the hospital wing, eight-ten am
"Hey," Ginny said, stepping just inside the door. Hermione was seated on her bed, reading one of her textbooks.
"Hey," said Hermione in turn, catching her lip in her teeth. Ginny recognized that by now. Hermione was close to tears.
"Gin, I...."
"Shh. It's okay. I love you. You're strong."
"I don't feel very strong."
"I think you are."
"What I am is fucking lucky. I slapped his face and he hit me back." She caressed the left side of her jaw; Madam Pomfrey had repaired the bruising, and the loosened teeth, but she could not wave a wand and mend the violation Hermione felt. "Then he stepped back and got his wand in his hand. I don't know what he would have hexed me with, but I was too..." she stopped, and started again, "I was.... I just stood there.I just.... I just couldn't believe that he'd actually try. I mean, I'm Head Girl, you know?! I can't disappear."
"We all knew Malfoy was an idiot, he just proved it."
"And then Snape came along and Accioed his wand, and gave him hell. And then McGonagall came up...God...." She trailed off and shook her head in frustration. Ginny just held her, and listened, and felt as helpless as she ever had in her life.
There was a tap on the door, and Madam Pomfrey poked her head in. "You have a visitor, Hermione. And, Ginny, I think you should stay," she added, as Ginny reflexively stood up. She sat back down as Professor Hooch strode in, bearing with her something of the air of the Quidditch pitch. Madam Pomfrey quietly shut the door behind her as she left.
Ginny was a bit confused. Had Harry been hurt, she would have expected Professor Hooch to show up. But Hermione? Hermione's flights were intellectual in nature; she'd barely been able to pass her basics in broomstick riding.
"Hermione." Professor Hooch's voice was softer and more compassionate than anytime Ginny had ever heard it before. "I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here, hm?" She laughed. "You don't have to say it. But, girl, you and I have some things in common, and I have some things to say you need to hear right now."
Her voice was as commanding and compelling as it ever was in class, and they both sat up a little straighter, focusing on her, as they drew apart.
"Ah, I'm the last to be offended by that, my dears. My wife died fighting Voldemort, many years ago."
They were surprised, but their hands crept back together. "Hermione," Freyja Hooch went on, "I understand what you feel right now. I really do. Because it happened to me once too. But there were three of them, and none of my professors happened along in time."
Ginny learned a lot that day, from someone she'd thought she had nothing to learn from anymore. Freyja Hooch was by turns brutally honest and compassionate as she talked to Hermione. But the last thing she said was the oddest one of all, Ginny thought.
"She lives at your parents' house, doesn't she?" Professor Hooch asked Ginny.
"Yes, she broke with her parents at the beginning of summer holidays just past," Ginny said.
The older woman nodded, then came to a decision. "It's early in the term," she said. "And you two are smart enough to make up the time. I'm going to recommend to Albus that he send you two home for the weekend. You want to be a mediwitch, I know...well, the basics of it are listening, and patience. She'll need you while she heals up, during this initial phase. I'm going to talk to Albus now, I'll be back later."
"And, Gin, shouldn't you be in Transfiguration about now?" Hermione said, eyes still hot with emotion but a mask of normality in place.
"Well, yes...but..."
"I'll be okay, really. I"m working on something from this summer. You go on and do your classes, I'll see you this afternoon." Hermione's smile was shadowed, but it was a smile, all the same.
"Okay," Ginny said. She squeezed Hermione's hands once, then leaned in and kissed her cheek, chastely. "I love you. Remember that."
"I will. I love you too."
As Ginny left, she was stopped by Madam Pomfrey. "I wanted to have a word with you away from Hermione," she said.
"Of course, Professor," Ginny said.
"You have just as hard a job as she does," she was told. And then Poppy explained to her the likely symptoms...nightmares, flashbacks, depression, fits of anger...and how to deal with them.
"It should be more broadly taught," Madam Pomfrey said. "After all, there's a war on." She sighed, and said, "I will be available if either of you need to talk. About anything."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Ginny said. "I feel powerless."
"I know. But you aren't. Now, off to class with you."
Ginny was late to her transfiguration class, but McGonagall gave her one sharp look, and then continued on. (Of course, McGonagall knows, she thought. She came along just after Snape did, she said. Merlin's wand, but Hermione was lucky. At that time of night nearly no one ever comes along there. That's probably why he tried it there. But, what an idiot! Like she said, she's head girl, she can't just vanish. What did he think was going to happen? Simple, Virginia, she said to herself sternly, he didn't think. He just did. Oh, his father's going to make him wish he was dead....
She smiled to herself, and settled back into the flow of class.
"Hey," Ginny said, stepping just inside the door. Hermione was seated on her bed, reading one of her textbooks.
"Hey," said Hermione in turn, catching her lip in her teeth. Ginny recognized that by now. Hermione was close to tears.
"Gin, I...."
"Shh. It's okay. I love you. You're strong."
"I don't feel very strong."
"I think you are."
"What I am is fucking lucky. I slapped his face and he hit me back." She caressed the left side of her jaw; Madam Pomfrey had repaired the bruising, and the loosened teeth, but she could not wave a wand and mend the violation Hermione felt. "Then he stepped back and got his wand in his hand. I don't know what he would have hexed me with, but I was too..." she stopped, and started again, "I was.... I just stood there.I just.... I just couldn't believe that he'd actually try. I mean, I'm Head Girl, you know?! I can't disappear."
"We all knew Malfoy was an idiot, he just proved it."
"And then Snape came along and Accioed his wand, and gave him hell. And then McGonagall came up...God...." She trailed off and shook her head in frustration. Ginny just held her, and listened, and felt as helpless as she ever had in her life.
There was a tap on the door, and Madam Pomfrey poked her head in. "You have a visitor, Hermione. And, Ginny, I think you should stay," she added, as Ginny reflexively stood up. She sat back down as Professor Hooch strode in, bearing with her something of the air of the Quidditch pitch. Madam Pomfrey quietly shut the door behind her as she left.
Ginny was a bit confused. Had Harry been hurt, she would have expected Professor Hooch to show up. But Hermione? Hermione's flights were intellectual in nature; she'd barely been able to pass her basics in broomstick riding.
"Hermione." Professor Hooch's voice was softer and more compassionate than anytime Ginny had ever heard it before. "I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here, hm?" She laughed. "You don't have to say it. But, girl, you and I have some things in common, and I have some things to say you need to hear right now."
Her voice was as commanding and compelling as it ever was in class, and they both sat up a little straighter, focusing on her, as they drew apart.
"Ah, I'm the last to be offended by that, my dears. My wife died fighting Voldemort, many years ago."
They were surprised, but their hands crept back together. "Hermione," Freyja Hooch went on, "I understand what you feel right now. I really do. Because it happened to me once too. But there were three of them, and none of my professors happened along in time."
Ginny learned a lot that day, from someone she'd thought she had nothing to learn from anymore. Freyja Hooch was by turns brutally honest and compassionate as she talked to Hermione. But the last thing she said was the oddest one of all, Ginny thought.
"She lives at your parents' house, doesn't she?" Professor Hooch asked Ginny.
"Yes, she broke with her parents at the beginning of summer holidays just past," Ginny said.
The older woman nodded, then came to a decision. "It's early in the term," she said. "And you two are smart enough to make up the time. I'm going to recommend to Albus that he send you two home for the weekend. You want to be a mediwitch, I know...well, the basics of it are listening, and patience. She'll need you while she heals up, during this initial phase. I'm going to talk to Albus now, I'll be back later."
"And, Gin, shouldn't you be in Transfiguration about now?" Hermione said, eyes still hot with emotion but a mask of normality in place.
"Well, yes...but..."
"I'll be okay, really. I"m working on something from this summer. You go on and do your classes, I'll see you this afternoon." Hermione's smile was shadowed, but it was a smile, all the same.
"Okay," Ginny said. She squeezed Hermione's hands once, then leaned in and kissed her cheek, chastely. "I love you. Remember that."
"I will. I love you too."
As Ginny left, she was stopped by Madam Pomfrey. "I wanted to have a word with you away from Hermione," she said.
"Of course, Professor," Ginny said.
"You have just as hard a job as she does," she was told. And then Poppy explained to her the likely symptoms...nightmares, flashbacks, depression, fits of anger...and how to deal with them.
"It should be more broadly taught," Madam Pomfrey said. "After all, there's a war on." She sighed, and said, "I will be available if either of you need to talk. About anything."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Ginny said. "I feel powerless."
"I know. But you aren't. Now, off to class with you."
Ginny was late to her transfiguration class, but McGonagall gave her one sharp look, and then continued on. (Of course, McGonagall knows, she thought. She came along just after Snape did, she said. Merlin's wand, but Hermione was lucky. At that time of night nearly no one ever comes along there. That's probably why he tried it there. But, what an idiot! Like she said, she's head girl, she can't just vanish. What did he think was going to happen? Simple, Virginia, she said to herself sternly, he didn't think. He just did. Oh, his father's going to make him wish he was dead....
She smiled to herself, and settled back into the flow of class.