Disclaimer: None of the characters that you recognize belong to be. They belong to Ms. J K Rowlings and not me

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that read and/or reviewed! I'm sorry to the few of you like ruffledowl and Codypup who were confused last chapter. Like I said, it will all be explained right now! It was actually supposed to be a little confusing since we only know the story from Hermione's point of view and she had no clue what was going on!

Chapter 18

"She's coming around."

Hermione felt like she was swimming and from deep under the water heard voices saying, "She's got a face like a hound."

"I do not," Hermione mumbled but was surprised when she found how scratchy her own voice sounded to her ears.

"Hermione?" a familiar voice asked. She knew she remembered hearing that person before and later on in her room would realize that person was the one and only Ron Weasley. But at the moment, she could barely remember her favorite book's name much less a person's. If her head would just quit being so hazy, maybe she could concentrate on figuring out where she was.

Hermione summoned every ounce of willpower she possessed to get her eyes to open and immediately wished she didn't. Hovering above her were about six faces, each displaying a similar look of concern.

"Back! Back! Back!" Hermione slowly recognized that commanding voice as Madam Pomfrey and then it all came back to her like a dash of cold water. She was in the Infirmary at Hogwarts after being kidnapped by-

"Sirius!" Hermione shouted, sitting up and wincing as her brain felt like a drum being beat. "And Jessica. And that little house-elf."

Hermione took a look around her and saw Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Manchura who was really Sirius. Hermione still didn't understand about that. And off to the side were Harry and Ron, smiling at her.

"Ron! Harry!" Hermione shouted. She at least seemed capable of yelling out random names. They ran up to her and they all shared a hug.

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "I still don't understand anything."

"Miss Granger, perhaps this can wait until morning. You've been through a horrible ordeal and-" Professor McGonagall was cut off by Hermione furiously shaking her head no.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I have to know now. Who was Jessica? Why was I kidnapped? What does Sirius have to do with this? Why-" Hermione stopped talking and bit her lip. She could keep asking questions until she was ninety but she needed the answers right now.

"And you will learn everything you need to know," Headmaster Dumbledore said with that age-old twinkle in his eye. "I'll begin."

Hermione made room for Harry and Ron to sit down next to her on her hospital bed. They all knew they were in for a long explanation.

"Miss Granger, let me first say how sorry we are for you to have been caught up in all of this. This wasn't your battle and yet you were involved," Dumbledore said gravely.

"If me being kidnapped helped at all, then I'm very glad to have been able to aid you. I'd do it again if necessary," Hermione said sincerely.

"You are a remarkable young lady," Dumbledore said. "Now, as we all know, Sirius Black was falsely imprisoned and escaped and has been living as a fugitive. I decided that maybe bringing him into Hogswarts to teach would be best for everyone but Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and myself knew we couldn't bring him in without a disguise of some sort. He, as you know, isn't cleared and most think of him as a danger. So we used the persona of Professor Manchura."

Hermione noticed that Harry and Ron didn't look too surprised so she figured they had gotten a small explanation beforehand.

"Sirius takes a potion created by our own Potions Master and voila! Professor Manchura is there for seven days," Dumbledore explained. "Now, Sirius, maybe you would like to continue?"

Hermione looked over at Sirius and couldn't help being shocked. It was so strange to be talking to Professor Manchura but it was really Sirius. It was much like the Polyjuice Potion the Trio had brewed back in second year but the effects lasted longer.

Sirius must of noticed Hermione's look of confusion as she faced him as he smiled and held up a vial, tilted his head back, and immediately Professor Manchura became the Sirius Black, Hermione had grown to know and love.

"This better?" he asked and all three students nodded.

"All right. Now, you know Jessica as being the owner of that clothing store in Hogsmeade, right?" Sirius started. More nods followed. "Well, Jessica McKnight and Persephone Manchura were Death Eaters up until a few years until Voldermort disappeared after meeting with Harry the first time." Everyone got quiet for a minute, remembering Lily and James Potter and that terrible Halloween night.

"Jessica was rather brilliant in her day," Sirius continued. "She could brew any potion in a record time. Her best friend was Persephone and they were quite a team. But for some reason, most likely when Jessica's insanity began to show, Voldermort shipped them off somewhere, and desolate island of some sort, telling them He'd come back when He needed their services. Jessica demanded a house-elf so Berny, that bloody creature that poisoned you, Hermione, was sent with them," Sirius said, his eyes turning cold and angry.

"But, why didn't Voldermort just kill Jessica and Manchura?" Harry asked, a spilt second ahead of Hermione.

Sirius shrugged. "We figure it's because He truly would need Jessica's help. Like I said, she was brilliant. A complete nutcase, but bloody brilliant. But, Voldermort didn't call for her for the three years He was still around, nor for seven more years after… you know," he said quietly.

"The in-between is a bit hazy and no one really knows what happened. All we know is that Jessica and Machura separated, after leaving the islan,d Jessica taking that blasted house-elf. They were extremely loyal and waited anxiously for ten years, Jessica going more and more insane, before finally losing faith in Him. Four years ago, a young lady, Jessica, asked permission to open 'The World of Magic Muggle Clothing' or something," Sirius said, making a face.

"'The Magical World of Muggles?" Ron asked.

"Yes! That's it. Anyway, the reason the store didn't get approval was because no one trusted her. Everyone knew she was a Death Eater but no one could prove it. So that's when we formulated the plan. You see, Persephone Machura had been killed sometime when they were separated, but Jessica didn't know this. So when Persephone Machura came to Jessica two days after 'The Muggle World' or whatever opened, Jessica didn't think much of it," Sirius said with a smile.

Everything was becoming perfectly clear in Hermione's mind. "Oh! So you just let her open the shop in order to catch her."

"Exactly," Sirius said, nodding. "I went as Manchura and man, it was terrible. All this gushing over how great I looked and how long it's been and how we would rule the world together. It was a nightmare," he said, shuddering.

Hermione hid a smile as she pictured Jessica raving over 'her best friend.'

"Why couldn't you catch Jessica then?" Harry asked. "Why kidnap and poison Hermione?"

Sirius sighed. "We never expected harming anyone. We thought Jessica would spill everything and boom! She would be rotting in Azkaban in forty-eight hours. But Jessica didn't completely trust me right away. She didn't revel anything that would put her away. She didn't say anything about poisoning you, just that to prove my trust I would let Berny, the house-elf into Hogwarts. Believe me, Hermione, if I had even felt she would hurt someone, I never would have let him in," Sirius said, his eyes pleading with her. "I figured it was just to prove my trust."

"I know. I don't blame you at all," Hermione reassured Sirius.

"Thank you. Anyway, everything was quiet for a couple days until she insisted we had to kidnap you. I told her okay but had every intention of ending it right after Dumbledore gave the go ahead. We didn't have everything, but we had enough. I spoke to Dumbledore yesterday and went to the store, ready to hex her, when she exclaimed she had already done it and you were in the basement. I had no choice but to play along. And luckily, she admitted everything to you and her trial is tomorrow," Sirius said, completing his tale.

The room was silent for a few moments until Hermione spoke up. "How did Jessica get into Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore took this question. "We think she had Berny leave a Portkey somewhere in the castle when he was here."

"Oh."

"I think that's enough excitement for my patient. Everyone out!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed and Hermione had to admit, she was a bit tired and all this new information didn't completely sink in quite yet.

Everyone filed out but Ron hung back for a second. She couldn't believe she had barely spoken to him or to Harry since she had been back.

"Hey," Ron said quietly.

"Hey," she replied.

"I thought I said not to get sick again," he said, with a faint smile.

"I know, but I just had to get kidnapped at least once in my life," Hermione said brightly.  

"I was really scared tonight. Lavender and Parvati came into our room to see if we knew where you were. I told them in the Library but they said three books dropped on the floor but there was no sign of you anywhere," Ron said, looking very serious.

"Yeah. She took me right as I went to get my pajamas and put the books down," Hermione explained softly.

"The whole day, I was a wreck. We spoke to Dumbledore and all he said was that you were okay. He told us about the whole Professor Manchura being Sirius but that was it. I-"

"Out!" Madam Pomfrey commanded, glaring at Ron, who glared right back.

"Five minutes, please," he said firmly and Madam Pomfrey turned her nose up and called out "Three" as she walked away.

"I just was really scared. Did she hurt you?" he asked, concerned.

Hermione shook her head. "I was just really hungry and she needs to learn how to cook since her soup was worse than Hagrid's treacle fudge."

Ron smiled. "I'll make sure to bring you a lot of food tomorrow."

"Hopefully I'll be out by then," she said, returning the smile.

"Well, I'd better go," Ron said after a minute.

"Ok," Hermione agreed.

Ron didn't move. They looked at each other right in the eyes and Hermione saw all the pain he had been in, worrying over her. Ron lifted his hand and brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes, leaving his palm right on her cheek. Hermione leaned inward involuntarily and her lips met Ron's in the briefest of kisses.

Later, she would look back at that being one of her top five best life experiences, the others being meeting Ron, Ron and Harry saving her from the troll, Ron burping up slugs for her, and Ron singing his song in Arts and Entertainment. His lips on her felt…wonderful. It was like she was born to kiss Ron Weasley. But as soon as it started, it was over. Just like that. Ron leaned into her ear and whispered, "Sweet Dreams," and left but Hermione saw that his face and ears were as red as a stop sign in the Muggle world.

Hermione was dazed for quite awhile after Ron walked out of the Infirmary. She couldn't believe it. What did it this all mean? Hermione sighed and decided she needed sleep and would figure everything out in the morning.

Later, Madam Pomfrey came to check on Hermione and couldn't believe it when Hermione's face held a beautiful smile that made her entire face glow.

"Someone's having a good dream," Madam Pomfrey muttered, but smiled and moved on.

~

Well, I really hope this chapter cleared everything up. If not, tell me and I'll try to make it clearer. I'm really sorry if it was boring at all. I tried to make the explanation as brief as possible while telling all the information.

They kissed!!!! Yea! I honestly was going to wait until the play but I figured this was a good time! :) Please review for me!!!

In Chapter 19: It will be lighter and I promise not to have any poisoning or kidnapping or encounters with death, at least for a little while :).  We'll come close to finishing the dance section of Muggle A&E, just in time for the Christmas Ball! (Ok, I just thought of that right now!) So stay tuned! Plus, what are Ron and Hermione going to do after that kiss? Chapter 19 will be up within the week but most likely next weekend. School resumes Monday for me, and chaos results with all that work!