Disclaimer – Nothing familiar is mine yey me

AN – I deserve a slap for my original idea for this story but thankfully no one will have to give me one as I changed it a little. Go me! Anyway this story is set in Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts and is very much Ron/Hermione. That is all I am gonna tell you *cue evil laugh. * Also I would just like to mention that I wasn't sure if in any of the Potter stories Mr. & Mrs. Grangers first names were mentioned so I made them up. If they were tough I've changed them.

Ok for some unknown to me reason my stupid sorry excuse of a computer kept putting my 1st chapter of this story 2nd and the 2nd one 1st no matter how many times I tried to change it round it kept doing it until I decided it would be easier to delete it and put it back up. So there you go.

*

Hermione sat with her knees tucked up to her chest arms wrapped around them gazing at the table in the corner of Gryffindor common room. The chair she was sitting on was set at an angle so it didn't look like she was deliberately staring at a certain Weasley. Which she definitely wasn't. Her chocolate brown curls fell about her face obscuring her deep brown eyes.

Tucking her hair behind her ears she continued to watch the chess game progress. Ron was as usual lashing Harry but she had to give him props he was getting better and although she hated admitting it he was a lot better than she was. Who wasn't? Chess wasn't her strong point. But she liked to learn. And she loved her teacher. She smiled as she watched Ron's piece smash Harry's and resisted the urge to shout 'Go Ron'.

She didn't deny her love for her red hared friend anymore. Well at least not to herself. She knew she loved him and had ever since she'd first met him. The events of her fifth year had made her realize this when she thought she might lose him. She loved everything about him – his caring nature, his laugh, those dimples, that smile that made her knees feel weak, those crystal blues that when locked on her shut out the rest of the world and made her stomach a mass of butterflies. Yup she was in love.

"Checkmate" Ron said laughing triumphantly.

Hermione startled out of her dazed state grabbed the nearest thing to make her look busy. A book on the art of motor cycle maintenance. Classy.

"You are so transparent"

Hermione blushing fiercely tried to look calm as she looked up into the smiling bright green eyes of her other best friend, the one she didn't have almost uncontrollable urges to corner by a wall and envelope in passionate kisses (although she knew some who did), Harry Potter.

"I don't know what your talking about" she replied as calmly and collected as she could

"Oh really" Harry said. Grinning he took the book from her hand, turned it the right way up and handed it back to her.

She smiled sheepishly "Am I that obvious" she asked a little worried

"To everyone except the object of your desires" he answered throwing himself in to the chair beside her.

Hermione's blush deepened. She was suddenly thankful for the fact that it was about 11pm and the only light in the practically deserted common room was coming from the slowly fading fire. She glanced again to the corner where the chess game had been taking place and watched as Ron packed up. She sighed inwardly as he lent over the table. That arse.

'Hermione Granger' she smiled a little more as she silently scolded herself. Returning her attention to Harry she noticed him smiling at her.

"What" she whispered

He shook his head but continued to smile.

A warm tingly feeling rushed down Hermione's spine causing her to shiver.

"Cold Mione?" A familiar voice asked.

She didn't have time to respond before a warm cloak was draped across her shoulders. What would she say anyway? 'No Ron I'm fine it's just every time you come within 10 feet of me I get this funny feeling and occasional shiver its nothing really.' Nope. Instead she pulled his cloak tighter around herself taking in the scent that was Ron.

"Good game?" she asked dreamily

Ron grinned "He's getting better" he chuckled slapping Harry on the back in a friendly gesture. Harry responded by grinning broadly obviously pleased with himself.

"Hermione was brushing up her knowledge on motorcycles" Harry informed Ron.

Hermione's eyes widened and she glared at her friend who continued to grin stupidly at her.

"Why don't you share your wisdom" he finished obviously trying his hardest not to burst out laughing.

Ron sat himself on the arm of Hermione's chair. Again she was thankful for the dimly lit common room. His leg was touching her arm. She smiled to herself at the thought of how sad she was.

"Well I didn't really get that far into it" she told them coolly "I just picked it up as it was sitting there and I had nothing better to read at the time." Great she was blabbering now.

Ron however didn't seem to notice he just nodded and smiled down at her. Those lips.

"I'm gonna turn in" Harry said yawning. Getting up he headed for the stairs that led up to the boys dormitory "Night guys"

"Night mate" Ron replied to his friends retreating back "I think I might turn in actually its getting late" he said to Hermione she tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"Okay sleep tight"

"Sweet dreams Mione" Ron whispered leaning down he kissed her head before following Harry up the stairs.

Hermione sat for a while before she to headed up to bed. As she lay beneath her sheets she hugged Ron's cloak closer to her and drifted off into the land of dreams.

*

The next morning Hermione awoke to the sound of birds singing outside her window. Smiling she rubbed her eyes sleepily shielding them from the early morning blaze that soaked through her four poster curtains.

Sitting back against her pillows she smiled at the thought of last nights dream. Stroking a finger across her lips she could still feel where Ron's own had met hers she sighed wrapping his cloak around her once more it was only a dream.

"It doesn't have to be though," a soft voice said from behind her curtains.

Puzzled at the unfamiliar voice Hermione opened her curtains to reveal a young girl not much older than herself.

"Who are you?" she asked wondering exactly how she knew just what she was thinking and how on earth she had managed to get into the castle let alone her dormitory, passwords galore were needed and she'd never seen this girl before in her life.

"I'm Helena and I'm the voice within, the light to guide your way" she said simply in her soft voice.

"Oh I get it" Hermione said smiling "Light to guide your way coz Helena is Greek for light are you a transfer student or something?"

"No I'm not. And I really am your guiding light but nice way to rationalize Hermione"

"How do you know my name?" she asked getting a little freaked this girl didn't look dangerous but if Hermione had learnt one thing from her experiences at Hogwarts it was that looks could be deceiving.

"I know everything there is to know about you Hermione Jane Granger, Daughter of Ebony and Malcolm Granger formally Ebony Taylor." She reeled as if it had been drilled in to her from a young age, which it seemed it probably had.

Hermione resisted the urge to scream as freaky as this was she was intrigued. " So oh guiding light how do you know so much about me and why after 16 years are you suddenly in my bedroom?"

"Straight to the point as ever" Helena smiled sitting herself down on Hermione's bed.

She smoothed out her velvet dress. Hermione couldn't help but stare at it. It was beautiful. It was cut to various lengths in the deepest purple she had ever seen with off the shoulder straps. On her dainty feet was the most elegant pair of lilac ballet style slippers. Her skin was a soft honey coloured brown. Her hair hung down to her shoulders in glossy auburn ringlets and her eyes were a soft grey that looked beyond a persons exterior and went straight to their soul.

"You haven't needed me before" she replied in her quiet voice "Although we came awfully close to meeting when snuggles passed"

"Snuggles?" Hermione asked "Oh" she added understanding

Snuggles had been her favorite childhood pet. Her mother had bought her for her when she was 4 and they'd been inseparable. Hermione had been devastated when she died, not long after her 10th birthday, and was ready to lock herself in her bedroom and never come out again.

"You swore you wouldn't come out again until snuggles came home"

Hermione smiled "My mum promised me a new dog just like snuggles if I'd come out"

"And although you still miss her you have Bailey now and your problems were resolved. You worked through your pain without me, I wasn't needed so I stayed a secret"

"But I'm not in any pain now - my life is finally on track, I'm in no immediate danger I have the best friends ever and . . . "

". . . You're in love with one of them" Helena finished.

"But I'm not in any pain over it" she said defensively

"Yet" was all Helena said in response. Before Hermione could reply Helena disappeared in a mass of twinkling yellow light. 'I'll be in touch' Helena's voice echoed in her mind as the light faded and the room returned too normal.

*

"Guiding light?" Ron asked peering over Hermione's shoulder dripping rain droplets on to the page of the open book Hermione was engrossed in.

"Yeah" she sighed placing the book in her lap as he took a seat beside Harry on the common room sofa.

The boys were still dressed in their Quidditch robes after a hard, and apparently wet, day's practice. Harry laid his broom on the floor in front of him before relaxing in to the seat. Every bone in his teenage body ached. He liked the thought of beating Slytherin to the place of Hogwarts representative just as much as the next person but this was going a little to far.

So far they spent every spare moment practicing weekends included. Angelina was determined to win the chance to take part in the Junior Wizarding Quidditch League, J.W.Q.L., and win the cup for Hogwarts. Only one house could represent the school and compete against other wizarding school teams and she wanted it to be Gryffindor even if she killed them in the process.

"What's a guiding light?" Harry asked vaguely interested. He hoped this wasn't a new fetish she had developed. S.P.E.W had been bad enough.

"It's a person. Someone who helps you when you have no one else. Every witch or wizard has one" she began to explain before Harry butted in.

"So where's mine been. I could sure use one"

"You have one" she told him "But they only come to you when you desperately need one"

"Hello" Harry said a little annoyed "I've been living with Dudley the last 16 years I think I needed one"

"Yes but the first 11 years you didn't even know you were a wizard. They only come to you after you find out unless they really need to. The times you think you need one you might not. They come when they know something dreadful is to happen that isn't supposed to" she told them her voice barely a whisper.

"Pleasant people" Ron remarked

"They are if you think about it" she replied

"How you figure?"

"They help you prevent something that isn't supposed to happen"

"Like a death" Harry whispered

Hermione nodded. She knew how Harry must be feeling after hearing that. But she also knew, like they all did, that some things happened for a reason.

"I'm gonna get changed" Ron said standing up and heading for the stairs "You coming Harry?"

"Be right there" he called over and waited until his best friend was out of sight before continuing to Hermione "So you've been getting the signs as well then" he finished. It was a statement rather than a question.

Hermione was surprised "What" was all she could manage to say

"I've been having my dreams again. You know they only come as a warning"

"Looks like you do have a guiding light Harry. We both do. Something terrible is about to happen" she said tears starting to form.

Harry nodded. Although neither said it they both knew whatever they were being warned against it involved Ron.

Harry silently swore to himself 'I will not let you take my brother! You will not take the only family I have left!'