Traitor [ON HOLD]

Chapter 1

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm her mind. She tossed and turned under the red canopy, but that didn't work either. She'd not been able to sleep properly for a few nights now.

It was Ron.

It was always Ron, wasn't it?

She'd gone to Slughorn's party with Cormac McLaggen. Hermione shivered. The boy was an absolute nightmare. She'd left him under the mistletoe quite a few times.

Hermione turned to lay on her right.

And then there was Lavender. The little brat that had snagged Ron for herself. And Ron! He was enjoying it! watching Hermione squirm and turn away when they began their snogging sessions every morning. Won-Won, Hermione thought in disgust. What a stupid name. It's even worse than Lav-Lav. Pathetic.

Hermione turned to lay on her left.

And he was ignoring her. For what? She'd simply been invited to join some silly club. She'd only gone because Harry felt rather uncomfortable on his own . . . was Ron jealous of Harry? No, that was utterly ridiculous.

Hermione huffed and sat up. She waned to pull at her hair. How was one redhead able to make her so angry?

"Hermione? You all right?"

Hermione smiled at the dark skinned girl on the bed next to hers. "Yes, I think so."

"Are you sure?"

Hermione nodded. "Sorry for waking you, Parvati. I think I'll jut sit in the Common Room for a while."

Parvati nodded and yawned before going back to bed. Hermione smiled and shook her head before creeping out of her bed. She looked around for something to wear over her pajamas. They were particularly inappropriate to wear out of her room.

They were Ginny's.

The shorts barely covered anything and the t-shirt was tighter than anything she'd ever worn before. Sighing, she grabbed her school robe and left.

She pushed her hair out of her eyes as she stepped into the common room. As she neared the fireplace, she noticed a familiar red head on the couch. Hermione frowned as she noticed the head of brown hair next to it. Hermione's glare burned into the back of Ron's head. She was so livid, she saw smoke rising from Ron's head.

The thought of Ron with a head of fire made her smile for some reason, but it was gone within seconds. She pulled her robes around her tighter - like a fleecy gown - and stalked off, making sure the portrait door slammed shut. A few seconds later she remembered the Fat Lady and apologised tremendously before turning and heading away.

Hermione walked up and down the stairs, allowing herself to get lost as they changed direction. Eventually she found herself at the doors out into the courtyard.

She thought of the consequences for only a moment before slipping through the small crack. She needed fresh air. She stood on the stairs and looked around. She shivered as a gust of chilly wind swept over her. As if it really were a warm gown, Hermione pulled at her robes and wrapped then tightly around her body.

As she did so, a tree caught her attention. It wasn't the Whomping Willow - that was on the other side.

This was a lone tree a yard or so from the edge of the Black Lake. The tree's leaves were lush and green, unlike the other trees that were slowly losing their orange and brown leaves in preparation for winter. The shade it would cast during the day could stretch as far at the tips of the lake, Hermione assumed.

Something about the tree drew her closer, and she found herself walking towards it. There was someone there, and she found herself slightly curious. She stood behind the trunk of the tree and took a deep breath before slowly edging around. First she saw the lake, and then the figure.