A/N: This story includes lots of characters and I hope you don't mind that. Hope you enjoy your read.

Harry paced the floor nervously. He had been counting the hours since they escaped the Malfoy Manor, leaving Hermione behind. Hours he had spent blaming himself for leaving Hermione, but he remembered her words, those were the only reason he agreed to escape and leave her.

...

"Harry can I have a word with you, please?" Hermione asked hesitantly one day after they had had breakfast at the burrow.

"Sure Hermione, what's up?" he replied, his face changing from a smile into a confused look when he noted her hesitance. Ron eyed them then frowned as Hermione led Harry to another room.

"I need to talk to you about something important before we go on our mission." Hermione paused for a second taking a deep breath.

"Harry this...this situation, it's really big, bigger than you, me or any of us. This is a battle between good and evil, two concepts, not the order and the death eaters. Not you and him." Hermione said, the crease forming between her eyebrows said that she was focusing to finding the right words and Harry knew better than to interrupt a focused Hermione.

"What we're going to do, whether it was breaking into a vault or any other mission we'll have later on, it will involve a lot of danger. Some of us might get hurt, maybe even killed." She paused to swallow and take another deep breath.

"What I want to say is, if somebody got hurt, we'll have to keep going anyway. If…if something happens to me, if I got caught I want you to let go of me and run away. I know this is not something you would do, that's why we're having this talk now." She paused and took Harry's hand in hers.

"If something happens to you or Ron, I'd be devastated, but I'll try my best to survive and finish what we started. I want you to do the same for me. If one of us got caught and the others ran away, he might die, but the others will survive. But if one got caught and the others stayed around to save him, chances are, we'll all get killed. And you are one of the most important parts of this battle, you have to do your best to stay till the end." Hermione reasoned with him, her eyes showing how determined she is on making him see her point.

"Harry, people are not dying for you. You have to understand that, there is a greater cause. Do you think this is just a matter of survival of the fittest? That the stronger side wins? If that's the case, don't you think-given our numbers- that we're fighting a lost battle, then?" Harry looked puzzled as he heard Hermione say words he had never heard her say before.
"We're fighting for a cause, they're fighting for a person. If he dies, they won't fight anymore, but if you...die" Hermione hesitated "We will keep fighting anyway. Nobody in this war is indispensable, Harry."

...

Ron's angry footsteps interrupted Harry's deep thoughts. He knew Ron was mad at him; he didn't see the whole picture. The way Ron saw it, Harry grabbed his arm and let Dobby apparate the three of them out of the Manor leaving back Hermione.

"Ron, will you please listen to me? I have enough on my mind without you being mad at me" Harry plead, hoping Ron would finally yield and listen to what he had to say. Instead, Ron grabbed his trunk and stormed out of the room slamming the behind him.

Minutes later, the door opened slightly, Harry expected to see Mrs. Weasley checking on him, but instead, Ginny's head peaked from behind the door, silently asking for permission to come in.

Harry smiled weakly at Ginny who came in and closed the door behind her. "I've seen Ron storming out of the room his face all red and I thought you two had a fight, what happened?" she asked.

"We didn't fight, he won't even talk to me, he doesn't understand and he won't let me explain." Harry said waving his hand around him in frustration.

"He needs to know of your talk with Hermione. If you tell him, maybe he'll understand why you left." Ginny said softly, desperate to find any way to fix things between Harry and Ron.

"That's what I've been trying to do, Ginny! He won't even let me start a sentence, he's doing his best to avoid me!" Harry said, his voice higher than normal with frustration.

Sitting down on the nearest chair he put his head between his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. Ginny watched him for a minute before kneeling in front of him and putting her arms around him,Harry rested his head on her shoulder. A soft knock on the door was followed by Mrs. Weasley entering the room announcing dinner was ready, embarrassed at entering the room so suddenly, she mumbled something inaudible and left a shy Harry and a blushing Ginny cursing her family's tendencies to enter rooms unannounced.

"Drink this" Draco ordered as he offered Hermione a bottle containing a light blue liquid after he finished cleaning her last wound.

"Sure, like I would drink anything you offer me, Malfoy!" Hermione scoffed.

Ignoring her remark, he explained "It's a pain relief potion, you won't be able to sleep if you don't drink it."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously, she recognized the potion, she knew how much it would help right now. But that was Malfoy, he could've manipulated the potion or even poisoned it, she couldn't trust him, he must be getting something out of keeping her alive, and until she found out what was his plan she had to keep a watchful eye.
"No thanks, I'd prefer a sleepless night." She bit out.

"I don't prefer one though, so when you're in so much pain you can't handle it, I don't want you to interrupt my sleep with your screams." He retorted, slamming the bottle on a table beside a smaller bed in the opposite corner of the room.

Grabbing his wand he pointed it at Hermione. "Wingardium Leviosa" he muttered, lifting Hermione from the couch and to the bed. She gasped as the movement took her by surprise, she used the spell so often but it was never used on her before.

"Malfoy! Next time you move me around like I'm some object of yours at least let me know before you do." Hermione hissed at Draco who just looked at her impassively.

"Note taken, Granger. Have a miserable night." he replied, and before she could say anything, he turned on his heel and walked away. Casting a spell at the door as he headed to his bed only to stop when he heard a sharp knock on the door.