Ch4 Am I dreaming?

Pain.

"Not for Long."

"They didn't bother me really."

Burning.

"She's been touched?"

"Possibly."

"Tell me or I'll run you through."

"Mudblood Whore."

Hermione ran from it all, hiding in the darkness.

Bill lifted his wand, pointing it at Hermione's sheet covered chest. Ron stood there, hearing the taunting in his head. He threw his arm out, pushing his brother's arm down.

"No. Let me."

Bill nodded, and stepped to the head of the bed. "When you revive her, I'll lift her up. She'll need the vial of skele-gro, followed by the blood replenishing one. A drink of water, then if she's coherent, we'll feed her. Otherwise, we'll give her the last two. Got it?"

Ron nodded.

Ron lifted his wand, pressing it close to her chest. "Rennervate" he whispered.

Melted chocolate eyes opened. Ron was right there so he would be the first face she would see. "Hermione?"

"OhG_dPleaseNo!" she croaked. "Anyone but Ron!"

Bill handed Ron the first potion, tipping it into her throat. A lump in his throat was growing.

She coughed, moving to try and retch over the side of the bed. "No you don't, not yet."

Bill rubbed her back, trying to get her settled. "Come now, I know it's nasty but you need it."

Hermione quit squirming under his caring touch. Ron reached for the second vial. "This one is gross too. Tastes like chalk"

Hermione began to shake. Tears were leaking from her eyes. "Ron, hurry. We don't have much time."

Ron tipped the second vial down her throat. Before it was all gone, he was reaching for the cup of water to wash it down with. He sloshed the water on her face and chin, but some went in her mouth.

She choked again, spraying his jumper with water. "Water," she croaked again.

Ron filled the cup again, giving her another sip. This one she took handily, drinking it slowly.

She looked up away from the cup he was holding. Stolen glances around the room.

"Hermione?" asked Bill from next to her face.

She looked, and froze. "No!" she screamed. "No!"

"Shite! Damn it. Ron, hurry!"

Ron fumbled the third vial, sloshing some on the sheet. Bill had to force Hermione to quit writhing on the bed so she could take her medications. "Come on, Ron, one more to go."

Ron grabbed the last one, the sleeping draught, and thrust it in her face. Bill held her, screaming, while they dumped the last down her throat.

She gagged, trying to empty it from her mouth. "Don't let her spit it. She needs that one!"

Ron pulled her into a massive hug, forcing her to quit gagging. He didn't care if she made a mess of his jumper. Sweat and dirt overwhelmed the strawberry shampoo he loved smelling.

Tiny hands clawed at his jumper, twisting them in distress. "Hermione, please, I love you. Calm down. It's going to be ok."

Seconds passed, and those agitated ink stained hands quit twisting the yarns of his jumper. "Shhhhh. I love you. No one's gonna hurt you. You're safe."

Blue eyes looked at the second set. Nary was a word said. "Fine. Stay in here and keep her company. Keep her comfortable and settled. I'll be back in a little while to check on you and bring you something to eat."

Ron adjusted onto the bed, bringing Hermione to lie on his thin yet broad chest. "Bill?"

Bill stopped in the doorway before unsealing it. "Yea?"

"Thanks."

"She's the reason you went back, isn't it?"

Ron's ears turned bright red, reacting before he could speak.

"No, it's fine. I get it. She's worth it, from what I've seen since you got here. Just don't expect any miracles. She's not out of the woods just yet."

Bill picked up the tray and went to the door. "I just hope I'm wrong."

Bill closed the door, leaving Ron holding Hermione in his embrace as she drifted off to sleep.

"She's always been worth it. I wasn't always worth her."

Soft snoring from Hermione across his chest helped him settle down before drifting off to sleep as well.

A hand shook Ron awake. Bleary eyes and a numb arm woke with him. He looked from the bushy haired girl in his arms to Emerald eyes looking down at him. "Harry!" he said silently.

Tousled headed Harry nodded back. "I brought you dinner. I thought we could talk a minute."

Ron nodded, and moved Hermione into a more comfortable position on his chest. The smells wafting from the tray Harry brought were delightful. "I brought you dinner. I didn't know if Hermione would eat."

"Nah mate. She got pain potion and sleeping draught two hours ago. She'll be asleep for another couple of hours."

"How 'bout I switch, and give you a break in here. You're probably knackered and need a good kip."

"'S'ok. I took a nap after her last dosing. But I'm starving!"

"Here, I'll help. I brought a tray of sandwiches and a bowl of stew up. You don't want what Luna fixed. Something strange and it tasted weird."

Ron chuckled. "Good old Looney, trying to act like Mum. Luna's as bad as Hermione in the kitchen."

Harry groaned, remembering her attempts at feeding them while they were on the run. "Don't let her hear that."

"Who? Luna? Like she cares."

Harry helped put the plate of sandwiches on Ron's chest, letting him tear at the ham and cheese on crusty bread. "So good. You're amazing."

Harry looked away, out the window onto the beach. "Not really. We shouldn't be here. I screwed up."

"You did, but we're still alive."

Harry looked back, seeing his two best friends on the bed. "I got her hurt, maybe broken completely."

Ron frowned. "You arse. We don't know a thing yet."

"But – "

"Just shut it, alright? Bill said we're waiting another day to see. Until then, quit blaming yourself. It's a miracle you got Dobby to get us out of there."

Harry sat down on the windowsill. "When will it all end? I got Dobby killed too."

"I dunno, mate, but we can't quit yet. Dobby chose to help. And it's not your fault that he's dead. That's another one I lay on those two nutters."

Ron looked at his best mate. Harry was off in his little world again, probably brooding again. "We need her."

"I know that. She's the brains. I can't think of anything we can do at this moment."

"We're still screwed, no closer to finding the remaining Horcrux."

Harry looked up through the ceiling of the cottage. "At least we have the sword for the moment."

"We have nothing to use it on."

"Yea, bit of a problem there."

They sat there for a while, listening to Hermione breathing. "Ron?"

"Yea?"

"We need her."

Ron looked at Harry and scowled. "Don't you think I know that? I need her too."

Harry scowled. "Sorry."

"Quit apologizing, you specky git."

"But it's my fault –"

"Shut it. Now look, we chose to come with you. So you said the bastard's name. We only guessed that there was a trace on it. Now we know."

Harry wouldn't look at them. "But she paid the price for my mistake this time."

"Selfish bastard."

Harry turned and looked at Ron. Anger rolled across his flushed face. "Don't you get it? It wouldn't have mattered who she picked. She did it to break us. She just picked Hermione to take it out on. Now get your head out of your arse and figure out what we can do to win this damn thing."

"What about Hermione?"

"She'll wake and then we can work on a plan. We might not get at it immediately, but we'll figure that out once she wakes."

Harry turned back to the window. Any other time and it would be beautiful to look out of. "So hard," Harry muttered.

"I know mate. You didn't ask to have a maniac go mental. We just have to stop him."

"Can we?"

"Absolutely. Hermione believes in you, and I do too, no matter how much of a prat I am."

"You're not a prat. Part troll, but not a prat."

"Only to you and Hermione here."

Harry grinned weakly. "You need anything?"

Ron grimaced. "Yea, her. I need her, awake and sane. The rest we can deal with."

Harry grinned further. "Don't hurt her. She's my sister, after all."

"I don't plan on it."

"You never do, just happens."

They were quiet for a second. "Ron?"

"Yea?"

"You love her."

Ron knew it wasn't a question. "I do. I won't want to live without her."

"She know that?"

"I dunno."

"I do. She cried for weeks when you left, even when she didn't let me see her. Just kept her eyes in that damn book and reading even more. Barely slept, didn't eat."

Shame rolled across Ron's face.

"You're the only one who can really break her, and the only one who can heal her."

"Ya think?"

Harry got up to leave. Harry kissed his sister on her exposed forehead before gripping Ron's shoulder. "I know." He left, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Hermione, ya hear that. Even Harry knows I love you. Why don't you? Are you mental?"

He fought the lump in his throat. He couldn't break, not when she needed him.

"Come on, please wake. Don't you know I need you? I know you're a nightmare, but I want you to be my nightmare. I'm a git, but I want to make it right by you."

Ron watched as she shifted slightly on his body, squeezing his jumper in her tiny hand.

"You hear me, don't you? I know you're in there. Squeeze your hand twice for me. I'll tell you again if you do."

Tiny fingers gripped his jumper again, doing as he asked.

He hugged her tighter, fighting the emotion threatening to boil over. "I love you. I'll tell you daily if you come back to me. Please. I need you."

She gripped his jumper twice more. He couldn't stifle the chuckle. "I love you, you Barmy girl. I'm not going anywhere."