Granger Guilt I.M

Chapter 36

Harry and Ginny left about an hour ago and they should be back any minute with Ron. They decided to make it easier on everyone the slip Ron a sleeping potion and one of him drinks so he would be easier to handle.

Just then we hear some banging and struggling coming from the foyer. Harry and Ginny are back.

As we all gather around the room to see what is giving Harry and Ginny such a struggle and the Ginny holding him by his arms and Harry has his feet. And he is heavier than we anticipated.

"Remind me to cut him off after his second helping during dinner!" Ginny exclaims. Harry laughs at her comment.

After more shuffling Ron starts to stir.

"Guys hurry up he's starting to wake up." I urge them.

All of a sudden he is awake and is suddenly on his feet with his wand poised to curse someone.

"Well you lot are easy to anticipate. " Ron says smartly.

Everyone just stares at him.

"Do you honestly believe we would be that stupid to not be prepared if you tried to get information you just gave away your location." Ron boasts.

"What are you talking about? You've been asleep the entire time how do you know where you are?" I ask.

"Dear Hermione you have forgotten I was there also when Malfoy's aunt tortured you in the very next room. Harry and I crept through this very hall to come find you. It's hard to forget the place the girl you love was almost killed." Ron explains with a smirk on his face.

By now everyone has surrounded Ron with their wands trained carefully on him. Draco who is standing next to me tenses as he listens to what Ron is saying.

"So Hermione would you rather come with us now or I will let you choose who I take in your stead. Either way she will get you eventually." He says, his smirk growing on his face.

I am about to answer when Draco wraps his arms around me and we Apparate away.

"What the hell are you doing we have to go back. He's going to take someone." I yell when we land.

"Last night after you went to bed everyone gathered because we knew they would try something like this. And everyone agreed that is something happened I would get you out of there and they would take care of it. We knew you would sacrifice yourself for us and we aren't letting that happen." Draco answers.

How could I be so stupid. They planned this. "Draco Ginny is pregnant. Ron isn't stupid of course he would go after the two for one." I scream.

"Hermione do you really think Ron would hurt Ginny, his sister!" He looks at me with an obvious look on his face.

"I wouldn't be surprised." I answer.

"You can't be serious. Their family." He says.

"Wouldn't be the first time he's hurt someone he loves." I reply.

"What did he do?" He asks seriously.

"When we dated Ron had just lost Fred and the others. He turned aggressive and abused alcohol..... A lot. When he came home intoxicated he would take is anger out on me." I reply ashamed of myself.

"Did he hit you?" He exclaims. I nod looking down at my feet. "How many times? How hard? Why didn't you tell anyone?" He practically yells.

"He was broken..... Like the rest of us. No one would have known what to do. It's Ron we are talking about everyone had just lost Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Snape, Dumbledore, Dobby, my parents, they basically lost George from the heartbreak of losing his twin. It would have torn them apart. It was too much for them to handle. Hell it was too much for me to handle. You know everyone asked me why I turned into a heartless arour it wasn't the war it wasn't the death of the people I loved, it wasn't even the fact that my parents didn't know who I was it was the fact that my best friend since i came to Hogwarts was so broken that he hit me." I say spilling everything I had been holding in for the past three years. Draco just stares at me with tears in his eyes.

"You aren't heartless Hermione, you aren't broken. You are so use to taking care of people you don't know how to let others take care of you. I am going to ask you this one last time, how many times did he hit you?" He says in a calm tone.

I stare into his deep grey eyes and I have to give in. "I don't even know. I remember blacking out for a lot of it."

"He will be lucky if he ever sees the light of day again." Draco says with a dark hint to his eyes. I take a deep breathe in. "Draco. I will make you a deal." I pause and he nods or me to continue. "I promise not to turn myself over if you promise not to do anything to Ron without my permission. You may hate him but my best friend is in there somewhere." I say. "I promise." He answers with a sad smile. He then turns around to take a look at the surroundings as I mumble two words he doesn't hear, "I hope."