Hermione stood in the waiting area of the Emergency ward waiting for Ginny, when Ron followed by his Auror partner, Lucas Cross, came in yelling for help holding the unconscious form of a brown haired muggle girl.

"Help someone! She's still alive." Ron shouted forcing every Healer to turn in attention and jump into action.

"Here Mr. Weasley, in here." One of the matrons directed, leading the three into a privet room and out of Hermione's sight.

Her heart was still pounding in her chest when Ginny approached her a few minutes later purse on shoulder. "Are you ready to go?" Ginny asked forcing Hermione out of her stupor.

"Ron." She said pointing to the privet room off to the left of the entrance desk.

Ginny turned looking at the room and then back at Hermione. "Is he okay?" Ginny asked sounding mildly concerned.

Hermione nodded as she tried to form words. "His fine. He had a girl in his arms. She looked really bad." Hermione tried to explain.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes well that happens. He is an Auror and this is a hospital."

Hermione looked at Ginny, actually looked at her for the first time since she had come to stand next to her. "Yes, of course." Hermione comment feeling foolish. "Lets go, sorry."

Ginny wrapped her arm around Hermione's shoulder giving her a small hug. "It's okay. This ward can be overwhelming if your not use to the chaos." Ginny tried to sooth.

Hermione once more nodded allowing Ginny to lead her to the entrance door.

"Hey!" Ron shouted from behind. Causing both girls to turn their attentions to him. "Where are you going?" Ron asked looking oddly interested.

"Lunch." The girls answered in unison.

"By yourselves?" Ron asked skeptically.

"Ya." Ginny answered with a furrowed brow.

"No. I'll come with, while Lucas stays with the girl." Ron commanded looking at Hermione a bit longer then Ginny setting her on edge.

"Alright, Ron." Hermione compiled leading them out the door.

---

"Hermione. Um… do you have any enemies that you don't share with Harry and myself?" Ron asked across the table, his lunch remained untouched.

Hermione looked up at her friend startled by the question. " I…um…Well I suppose…Why?" Hermione asked.

"Okay. I need to tell you something. This something has no actual hard evidence only a lot of coincidental facts that I'm starting to believe can in no way be a coincidence." Ron started.

"Okay. I still don't understand." Hermione told him.

"No. Um…I've been working on this case for the last month. Two muggle girls have been found dead in Knockturn alley. A peculiar place for a muggle to turn up alive let alone… um this morning we found a third…only this time she wasn't quiet gone…All three have been severely tortured and they are all the same age…17." Ron explained.

"Sounds like the attacks are connected. You think it's a Death Eater on a killing spree?" Hermione asked, taking a sip of her water.

Ron's expression was one of pain as he spoke, " Not exactly. The three have another contributing factor, Hermione. They all have the initials HG and at the time of their discover their hair was brown and curled."

Hermione's heart stopped in her chest. Surly she hadn't hear right. "Sorry?"

Ron took another deep breath. "I think someone or something is coming for you." he blurted out with honest conviction.

"Why would you… I… you think someone is taking their revenge for me out on these girls?" There were tears in her voice.

"It makes sense. There is nothing else that connects these girls but their initials, age, and the color of their hair at the time of their deaths." Ron tried to explain.

"Ron is it possible that your just correlating these things because you and Hermione are friend and this case is just starting to get to you. That your just concern for her well being." Ginny tried to reason.

"Of course I'm concerned for her well being, Gin. But I know I wouldn't of made this correlation if it weren't for Mione and my friendship." Ron shouted looking at his sister with anger before slowly turning to his friend, " Look I hate if I'm scaring you, Mione, but I also just want you to be aware and careful. I hope that I'm wrong, with every fiber of my being I hope I'm wrong. But I have to venture down every road of probable leads. Please, Hermione tell me, do you have any enemies that Harry and I don't share?" Ron asked again reaching across the table taking her small hand in his own in an awkward attempt to console her.

Hermione nodded wide-eyed and slightly afraid. "Theodore Notts." she spoke the name in a whisper remembering his unspoken dark threats from the week before.

---

A few bribes where made, money exchanged hands and more than a few strings were pulled to ensure that Harry was assigned as Hermione's personal body guard shortly after Ron divulged his theory to the Auror's unit. It was nothing less than what Hermione had expected from them. Her independent female hormones where not offended. She was not insulted at the suggestion that she needed a guard. She was too afraid to care about any of that. There was some comfort and ease of mind in knowing that Harry was always nearby.

She continued with her work. Neville lead the practical approach to a cure, while Hermione continued to dig up more than her fair share of pureblood family secrets. Both herself and Neville acknowledge once more than if the wrong person found out about their work they could both be in real jeopardy. Hermione thought about explaining this too Ron. Slightly frightened that perhaps someone had already found out and perhaps that was the reason she was wanted dead. Yet in her mind, Hermione knew that didn't make sense, nobody had yet come at her professionally- sent her warnings to stop her work. No actual attempts had been made on her life, yet. It was all theory- all circumstantial theory. But that didn't stop her from continuously watching over her shoulder.

When her sister, Cassandra, came home for Christmas break from her muggle private school Hermione made her promise to be careful, and gave her a two way mirror just in case. She worried continuous about Andra. With their parents gone and her sister only being 15 Hermione was her legal guardian. Once more she replayed her conversation with Notts over in her mind- she had told him about Andra. No body had known besides the Weasley and Harry about her existence, Hermione had been careful, so careful up until that moment. She couldn't get over the fear of having told the one person she was truly afraid of all about her greatest weakness.

She had given Nott the ammunition to destroy her if he so choose.

---

A/N: Another update for those few who reads this story. I hope that once Then There was you is finished I will have more time and inspiration for this story. Thank you for reading!