Grey-Eyed Serpent √

Chapter Seven

This chapter is dedicated to AngelicaSchuyler. A loyal Potterhead and awesome Dramione shipper, you've supported me all through the writing of this book. Thank you so much! I hope you like it!

A few minutes earlier...

Hermione Granger

I wake with a start, my hair and the tangled sheets pooling around me. I had that same horrible dream again, but even more vivid this time. My clothes are drenched in sweat and stick to me as I climb out of my cot. I look across the tent to see Harry curled up in his cot, sleeping peacefully. I hate to wake him up, but I think it'd be best if we kept moving.

I lift the flap of the tent and walk out, prepared to tell Ron my decision. But Ron's not here. I scan the area, but he's nowhere to he found. Adrenaline races in my gut as I shake Harry awake. "Harry! Ron's gone! Do you think he's run away again?"

Harry rolls over, groaning, then sits up and looks around. "Are you sure he's gone?" I nod vigorously. "His stuff is still here," Harry points out. "Maybe he just went for a walk." I try to allow myself to consider it a possibility, because the alternative is to horrible to imagine.

"I guess that's true..." I say, but I'm still not so sure. Ron's not really one to 'just go for a walk'. "But I'm still really worried. Should we at least go look for him?"

Harry rolls over so his back is facing me. "You can go look for him, if you want. I'll stay here and make sure nobody takes anything. Come back whenever." Then he yawns and drifts off to sleep again.

I roll my eyes and get up from where I'm crouching on the floor beside his cot. I brush off my pants and change into jeans and a white sweater, then leave the tent to go search for Ron.

I walk around the trees, calling his name. But there's no response, only the chirping of birds and insects in the early morning light. I circle back to the tent, my heart in my feet. He's gone. He ran away again, he just left his things so we wouldn't suspect anything.

But at the base of the tent, right as I'm lifting the flap to go back inside and tell Harry about Ron, but then I see a folded piece of parchment on the ground. Curious, I pick it up and unfold it.

Granger, Potter, or whoever is reading this-

I had to take the three of you to the manor. Weasley is here. Will explain everything, not my fault. Come if you wish, though I advise against it.

Draco Malfoy

I fold the parchment back up and put it in my pocket. I trusted Draco, he wouldn't just go behind my back and take Ron like that. And there's no sign of a struggle, no smoking trees or kicked up dirt. And if Draco had time to write this letter...

Than means Ron is safe. At least so far. A breath wooshes out of me, and then I hurry back inside. We have to go back to Malfoy Manor, there's no telling what they might do to Ron if we don't get there in time. I shake Harry awake again and hand him the note. He looks up, brows low. "Then who's filling in as us?"

I search through my beaded bag, and sure enough, the Polyjuice Potion is gone. "I'm not sure, but they took the Polyjuice Potion." I stand up, putting the bag in my pocket. "Come on, Harry, get dressed."

He rolls out of bed and throws on some clothes, and I Apparate us outside of Malfoy Manor. "How do we get in?" Harry whispers.

"Hang on," I hiss back. Soon, a Death Eater approaches. It's Snape. As he walks up to the gate, he pauses for a minute. He doesn't look our way, but I get the feeling that he knows we're there, so I duck farther around the corner. Snape waves a hand and the gates are lifted. "Let's go!" I whisper to Harry, and we follow Snape inside.

As soon as the front doors are open, we slip inside and wait until Snape leaves. Ron and whoever is playing us are most likely in the dungeons, so, staying in the shadows, Harry and I sneak down the dungeon staircase. Draco's inside, too, and he waves his wand to unlock the door.

Harry and I race inside, closing the door behind us. I walk first over to Draco. "Who's us?" I demand.

"Crabbe and Goyle," he says.

"And is that the real Ron?" I ask, pointing to the sleeping figure in the corner. Draco nods, and that's all the confirmation I need. I run over to Ron and leap on top of him. "Ron! What happened?"

"Hermione!" he says, wrapping his arms around me. "Malfoy came back, and he had to take us, but I wouldn't let him take you and Harry. So we came up with the idea of Polyjuice Potion, and I decided to go because I...thought you didn't need me." He says the last words quietly, as if he's ashamed of them.

"Ron! Of course we need you! You're one of my best friends!" I hold him tighter.

Ron breaths something in my ear. "What?" I ask. "I didn't catch that."

"I love you," he says.

My heart stops, then starts to beat faster than ever. I don't know how to respond to that. I knew I felt something for him, but now with Draco, and that recurring dream...I'm so confused. "I...I love you too," I say to him. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but it is definitely true as a friend, so I say it.

Ron's arms wrap tighter around me, and I lay beside him as he drifts off to sleep, still holding him in my arms. I never want him to run away again. I'm getting more and more tired, and don't want to look at Crabbe or Goyle pretending to be me, so I look at Ron. He looks much more peaceful when he's asleep, like there's nothing for him to worry about. Then I look over at Draco. The same goes for him, but now, awake, his face is hard and solid. He glances over at me and Ron, and his face turns completely to stone. He looks away, as if he can't bear to watch.

That's the last thing I see before I drift off into oblivion.