Authors Notes: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated, but I've been hit with an extreme case of writers block. But now, hopefully, I'll be able to carry on.
"Did you want to talk to him, Harry?"
"No."
"Or we could send him a Letter?"
"No."
"What about if we-"
"Hermione, I don't want to talk to him, in any way."
They were sitting in the Room of Requirement, cross-legged and facing each other, their faces cast in a shadow of worry. The lights coming from the ever-increasing candles were starting to flicker and die as they sat there for hours, just talking and sharing their worry.
Harry felt immensely angry. His whole wizarding life, he swore that he would never, ever join the Death Eaters, for they were the foulest, most evillest people on the earth. Never had he even thought about whether his friends would consider it, all of them being very outspoken towards Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Now though… his best friend… Ron… a Death Eater… he just couldn't stand it.
He never thought he would hate his best friend. He was his first real friend; they had been through so much together, Ron was like the brother Harry never had. He remembered all the trips to the Burrow, all those summers that he and Ron would go up to the small paddock the Weasleys owned, their broomsticks slung over their shoulders, walking side by side as friends, as brothers. All those times that Ron had spoken about the Death Eaters, voicing Harry's unceremonious thoughts of them being foul, and evil, and not even worthy of their spit. He thought of Mrs. Weasley, and wondered what she would say if she knew that one of her family, who all but bar Percy had so willingly joined the Anti-Voldemort movement had suddenly switched sides, all over a conflict over a girl. But this wasn't just any girl, Harry immediately corrected himself. This was Hermione.
She was sitting not three feet away from him, tears silently coursing down her cheeks. This was another reason for Harry for feel hatred towards Ron. All the things he said to Hermione the other day, he could not forgive Ron so easily for. Moving slowly over to Hermione, who lifted her head as he approached, he swept his soft thumb slowly over her wet cheeks, taking the tears away. If only he could stop them from coming altogether…
"Please don't cry, Hermione. He's not worth your tears…"
She sniffed, her eyes red and puffy, and Harry could not help but think how well she could pull off still being beautiful with her face covered in tears and her eyes all swollen and bloodshot. She moved closer to him and settled herself on his lap, where he brought his arm around to comfort her. Burying her tear-stained face in his neck, she sniffled again.
"But he is, Harry. He's our best friend, Death Eater or not…"
She was right. However what Harry wanted so much to do was deny that he had any feelings of friendship towards a Death Eater, when it came down to it, He was still Ron Weasley. Still a part of the Trio, and he always would be.
"You're right, Hermione. You're always right…"
She sniffed deeply. Turning her pretty face up to him, he could see that her eyelashes were laced with silver tears. Again, he brought a thumb up to brush them gently away. It caused his heart to pang everytime he felt the warm tears on her face.
"Harry… what are we going to do?"
He didn't know what to say to her. He had no idea what to do. For the first time, she was looking to him for answers, but he had none to give to her. It made his heart bleed with guilt.
"I… Don't know. I'm sorry, Hermione. But I don't know…"
Maybe if he tried to reassure her? But how would that help? They could forget what they had seen and heard, and wait for Ron to let them know, then worry about it then? No… Harry thought. We have to do something now.
"Maybe…," He began, his throat constricting slightly. He didn't want to betray his best friend, but he knew, that it was for the best. "If I tell Dumbledore… what we've heard… He can tell us what to do…?"
She didn't reply for a moment, her teary face turned to his in a look of surprise. Then with a resolute smile, she nodded determinedly. Harry smiled back, reassuringly, and they both shared that wonderful, pure, genuine smile that warmed them slightly from the inside.
"Yes… I think we should do that. Professor Dumbledore will know what to do…"
And they sealed it with a kiss.
*
Emerging from the room sometime later, they slowly made their way back to the common room. They weren't late like the night before and they had managed to catch the last bit of daylight leaving the Hogwarts grounds. The light was dim and musky, and as they passed the windows, they caught the scent of fresh dusk, like Autumn leaves and Dewdrops.
They passed the spot where they had stood last night, listening intently to Ron's fated conversation with Malfoy and as they were just passing the oaken door, it flung open with mild force and out charged a very agitated, very red looking Ron.
The scene froze. Hermione could feel the tension hang in the air like an iron curtain, and wished Ron would say something. He just stood there, and looked blankly at them both, his right hand clamped violently over his left arm. His blank look finally changed to that of anger and hate as he saw their interlocked hands, and he immediately stuck his long nose in the air.
Hermione felt Harry move violently beside her and held his hand tighter. Looking tentatively up at his face, she could see the bottle green eyes behind the steel rimmed glasses sparking and shooting daggers at Ron. He looked ready to charge at Ron at any moment.
The silence between the three of them was unnerving. No one spoke as Ron glared at the two of them, his eyes filled with a mixed emotion, Anger and Hate were palpable, turning his eyes into deep pits of disgust. But lurking behind the Hate and the bitterness, something stirred. Something familiar about the sapphire blue eyes that reminded her forcibly of the Ron she once knew.
Suddenly, he sniffed arrogantly and pushed past the two of them with malice, his eyes turned away from their faces and his freckled face darkened. Harry made an angry move after him, but Hermione held him back.
"Leave it, Harry… I think he's confused enough as it is…"
He gave her a questioning look, but she merely smiled, a pure, genuine one, but with a meagre effort.
"He's confused, Harry… I saw it. In his eyes. He still loves us - not in that way obviously - but he does still love us, and I don't think a good Death Eater is meant to love his enemies."
Harry gave a small, exhausted sigh and looked jadedly towards Ron's retreating back. The look in his eyes told Hermione that the feeling was mutual for Harry. She knew that he wouldn't be able to forgive Ron as easily as she could, but she had a feeling that everything would work out well in the end.
Authors Notes: Sorry this is short and all, but it seemed like a good place to leave it, and My writers block is getting bad. But hopefully, now that I've got this chapter out of the way, I can get on with the story! J