Chapter 7

Disclaimer: We don't own this, unfortunately, but we do enjoy having fun with JKR's characters!

Thanks go to Soul Bound for beta reading this for us.

Ron sat in the library at Grimmauld Place, rather impatiently, as he waited for Hermione to come out of the locked study. She'd gone in there with Malfoy, again, supposedly to find out more information on the next Horcrux. With the information their "friend" had been sending them, it didn't seem like she'd need the blond git's help.

Ron didn't know what else they talked about besides Horcrux research, and that did bother him some, but that wasn't the majority of his ill feelings about things. All he knew was that it had been almost three months since he'd had his hands on her. He was getting rather sick of the ferret and his act.

Even though Hermione had told him that she wanted to cool things for a while, Ron hadn't really believed her. Hadn't Lavender told him in her last letter how desirable he was? Of course Hermione wanted him...she just got distracted in those damn books sometimes. And Malfoy sure knew how to use that, being somewhat of a bookworm himself.

Of course it was an act. The pity was that only Ron could see through it. Bloody hell! Even Harry was falling for it and had taken to confiding everything to him. For all they knew, the whole thing about finding Draco had been a set up.

"Ron, mate, Draco is changing!" Harry had told him the week before. "Do you think he enjoyed hiding out with Pettigrew? Having that rat paw him and such? He knows how Voldemort is now, Ron. He took his mum and punished her in some way for crying out loud!"

Ron got up from his chair and started pacing, running his hand through his hair. And it wasn't as though they'd only recently started to confide these things to him. In only a few weeks, Harry and Hermione had begun to trust Draco with most of their secrets, believing that he could be of some help. "Well, a hippogriff doesn't change his feathers, I say," Ron muttered to himself. "We don't know for sure that Vold...er...the Dark Lord punished his mum because he won't tell us what the punishment was, will he?"

Even the blasted Kneazle, who'd ousted that blasted rat quick enough, seemed to be rather fond of Malfoy! He could admit to trusting Crookshanks' judgment on some things, but the beast wasn't bound to be right all the time, was he?

And another thing, after we told Mum and the others the truth about having Draco here, allowing them to come here and us to go there, how could those two not have noticed how he paws on Hermione one second and then eyes Ginny the next? When she enters a room, he doesn't take his eyes off of her! She should have stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays! I thought Harry thought it was too dangerous for her, and yet there she is at home and coming here with our parents!

Ron had been thinking that he would have to confront Hermione, scare her some. If she thought that it was either him or Malfoy, which it really was, he had no doubt that she would tell Malfoy to shove off. Then when Hermione tossed him over, Harry would be quick to follow. Then things would be back to normal, the way Ron liked them.

If that failed, then Ron decided he'd have to give in to Lavender's incessant whinging and ask her to Christmas dinner at the Burrow. Hermione had always been jealous of Lavender...

"... That book that my source told me of, we can begin to work out how to destroy the ones we've already found," Hermione was saying as she walked into the library.

Ron let out a growl at the sight before him. There was his girl, walking right in the middle of Malfoy and Harry, talking excitedly and gesturing as she did when she felt passionate about something.

"I don't know about that source, Mione. We don't really know anything about him or her," Harry started, only to be interrupted by a furious Ron.

"How cozy! Is there a new trio in the making?"

"Ron! You startled me!" Hermione said. "What's wrong with you?"

"I need to talk to you...alone." He watched as she chewed her lip...either nervously or in thought...it was hard for him to tell.

"Ron, we can have nothing to say to one another that Harry and Draco couldn't hear, surely. What's on your mind?" She walked to the couch and sat primly.

"I said I want to talk to you alone, Hermione! What's the matter with you?"

She furrowed her brow in a way that told Ron she was getting upset. Good. "Nothing is the matter with me, Ronald! I just want to look through the books in here and see if we have this one that our source let me know of! It has information on destroying Horcruxes..."

"Is that all you ever think of? I am standing here, right in front of your face, upset and needing to talk to you! Don't you care about that at all?"

Snickering, Draco said, "Apparently not."

Ron whirled to face Malfoy. "Shut it, Ferret! Why don't you go back to your Master, eh? You're not wanted here!" Ron had bunched his fists at his sides, longing to plow them into Malfoy's face.

"Ron!" Harry said. "Draco has been a lot of help to us. As a matter of fact, we wouldn't have found that last Horcrux without him...you know that!"

"What I know is that he has you both fooled!" In his anger, he turned to Hermione, eyes blazing. "It's time you made a choice, dear. You can't have it both ways. Decide now: him or me!"

Hermione sucked in a breath. "Ron, I've told you..."

"No! No more games!" he shouted, anger evident in his entire being. "I have sat by and watched you studying books with him, going off behind closed doors to do God knows what with him, and the two of you clawing each other. I am tired of it, Hermione. Decide. Now."

"That's not fair, Ron," she told him quietly. "And you are being unreasonable. There's nothing more than friendship between Draco and me...or you and me for that matter. We've already had this discussion, and I for one don't care to repeat it."

Ron noticed the smug look on Draco's face and the worried look on Harry's. "You would actually choose him? Over me? The bloody prat nearly called you a Mudblood during his first week here, and both of you seem to act like that's all right! After all these years we've been friends, you would actually..."

"YOU CHOSE LAVENDER OVER ME! How can you stand there and say these things? There is nothing but friendship between Draco and me, Ron, and I don't appreciate your attitude."

"It always comes back to Lavender, eh, Hermione?" Ron said as if that was the only thing he'd heard. "You're still jealous of her after all this time? Look," he said before she could comment, "it's not her I want; it's you! But you have to leave off with Malfoy because I won't have it, Mione."

Hermione's face contorted with anger and turned a dark red shade. "You... won't... have... it? YOU WON'T HAVE IT? Well, I've never asked you to, have I? I will not leave off with Draco! We are friends. Nothing more. But if we wanted more, it would be no concern of yours, would it? We are no longer a couple!"

"I know you don't mean that. After this Horcrux business is finished, we can pick our relationship back up."

"No, that's not what I want. I'm sorry, but it's just not." Hermione looked sad for a moment. "Ron, I do care for you. You're one of my best friends, but..."

Draco burst out laughing, looking as if he couldn't hold his glee in any longer. "There, there, Weasley. She loves you...as a friend."

Ron spun around and almost tripped in his anger. "Shut it, Malfoy! Nobody asked you!" Then he spun back to Hermione and took a few steps towards her, fists once again clenched at his sides. "Hermione, I am warning you..."

"That'll do, mate," Harry said in a deceivingly low, calm voice, stepping closer. "I think you'd better calm down and back off of her."

"Don't tell me what you think I'd better do, Harry. I don't recall asking," Ron spat in his fury.

"Nevertheless..."

"You're just as bad as she is! Don't you see him watching Ginny all the time?" Ron smirked at Harry's confused look. "That's right. When we've been at the Burrow, he watches her."

Harry looked from Ron to Draco, who sat silently. "Draco? What's that about?"

Sounding bored, Draco told Harry, "I have no idea, really. As if I would look at a Weasley in that way. Please. She's all yours, if you want her."

Proud that Malfoy was sounding more like his old self, Ron looked at Hermione who was sitting there with an odd expression on her face. "Something wrong with my sister, Malfoy?" Ron baited, wanting him to further incriminate himself.

Raising an eyebrow, Draco said, "Other than the fact that she is related to you?"

"Watch it," Harry said coolly to Draco. Ron took two steps towards Malfoy when Harry stepped in front of him and put his hands on his chest. "Don't. This is ridiculous! We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves, you know!"

That hurt Ron more than he would let show. His chest felt tight, as if a vice was squeezing inside him. All but whispering, he asked, "You'd actually take his side, Harry? What about you, Hermione? Is it Malfoy then?"

"Ron, please don't do this. Harry and I love you, but there is nothing wrong with letting Draco help us! He has inside information!"

"Yeah, so did Snape. Look where that got us." Ron felt momentarily bad for the pained expression on Harry's face, but quickly quashed it when he remembered Harry's defense of Malfoy.

Surprisingly, Malfoy's face contorted in anger at the mention of Snape. "Oh, he'll get his, Weasley. Count on it." Suddenly, Malfoy turned and left the room.

Harry took his hands off of Ron's chest and laid one on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Ron, honestly, Draco is better than he was at Hogwarts, and he is being a huge help..."

Ron shrugged Harry's hand off of him and turned to Hermione. "What's it going to be, Mione? Decide."

"Ron, you're being unreasonable! Don't do this, please."

"I see. Draco then." Ron turned to walk out of the library and looked back at Hermione. "If you talk to Ginny before I do, would you let her know that Lavender will be staying a few days around Christmas? Tell her to make room for her in her room."

"What? Ron, you can't! There is too much we have to keep secret now..." But her words were falling on deaf ears as Ron walked out and shut the door, happy that his parting shot hit its mark.

Harry walked over to Hermione and put his arms around her. "Don't worry, love. Ron will get over it. Just give him a day or two."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "Perhaps, but I may not."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Bellatrix, I wouldn't be here if I didn't deem it necessary," Severus said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"I don't know that I truly feel up to moving about," she said with a bored yawn and a hand lightly caressing her bulging stomach.

"Indeed? Then I shall inform your sister of your sentiments," he said with a nod, knowing he'd get a rise out of her.

"Come back here, Snape," she said, sitting upright quickly. "I don't want you telling her anything. I simply don't trust your motives. Why come to me for help now? Does the Dark Lord know you're here? Not getting attached to Lucius' wife, are you?" She tsked loudly and waggled a finger at him. "I don't know that he'd appreciate that. He wants her returned to him after she births your spawn, you see."

"I will gladly escort her back to her husband's bed once her duty is done," Severus began, "and as for the Master knowing about my request, he's the one who thought I should come here. However, I will be glad to inform him of your laziness and explain that the past few months of being forced to remain behind and not doing any other duties has made you a bit of a sloth."

"How dare you say that to me! You know how I feel about my sister and about doing my Master's will!" She stood and moved towards him menacingly. "Show me where she is."

"As you wish," he said mockingly, grabbing her arm to Side-Along Apparate her to the home he shared with Narcissa. Once there, he released her quickly and nodded towards her bedroom. "She's there."

Giving him a glare, she went into the room he directed and slammed the door behind her. Severus smirked and shook his head. He had things to do, and he didn't feel like sitting around to mollycoddle Narcissa all day. The woman had become quite a nuisance lately, continuously asking for something or other and complaining about aches and illnesses. He was glad that there were only a couple of months left before she was due to give birth. It wasn't that he was anxious to look after a newly born infant. In fact, he wasn't looking forward to that at all, but he wanted to send her on her way. The sooner she returned to her husband, the sooner things could return to normal.

Not wasting another moment, he checked to make certain his vial of Polyjuice was still in his pocket and Disapparated away, leaving Bellatrix in charge of Narcissa and her depressed blubbering. Once in the darkened alleyway, he drank the contents of the vial and felt his body shortening and widening as it took on the appearance of the Muggle he'd snatched hair from. Quickly, he made his way onto the streets of Muggle London and walked towards the designated area of the park that he was to meet Hermione Granger in.

"She'd better be alone," he said to himself. To ensure his safety, he placed wards to alert him of any presences other than hers and to keep anyone from hearing what they discussed. It wasn't long before she walked over to the bench he was seated on.

"Hello," she said softly.

"Miss Granger," he replied gruffly, nodding his head in greeting.

"So, it is you," she said in relief. "I was uncertain what to expect, and... You don't look familiar to me at all. I was expecting someone else."

"Indeed," he commented. "Have a seat. We've much to discuss in very little time."

She remained standing and gazed at him with a furrowed brow. "I do know you, don't I? You're in disguise...probably Polyjuiced."

"Brilliant deduction, Miss Granger. Then again, you always were a know-it-all," he commented dryly. "Now, are you going to sit down, or do you plan to gawp at me all afternoon? My time is precious."

With a small thump, she sat at the end of the bench, eyes wide. "You've something for me?" she finally asked.

He simply pulled a parchment from the pocket of the coat he'd quickly Transfigured his robes into after drinking the potion and handed it to her. He watched as she eagerly went through the words he'd written.

Her head lifted. "Godric's Hollow then?"

Nodding, he said, "I'm certain."

"Why are you doing this?" she blurted.

"My reasons are my own."

She bit her lip and seemed to be measuring words in her mind. "Sir, I think... in fact, I know who you are."

"Is that so?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "Enlighten me."

"Professor Snape," she said in a tone so soft he barely heard her.

Instinctively, his hand lowered to the pocket of his coat where his wand lay nestled. "Why do you say this?"

"The last couple of letters you sent... You sounded just like him at some parts, and you know so much about everything...things nobody else knows." She swallowed thickly. "And even though you've a different voice right now, your words and mannerisms are his...yours, I mean. And you're the only person who ever calls me a know-it-all." She jutted her chin up challengingly. "Am I wrong?"

"What do you plan to do with this information?" he asked, noting that she didn't seem to fear him.

"I... Nothing...for now."

"I see," he said with a nod.

She chuckled. "I see, too."

"Is that so?"

"You wanted me to know it was you," she said firmly. "You want me to testify on your behalf after things are over." She shook her head. "I'd hate to say this, Professor, but after what happened... I don't know that my words will help you."

Suddenly angry, he leaned forward and heatedly said, "I am not asking for your help to keep me out of Azkaban, girl. I doubt I will live long enough to have a trial. There is something else that I request that you do for me." When she visibly bristled, he held up a hand. "Don't worry. Your virtue is quite safe with me. This is something of another matter entirely."

"Well? What is it then? Your help and information for what?"

"I cannot justifiably say at this moment," he admitted. "But upon my demise, you will receive instructions."

"But, sir..."

"Do I have your word?" he asked. "It's of utmost importance."

"I don't know what you're asking of me. I can't just agree to something like this."

"Of everyone in our world that I could have turned to in this, I chose you, and you do owe me for the information I've been giving you." He decided to sweeten the deal. "And if you want to know the Dark Lord's location when the time comes, you'd better agree."

"All right," she said reluctantly. "I will help you in what you ask so long as it's nothing that will harm me or anyone else."

"Agreed." He rose stiffly. "I will be in touch soon." Pointing to the parchment in her hand, he said, "Bring Draco with you. He'll be of some help in dismantling the warding. It's much like those on his own home."

"Will I see you again?" she asked, standing quickly.

"I see no reason to. I will continue to owl you as per normal. I simply wanted to speak to you in person to judge your reaction for myself and to procure your promise on my demands."

"There are so many things that I want to ask you..."

"And I doubt I would answer any of them." He nodded briskly. "Good day." Before she could say anything else, his long strides sped him away from her until he could safely Disapparate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ginny sat in her attic, staring out of the window. Lavender had only been at the Burrow a few hours, and already Ginny wanted to kill her. She was so bad in fact that Ginny decided she would rather spend time with the ghoul. How does Hermione stand being around that cow for an entire school year?

Sighing, Ginny leaned her forehead on the window. Why does Ron have to be such a git? He knows Hermione is better for him than Lavender! What is he thinking? If he isn't careful, he's going to lose the best thing that's ever happened to him and end up miserable with that stupid bint! There is no way that girl makes him happy... She makes me want to puke.

Harry is no better. She absently wiped the tears that had started falling down her cheeks. Everything was so messed up! I don't see why we can't be together. Everyone knows that he is close to my family and that we dated. I don't see how being with him could put me in any more danger than I am already in. Besides, anyone who doesn't support that mad man is in danger anyway.

If only he could trust and confide in me... Let me join in on whatever it is that they're doing. I know I could be of some help...I'm not stupid or helpless! As much as I love her, I have always envied Hermione that part of Harry's love. Well, the three of them actually. She shifted to get more comfortable and leaned her back against the wall.

Closing her eyes, she folded her arms across her chest and stopped wiping the tears, not caring about them anymore. They're even starting to trust Malfoy! I cannot believe that they've actually told that arse more than me. I can see why Ron would be upset; Hermione does seem to be getting close to Malfoy. But, really! As if she would ever look at him in that sort of way.

I think it a bit odd, the way he was staring so much at me. As if... She shook her head and scrubbed hard at her face. Well, as if he'd seen right down to my soul and that he'd liked what he'd seen. What was odder still was the peculiar and exciting feeling his look gave me in the pit of my stomach. For a moment, I felt like I could just get lost in his gray eyes. She trembled from the intense feeling the thoughts of Draco Malfoy gave her and frowned. Was it sick of her to have those kinds of feelings about Malfoy? She wasn't sure, but she did know one thing. This was going to be the worse Christmas she could remember having. She pushed those thoughts away and made her way to the door, wishing Harry would reconsider things and wishing all would go back to how it was before Dumbledore's death.

Southern's Notes: Sorry for the long time it took between updates. All I can say is that both Christy and I have been swamped with RL issues and at different times. When she had time to write her part, I didn't have any. That's how it goes though! However, if you do like the premise of this story, I am writing one that's somewhat similar and am updating it weekly. The title is "Flight of the Prince." Check it out.

Christy's Notes: I, too, apologize for the delay, but I hope you guys think it was worth the wait! I have to second "Flight of the Prince." It's awesome and just keeps getting better with each chapter! I've started a new fic for the Potter_Place prompts. It's called "One Vital Ingredient." If you get the time, give it a read!