Hermione and Severus were sitting in his dormitory just happy to be with
each other with silence for once when there was a soft knock on the door.
Severus sighed and rose regretfully to open the door. When he opened it he
glared hard at the red head standing there.
"What do you want?" he hissed dangerously.
Ron didn't meat his eyes. Instead he looked at the floor. "I- I wanted to- to talk to Hermione," he said softly.
Hermione rose from where she was on the couch and stood behind Severus.
"What about?" Severus asked suspiciously.
Ron started mumbling something and shifting his feet. "I just wanted. to talk to her in private real quick."
"Hermione?" Severus turned to her questioningly.
Hermione looked at him and then at Ron and nodded to Severus, "I'll be alright. I'll just talk to him real quick."
Severus nodded, gave Ron a glare, and let Hermione pass out into the hall.
Hermione stepped out and Severus slowly closed the door as to give the some privacy.
Ron looked at Hermione and then back down at the floor. "Hermione, I just wanted to say, well, I'm really sorry. I've been a real prick these last two days and I'm really sorry."
"You really hurt me, Ron," Hermione said quietly.
"I know and I'm sorry. I promise never to get like that again! Can I make it up to you?"
Hermione smiled slightly. She really never had heard Ron say a true apology before, so she could forgive him this time. "I forgive you Ron. You don't have to make it up to me. As long as you're my friend. That's enough."
Ron looked up, relief in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm your friend. And I promise to be a better friend from now on."
Hermione threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Ron."
He hugged her back. "Yeah, well, it's the least I could do. I finally got some since knocked into me. It took about three beatings from Harry just to get it through my thick skull, but I managed. Hermione, I don't know why I acted like that. It was stupid of me. I'm really sorry. I wish there was more for me to do than just to say that."
"It's alright, Ron. I said I forgive you," she said pulling away from him.
Ron smiled for a while, but then his face suddenly fell.
"What is it?" Hermione asked him.
"Well, I just remembered. Hermione, Harry told me about Severus. About how he's dying."
Hermione wasn't smiling now. Ron saw the sorrow on her face and pulled her into another hug.
"I'm really sorry," Ron said, "How is it that he's dying?"
Hermione was beginning to cry again, but she managed to answer, "It's a long story, but I guess I should tell you. You know that hair growing potion that Neville messed up badly on?"
"Yeah," Ron said cautiously.
"Well, it turned into a youth potion and when Severus accidentally swallowed some it turned him eighteen."
"I had noticed how he changed, but I didn't give much thought about why," Ron interrupted. Hermione gave him a "don't-interrupt-me" look, "Okay sorry, please continue.
"It turned him eighteen and you know it's lasted for about two weeks, and well, at the end of this week, um," right here she paused and tried to control her emotions. When she finally did, her voice was still shaking, but she was able to go on, "Dumbledore has been doing some tests on Neville's 'potion' and he's found out that at the end of this week Severus will turn back to his older age and from there he will go back to eighteen and then the potion causes him to get ill and then he'll." she stopped and put her face in her hands.
"Oh, Herms, I'm really sorry," Ron said sympathetically.
"There's nothing anyone can do. Dumbledore and McGonagal are doing every test they can to see if there is any way to reverse it, but they haven't found one," Hermione was outright crying now and Ron was felling really awkward. He didn't know what to do.
He was about to say something when (to his dread) Severus' dormitory door opened and Severus' head pooped out. When he saw Hermione crying he went to her side.
"Hermione, what is it," he asked her. She shook her head leaned into him as he put his arms around her. "Weasly, what did you do?!" He asked Ron furiously.
Ron looked terrified and just opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it at a lose of words.
"He didn't do anything, Severus," Hermione said in a small voice, "I was just explaining everything to him and emotion took over. He apologized and everything is better now. We're friends again."
Severus eyed Ron and then turned and led Hermione back into his dorm.
Hermione turned her head and smiled lightly at Ron and mouthed the words, 'Thank you,' and then they were inside with the door shut. Ron looked at the door for a short while, and then, he turned and left. When he was passing a corner, he was stopped by a voice;
"Now that wasn't so hard was it?"
Ron turned and saw Harry leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.
"I'd like to see you do it," Ron growled at him.
Harry looked uncomfortable, then he walked over to Ron and held out his hand to him.
"Are we alright?" he asked him.
Ron stared at Harry's hand, and then, very slowly, reached out and shook it.
"Yeah, we're alright," he said with a grin.
Harry looked relieved and when they stopped shaking hands, they walked back to the Gryffindor tower.
"So what exactly happened?" Harry asked Ron as they walked.
Ron groaned, "I almost got the stuffing beat out of me by Snape because Hermione started crying."
Harry laughed lightly, "But it was worth it, right?"
Ron thought about Hermione and thought about their friendship, "Yeah it was worth it."
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WOW! Chapter 18! I've almost reached twenty!! 20 is a big number! Not much of a cliff hanger is it? At least not as bad as the others! Hey, reviewers, I love you to bits, but to some others, if you don't have anything nice to say don't post. You can tell me if you don't like it (everyone's opinion counts) and what mistakes I've made but please don't go insulting me like a few others who did! I would appreciate it lots! Thanx! Love you all!
"What do you want?" he hissed dangerously.
Ron didn't meat his eyes. Instead he looked at the floor. "I- I wanted to- to talk to Hermione," he said softly.
Hermione rose from where she was on the couch and stood behind Severus.
"What about?" Severus asked suspiciously.
Ron started mumbling something and shifting his feet. "I just wanted. to talk to her in private real quick."
"Hermione?" Severus turned to her questioningly.
Hermione looked at him and then at Ron and nodded to Severus, "I'll be alright. I'll just talk to him real quick."
Severus nodded, gave Ron a glare, and let Hermione pass out into the hall.
Hermione stepped out and Severus slowly closed the door as to give the some privacy.
Ron looked at Hermione and then back down at the floor. "Hermione, I just wanted to say, well, I'm really sorry. I've been a real prick these last two days and I'm really sorry."
"You really hurt me, Ron," Hermione said quietly.
"I know and I'm sorry. I promise never to get like that again! Can I make it up to you?"
Hermione smiled slightly. She really never had heard Ron say a true apology before, so she could forgive him this time. "I forgive you Ron. You don't have to make it up to me. As long as you're my friend. That's enough."
Ron looked up, relief in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm your friend. And I promise to be a better friend from now on."
Hermione threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Ron."
He hugged her back. "Yeah, well, it's the least I could do. I finally got some since knocked into me. It took about three beatings from Harry just to get it through my thick skull, but I managed. Hermione, I don't know why I acted like that. It was stupid of me. I'm really sorry. I wish there was more for me to do than just to say that."
"It's alright, Ron. I said I forgive you," she said pulling away from him.
Ron smiled for a while, but then his face suddenly fell.
"What is it?" Hermione asked him.
"Well, I just remembered. Hermione, Harry told me about Severus. About how he's dying."
Hermione wasn't smiling now. Ron saw the sorrow on her face and pulled her into another hug.
"I'm really sorry," Ron said, "How is it that he's dying?"
Hermione was beginning to cry again, but she managed to answer, "It's a long story, but I guess I should tell you. You know that hair growing potion that Neville messed up badly on?"
"Yeah," Ron said cautiously.
"Well, it turned into a youth potion and when Severus accidentally swallowed some it turned him eighteen."
"I had noticed how he changed, but I didn't give much thought about why," Ron interrupted. Hermione gave him a "don't-interrupt-me" look, "Okay sorry, please continue.
"It turned him eighteen and you know it's lasted for about two weeks, and well, at the end of this week, um," right here she paused and tried to control her emotions. When she finally did, her voice was still shaking, but she was able to go on, "Dumbledore has been doing some tests on Neville's 'potion' and he's found out that at the end of this week Severus will turn back to his older age and from there he will go back to eighteen and then the potion causes him to get ill and then he'll." she stopped and put her face in her hands.
"Oh, Herms, I'm really sorry," Ron said sympathetically.
"There's nothing anyone can do. Dumbledore and McGonagal are doing every test they can to see if there is any way to reverse it, but they haven't found one," Hermione was outright crying now and Ron was felling really awkward. He didn't know what to do.
He was about to say something when (to his dread) Severus' dormitory door opened and Severus' head pooped out. When he saw Hermione crying he went to her side.
"Hermione, what is it," he asked her. She shook her head leaned into him as he put his arms around her. "Weasly, what did you do?!" He asked Ron furiously.
Ron looked terrified and just opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it at a lose of words.
"He didn't do anything, Severus," Hermione said in a small voice, "I was just explaining everything to him and emotion took over. He apologized and everything is better now. We're friends again."
Severus eyed Ron and then turned and led Hermione back into his dorm.
Hermione turned her head and smiled lightly at Ron and mouthed the words, 'Thank you,' and then they were inside with the door shut. Ron looked at the door for a short while, and then, he turned and left. When he was passing a corner, he was stopped by a voice;
"Now that wasn't so hard was it?"
Ron turned and saw Harry leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.
"I'd like to see you do it," Ron growled at him.
Harry looked uncomfortable, then he walked over to Ron and held out his hand to him.
"Are we alright?" he asked him.
Ron stared at Harry's hand, and then, very slowly, reached out and shook it.
"Yeah, we're alright," he said with a grin.
Harry looked relieved and when they stopped shaking hands, they walked back to the Gryffindor tower.
"So what exactly happened?" Harry asked Ron as they walked.
Ron groaned, "I almost got the stuffing beat out of me by Snape because Hermione started crying."
Harry laughed lightly, "But it was worth it, right?"
Ron thought about Hermione and thought about their friendship, "Yeah it was worth it."
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WOW! Chapter 18! I've almost reached twenty!! 20 is a big number! Not much of a cliff hanger is it? At least not as bad as the others! Hey, reviewers, I love you to bits, but to some others, if you don't have anything nice to say don't post. You can tell me if you don't like it (everyone's opinion counts) and what mistakes I've made but please don't go insulting me like a few others who did! I would appreciate it lots! Thanx! Love you all!