Not long after Pansy snuck out, Rose came in the room and shook Hermione awake. Hardly able to grasp her surroundings Hermione followed Rose downstairs, stumbling and rubbing her eyes open as they made their way to the general in the back corner of the tent.
"He wants to talk to you alone." Rose nudged her toward the curtained area.
Hermione sat on a chair next to Valant's bed inspecting the red mark across his chest. "I didn't realize it was that bad." She said in a low tone after a moment of silence.
"No, I am sorry… that I had to pull you into this…" The general paused to cough up blood while Hermione tried to conceal her unstoppable yawn.
"…sorry to wake you up." He managed with a half smile which Hermione reciprocated.
"At least there's worse ways to go. I've seen a lot of those myself." Hermione comforted him.
"I believe you." The general nodded. "I'm only saddened that I can't see this trough…" He continued to speak in short bursts that took much effort. "I'd like you to continue this struggle in my stead…"
"I couldn't…"
"…we are so close to victory…"
"Certainly one of your men is more capable and deserving to lead the group?" Hermione argued.
"…no one's more apt… and that's what matters… please… make sure the world doesn't suffer… the horrors in store…"
Hermione wasn't about to attach herself any more lost causes, certainly not this group of renegades that recruited her help in such a coarse manor, but she thought it'd be cruel to refuse a dying man's wish. "Ok then, I'll do my best." Hermione said after a pause.
"Thank you." The general said closing his eyes with a serene expression. Few moments later his breathing stopped and his arm fell limp off the bedside.
When Hermione emerged trough the curtain, Madame Rose and the entire group of surviving combatants crowded around her.
"He's dead." Hermione said to answer the question that hung in the air.
Everyone bowed their heads and there was a long unplanned silence before someone spoke. "What did he say?" The youngest man of the group asked.
"He said he was proud of all of you." Hermione lied.
"Yea but why did he wish to talk to you exactly?" The young lad asked until the broad-shouldered, large man pushed past him and trough the crowd up to Hermione. He squeezed her hand and thanked her once more.
Hermione was grateful for the interruption. "Not like I had a choice, I guess I had to help you." She said glancing over at Rose who only retracted backwards to let her pass.
Hermione felt a tremendous weight off her shoulder leaving that tent. The long struggle was over, and now it was finally time to recover. Sleep first, she thought yawning slowly up the staircase, her leg muscles cut down to half their usefulness and washed over by a dull ache with every step. And after a long, unbroken sleep she'd eat a big breakfast, she decided, than head down to the bus station in a leisurely manner to finally head home, finally see her parents. That scared her a little, but she was confident they'd still want to see their only daughter even after all the harsh words they exchanged when she left. They meant very little against the vast stretch of time they went trough together. Kind of like Pansy's childish ignorance, Hermione thought. She had forgotten all about the school days and the name calling while she watched Pansy quietly suffer. She seemed graceful in her suffering, though that may just be a dignified mirage coaxed out by affliction, none the less Hermione could not help herself but wish her well now. Perhaps she'd ask her to come along, she pondered bursting trough the attic door.
Pansy wasn't there though, not glued to the bed like Hermione had expected to see her, if fact there was a significant lack of her presence. Hermione hadn't seen her coming up here, nor was she in the bathroom, but there was a small note on the pillow, hastily scribbled on a napkin. Barely intelligible, it read:
Sorry, but I have to go. Thank you for everything. -Pansy
"Just like that…" Hermione crumpled the note in her fist and threw it aside feeling sorry that it had no weight to break something. She felt insulted and that quickly sobered her up and made her pack up her sparing possessions.
Pushing trough the iron gates it felt wrong not to say goodbye to Rose and others, even after everything, but it was a choice between that and catching up with Pansy, so Hermione ran for it.
She knew just where to look. Soon she spotted Pansy sitting on the bus station with "her" blue backpack hanging sideways on one shoulder. Hermione walked up to her and stood silently until Pansy finally noticed a presence and slowly gazed upwards.
Pansy gulped, she didn't have to hear Hermione say anything. She could see her nostrils flaring. "Hey…" She greeted weakly, wiping her lip with a napkin she held in her hand.
"Where did you get that?" Hermione calmly pointed to the backpack.
Pansy smirked at the stillness of Hermione's voice, thinking that Hermione wasn't furious after all. "Found it in the room. It was empty so I figured you got me one…"
"Yes, but I never gave it to you, did I?!" Hermione suddenly snapped.
Now Pansy felt it necessary to rise up so they'd be on the same eye level. Her pride kicked in so she dropped the blue backpack under Hermione's feet. "Here! Have it than!" She said angrily, than turned on her foot to walk off empty handed.
Hermione picked up the bag and went after her. "And where are you going now?!"
"Why do you care? You got what you came for, now leave me alone!" Pansy snapped rushing away trough the busy station.
Hermione was now painfully aware of the Muggle stares they gathered pushing trough the crowd so she ran up to Pansy and pulled her aside into a quiet corner beside a long wooden bench. "First, that's not what I came for!" She explained. "I just wanted to know why you left all of a sudden… and I think I deserve …" Hermione reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out the crumpled note. "…a better explanation than this!"
Pansy sighed, looking down at her shoes. Once more the truth wasn't an option, she realized as she brought her gaze back up to Hermione's eyes. She couldn't maintain the gaze for long though, so she looked down again. "I didn't ask you for any explanations, so don't expect one of me either."
"Alright… if that's the way you want it." Hermione said after a moment of silence. She handed Pansy her blue backpack and set off towards the exit.
Pansy stood there watching her walk off. Was this goodbye? Just like that? Come to think of it the way she left the inn wasn't all that better, Pansy realized bowing her head regretfully. She felt no right to go after Hermione, nor ask anything else from her.
Hermione swung open one side of the large double doors and gazed back trough the empty corridor. "You coming?" She yelled over as she kept the door ajar.
"Sure!" Pansy exclaimed without hesitation, her lips involuntary curving into a smile which she had to hide by wiping her lip which had actually stopped bleeding for quite some time now.
The next fifteen minutes went by in silence. Hermione was quiet, and Pansy didn't want to question her reasons for letting her tag along. She was just glad that everything seemed back on track.