A/N: Hello, welcome back to my story, fellow fan fiction lover. I hope your day is going swell. My cat hates me. On with the chapter.
Chapter 7:
Ron ran as fast as he could in the direction of which the otter emerged. "HOLD ON 'MIONE! I'M COMING! JUST HOLD ON!" Ron shouted, hoping that she was okay, awake, and could hear him.
"HERMIONE?" Ron called as he entered the woods. 'Hermione, please just answer… Oh Merlin.' Ron continued in a straight line from where the otter exited. 'I have to find her, I just have to… Oh no, what if something happened to her? I never told her how I felt! She has to be alright… Please let her be alright.'
Ron started getting worried and overwhelmed. A tear slid down his cheek that he has been holding in since the flashback he had. After that one tear, he mentally kicked himself and choked the rest back.
He saw something familiar in up ahead, which was strange since Mom never let him go into the woods. It was brown and bushy… "HERMIONE!" He ran even faster, which he didn't know he was able to do, over to Hermione, laying lifeless on the forest floor. Seeing her like that was too much to handle. The tears returned and smeared down his face, he didn't care anymore. "Oh Merlin Hermione! What happened to you?" He whispered the second sentence. He lifted her shirt up to the wire of her bra and immediately saw a scar from the sting of the curse, he just didn't know what or who caused it.
"Don't worry 'Mione, I'm here, I'm here just hang on." Ron said through choked sobs. He pulled her shirt back down, then slipped one arm under her neck and one arm under the back of her knees. He picked her up and Ron nearly broke down when he felt her limp body in his arms. It was absolutely the worst feeling he had ever experienced. But he knew he couldn't break down, not now, not with her like this. He began running like there was lightning on his heels back in the direction of the burrow. He almost forgot what direction that was due to the a million and one thoughts radiating through his mind.
"Stay with me Hermione…" He said as he reached up two fingers to the pulse in her neck. It was slow.
"I know you can't hear me, but I love you 'Mione. I love you so much and I will make sure to tell you as soon as you get better. You have to get better, you aren't allowed to die. I wo- I won't let you!" Ron said to her, knowing she heard none of it. She started twitching and grimaced in her unconsciousness. "Yes! Like that! Wake up! You can do it!" But she stiffened and went limp again. 'NO! NO NO NO!' Ron started sobbing even harder than he was. But never stopped running.
Ron reached the edge of the woods, nearly collapsing with relief of seeing the burrow. 'Home stretch, stay with me Hermione.' He reached up and felt her pulse. It had gotten even slower. Or at least felt that way. Ron nearly vomited at the sight of her face going paler each second. He hated seeing her like this. Ron lost it.
"HEEEEEELP!" Hoping and praying to every deity that someone heard him. He was still sprinting. He called out again.
"HEEEEEELP! SOMEONE HELP, PLEASE!" Still, nobody came from the house. Then Hermione arched her back and gasped at an extremely high volume.
"HERMIONE?" But it was another unconscious act. He let out a thick sob before calling out to the burrow again.
"SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP ME PLEASE!" He then saw harry step outside and look around. Clearly able to hear the yelling, but no words to it.
"HARRY! OVER HERE PLEASE!" He screamed louder than he had ever screamed before. Harry turned toward them. The moment he realized who it was he took off in a sprint at them.
"RON!?… IS THAT-?"
"HERMIONE!" Ron finished.
Ron finally reached Harry.
"What happened?" Harry asked anxiously.
"I don't know! I found her like this! We have to get to Mom, come on!" Ron nearly shouted. Harry tried to take Hermione from his hands, and, if Ron was honest, he could use the help. But the jealousy took over him. And even though part of him knew that after her near-death experience, Hermione was likely to go and confess her love for Harry as soon as she woke up. So Ron wanted to hold her while he still could. So Ron jerked her away from where Harry was attempting to help.
"I've got her." Ron said harshly through clenched teeth.
"Okay mate, but let's go."
"Right, yeah…" Ron replied as they both continued sprinting to the burrow. Luna stepped out of the house as Ron and Harry were about 100 feet from the house. "Oh dear…" Luna said concerned. "MRS. WEASLEY!" She called as she ran into the house. Ron assumed that she explained what she saw because Molly came sprinting out the house toward her son, Harry, and Hermione. "OH MERLIN'S CHILD!" Molly Weasley exclaimed as she met up with her son. Ron managed to explain all he could through sobs. Mid-explanation, a girl with fiery red hair peeked out of the door and gasped.
"OH MY! MERLIN, HERMIONE!" Ginny basically shoved Harry full on out of the way on ran up to Hermione. "RON WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?"
"I. DON'T. KNOW!" Ron was tired of trying to tell people what happened when he barely knew anything himself. Ginny started silently crying as she stroked Hermione's forehead.
"Okay Ginny! I have to get her inside!" Molly said, moving her aside and taking Hermione from Ron's arms. Ron didn't want to let her go, but didn't say no to his mother.
Ginny ran over to Harry and wrapped him in a hug. She cried into his chest, and he stroked her smooth, red locks. Harry looked himself like he was fighting off tears. 'Maybe I don't have to be so jealous of Harry… I think he will take care of Ginny. At least he better or I'll strangle him. But… That doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings for him…' Ron stopped feeling sorry for himself. 'This is about 'Mione, not me.'
Ron ran inside to see Molly taking her shirt clean off while Neville sat in the background not knowing what to do or say. Luna was helping Mrs. Weasley. All Hermione had on was her bra, and the leggings that were still under her jeans that had gotten wet from the snow. Ron jogged up to the two.
"What happened to her Mom?" At first Molly looked as if she was going to tell Ron to leave due to the half-naked Hermione laying on the couch. But she didn't, instead she just answered him.
"One word. Cruciatus." Ron gasped audibly.
"Wha- How?" He said in shock.
"She must have gotten ambushed."
"By who?"
"How am I supposed to know Ronald!?"
"Will she be okay?"
"I hope."
"What does 'I hope' mean!"
"It mean's I don't know if she will or not Ronald!"
"Well there has to be something we can do."
"Yes, potions. But they don't always work. However, I promise you we will try Ron."
"She will be okay." Luna piped in, going over to pat Ron's arm reassuringly.
They spent that entire day tending to her wounds from the curse and giving her potions. But not once did she wake up… Ron tried to stop himself, but he couldn't help it, he began to lose hope…
~*~That Night~*~
Ron sat down in a chair at the edge of the couch and gripped Hermione's hand in his. He started to cry slowly and silently, staring into the fire. He gripped her hand tighter.
"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…" Ron whispered through sobs, never taking his eyes from the fire. That is, not until Hermione's hand twitched. Ron looked over at her, knowing that it was probably just an other unconscious act. Yet he was wrong. Hermione fluttered her eyes open. Instantly cringing from the pain still plaguing her.
"'Mione!" Ron cried and smiled the widest smile he has smiled in years. Getting on his knees he went up as close to her as possible.
"Hey Ron." She said with a smile, even through the pain. Ron smiled even wider and squeezed her hand.
A/N: There will be one more chapter after this, I hope you liked this chapter, even though it was pretty long. Either way, liked it or not, I still love your beautiful faces. Have an amazing day loves
