what I'm saying. And also to have you when he's here. And by have I mean, you know not 'have' but, like… 'have', you know? It's just nice to have you all the time. Sorry, I'm not trying to offend you or anything", he finally finished, completely baffled at himself at his own actions. "Please don't leave," he added meekly, his face looking like he had just witnessed some sort of gruesome crime.
Bloody hell… He couldn't even begin to describe what had just happened as he felt his ears burning hotter than ever before. All he could do was stare at Hermione out of fear that if he tried to say anything more he would only make himself look like more of a prat, if that was even possible…
Hermione was staring back at him with a furrowed brow and that same smirk for what felt like an eternity. Ron waited patiently for her reaction and prayed that she understood he hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. Finally, her smirk cracked into a smile, and she covered her mouth to try to stifle a giggle. Not being able to hold back for very long, she eventually snorted and broke out into a fit of hysterical laughter.
Ron continued to stare at her, one of his eyebrows peaking on his forehead as he waited for her laughter to subdue. He wasn't entirely sure what was so funny, but at least she didn't' appear to be offended anymore.
"I'm sorry, Ron," she finally pushed out between gasps of air as she tried to catch her breath. Her breathing finally calmed and she looked him in the eye. "You're just not much of a poet!"
She sucked in her lips to try and keep from laughing again as her hand whipped up to smother her mouth and she continued to look at him.
Ron felt like he should be offended by her remark, but he knew she was only speaking the truth. Even he couldn't defend the words that had seemingly tumbled out of his mouth like a snowball rolling down a hill. He pursed his lips together to keep from laughing himself, but it was no use. Soon, he too was laughing along with Hermione at the sheer ludicrousness of what had happened.
After a few moments their laughter had slowed, and Ron elatedly watched as Hermione grinned at him from her perch on the sofa. It was amazing the way that something as simple as watching her smile could have his heart fluttering and his spirits soaring.
"Well for what it's worth, I don't mind spending time with you while Harry is off with Ginny," she said softly with a shy smile, breaking Ron out of his thoughts. The genuineness in her tone had him melting inside. Returning her smile with one of his own, he knew she was being sincere.
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Harry was rounding the corner of the hallway, on his way to the Gryffindor common room. He had just spent the afternoon with Ginny, and given any other circumstances he wouldn't have been happier about it. Unluckily for him, he had some unfortunate business to take care of this evening, and it was enough to dampen any happiness he had been feeling minutes ago before Ginny had to leave him to go to the library. He finally reached the moving staircase and waited for it to finish moving before mounting the steps.
Ron had detention with Snape tonight, meaning tonight would be one of his only opportunities to speak with Hermione alone. Tonight would be the night he would tell her what Malfoy had said to him about the possibility of there being more than one Death Eater in the school. Tonight would be the night he would tell her what he had found in Ron's trunk.
Tonight would be the night he would tell Hermione that he suspected his best and most loyal friend of being an enemy as well as one of the worst things possible in the whole wizarding world, and he felt like a bloody git for it.
He already knew how this would play out. Hermione would be upset at how he could ever suspect Ron. And he didn't' blame her, because he was probably more upset about it that she would soon be. But he had to figure this out and he had to know what was going on. He had found two of the Unforgiveable Curses in Ron's trunk, for Merlin's sake. One of which had been used on a student not that far back and the other that was strictly intended for killing. Not to mention the instructions for a poison that had also clearly been used by somebody in an attempt to kill Slughorn. They had never been able to find out whom. He couldn't perceive any other explanation for any of this. Surely this had to be enough reason to be concerned? Surely he wasn't just being overly paranoid because of everything that was happening? Surely this would make Hermione at least understand why he would question Ron's faithfulness to him? He paused as the stairs began to move again.
No, of course not. He would be kidding himself if he honestly believed she wouldn't be upset over this. He was hoping the logical side of her would come into play and she would be able to understand, and hopefully be able to come up with an explanation to clear Ron's name. Nothing would make him happier if she would be able to figure out a reason for why Ron had this dark magic stowed away besides Harry's worse fear. The stairs finished moving and he trekked forward again.
"It could be anyone though, even someone right under your nose. Someone you thought you could trust…"
Malfoy's words haunted him the rest of the way to the Fat Lady's portrait. Everything was lining up towards it being Ron. Ron was the closest person to Harry. He had no family left besides the Weasleys. There were no others. The only other people close to him were Hermione, and maybe a few other Gryffindor students who he had gotten to know fairly well over the years. He didn't honestly want any of them to be working against him, but if it proved to be anyone but Ron he would be downright ecstatic.
He recited the password and entered the portrait hole, hoping to find Hermione in the common room somewhere. At least there was only one other place she would be if she wasn't, and that would be the library.
Luckily for him, he spotted the back of her sitting on the sofa they usually sat at over by the fireplace. Unluckily for him, Ron was sitting in the arm chair across from her. He stood back and watched as they casually talked and laughed with each other. The unmistakable look of adoration and enchantment in Ron's eyes as he looked at Hermione had always struck a chord in Harry. He knew how much Ron cared for Hermione. Even if, Merlin forbid, Ron had been putting him on for a while and was working against him, he knew Ron's feelings for Hermione were very, very real.
He watched his best friend with a tiny smile for a little while longer as he desperately tried to put off the task at hand. He knew as soon as he mentioned any of this to Hermione that everything would change. Either he would be right and his best friend would now be the enemy, which was the worst possible outcome he could think of, or he would be wrong and he would be a total arse for having even suggested it. He didn't want things between them to change. He wanted to stand on this side of the common room forever and just happily watch his friends get along and have a good time. Suddenly, he heard Ron calling his name and he snapped out of it.
"Oi! Harry! Over here, mate!" he called, a huge, goofy grin plastered on his face. Harry's heart broke at how happy and excited Ron looked to see him as he walked over to their sofa. How could he ever suspect Ron? He had to be the worst friend in the entire history of friendship.
He slowly continued walking towards them as he forced a smile on his face. Finally reaching them, he took a seat beside Hermione on the sofa. Hermione had almost seemed awkward about it for a second, but she quickly caught her composure and smiled at him. Maybe he had interrupted something? Whatever it was, it would have to wait. He needed to get this whole thing off his chest.
He looked up at Ron who was still grinning at him like an idiot. It reminded him of how excited Ron would be whenever they met up after having spent the occasional summer apart. They would always catch each other up on their lives, and then they would be inseparable until the end of the next school year. The thought of it was almost enough to make Harry cry, and not a lot of things had that power over him. He needed Hermione to help him figure this out.
"So how was your day with Ginny?" asked Hermione, trying to start a conversation.
"Oh, err, good," he answered half-heartedly with another forced smile.
He could feel Hermione eyeing him at the shortness of his answer, but he didn't want to meet her gaze until Ron had left. He looked at Ron who hadn't seemed to notice his distraught mood and was smiling back at him.
"I appreciate you sparing the details, mate," he said with a chuckle. Harry smiled and nodded back, although he, and probably Hermione, knew there were other reasons for why his answer had been so brief.
"So, err, what time is your detention at, mate?" he asked, hoping he wasn't sounding too forward.
Ron furrowed his brow and whipped his head around to look at the clock. His eyes bulged at the realization of what time it was.
"Oh, bloody hell! Ten minutes from now, actually! Snape will have my head if I'm late!" He shot up from his chair and started packing his things into his book bag. Once he was finished, he threw the bag over his shoulder and started jogging to the portrait hole.
"See you guys later, yeah?" he shouted from across the room as he burst through the exit.
Harry couldn't help but smile as he watched his friend clumsily stumble out of the portrait hole. He finally pulled his eyes off of the exit and looked at Hermione just in time to catch a bit of disappointment in her expression as she too pulled her eyes away from Ron's lingering trail.
"Sorry if I interrupted anything," said Harry, feeling slightly guilty for having ruined another one of their moments. He seemed to have become especially good at that over the years.
"Oh," responded Hermione, a surprised tone to her voice. "No, it's okay. We were just keeping each other company. Nothing important." She smiled politely at him, but Harry knew better than to believe that. He knew any time they spent together was always important to both of them, especially Ron.
"Alright, if you say so," retorted Harry with a knowing smirk. Hermione couldn't help but smile and she bowed her head to look at her lap as a pink hue coloured her cheeks. Harry chuckled under his breath at her embarrassment. Surely she couldn't still be embarrassed about this considering it had been going on for years? He watched as she finally brought her head back up and her eyes met his, and he was suddenly reminded of why he had been seeking her out to begin with.
"Anyways, there was something I was meaning to talk to you about. Something rather important, actually. Concerning, err, Ron." He felt very tense, and he really didn't want to have to have this conversation with her. But she had a right to know, and he wanted her to prove him wrong.
Hermione's eyes narrowed at him. "Ron? I knew there was something upsetting you, but why do you need to talk to me about Ron?"
"Well, it's just… well, I don't know how much you're going to like what I have to say," he said nervously, trying to hold her gaze but wanting desperately to look away.
Her expression hardened and the way she stared him down reminded him of a displeased Mrs. Weasley, knowing he was hiding something. "Harry, what is it? What are you keeping from me?" Her voice was stern and she continued to stare at him until he answered.
"Well, I was getting ready for bed last night. My foot got stuck in one of my trouser legs and I was kind of hopping around trying to get it through, and there were some papers on the ground near Ron's trunk that I accidently stepped on and crinkled," he stated casually, not wanting her to think he was so paranoid as to go rummaging through his friend's things for no good reason.
"Papers? What kind of papers?" asked Hermione, her brow furrowing some more and her curiosity peaking.
"Well, at first I just assumed it was some old homework of some sort. But then when I bent down to make sure I hadn't ruined the paper I stepped on, I noticed it was tore out of a book. And then-"
"A book? You mean it was a passage of some sort? What was on the paper?" cut in Hermione, her voice sounding more anxious.
"Yes, it was torn out of some book. And when I looked closely at what was printed on the front side of it, I found out it was instructions for how to create a poison. A very lethal poison. And whe-"
"Poison! Why would that be in your dorm? I don't understand" half-whispered Hermione, not wanting anyone to overhear as the topic was growing more and more serious.
"I'm not sure, but the instructions outlined what happens to someone who drinks it, and they perfectly described what happened to Ron when he drank that poisoned mead a while back on his birthday. So then I not-"
"Wait," demanded Hermione, her hand up to signal Harry to stop talking. Harry sighed in frustration. He knew she was eager to hear what he had to say, but at this rate he would never be able to get it all out. "So the instruction for a lethal poison that was used here at Hogwarts was found in your dorm?"
"Yes, Hermione, but if you don't mind I need you to stop interrupting me while I try to tell the story, okay?" Hermione winced a little and nodded her head understandingly as she waited for him to continue.
"Alright, good. So then after reading that paper, I noticed a similar paper sticking out of Ron's trunk. It had also been torn from a book." Harry saw Hermione's eyes widen with worry. He knew she wanted to cut in, but she bit back her tongue and allowed him to continue.
"So then I pulled the paper out all the way. I know it's not right for snooping, but I was a little confused as to why Ron would ever be in possession of such dark magic, and I just wanted to make sure I shouldn't be worried about him. Unfortunately, what I found on that paper was just as bad, if not worse, than the one with the poison. There were instructions on how to perform the Imperius Curse on one side and the Killing curse on the other." Hermione gasped as she brought her hand to cover her mouth. Her eyes darted around them, trying to see if anyone would have heard Harry utter those words. Harry could feel his heart sinking at her reaction, but he kept on.
"Now, I don't have an explanation for why these instructions were with Ron, but I do have some more bad news. During the day, before I found all of this, I ran into Malfoy in the hallway. I said something about him going off to do some dark tasks or something, and he said that I shouldn't be worried about him because he's not the biggest threat to this school. I asked who he was talking about, but he wouldn't tell me. All he said was that he 'wouldn't sell out his own kind', and that it could very well be someone close to me who I 'thought I could trust'. Then he just walked away laughing. So, if you didn't believe he was a Death Eater before, surely you have to believe it now."
"Okay, I'll agree with you that it sounds like he is a Death Eater, but it's not that big of a surprise to you, is it? But what does that have to do with the papers you found?" She was eyeing him suspiciously and her tone was still quite firm. Harry had a feeling she knew what he was getting at, but it must have been so unbelievable that she wanted to hear it come from his own mouth. A rush of guilt swept through him as he looked at her.
"Well, I mean… I don't want to be the one to have to say it, but it's pretty obvious that Ron was hiding those papers. I mean, we have all the same classes and we know he doesn't need them for school. He hardly needs them for protecting himself, so there really is no good reason for why he has them. And Draco said it could be someone right under my nose-"
"Harry, you can't be serious!" snapped Hermione, looking completely appalled at what he was saying. "You're honestly going to tell me that you think Ron of all people is working as a Death Eater? As our enemy? As someone who may very well be seeking to kill you?"
"Hermione, you have to at least see why I have these suspicions, right?" he asked, starting to feel even guiltier. "I mean, it all fits. I really, really, really don't want it to, but it does. He has family working in the ministry who spent nearly a full year smearing my name and hating me. Not to mention he knows everything about me. The first thing I do when I have a problem is go to Ron. If there was ever anyone that they would want to corrupt, Ron would be it. Can't you at least understand why I might suspect him?"
"Oh, I understand perfectly well," growled Hermione as she stood from her spot on the sofa and put her hands on her hips. Looking down at him, she said lowly "the reason you're suspecting him is because you've become completely obsessed, Harry Potter. You've become one hundred percent paranoid! This whole horcrux-Death-Eater-thing is going to drive you over the edge, and quite frankly I don't want any part of that." Harry's eyes bulged at the use of the word 'horcrux', and he quickly scanned the room to make sure nobody could have heard.
Satisfied that nobody could hear them, he turned his focus back onto Hermione. She was still staring down at him with a murderous sort of rage that he had only seen in her a few other select times. It was enough to intimidate Voldemort himself, but Harry had to make her understand that he didn't want Ron to be one of them, he wanted her to help him prove to themselves that he wasn't.
"Hermione, if you'll just sit down for a second and listen while I try to exp-"
"And what about that poison? Did you forget it was Ron himself was the recipient of that poison, hm? Why would he poison himself?" she snapped, clearly trying to push down as much of her anger as she could. She folded her arms across her chest and waited for him to reply.
"I know he was the one who was poisoned," Harry said calmly as he gulped, "but he was given that poisoned mead while he was under the influence of that love potion! He would have had no idea what he was doing. And the poison was given to Slughorn, so it was never meant for Ron. Nobody could have known that I would have taken him to Slughorn after that love potion mishap, so the poison was never intended for Ron. It must have been for Slughorn for whatever reason." Harry was trying to remain composed, but every word that came out of his mouth seemed to make the fire behind Hermione's eyes burn hotter. It was one of the worst feelings of guilt he had ever been put through, and he wasn't sure he would be able to hold back much longer.
"I can't believe the words that are coming out of your mouth, Harry!" She was now shouting at a full volume. "It's like you're picking at every single detail and finding a way to make sure that it is Ron. Almost like you want it to be him!" The guilt in Harry was rapidly inflating like a balloon in his head that was ready to pop any second. "How could you even suggest," she continued, "that Ron would do this to you. Your supposed best friend. When has he ever been anything but loyal to you? He's not the one being a bad friend right now, Harry, you are. How cou-"
"Alright, enough!" shouted Harry, suddenly shooting up from his seat and firmly grabbing Hermione's crossed arms as he stood inches from her face. Hermione's eyes widened at the sudden outburst but she stood her ground. He was breathing long and hard now as he stared at her. The balloon had popped. He couldn't bear to listen to her scrutinizing any longer.
"You think I don't know that I'm being a bad friend?" he rumbled lowly as he released her from his grasp. "You don't think I feel horrible for having to suggest this? Ron is the closest person to me. He's like a brother to me." Realizing he was being too aggressive at the sight of the relatively alarmed look on Hermione's face, he backed off a little and softened his facial expression. He hadn't meant to scare Hermione; he just wanted her to understand what he was going through.
"It's just," he started softly, calming down again, "Ron is the only real family I have left, besides those bloody twits on Privet Drive. And I'm out here accusing him of being on the wrong side. Of working against me. I've never felt guiltier in my entire life, but I need to know what's going on. I need to find out, and I need you to help me. Help me clear his name." His eyes were pleading as he waited to hear Hermione's answer.
She looked more sympathetic than angry now as she stared back at him, recognizably trying to work out what to do in her head. He had no doubt that it was partially because of his emotional outburst, something he was not known for having. Finally, she said so quietly that it was almost a whisper "so you need me to help you sneak around behind Ron and snoop through his life?"
"Yes," he stated simply. "That is exactly what I need. I need you to help me clear his name. I need him to be innocent. I need us to be able to find a different explanation for all of this. I don't think I'll be able to take it if we can't, but I need to know for sure. I need to know that my best friend is still on my side. And I need you to help me figure this out, Hermione."
She continued to stare at him with crossed arms, and Harry could sense she knew he was right.
"Hermione, you know that you want him to be innocent just as much as I do. You know that there is something going on. These," he said as he took the folded papers out of his pocket and handed them to her, "are not normal. These will get a person thrown in Azkaban. I need to know Ron isn't intending on doing anything with these, and that he's okay." He watched as Hermione unfolded the papers with the Unforgivable Curses and poison instructions printed on them. Her face was like stone as she scanned them. She eventually looked up at Harry, her eyes glossy from not yet fallen tears. The sight was enough to break his heart, and he knew that she needed to prove him innocent just as much as he did.
"Please, Hermione, I need to know," he added, trying one last push to get her on his side.
Finally, she reluctantly nodded her head in agreement. "Alright. I'll help you. But only because I want him to be innocent too," she said, finally seeming to understand what Harry was going through.
Harry nodded, his expression still hard, and then brought her into a tight hug. It was nice to have gotten it off his chest, and to know that he wasn't being unreasonable. Hermione was the most reasonable person he knew, and if she agreed that they needed to do this then he knew it was the right thing to do. He was glad there was someone who could understand how he was feeling and could help him figure things out. He eventually released her from the hug, and they both sat down on the sofa to look at the fire.
"So what are we going to do about this?" she finally asked quietly, her eyes not leaving the fire.
"Well, I think it's only fair that we give him a chance to explain it," said Harry solemnly. We shouldn't just jump to any sure conclusions. I was thinking of asking him about the papers tonight before bed. See if he has a reason for having them. Then we can figure out what to do from there. I won't accuse him of anything, I'll just say I found them and I was wondering why he had them. What do you think?"
Hermione paused before answering. "I think that sounds good. If he has a good reason for it, maybe we can double check it. You know, just to make sure he's not… lying." Her voice cracked at the last word and Harry knew she was contemplating the possibility that Ron would deceive them.
"Well, hopefully he's not. Then we can put this all behind us," he said in a comforting tone, his hand rubbing her back. She mechanically nodded her head, her eyes still refusing to leave the fire.
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So that's chapter 7 for you! Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry about the angst. Next chapter will be having more angst as well. Sorry for anyone not in to that, but it's got to be done!
Review and check back soon for the next update! :)
-ArticulateFiction