So so sorry for the late update guys! was busy with final exams and stuff :( Hope you enjoy tho! Follow and comment~

"Are you serious, Granger?" Malfoy asked for a zillionth time that night as Hermione forced her eyes not to shut with fatigue.

"I am," she snapped, "now shut up and listen. You are going with me to the hospital wing tomorrow after Charms and you will stand guard outside the hospital wing or do anything necessary to keep Lavender out in case she comes by."

Malfoy nodded sullenly.

"As if I'm just but a page boy…" Hermione could hear him mutter. She shot him a glare and he immediately snapped to attention, peering at her cautiously through his pale long lashes.

"What about you?" He asked warily, "How're you going to pull this off?"

"Oh," Hermione smiled, "I've got a plan."


Well, to be honest, it wasn't such a grand plan Hermione had made it sound like when she was talking with Malfoy. She had conjured a flask similar to Ron's drinking bottle, poured the colorless antidote within it, and planned to smuggle it in without him noticing.

After Charms, according to plan, Hermione waved a quick goodbye to Ginny and Harry and left briskly for the Hospital Wing. Malfoy trailed a few feet behind her.

Soon, they reached their destination and both poked their heads round the door, eyes blinking back and forth to check for any other student within the vicinity. Hermione could feel Malfoy's cool breath blowing on her brown curls as he peered over her head. Their robes were not touching but Hermione could feel the warmth radiating off the wizard behind her, encircling her, comforting her. She could feel her cheeks go red at the proximity and her head getting dizzy.

Jabbing an elbow backward which possibly collided with Malfoy's stomach, Hermione relieved herself from her immense desire to faint in Malfoy's arms. A loud grunt came from behind as her sharp elbow came into contact with his abdomen.

"Bloody hell, Granger," Malfoy hissed, rubbing his sore stomach. Hermione ignored him, and willed her cheeks to go back to normal.

The coast was clear, and Madam Pomfrey was gone — probably to get a new supply of medicinal potions from Slughorn — and she had to act before it was too late.

"You stay here," she whispered, as she creeped into the ward without a sound. Ducking behind white linens and bed curtains, Hermione located Ron's water bottle, sitting on his bedside table. Ron was, as expected, sound asleep with his chest rising with with each loud grunt or snore.

"Accio water bottle!" Hermione flicked her wand at the bottle, and it came zooming over. Perfect. Part one of the plan was complete.

"Depulso antidote!" Hermione flicked her wand again, sending the faux water bottle with the antidote in it flying away to land softly on the bedside table. Great, now everything is in place and will work just the way it was supposed to when Ron would wake up and drink the antidote and —

"Won-won!" Lavender.

"Oww!" Malfoy.

The shriek and the yell were so loud it made Ron sit up groggily in bed, rubbing his eyes. Growling, Hermione sank down even closer to the ground, covering herself with white cloth from the bed curtains. As a flurry of robes rushed past accompanied by loud whimpers, Hermione caught sight of Malfoy, his arms stretched out placatingly.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed, his expression pained. His normally perfect platinum locks were unruly, sticking up and flattening down at odd angles. After she had satisfied herself in burning holes in his scalp with her eyes, Hermione turned back to see Lavender squawking and fluttering about like an angry hen.

"Where is the homework? I must've left it here — Oh Merlin's pants, McGonagall will skin me alive if I don't —" Hermione watched with wide eyes as her arms flailed precariously near the water bottle on the small table. Hermione was a hundred percent sure that the water bottle she had conjured had a slightly uneven opening that made the bottle cap unable to screw tight. It was one rule of magic, things couldn't entirely duplicate themselves through magic solely.

Crash! Lavender had finally connected. The bottle went crashing down, and Hermione could see the luminescent liquid flowing out incessantly, soaking into the carpet.
"Goddamnit Lavender!" Hermione sprang up from her hiding spot, startling the both of them. Before either could react, Hermione rushed forward and scooped up the leaking bottle. Malfoy, who had also heard Hermione scream, had pushed open the door with a sharp clang and stepped in.

"Wha—" Ron was the first to speak, though still blearily, "'Mione, Lavender…"

Lavender was eyeing Hermione with a sharp glint in her eye, though her lip trembled a bit as she assessed the situation. Hermione could tell Lavender had an inkling about what she was up to but was still unsure about it.

"Hi, Ron," Hermione caught her breath as she handed Ron the still leaking bottle, "Please, drink this, I —"

"Won-won," Lavender's voice was slick with honey as she cut in, "What is she doing here? And is she seriously asking you to drink that after its been leaking all over the carpet? Eww." She spat the last few syllables out as if they offended her.

Ron, who had originally stretched out a hand to accept the bottle, now retracted it. His eyes seemed misty as he looked at Lavender, his fingers reaching up to intertwine themselves within her golden tresses.

"You're right, of course," he said, "Granger, get out and stop intruding on my privacy. I never knew you were so… needy."

The words struck Hermione's heart like strips of lightning but after grimacing, Hermione pushed on. This wasn't the Ron she knew. This wasn't the blundering idiot who only cared about food. This wasn't the caring boy who had saved her over and over again throughout the war.

"Ron, look at me," Hermione pressed a hand to his, "Trust me, drink this." It was as if the clouds had cleared in Ron's vision as he took in Hermione's frame — as if it was the first time he had seen her in a while.

"Okay," he breathed finally, his fingers tugging free of Lavender and reaching for the bottle.

"No!" Claw-like hands stretched toward the bottle but a bolt of sparks hit Lavender before she could do more damage. Her hands clamped to her sides, her feet as well. Lavender fell hard, onto the carpet, her face down and still screaming, albeit a little muffled.

Hermione glanced backward, her eyes connecting with the pale grey chips behind. He gave her a little nod. Without her realizing, Malfoy had already came in quite some distance — a lot of distance actually. Their robes. Were literally. Touching. Hermione whipped her head back, her eyes wide and her face on fire.

"Drink!" She all but yelled at a bewildered Ron and nearly suffocated the poor boy by stuffing the bottle in his face. Luckily, there was still enough antidote in the glass after Hermione rescued it from the ground. A few heartbeats after Ron had downed the potion, and where Hermione watched his face breathlessly, he looked up. His eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at the brunette before him.

"Oh," his reddish eyelashes fluttered like he was about to faint, "shit."