Anything. I'll do anything. I'll never go back there. I'll never ask for anything ever again. But he has to be ok. He has to be ok. He has to be ok. I'll be good about Lavender. I won't ever fight with him again. I promise. He can't. He can't. He has to be ok.
Hermione bargained with the Almighty, or whatever there was to bargain with, for all she was worth. She'd listened to Harry's explanation several times now but she still couldn't take it in. She just kept thinking about that awful moment when The Spot had died. Her mind was racing. She didn't trust herself to make any sort of sense. She was thankful no one seemed to need her to talk. Harry and Ginny paced outside the doors but she thought even that much movement might make her be sick.
Please. I won't ever expect anything more than friendship again. Please.
The idea that she'd worried about Ron and Lavender seemed laughable now. Ron with someone else versus no Ron at all? There was no contest. Come to think of it there was no contest between The Real Ron and The Hot Spot either and even if there had been, it was clear now that she couldn't have one without the other. How could she had been so stupid as to think that any of it mattered? How could she have wasted time fighting with him?
I'll never fight with him again.
In the hours they waited outside the Hospital Wing doors Hermione had time to think about many things. She was heartily sorry she'd ended the truce he'd offered. She might not know how the argument had started but why had she prolonged it? It wasn't Ron's fault he'd hurt her so much with his comments on her romance. He didn't know he was the mystery bloke-with-girlfriend she was involved with. He was just trying to be a good friend and he'd done a good job of it too if you looked at it objectively. She could see that now. It was her own silly fault that she wanted more than that. She hadn't managed to be as good a friend to him. When had she even been slightly understanding about Lavender?
I'll make friends with Lavender if he wakes up. I'll find some way to like her.
She was so selfish and thoughtless. She'd never even seriously thought about how The Spot might have worked. A tiny, petty, part of her was pleased that it had some connection to Actual Ron. On some level she'd been worried it was all in her head despite Ginny's similar experience. But what if what she had done was part of some Dark Magic and had weakened him at the crucial moment he was poisoned?
I'll never go near it again if he just gets better.
Eventually they were allowed in to see him at around the time the twins arrived from Hogsmeade. She starred at Ron lying there. Now that she could see that he was breathing her irrational fear that he was really dead and no one had yet told them abated. He looked awful. He was a sort of grey colour and kept mumbling in his sleep as if he was having a bad dream.
She was having to resist the urge to tidy his hair. Why did she do that? Why was she always correcting him? Why was she always so harsh towards him? Of course he'd prefer Lavender who was capable of showing him she thought he was great. Why did she have to criticise every little thing? Like his language. What she wouldn't do to hear him swear now?
Come on Ron tell us all to eff off and let you sleep.
Nothing. And she'd take anything.
Just wake up and be Ron. That's all I ask: for you to be Ron.
In the background of her attempts to wake Ron with her mind she could hear Harry explaining what happened to the twins. She'd heard it each time but this time it seemed she could connect the words as more that meaningless sounds. This time it sank in. Who could possibly think Slughorn would pass on a good gift? He never did. It would be a stupid plan. Without realising she was doing it she said as much out loud, speaking for the first time in hours. Her voice sounded awful, like it does first thing in the morning.
"Er-my-nee" croaked Ron.
Everyone starred. Hermione valiantly resisted the urge to throw herself on his chest and weep with relief. Her name! It was so much better than eff off!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I won't go back to the Stacks. Just Ron, as he is, from now on.
Even as she thought this her body betrayed her good intentions. She used the distraction of Hagrid's dramatic entrance to discretely tidy Ron's unruly hair.
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A/N Directly after I accidentally uploaded the last chapter my laptop succumbed to some major technical difficulties so I never got to write a note for it. In it I mentioned some rotating quaffle cuff links which is an idea I borrowed from Graeliars Rose and Scorpius story The Birthday Present. The story is a work of comic genius, go and read it and leave lovely reviews! There will be one more chapter of this story which I hope to have up soon. Thanks to all of you who've read, reviewed, followed and favorited (is that a word?) this story. It really means a lot to me, particularly as it's my first story. Sorry to those who I haven't replied to in person I plead technical difficulties. And I can't remember who asked but I couldn't work out how to reply to you, yes "gnome is well and truly out of the shrubbery" did indeed come out of my very own noggin.
Disclaimer: For this chapter particularly I feel the need to say again things you recognise belong to J K Rowling, I just play here.
