Chapter twenty three- The morning after
Hermione's PoV
When I woke up the next morning, it was with a sense of dread in my stomach. I knew immediately where I was- and why I was there. The events of the previous night were now very clear in I memory, whether I wanted them there or not.
I sat up as Madam Pomfrey came bustling over carrying a breakfast tray. "How do you feel Miss Granger?" She asked briskly as she set it down next to my bed. I shrugged. "I feel fine now." I said, hoping against hope that I wouldn't be forced to say in the Hospital Wing all day. Madam Pomfrey bent down to peer in my eyes, one eyebrow raised sceptically. "Hmmm, well, there seems to be no lasting damage. You may go after you have eaten your breakfast." She said, nodding to the breakfast tray and bustling away again.
I eagerly grabbed her fork and dug in. It wasn't that I was particularly hungry- I just knew that if I didn't eat all my food I had no chance of leaving the wing before I was thirty.
I was halfway through my breakfast when the door opened and Harry walked in. When he saw that I was awake, his tired face broke into a relieved smile and he hurried over.
I smiled back at him. "Hi Harry." I said cheerfully as he approached. "Hi. How're you feeling? I was really worried. Does your head hurt? You don't have a scar as well do you, because believe me it's not a good thing to-"
"I'm fine." I said forcefully, making Harry shut up and shrug. "Sorry." He said, sitting down on the edge of my bed. I smiled again, feeling so glad that things were supposedly back to normal between us that I could burst. "That's alright. Are you OK?" I asked worriedly. Harry shrugged. "A bit shaken, but yeah." He said, nicking a slice of my toast. I didn't protest- I already felt full.
"So, um, how is everyone else?" I asked as Harry took a bite of toast. He grinned wickedly at me and swallowed. "Ron's fine." He answered, causing me to go slightly pink. I hadn't realised it when I had asked the question, but Harry was right- I had been asking about Ron. And where he was. Harry answered this question next.
"He's upstairs at the moment pretending to be asleep." He said as he finished his toast. I looked down at my food. "Oh." I said quietly. Well, of course he was ignoring me- why should he care, after everything I've done?
"But he didn't know I was coming to see you, and I'm sure he would've." Harry hastily added, before I cut him off. "No- it's alright Harry. If he had been treating me the way I've treated him the last week, then I'd hate me as well." I said heavily.
Harry shook his head. "He doesn't hate you Hermione." He said seriously. I nodded. "Yeah. Sure he doesn't." I said sarcastically. Harry folded his arms. "He doesn't. He's just a little. well, a little."
"Filled with boiling rage? Fuming?" I suggested. "Ready to strangle-"
"Hurt." Harry finished quietly, causing me to shut up quickly.
"I didn't mean to hurt him. I just thought that." I tried to say, but Harry stood up and raised his hands to silence me. "I know. It's Ron you should be telling this to though. Not me." He said. I nodded as Madam Pomfrey bustled back into the ward. "I'll see you later, and 'Mione?" Harry said, as he went to walk out. "Try not to worry too much, OK?"
~*~
I left the Hospital Wing as soon as I was dressed, and headed straight to the Library. I badly wanted to speak to Ron, but I knew that there was no chance of that this morning- he was already avoiding me, after all. And there was something else that I needed to see to.
The Library was deserted when I arrived, and I walked straight over to the most secluded table and began to write a letter. It was for my parents- who would no doubt read about the attack on the school in the Daily Prophet, which they had been getting delivered for over a year now.
This letter only took me five minutes. The second letter, however, took quite a long time. Breaking bad news, especially of this kind, could be a very delicate subject, one that I had to approach carefully. It took several attempts, but about fifty minutes later, as more people started to retreat to the Library, I had succeeded in getting the point across effectively.
I folded the parchment and tucked into my pocket, along with my wand, and started out of the Library. As I reached the door, it opened, and I saw a flash of red hair before I was suddenly grabbed and hugged around the waist. For one wild moment I thought it was Ron, but then I remembered that he hated me, never hugged me voluntarily, and was way taller than this person.
"Hi Ginny." I said with a smile. My friend grinned and released me. "Are you OK Hermione? When I heard you were hurt, I was so worried. I thought that you. well anyway, are you OK now?" She babbled. I grinned. "I'm fine. Honestly." I said, wishing it were true. I felt anything but fine. It was funny what betrayal could do to you- especially when you were on the delivering end as well as the receiving.
I suddenly noticed who was standing behind Ginny- her cousin Myra, and I smiled. "Myra! Hi- I was just coming to find you actually." I said, tucking my hair behind my ears. Myra frowned. "You vere? Vhy?" She asked curiously.
I pulled the letter I had just written out of my pocket. "Well, I know you don't know me that well, but I was wondering if you would do me a huge favour. You see, there's this person I need to write to, but they're Bulgarian, and as I can't speak Bulgarian." I trailed off hopefully as Myra smiled. "You vont me to translate something for you?" She said.
I nodded in relief. "Yes please. This is the letter. I need it translated word for word." I said, holding out the parchment. Myra took it off of me with a grin. "This is, how you say? Er- no problem." She said. I grinned again. "Thanks a million Myra. I owe you one. See you later you two." I said, before stepping out of the Library.
As I left I heard Myra saying "She owe me von of vot?", and grinned.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dear Diary, I should be doing Transfiguration homework, but I'm too excited after finding out Hermione's OK. Besides, I doubt McGonagall is gonna care that much, after what's happened. And how am I meant to concentrate with Myra translating that letter right next to me, which I *really* want to read? I can't believe she won't let me look- so what if Hermione didn't actually say I couldn't read it. What a traitor. Love Ginny xxx
The deep, dark, sarcastic thoughts of Harry Potter-
Doo dee dee dee dee dum dee, doo, dee dee doo, dum dum dum da dee dee da, dum dee dee doo, dum, dee dee, ooh! Treacle tart!
Hermione's PoV
When I woke up the next morning, it was with a sense of dread in my stomach. I knew immediately where I was- and why I was there. The events of the previous night were now very clear in I memory, whether I wanted them there or not.
I sat up as Madam Pomfrey came bustling over carrying a breakfast tray. "How do you feel Miss Granger?" She asked briskly as she set it down next to my bed. I shrugged. "I feel fine now." I said, hoping against hope that I wouldn't be forced to say in the Hospital Wing all day. Madam Pomfrey bent down to peer in my eyes, one eyebrow raised sceptically. "Hmmm, well, there seems to be no lasting damage. You may go after you have eaten your breakfast." She said, nodding to the breakfast tray and bustling away again.
I eagerly grabbed her fork and dug in. It wasn't that I was particularly hungry- I just knew that if I didn't eat all my food I had no chance of leaving the wing before I was thirty.
I was halfway through my breakfast when the door opened and Harry walked in. When he saw that I was awake, his tired face broke into a relieved smile and he hurried over.
I smiled back at him. "Hi Harry." I said cheerfully as he approached. "Hi. How're you feeling? I was really worried. Does your head hurt? You don't have a scar as well do you, because believe me it's not a good thing to-"
"I'm fine." I said forcefully, making Harry shut up and shrug. "Sorry." He said, sitting down on the edge of my bed. I smiled again, feeling so glad that things were supposedly back to normal between us that I could burst. "That's alright. Are you OK?" I asked worriedly. Harry shrugged. "A bit shaken, but yeah." He said, nicking a slice of my toast. I didn't protest- I already felt full.
"So, um, how is everyone else?" I asked as Harry took a bite of toast. He grinned wickedly at me and swallowed. "Ron's fine." He answered, causing me to go slightly pink. I hadn't realised it when I had asked the question, but Harry was right- I had been asking about Ron. And where he was. Harry answered this question next.
"He's upstairs at the moment pretending to be asleep." He said as he finished his toast. I looked down at my food. "Oh." I said quietly. Well, of course he was ignoring me- why should he care, after everything I've done?
"But he didn't know I was coming to see you, and I'm sure he would've." Harry hastily added, before I cut him off. "No- it's alright Harry. If he had been treating me the way I've treated him the last week, then I'd hate me as well." I said heavily.
Harry shook his head. "He doesn't hate you Hermione." He said seriously. I nodded. "Yeah. Sure he doesn't." I said sarcastically. Harry folded his arms. "He doesn't. He's just a little. well, a little."
"Filled with boiling rage? Fuming?" I suggested. "Ready to strangle-"
"Hurt." Harry finished quietly, causing me to shut up quickly.
"I didn't mean to hurt him. I just thought that." I tried to say, but Harry stood up and raised his hands to silence me. "I know. It's Ron you should be telling this to though. Not me." He said. I nodded as Madam Pomfrey bustled back into the ward. "I'll see you later, and 'Mione?" Harry said, as he went to walk out. "Try not to worry too much, OK?"
~*~
I left the Hospital Wing as soon as I was dressed, and headed straight to the Library. I badly wanted to speak to Ron, but I knew that there was no chance of that this morning- he was already avoiding me, after all. And there was something else that I needed to see to.
The Library was deserted when I arrived, and I walked straight over to the most secluded table and began to write a letter. It was for my parents- who would no doubt read about the attack on the school in the Daily Prophet, which they had been getting delivered for over a year now.
This letter only took me five minutes. The second letter, however, took quite a long time. Breaking bad news, especially of this kind, could be a very delicate subject, one that I had to approach carefully. It took several attempts, but about fifty minutes later, as more people started to retreat to the Library, I had succeeded in getting the point across effectively.
I folded the parchment and tucked into my pocket, along with my wand, and started out of the Library. As I reached the door, it opened, and I saw a flash of red hair before I was suddenly grabbed and hugged around the waist. For one wild moment I thought it was Ron, but then I remembered that he hated me, never hugged me voluntarily, and was way taller than this person.
"Hi Ginny." I said with a smile. My friend grinned and released me. "Are you OK Hermione? When I heard you were hurt, I was so worried. I thought that you. well anyway, are you OK now?" She babbled. I grinned. "I'm fine. Honestly." I said, wishing it were true. I felt anything but fine. It was funny what betrayal could do to you- especially when you were on the delivering end as well as the receiving.
I suddenly noticed who was standing behind Ginny- her cousin Myra, and I smiled. "Myra! Hi- I was just coming to find you actually." I said, tucking my hair behind my ears. Myra frowned. "You vere? Vhy?" She asked curiously.
I pulled the letter I had just written out of my pocket. "Well, I know you don't know me that well, but I was wondering if you would do me a huge favour. You see, there's this person I need to write to, but they're Bulgarian, and as I can't speak Bulgarian." I trailed off hopefully as Myra smiled. "You vont me to translate something for you?" She said.
I nodded in relief. "Yes please. This is the letter. I need it translated word for word." I said, holding out the parchment. Myra took it off of me with a grin. "This is, how you say? Er- no problem." She said. I grinned again. "Thanks a million Myra. I owe you one. See you later you two." I said, before stepping out of the Library.
As I left I heard Myra saying "She owe me von of vot?", and grinned.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dear Diary, I should be doing Transfiguration homework, but I'm too excited after finding out Hermione's OK. Besides, I doubt McGonagall is gonna care that much, after what's happened. And how am I meant to concentrate with Myra translating that letter right next to me, which I *really* want to read? I can't believe she won't let me look- so what if Hermione didn't actually say I couldn't read it. What a traitor. Love Ginny xxx
The deep, dark, sarcastic thoughts of Harry Potter-
Doo dee dee dee dee dum dee, doo, dee dee doo, dum dum dum da dee dee da, dum dee dee doo, dum, dee dee, ooh! Treacle tart!
