Jewel

IV

"So. Ron is Turning, and will be a vampire tomorrow night. To prevent him from going mad, you need someone good at Charms and a good Healer. You're a good Healer. I'm good at Charms. Why are we still standing here?"

Even though it was late at night, Ginny Weasley had already started with throwing things into a bag when Hermione was halfway through her story, and she was now standing in the hallway, bag flung over her shoulder, wand ready. Hermione smiled uneasily, fidgeting with the backpacks she'd picked up from the Weasley twins' attic. "Well... it's kind of... we're kind of hiding out at a Death Eater's house."

The redhead arched an eyebrow. "So?"

Hermione blinked. "Um, nothing. Shall we?"

Ginny grinned and linked arms with her. "I'm ready whenever you are." Smiling, she Apparated them to one of the many parlours Zabini Manor held.

Blaise was already waiting for them. "Potter and Malfoy are working on the Gem. I've just found us a suitable Amulet. We'll have to Purge it first, of course, but that shouldn't take too long. Heya, Weaslette. Long time, no see."

"Cheers, monkey boy. You all right?"

"Monkey boy?" interrupted Hermione incredulously.

He grimaced. "Thanks a lot, Gin. I'll never live it down, now."

"Serves you right for ignoring me the other night, Mr. Scary Man. You still owe me a drink."

Hermione's eyebrows were barely visible, now. "Gee, Gin, you should've told me your were fraternizing with Slytherins. Sounds like I missed all the fun."

Ginny gave her an exaggerated wink as they exited the parlour, following Blaise. "What are you talking about? 'Mione, believe me - the fun is about to begin."

The brunette grinned broadly as she closed the door behind them, and swept after the strange duo. She might actually be right about that.

~*~

The Purging took longer than they had expected. By the time they'd cleared all Shield Charms, Seduction Glamours, Protection Spells and Veela Traits from it, they were quite exhausted. "Sooh," Hermione said, sighing, "whose was it?"

Blaise grinned sourly. "My grandmother's. She gave it to my mother as an anniversary present. It was in my share of the heritage, with me being the oldest and all - thank Merlin my sister didn't get it."

Ginny let out a quiet guffaw, then pushed a sweaty streak of hair out of her eyes. "I don't know about you two," she said, "but I could use a shower. And coffee. And food, if possible. How long do we have before Ron wakes up?"

Blaise checked his watch. "It's half six in the morning, he'll wake up at eleven tonight. At the earliest."

"We should put it on him before he wakes, though," Hermione said.

"Deadline at ten, then. That gives us a bit over fifteen hours. If everything goes right, the whole process should take some five hours. If something goes wrong, it might be twice as long."

The redhead shrugged. "That should allow three hours off. Good god, Blaise, I've been concentrating for seven hours straight. I need a break. I can't guarantee that I won't make costly mistakes if I don't relax for a bit now."

Blaise sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I could use some rest, myself. Hermione, would you mind a break?"

She stretched, stifling a yawn. "Are you kidding?"

He snorted. "All right then. When do we get back to work?"

"I say ten AM."

Ginny grinned. "In favour."

"Ten it is. Do you two want to have a nap, or something?" Blaise asked after they had placed a Containment ward around the Amulet and had exited the room, heading in the general direction of the kitchen.

Hermione smiled. "No thanks. I'll only get drowsy. But if you have a Wakefulness potion?"

"Of course I do. As a matter of fact, I've got 'eighteen hours' ones."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "I've heard about those. Aren't they - "

Blaise cut over her with a grin in his voice. "Bad for your health? Addictive? A nasty way to trick your bio rhythm?"

"... cherry flavour?"

Ginny started giggling.

By the time they'd reached the kitchens, tears of laughter were running down the girls' cheeks, and even Blaise's shoulders were shaking. Hermione plonked down on a chair, taking a deep breath. "Well," she said, "that certainly proved laughing is contagious."

Blaise snorted. "You're quite right. I don't think I've ever laughed that hard, and the comment wasn't even particularly funny...."

"What comment?" Ginny asked innocently.

"About the - " The girls simultaneously burst out laughing again.

He shrugged, eyebrows raised. "Women."

Harry must've heard him, for he was grinning when he entered the kitchen. "No, Zabini, you've got it all wrong. The proper term is hormones. Are you making coffee?"

Blaise shot him a look. "Shouldn't you be working alongside of Draco? Putting your personal vengeance aside for the sake of your best friend?"

Draco chose that point to enter dramatically. "Personal vengeance? But Blaise..." - at this point he draped his arm around Harry's shoulders - "...we're getting along great. Didn't you know we've been together for ages? All the school fighting was just a ruse, really. No one can resent me so much outwardly without secretly craving for my charms."

Harry, to his credit - and the surprise of all others present - kept his cool. "Zabini. Is he gay?"

Blaise tilted his head, measuring Draco, then straightened up. "Well, he wasn't yesterday, nor has he been for the last twenty years. I can't be sure, though."

Draco snorted and let go of Harry. "No, I'm not, Potter. Sorry."

Harry sighed. "Damn. Now I can't slap you in the face."

Draco's eyes widened, and he slowly started backing away. "Potter..."

"Ah well, then I'll just have to kick your arse the conventional way. Get back here, you bastard!"

Ginny sighed as Harry bolted from the kitchen, after Draco. "And the race is on. You still owe me coffee, Blaise. Strong, please."

Blaise shook his head. "Sure. When did Potter and Draco stop hating each other?"

Hermione snorted. "Hating is a big word for a vendetta between two school boys."

He smiled. "Point taken."

Which left Hermione to tilt her head and narrow her eyes. He'd never given up on an argument so easily before, not even when he agreed with her.

She dropped the train of thought when she smelled the coffee, though. The kitchen was quiet for a few minutes while the three of them savoured their drinks, then Blaise broke the silence. "Sally has brought your baggage to the Guest wing; there are a few bathrooms there, so you'd best use those if you want a change of clothes, as well. It's a longer walk, though."

Ginny snorted. "You do realize that sounded kind of snobbish, don't you?"

Hermione cut over her. "It's fine. I like to walk."

Blaise smiled and nodded. "I'll send Sally with you. If you give me an hour, I'll have breakfast ready, as well."

"You don't have to make us breakfast!"

His smile changed into a smirk. "I never said I was the one making it."

~*~

The bathroom Sally had picked out for them was magnificent. It featured two big bronze tubs on clawed feet, with a Chinese-looking bath screen between them. The windows were high and panelled, with thin curtains shielding them, but it was still too dark outside to go without artificial light. The floating candles only added to the mysteriousness of the room, Hermione thought, especially now they were not only reflected by the mirrors, but also by the steam-coated walls.

At the other side of the screen, Ginny sighed deeply. "Hot water is truly a brilliant invention."

Hermione smiled. "Yay for the Neanderthals."

The splashing sounds coming from the other tub were loud enough for her to recognize half-hearted indignation. "You know what I mean. The scents, the candles..."

The brunette slid a bit deeper into her tub. "It's really nice to be a witch. Yeah... It does have its setbacks, though."

It took a while for the redhead to reply. "I think everything has its setbacks. And its good parts. And I think we should go and have breakfast."

"You're probably right."

It took at least another ten minutes before either of them started showing actual intention to get out of their respective baths. It took another twenty minutes before they exited the bathroom, Ginny wearing threadbare jeans and a blouse several sizes too big, Hermione sporting a thin cream cardigan and loose sports pants.

There was few chatter as they pattered down to the kitchen. The all-nighter they had pulled was starting to take its toll; Hermione was bleary-eyed and even Ginny yawned.

There were two mugs of Wakefulness potion waiting for them, though. Blaise was chopping vegetables, Harry was busy behind the stove, and Draco presented them their potions with a flourish. "You two sure took your time," he said, grinning.

Ginny grinned back. "Harry caught up with you, then?"

Harry snorted. "Of course I did. He never even had a chance."

Draco scoffed. "You watch what you're saying, Potter. I might decide to test your skills with a rapier."

"I do hope you mean an actual rapier, and not your rapier wit, because if it's the latter, you're gonna get beaten. Again."

Draco responded by throwing an apple at him.

Blaise left the ballistic piece of fruit hanging suspended in mid-air by shooting a quick Immobulus at it. "There will be no throwing with nutrition in my house in any way or form," he said matter-of-factly, not raising his eyes from the tomatoes he was cutting.

Draco grumbled while Ginny laughed at him. Hermione peeked over Harry's shoulder. "Smells good - what are you making?"

"I've got bacon and eggs, but I'm also baking tomatoes - that is, if Blaise hurries up - with cheese. I'm guessing that should be edible."

Ginny ducked next to them and nicked some cucumber. "I'm impressed, Harry, I didn't know you had it in you."

Hermione turned just in time to see Draco mock-imitating the redhead's expression. "Cute," she said with a grin.

Ginny stretched like a cat, grabbed the floating apple, yanked it loose from its spell and hopped onto the countertop. "So - how's the Gem coming along?"

Draco quickly swallowed the remainder of his coffee. "Good - very good, even. We're getting there. We've secured the sun-wards, and Potter thought it might be nice if we also threw in some wards against other allergies - you know, crosses, garlic, all that jazz. We're going to put that on the outer rim, though. It'll be stronger when the wards are separated, and thus we've cast a Time Enchantment around the sun wards about..." He checked his watch. "... two hours ago. It should be safe to spell on in another hour."

Harry turned and grinned at them. "We'll be done casting in about two hours, but we're putting another time enchantment around it."

Hermione smiled broadly. "Very wise. Can I have a look at it, later?"

"When it's done. I'm sorry, Granger, but it's rather sensitive right now - two life-forms blundering around it is more than enough."

"Of course. I'm looking forward to it already," she answered, while Blaise leant past her to give Harry the tomato slices. The smile he shot her nearly swept her off her feet.

Swallowing, she pushed her hair behind her ear, looking around hurriedly if anyone had seen her blush. Draco and Harry were busy discussing in what order they should cast the spells, but Ginny was looking at her speculatively. She shot her a glare. The redhead smiled and arched an eyebrow in return.

She was saved by Harry. "Eggs are done," he called.

"Yay!" said Ginny, hopping from the counter. "Eggs for me!" She stole one of the plates Blaise had just gotten them, and was the first to dig in.

When Harry looked questioningly at Hermione, she shook her head. "No, thank you - I'd rather have some of those tomatoes, if it's all right?"

Harry grumbled. "Sure, it's fine. You do realize some birds eat more than you do?"

"Depends on which bird you choose," Hermione replied airily, "I'm sure a dodo eats more."

Blaise snorted, and Harry shook his head. "Hopeless doesn't even begin to describe it."

"Well, if it makes you happier, I'll eat... this apple," she said with a smile, picking one from the fruits basket.

This earned her a mock-glare. "So, you're choosing an apple over my eggs? Nasty."

"Absolutely," she answered through her first bite, picking up a spatula to stir the tomatoes. "Looks good, Harry."

"Tasted good, too." Ginny had finished already, and pushed her plate away. "I was famished. I hadn't eaten anything, last night."

Blaise shot her a glare. "You should have told me."

Ginny shook her head. "Doesn't matter. I'm used to it."

Harry cocked his head, swallowing his food. "Are you guys almost done with that Amulet? You looked completely knackered when you came in here, earlier."

"We've Purged it. Took longer than it should have. We decided to have a break - concentrating for seven hours is a curse for your nerves."

Draco grinned. "And those are so sensitive already... in your case..."

"Shut up, Ferret Boy. At least I have a nerve system."

"Whoop-dee-doo. I think I'm better off without one." The blonde rose and took the spatula from her. "Now shoo, go sit somewhere. I'll do this - you'd only burn perfectly fine tomatoes."

Hermione smiled and did as she was told. She faintly wondered, as she looked at the strange group crowding Blaise's kitchen, when she'd started calling the Slytherins by their first names.

~*~

Charms class at Hogwarts was kindergarten compared to actual Charming. The spell combinations used required high - some might say impossible - levels of concentration, the containment runes had to be drawn perfectly, often using some potion instead of ink, and even one mispronounced syllable in the endless chants could result in the total collapse of the Charm.

In other words, the more advanced magic became, the more it started to look like the mysterious tales of rites, chants and symbols Muggle books sometimes described.

This Charm was easily the hardest Hermione had ever done. It wasn't as if she couldn't handle it - of course she could - but she was quite relieved when they could finally tie off the Time Enchantments they'd created on it. Thanks to Ginny's skill, the Amulet would sink and anchor itself just underneath Ron's skin with a spoken command, but her Time Enchantments would ensure that, after a span of decades - centuries, even -, the Amulet would still work exactly as it did now: perfectly.

Blaise let out a long breath and fell back against the wall. "Finally," he sighed.

Sweat dripped down her face, blurring her eyesight, but Hermione gingerly took up a silk kerchief and wrapped the finished Amulet into it. "Gin," she said tiredly, "can you do it?"

The redhead shot her a dazed smile. "It's now or never."

Leaning heavily onto each other, they made their way to Ron's room. The chamber was tightly warded; spells of Azkaban-calibre made the hall around it shimmer. Hermione clutched the bundle harder to her chest.

A tired Blaise made an opening in the wards. Hermione steeled herself as she went in. A wall of darkness met them; the smell made her stomach churn. "Videmus," Ginny whispered next to her, and she smiled gratefully: the redhead's nightvision spell lifted the shroud of darkness hanging in front of her eyes.

Ron was a pale blur, lying sprawled on his belly in the centre of a huge bed. Now and then, a tremor ran through him. His back seemed blistered; closer inspection revealed that he had been shedding his skin, to reveal a near-white inner layer. The crumpled patches and shreds of old skin lying everywhere made her nauseous.

Ginny looked at her expectantly, and Hermione stepped forward, swallowing hard. Cautiously, she approached the bed. Relieved, she found that she could reach Ron's back without actually sitting on the bed; she quickly unwrapped the bundle and placed the oval-shaped Amulet high on his spine.

"Alterdeima," said Ginny in a low, clear voice.

Abruptly, the Amulet started glowing red. Ron screamed - he shot upright, clawing at his back, his head thrown back, froth at his mouth, white eyes bulging -

And then it was over. Limply, he slumped back down on the bed, spasming and shaking. Hermione slowly swallowed the bile that had reached her mouth, and inspected his back. His spine was bright red, but on the spot where she'd placed the amulet the skin was black-veined.

The spidery-looking lines became thicker and thicker as she watched, and when she finally recoiled, the outline of an upturned cross was undeniable.

~*~

Harry glanced up from the kitchen table he'd been sitting behind. When he saw their ashen faces, he stood up without a word, summoning five mugs and activating the Wizarding Nespresso machine with a flick of his wand. Draco put down the object he'd been examining, looking almost worried.

"What's wrong?"

Hermione slumped down on one of the kitchen's barstools, leaning her head into her hands and rubbing her temples. "Nothing, really," she sighed. "We finished the Amulet. Excellent job, if I say so myself - we've used the most advanced of spells known in all cases. That's why it took us so long. Gin and me have just attached it to Ron..."

Ginny sat curled up in a chair next to the kitchen table, Blaise was leaning against the counter. Draco and Harry watched with dread written on their faces. "The Amulet was supposed to slip underneath the skin, and anchor itself there. It did, too - at least, I'm pretty sure it did, I've never seen an Anchoring before - but the skin lying over it..."

She swallowed. "It looks almost like a tattoo, but it isn't. It was the natural reaction of his skin. The mark on his back should be oval-shaped, like the Amulet was. But it's looking like an upturned cross. I don't know how, I don't know why, but I don't like it."

Draco whistled between his teeth. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. It was faint, but it was there."

Harry looked pale. "Wasn't the upturned cross one of the key runes needed to summon demons? In the dark ages?"

laise nodded. "But perhaps it isn't as bad as we think. Vampirism is as old as the world, but actual clans only started forming in the dark ages. At least, I'm fairly sure the Fyula clan did. It might be something of a ward. You know, to repel real crosses."

Ginny nodded slowly. "That could be it. But vampires in the dark ages - I mean, the early ones, around 900 AC - weren't harmed by Christian crosses; the Wizarding vampire hunts only started around 1400. Well after the first crusades. The early vampires feared Egyptian ankhs."

"But that doesn't matter for Ron, does it? I mean, the Turned one doesn't inherit the allergies from his Turner. A new vampire develops his specific traits on his own."

The coffee machine stopped whizzing, and with another unvoiced spell, Harry sent four mugs of coffee flying to their respective owners. His own hovered patiently in the air next to him.

He took his time lifting it. "Best course of action would be to find out what Ron's biggest weaknesses are, and add a solution for them to the Gem, then."

Hermione shook her head. "Finding out exactly what his weak spots are will leave him vulnerable for too long. If the sun wards are stable, we should give it to him, and leave it at that. If any other obstacles provide great problems, I'm sure we can find a solution for them in due time."

Draco's approving smirk cheered her up more than she would've imagined. She smiled faintly. "But we shouldn't give it to him until he's Turned completely. If we do, he might adapt to it, and it might become useless."

Ginny looked alarmed. "But we just gave him the Amulet!"

"Yeah, but that wasn't technically solving a medical problem. The Amulet we made just ensured a steady heartbeat and a powerful bloodstream. His Turning can't alter that."

Blaise gulped down the remainder of his coffee. "I couldn't agree more. All - I hate to say it, but I'm dead on my feet. I'm going to sleep for a while. Draco - you should go back to Malfoy Manor. Harry..."

The green-eyed man sprang to his feet. "I'll stay on guard, in case Ron wakes up."

Blaise nodded. "Ladies - Sally has prepared rooms for you two, so I suggest you turn in, as well. It's been a long two days."

Ginny nodded and rose. "Gladly. Night, Harry, Malfoy."

The other female present rose, as well. "Thanks, Blaise. G'night, gents. See you in twelve hours."

Manors are really good, Hermione thought while closing the door of her bedroom. The bed looked really fluffy and soft, there was a large wardrobe, a room screen and another door. After cautiously opening it, she found it was a bathroom - not as large as the one she'd used this morning, but pretty impressive anyway.

Stifling a yawn, she decided to take a shower. She could hardly go to bed smelly.

When slipping into some sweatpants and a loose shirt ten minutes later, she towelled her hair half-heartedly, then decided to leave it wet. She'd spell the knots out in the morning. Her eyes fell closed immediately after she'd curled up underneath the blankets. Warm was good.

~*~

"Hermione? Hermione. Wake up. Come on. 'Mione, come on, you've gotta wake up. Hermione!"

She opened her eyes drowsily. "Whazzat?"

"I'm sorry, I know it's really early, but you have to come with me. It's Ron. He's calling for you."

That woke her up, all right. Her eyes flew open, and she started wriggling from underneath the blankets. Blaise sighed in relief. "Finally."

They were striding down the hall in a matter of seconds, Hermione still rubbing her eyes. She shivered. "Chilly in here." Blaise glanced at her, then took off his dressing gown and wrapped it around her shoulders. She opened her mouth -

"Don't argue, walk." He stubbornly stared straight ahead. She smiled.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Relief flooded over Harry's face when he saw them approaching. "Thank Merlin you're here. He started screaming an hour ago. I'm sorry, Hermione, I didn't know what else to do - he went ballistic when I entered, I..."

She squared her shoulders and swallowed. "What exactly is he shouting?"

"The only thing I could recognize was "Hermione". He does say different things, but I can't understand shit of it - I'm guessing it's some kind of ancient language."

"All right," she said, and then again, much softer. "All right. Make me an entrance." Harry looked nauseous, but he did as he was told. Blaise cast a nightvision spell at her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The stench was overwhelming. It had been bad the first time, but it was many times worse now. She staggered, but remained on her feet. A rattling breath came from the corner of the room. Ron's voice was hoarse and raspy. "Hermione?"

"I'm here," she responded, "I'm right here."

A scuttling sound; someone shifting his weight, getting on his feet. "Is it really you?"

"Of course it's me; who else would wear her hair like this?"

He laughed; a harsh sound. "I just... I'm glad you're here. I've been... alone for a long time."

She could see him now, leaning heavily against a wall. He looked terrible. His skin was very pale, with some darker blisters still clinging to it, there were angry red welts all over his arms and chest, his hair was hanging limply and sweatily over his eyes.

She swallowed. "How long?"

"It seemed centuries."

"You know that you're..."

"Becoming a vampire? Yes, I know. I... heard them." She fell silent. A violent tremor ran through him, and he suddenly snapped at her. "What's that?"

"What?" she asked, confused.

"What's that on that necklace?"

Her hand flew to her throat. It was the Fyula ring Blaise had given her - since it was too big for any of her fingers, she'd hung it on a cord and tied it around her neck. She'd forgotten all about it.

"It's a ring," she said gingerly. Surely he didn't think that she'd exchanged his necklace for someone else's so soon?

"Let me see it," he demanded, approaching her.

"It's from the vampire that attacked me, three nights ago," she said softly.

He didn't seem to hear her. Her eyes widened as he leaned forward to examine it - he suddenly lunged for it, his fist colliding painfully with her chest as his fingers wrapped around the ring.

Ron screamed the most ear-splitting howl she'd ever heard. She recoiled in horror - the cord snapped, leaving her flying backwards, landing painfully on the floor. He still screamed, sinking to his knees, then trashing around madly, his balled hand glowing a wicked orange. She scuttled backwards, away from him. His mad shrieks were now joined by voices from outside, demanding to know what was going on. She could smell the nauseating stench of flesh burning. Rons howls got louder. She clambered to her feet, pushing herself against a wall, trying to get as far away from the spasming figure as she could -

Abruptly, the orange glow died down. The screams receded also. Behind her the door burst open, revealing a haggard-looking Blaise, but she didn't even glance at him. Ron lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, his breath coming in hitches.

She inched towards him. "Ron?" Hermione gasped as he slowly sat up, eyes glittering red in the darkness. He opened his balled fist, revealing the still-glowing ring and a nasty-looking burn mark on his palm.

He picked up the ring with his other hand and slipped it onto a finger. Then he looked up at her. "It's done," he said quietly. "I've Turned."

~*~

It was two hours since she'd left Ron's room, and Hermione was bleakly staring in the distance, her hands wrapped around a now lukewarm teacup.

Ron was fine - or, at least, as fine as could be expected for a man in his situation. He had expressed the wish to clean himself up; Harry had insisted on helping him, for even though he could walk without falling over, his stride wasn't particularly stable. Poor Sally had been cleaning up his room.

She had spent a fair bit of those hours sobbing her throat raw, and for the rest of the time she'd been vomiting her guts out. Blaise had stayed with her the entire time, rubbing her back awkwardly and soothing her with comforting words rusty from disuse. She had appreciated it immensely, though - strange though it may seem, his presence had been comforting.

Which, when she thought about it, was a very disturbing thing.

He was now leaning against the kitchen counter, looking at her with tilted head, his bare forearms crossed over his T-shirt-covered chest. She realized she was still wearing his dressing gown.

"You should drink that, you know. You have to have something inside your stomach." Hermione looked down into the cup. Yesterday she would've considered this tea weak enough to be compared with plain water. Now, the thought of plain water almost made her retch again. She shut her eyes as tightly as they would go, then quickly lifted the cup and drank down all the herb tea left in one gulp.

She nearly choked on it, but at least she wasn't nauseous anymore.

"That could've gone better," Blaise commented dryly when her coughs had eased a bit.

She shot him a glare. "Shut up. I've got a sore throat."

"So would I if I'd been throwing up for an hour. Are you feeling any better?"

She nodded half-heartedly. "I guess. Don't tell me to go to bed. I really can't sleep right now."

The door opened, and she turned in her chair, expecting to see Ginny. When it swung wide enough to reveal Ron, she nearly fell off it.

He looked pretty good, though. He was wearing dark clothes - a black coll and grey-black pants, neither of which were his. The bright green Warding Gem, caught in a web of silver, glittered in his left ear. He grinned when he saw her surprise, but his eyes widened when he noticed her ashen countenance. His irises were blood-red.

"Merlin, Hermione, you look awful! Are you all right?"

She swallowed heavily and got up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just didn't get to sleep much. I think I'm off to bed, actually. See you all later -" she spoke hurriedly, trying to leave the room as quickly as possible. Blaise's outstretched arm prevented it.

"Here. Take this."

She first looked at him, then at the hand he'd thrust at her. He was holding a small phial. She accepted it cautiously, but smiled when she read the label. Dreamless sleep potion. "Thank you, Blaise," she said softly. She wasted no more time in exiting the room.

Her footsteps had already died down when Ron furrowed his brow. "That really made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. D'you reckon she's still mad at me?"

"...What do you mean?"

"With the fight and all. Come on, Harry - she threatened me with a break-up! It's not like you see something like that every day."

Blaise arched an eyebrow. "I think you have some catching up to do, Weasley. If you'll excuse me?" He was out of the room in one fluid movement, taking his aura of suppressed rage with him.

Ron snorted. "Cheery fellow, isn't he?" Harry didn't reply, but stared after Blaise, looking thoughtful. "Do you know what he meant with the catching up thing?" Ron asked, nudging him.

Harry winced. "Actually, yeah. I do. Hermione didn't threaten to break up with you, Ron - she really broke up with you. I'm sorry, mate."

The silence was deafening.

At last, Ron spoke. "You're kidding."

"D'you really think I'd be joking about something like this?"

"Well, you have to be! She can't just have broken it off like that - she was angry, she wasn't thinking rationally, she was..." He gulped for breath. "She was... Besides, you can't just decide by yourself that your relationship is over. Right? Isn't there some female golden rule stating you have to talk about something like this? She can't break up with me. It's ridiculous, and I won't allow it."

With a jerk, Harry stood. His fists were balled at his sides, and when he turned towards Ron, his eyes shone with anger. "You know what? I have no idea how she managed being with you for so long. Actually, I don't even know why I have. But I'll tell you this. Ever since you two got together, you've been behaving like an outright bastard towards her. And I'm not putting up with it any longer. She's broken up with you, for all the right reasons, and if you belittle her again in my presence, I'll hex you into next Thursday. A good day to you."

The slam of the kitchen door could be heard at the other side of the manor.

~*~

With a groan, Hermione let her forehead drop onto the mahogany writing table. After she'd woken up, around seven in the evening, she'd gone straight to the library - she'd wanted to start researching the final Horcrux. That had been two hours ago; she hadn't found out anything, she was thirsty, her stomach was grumbling and she was sure her hair resembled an angry mutant hedgehog.

But she couldn't go downstairs. It wasn't as if she was afraid of running into Ron, not at all - it was just... that.... she... ah, that was it, it was just that she could walk into Blaise, and that would be really awkward, considering that she'd nearly thrown up all over him yesterday. Yeah, that was it.

She dunked her head on the table again. Keep telling yourself that, honey, she thought sourly, and you might actually start believing it. Merlin, what had she become, hiding herself in the library like this? The next step would be locking herself up in her room!

That was a good idea, though - the guest wing was huge, she was sure her room was harder to find than the library, especially if she told Sally to...

Ok, that's it.

She steeled herself, pushed her chair back, got up and walked towards the doors. She reached out to open them...

And then they whooshed inside by themselves. To reveal Ron.

It was surprisingly hard not to yelp out loud.

She shook herself, suppressing a tremor. "Hey, Ron," she said, rather less confidently than she'd intended. "Wasn't expecting you there."

The glint she saw in his eyes when he lifted them to meet hers was positively maniacal. She stepped back involuntarily, trying not to wince. It wasn't enough. "So it's true, then," he said, his expression sad but his eyes unchanged. "You don't love me anymore."

She swallowed audibly. "Ron, I..."

"Is it because you're afraid of me?"

She gulped. "No! Of course not - I would never..."

"Are you afraid of me? Because I'm a vampire?" He started towards her, and she took another step backwards. "You don't have to be afraid of me, Hermione. You know that. I would never hurt you."

He was coming towards her now, and it was with incredible effort that she made herself stand still. "I do know that."

"But you did hurt me, Hermione. You hurt me. You stopped being my friend."

"That's ridiculous, Ron. Of course I'm still your friend." He was standing in right in front of her now, blocking - she was ashamed even to think of it - her escape route.

"Are you? Are you my real friend?"

"Yes," she managed to wring from her throat, forcing herself to meet his eyes. He looked at her for what seemed an eternity. When he opened his mouth to speak again, she couldn't help but notice his razor-sharp fangs.

"A real friend would share my pain. Would you do that for me?"

"Ron, stop it. You're frightening me."

He didn't listen. She felt his hands sliding around her waist. "You don't have to be afraid. It won't hurt."

"Ron - stop it, get off - let go of me - Ron - " She tried pushing him away, shoving him off, but his grip was like steel - he leaned towards her, his fangs glittering in the sunlight -

The crash of breaking china was all warning she got. She heard a snarl - possibly a spell - and suddenly Ron was blasted away from her, to leave her swaying on her feet, panting hard. She heard the loud thud of someone falling down, then felt a shadow sliding over her, a familiar scent accompanying it.

Blaise.

He stood tall between her and Ron, his wand aimed at the red-haired man's heart. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" he spat. "You - you - " She heard him taking a few deep breaths before he spoke again, this time in a calmer tone. "I don't even want to know what it was I just walked in on. Get out. Now."

Ron's eyes were foggy. "I... I... I just..." Suddenly a look of utter horror flooded over his face. He threw a panicky look at Hermione, then bounded to his feet and fled the room.

She sat down heavily on top of the table. Blaise lowered his wand slowly. "Good thing I decided to bring you some coffee," he said dryly.

The laugh she'd intended came out as a half-sob. "Yeah," she replied, swallowing down tears, "Yeah. Good thing you did."

It took a long time, even after Blaise had settled next to her and put a careful arm around her shoulders, for her trembling to ease a little.

~*~

"I can't stay here."

Harry looked at the pale man broodingly. "Why the sudden haste to be off?"

"I mean it, Harry. I've got to leave. Alone."

"Why?"

Ron swallowed. "I just... I... I can't even say it. I've got to find out... I just have to. Please."

The piercing green gaze softened a little. "It's about Hermione?"

"Amongst other things," was the hesitant reply.

Harry nodded. "I can't argue with that. Will you be back?"

It was silent for a long time before the vampire replied. "I don't know."