A/N: I am the worst. Deepest apologies for this delay. Life got in the way these past few weeks. Thank you for all the kind reviews. Per usual, I am not JKR, and none of these characters belong to me.

Acting nonchalant in front of Harry was proving more difficult than Ron expected. Sitting together by the window, copies of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi in their hands, both were ostensibly studying. But Harry had the smile on his face that Ron was beginning to suspect had something to do with Ginny. Meanwhile Ron's palms sweated underneath his copy at the knowledge that Hermione had not yet returned to the Common Room. It was all he could do to keep visions of Boot pinning her against a wall out of his head. His foot tapped a rapid beat against the carpet, hoping Harry wouldn't notice. Not even getting the clean bill of health from Pomfrey was worth this torture. He should have rescheduled. Should have gone to walk Hermione down from Arithmancy.

Too little, too late. Now he was here with Harry. Harry who was completely oblivious to the fact that Hermione had undergone any suffering in the past few weeks. Come to think of it, Ron wasn't entirely sure Harry knew that they had Head's Interviews coming up next week. Probably better not to mention it. Harry was still a little sticky about not getting the Prefect badge.

It wasn't until he realized that he'd been staring at the same flower for the past twenty minutes that Ron flipped the page and pretended to make a note on his parchment. He chanced a glance at the portrait hole as he did so. Stubbornly closed.

He'd managed to actually get into some proper homework when a familiar woodsy smell plopped down beside him.

Relief flooded his extremities as he inhaled her shampoo. Safe. She was safe. Merlin, at this point he wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying, gesticulating as she was with a piece of newsprint in her hand. He didn't care. Didn't care that Harry was now frowning. Didn't care that Hermione hadn't bothered to say anything to him before launching into a tirade. She was here, safe and whole.

After a moment, he realized Hermione was back on her Prince vendetta. She could really be like a dog with a bone sometimes about things that made her upset. It would be better for her to drop it, yet instead she dug her heels in and went even harder. He liked that about her.

And yet, all too soon she was gone again. With a whoosh of her hair she marched straight back out the Portrait Hole, leaving him alone to comfort Harry. Wasn't that Ginny's job now? Where was his sister anyway?

He looked longingly back at the door. Part of him really wanted to follow Hermione to the library. As protection, of course. Even if it was becoming increasingly clear she didn't really need it.

'-Dumbledore.'

The word broke through the haze. Harry was holding a note from the Headmaster. It must mean a Horcrux. Fear filled him. Would Harry be okay?

Then Harry was gone as well, leaving Ron alone in the chair, uncertain about what to do. Luckily, Hermione managed to make his decision for him. Mere moments after Harry disappeared, she swung back into the Common Room. A frown was on her face, and she was still clutching the newsprint from earlier. She marched back towards him.

'Where's Harry?' she asked, tone brisk. 'If he's gone down to bother Ginny again, I swear I-'

'Dumbledore,' Ron managed to reply. Hermione sank into the chair beside him, all trace of annoyance gone.

'You think…he found one?'

'That's what it seems like.'

'Merlin,' Hermione breathed. She brought her arms across her chest and began picking at the skin around her thumb. 'I hope he'll be alright.'

'With Dumbledore there, he should be fine,' Ron said, trying to bolster them. Though truthfully he wasn't sure. Dumbledore now only had one hand. And while that one hand was undoubtedly more powerful than most wizards, it was still an issue.

Hermione shook her head. 'I'm so stupid.'

This startled Ron. 'That's the last thing anybody would call you.'

A quick, pained smile greeted him. 'Thank you. But what if something happens to him, and the last thing I did was row with him about the Prince?'

'We row all the time,' he pointed out. Ron couldn't help but feel a little stung. Would she do the same for him?

'We bicker,' Hermione corrected. 'It's entirely different.'

'How is it different?'

'You argue back.' She blinked as though this was obvious. 'You try to challenge me. Harry just tells me I'm wrong. Hence, bickering versus row.'

'Hence?' Ron was amused now; leave it to Hermione to provide a definition in the midst of a stressful situation.

'Oh hush,' she snapped. 'And for the record, I apologized to you when you were in the Hospital Wing for the same reason.' She fell silent. 'Perhaps I'm too argumentative.'

'No you aren't,' Ron assured her, worried she might try to change. 'You're just passionate.'

And merlin help him if he didn't spend a lot of time thinking about where else that passion might appear in her life. He forced himself to look away from her for a moment and swallow away the thoughts that had popped into his brain.

'I just wish I knew more about Horcruxes. It's frustrating feeling so behind.' Ron turned to face her, taking note of the frustration across her face.

'You'll get there. There hasn't been a subject that's stumped you yet.'

She smiled at him again. It didn't quite reach her eyes.

'He'll be okay,' Ron tried to reassure her.

Without warning, she dropped the hand that had been near her mouth and covered his with it. Squeezing his fingers in such a way that he could feel her anxiety pulsing through her veins. His mouth went dry. He didn't dare flip his palm the way he wanted. Instead he gripped her fingers with his own, trying to communicate calm and peace within. He was scared too.

Ron had no idea how long they sat like that, but they didn't let go of each other until Harry came hurtling back through the portrait hole. Running as quickly as Ron had ever seen his best mate move, Harry was up the boys' staircase and back. He thrust the map to Hermione and socks into Ron's hand. There was rushed explanations and then Harry was gone, leaving a pocket of panic in his wake.

'He can't be serious,' Hermione moaned, the second they could no longer see Harry's messy black hair. 'Malfoy? Really?'

Ron snatched the map from her hands and handed her the socks. 'Easy way to check, right? Let's see if he appears on the map.'

He searched it thoroughly, checking the Slytherin Dormitory, the Great Hall, the library and anywhere Malfoy might be lurking with a girl. Unfortunately for Hermione, Draco's dot was nowhere to be found.

'I hate to say it,' Ron began, taking in Hermione's anxious face, 'but I think Harry's right.'

Hermione blew out a breath. 'He'll never let us forget it.'

Ron smiled at her. 'Can you do the thing with the coins?'

Hermione nodded. She reached down the front of her robes (Ron immediately looked away and began reciting the starting lineup of the 1987 Cannons,) and pulled out a long gold chain. He took a breath before daring to take in her face once more.

'You've kept it on this whole time?' Ron asked, bewildered. Hermione shrugged.

'Thought it might be important.'

As he watched, she made some complicated patterns with her wand and then tapped the coin. It glowed and rearranged itself before settling back down in her hand.

'Now we wait to see who answers the call.'

'Where did you tell people to meet us?'

'Outside the seventh floor. If Malfoy's there, then we'll know for sure.'

Hermione frowned at the idea. Ron opened his mouth to try and point out that sometimes Harry was right, but shut it at the sight of the Portrait Hole opening.

'Hermione,' came Ginny's impatient whine as she climbed through, brandishing her Muggle Studies textbook. 'What on earth is the difference between a dentist and an orthodontist? They're the same thing!'

'It's a simple distinction really,' Hermione began, her words escaping in a stream that Ron knew well. She was more nervous than she was even letting on to him if she could blabber this quickly. Especially about something with so little relevance to their current situation.

'Harry's gone,' Ron cut in, before Hermione could get into etymological differences. Ginny stopped short at the sound of his words. Her freckles stood out in high relief. A flicker of fear passed through her eyes, before she blinked and it was gone.

'Dumbledore?' The name was an undertone. Ron nodded. Ginny swallowed hard. 'There's more,' Ron continued, filling Ginny in on the events of the past hour. Her face grew grimmer by the word. For a moment Ron hated that he was having to put his sister in this situation. That he was part of the reason to make her worry. He was her older brother, for Merlin's sake. He was supposed to keep her safe.

'Seventh floor then?' Ginny said, jaw tight. She tossed back her hair and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione nod at her. Her thumb was next to her lips, skin looking ready to be picked. Without another word, Ginny was off to drop off her textbooks.

Hermione gave a deep exhale from beside him. He turned to look at her more fully, but stopped at the sight. She was wearing an expression he'd never seen before. Which was surprising, since he prided himself on being able to read her face like she read the library. Her lips were parted, but she didn't appear to want to speak. If he had to name it, her face looked stricken, but her eyes glowed. Deeper and richer than he remembered. The centre of mum's lava cakes. It made his heart skip a beat to see it.

They stood silently for a moment. Ron wasn't sure what he wanted to tell her. Wasn't sure there was anything to say. Anything that wasn't an admission of his feelings.

'Let's go.' Ginny's return broke the spell.

'Wait,' Hermione said before any of them could move. 'Potion first.'

Reaching within the socks, she began pulling out the vial from within.

'He left the potion?' Ginny moaned. 'Why didn't he take it?'

Ron didn't quite feel Harry's answer would be good enough for Ginny. Possibly because they both knew that Harry was far too much of a hero to take it himself. Far better for his best friends to survive. A pang of guilt rang through him. Should he have fought harder against Harry?

Hermione grabbed the vial as soon as it emerged and took a small swallow. It did indeed look like just enough for the three of them. Ginny went next, knocking it back like a shot of Firewhisky. Ron was glad to be going last. Glad that they might both survive longer than him if push came to shove. He needed that to happen.

The second he swallowed they turned to leave. He followed Hermione out towards the Room of Requirement. They were mostly quiet on the walk over. They kept their eyes keen, waiting to see if any D.A members would come to them. Though the liquid pouring in his veins made it infinitely more difficult not to grab Hermione's hand as they walked, Ron managed to keep his hands clenched into tight fists. The potion seemed to be telling him it was a good idea to use this opportunity to show her how brave he could be. Granted, he could also hear a whispering voice encouraging him to pull Hermione aside and confess his feelings for her. What was the potion and what were his own emotions were rapidly becoming mixed together.

Having not checked the Map since the Common Room, Ron was expecting a few members of the D.A to be waiting for them in the seventh floor corridor. No such luck. Only Luna stood there, wand poised behind her ear, smiling at them as though this were nothing but a fun excursion. Amusement trickled through him.

'Hey Luna,' Ginny said by way of greeting. 'Seen anything yet?'

Luna shook her head. 'The Fat Friar passed a few moments ago, but nothing else. What should I be looking for?'

Ron bit the inside of his cheek. If he could have picked D.A members to come help them this evening, Luna would not have been top of his list. Likely she would have been nearer the bottom. So much for Felix. Did Harry have another vial of potion stuck in his socks and mistakenly given that one to them?

'What's the plan?' Ginny asked, interrupting Ron's musings on whom he might have chosen.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at her. 'Don't look at me; ask Ron.'

This made Ron gape at her. Ginny matched his expression.

'What do you mean ask me?'Ron demanded. 'Everyone knows you're the brilliant one.

'Yes, but you're the strategist,' Hermione pointed out, as though this were obvious. 'We all know I'm not the best in a stressful situation.'

'You aren't?' Luna asked, looking interested in this. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she watched Hermione shake her head.

'No, that's Ron. He stays cool in a crisis.'

Ron stared blankly at her. What made her think that? He wasn't great in stressful situations, not that he could remember. Anybody who'd seen him before a Quidditch match knew that much. Where was Hermione getting this from?

'That's true,' Luna murmured. Ron turned to look at her as well, convinced they were having him on.

'I…I'm not,' he began to say, but Hermione cut him off.

'There's no time to convince you. Just trust me. Think of this as a chess match. What would you have us do?'

Ron bit the inside of his cheek once more. Hermione's eyes were shining, cheeks flushed. Ginny's arms were folded, but she too looked at him as though he were in charge. Bloody hell. Things really were dire if this is what it came to; him creating the plan.

He let out a breath, trying to shake off the doubts creeping up his skin.

'We should split up.' The girls all looked at him, eyebrows raised. 'Harry said we should be watching Snape as well.'

'What for?' Luna asked. Ron ignored her.

'Hermione,' he began, looking towards her. She was smiling at him, a small one through the fear, but it was there nonetheless. A sign of pride. 'I'll have you watch Snape's office. I think off all of us, you're the least suspicious. If he comes out, pretend you're asking about exams or something.'

She nodded, still smiling.

'Ginny and I will stick up here,' Ron continued, making that decision as he spoke. If Harry was correct, and Malfoy did have something planned, Ron wanted the be one to take him on. He and Ginny had the blood purity thing going for them. Part of him thought Malfoy wouldn't hesitate to hurt Hermione if he got the chance. It was only a matter of time before Draco escalated from name-calling.

'Where would you like me?' Luna asked, hands clasped in front of her. Ron frowned. For a moment he'd forgotten she was there.

'You'll come with me,' Hermione answered before he had an opportunity. 'Nobody should be alone at the moment.'

Luna blinked at her. 'Why not?'

'I'll explain on the way.' Hermione gave a wave of dismissal with her arm before turning back to Ron. 'We'll head down now.'

Far below the potion coursing through his veins, Ron felt a jab of fear. He wasn't keen on the idea of having her out of sight.

'Er, right.' He said, running one hand through his hair. 'Stay safe, yeah?'

Her hand lifted towards his, seemingly without her notice. She gave a small smile.

'I really should be asking you that.'

'We'll be fine,' Ginny cut in. 'Been awhile since I gave someone a decent Bat Bogey.'

Ron chuckled. Hermione's lips stretched further into a grin. Ron wanted nothing more than to lean down and plant his lips upon them. But with a swish of her robes, she was off, Luna trailing behind her. Luna's wand was still absently tucked behind her ear, looking as though it might fall at any moment. He watched them trail out of sight.

The need to follow her felt nearly instinctual once her curls had disappeared around the corner. Bad things rarely happened when they were together. It was only separated that issues arose. If he was around…

'They'll be alright,' Ginny interrupted. Ron turned to see her sitting across from the Room of Requirement; the Marauder's Map outstretched in her hands. The same map that had just been in his back pocket.

'Hey! How did you-'

'Swiped it out of your pocket while you were staring after Hermione, didn't I?' Ginny's eyes followed a point on the map. 'That Felix must be working, otherwise you would have put her with you and distracted yourself the whole time.'

Ron felt his face turn red. 'I wasn't…'

Ginny gave him a keen glance from above the parchment. 'Are you really going to try and fight me on this? It's pretty obvious.'

'Who are you staring at anyway?' Ron asked in an effort to steer the conversation away from these dangerous waters. He moved across the floor and sat down beside her with a thud on the stonework.

'I'm checking which Slytherins are still in the Great Hall,' she replied. 'I'm betting if it is Malfoy in the Room of Requirement, he isn't working alone.'

It was a good point. Ron kicked himself for not having thought of it himself.

'Not much luck yet though. Everyone seems to be there, except Malfoy.' She set the parchment back down on her knees. 'And Harry was sure it was Malfoy he heard?'

Ron nodded. 'Though Hermione thinks that it might just be Harry's bias towards-'

'Merlin, she's not even here! You don't have to defend her.' Ginny pointed out.

'She might have a point,' Ron snapped back. 'Harry didn't mean to hurt Malfoy with that spell, but it doesn't mean that Malfoy and Harry haven't been enemies for the last few years.'

'Or that Harry knows what Malfoy sounds like.' Ginny countered him quickly, a frown beginning to crease her brow.

'But he heard it from Trewlaney. It could be something unrelated.'

'You don't trust Harry?'

Ron sighed. 'Of course I trust Harry. But he's not infallible.'

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing. Shuffling footsteps came from down the corridor and they both turned towards the sound. A beet-red Neville was striding towards them, waving hello.

'Neville!' Ginny called towards him, returning the wave. Hastily she wiped the Marauder's Map and tucked it back inside her robes.

'You're still here!' Neville wheezed. He finished the last few steps and collapsed down beside them. 'I was working with Sprout when I got the message. Just got away.'

'Well we're glad to have you,' Ginny replied. Ron didn't feel so sure. Neville was also not high on the list of people he would want by his side in this situation.

'So, what's going on?' Neville asked.

Between the pair of them, Ron and Ginny managed to fill Neville in on what had happened the past few hours. Neville seemed to readily accept that Harry would need to leave the castle with Dumbledore, as though this were a normal thing for a Headmaster to do. Ron was grateful for that at least. Plausible deniability was good in this case.

It didn't eat up a ton of time though. Mostly they sat in silence, watching the tapestry flutter in an unseen breeze.

Ginny kept tight grip on the map. Ron kept having to dig his nails into his palm to avoid peering over to try and find Hermione's dot. All he could hope was that she was safe. That's what the Felix was for. And perhaps Ginny was right. Maybe he needed to ignore the pressure he felt squeezing his heart. Hermione was a bloody brilliant witch. She didn't need him to protect her. Much as he wanted to do so. He just had to remind himself of that fact.

'Do you hear something?'

The sky outside had turned to impenetrable black. A few stars peeked out from the closest window. Neville had been yawning for the last while. Ron felt too wound up to be tired. Now Neville looked alert. Ron lifted his head to catch any sounds. Nothing emerged.

'What did you think you heard?' Ginny asked Neville in a whisper. Neville shook his head and craned his neck towards the tapestry.

'It sounded like voices.'

'Plural?' Ron asked. He slid his wand out of his sleeve and gripped it tightly. 'There's no other Slytherins missing.'

'Missing?' Neville asked, looking confused. Ron remembered a moment too late that Neville didn't know anything about the Marauder's Map. There was no time to curse himself however, because the next thing they knew, the tapestry flipped, revealing a blonde head of hair.

'Malfoy!' Ginny and Ron yelled at the same time. Draco seemed to catch sight of them as the tapestry flew open. There was a withered hand clutched in Malfoy's arms. Before Ron had the chance to fire off a spell, Malfoy had thrown a handful of dark powder towards the floor.

Everything turned pitch black. Even those few stars outside had extinguished.

'Follow me!' Draco called out. Ron could make out the sounds of footsteps. It was too difficult to make out how many there were. But there had to be more than just Draco. Unless it was a ruse?

From somewhere to his right Ginny swore loudly.

'Can you lumos?' She called out. Ron, now doubly thankful he had his wand gripped in his hand, whispered the incantation. Nothing happened.

'What's going on?' Neville asked. Ron jumped. Neville was much closer to his ear than he'd anticipated.

'Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder,' Ron said grimly. 'Bet Fred and George sold it to that git.'

Ginny swore again.

'So what do we do?' Neville asked. Thinking quickly, Ron threw out both arms. His right immediately made contact with Ginny and she hissed.

'Watch it!'

'Sorry. Grab my arm.'

It took a moment or two, but eventually he felt Ginny's hand grip his forearm. Neville latched on to the other a moment later.

'Alright, let's get out of this and then we'll alert the Order. Someone should warn them that something's up.'

'Sorry, Order?' Neville asked, confusion in his tone.

'We'll explain later,' Ginny hurried to say. Ron heard her swallow. Then came a strange scratching sound. Ron paused to listen. 'I'm keeping one hand on the wall. We should be able to find a lit corridor that way.'

'Good idea,' Ron told her, genuinely proud of his little sister. He figured then that the scratching must be her nails on the wall. 'Let's go.'

Closing his eyes did nothing to change his situation. He couldn't seem to adjust to the darkness. Other senses swooped in to help. His ears became sharper, honing in on the sounds around him. Ginny's fingers scraping the stone work of the corridor. Neville's steps behind him, the steady breathing of the group. No hint of Malfoy. Seeing Draco coming out of the room meant that Harry was right. Hermione wasn't going to be happy about that.

Ron shook his head, glad nobody could see. What a stupid thing to think at this moment. He forced himself to focus on the sounds, and forget about Malfoy.

What felt like ages later, Ginny gave a small cry. He felt her tug at his arm and all too soon, his eyes filled with light. Blinking against the sudden brightness, he felt glad that they were finally out of that dark maze.

'Thank Merlin,' Neville breathed as he too joined them in the lit corridor. Ron wiped his now watering eyes. The hallway was empty. No sign of where Malfoy might have gone.

'Bill's here!' Ginny cried, having returned to the map.

'Bill?' Ron repeated, looking at her strangely. Then he remembered that Bill was a member of the Order. He might well be on duty tonight.

'Next floor. Let's go!'

And Ginny was off at a gallop. Ron and Neville ran to catch up to her, barely able to keep pace. A part of Ron felt a rush of relief at the knowledge that his eldest brother was in the castle. Bill was a Curse Breaker for Merlin's sake. He'd be able to stop whatever Malfoy was plotting.

'Bill! Bill!' Ginny called out as they sprinted around the corner. Ron caught sight of Bill, long red hair tied back in a ponytail. His expression looked bewildered.

'Ginny? Ron? What are you doing out of bed?'

'Death Eaters,' Ron told him, skidding to a stop right before crashing into him. 'No idea how many.'

Bill's expression turned to fury. 'Death Eaters? No way. How'd they get into the castle?'

'The Room of Requirement!' Ginny cried at him. Bill looked ready to interrupt but Ginny pressed on. 'Doesn't matter! Tell the Order right away!'

Bill blinked at her for a second before taking out his wand. Closing his eyes, Ron was surprised to see a pearlescent jackal spring out of the wand and cantor down the corridor. A Patronus. Ron didn't know Bill knew the spell. He made a mental note to ask Bill when he learned it. Jackals seemed pretty entrenched in Egyptian mythology. Hermione might know.

'Lupin and Tonks are here. I've let them know. Any idea where they are?'Bill turned to face them, his face a steely mix of determination and excitement. Ron had never seen Bill at work, but figured this might be the same expression he used when breaking into old tombs.

Ginny was about to answer, but the sound of pounding footsteps came from above them. Closing his eyes, Ron tried to pinpoint where they were coming from.

'Astronomy Tower,' Ron told them, his ears still highly attuned from the plunge into darkness.

They took off at a run.

Speeding up the staircase with Bill next to him and Felix coursing through his veins, Ron felt invincible. And with more Order members on the way, there was no chance whatever asinine plan Malfoy cooked up was going to work. And hell, he was ready for a fight.