This is the next chapter, as promised :) As penance for having made you wait so long during exams! The next chapter will be up on Tuesday though as per usual. Even though I have a licensing exam and am moving to a new apartment this weekend, I will still make sure to get it up for you guys!

A fair warning now: this is a very angsty chapter. There is no fluff whatsoever. This chapter is a very important one though in terms of plot development, so for anyone who is only interested in Ron/Hermione fluff you will just have to bear with it for a while. We're going to be focusing a lot on the Death Eater side of the story for the next little while! Not that there won't be any fluff at all. There will just be less than there has been up to now.

Any-who, make sure to review, review, review, and give your feedback! I've got an idea of where I'm going with this but I still like to hear your guys' thoughts and comments.

Enjoy! And as per usual, no copyright infringement intended and all Harry Potter characters etc. belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling!

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Chapter 8:

Hermione was lying in her four-post bed, staring up at the ceiling. She had wanted to go to bed early, but tonight sleep was bound to elude her. There was too much to think about after the conversation she had with Harry a couple hours ago.

Harry was suspicious that Ron was a Death Eater. And what made it worse was that he had some fairly reasonable leads to go on.

Despite these suspicions and the evidence pointing towards Ron though, she still had a strange instinct to take Ron's side. She felt she needed to protect him. The logical side of her hated it because she knew there was something going on and they needed to figure out what, but this other side of her wanted to overlook everything and give him the benefit of the doubt. Even with something as serious as Unforgiveable Curses being involved, she wanted to act like it was nothing important and believe that Ron was still the same. It was a side of her that she hadn't known she'd even had.

It wasn't like her to put her own personal feelings above what was logical and right, but she had really struggled with the decision to go behind Ron's back with Harry and find out what he was up to. She had wanted to say no and just forget about the whole thing. The logical part of her had apparently taken precedence though, and she had agreed to help Harry figure it out. Although she had to admit, she had been dangerously close to smothering that logical part of her completely.

It wasn't until Harry had said his piece about needing Ron to be innocent that she realized he wasn't doing this because he wanted Ron to be a Death Eater. He had only wanted for Ron to be innocent. He had admitted that Ron was like a brother to him, and he had made his feelings very clear about the whole situation. Seeing Harry in that state of emotional turmoil was not something she was used to, so she knew he had to have been really hurting. It had been Harry's pleading that had made her feel bad for him and to agree to help him, not the evidence. She was almost ashamed to admit that she had been close to letting her feelings for this boy distort what made sense.

She wanted so badly to pretend like he was innocent without getting all the facts. She wanted to continue her relationship with him like nothing was wrong. She had been thoroughly enjoying her time with him lately. He had been sweet, funny, and almost more mature. She was nearly certain that Ron had been enjoying their time together almost as much as her. He sometimes had some adorable fits of nervousness about what to say and do around her, but for the most part he had become more much comfortable with her. Not to mention their history together. She had been friends with Harry and Ron since first year. He hadn't always been the nicest to her when they were younger, but they had still been through a lot and he was a huge part of her life. Even through all their fighting and arguments, he had always been a part of her life and he would always be a part of her past. She still wanted him to be able to be a part of her future too. She found it very hard to believe that he would ever turn on them and join the Death Eaters.

But now that all of this Death Eater nonsense had come out, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything except what was going on with Ron. She wouldn't know what he was going to say about those papers until early in the morning at the time her and Harry had agreed to meet in the common room at to discuss it. What would happen if it turns out he was a Death Eater? What would happen between them? Had he only been keeping up appearances for the sake of getting to what he needed? Or was he genuinely interested in being her friend again? Perhaps both? What would she do if he was one of them?

The thought of it had tears forming in her eyes for the hundredth time that night. Maybe she could change him? If he was a Death Eater, he couldn't have been one for very long. Maybe he would be sorry for going behind them like this and would change sides again. Or maybe he wasn't a Death Eater per say, but more of an accomplice. Either way, it was bad. But maybe he would realize what he was doing isn't worth it and would come back to them.

She shook her head at her own thoughts. She couldn't even believe she was considering trying to forgive and change a Death Eater. Not that she believed Ron was a Death Eater yet, but if he was, apparently he would have her support rather than her fight. She was so conflicted by these feelings and she just wanted it to be over with. This attachment to Ron was threatening to have her throw all of her beliefs out the window. And for what? For his attention? His friendship? His company? Was that really worth her selling out her sense of reason? If had been anyone but Ron she would have immediately ostracised them completely for having been a Death Eater. This wasn't like her at all. She was Hermione, for Merlin's sake. She was Hermione: the strong-willed, intelligent, curious and good-willed young lady. Not this smitten, boy-crazed, emotional-wreck of a girl that she was behaving like.

She was driving herself mental thinking about what she should do. The only thing she really could do now was pray that Ron had nothing to do with Death Eaters. That when Harry asked him about it tonight he would have a good explanation for having those papers in his trunk.

Hermione was suddenly reminded that Ron and Harry must have been talking by now. She had been lying awake for hours with her thoughts. Surely Ron had come back from his detention by now? She wondered what Ron would say when Harry asked him about the papers he found. She had never felt more anxious or nervous for morning to come. Hoping for the best and trying once more to fall asleep, she laid with her eyes still glued on the ceiling.

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Harry and Ron were both sitting in the common room, staring at the fire on their usual sofa. The room had emptied as it was very late, but Harry had been stalling to keep them down in the common room rather than going up to their dorm filled with other blokes trying to sleep. He wasn't sure how this conversation with Ron was going to go, but just in case he thought he'd better spare them being awoken by any potential shouting that may come out of it.

Ron was growing tired though, and Harry could only use the excuse of "the fire is nice and warm" so many times before it would become suspicious. He had to ask him now. It was now or never, and never was not an option. He sat up tall in his seat and turned to face Ron.

"Ron, there's something I wan-"

"Do you mind if I ask you someth-" Ron said simultaneously. "Oh, sorry, mate. You can go first," he said with a small chuckle and a bright smile. "You were saying?"

"Oh, err," stuttered Harry, part of him wondering what Ron had meant to ask him. He was not really sure how to proceed with his own as he sat gaping at Ron who was still smiling back at him like nothing was wrong. He really didn't want to do this. He wished he could convince himself that Ron was innocent. But he couldn't let this lie and he knew it.

"I, err, actually just wanted to ask you about something that I found in our dorm," he finally pushed out, his mouth dry from hanging open for so long. He closed his mouth and tried to remain casual as he scanned Ron's face for any sort of reaction.

Ron was looking at him through slightly narrowed eyes as he waited for Harry to continue. But before Harry could say anymore, Ron's eyes suddenly widened to the size of saucers and he winced under Harry's gaze.

"Listen, mate, I think I know exactly what this is about," he said as he bit his lip and his face started to blush. His eyes darted to the ground and he refused to make any eye contact with Harry now.

Harry watched in confusion as he tried to decipher what he was hiding. "You do?"

"Yeah, well you see, it's not like I, err, well…" he started as his hand started rubbing the back of his red-tinted neck. "It's not like I'm being creepy or anything, I mean it's just a picture. Lots of people have pictures. You have pictures, I have pictures, I mean we all have pictures, yeah?"

Harry's confusion had grown tenfold now. What in Merlin's name was Ron talk about? What picture? He resisted the urge to cut in and waited to see where Ron was going with this.

Ron stared at him with a hopeful look, but when Harry said nothing he sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Look," he said, dropping his head back down to look at Harry again. "I know it's a little weird, it's just something I like to keep on the table beside me. I like to, err, look at it sometimes," he said meekly. "I thought I had hid it better, but if it weirds you out I can move it. I'd like to point out though that if you had a picture of Ginny on your table I probably wouldn't make you get rid of it or anything. Well, maybe. But she's my sister, mate. So it's different."

Harry was now looking at him with his mouth half-open again and wide eyes. Suddenly understanding what Ron must have been talking about, he chuckled under his breath and gave Ron a knowing smirk.

"Ron…? Do you have, err…. Do you have a picture of Hermione on your table?" He could barely compress the amusement in his voice as he watched as Ron stared back at him looking completely dumb-founded.

"What… err…? Well isn't that what you were talking about when you said you needed to talk about something you found in our dorm?" His face was flushing again and he looked horrified at having exposed his own secret. Harry tried his best not to laugh and simply shook his head as he stared back at Ron.

"Oh, err… Well, this is sufficiently awkward then, isn't it?" he asked, his face now bright red.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle again at his embarrassment. "I can't believe you keep a picture of her. Exactly how long have you had that for?" he snickered, still highly amused with what Ron had admitted to.

Ron rolled his eyes and sighed again. "Never mind that," he said as Harry laughed at him again. "If that's not it, then what is it that you found?"

Harry's smile then disappeared at the reminder of what he had actually been talking about. He felt his heart rate quicken as he gulped and stared at Ron again. The look Ron was giving him seemed innocent enough and made him seem genuinely confused at what Harry was asking about.

"Right. Well, err..." started Harry again, the blood pumping loudly through his ears. "Well I was trying to get my pyjamas on and I accidently stepped on this paper." He then pulled the papers out from his pocket and handed Ron the one with the poison instructions. Ron seemed confused, but he accepted the paper and began reading it. He waited as Ron stared at the paper like it had 5 heads, and then slowly looked up at Harry with a furrowed brow and small frown.

"This sounds exactly like what happened to me in Slughorn's office," he finally said in a questioning tone. "Why was this in our dorm?"

Harry felt his heart sinking. So he was just going to act like he hadn't seen this before? He wasn't even going to think of an excuse? Harry wasn't going to accept that answer. It couldn't be this way.

"I don't know why this was in our dorm, but I was wondering if you had any reason for why. Because I also found this sticking out of your trunk after I picked up that paper." He handed him the second paper with the two Unforgivable Curses printed on them. Ron's brow furrowed even more as soon as he laid eyes on the second paper.

"I've got no bloody idea why these were in there. You say this one was in my trunk?" he asked, holding up the second paper.

Harry could only nod sadly as he looked into Ron's eyes, trying to figure out what was going through his mind. He hadn't looked like someone who had just been found out, but Harry couldn't be sure. What was upsetting him the most was that Ron wasn't providing him with any reason for why these papers were in his possession. He was just flat-out denying it.

"Well, who do you suppose had them in there?" asked Ron just as casually as Harry was pretending to be.

Harry could only blink at him. Why wasn't he giving him an excuse? A reason for why? He was finding it more and more difficult not to break out into a panic. His best friend could not be a Death Eater. He needed him to say something more, something to clear his name.

"Well, they were in your trunk, which is why I came to you first," he said quietly. He then watched as Ron narrowed his eyes at him and scoffed.

"Harry," he said, cocking his head to the side. "You're not seriously suggesting that these are mine, are you?" He sounded surprised, confused and angry all at the same time. Harry could feel his heart drop even further as his best friend stared at him, waiting for his response.

"Well, I mean, I wasn't sure if they were or not. But if they were I just was curious as to why you had them. So…?" He waited for Ron to jump in at his hanging question, but he still did nothing of the sort. He had given Ron multiple chances to give him a reason for why he had these papers, but still he was acting like he knew nothing about them.

"Harry, these are not my papers. I can't believe you'd even need to ask me twice." He was looking at Harry with such disappointment in his eyes that Harry had to look away. He couldn't bear this. He couldn't tell if Ron was lying or not, but Ron hadn't given him an adequate explanation for it all. He was also making Harry feel very guilty and Ron hadn't even scratched the surface of what he had been suspecting of Ron. Someone had used these curses on students at Hogwarts though, and he needed to be sure it wasn't Ron after everything Malfoy had said to him.

"Alright. I was just asking because they were in your trunk, and papers don't just appear out of thin air."

Ron was now staring at him with his mouth agape and his head still cocked to the side. "Are you saying you don't believe me?" he asked in an astonished tone.

"No, I'm not saying that at all. I was jus-"

"Yes, you are, Harry. You don't believe me! It's written all over your face," he said gruffly, his expression getting angrier and angrier. "So, tell me then," he shouted, suddenly standing up from the sofa and turning to face Harry. "Exactly what do you think I'm doing with these papers that are supposedly mine? I'd love to hear it!"

Harry didn't even want to say it. He could feel the guiltiness pulsing through his veins as he looked at Ron, who was waiting for his answer with a completely furious look on his face. It was amazing how similar his reaction was to Hermione's when he had told her a few hours ago. He decided he would avoid the use of the term 'Death Eater', but he would still have to come up with something.

"Look, Ron," he said calmly, standing up to meet his eyes. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I mean, the only reason why someone would need instructions like this is if they were planning on learning it to use on something, or, err, someone."

He felt like his heart had shattered at Ron's sudden change from looking very furious to very, very hurt. Ron was now staring at the ground with his mouth still open and his eyes full of anguish. Harry hadn't expected he would take that well, but he hadn't thought that Ron would be so hurt by it. He felt the guilt inside of him creating an insurmountable pressure to just tell him it was all a joke and that he would never accuse Ron of such things. The way Ron was looking at the floor had his insides twisting into a knot as he waited for Ron to say something. He could only imagine what he would be like if he had actually accused him of being a Death Eater…

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Ron was staring at the ground, unable to meet Harry's eyes. He felt like he had just been stabbed in the chest. Perhaps stabbed in the back might have been a better metaphor in this case. How could Harry ever suggest that he would want to use those curses on anyone? The accusation came with enough pain to kill.

He knew he had a bad temper, but to even suggest that he would be able to plan out a murder and kill someone was completely absurd. He didn't even think it was possible to be accused of anything worse. What hurt the most was hearing it come from Harry. His best friend. Practically his brother. The person who had been with him through everything, and vice versa.

He finally brought his head up to look at Harry, who was staring back at him with an expression almost as pained as his own. Ordinarily he would have wanted to punch out someone for accusing him of such things, but all he could feel was pain. Harry looked anxious to hear him say something, but Ron could only look at him. Finally, Harry looked away from his gaze and shook his head slowly before beginning to speak.

"Ron, I-"

"Is this what you think of me?" Ron asked quietly, cutting into whatever it was Harry had to say. He didn't want to hear it. Whether it was more accusing or an apology, he didn't care. He couldn't believe Harry would accuse him of this and he needed to hear it again just to be sure. "Is this what you think? That I would be willing to use these curses or this poison on someone? To kill someone?"

"Ron, I-I don't know what to think…" he said, clearly trying to advert from Ron's stare.

Ron still couldn't believe what was coming out of Harry's mouth. Now he was getting frustrated. He had spent years as Harry's best friend, and yet Harry was able to question something as awful as killing? What possible reason could he have ever given Harry for being suspicious of such a thing? As far as he was concerned he hadn't given him any impression of the sort. The anger that hadn't seemed to exist moments ago was now bubbling through him once more and replacing the heartbreak he had been previously feeling.

"Alright," he growled lowly, unable to hold back his temper. "How about I tell you what I think then, hm? I think that you've got some bloody nerve. We've been best friends for years, and you have to question whether or not I would kill someone? When I ask if that's what you think of me, your answer should be 'no', not 'I don't know what to think'! If you really need me to confirm for you that I wouldn't use these curses on someone, then maybe we're not as close as I thought. Maybe everything I've been through with you doesn't mean as much to you as it does to me. I would never, never accuse you of such things!"

"Ron, if you say they aren't yours then I'll believe you, but surely you have to see why I would ask?" he asked in a loud and panicked voice. "They were in your trunk!"

"So bloody what! Did you consider any other possibilities? That maybe I'm holding them for someone? That maybe I needed them for study purposes? Maybe I just wanted to know them for my own protective purposes? Did you ask 'I wonder whose papers these are and why they are in your trunk, Ron' rather than 'Ron, why do you have these'? No! You just quickly assumed that I was learning them to use on people. And that is what I'm struggling with the most right now, Harry. The fact that you'd just jump to that conclusion."

"Are any of those reasons true?" Harry asked hurriedly in what almost seemed like a hopeful tone of voice.

"No," he answered bluntly. "No, they're not. None of those are true. But the fact that they could have been, and you didn't even consider them…" he said, trailing off. "The truth is what I told you. That I don't know whose they are or why they were in my trunk. And you can either believe me or you can't. Either way, I don't care. Because if you were really my friend you would have never even needed to ask."

"Ron, you know I'm still your friend. I'm still your best friend. I'm sorry for asking but we're talking about really dark magic her. I just had to be absolutely sure!" he pleaded.

"Save it, Harry," said Ron angrily, holding up his hand to stop him. He couldn't listen to this anymore. It was too painful to hear and he felt like he was about to explode any second. He grabbed his bag and stomped away, leaving Harry there in front of the fire.

"Ron, come on! Just let me explain some more and you'll understand why I needed to ask!" Harry shouted after him.

He ignored Harry's pleas and made his way up the stairs and to his dorm. As far as he was concerned there was no good reason for why Harry could have needed to ask him such a thing. He couldn't believe this was happening after everything they had been through and everything he had put up with during their friendship. He stormed through the door and angrily chucked his bag on the ground as he got into bed and pulled the curtains around him, sealing himself inside with his fury and frustration.

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Harry watched in peril as Ron walked up the stairs and turned down the hallway to their dorm. There was no doubt in his mind now that he had been the biggest prat in the world. He wanted so badly to tell Ron about what Malfoy had said so that maybe he would understand why he needed to ask him such a thing, but Ron wasn't going to hear any of it right now. He slunk into the sofa and stared at the fire, deciding it would be best to wait until tomorrow when he had calmed down some more and was easier to talk to.

It had been one of the hardest conversations of his life, but at least he was sure of one thing: those papers were not Ron's.

He was sure of it now. The way Ron had reacted with such hurt and anger had Harry certain that he wasn't guilty. He didn't even care that Ron hadn't been able to give him a good reason for having them in his trunk. He didn't care about what Malfoy had said. He knew Ron had nothing to do with it, and he was a bloody arse for having even suggested it.

Ron was right. They had been through a lot together and he should have known that Ron would never have it in him to plan out a murder or kill someone for no reason. Ron was a good person at heart, despite his temper and his occasional insults to others. And the way it had pained him to hear Harry accuse him of that made it clear that he cared about Harry just as much as Harry cared for him. He was sure that the only reason Ron hadn't physically attacked him despite how angry he was getting was because of how much he cared for Harry.

Though despite the awful fight they had just had and how much damage he had no doubt just done to their friendship, Harry found himself very relieved by the outcome. The amount of effort and time on Harry's part that it would take to repair their friendship almost seemed worth it to be able to have sound proof that Ron was still loyal to him. Well, it might not have been soundest proof to anyone else, but to Harry it was. His reaction had said it all for him.

He knew he would spend a lot of time apologizing and making it up to him, and hopefully Ron would be willing to forgive him soon enough. He didn't blame Ron for hating him right now, but Harry had a feeling that once Ron had calmed down and had a chance to hear him out that he would forgive him. Right now he was just relieved and over the moon to know that Ron was not an enemy, even if it meant that he hated Harry. Somehow not having Ron at all, no matter how long it was for, seemed less awful than having him against him.

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I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! It was probably one of the hardest chapters I've had to write so far. Harry's emotions are really hard to express considering he is usually quite good at masking them. Same with Hermione, although it's not as hard to write for her considering she is still a girl, which is something I relate to quite well :)

I wanted to put more into this chapter, but for some reason I felt like I should just leave it how it is. So hopefully you guys are able to understand all 3 of the characters thoughts and feelings based off only my day and a half of work haha! The next chapter will hopefully be a tad bit longer.

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW :) Thanks!

-ArticulateFiction