Blind

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form…trust me.

Summery:Hermione is now in her sixth year and she and her friends are preparing for the war to come. One night, while brewing a potion, something happens that causes Hermione to begin to lose her sight and find an unlikely friend in the darkness.

Chapter 10

"What is going on here?" Snape asked silkily as he surveyed the scene around him. Two of his precious Slytherin students were standing, side-by-side, their jaws locked and glaring at the school's two remaining Weasleys and Potter.

"I haven't the slightest idea," McGonagall said honestly from his side. The students hadn't even given either Professor a glance. It was as if they weren't there at all. "I'm sure this all has something to do with Miss Granger but I'm not exactly sure how…well-" she glanced at Malfoy and Blaise.

"Hermione's our friend," Ginny said hotly before Snape could say anything. "We know her better than either of you! The last thing she'd ever do is date one of you two losers!"

"You don't know what Hermione would do!" Blaise returned with a glare. He threw a sour look at both Ron and Harry. "They don't even know why she's in there."

"Neither do you," Harry said evenly with a sour look of his own.

"I know more than you think, Potter. If you're such good friends," he drew out the word nastily. "With Hermione, then tell me what she's been up to this year. Why hasn't she been in any of our double classes?"

"She's been taking advanced courses," Ron said suddenly. "She is, after all, a brilliant muggleborn witch." He seemed to think the reminder of Hermione's birth parents being muggles would drive the two off. He was mistaken.

"Wrong, Weasel," Draco said softly. He gave the three Gryffindors a look that would have freaked out Voldemort himself. "Hermione's blind. She's been taking special classes so you wouldn't find out and the young Weaslette over there has been helping her lie to you all year long."

"Stuff it, Malfoy," Harry said firmly. He opened his mouth to say more but was interrupted.

"No, Harry," Ginny said suddenly causing her brother, Harry, the two Slytherins, and the two Professors to give her a questioning stare. "He's telling the truth. Remember when Hermione stayed up late because she wanted to play around with a potion she'd found in one of the old textbooks? Well, she tried the potion and got it wrong. It blew up in her face and she ended up losing her sight because of it. I've been helping her keep it a secret." Harry and Ron looked shocked but before anyone could say anything, Harry recovered.

"So the entire time she's been in 'special' classes she was-"

"Taking the same classes as you but separately. She wanted you guys to concentrate on Voldemort instead of worrying about her."

"Are you kidding me?" Harry bellowed. "Anything could have happened to her, Ginny. Anything! How could you lie to us like that? Hermione's our friend! She shouldn't have had to go through that alone!"

"She just wanted to protect you two!" Ginny shouted back.

"We protect her, Ginny!" Ron interrupted just as angry as Harry. "That's how it works with us. You should have told us!"

"That's exactly what she didn't want," Ginny argued. "She didn't want you two hovering over her and not concentrating on training! She wanted you to be prepared!"

"At the expense of losing her?" Harry returned. Ginny was silent.

"Severus, Minerva, what have we here?" Dumbledore asked taking the group by surprise. "I seem to be hearing a lot of shouting now that we've calmed Miss Granger."

The group of students frowned. They'd been so caught up in attacking one another that they hadn't realized that Hermione's screams had stopped. They took the sight of the three Professors standing in front of the infirmary door with great surprise too. Exactly how long had they been there, they wondered.

"Albus," McGonagall said letting out a sigh of relief. "So glad you're here. We've got a bit of a situation."

"Oh really?" asked Dumbledore pleasantly. "Well, let's get to the bottom of it, shall we? Now, I believe I'll start with Severus' students if he doesn't mind?" Snape nodded.

"Very well," Dumbledore nodded. "Now, Mr. Zabini, Mr. Malfoy, would you care to tell me what's happening here?"

"Not really," Blaise muttered honestly looking anywhere but the headmasters face.

Blaise hated Dumbledore's face. It was a grandfather's face, full of kindness, warmth, and happiness. It made you want to spill your guts and punish yourself for every indecent thought that ran through your head from stealing candies to checking out the cute girl at the Wizarding Robes shop.

"Oh come now," Dumbledore coaxed gently. "I won't judge."

"How can you not?" Malfoy asked with a grimace. "Saint Potter's your favorite student. Everyone knows that." Dumbledore was silent for a moment. He seemed to find Malfoy's statement something of a shock.

"I have no favorite students, Mr. Malfoy. There are some who get more attention from me than most, yes, but those are the students who truly need me. Have you ever felt that you truly needed my guidance in anything?" he nailed Malfoy to the spot with a penetrating stare so intense that Blaise felt the heat just standing next to the other boy.

"No," Malfoy admitted slowly.

"Then why would I burden you with my old stories of encouragement when you clearly felt you needed none?" Malfoy had no reply to that so Dumbledore returned his attention to Blaise. "Now," he said still giving the friendly smile he held for many students. "Would anyone care to share?"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," Hermione muttered upon waking. She tried to open her eyes but found that they had been covered with bandages. "Um, Madame Pomfrey?" there was a slight tremor in her voice.

"Coming dear," answered the nurse. Her footsteps became louder and soon she was at Hermione's side. "Yes dear?"

"What's going on? What happened? Did you give me a sleeping drought? My mouth's dry." Madame Pomfrey chuckled and Hermione soon found her hand holding a mug of cold water.

"Drink this," Madame Pomfrey said kindly. "Severus' potions do have a tendency to give cotton mouth." Hermione did as she was told and instantly felt a little better.

"Thanks," she said gratefully.

"The potion is leaking from your eyes," Madame Pomfrey told Hermione after a few moments of silence. "The pain you felt earlier was from the potion traveling back through your body so that it could exit your body the way it came in." Hermione frowned through her bandaging.

"Does-does this mean-?"

"We're not sure what it means," Madame Pomfrey admitted. "Right now all we can do is keep you comfortable. You're welcome to see your friends anytime now that you've been through the worst of it. If I'm not mistaken, Albus, Minerva, and Severus are speaking to them now just outside of the infirmary."

Dumbledore nodded as Draco and Blaise finished their side of the story. There was more to it, that he was sure of, but he never ceased to be amazed at the things his students thought they could keep from him. He inwardly chuckled. The youthful exuberance of these boys, ah, it brought a tear to ones eye.

"Alright," Dumbledore said kindly. "Thank you. Minerva, I'll speak to your students next, if you don't mind." McGonagall nodded.

"Go ahead," she gestured to her three students. "Explain yourselves."

"Not much to say," Ginny said grudgingly. "We all know how it began. We just don't want them anywhere near Hermione. They've done nothing but cause trouble every year-"

"I do believe you're mistaking us for your twin brothers," Draco interjected stiffly.

"Anyway," Ginny said forcefully glaring openly at Malfoy for his interruption. "We just don't trust them Professors and, honestly, with the history between us, not to mention our houses, can you blame us?"

"No we cannot," Dumbledore agreed quietly. Blaise swore and Draco glared.

"I knew it!" he accused. "I knew you were going to do this-"

"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said not taking his eyes from Ginny and raising a hand for silence. "I have not finished. Now, Miss Weasley, I'm afraid that who your friend sees is not really something you can determine. We will leave this to Miss Granger and to insure that nothing…untoward occurs. Madame Pomfrey will be around whenever Miss Granger has a visitor." Ginny said nothing but gave the headmaster a hard stare and a stiff nod.

"Fine," both Ron and Harry agreed just as stiffly. They turned as the door to the infirmary opened.

"Albus," Madame Pomfrey said sticking her head out of the open door. "Miss Granger would like to see her friends."

"That means us," Ron said giving Blaise and Draco a hard stare. With that he turned and led Harry and Ginny into the infirmary.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked quietly. Hermione's head whipped in her direction.

"Gin? Ginny, is that you?" Hermione asked. Instead of an answer there was a muffled sob and Hermione found two arms wrapped around her person.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Ginny's voice reached her ears as the younger girl hugged her as though she hadn't seen her in years. "I'm so sorry. I should've stayed with you. I'm so sorry."

"Ginny, it's not your fault. It's okay. I'll explain everything, just-just calm down."

"Yeah, I'd say you have a lot of explaining to do," came Harry's voice. Hermione blanched and she felt Ginny's arms stiffen around her.

"Harry," the younger girl said as though she hadn't been crying a second ago. "Harry, leave it alone for now."

"No. I think it's time that Ron and I know the truth. All of it."

"Harry," Ginny said in a voice that reminded Hermione of Mrs. Weasley when she was angry with her children. "You upset her right now and I swear to Merlin that I will chop off your body parts one by one and feed them to Hagrid's new pets."

AN: Okay, not as long as I had hoped for but I can only fluff a story so much. Hope you like and again, I'll work insanely hard for the next couple of chapters! Later!