Thank you so much for your patience! I had originally planned on updating this right after the last chapter was posted, but things got hairy over here in the real world and I had to take a step back. But I'm ready to get things going again!

I also want to thank you all for the encouragement and enthusiasm in your reviews, even with the last chapter being so scrawny. Many of you have expressed your feelings about whether or not Hermione will return to Hogwarts. That, and some other issues, will be resolved in the next few chapters. It's time to move on to more healing, don't you think?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter 28

With eyes shut tight and shoulders stretched to their limit as they bore most of his weight, Ron knew that it was crucial to not let go. He gritted his teeth against the cold, and the intense fear, that suddenly encased his body, and forced his eyes to open. The rain blurred his vision, but he saw Harry standing over him, waving his arms frantically and yelling at him to hurry, not that Ron needed telling as he was well aware of the urgency of the situation. Then Harry was pointing somewhere below Ron, towards the ground; he knew of the ball, the dark object that was hovering underneath him, ready to erupt any second, but there was something else in Harry's insistence that made Ron look back once more. Gripping the railing of the balcony even tighter to compensate for the shift in weight, he turned his head and looked down. His entire body jolted and he struggled to force words to come out of his mouth, but he couldn't; his mouth was open, but no sound came out.

There was Hermione, standing in the middle of the alleyway, hair soaked through and plastered to her forehead and neck. She was staring up at him with a smile so calm, yet unnatural that it chilled Ron to the bone, and her body was shaking so badly... But what made him feel the need to shout was what – or rather who – was behind her, approaching at a painstakingly slow pace. Black tattered robes dragged through the growing puddles of rainwater, a pale face framed by a mass of black hair, and a sneer clearly visible; a tongue running over rotting teeth: Bellatrix Lestrange.

Ron woke up with a start and, breathing heavily through his nose, raised his head off of his pillow to take in his surroundings; he was on his back in the same hospital bed in which he had fell asleep in just hours ago. Ron looked quickly to his left and saw the back of Hermione's head and her shoulder rise and fall with her every breath as she was clearly in a deep sleep.

Ron dropped his head back down and squeezed his eyes shut, groaning quietly. He had a feeling he would be having that same nightmare for a while. And although nothing will replace the recurring nightmares of hearing and seeing Hermione in Bellatrix's hands at Malfoy Manor, that nightmare had now fused with this new one; there was no escaping that bloody evil woman. Ron sighed and used his free hand to rub his face furiously, hoping to erase the image of that sick witch's face from his mind.

"Fucking hell," he muttered and stared at the ceiling for a few moments to calm down before turning to look at Hermione again.

She was curled up on her side, facing away from him, which Ron figured she must've done in her sleep. She was covered up to her neck in a white blanket and her hair was in a long plait down her back. He was about to reach for her when the door opened slowly with a low creak and Ron's head snapped toward the sound. Healer Smeltling quietly walked into the room and clicked the door shut behind her, then smiled when she noticed Ron was staring at her.

"Mr. Weasley, did I wake you?"

Ron let his breath out and shook his head, trying not to show how shaken he still was from his nightmare.

"No, I was already awake," Ron whispered back. He noticed as Smeltling walked further into the room that she wasn't with her usual clattering cart of potions and he almost laughed from relief.

"That's good because I was going to wake you anyhow. I'll be quick and as quiet as possible," she said, nodding her head at Hermione who was still sleeping soundly.

"Oh, right," Ron said, his eyes turning to Hermione and he smiled when she mumbled something in her sleep and rubbed her face in her pillow. Then he remembered the last thing Hermione had said before he fell asleep and frowned. Something about her not going back o Hogwarts…

"Is there something wrong? Do you need a moment?"

"No," Ron answered as he pulled his gaze from Hermione's sleeping back and looked at Smeltling's concerned face, which made him suddenly feel panicked. "Wait, is there something wrong? Was there another attack? Is it Ginny? Harry?"

"No, Mr. Weasley," Smeltling said quickly and held her hands up in front of her. "Nothing like that."

Ron ran his hand through his hair; he wasn't sure how many scares he would be able to take in one night.

She conjured a chair from thin air and sat down next to Ron's bedside with a clipboard in one hand and her wand in the other. Ron wondered what she could possibly want to speak about at – he glanced at the clock on the wall – half past midnight; if she wasn't there for his dose of wretched potions, then what was going on?

"I wanted to speak with you about your condition as I've recently found a new development in your case."

"A new development? Was I tested for something else?" Ron's heart started beating rapidly as he remembered her taking his blood that morning. "Oh Merlin, you did… Bloody hell."

As he thought of all the worst possible causes for Healer Smeltling to have this impromptu meeting with him, he didn't realize he had sat upright until he felt Hermione stir, her arse bumping his hip. She remained sleeping and for the Ron was glad. If he was going to learn of his demise at such an obscene hour, then he could at least let her rest before she heard the same dreadful news. He rubbed his fingers together and looked back at Smeltling anxiously.

"Don't try and soften the blow. I can take it," Ron said as bravely as he could, his voice shaking slightly. He could feel every major moment he had yet to experience start to slip away: becoming an Auror, getting married, and seeing Hermone pregnant with his child…

"How long have I got to live?" he asked and gulped, his eyes never leaving the Healer's.

"To live?... Oh, no, Mr. Weasley," Smeltling said, her voice quiet yet high with alarm as she reached out to touch his arm, "You're not going to die, I assure you. Goodness… It's quite the opposite, in fact."

"Bloody hell, you scared me," Ron muttered and let out a shuddering breath. He lowered his head into his hand, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you. I –"

Suddenly he looked up at her again, his eyes wide with shock. "Wait!" Ron whispered urgently. "I'm sitting up, aren't I? On my own…"

"Yes, you are," Smeltling said eagerly. She moved to the edge of her seat and stared at him expectantly. "This is what I wanted to speak with you about... How are you feeling right now, Mr. Weasley?"

Ron asked himself the same question as he surveyed his body, taking in not only the fact that he had sat up on his own – it was only hours ago that he had needed assistance from Harry to be able to do this – but he also realized that he was alert which should've meant that, with the lack of potions in his system, he should be feeling a lot more pain, particularly where his liver and spleen were ruptured. He slowly took a deep breath and held his hand against the bottom of his ribcage, expecting to feel the usual ache from his ruptured organs that came along with the alertness, but instead only felt the pain of his broken ribs and legs that were still on the mend.

"Can you tell me how you feel, Mr. Weasley?" Smeltling asked again.

"I… I feel okay I guess," he said uncertainly and shook his head in awe. "But how? Are my-"

"What's going on?"

Ron turned his head at the sound of Hermione's voice and the rustling of bed sheets as she sat up beside Ron, rubbing her eyes of sleep. She yawned and then leaned over to kiss his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Hermione muttered sleepily against him and looked up at him through half lidded eyes.

"Er, yeah. M'alright," Ron muttered back and watched her cheeks turn slightly pink. Ron heard Smeltling clear their throat which made Hermione jump and finally notice that there was someone else in the room, sitting on the other side of the bed. For a moment Ron had almost forgotten she was there as soon as he saw Hermione's face.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed and smoothed back her hair, trying to look presentable. "What time is it? Did something happen?"

"It's past midnight," Ron said. "Did we wake you?"

"Yes, but that's alright," Hermione said quickly and addressed Smeltling. "Is something the matter? Are those the results from his tests?"

"Yes, they are," Smeltling said and tapped her clipboard with her wand, "and I have some very… strange, but good, news."

Ron glanced at Hermione who gave him a small shrug of her shoulders and they both turned to Healer Smeltling.

"What do you mean, strange?" Hermione asked as she sat up on her knees to face the Healer. Ron felt her hand searching for his and he grabbed onto it, now grateful that she was awake for this.

"Well, as you know when you first came in you were first seen by Healer Gumlick-"

Hermione snorted and Ron squeezed her hand, telling her not to comment.

"-and when I took over as your Healer I continued where he left off. However, after studying the results tonight from your bloodwork and wand scans we did this morning I realized he may have been a bit… hasty with his diagnosis."

"What are you saying?" Ron asked, his nerves standing on end despite her early assurances that this was actually good news.

"The damage to your liver and spleen, while certainly present, was not as severe as previously diagnosed. At first I was worried because-"

"The potions," Hermione interrupted in a hushed voice and Ron worked out in his own mind why she was suddenly so stunned. "He was given a specific amount for his particular injuries… giving the wrong dose of any medicinal potion can be very dangerous." Hermione's voice had risen and Ron could see the panic in her eyes as she glared at Smeltling.

"Yes, I am aware of that," the young Healer replied calmly, as if she anticipated this response. "Which is why I was alarmed when I found out that I have been inadvertently overdosing one of my patients, obviously something that is not my practice. So came in to check on you," she said to Ron. "You have been progressing so rapidly. Honestly, I was surprised by your recovery so far, but I was worried that the excess healing potion would eventually make you worse, make things turn the other way."

"Why didn't I get worse then?" Ron asked right away, just as Hermione opened her mouth then swiftly shut it, letting Ron speak. "If that's the case then shouldn't there be more serious side effects? I just told you, I feel fine. Well, other than the broken bones…"

"Wait," Hermione said. "Is that why he has been so difficult?"

"Oi!" Ron exclaimed, feeling slightly offended by Hermione's observation… no matter how true her words were.

"I only meant that you were complaining about feeling hot and you were out of it most of the time," she said gently then addressed Smeltling once more. "Are you saying this actually helped him? How is that possible?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but it seems as if his body, instead of rejecting the extra potion, took it in and used it to speed up the healing. We've seen this before, but it's very rare."

"So… he's going to be alright?" Hermione asked, sounding skeptical, but hopeful and that was enough to make Ron feel it, too.

"Yes, I believe Mr. Weasley will be just fine," Smeltling answered with a warm smile and then stood up, placing her clipboard on the bed and gripping her wand. She looked at Ron and said, "If you wouldn't mind lying back so I can run a scan, I'd like to confirm my findings."

With Hermione standing by Ron's head, Smeltling's wand slowly traced over Ron's prone form, glowing from white to yellow, and then to red in the places where it found broken bones. Hermione's hand was on his shoulder and squeezed as the wand went over his chest and stomach. When the wand continued pulsing white Ron looked up at Hermione and saw the most brilliant smile on her face as she looked back at him, finally accepting that he was in fact healed.

"Well, that last dose must have finished the job," Healer Smeltling said as she pocketed her wand and picked up her clipboard and started writing furiously with her quill. "We caught it just in time. One more dose would have been too much I imagine."

"Thank goodness," Hermione said with a heavy sigh. "You're brilliant for figuring this out."

"I'm glad that I did," Smeltling said as she wrote and then looked at the pair of them. "But I was only doing my job. I'm very sorry this even happened."

"I'm not," Ron said and Hermione looked at him sharply. "What? She said I'm gonna be okay, Hermione. Let's not worry about what might've happened and just… try to be positive." Hermione sighed and then nodded, and Ron knew he would have to do more than that to convince her. Ron then turned to Smeltling, suddenly excited. "Speaking of, does this mean I'll be able to walk sooner? And use magic?"

"I don't see why not," Smeltling answered as she finished writing her notes and read over them. "You will no longer have to take the healing potion or the sleeping draught." She chuckled at Ron's triumphant laugh and took two vials of potions out of her robes. Ron's smile dropped like a stone. "But now you can take the full dose of Skele-Gro and the pain potion without complication," she continued, sounding entirely too happy about this, at least according to Ron who would rather drink Goblin piss… well, that might be an overstatement.

"How long will I have to take this stuff?" he asked as he took the first open vial from Smeltling.

"Just until your bones are fully healed; About a month or so. We will know for sure next time you come in for a check once a week. We can talk more about this in morning, of course."

"A month?" Hermione squealed, making them both turn to her. "But you said he wouldn't be fully recovered until at least Spring."

Healer Smeltling nodded her head and beamed at them. "Yes, but now that we only have to heal the bones I anticipate a speedy recovery from here on out. Of course, that is just estimation, but it is my strong opinion that you will be up and well before December. Now drink up."

Ron couldn't help the smile on his face as he chugged down both potions, and even though they tasted dreadful the good news he had just received could not make it go away. He was going to be okay! And not only that, he would be walking sooner than ever which meant he wouldn't have to sit in a bloody bed all day long. He vowed right then that he was going to work hard to fully heal way before December.

"Thank you for catching this in time," Hermione said to the Healer as she sat back down on the bed next to Ron, still in awe of the news. "I still can't believe it."

"Yeah, thanks," Ron said. "I guess I am lucky, huh?"

"Yes, very lucky. Get some more rest and I'll see you in the morning," Smeltling said as she pocketed the empty vials, opened the door then closed it quietly behind her with a soft click.

"This is just… amazing, I suppose."

"You suppose?" Ron said and then grabbed her hand. "This is a bloody miracle!"

"Are you sure you're feeling better?"

"Well my ribs and legs are sore, but my elbow is feeling great and I can breathe and…"

Hermione was still frowning and when Ron stopped talking she smiled, but once again Ron could see right through it.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked and sat up with her. She lifted the top half of the bed so he could sit back comfortably and then settled back on the bed next to him, staring down at her hands. She was acting so strangely that the celebration going on in Ron's head was petering out quite swiftly. He pulled her hand onto his lap and fixed her with a worrying look. "Do you think there could still be something wrong with me? Because if you believe that then I do too, and we'll get the Healer back in here to check again. We'll run more tests."

"Oh, no! That's not… This is the best news we could've hoped for. I'm just glad this mistake didn't end up hurting you. You really are lucky. If you had overdosed…"

"But I didn't," Ron said and pulled her in closer. She leaned her head on his shoulder, careful not to bump his leg with hers, and sighed.

"Yes, of course. I know you're right, I can't help but worry," she said as they both leaned back on the upright bed, snuggling closer together. "At least you can use magic now."

Ron was sitting back and enjoying feeling relaxed for the first time in the few days he spent in hospital, those days that now felt like weeks. However, after Hermione reminded him about being able to do magic again his eyes popped open and he sat up, groaning from the pain in his ribs that not even pain potion could hide. It subsided quickly and he turned to Hermione with a look of shock.

"What? What's the matter?" Hermione asked urgently, her hands sliding across his upper body, searching for signs of injury or a relapse.

"I can do magic!" Ron said and then grinned, ignoring her frustrated huff and rolling eyes.

"I thought something happened to you," she said with a loud sigh and sat back with her arms folded across her chest, but Ron was already looking around the room.

"Where's my wand? Could you find it for me? Please?" Ron asked and watched eagerly as Hermione slid off of the bed and searched through her bag.

"Here you are," she said, now sounding excited as she handed his wand over to him. She grinned at him and said, "It's only been three days. Did you miss it that much?"

"Did I miss it?" Ron asked incredulously and flicked his wand toward the counter across the room, levitating a scone out of one of the containers him mum had brought over from home.

"Ron!" Hermione tried to snatch the scone as it sailed towards Ron, but he grabbed it first and sank his teeth into it.

"Oh, come on. I'm allowed," Ron said with his mouth full when he saw Hermione's disapproving expression. "Sweet Merlin, that's so fucking good," he murmured as he chewed with his eyes closed, his tongue darting out to grab at the bits of crumbs that were clinging to his lips. "Fucking hell, I missed real food."

"Scones are n-"

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Shut it, I'm eating," Ron said with a grin and then shoved the rest of the scone in his mouth, savoring it and making all the appropriate sounds of a man whom one would swear was one breath away from starvation. Hermione shook her head at him and grinned back. When he was finished she leaned forward and kissed his lips, her tongue reaching into his mouth and he could taste her, making him moan for another reason besides his mum's delicious food. Hermione giggled against his mouth and then pulled away.

"Were you getting jealous of a scone?" Ron teased and Hermione chuckled. They sat grinning at each other until Hermione's face slowly turned serious once again.

"Ron, I need to talk to you about something."

Ron knew this was coming/ His elation over the savory food and Hermione's kiss was fast diminishing as she looked so nervous, and he debated how to go about this conversation. He thought he had done a pretty good job of navigating this new dynamic between them, with them finally getting together and not having to hide his feelings anymore. It should've been easy under normal circumstances. They've known each other for so long, they both now knew how the other felt, and all the past misunderstandings and miscommunications have been squashed and dealt with. But starting a relationship after the trauma they both experienced would've been hard on anyone. Sure, they had each other – he didn't know how he would've been able to survive the aftermath without her – but her anxiety, her unwillingness to let him help, and then letting him in only to shut down again, was really starting to worry him.

"Hermione, if this is about you going back to Hogwarts you don't' have to worry about that now." Ron said. "You heard the Healer. I'm going to be fine so you don't have to stay. You can go back just like you planned."

She gave him such a sad look and he wondered what he could've said to make thing even worse.

"You don't want me to stay with you?"

Ron rolled his eyes and groaned. Of course she would have taken what he said the wrong way." No, Hermione. That's not what I meant and you know it. Don't put words in my mouth."

"Well, what else could you have meant?" Her voice hitched as she sat up off of Ron's shoulder and glared at him. "We don't want to part, am I right? And I told you I'm not leaving, so what is the problem?"

"The problem is that I know how important school is for you! You'd regret it if you didn't finish, and so would I."

"But it's my decision, not yours, what I do with my life. And if I want to be with you then I think I have that right!"

"It is if you're staying because of me. I don't need that kind of guilt, Hermione." Ron took a breath, expecting her to lash out at him again. But when she only stared at him, her expression changing from indignant to hurt, he groaned again, frustrated that he wasn't getting through to her. "Look, I understand-"

"No, I don't think you do, Ron. Or else you would not tell me to just leave. Not like this."

"What do you mean, like this? What does that even mean? Is it your anxiety? Has it gotten worse? Fuck, of course it has. We were just attacked…"

He saw her flinch slightly and his heart sank, knowing that he had just struck a nerve, and also a bit of the truth. She bit her lip and turned away from him as if debating whether or not to go on. He rubbed his face, trying not to show his frustration because there seemed to be something else going on. He wanted to understand, and he did having had enough anxiety himself (how can one go through what they did without it affecting them that way?), but Hermione's was altogether different than anything he could comprehend. He didn't know how else to help snap her out of this and get back the pieces of Hermione that she obviously let slip away.

"Hermione, you said you wanted to talk, remember?" Ron said softly and placed his hand on her shoulder. He hated that he couldn't hug her properly; he couldn't hold her the way he wanted because she looked so broken at that moment. However, the contact seemed to startle her from her thoughts.

"I'm going to see the Mind Healer in the morning," she said suddenly, still not looking at him.

"Oh… Well, we did just go through all that shit two days ago... I reckon I'll need one soon myself," Ron said with a snort. "But I think that's great that you're going. I know how hard it was for you to go the first time."

She glanced back at him and he smiled at her encouragingly because now he knew for sure that there was more to it than that, but didn't want to push her. He wanted her to trust him, and at the same time trust her to open up without feeling forced to do so. She finally turned to look at him fully, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"You… should come with me."

"What? Really?" Ron was dumbfounded. Of all the things he thought she might say, that was not one of them.

"Yes," Hermione said slowly and nodded. "I think it'd be best if you were with me. It could help both of us. What do you think?"

He wanted to ask her why she needed him to go with her. Why couldn't she tell him what was wrong on her own, without someone else in the room? What else was she hiding from him? He stopped and told himself that this was her way of not hiding, that it was in fact her reaching out and wanting to help them both. So he felt encouraged by her invitation, wanting to do anything he could to help her, and he nodded.

"What time is the appointment?"

XXXXX

A/N: You know what this story is missing? Lemons. It's been a long time and this story is feeling quite parched. No worries, just a few more chapters, two at the most, and we'll be making fresh squeezed lemonade that will make you say "ahhh".

Thanks again for your patience. And thank you for reading and reviewing!