Hey! Sorry about the long wait! -- Finally, my editor finished correcting the chapter and now it is finally uploaded, lol. Whew...this was a long chapter (at least to me --) and I wasn't sure what exactly to do, but I think it turned out all right. So, please comment on it and let me know what you think or if you have any questions or suggestions. Okay, enough of me, enjoy the chapter! --

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"Harry Potter…" a voice hissed through the darkness, "I'm coming for you…"

Harry awoke, lying face down in a pile of dirt, his scar aching tremendously. He rolled over slowly to find Ron and Hermione huddled over him with worry etched upon their faces. Groaning softly, He sat up, making sure not to move too fast, so as not to end up back on the ground.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked, staring into his eyes, hoping that he had only been dreaming, "You gave us quite a scare with all that moaning and shouting."

"Yeah, mate, you almost gave us a heart attack…" Ron added, "What happened? Who's coming?"

"Huh?" Harry asked, slightly confused.

"Harry, what's going on?!" Hermione exclaimed.

Harry took a moment to gather his thoughts, remembering back to the dream…or was it another vision like the one he had of Mr. Weasley? Shaking his head, Harry looked up at her, trying his best to keep a straight tone of voice.

"He's coming…" was all Harry managed to say.

"When you say he, you mean 'he' as in You-Know-Who?" Ron asked, eyes widening a pinch as he took a step back from them to think.

Harry was just about to reply when his scar began to burn, only this time, more severely. Slapping a hand to his forehead, Harry let out a startled cry before falling to the ground where he began to twist around in agony. Just as Hermione was reaching out to comfort Harry, he stopped.

"Oh, thank god!" Hermione sighed in relief only to, moments later, let out a terrifying scream.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted, rushing to her side.

"H-Harry…?" Hermione breathed, staring down into Harry's face.

"Harry? I'm sorry but Harry is not here right now, would you like to leave him a message?" a sinister laugh protruded from Harry's lips, "No…? Then…perhaps this shall do! Avada Kevada!"

"RON! NO!!!!" Hermione screamed, watching in horror as the bright green light hit Ron square in the chest, flinging him backwards into a nearby tree, where he slid to the ground, never to move again, "Ron…please tell me this isn't happening! Harry, you have to wake up! Don't let Voldemort control you! Harry!"

Hermione got to her feet and began to slowly back away from Harry, towards Ron's lifeless body, while still watching his every move.

"Poor, little mudblood…such a pity that it has to end this way, and just when I was beginning to enjoy myself…" Voldemort sneered, "Too bad Harry isn't here to save you!"

"No, PLEASE! Stay back! Stay back!" Hermione yelled, wand pointed at the Voldemort's or, rather, Harry's chest, ready to use at any time.

"Too late for pleas…I gave you two plenty of time to give Harry to me and save yourselves…but in the end, you failed to do so…and to think I pitied you," Voldemort snickered, a wicked grin spreading across his face, "Well, too late for that…you're going to end up like your little friend here…have you said your goodbyes yet?!"

Hermione stared back, rooted to the spot in fear.

'Come on, Hermione! Move! You have to move!' she thought to herself.

Voldemort laughed, "So sad…argghh!"

Hermione looked on, confused by the sight before her. Voldemort was crying out in agony as Harry clutched the sides of his head with his hands. Then, to Hermione's utter surprise, Harry's voice sounded, "HERMIONE! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

"STOP! You can't do that! You're under my control!" Voldemort screeched, "STOP!"

"PLEASE, HER—NO! Get back where you belong!" Voldemort forced Harry back and regained some of his previous control, "You're going to die, Granger!—NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!—Too late, Harry my boy!"

Voldemort shook his head and turned sharply so that he was facing Hermione once again. Raising his wand, he shouted, "AVADA KEVADA!"

Hermione, who was still rooted to the ground, had no time to react. The spell hit her in the chest, which sent her into the air; falling to the ground with a sickening thud several feet behind Ron.

"HERMIONE!"

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"HARRY!" Harry heard someone shouting while his whole body began to shake.

Opening his eyes, Harry realized that he was lying down upon a bed, in a room with lots of equipment. Letting his eyes focus, he glanced up to find Ron standing over his body, fear etched upon his face. Shakily, Harry rose up to a sitting position and breathed out a heavy sigh. It had only been a dream…but it had seemed so real! He thought he had lost them forever, only to find out that they were still alive and healthy.

"Harry?" Ron's voice brought him back to his senses.

Looking up, he gave Ron a nervous smile, "Sorry…"

"What happened? I was sleeping in the bed next to you and the next thing I knew, you were screaming Hermione's name at the top of your lungs…like she had died or something…"

At that, the color drained from Harry's face. Realizing this, Harry quickly tried to cover it up, but it was already too late, Ron had seen it, "Harry, what did you dream about?"

"Nothing…" he lied, "Nothing, Ron, I can't even remember if I had been dreaming at all…"

"Harry, you're not very good at lying…you know that…" a soft voice whispered from behind the curtain.

Harry snapped his head to the right to find Hermione emerging from the other side. To Harry's relief, something, almost like a huge weight, was lifted off his chest. To hear her talk and to see her standing before him put him at ease. Hermione smiled and took a seat on the edge of his bed, taking his hand in hers.

"How do you know I'm lying?" Harry asked, gaining his voice back.

Hermione giggled, "I just know things like that, that's all…anyways, there is something that we would like to ask you about—"

"If it's about the dream, I really don't want to remember that right now…" Harry said, looking between the two at a glass of Pumpkin Juice sitting upon the counter—oh how he hated that stuff.

"No, it's the reason why you're here…" Ron said plainly, sitting down in the chair next to his bed.

"What do you mean?" Harry acted, trying not to talk about it.

"You know what we mean, Harry…What happened between you and Malfoy?" Hermione asked, squeezing Harry's hand ever so slightly.

Harry bit his lip, trying it find a way out of this conversation, but sighed when he found none, "Malfoy and I?"

"Yes, that's what I said…" Hermione responded, "What happened after you took off after him is what we're looking for…"

"I followed Malfoy to the Three Broomsticks, but when I entered, he was gone. Madam Rosetta told me that she had seen him run off in the direction of the bathrooms, which were located in the back of the place. So, coming back cautiously, I walked into the bathroom to find Malfoy hunched over the sink…"

"Eewww! What was he there for?" Ron practically screamed, "Getting ready to puke?"

"No, he was crying…"

"CRYING!" Hermione and Ron chanted together.

"What was he crying about?" Hermione asked, cutting Ron off before he could start.

"I-I don't know," Harry stammered, "I wasn't able to ask him…"

Ron and Hermione raised eyebrows at each, but said nothing, letting Harry continue.

"I hadn't even gotten to the first stall when Malfoy whipped around and shot that spell at me. But by the time I could move, he was gone," Harry sighed, looking from Hermione to Ron and back again.

Harry was about to continue when a knock on the door interrupted him. A few moments later, the three of them could hear the sound of heels clicking against the floor as the person grew closer to the curtain surrounding Harry's bed.

"Excuse me," a female voice sounded from the other side, "Harry, are you decent?"

Harry looked down at himself, "Yeah, I'm good…"

"Good…" came the response before the curtain opened to reveal a doctor with short, curly, dark brown hair, "Good afternoon, Harry, I'm glad to see that you are up as well as you Hermione. Now I would like to check Harry to make sure everything was healed correctly so, if you two don't mind either stepping out in the hall or at least on the other side of the curtain, then I can get started."

Hermione gave Harry's hand another squeeze before she followed Ron through the curtain. The doctor then turned to Harry and asked him politely to stand up for her. Smiling, Harry attempted to rise to his feet, but since he hadn't used his legs in a couple of days, they gave out on him, sending his towards the floor. The doctor reacted quickly and steadied him against herself.

"Okay then, that didn't work the way I wanted it to…" she sighed, letting him sit down on the edge of the bed, "Hold on."

Harry nodded and watched as she pulled her wand from the inside of her white coat. Smiling, she placed the tip of it on Harry's knees before muttering a charm, which instantly caused Harry to laugh. It tickled! A moment later, the effect disappeared and she had Harry try, once again, to stand up. This time, Harry was successful.

"Ah, that's more like it," she smiled, "Alright, now if you'll be lift your arms up and down for me…"

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"What do you think Malfoy was crying about?" Ron whispered to Hermione as they sat quietly behind the curtain.

"I don't know, I didn't think he could cry…" Hermione stated, shrugging her shoulders, "But whatever he was crying about must've upset him pretty badly."

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"All right, Harry, we're all done," the Doctor exclaimed, smiling down at Harry, "You are free to go, but you must stop at the front desk to let them know you're leaving. Just because I say you left, doesn't mean you actually have, got that?"

Harry nodded, and with a flick of her wand, the curtains surrounding Harry flew open, startling Ron and Hermione, who were standing mere inches from the opening. The Doctor bid them farewell, and quietly left the room. Turning to Harry, Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"Are you ready to go, Harry?" she asked, walking towards him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Harry responded.

Gathering all his personal belongings, the three left the room and headed for the front desk, where Harry told them he was free to go. With a wave goodbye from the all-too-friendly nurses, the trio exited Mungo's. Once they were outside, Hermione turned to them and spoke.

"I think we should go back to your house Ron…I think your mum would like to know that we're alive."

"Good idea…Mum will be glad to know that we haven't disappeared…" Ron sighed, looking down the deserted street before them, "Well, we might as well get going…I don't like it here at the moment…it gives me the chills, as though someone is watching us…"

Hermione rolled her eyes though, deep down, she was thinking the same thing. She grabbed the boy's hands, and the three apparated to the burrow. Arriving seconds later, they noticed that the house was awfully quiet.

"Where is everyone?" Harry whispered, looking at Ron.

"Don't look at me, mate…" Ron began, glancing around the room, "I'm just as clueless as you are…hold on, I hear something…"

Ron quietly moved towards the entrance to the main hallway. Putting his ear to the door, he could make out muffled voices beyond. Motioning for Harry and Hermione to follow him, he slowly opened the door and led them through to the back of the house. As they grew closer, the voices began to increase in volume. Finally, the trio reached the kitchen, but to their surprise, no one was there.

"That's strange…I could have sworn I heard voices…" Ron said, slightly confused.

"You're not hearing things, Ron, they're out back. Look out the window and you'll see for yourself," Hermione stated, pointing towards the kitchen window.

Hermione was right. The Weasleys were outside sitting around the picnic table, seeming to be discussing something, but none of them could hear what they were saying. With a glance towards Harry and Hermione, Ron led the group out the door. Mrs. Weasley, when she noticed the three walking towards them, quickly jumped to her feet.

"Ron! Harry! Hermione! Oh, you are all right!" she exclaimed, pulling each of them into a bone crushing hug, "We have been so worried about the three of you!"

"Well, we're just fine…" Harry muttered, as he waited for Mrs. Weasley to release him.

"Mum, would you let Harry go? You're crushing him," Ron groaned, trying to pry Harry from Mrs. Weasley's monstrous grip.

"Oh, sorry, dear, I'm just so glad to know that you are all alive," she smiled, placing her hands upon her hips.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione whispered, looking at the ground.

"Yes, what is it, Hermione, dear?"

"Uh, what exactly happened at the Wedding? What, I mean, is—" Hermione began.

"Nothing!" Mrs. Weasley said rather sharply, "Nothing happened dears, now just go back inside and head upstairs…"

"Mum! That's no way to talk to—" Ron attempted.

"Enough! Nothing happened that concerns the three of you, okay? Now run along, I don't want to hear any more about this, do you understand me?" Mrs. Weasley huffed, looking from one to the other.

"Yes…" Hermione pouted, disappointed that her question hadn't been answered, "We'll be going now…"

Hermione turned and slowly began to make her trudge back to the house with Harry and Ron following closely behind. Once they were inside and out of ear shot, Hermione growled, slamming her fist into the wall. Harry and Ron looked at each other and took a step backwards.

"Hermione, is everything okay? Just because she didn't tell us what happened doesn't always mean something terrible happened…" Ron muttered, ready to bolt in the opposite direction if she pounced at him.

"Ron, are you that blind?! Of course something bad has happened…why else would she try and kept it a secret?" Hermione snapped, turning to send an icy stare in his direction.

"S-sorry…I-I was…"

"Look, Hermione, Ron could be right, which doesn't normally happen…no offense Ron…but you don't have to take it out on him," Harry stated, preparing for the blow that was surely to come.

Hermione's face softened a little, "Sorry, Ron, I didn't mean to take it out on you…but doesn't it seem strange to you that she wouldn't tell us?"

Harry and Ron looked at one another before Harry broke the silence, "Sure we're curious Hermione, but there is nothing we can do about it, okay? So…let's just go upstairs to Ron's room. We can discuss more up there…"

Hermione nodded and led the way to the foot of the stairs where she motioned Ron to go ahead of them since it was his house. Ron rolled his eyes dramatically before ascending the staircase. Once inside Ron's bedroom, they decided to sit on the floor since Ron's bed wasn't big enough to hold the three of them together. When they were all settled, Harry suddenly remembered the woman Hermione had been trying to help at the wedding.

"Hermione, what happened to that woman you were trying to help? Is she all right?" he asked, leaning back against Ron's dresser, which wasn't all that comfortable, since the handles were digging into his back.

Hermione thought for a second before answering, "Ah, she is doing fine now. As soon as she arrived in Mungo's, she was under intense surveillance to make sure everything was healed properly. She was released yesterday, actually, but you were still sleeping...Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering, since I remembered you helping someone…ah!" he gasped, smacking himself in the forehead.

"Harry!" Hermione cried.

"Why'd you do that mate?" Ron asked, slightly bewildered.

"Hermione, are you feeling all right? I know that sounds stupid, but I should have asked you sooner…" Harry muttered, looking anywhere but Hermione.

"That's all you wanted to ask me, Harry? You didn't need to hit yourself just because you forgot to ask me how I was feeling…besides, I was exhausted from the wedding and the blood just added the final touch," Hermione giggled.

Ron looked from Harry to Hermione then back to Harry once more and sighed, "Relax mate, she said she was okay, plus, we can clearly see that she is perfectly fine."

"Yeah, I know, I just can't believe that I never asked…"

"Which is just fine, Harry, you have a lot on your mind—" Hermione began.

"That shouldn't be an excuse, Hermione! I should have said something the moment you appeared…" Harry exclaimed, "Look…Hermione, I'm sorry…"

Hermione remained silent, looking across at Harry who was still trying to avoid any sort of eye contact with her. Ron rolled his eyes and propped himself against the side of his bed, letting a small sigh escape his lips. Harry fidgeted with his fingers before finally breaking the silence he had created.

"I'm sorry, there was no need to lash out at you…Let's just move on and discuss the wedding issue that we came up here to talk about…" Harry apologized, finally looking Hermione in the eyes.

Hermione's expression softened a little, "I shouldn't have said those things, Harry. That was very inconsiderate of me…but like you said, we did come up here to discuss the wedding correct? So…where to start…Oh! Ron, you were there when the commotion start, right?"

"Well, technically I was in the bathroom, so I couldn't tell you exactly what caused the guests to panic…" Ron said, looking down at the floor.

"Okay then…that plan backfired…plus, Harry and I weren't there because—" Hermione started.

"Because you two were snogging…" Ron grinned, trying very hard not to laugh.

"RON!" Hermione and Harry chimed in together.

"Sorry! I was only joking!" Ron said, defensively.

"Anyways, we weren't there because Harry and I were chasing after Thomasina, who seemed to have run off with someone who looked an awful lot like her…almost like her twin...However, they disappeared before we could catch up to them…" Hermione stated, glaring in Ron's direction.

"I said I was joking!" Ron cried.

"Well, that still doesn't mean you had to say it!" she exclaimed, punching him in the arm.

As Hermione continued, Harry found himself thinking back to the dream he had had that very same morning. It was dark out now, but he could still remember every detail, everything word that was said and it was enough to send chills up his spine. Why had he dreamed all that? Was it just his thoughts getting carried away with him? Or did it mean that this was something he had to prevent in the near future? While Harry continued to keep to himself, he never realized that someone was shouting his name.

"HARRY!" Hermione yelled, finally slapping Harry across the leg.

Harry jumped, "WHAT?!"

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past couple of minutes…" Hermione sighed, "I was going to ask you a question…"

"Sorry…" Harry muttered before rising to his feet.

"Where are you going, mate?" Ron couldn't help but ask, even though he knew full well what the answer was going to be.

"Uh…excuse me…I think I need to be alone for a bit…" With that, Harry disappeared out the door, closing it softly behind him.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked, "Did I say something wrong? I really do hate it when he gets like this…maybe I should go after him…"

"No, I'd leave him be…he has a lot on his mind, right now, and I think it will do him some good if he's left alone for a while…" Ron replied, putting his arms behind his head, "There's really nothing we can do for him, at the moment…This actually kind of reminds me of our fifth year, when we couldn't tell him anything; though, this time, we have nothing to hide…"

"I know what you mean, Ron…I just wish he wouldn't do things like this…he can become very vulnerable, in this state…" Hermione sighed, looking towards the window.

When Harry arrived on the main floor, he noticed that the Weasleys must have ventured inside while they were upstairs, since their voices were considerably louder than the last time. Moving quietly, so that he wouldn't announce his presence, he opened the front door and stepped out. Once outside, Harry walked slowly towards the fence that surrounded the house. Resting his arms across the top beam, events from the wedding to the dream steadily came back to him.

"I wonder why he was crying…I've never seen Malfoy cry…wait…there was last year when I found him in the bathroom…"Harry thought to himself, "I really regret that accident…and to top it all off, what was up with my dream…?"

As thoughts continued to flow through Harry's mind, he neglected to sense his scar prickling. It wasn't until his head was severely paining him the he took notice but, by then, it was too late. Snapping to his senses, Harry was about to let out a cry of agony when he heard high pitched laughter that sounded like nails on a chalk board. While the laughter continued, Harry frantically looked around the yard before he realized that the laughter was coming from him. Finding his own voice, Harry screamed at the top of his lungs, clutching his head as he felt himself falling towards the ground.

Back in the room, Hermione suddenly stiffened, "That sounded like…HARRY!"

With surprising speed, she rushed to the window. Flinging open the curtains, she peered out, scanning the yard until she noticed something rather long twitching on the ground. Hermione unlocked the window, pushed it up, and stuck her head out to get a better view. Looking down again, she shrieked.

"Hermione what is?!" Ron asked, jumping to his feet.

"HARRY!" was all Ron heard before Hermione dashed past him towards the door.

She was out the door and at the stairs before Ron could say anything so, instead, he sprinted after her, literally throwing himself down the staircase in order to keep up with her. Upon arriving on the first floor, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who had obviously heard the commotion, appeared at the foot of the steps.

"What is going on up there and where are you two going in such a hurry?!" Mrs. Weasley cried.

Hermione struggled with her words, "…H-Harry…"

She couldn't stand there any longer. Pushing past the Weasleys, Hermione dashed out the front door followed closely by Ron who was, in turn, followed by his parents. The instant the three of them were out the door, they could clearly see why Hermione had been in such a mad hurry. Lying on the ground in front of them, twisting around in agony was none other than Harry.

"Harry!" Hermione cried, watching as Harry suddenly stopped moving.

Hermione rushed to his side, bending down to see if everything was all right. Before she could ask him anything, she was hit in the chest with such strength that it sent her tumbling backwards quite a few feet. Hitting the ground with a loud thud, Hermione felt the air drain from her lungs. She stayed still for a moment, trying to reclaim her breath, as Mr. Weasley turned on Harry.

"Harry, what is the matter with you!"

Slowly rising to his feet, Harry turned towards them, head facing down.

"Answer me, Harry!" Mr. Weasley shouted again, as the rest of the Weasley family joined to see what was going on.

Harry slowly tilted his head upwards. When they heard the laughter that protruded from his lips, they knew something wasn't right. Glaring up at them, Harry continued to laugh as Mrs. Weasley screamed in terror. Never in her life had she ever dreamed of seeing those eyes again. Those blood-red, searing eyes. This wasn't Harry anymore—this was Voldemort.

Hermione, finally able to rise to a sitting position, gasped softly, "H-Harry?"

"You worthless mudblood," The voice snickered, leaving a horrified expression on Hermione's face as he turned towards the house, "Now, isn't this a darling sight…the whole Weasley family has come to join the party."

Hermione glared, pulling her wand from the holster around her waist. Shakily standing up, she pointed it at Harry's chest, "Get out of Harry's body…"

"Stupid Mudblood, you do realize that if you hit me, you're actually hitting your precious Harry…?" Voldemort teased, looking around at the group.

"Who said I was going to hurt him?" Hermione growled, keeping her wand where it was.

"Heh, I can see it in your eyes, my dear," Voldemort laughed, then, twisting sharply to the right, let out a strangled cry.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!" Harry's voice erupted from his throat as he gripped the sides of his head; his eyes flashing back to normal for a few seconds before Voldemort regained his composure, "Stop! You're supposed to be under my control!"

"Harry! Don't let him take control of you! Fight back!" Hermione yelled, still grasping her wand tightly.

"You are under my—STOP! NO, I'M NOT! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HEAD!! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING THIS TIME!—Oh, really…? What are you…Argghh!—LIKE I'VE BEEN SAYING, GET…THE…HELL…OUT…OF…MY…HEAD!" and with that, all was silent.

Still rooted to the spot, Hermione watched with relief as Harry's eyes returned to normal, though she jumped slightly when he let out a scream of pure agony before falling to the ground. Dropping her wand, she rushed to his side and quickly knelt down; Hermione lifted Harry's upper half into her arms and cradled him, trying to calm him down. After a few minutes, Harry went limp and his whole world went dark.