Friends.

The word burrowed into her brain, a worm wiggling through neurons still tired from the upheaval of the previous day. It shouldn't bother her to this extent. They were friends. With all that encompassed. She trusted him with her life, had in fact needed to on multiple occasions. There had never been anybody who looked out for her the way that he did, down to writing notes for her on the class that she'd missed. And the apple…

A butterfly tickled its wings inside her midriff. There was no way he'd known about her use of the Patented Daydream Charm on Valentine's Day. Unless Fred and George had some way of registering it from their end? A backchannel? She frowned in spite of herself. Looking up patent laws needed to be added to her checklist. Though how she was to research the patent for the daydream charm without arousing the suspicion of Ron or Ginny was beyond her.

This brought her back to thinking about Ginny and Ron.

Oh who was she kidding. For all Ginny had talked about "don't go anywhere alone" she might as well have said "stick to Ron's side" and have done with it. The last thing Hermione wanted was to play third wheel to Ginny and Harry. The one time she could have used Harry's obliviousness in the library, and it was lost to her.

She would have to content herself with Ron. Ron who she had slept on. Quite happily in fact.

She wasn't sure what she was more frustrated by-the fact that she'd fallen asleep in front of him, or that it had been the first deep sleep she'd had in ages that didn't involve the strange blackness. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that in those dreams she was worried about losing him, only to not have them once she was pressed against his chest.

If nothing else, it had been a lovely awakening. The familiar smell of Hogwarts washing powder mixed with the hint of grass that always made her think of the pitch. A comforting weight on her shoulders. The soft scratch of the knit of his jumper. He'd made no move to shrug her off right away, either. It had all been on her. Too anxious by half to allow that kind of closeness. To let herself get any closer to him. To fall any deeper.

And judging by his comment, it was the right decision. He'd defined the parameters of their relationship once more. Friends.

Friends who allowed one another to sleep on them. She tried to imagine Harry doing the same thing, and laughed to herself. Close as they were, she couldn't imagine Harry letting her sleep on him. Only Ron would.

She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. Making her way down the girls staircase by the growing light of dawn, she relished the thought of an hour or so of solitude she could have with her books before meeting up with the boys and Ginny. Then it would be on to face the day. And Terry.

Her wrist ached. The marks were faint, helped along by the twins' ointment, but the skin was tender to her touch. She didn't want to face him today. Quite frankly she'd be right pleased never to see him again. She'd settle for having classes with Harry and Ron today, grateful for no Ancient Runes or Arithmancy. No solo excursions either. Hopefully Ernie wouldn't mind Hermione sitting with him in Arithmancy. Or asking to quickly speak with Justin during Runes later in the week. But that would be all be dealt with at another time. For now, she focused on just making it through breakfast unscathed.

Dean was the only other person awake this early in the common room. She could see him sketching by the window, pausing every so often to look out at the forest. He did this sometimes. Hermione never bothered him. Dean never bothered her. Their quiet moments were of unspoken companionship. She set her bookbag down beside her favourite armchair and settled down into work. All too soon, the outside world faded away and she was absorbed into her homework.

The morning sun was bravely trying to peek through the clouds by the time anyone disturbed her.

'Morning,' Ginny said as she came to sit beside Hermione. Looking up from her textbook, Hermione was surprised to see the common room filling up. She'd managed to get quite a bit of work done in her solitude.

'Good morning,' Hermione replied. Sticking a bookmark into the pages (godric forbid she just fold down the corner of the page as she'd chastised the boys for doing multiple times,) she looked up in time to see Harry and Ron coming down the stairs, laughing at something. Ron seemed to feel her eyes on him as his grin grew wider.

Friends, she reminded herself forcefully as she resented the fluttering in her abdomen.

'Hey Gin,' Harry said by way of greeting. Crossing the distance, he seemed to ignore Hermione in favour of kissing Ginny. Hermione shook her head and watched Ron patently ignore the PDA from the others.

'Hey.' His voice was a little low this morning. To be expected, really. He'd stayed up rather late with her. A shiver ran down her spine at the sound.

'Morning,' she replied, her own voice scratchy by comparison. 'Did you sleep well?'

Ron stretched out his arms, emitting a yawn that made her chuckle. The stretch caused the shirt he was wearing to ride up enough to show a hint of pale skin, a dusting of freckles…her laughter dissipated. He brought his arms back down and the moment was gone. She could only pray it wasn't obvious.

'Not bad,' he said eventually, scratching his chin. He fixed her with a pointed look. 'What time did you come down?'

'Maybe an hour ago? I wanted to re-read the chapter on healing potions before class today.'

Ron nodded. 'I see. Four times wasn't enough for you?' His eyes were twinkled as he struggled to keep a smile off his face.

'Ha ha.' Her voice was dry, but she smiled to let him know she understood the joke.

'Breakfast?' Ginny announced, having received enough of a good morning kiss to need sustenance.

They left the tower together. She kept in step with Ron, whom she noticed was walking slower than usual. Normally he'd be charging down to every meal. Now, he walked with deliberate steps as he regaled her with a story of Seamus getting hit with mashed potatoes the night before. It took her two floors before she realized why this was the case. The gentle swish of one particular shoe brought back the memory of his tumble before Herbology.

'Did you spellotape your shoes?' The question came out harsher than she'd intended. His ears turned immediately red as his story trailed off.

'Might've,' he coughed, looking at the ground. Hermione felt terrible. Here she'd promised to help him and abandoned it while he'd gone to so much trouble to help her.

'I'm sorry, I meant to help you fix it yesterday, but then-'

'It's fine, Hermione, you don't need to-' Ron began to say, but she was already down on the floor, crouched to see the damage. Despite the layers of carefully placed tape, she could see the gap between the sole and the upper.

'No, no, I promised,' she insisted, sliding her wand out of her sleeve.

As she racked her brain trying to think of the correct spell, she put a finger to her lip in concentration. Ron shuffled in front of her, clearly embarrassed.

'Really, it's okay. I just have to make it another couple of weeks and then I can go home and…'

She stopped listening as the charm came to her. With a complicated figure, the two pieces came back together, nearly stronger than they had been originally. She added a quick sealing charm for good measure.

'Got it!' she declared happily. Ron looked down at his foot, seeming to wiggle his toes to check the damage.

'How the hell…' he started to say, before looking down at her with a look she couldn't quite place, though she felt it deep in her core.

'Simple charm really,' she puffed out, busying herself with tidying up the spellotape remains so he couldn't see her burning cheeks. 'Not in any of our standard spellbooks, but I came across this really fascinating book from the 18th century about early settler charms in North America. Most of it doesn't apply anymore, but this one comes in handy.' Too late, she realized she was rambling. As if Ron really cared about anything she'd just said.

'You'll have to teach it to me sometime. Seems like it would be helpful around the Burrow.'

Hermione frowned, pushing hair out of her eyes as she sat back on the stones.

'You have other things that need fixing at home?'

Ron fixed her with an embarrassed look. 'I mean, you've seen the house. My room is-'

'Wonderful,' she interrupted firmly. Aware that Ron was heading into dangerous low self-esteem territory, she knew it was best to divert it off course as quickly as possible. 'Bill and Fleur wouldn't be getting married there if they didn't think so.'

A weak smile graced his lips. It bolstered her.

'And from what I hear, you have better dress robes to wear this time as well.'

'Considering the last ones, anything would be an improvement.' His lips quirked into a bigger grin.

'Oh I don't know,' she said, pretending to think. 'Personally, I think you'd be fetching in a set of feathered robes.'

'Do you now?' He cocked an eyebrow at her, mouth open in amusement.

'With a sequined hat. All the rage in France you know.'

Ron laughed at her. 'Is it?'

Hermione blinked at him before continuing. 'Absolutely. Why I saw an advertisement for it in the Prophet a few days ago.'

'I dunno,' Ron pretended to consider. 'Pretty sure Fleur might not look kindly upon me outdressing her.'

'Might be a bad way to induct her into the Weasleys,' Hermione agreed, as she kneeled up. Pride puffed in her chest as she realized she had diffused the tension on his face. Without warning, it darkened again.

'What's the matter?' she asked, concerned by the change.

'I'll need shoes for that as well,' he muttered, ears once again reddening. He dropped their eye contact.

'I suppose you have grown quite a bit since the Yule Ball.' From her angle on the floor, Ron's height struck her anew. He was craning down to look at her, and even on her knees the top of her head was barely level with his hips.

Blood rushed to her face as she realized how close she was to a particular part of his anatomy. And yet, despite how embarrassed she felt she couldn't bring herself to move from the spot. She swallowed hard, trying desperately to cleanse her mind of the decidedly more adult thoughts that had begun to spin around it.

'Hermione?' Ron's voice came from far away, though she could tell he was puzzled. She glanced up at him in time to see his expression change. Where he had been searching her face in confusion a moment ago, something passed over him. His mouth opened. His eyes seemed to darken. She swallowed once more as she felt the pound of her blood in her ears.

'Hermione,' he said again. His tone was entirely different, more ragged. Her breath caught in her throat.

Through the wet foam that now constituted her brain, she tried to form coherent thoughts that would then turn into words. Nothing came out.

'For the love of Merlin; there are children present! Behave yourselves.' Martin Fletcher's whiny voice rounded the corner. Momentary spell broken, Hermione whipped her head to see him frowning in disbelief. He skidded to a full stop in front of them.

'Granger? Weasley? What are you doing?'

'Hermione was helping fix my shoe,' Ron cut in, his voice seeming to have shot up by an octave. Hermione scrambled to her feet, forced to grab Ron's leg for balance. She saw him wince at the contact. She chastised herself internally.

'Your shoe?' Fletcher repeated, raising an eyebrow. 'You really expect me to believe that excuse?'

'It's true!' Hermione squeaked out, holding the wad of spellotape as evidence. Her cheeks burned. From the corner of her eye, she could see Ron's face giving lava a run for its money.

Fletcher stepped towards her, considering it.

She swallowed hard again.

Fletcher looked between the pair of them, seeming to scrutinize their faces. Then he crossed his arms and stared at them.

'Alright. But a little more awareness of your surroundings wouldn't go amiss. The way I just found you,' he paused, frowning. 'it's hardly Headship material.'

'Of course,' Hermione rushed to say, breath returning to her lungs. 'Won't happen again.'

'Nope,' Ron agreed. Hermione didn't dare look at him.

Fletcher looked between them once more. 'Good. See you at meeting on Saturday.' With a flick of his hair, he began walking down the corridor, muttering something about "switching duties." Hermione let out a sigh of relief, only to see Ron staring after Fletcher with a look of dismay.

'What's the matter?' she asked him. Ron spun to look at her, eyes wide.

'What? Nothing.' He coughed uncomfortably before continuing. 'Are you alright?'

'I'm fine,' Hermione shrugged, though truthfully, she was a little rattled. The last thing she needed was for Fletcher to go around spewing that he'd caught them in such a compromising position. No matter that it was entirely innocent. Well mostly innocent. She shook her head to dislodge the thought. 'Are you alright?'

'Fine. Are you?' Ron looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. 'Shit, I just asked you.'

'Don't swear,' she cut in, gesturing at him with her fist full of tape. Ron looked down at it before back at her. With that the tension between them seemed to snap and they dissolved into laughter. Slightly hysterical on Hermione's part, but it felt good in her soul. As the laughter continued, Ron's stomach gave a large growl, and he put a sheepish hand over it.

'Come on,' Hermione said. 'Let's get some breakfast.'

They walked the remaining corridors in silence, Hermione left feeling bashful after the turn her thoughts had just taken. Ron wanted to be friends. He did not need her ogling at him. She should be ashamed of herself. Simply because her feelings towards Ron extended deeper than friendship did not give her hormones any right to have taken over in that moment. Really; what had she been hoping would happen? Ron coming down to her level? Wrapping those long arms around her and kissing her until she was backed against the windowsill? The images this conjured were vivid and left her feeling parched.

'He doesn't seem happy,' Ron remarked dryly as they descended the stairs to the Great Hall. Hermione was immediately taken out of her reverie to see a sight that stopped her in her tracks. Terry was leaning against one of the doors with a frown on his face. Hermione started, swaying on the steps as she stared at him. Ron seemed to notice. Reaching towards her, he put a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady. 'Whoa, easy. You alright?'

Terry was going to try and pull her away. She had no desire to go anywhere alone with him.

'Fine,' she breathed. Her voice was unsteady. A tremor started in her feet as she tried to descend the rest of the steps. Ron didn't remove his hand, and gripped her tighter as they approached. Terry strode towards them, eyes gleaming. The din of clattering silverware and chatting students could be heard just beyond the threshold. Hermione swallowed hard.

'Can I speak with you, Hermione?' Terry's voice had the same false note of cheerfulness he'd had with Pomfrey yesterday. As though he'd never laid a hand on her. As though he'd never threatened her. Had anything he said to her ever been true?

'Not until she's eaten something,' Ron cut in before Hermione had even thought to formulate a response. She felt like sagging into his side with relief.

'It will be quick, I promise,' Terry replied, flashing his teeth at Ron in what she thought was supposed to be a grin. 'I have a question about our essay.' Her blood seemed to have frozen solid at Terry's proximity. Only her mind was working. And her brain knew that he did not want to talk about the essay.

'Brilliant. Then it can wait till after breakfast,' Ron said, his voice rising with anger. He tightened his grip on her shoulders.

'I don't think I was asking you.' Terry's voice was firm. 'I was asking Hermione.' His eyes bore into hers, as though willing her to give him the answer he wanted.

'Maybe later,' she finally managed to say through the gravel in her throat. Terry raised both eyebrows at her, and opened his mouth to reply. Ron took her response as a dismissal and rushed them in through the doors. Using his Keeper tactics, he maneuvered her completely in front of him as they walked towards Harry and Ginny. Even if Terry was following them, there was no way he could get to her. Hermione let out a breath of relief. Thank merlin Ron had been there.

'Where did you two go?' Ginny asked, munching on a piece of raspberry jam-smeared toast. 'We turned around and you were gone!' Harry looked up from the porridge he was eating, interested.

'Shoe trouble,' Ron offered, as he settled down next to Ginny. Ginny frowned at him before taking another bite. Hermione felt Ron's eyes sweeping back to hers, making sure she sat firmly beside him. This consideration made her sink deeper into her seat. Getting through the doorway safely made her want to weep. Ron passed her a goblet of juice, which she took with trembling hands. He seemed to notice.

'What's going on?' he asked in an undertone.

She couldn't tell him. Terry had moved far quicker than she'd expected. Ginny was right. She needed to be on her guard.

'Hermione, talk to me.' A faint pleading tone had come through in his voice, eyes laser focused.

Her hand went to her wrist, trying to ensure that he couldn't see the finger marks. Ron's eyes didn't waver from hers. He hadn't even picked up the bacon platter, despite his stomach continuing to growl. It was this that made her aware of how much he truly cared about her.

'I…' she started, before swallowing hard. Some semblance of the truth seemed to be the safest way to go. She owed him that much at least. 'I thought about what you said. It's not right of Terry to act so high and mighty. Particularly towards you and Harry. If he wants to be friends, he needs to be friendlier.'

His eyes searched hers, and she forced herself to look back.

'Besides, I'd much rather spend time with you.'

She watched as his lips turned up involuntarily. Why she'd decided to say that, she wasn't sure. Only that it was the truest statement she could think of.

'Are you sure?'

'Positive,' she replied, helping herself to the platter closest to her. 'He's as interesting as this toast.'

Ron laughed in spite of himself, and Hermione smiled in return. There. As long as she could keep around Ron, she would be fine. He finally reached for the bacon, and she admired the hairs that glowed against his neckline.

Scratch that. As long as she could keep around Ron and keep her feelings to herself, she'd be fine.

The plans she had in place worked well for the following few days. In the classes without Ron, she stuck close by to Ernie, who seemed delighted to have the chance to talk exam prep with her. All other times, she tried to remain close to her friends, forgoing the library in order to study with Ron, Harry and Ginny up in the common room. She was forced to abandon most of her research on Horcruxes as well as on the Prince, but part of her welcomed the distraction from the grim subject matter.

Given that Harry and Ginny were spending most of their free time together, she found herself alone with Ron far more than usual. Ron didn't seem to mind this one bit. Unsure if she was imagining it, he seemed to look a little put out whenever they did need to part. Perhaps due to their consistent proximity, the worry that gnawed at her about Terry, about her parents, about most things, seemed to dissipate. Or perhaps she'd never had the chance to appreciate how solid Ron was. Not just his lanky frame taking up so much space in every room he was in, but his presence. A smile, a tweak of an eyebrow at a remark, a glance under the eyelashes whenever Harry or Ginny made a particularly mushy remark to one another. His full laugh, generous enough to be shared with everyone in the vicinity. The world outside of the common room continued to grow murky. She felt the need to peer around corners. She read the continuing disappearances in the larger wizarding world. And yet, with him beside her, it seemed manageable. That everything would end up alright, so long as he was there with her.

Trying to keep the ever-growing feelings to herself was a battle she was losing. Not for lack of trying. The Common Room couches and chairs were squishy and she frequently found herself pressed against him as they worked. He made no move to dislodge her, and she certainly wasn't about to complain. If sitting so closely made it possible to study the freckles on his neck as he bent forward to write a note or two, so much the better. If sometimes he brushed her hand as he reached for an additional scroll of parchment, how could she stop herself from feeling the spark there?

Her dreams had changed as well. Gone was the blackness, banished by him in all his golden light. Her nighttime imaginings had turned softer; often it was as simple as his hand scratching her back as she read, smiling at her when she met his gaze. Other times, they were quite a bit more than that. More than that to the point that she had trouble meeting his gaze first thing in the morning.

Breaking things off with Terry had decidedly been the best idea. For the first time in ages, she felt like herself. Ready to tackle the world.

Or so she thought until the evening of prefect rounds drew upon her. The first instance where she couldn't have Ron or Ernie as protection. She'd come up with another plan; stay with Antony for as long as possible, and avoid the entire corridor where Terry usually waited for her. Other than him, nothing had ever changed in that particular hallway. So if she avoided it for a few evenings, would it be the worst thing? Still, she drank more pumpkin juice than normal that evening, trying to keep her hands busy. Even Ron's gentle teasing wasn't enough to stop her panic. He seemed to notice her grow quiet, as after a while he stopped, letting them sit in comfortable silence. When she'd finally gotten up to leave, he'd cocked a half grin and told her he'd wait up. She noticed Ginny shoot him a look at this, but it was enough to bolster her spirits enough to get through the next few hours.

By the time she reached Antony in the Entrance Hall, her heart was in her throat. He seemed to notice nothing amiss, and continued to chat about possible essay topics for their final Ancient Rune exam in a few weeks. Hermione normally had much to say on the subject but was content to let Antony steer the conversation. Then, too soon, too sudden, she was alone.

Her breath sounded in the corridor. She could do this. She was Hermione Granger. Ron would know to come looking for her if she hadn't returned in an hour or so. She took a tentative step. Listened for any sounds around her. There was nothing. Then another step. A candle spluttered in the distance, but the deafening silence pressed against her ears. With each footfall, her confidence grew. Perhaps Terry had gotten the message after all. Perhaps he wouldn't try anything tonight.

She covered two floors in silence. Relishing the solitude for the first time in days, Hermione felt tension dissolve from her shoulders. Not even a canoodling couple around to distract her. Only the soft patter of her feet and the sound of her breath. Rain began to lash at the windows, creating eerie shadows on the floor. The sound of the drops was comforting to her. Closing her eyes, she listened to it for a moment. For a moment she was back in her bedroom in St. Alban's, a worn stuffed dog beside her as she poured over a book. Opening her window to listen to the rain as she read was one of her happiest childhood memories. Perched on her window sill, a cup of tea on the table beside her. Before she met Harry and Ron, she'd thought that might be the happiest she'd ever be.

Soft footsteps echoed behind her.

The bubble of remembrance popped with the sound. She opened her eyes, and glanced about, hoping that an ally would magically appear in front of her. No such luck.

Twisting her sleeve, she felt the solid wood of her wand fall into her palm. She clutched it for safety.

Drawing herself up to her full height, she turned to look at the intruder.

'What do you want, Terry?' She snapped as she did.

'Easy,' came a familiar voice, stepping out of the shadows. 'Dunno what Terry did to you, but I'm glad I'm not them.'

It took a moment to recognize her. Gone was her brightly coloured hair. Gone too was the sparkle in her eye, the light within dimmed. Her whole frame seemed to sag under an unknown weight.

'Tonks?' Hermione asked, confused.

'Wotcher, Hermione,' Tonks replied with a tired smile. It didn't reach her eyes. Her skin was wan, her hair mousy and limp. For a beat Hermione stared at her.

In her ignorance of the outside world the past few days, she now worried that she had missed something major. Something Order worthy. Another danger for Harry.

'Is everything alright?' Hermione asked, relaxing her grip on the wand.

'I should be asking you that question,' Tonks volleyed back, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 'Students aren't supposed to be wandering the corridors alone.'

'Prefect duties,' Hermione replied.

Tonks made a show of looking around them. A flash of lightning illuminated the empty corridor.

'Did Ron go to the loo or something?'

Hermione felt her heartbeat speed in her chest. She forced herself to swallow. 'What?'

'Where's Ron?' Tonks repeated. It made even less sense hearing her repeat it.

'In the Common Room,' Hermione replied, feeling quite confused. She couldn't understand why Tonks believed Ron would be with her at the moment.

'He's not touring with you?' Tonks looked as confused as Hermione felt. They blinked at each other for a moment.

'No,' Hermione began slowly. 'I'm touring with Antony. I requested a switch.'

'Another one?'

The question was unexpected. 'Since November, you mean?'

'No,' Tonks chuckled, 'I mean when Ron asked…' she seemed to trail off, realization sweeping over her face. Pale cheeks suddenly flushed pink and Tonks turned her gaze from Hermione.

Hermione played the words back in her head. She couldn't make them make sense.

'Ron asked what?'

'Never mind, I'm sure I misheard,' Tonks ignored the question., shaking her head. 'At any rate, where's your partner? You shouldn't be walking around alone.' Hermione batted the thought away.

'Antony's off with his girlfriend. What did Ron ask?'

Tonks frowned at her. 'You've let your partner go off with his girlfriend? Do Harry and Ron know you're wandering on your own?'

'I'm perfectly safe,' Hermione retorted, hackles beginning to rise. She was unimpressed by Tonks' tone. 'I can take care of myself.'

'Never said you couldn't,' Tonks replied, all calm while Hermione felt her anxiety rising. 'But seems like this is a pretty silly risk to be taking.'

'Silly risk?' Hermione replied. 'Doing my duties is a silly risk?'

Tonks sighed again. 'Doing them alone is a silly risk.'

'You seem to be here alone,' Hermione retorted. Now that she felt safe again, she wasn't about to be told off by Tonks. 'And from the Auror regulations I've been reading, you're supposed to have a partner.'

Tonks took a step back and laughed, staring at Hermione through the chuckles.

'Why are you reading Auror regulations? They're drier than a desert fire.'

'Harry and Ron want to be Aurors,' Hermione replied, before waving her hands in dismissal. 'Don't change the subject. Why are you here alone?'

They looked at each other for a moment, eyes narrowed, before Tonks broke into an uneasy smile. It didn't look as though she'd done much of that for the past few weeks. It creased her cheeks, seeming to stretch them in an unfamiliar way.

'Fine; I won't report you, you don't report me, deal?'

'Fine,' Hermione agreed. before pausing. 'This has nothing to do with unfortunate news for the Order, though, right?'

Tonks shook her head. 'Everything seems fine in that regard. It's something else. I've heard a rumor…'

'About Harry?' Hermione interrupted.

'No, for once.'

'Then what exactly was it about?'

Tonks' face became drawn for a moment, all traces of the smile evaporated. She opened her mouth to speak before closing it once more. Her eyes fluttered shut. Hermione began to worry. She took a step towards the older witch. As she did, she heard the pounding of footsteps on the stones behind her.

'Hermione!' This time she could place his voice. She couldn't have frozen any more if he'd jinxed her. Tonks didn't seem to notice. Terry was striding up the corridor towards them, eyes blazing, nostrils flared. Red sparks were spiking from the end of his wand. Hermione looked at it in horror.

'Think you can ignore me, you deceiving little-'

Tonks had spun at the sound. Without warning, a beam of purple light shot from the end of her wand. Terry was forced back from the Stinging Jinx. He hissed in pain.

'Finish that sentence. I dare you.'

Until this moment, Hermione had never been entirely sure how Tonks became an Auror. From their time at Grimmauld Place she knew her as a jovial, clumsy, wonderful human. Now as she watched Terry cower away from this powerful witch, Hermione understood. Still unable to move her feet, she felt a deep gratitude somewhere within her.

'Who the hell are you?' Terry asked with feigned bravado.

'Not someone you want to trifle with,' Tonks tone managed to have a tinge of aggression within the politeness. Hermione watched Terry gulp. To his credit, he didn't back down.

'How do you know Hermione?'

'None of your business.' Tonks was matter-of-fact. 'And shame on you for asking that. I'm well within my rights to take you to your head of house for using that kind of tone against a Prefect whether I know them or not.' At the thought, Terry seemed to go pale.

'Aren't you going to do something?' Terry asked, looking beyond Tonks towards Hermione. As though encased in amber, Hermione couldn't seem to make any of her limbs move. Her eyes stayed focused on the wand in his hand. After a beat of silence, thunder roared behind her. This stirred something and she was able to give her head two jerks from side to side.

'Good enough for me.' Tonks had seen Hermione's reaction. 'Get out of here.'

Terry took a final withering glance towards Hermione before stalking back down the corridor.

'Oh wait,' Tonks called after him. 'One more thing.'

Terry stopped in his tracks. Tonks went to meet him where he stood. Even if she'd wanted to, there was no way to overhear them over the pounding of blood in her ears. A moment later, Terry was retreating towards the staircases and Tonks was gliding back towards her. She kept tipping her head back to make sure that Terry was well and truly gone. Hermione stared after his retreating figure until he turned a corner and went out of sight.

'Hermione?' Tonks looked concerned as she strode up next to her.

'What did you say to him?' Hermione managed to ask.

'Told him he had to leave you alone or he'd have the Auror department to answer to. Seemed to shut him up.'

Relief flooded Hermione's extremities. Terry respected the authorities. With that assurance in mind, her lungs expanded. Finally she was able to draw a shaky breath. She wobbled on the spot for a moment before sinking gratefully down onto the window ledge.

'Thank you,' she told Tonks. 'If you hadn't been here…' she couldn't bear to finish the sentence. Didn't want to finish the thought in her head. She tucked her hands inside her robes to hide their shaking.

'Yeah, lucky thing that.' Tonks gave a humourless chuckle. 'What were you saying about being perfectly safe?'

Tears had begun to slink their way down Hermione's cheeks. Tonks noticed, and frowned.

'Shit. Sorry. Terrible thing to say.' She reached deep in her robes and passed Hermione a handkerchief. Hermione extracted a hand to take it, trying to hide her face. Shame raced through her. How could she have been lulled into a false sense of security? Because she'd been so wrapped up in Ron the past few days she'd pretended it wasn't an issue? And now Tonks knew, so it was only a matter of time before the rest of the Order knew. Before Mrs. Weasley knew. Hermione didn't relish being banded a scarlet woman again. Her breath caught on a sob.

Tonks sat down beside her on the windowsill. 'Hey, it's okay.'

'I was so stupid,' Hermione moaned. Tonks seemed very uncomfortable beside her. It reminded her of Harry, of how stiff he became around others' strong emotions.

'Come on Hermione. Nobody could ever think you were stupid. If anything, that prick's stupid. He chose the wrong girl to try and intimidate.'

Hermione couldn't bring herself to smile, though it was clear that's what Tonks was hoping for. Hadn't he managed to intimidate her? The mere sight of him had stopped her in her tracks. What was she supposed to do if she had been up against a Death Eater?

'Is that Terry?' Tonks asked, seeming to switch tactics. Hermione nodded. 'Then I stand by my previous statement.'

This time Hermione managed a watery laugh, before exhaling. She remembered her uselessness and turned to Tonks. 'I didn't do anything! I just stood there, helpless, and…' she trailed off once more.

Tonks sighed. 'This isn't the best time to tell you "I told you so" so I won't.'

'You just did.'

Tonks pursed her lips together. 'Maybe you should tell Antony not to leave you alone then.'

'He's friends with Terry.' Hermione wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her robe.

Tonks acknowledged this with a quirk of her head. 'Alright. Then get Ron or Harry to come walk with you.'

'They don't know about this.'

Hermione looked over to see Tonks wearing a surprised expression.

'They don't?'

Hermione shook her head. 'I don't want to get them involved.'

Tonks looked back down the corridor to where Terry had disappeared. 'No offense, but I think you need to let them know.'

'It's only a couple of weeks until summer break. Then I won't have to worry about this any longer.' Did the words sound as hollow as they felt?

Tonks frowned at her. Hermione looked back at her, feeling a few more tears leak out of her eyes.

'They're boys. I don't think they'd understand.' She implored Tonks with her eyes. 'I don't need either of them seeing me as a weak link right now.'

Tonks' face softened. She seemed to glean some truth from Hermione's words.

'Promise you'll be careful?'

Hermione nodded.

'Good. Let me take you back to your tower.'

They walked in silence punctuated by occasional claps of thunder. Hermione was half terrified that Tonks would demand entrance and ask to speak with Harry and Ron. That the house of cards would fall. But Tonks seemed wrapped in her own world. Hermione decided not to disturb her. Once they reached the Fat Lady, Hermione looked at Tonks.

'Please don't say anything,' Hermione asked. Her voice was more desperate than she wanted it to be. Tonks blinked at her.

'I won't.' Relief flooded her. 'But eyes sharp, Hermione. We need you right now.'

By 'we' Hermione assumed Tonks meant the Order. She nodded at the Auror, chagrined. Silly hormones and teenaged drama had gotten in the way of her greater duty. She had to protect Harry. Giving the password, the portrait swung open and Hermione stepped through to the dimly lit room.

A few fifth and seventh years were pouring over notes. Ginny didn't seem to be among them. She searched for a familiar head of shocking ginger hair sitting in one of the chairs but slumped when she didn't notice him. Taking a couple of steps further, she was surprised to see him staring out one of the far rain-splashed windows.

Stopping in her tracks, she took a moment to watch him. His back was to her, arms folded against his chest. What he was looking for, or perhaps at, eluded her from this angle. What filled her was warmth. Until she'd been back in the room with him, she hadn't noticed how chilled her hands had become. Part of her longed to press against him, to sink into the warmth of his jumper and fall back into that easy sleep she'd enjoyed.

Yet she knew it was more complicated than that. The line he'd drawn, making it clear that it was friendship that brought them together. Not to mention Terry, who for all Tonks had managed to make him worry, she still feared would spill to the boys or hurt her further. And Harry. Always Harry. They needed to be united for him. Now more than ever. Tonks had brought that to the forefront.

Ron scratched the back of his head and turned, startling her. The worried expression he wore melted at the sight of her.

'You're back!' More warmth seeped into her with his words. The sheer delight he gained from being in her presence.

'What were you looking at?' she asked, moving to join him at the window.

'Pig,' replied Ron with a frown, looking out once more towards the darkened fields. 'There's a chance he's nearly back from Romania. Don't fancy his chances in this kind of weather.'

He scratched absentmindedly at one of the scars on his arm as she felt a rush of tenderness towards him. Despite how much he pretended to dislike his pet, she knew Pig meant a lot. It was nice to see him show it.

'I'm sure he'll be fine,' Hermione murmured. Ron made a small noise of agreement before turning to look at her more fully.

'How were duties?'

Hermione shrugged. She didn't want to say anything further. To avoid looking him in the eyes, she tried to find Crookshanks hiding among the cushions. Curled up in the one closest to the fireplace, she found him with eyes tightly shut, asleep.

'Nothing special?' Ron pressed further, following Hermione as she moved back towards her own pet.

'No. I did see Tonks though,' she added as an afterthought.

As she reached to pick up her giant ginger furball, she saw Ron's eyebrows lift high on his forehead.

'What's she doing here?'

'She wouldn't say. But it isn't about Harry, I asked.'

'Good.'

They were quiet for a moment. Crookshanks fixed her with yellow eyes, annoyed at having been awoken from his slumber.

'She brought you up though.'

'Me?' Ron's eyebrows rose even higher. 'Why?'

'She seemed to be under the impression that you had asked to switch back to doing rounds with me.' This was mostly a guess, but judging from the mottled red of Ron's face from her remark, she wasn't too far off.

'I…er…' Ron hedged, no longer looking her in the eyes.

'It's true?' Hermione felt her heart start to beat faster. Had he missed doing them with her? Missed their times alone?

She watched him swallow. Hard.

'Yeah,' he finally said, voice a little hoarse.

'Oh.' Then. 'When?'

'Right after I got out of the Hospital Wing.' He still wouldn't quite meet her eyes, but it was much closer. 'Figured if we were speaking again, it would make sense to do them together.'

She squeezed Crookshanks at these last words and he leapt out of her arms with a yowl. He curled around her legs, but she found herself staring instead at Ron. That had been months ago. Long before the Quidditch final. If they had switched, she never would have had to keep meeting Terry. If they had switched, Ron and Lavender might have broken up sooner. If they had switched, Hermione might have had ample opportunity to gauge where they fit together once more.

'Who said no?'

'Scheduling nightmare or something,' Ron rushed to say. 'Never really got the real answer.'

'Scheduling?' she repeated, a laugh burbling to the surface. 'That's what it came down to?'All of the pain and difficulties of the past few weeks could be tied down to it being too difficult to return to the original duties roster?

'Bollocks.' Ron was beside her now, so tall he drew shadows from the fireplace. Concern re-etched onto his face. 'I didn't mean to make you cry.'

Until he'd said it, she had no idea more tears were flowing from her eyes. He lifted a hand and brought it close to her cheek.

'Can I…?' he gestured towards her cheek and she nodded. The pad of his thumb was achingly gently against the delicate skin under her eyes. Though he was trying to stem the flow, this had the opposite effect. Tears overflowed. The fact that he'd asked before touching her, that he wanted to make sure he wasn't overstepping made her feel so safe. It could be that he'd always been this way, never pressing her unless it was verbally. Or it could be that this movement was so different than the way Terry grabbed for her. That she could still feel the press of Terry's fingers against her wrist, and that the whisper of Ron's touch would exist only as a floating memory to conjure in happy moments.

'Thank you,' she whispered thickly. There was no way she'd be able to go into further detail. Luckily, she didn't need to; with this, Ron moved his hand to the back of her head and gently cradled her into his chest. Exactly where she'd wanted to be from the moment she saw him after returning from duties. She wrapped her arms around him, fists bunching into his jumper.

'Sorry it didn't happen.'

She shook her head. She wanted to communicate that it was fine. But it wasn't. At least they could have this moment.

After all; who knew how many more they would get?

A/N: I have a pathetic "I re-wrote this chapter three times!" excuse, but it seems hollow given the wait. What I can say is that the next chapter will make up for it. Lots of love and good wishes!

-Ashy