Chapter Fourteen – Insanity
"Seamus, I, uh, have to go out somewhere," Hermione sighed. She had spent some time in the bathroom just brushing her teeth clean, and drying her eyes. It probably would not be able to fool Seamus though. Her nose was a nice shade of pink, and her eyes were watery and red. She looked as if, in fact, she had just spent ten or fifteen minutes in the bathroom crying. Either that, or she had suddenly received a cold, and she was blowing her nose for ten or fifteen minutes. However, in any case, she knew that he would look at her and know something was the matter. "It's, uh, a bit of an emergency. I don't know when I'll be back, so don't wait up with supper or anything."
"Okay," Seamus replied, looking up from the newspaper that he was reading in his favorite—his only—recliner chair. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her face, her red puffy cheeks and eyes, and her nose worthy of being dubbed Rudolph, with a look of sympathetic concern on his face. "What's going on? Did someone die? Oh, don't tell me it's one of your friends? Or is someone sick? Because you look as though you've been crying for a while. And you're not normally one to cry, are you?" He frowned at her, and she shook her head.
Someone isn't dead. But someone is dying. And someone is definitely ill, Hermione thought with a sick smile plastered onto her face for a moment. She laughed, a sick laugh that matched her smile, and shook her head once more. "No. None of my friends are dead, and none of them are ill. Yes, I was crying, but it wasn't because of that. I was bleeding. And I don't like blood, so I was upset and started crying," she said. And all of that was the truth. It wasn't the whole truth, but no one could accuse her of lying—since she wasn't. Technically speaking, of course.
"What's the emergency, then?" Seamus asked, folding his newspaper up and peering at her with wide eyes. He looked honestly concerned. But that question was a problem. Hermione usually never resorted to lying. Maybe she could weasel out of this with out actually lying. Yes. Maybe she could tell him where she really was going, and he wouldn't ask anymore questions. But that was unlikely. Seamus was always apprehensive where Hermione was concerned. At least he was now. Why else would he be asking all of these questions now?
"I'm going to the hospital. I'm going to see someone," she answered smugly, hoping that the smug sound of her voice did not show up on her face. Once again, she had done it. She had told the truth without telling all of it. Maybe it was a talent or something. She was indeed going to go to the hospital. To see a Healer—at St. Mungos, this time. Of course, she planned on making a few pit stops along the way there. Now that it was out in the open, she might as well bring everyone up to date on what she thought was going on with her body. Of course, there wouldn't be any promises that what she thought was happening really was.
"Okay. Give my regards to whoever you're visiting," Seamus shrugged, and Hermione smiled, nodding. She couldn't believed that it had actually worked. She was talented. "Oh, and tell whoever you're visiting that I say hi. Well, if I know them." Hermione rolled her eyes, but nodded. Of course. She'd tell the Healer that Seamus Finnegan says hello as she's trying to explain her situation to them. That would get a laugh. This girl with cancer came in and told me that some man said hello to me. The name doesn't even sound familiar. And she just came right out and said that this man said hi.
She apparated, and appeared outside of her oh-so-favorite person's house. Well, at this point in time. She rang the doorbell and waited, licking her teeth nervously. They tasted like cinnamon, after all the time she spent brushing them. Better that then the salty tasting blood. She had never liked the taste of blood—nor did she like the look of blood. But after being exposed enough to it—wars, treatments, etc.—she had gotten used to the red bodily liquid.
The door opened a crack, and one of the twins looked out at the brunette. "Hermione," Fred said quietly, and opened the door all of the way. "Come in, come in. What are you doing here? George is in his room, if you're looking for him. You know where it is, don't you? And, uh, how are you feeling? George told me—well… everyone—that you have…uh, cancer. He said that's why you had originally left."
Hermione smiled, pushing past him into the house. "I'm… feeling, uh… peachy. Unfortunately, I don't remember where George's room is, so if you could just lead the way?" she asked, pulling lightly on her sleeves. "Thank you for asking, by the way. I didn't think you would. Because… well, you're Fred Weasley. You're never serious. So, thank you."
"You're welcome," Fred replied, and starting walking towards the hallway. It wasn't long until he stopped in front of a door and gestured towards it. "I'll be around if you need me. Meg's here too, so you can call her if you need anything. She won't mind. She likes you." He chuckled and turned around to leave. "I'll have to warn you though… I think George is a little, um, upset. At you. Whatever you did the other day really killed him. He's not even funny anymore. I have to think of new inventions, new items that the customers would like, all by myself. So, I think you might try a little bit to be able to talk."
"Oh," Hermione sighed. "All right then. Thanks. Oh, and you won't mind if I borrowed him for a little bit, once I get him talking? I don't know how long I'll be, but he'll most likely be back tonight." Fred cocked an eyebrow, more amused than anything—she didn't even want to know what he was thinking at that moment—and shrugged. She took that as a No, I don't mind, and knocked on George's door. No answer. So, she opened the door. Well, usually most people wait for an answer before barging in, especially when you are not related to that person. But she wasn't about to wait for him to crawl out of his shell.
"George, I need to talk to you," she said, coming into the room. George sat on his bed, just lying there, looking at the ceiling. At least, he was until Hermione entered his bedroom. He stared at her, sitting up quickly as soon as it processed in his brain that it was Hermione Granger in his bedroom. At least he was fully clothed. But he didn't say anything. He just stared at her as if she had ten heads, all repeating the Table of Elements.
"I can't believe that you told everyone that I have cancer. I cannot believe you did that. I went over to the Burrow for lunch today, and guess what? Ginny started crying. Ron almost started crying. I had to leave because I felt so bad that I had made them cry, George," she said angrily, and he continued to just stare at her. "Listen, I'm sorry about the other day. Alright? I'm sorry. But that gave you no right to go and tell everyone about me. I kept it a secret for so long, and then you had to go and tell everyone because I said that we couldn't be friends anymore. But I decided to let you off, and tell you something that I haven't told anyone else yet. I think I might be having a relapse. My gums were bleeding, and I'm even… sicklier than before. And I'm only calm because I already spent a while crying. But I'm going to go—"
"Wait, what?" George sputtered, jumping up off of the bed. He walked towards Hermione and stared down at her, his expression turned dark. "Hermione, you're not serious. You're joking. You're trying to get back at me for telling my family that you have cancer. You're just joking." He laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. He looked away from her for a moment, shaking his head.
"George. I'm not joking," Hermione replied, seriously. "Now, if you'll let me continue. I'm going to St. Mungos right now to go ask a Healer to, uh, check me out. But I didn't want to go alone. I wouldn't be able to handle it, I think. The first time was difficult. So, would you like to go with me to keep me company? As friends? I would really appreciate it. Besides… I was sorry that I told you that we couldn't be friends too."
"I would say that I'd like that, but I don't think that is exactly appropriate to say in a situation such as this," George said, but he couldn't help trying to hide his grin. Hermione smiled at this, and shook her head.
"You're hopeless. Come on," she said, and held out her hand. George hesitantly took it, and they apparated to St. Mungos.
"So, you're saying that you went to a hospital up in Wales to have your first treatment?" the Healer, a tall man with dark brown hair and a large mustache, asked Hermione. She crossed her arms and nodded in away that said, Duh, that's what I told you. He was an older man, probably in his fifties or sixties. No wonder he had to repeat everything she told him. "Okay, and you originally loved here, in London, when you first found out that you had cancer, but you went to a muggle hospital, not here? But you're coming here now because you think that you had a relapse, and you don't want to go to a muggle hospital?"
"Give the man a prize," Hermione muttered under her breath, loud enough for George, who was standing directly in back of her, to hear. He chuckled, and the Healer looked at him as if he needed a check out to, since nothing he said was all that funny. You could just tell by the look on his face that he thought George was a lunatic of sorts. "Yes, that's correct, sir." Again, under her breath, she added, "It's only the third time I told you that."
"We'll see if we can get you a room, and if we can get any Healer to attempt to remove the cancer with a potion. We usually don't get that many cancer patients, so the potions are in low supply. Otherwise, if we don't have time to make a potion, you may have to go back to the muggle hospital. I will contact the other Healers and see if they have any potions in stock. Basically, the potion slows down the cancer without affecting your body. But it can sometimes work the other way if the potion is made too quickly. It can worsen the disease. So, if we do not have any potions, that may be why you want to go to a muggle hospital instead. The potion takes awhile to make," the Healer said, and Hermione sighed, walking away to sit down in one of the chairs near the receptionist desk. The Healer walked away in the opposite direction, scratching his head as he looked at George one last time as the redhead sat down next to Hermione.
"That guy was incredibly dumb. I think I told him the same story three times, and he had to repeat it to me to make sure that he got the whole story correct. And he definitely thought you were a nutcase. I could tell that he wanted to send you up to that Healer that helped Lockhart. You laughed at my, uh, joke, and he thought you were laughing at something he said," Hermione laughed, and George smiled.
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time someone wanted to get me checked out. I'm pretty sure Mum wanted to send Fred and me to a Healer," he told her, and she sighed. Mrs. Weasley. She had forgotten about her. If Mrs. Weasley found out that she was hear, she would go crazy. Not because she was mad. No. Because Hermione was sick.
"I'm pretty sure there was a time that I thought the exact same thing. I just can't remember. I only remember the past few weeks. The good times we've had," she said. "You know… this is why I told you we couldn't be friends. I didn't want to have a relapse. I didn't want to end up dying, and then you'd be… depressed. You were never supposed to fall in love with me, either. For the same reasons, I guess. Bad things happen when you fall in love with someone who is bound to die in a few months."
"You're not going to die," George said. He sounded so sure. Hermione smirked.
"Of course I'm not," she sneered, sounding as if she had simply forgotten a true statement. She shook her head, her thin hair flying as she did so. "Not that it would matter much. I'm kind of used to the fact now that I'm weaker than ever before, and I'm going completely insane."
"Why are you going insane?" George questioned, looking entirely confused.
"Because—"
"I'm sorry to interrupt," the Healer said. He had returned with a clipboard in his hand, and he looked distraught. "But I'm sad to inform you that we do not have any potions in stock as of now. We recommend that you go to visit the muggle hospital. They will surely accommodate you." He nodded to them both, and started to walk away.
"Seamus says hi!" Hermione called after him, and he looked back at her. Yep, they were both crazy.
"Well, that stinks. We'll go to the muggle hospital, they will test you to see if you had a relapse, and if necessary we will go to Wales and get you that new treatment," George decided, and Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.
"We will go to Wales?" Hermione asked.
"Well, sure. You said that the first time when you went alone it was difficult. So, why can't I go with you? Besides, I've never been to Wales. Fred can handle the shop with Meg, and I will go with you to Wales. I know I won't be able to be in the room with you all the time, but I can try to stay in the room with you for as long as I can," he shrugged. "Now what were you saying about being completely insane?"
Hermione stared at him for a second. But then, she did something that she would have regretted doing if it hadn't been George. She kissed him. In public, in the middle of St. Mungos' lobby, on the lips. She, even though she wasn't that much shorter than George, had to stand on her toes. She pulled away, blushing for a second before saying with a smile, "That's why I'm completely insane. And that's why I said we couldn't be friends."
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Author's Note: Hallelujah! It's a miracle! Wow. It took fourteen chapters, but she finally did it. Bwah ha ha! I am very proud of this chapter! And I updated so quickly! So now, you can't bug me about not updating fast enough. Because I was fast. But I really do like this chapter. I hope you do too!
Happy reading!