A Common Bond

The hospital wing seemed deserted. It was hard to believe it currently held five patients. Lying motionless in five beds were two boys, two girls, and a ghost. At the bedside of a black haired girl in Ravenclaw robes, sat a lonely looking red head. Head down, fingers in her hair, he rocked back and forth seeming to talk to no one.

"Oh, Penny," he said in a broken voice, "I'm so sorry. I swear if you pull through this we'll tell everyone, just like you wanted." He took her statue like hand. "No more sneaking around, no more secrets, but you have to wake up, Penny. Just wake up and talk to me."

Percy knew, of course, that she was not going to sit up, but he also knew, deep down, that she was going to be okay. Nonetheless, it was difficult to see her like she was. They'd been seeing each other in secret for sometime now, and it had been not two days before her accident that she'd begged him to make it public. He sniffled a little, and then whirled around as someone spoke his name.

It was quiet as Ron made his way through the halls. With all of the new restrictions placed on students following the attacks, Ron considered himself lucky not to be caught by a prefect, or worse, a professor. He rounded the corner to see the double doors leading into the hospital wing. Adjusting the flowers in his nervous hands, he pushed on the door. It creaked open, but not loud enough to draw any attention. As he stepped into the large room, he heard a muttered voice.

"…but you have to wake up, Penny. Just wake up and talk to me."

"Percy?" It was Ron's brother, sitting at the bedside of Penelope Clearwater, holding her hand. Wait…holding her hand? "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing, Ron." Percy stood in indignation. "I'm a prefect; you however have no reason or right to be out this late without an escort. Explain yourself."

"Well, you see… I was just…I mean, I was going to…" Ron fumbled with the flowers. "I was coming to see Hermione," he mumbled almost at a whisper.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"I was coming to see Hermione! I've been bringing her flowers everyday and today I was so too busy to make it, so I had to wait till tonight."

"Why couldn't it wait until tomorrow," asked Percy in an all-too-adult like voice.

"Because, suppose she wakes up. It wouldn't exactly be heartwarming to find wilted flowers by your bed, would it?"

"Ron, she's not waking up. The Mandrakes aren't ready yet."

"I know that! I'm not stupid, you know. I'm just saying it's not very nice to leave dead flowers by her bed."

"What do you care anyway, Ron? I thought you two didn't get along."

"I just do, okay…and yeah we fight…a lot…but that doesn't mean I want to see her petrified. Wait a minute…" Ron had put two and two together while trying to wriggle his way out of Percy's questions, "What are you doing up here? Why are you sitting with Penelope Clearwater?"

"We're just friends you know…prefects and all…I thought I'd come and visit her…see how's doing."

"She's petrified, Percy, that's how she's doing."

"I know that…listen, I'm not the one bringing flowers to a girl who can't see them."

"You were talking to her."

"What?"

"I heard you when I walked in. 'Just wake up and talk to me,'" mocked Ron in his best Percy voice.

"I was doing no such thing."

"Oh yes, you were. You were crying, too." Percy looked appalled, "Don't deny it. You were crying. Why do you care so much, Percy; she your girl or something?" Percy hung his head. "Oh!" Ron hadn't expected to be right. "Oh, Percy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make fun."

Percy raised his hand, "Don't apologize. You didn't know. No one did, except maybe Ginny, who saw us kissing the other day." Percy fell back into his chair bringing his hands to his tear streamed face. "I feel just awful. She was in the Library with me that day. The day she was…attacked," Percy chocked on the word, "We'd met after classes, she'd just left me when they found her."

Ron stepped a little closer wondering how to comfort his brother. In all of Ron's twelve years, they'd never shared a moment quite as serious as this. Finally, Ron lost all sense of pride. "I know how you feel." Percy's glare was like daggers. "No, really, I do. Truth is, I feel really bad that it was Hermione and not me. She asked me to come to the Library with her, but I told her I'd rather get a good seat for the game. I should have been there, and then whatever this thing is would have gotten me instead."

"You can't blame yourself Ron. Even if you'd been there, it would just mean you'd be lying here petrified as well."

"Well, you shouldn't beat yourself up about Penelope. I'm sure she knows that you care about her, even if you didn't want to tell everyone. Who can blame you, Fred and George would make themselves mute with jokes."

Percy laughed reluctantly, "Thanks," he cleared his throat trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen, "well, hurry up and set out those flowers, we need to get back to Gryffindor Tower before anyone notices we're gone."

Ron nodded and walked over to Hermione's bed. The flowers at her bedside hadn't even started to wilt, but Ron threw them out anyhow. He turned to Hermione, fighting back tears as he looked into her lifeless eyes. Gently running his fingers over her outstretched hand he whispered, "I'm right here, Hermione."

He thought back to less than a year ago when he himself woke up in a Hospital bed to the sight of Hermione's face. She been the first thing he saw as he awoke and it made him feel strangely safe. For a brief moment, he didn't think of Harry or if he was okay (a fact that made him feel guilty later), he didn't even think about himself and what had happened. His thoughts were of the smiling face looking down on him. He wanted so badly to be the first thing she saw as she awoke, but at least with the flowers she'd know someone had cared.

A cough from Percy caught his attention. "Right, let's go."

The two brothers left the Hospital wing and made there way back to the seventh floor in silence. Neither had to speak, but both understood. The girls would be okay in the end, they knew that, but tonight they'd found a common bond.