In the morning, the first thing Hermione did was bash a newspaper in Harry's face.

"Ow! Have you gone completely mental?"

"That's what I'm supposed to ask you! The entire library is in pieces because of you!"

Harry just stared at her. "Is that why you hit me in my face with everything you got? For crying out loud Hermione, it'll get fixed in no-time."

"That chaos wasn't an ordinary brawl! You almost got yourself killed last night! What were you thinking?"

"I tend to do that in bed, I can't help…", she bashed him again.

"Please! Stop, just for once with the jokes!" she yelled at him.

He looked at her and saw she was crying.

"I'm not in the mood for this, Harry. I really am not."

Harry just looked at her and she looked back.

"But this have happened before. I get shot at, I break a few bones, dark wizards try to kill me on a daily basis, sometimes I end up in the hospital-wing after a Quidditch match – the list goes on forever. And not once have you broken down like this!"

"I'm just scared. That's all", she mumbled and swiped tears from her eyes.

"Just sit down and relax. I can understand you're scared. I really can."

Harry tried to put his arm around her, but she backed away.

"No, you don't. Because you never get it. As Spider-Man you are so unbelievably reckless and never use your brain to do anything – you think you're invincible – while as Harry you're the complete opposite. Sooner or later, I will find your corpse beside my bed. That's what scares me. At this rate, I can't take it."

Harry scoffed.

"Really? Hermione, there's no need to be melodramatic. I get it, the library is trashed but you don't need to take out your anger at me."

"You know it's true", she said under her breath.

And with one last deadly stare she turned around and went off on her way.

Harry stood there and stared after her, slowly thinking over what she just had told him.

Later Harry sat by a window in the boy's dormitory and looked out over the snow-covered grounds. He bit his lip while glancing down at the mask in his hand.

Was she right? Was he really that different as Spider-Man?

He heard the door suddenly open, and quickly shoved his mask down in his pocket. It was just Hermione.

"Harry, we need to talk."

He turned around to face her. "Oh, are you here to hit me with a newspaper some more?"

She quietly sat down on his bed.

"Harry, I know I overreacted; I was very upset. But you have clearly made some dangerous enemies that turned Ron against you. Who will they go after next? My parents? Your aunt? Me?"

Harry shook his head. "It's me he wants. Not you, not our families."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Hermione, this is my best friend we're talking about. I know Ron; he's stubborn enough to keep a grudge against a single person."

"I hate to say this but, maybe he's not Ron anymore."

A moment of silence followed. Harry avoided her gaze.

Finally, Hermione moved closer and grabbed his hand. "You need to stop this, Harry. I don't condone your actions in that suit, but there has to be something that Ron can tell you before it goes too far."

"What about the Aurors? Surely full-grown, experienced wizards can find a way to get him to talk", said Harry.

"He's still in the hospital after the fight you two had."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, we left the library in pieces, didn't we?"

She laughed softly. "You did. I would give you detention for the rest of your life if you weren't needed out there. Instead, I decided to improve your webbing", she handed him his web-shooters. "It should be a little stronger than before."

He snickered.

"You're brilliant, Hermione. Frightening, but brilliant."

Hermione blushed a bit. "I try my best to be both."

In full costume, Harry dropped down beside Ron's bed. Ron didn't look as crazy anymore, but didn't look very happy to see him.

"Here to beat me up some more?" mumbled Ron, lying down on his bed.

"We need to talk."

"No, we don't", Ron wasn't looking at him at all and instead kept staring at the ceiling. "I know enough."

Harry sighed and crouched down beside him. "What did he do to you, Ron?"

"Jade?" Ron scoffed. "He showed me exactly what kind of person you are."

"What do want to know? Did I miss something?"

Ron turned his head and stared right at him. "You're so full of crap, Harry. Do you really think I'll believe you if you told me?"

"I-I'm not following."

"Well you'd better stay the hell away from me."

"Is that a threat?" Harry didn't like the feeling he got from looking at Ron: the sense of dread and pain – the pain seeing what his best friend had become.

Ron shook his head slowly.

"Then how can I help you if you're not telling me?" Harry started feeling desperate; Ron was acting like he'd already told him everything.

"He captured and tortured me for what felt like months! Deep down I thought to myself: Maybe Harry and Hermione will find me. They're smart enough to do that. I was wrong!" mumbled Ron. "Do you have any idea what that feels?"

Harry couldn't exactly say he knew how it felt to be held captive and tortured for weeks.

"Jade injected something in me, and turned me into a monster."

Harry swallowed hard.

"Ron, you're not a monster – you're not."

"Stop lying!" Ron roared, pulling himself up from the bed. "Stop with your lies and tricks! You stole Hermione from me, and now I'm a freak because of you! He captured me because of you!"

Harry was as paralyzed. He just looked at Ron, beginning to understand how the pieces came together.

"You never told me that you liked her during all those years! You never told me you were Spider-Man! You never tell me anything!" roared Ron with spit flying. "How do you live with yourself?"

He heard someone's footsteps approaching, and the door opening.

Harry slowly stood up and backed away. "I've gotta go."

"Yeah! Turn your back on me, like you usually do!"

He jumped out of the window and swung away back to the Gryffindor-tower.

The days passed by, until Christmas time were just around the corner. Hogwarts got decorated by the staff like it usually did around Christmas time.

Harry had been taking photos of Spider-Man while fighting crime on the streets of London; he'd decided to yet again go with them to the Daily Prophet.

"Potter? Potter!" Vernon Dursley suddenly roared as Harry was in deep thought about how this year's Christmas would be to celebrate. "Potter! You can day dream when you get home, not at my desk."

"Sorry, mr Dursley."

Harry had a good reason to wander off into his own thoughts, as this year him and Hermione and her family would celebrate Christmas at aunt Petunia's apartment. Harry had gone to Hermione's home last Christmas with aunt Petunia, and Ron didn't exactly want to live under the same roof as him, so they'd settled for something different instead.

"Sorry? What's sorry? Does it sell more newspapers? No it don't, boy", Dursley pulled out a piece of paper out of his desk and quickly scribbled something down. "Let's see – I'll give you forty-five pounds, no more. Should be enough to buy you something nice just in time for the Holidays! Give this to my secretary just outside, and she'll pay you."

Harry didn't argue, since he knew it was pointless.

He hurried back to Hogwarts; although ever since Jade had caught him using the only fireplace open to the Floo Network, he had to use the one in Hogsmeade instead.

"Hi. You took longer than I expected", Hermione mumbled as he tripped through the window and bumped into the wall beside her.

"Yeah, no I had to listen to Dursley talk for ages about how much he hates Spider-Man", he sighed.

Hermione laughed softly.

As they started to walk towards the Great Hall, she began to give him weird looks.

"Is there something bothering you, Harry?"

"No, not at all", Harry cleared his throat and straightened himself.

"It's Ron, isn't it?"

Harry quickly looked at her. "What? No! Yes, I mean not my main thought. Of course I'm worried about Ron, but I was thinking more about your parents."

Hermione looked at him with a mischievous grimace. "My parents?"

"Well, they don't seem to like me very much."

She looked almost surprised. "Of course they do! It's just your fame that puts them off, thinking you seem a little… inconsiderate?"

Harry scoffed. "Yeah, that makes me feel a lot better. Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione laughed.

"Just try to stay on their good side and don't make too many jokes. And especially don't eat candy in front of them; they'll never stop nagging you about your teeth for the rest of the day."

"I'll make a note of that."

AUTHORS END NOTES

This is were it truly shows that Hermione is scared for Harry getting himself killed as Spider-Man. Sure, he's been in mortal danger countless times before but this time he constantly goes to face the danger, and because he sometimes lets his powers go to his head, it's only a matter of time before he makes a mistake and gets killed.