Harry Potter And The Summer Of Surprise-Chapter 43

Hermione Is Sick and Valentine's Day Preperations

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter.

"Oh, no. Not again!"

Hermione bolted from her chair and ran for the bathroom just as Harry entered their dormitory. He heard her retching in the toilet and followed her, getting there just as she finished.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I just have the stomach flu that's been going around," she said weakly as she flushed the mess down and stood. Harry thought about this for a minute. He didn't know about any stomach flu going around the school. He laid a hand on Hermione's forehead as she rinsed out her mouth.

"You don't have a fever, but maybe you should leave your homework and get into bed. Are you sure it's not..." he asked hopefully. Hermione shook her head.

"I'm not pregnant yet, Harry. I've got a cramp in my right calf." He looked confused. "I get them when I'm about to..." He nodded in understanding. "Besides, even if I were pregnant, it would be too soon for the morning sickness. No, I just have a stomach bug, but you may be right. I'll get in bed, but I won't leave my homework. It's almost the middle of January and we really need to get studying for our NEWT's. I can't afford to miss anything. Oh, God!" she finished weakly and shoved Harry out of the way, barely making it before she was sick once more.

When she was done, Harry handed her a glass of water and a towel.

"Harry, would you mind leaving?" she said suddenly. "There's something that I have to do." He felt slightly offended. After all, she had done just about everything in front of him in the bathroom already and he couldn't understand why she was asking him to get out now. "Please?" she begged with a bit of urgency in her voice now.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I just started and I don't want you to have to see it." She stood and shoved him out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He chuckled, relieved that it wasn't more serious, but still a little hurt that she had been so adamant about getting him out of the room. He set about gathering her books and parchments, and lay them on her nightstand. She came in a minute later, still a little green around her mouth and nose. She crawled into the bed and let him tuck the covers around her shoulders.

"I'll be alright, Harry." She yawned widely. "I just need a bit of a nap." She was out almost before she finished the sentence. Harry tiptoed out of the room and started his own homework, hoping to get his Potions assignment done before dinner time.

He glanced at the clock on the mantle an hour or so later and stood up, stretching his stiff muscles before checking on Hermione. She was still sound asleep, so he headed down to the Great Hall alone, but with every intention of having one of the school's house-elves take some soup to her when she woke up.

"Where's Hermione, Harry?" Ginny asked as he sat down across from her at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later.

"She's not feeling well, so I had her take a nap. I'll make sure that she gets something in her system later." Ginny and Ron exchanged knowing looks. Harry and Hermione had agreed to tell only their closest friends their plans, but apparantly Ron had gotten to Ginny first.

"Is she...?" Ginny gestured to her round stomach to indicate she was asking if the plan had been achieved. Harry shook his head.

"No, not yet. She just has a bug. And," he lowered his voice, not wanting the entire room to hear what was happening, "She started." Ron looked lost, and Ginny gave him a withering glance before she explained it to him. He had the grace to blush at his ignorance in that arena. Harry scooped some beef stew onto his plate and started eating, wanting to hurry back to his dorm in case Hermione needed him. He had gotten halfway through his plateful when he saw Ginny wave to someone at the enterance. He looked to see who it was and jumped up to help his fiancée to the table.

"Why didn't you stay in bed, 'Mione? I would have had Dobby, Winky or Kreacher bring you something." Hermione shook her bushy head.

"I'm fine, Harry. That nap made me feel much better." He knew she was lying, she had an unmistakeable green tinge all over her face as a result of her walk from the seventh floor. She grabbed hold of his arm as she slumped almost to the floor.

"Hermione!" Harry cried. Ron ran to help his friend. Harry picked her up and with Ron holding the doors and everyone else watching with a great deal of interest, he carried her out of the Great Hall and up to the Hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey.

"Harry, please get me out of here! I'm going stir crazy!" Harry took Hermione's hand and kissed the knuckles.

"I can't do that, 'Mione. Madam Pomfrey said that you can go back to the room in a few more days. She's just making sure that you won't get sick again." Hermione pulled her hand away to cross her arms.

"I had the flu, not mononucleosis. I've been here for two weeks, Harry, and I want out!" Madam Pomfrey came out of her office.

"Miss Granger, if you can't control yourself, Mr. Potter will have to leave." She took Hermione's pulse and temperature, then nodded and headed to check on one of her other three patients. Hermione glared at her back.

"If you can't control yourself, Mr. Potter will have to leave," she repeated in a nasty mocking tone. "That does it. I'm out of here." She threw back the covers and started to get out of bed, only to have Harry stop her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione, as much as I want you back in the dorm with me, I want you to be healthy more. Please, be patient and wait for Madam Pomfrey to release you. Look," he said, leaning over to pick up his school bag. "I have your assignments for you." His fiancée made a mad grab for the books that he pulled out.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "Now I'll have my Runes to work on. And Herbology," she added when he handed her the assignment list that he had written out.

"As well as Transfiguration, Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts," Harry finished. "By the by, Professor Sprout says for you to hurry up and get back out into the greenhouses. She has a special project coming up for Valentine's Day and she needs the entire class there." He stood up and leaned down to kiss her.

"Now I have to go. Quidditch practice tonight. We want to be good to beat the new Ravenclaw team. Remember, most of them either left or transfered to another school, so we don't really know what to expect from them." She nodded unhappily as she was missing out on the practices and waved as Harry shouldered his bag and walked out of the Hospital wing. Harry breathed a sigh of relief that he was able to keep Hermione in her bed. He had begun making plans for their first Valentine's Day together and didn't want her to see them before the actual day. He felt bad that he'd lied to her about having Quidditch practice, but she may have questioned any other excuse he could have come up with. He hurried up to their dormitory, breaking up a fight between two third year girls along the way. (He couldn't shake the feeling that they were staring dreamily after him as he left.)

He arrived on the seventh floor slightly out of breath, meeting Ron and Luna at the portrait of the witch and wizard, who were still facing off inside their shared frame. He softly gave them the password after stepping as close to the wall as he could without actually climbing it and hurried his friends inside when the portrait swung open.

"What's this all about, mate?" Ron asked, sitting down on the couch and pointing to the list on the side table. Harry picked it up.

"Well, it's stuff that I still have to buy, make, or do before Madam Pomfrey releases Hermione," he said worriedly. Luna looked over his shoulder.

"I can help with this one," she said in her dreamy tone, indicating the item of making a special dinner for just the two of them. Harry smiled.

"Thanks, Luna, but Dobby and Winky are going to be taking care of that. I asked them just before I went to see Hermione. How about this one?" He ran a finger down to decorations. Luna nodded happily.

"Ronald and I can both help with the decorations," she said. Ron looked apprehensive.

"You mean a lot of pink hearts and lace? Count me out. I don't do hearts." Harry laughed.

"No. I don't want all the gushy stuff. Just simple things like candles, roses, maybe one or two hearts, but I want it to remain understated. She's just getting over being sick, and I don't need her to be overwhelmed. She might end up back in the Hospital wing. Besides, pink may be one of her favorite colors, but it isn't mine. Let's stick with red."

They divied up the chores that were left and after Harry won the argument that he would pay for everything as it was his surprise they were planning, Ron and Luna left to go for a walk before dark. Harry sat down on the couch and studied the list. He had a picture in his head of how he wanted it to be, and just hoped that the three of them could pull it off.