"Hermione? What are you still doing awake?" He walked to the couch facing the fireplace and sat down beside her. Scabbars sat up on her knee and she was absently stoking his fur.
"I couldn't sleep." She responded simply.
"Sorry 'bout him." Ron said apologetically.
"It's alright." She said "He was keeping me company." She paused looking at Scabbers but addressing Ron, "What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep either. And then that stupid thing woke me up again." Ron looked at Scabbers irritably. The rat was staring eerily into the fire and didn't even notice Ron. Ron shrugged off.
"Yea." Hermione breathed. She was much quieter than usual. They sat in silence for a moment all three of them boy, girl, and rat staring off into the fire.
After some time Hermionie turned to Ron, looking him in the eye for the first time that night. She hesitated, "Thanks." She said quietly.
Ron was puzzled. "For what?" She didn't answer right away.
"Being petrified... It was like a living death. I could still see and hear I just... couldn't move."
Ron bit his lip. He knew he had been to visit Hermione every day. He'd even accidentally fallen asleep half in the bed with her one night.
"I was really scared." She admitted, "But... when you where there... It didn't seem so bad." She looked back into the fire. Ron didn't know quite what to say.
"Yes well..." He began, "Harry was worried something else might happen to you." He lied. He had missed Hermione. Seeing her like that had stirred something in him. He didn't know what it was but he felt like he needed to protect her.
"You've got a pretty strong handshake Ron." She said not looking at him. She almost sounded a bit angry. He was so happy to see her but when she started to hug him... He didn't know what came over him then.
He took a deep breath and started to slide a bit closer to her and carefully began to reach out his arms.
>Tag Hermione<
Here you will portray Hermione. Enter the subject line for your 'email' in the smaller box and the text for your response in the larger window below. Write this in THIRD person perspective and as if you ARE allowed to write dialogue for other characters.