Broken Bones, Mended Heart
By: Me
A Harry Potter Fan fiction (this is my first, so please don't be too critical!)
Time placement: This all happened in the Half-blood prince, right before Ron got in with Lavender.
Table of Contents:
Ch. 1: The Fight
Ch. 2: Where's Hermione?
Ch. 3: Death's Door
Ch. 4: The Hospital Wing
Ch. 5: Broken Bones
Ch. 6: Safe?
Ch. 7: Malfoy's Tease
Ch. 8: Mended Heart3
Chapter 1: The Fight
It was late one Sunday afternoon in the Gryffindor common room. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were playing a very intense game of wizard chess, Hermione Granger was studying on the couch and Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Lavender Brown where talking and practicing charms in the corner. "Yes! I won again! Beat that Harry!" Ron bragged. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were playing cards, looked over to see what was going on. Some studying first-years also looked over to see a cheerful Ron.
"That's the 10th time in a row! You're on a winning streak!" Harry exclaimed, not noticing that Ron was bragging. "I wonder if that streak will ever be broken."
"What are you doing Hermione? Studying for a class?" Ron asked sarcastically.
"Actually, i just finished my potions essay." Hermione explained. Ron looked confused. "You do remember the essay for Slughorn right?" Hermione could see a strike of fear fly by Ron.
"Essay? What essay?" Ron asked almost completely ignoring what Hermione said.
"The essay that's due tomorrow." Hermione teased, but she was telling the truth.
"Uhh, Hermione your smart and very good at it, can you please help me with my essay?" Ron asked, hoping she'd say yes.
"Oh, and by help do you mean do for you?" Hermione said. She knew Ron too well to expect him to pay attention to what she would be writing. "Well I'm not going to do it for you again! Why don't you try to do it by yourself for once?"
"Well it's just, I would but, I've been so distracted by quittich practice." Ron explained, but Hermione wasn't buying it.
"Oh Ron, it's not like the team is doing that great since Harry left it." Hermione said, realizing too late what she had actually said to Ron. Ron gave her a surprised and angry look. Hermione, scared of what would happen next since they fought all the time (none of which fights did she ever enjoy), tried to fix what she said. "No, I didn't mean it like that! You're a great Keeper Ron! I'm just saying that the team needs to be better, even though I know everyone is giving their best effort." Ron's face started to turn red.
"Oh sure, that's exactly what you meant. You know Hermione, sometimes I wish you would just stay quiet about things! I mean, I AM Quittich captain. You really think you want to tell ME these things?" Ron said angrily, almost yelling. "At least i can play quittich. Oh wait you can't even ride a broom can you? At least I can ride a broom!" Ron was clearly angry. Hermione stared at Ron in disbelief that he would say such things, and by now everyone in the Common room was looking at them, even Harry, which didn't make it any better for Hermione. Hermione started to tear, but not exactly crying, her eyes where watering as though she'd burst into tears at any moment. Without words, Hermione closed her books, put them on the mini table, got up, and walked out of the common room all so calmly. Ron, who didn't say anything, looked at Harry. Ron's face was still red from anger. Ron could see Harry was going to lecture him or give him friendly advice on how to fix this fight with Hermione. But Harry just told him that he needed to calm down and go someplace to do so, but Ron ignored him and stayed, sitting on the couch, where Hermione had been.
Chapter 2: Where's Hermione?
Later that same day at the Great Hall, Ron walked down the aisle towards Harry, Ginny, Neville, Fred and George. Ron stopped in front of them and looked around the Hall, Hermione was nowhere to be seen. "Hey guys, where's Hermione?" Ron felt a flicker of fear and worry inside him. Had I actually driven Hermione away? Was she that mad at me? She seemed so calm when she left. Ron thought.
"No, not since you scared her off." Harry told him. Ron started to feel a little angry and worried but more worried than angry. Why did Harry have to bring that up? Doesn't he know I'm not proud of it?
"You actually scared her off?" Fred and George asked at the same time. Neville and Ginny looked at each other, wondering what Ron's response will be.
"Yeah, so what? I didn't mean to and I'm not proud of it! I'm just starting to get wor-," Ron stopped himself, purely out of fear for what his friends and siblings would think of him. "I'm going to go look for her." Ron told his friends/siblings as he got up and started to walk away.
"Ron! This isn't like you, you barely touched your food, that's not like you at all." Ginny said to the quickly moving Ron.
"Well I, this isn't like Hermione either, missing something like this without telling us? I want to make sure she's OK." Ron quickly said, not giving any of them any time to respond. He thought of the first place she'd go: the library? No, no she'd know I'd think of that. The common room? No that's where the fight was, why would she go back there? Hmm... Her dormitory? Well I can't check there, not in the girls' dormitory. Hmm... Maybe, just maybe, the quittich pitch? Oh why does it sound so right? His instincts kicked in and he started sprinting towards the quittich pitch, he began to wonder if it was in fact, his instincts.
Chapter 3: Death's Door
At the pitch it was very windy and starting to snow, Christmas was defiantly coming. Ron started looking all around when he thought he heard something and turned around. On the lowest hoop was a small object, person actually. Was Ron dreaming? He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked again. The small figure was still there. "Ron! Ron help!" a quiet voice yelled out, it was Hermione, dangling from the hoop. Ron franticly looked everywhere for the broom or object she used to get up there, if it was a broom it must have kept flying after crashing into the hoop and disappeared. "Ron, please! I know I said some things that offended you but, please, Ron! I'm slipping!" Ron's body filled up with worry and fear that Hermione would fall to her death. How stupid can I get? Not bringing a broom to the quittich pitch, wait wasn't there a shed around here? Ron desperately looked around for the shed. He found an old dusty, crumbly, gray shed in a corner and ran as fast as he could toward it and grabbed a random broom and took off. As he came closer to the dangling Hermione he saw that her skin was a light bluish color and she was shivering violently. "Oh R-Ron! Th-thank wizard god y-you c-came!" she was stuttering from the cold but happy to see him clearly, but when Ron held out his hand to help her on the broom she flinched, loosening her grip.
"What's wrong Hermione? I'm trying to help you! Why'd you flinch?" Ron asked worried and impatient.
"I-I th-thought you were g-going to h-hurt m-me." Hermione stuttered, she was beginning to feel ashamed for flinching when Ron tried to help her. Ron gave her a look of sorrow and concern.
"Hermione, please, just take my hand, I'll take you down and into the castle where you'll be safe!" Ron told Hermione in a calm but urgent voice. She gave him a look of fear and agreed to go down with him. "Ok Hermione just take my hand and let go of the hoop, I'll... I'll try to do the rest." Hermione took Ron's hand then before Ron could tell her to let go, her hand slipped off of the hoop, but Ron didn't let go of her and went down with her. Hermione and Ron were falling a tremendous height. Hermione was screaming and Ron was trying to pull up on the broom, with little success, Ron only slowed them down. They hit the ground with a loud THUD! Ron got up almost immediately, Hermione's screams of extreme pain were all Ron could hear.
"RON! Help me please! My arm, it's..." Ron ran over to her and as he reached her, she fainted into his arms. Her right arm was covered in blood and bending the completely wrong way. On the crease of the inside of her elbow (or at least where it's supposed to be) was bent and you could see the bone sticking out. The blood wouldn't stop, Ron didn't know what to do so he tried to wake her up but she wouldn't wake. Her body was getting colder by the second. Ron couldn't help but feel all this was his fault. He didn't hesitate and picked her up and carried her towards the castle.
Chapter 4: The hospital wing
As Ron ran down the hall ways of Hogwarts, carrying Hermione, trying to get to the Hospital wing as quick as possible. Ron could hear people gasping and talking to each other. "Oh my gosh, look at her arm! How'd that happen?" Hermione's blood was dripping on the hall way floor. Ron didn't stop running until he started crossing the courtyard and none other than Draco Malfoy was there with his group of followers: Crabe, Goyale, Pansy and a few other unrecognizable slytherins. Could Ron afford to risk going the long way? Through the courtyard is the quickest way to the Hospital wing. Maybe Malfoy will let us by, i mean he can't be that heartless can he? Ron speed walked, attempting to get to the other side of the courtyard since Malfoy and his gang hadn't noticed them yet.
"Hold on their Weasel-bee," Malfoy started saying, which stopped Ron in his tracts. Ron's back was turned to Malfoy and his gang so they couldn't yet see the badly bleeding Hermione in his arms. "What are you holding?" Malfoy asked, trying to find something to tease Ron about. Malfoy's gang started to surround Ron and blocked off his path. Without words Ron turned around, revealing to Malfoy and gang the bloodied up, passed out Hermione. Revealing Ron's hands that, now, had Hermione's blood on them. Hermione was no longer a light bluish color, but a very, very pale, lifeless color. Malfoy was clearly shocked and for some reason stepped closer. "Is she... dead?" he asked swallowing hard and staring at Hermione's miss bent, bloody arm.
"No, but barely alive. Now if you'll excuse us I have to get her to the Hospital wing before she dies!" Ron yelled. "Well? Move out of my way!" Malfoy wasn't moving, he was too shocked. "Are you bloody mental? Move Malfoy!" Ron yelled at him, Ron couldn't tell Malfoy was worried as much as himself. Even though they hate each other Malfoy does have compassion. Malfoy stood aside and so did his gang and Ron started to run again.
Chapter 5: Broken Bones
In the Hospital wing Ron had sent for Harry and Ginny to come, meanwhile he was flustered, hunched over in a chair on the left of Hermione's bed, he had his head down low and his head resting on his hands. Ron was worried, scared even, for Hermione, she did almost bleed to death. He was also feeling angry with himself for influencing Hermione to do something like this, he was also feeling longing for his friends, for comfort. These are the most emotions he's felt all at once in a long time. Maybe Hermione was right, maybe I do have the emotional range of a teaspoon. Ron thought. Just then Harry and Ginny came bursting through the two big doors looking around they see Hermione with a cast on her right arm, the cast needed to be changed, it was getting red from all of Hermione's blood. Ron looked at them with eyes that of a puppy, hoping to hear comforting words. Harry ran over to him.
"What happened mate?" Harry asked, trying to sound as sympathetic as he could. Ron just looked at him, this time, fear in his eyes. The whole masquerade played back in the flash of his eyes, he shuddered.
"Harry, please don't make me relive that, i beg you." Ron told Harry.
"I see. Inner pain that of which comes sentimentally or from the soul and not physically. Would you like to talk about it?" Harry asked with a smile. Ron just looked at him.
"You've been hanging around professor Trelawney again haven't you?" Ron couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah, so what? You know she's not that bad if you give her a chance." Harry replied.
"You act as though you're talking about dating her." Ron really couldn't help but smile.
"Hey, I'd never go out with her, she too old for me." Harry protested.
"You forgot the fact that she's bloody mental!" Ron almost started to laugh until he looked over at the bed where Hermione was laying. The smile disappeared from his face. He reached out and took Hermione's left hand with his own. Hermione, I wish you were awake. I need a sign, a whisper, anything to let me know you'll be alright. Ron thought. Ron feared that Hermione had lost too much blood, something that could not be fixed with magic.
"Ron, what did Madam Pomfrey say? Will she be alright?" Ginny asked, wanting and hoping to hear some good news.
"She said, once she wakes up we'll know for sure." Ron told Ginny and Harry. Just then Ron could have sworn he saw Hermione move, which made Ron jump out of the chair.
"What is it Ron?" Harry asked. Ron didn't say anything for a moment, he just stood there, staring at Hermione.
"I-I thought i saw Hermione move." Ron said, not taking his eyes off Hermione. Ron didn't want to miss anything. Right then Hermione slowly started opening her eyes. "Hermione!" Ron said excitedly. Harry and Ginny stared at Hermione along with Ron wondering what Hermione was going to say, if she said anything.
"Ron? Harry... Ginny?" Hermione said breathlessly. A smile spread across Ron's face, one spread across Harry and Ginny's face as well. No one had yet taken their eyes off Hermione. "Wha-what happened?" Hermione said with a confused and frightened look on her face. Ron's smile slowly disappeared.
"Well, how much do you remember?" Ron asked Hermione. Hermione thought hard to remember as much as she could. She looked straight into Ron's eyes.
"I remember falling, being in a great deal of pain, and..." Hermione paused, thinking of how she can change the last few words she wanted to say and still make it the truth. "And passing out." She finished, breaking her connection with Ron's eyes and started looking at the bloody cast on her right arm. Ron realized what she was looking at.
"You broke your arm, very close to your elbow joint." Ron told her. Ron looked up at Ginny and Harry who were standing over Hermione. Harry met Ron's glance and signaled him to continue telling her what happened. Ron shook his head. Is Harry mental? I can't tell her what I did. If I did, she might, disapprove. Hermione is very unpredictable like that. Ron thought. Harry just rolled his eyes at Ron.
Chapter 6: Safe?
That next day at about 4:00 in the morning in the Gryffindor Common room, Ron was sitting on the couch staring into the fire across from him. No one else was in the Common room at the time, it was too early, everyone was still sleeping in their Dormitory's. He heard someone coming and quickly snapped out of his connection with the flickering fire. He looked at the stairs that led to the boy's and girl's Dormitories. Coming down the stairs was a girl with curly brown hair and a cast around her right arm, it was Hermione. "Hermione! What are you doing up? It's too early for you to be up." Ron told her. Hermione just gave him a look that said she knew what she was doing, like the look she gave him in their second year when she was making the polyjuice potion.
"Well, what are you doing up then?" Hermione asked. Ron looked back at the fire.
"I, I couldn't sleep." Ron explained. Hermione walked over and sat on the couch next to Ron, keeping a reasonable distance of about a few inches.
"I couldn't either." she said to him. Ron could have sworn he was blushing, he wasn't exactly sure why. Hermione inched closer to him.
"So what happened after I fainted? You never told me." Hermione said to Ron. Ron was sure he was blushing. She was only a few centimeters away from him now.
"Uhh, wait, you never told me how you got up there. How'd you get caught on the hoop?" Ron asked. Nice save! Ron thought. Hermione looked down at the floor.
"Well Ron, you see, after our fight I went to the pitch because I wanted to learn how to ride a broom so i could..." Hermione stopped and looked up at Ron, staring straight into his eyes. Ron could tell something was about to happen, something that would change his perspective on things. "So I could ride with you." Hermione finished. She didn't look away from Ron's eyes, and Ron didn't look away from her's. They inched even closer to each other until their bodies where almost touching. They started leaning toward one another and at the last second Hermione pulled away. "Then I lost control of the broom and crashed into the hoop, grabbing on to the ring. Then you came about 20 minutes later." Ron felt slightly disappointed, was he expecting something? "So, Ron," She said, inching away from Ron slowly and, sadly? "Now tell me what happened after i passed out." Hermione was clearly getting impatient.
"Well, I, umm," Ron started to say when someone else came down the stairs. A raven-haired boy with glasses, of course it was Harry. Saved by the boy-who-won't-die! Ron thought.
"Oh, did I interrupt something?" Harry asked with a smile. Ron shot him a look that told him to be quiet.
"No, nothing important." Hermione told Harry. She looked down at her cast, it was no longer red from blood since Madam Pomfrey changed it a little while after she woke up in the Hospital wing. Ron looked at Hermione, Did she look sad? Disappointed? Ron asked himself.
"Well everyone will be waking up at about 6:15 to go to the Great Hall for breakfast, so you've got about 2 hours." Harry told Ron and Hermione. Hermione looked up at Ron and gave him a look that seemed to say you'll tell me sooner or later.
Chapter 7: Malfoy's Tease
In the Great Hall, Dumbledore gave his daily morning speech on what events will happen, what clubs will be meeting, and quittich. Hermione was sitting in between Harry and Ron, Ron being on her right and Harry on her left. Across from Hermione was Ginny, across from Ron was Neville and across from Harry was Luna Lovegood. Ron couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen or something embarrassing.
Malfoy couldn't get the words Ron said to him yesterday out of his head. He called me a mental, a bloody mental. He's lucky I stepped aside. If i didn't though, she might have died. I didn't defend myself, how could I have? I was scared that she was going to die, but I'll never admit that. Draco thought. Draco was starting to feel a bit angry. Crabbe and Goyle were sitting on either side of him, Pansy was sitting across from Draco. He was sitting in the perfect spot to see the Gryffindor trio (Ron, Harry, and Hermione), their backs facing him. "Just look at her, can you believe she survived? That's one lucky mudblood." Draco groaned to his peers. He was staring at Hermione in particular.
"Draco, she would have died if it weren't for you. You were the difference between life and death for her. You could have stopped her." Pansy told Draco. "You did the right thing Draco. Draco?" Pansy was looking at Draco who was looking at Hermione with a look of anger and depression. Hmm... I wonder if Weasley told Granger about yesterday, I guess I'll go find out! Draco thought. He didn't know why he bullied the Gryffindor trio, he just did and felt like he had to. If it were up to him, He would be a Durmstrang (like Victor Krum), not a slytherin. In fact, if it were up to him, there wouldn't even BE a Hogwarts at all!
"I'll be right back, you guys stay here this time." Draco told his friends. Draco then got up and walked over to the table the trio was eating at. "Hello weasel-bee, How's your girlfriend?" Draco taunted. Ron turned around and looked at Draco. He rather liked the thought of Hermione as his girlfriend.
"She's fine Malfoy you git, and she's not my girlfriend! Just friend!" Ron told Draco. Ron turned back around leaning towards Hermione, whispering something Draco couldn't hear.
"So Granger, do you remember anything from your little..." Draco was looking for the right word. "Experience?" Draco was really curious as to how much Ron would have told her. Hermione turned around and tried to stare Draco down, and it started to work too, until Ron interfered.
"Shove off Malfoy." Ron commanded Draco and then told Hermione to just turn around and ignore him. Draco refused to be silenced that easily.
"Well Weasley, didn't tell her anything about yesterday, did you?" Draco asked in a mocking voice. Ron just ignored him and didn't even turn around to look at him. "Hey! Weasley! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Draco ordered. Ron was too angry to handle, it didn't help that he had a short temper. Ron jumped up and spun around quickly, this surprised Draco.
"SO WHAT? SO WHAT IF I DIDN'T TELL HER? SO WHAT IF I DIDN'T TELL HER ABOUT CARRYING HER FROM THE PITCH ALL THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL WING? OR THAT I DIDN'T LEAVE HER SIDE IN THE HOSPITAL WING UNTILL I KNEW SHE WAS SAFE!" Ron yelled at Draco. Everyone in the Great Hall was looking at him. Oh bloody hell, now I've done it. Ron thought sadly. just then Hermione Jumped up and caught Ron in a hug. She was hugging him like a clinging hug and not a squeeze-to-death hug. Her left arm was around his torso, her broken arm was in between them and her head was resting on his chest. Ron was so shocked for a moment he just stood there, arms open wide. After a moment passed he locked Hermione in the hug putting his arms around her.
"About time don't you think?" Harry whispered to Ginny and Luna so only they could hear. They both nodded in agreement. Ron and Hermione stayed like that momentarily, they would have stayed like that until it was time to go to sleep but of course, Draco HAD to intrude.
"How touching... maybe now you two can go get married and live happily-ever-after!" Draco teased. Ron pulled off first and stepped right in front of Draco, who by the way was shorter than Ron (Ron was the tallest kid in Gryffindor and quite possibly, the whole school).
Ron got strait in Draco's face and said "Oh yeah?" then got even closer, almost touching him. "Try and stop me." Ron Whispered that last part so quietly that it was barely loud enough for Draco to hear, but he did. At that Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville, and Hermione went back to the Gryffindor common room (Luna can't go, she's a Ravenclaw!).
"What did you say to Malfoy, Ron?" Hermione asked as they went through the Great Hall doors.
Ron looked at Hermione and smiled. "Oh nothing, just to leave us alone. I don't think he will for a while."
Chapter 8: Mended Heart3
Later about right before lunch, Ron, Hermione, Neville and a few other Gryffindors had a study hall, of which they all spent in the Common room. Instead of doing her usual work, Hermione was talking to Ron on the couch. "Ron, why did you do that for me? You could have just called for help." Hermione asked Ron.
"Well, I don't know, I was panicking and i didn't know what to do. I didn't want to leave you to die." Ron told Hermione. You could see in Hermione's eyes that she was glad for and touched by Ron's actions, Ron could see that too. He tried to find something else to talk about, He liked talking to Hermione.
"So, are we good now? Like, No harm no foul?" Ron asked Hermione, trying to keep the conversation going. Hermione just looked at him.
"I wouldn't say No harm." Hermione said, raising her casted arm. Ron let out a quick laugh with a smile.
"Ha, yeah, your Right, you're always right." Ron said to Hermione. Hermione smiled at him.
"But yes." she told him.
"Well, good." Ron said and held out his hand as a gesture to shake on it. But Hermione just looked at his hand like she was foreign to the planet. Right then she quickly leaned forward and hugged him again, and Ron couldn't be happier.
