AN: Sorry about the time it took for me to write this. I've been busy lately with a whole pile of school stuff and a pretty big test to study for tomorrow... I wish I could write longer chapters, but if I did, it would take too long to write just one chapter and I don't ever have nearly enough to write about to squish it all into one big thing. This way is just the same as reading a four-page chapter, just...spaced out. You know? REVIEW!! And thx to all who reviewed previous chapters...

Chapter Four

As soon as Hermione woke, she saw Madam Pomfrey bent over her. She was looking at a clipboard and was scribbling things on it every now and then. At the end of her bed was a trolley loaded with potions in bottles of all shapes and sizes. On top of the trolley was a large, jug-like bottle containing a blue-green liquid. Beside the bottle was a spoon. Beside the spoon was a clock.

"Ah, Miss—"

"Ten o'clock?" Hermione yelled, spring up into a sitting position. "I'm sorry Madam Pomfrey, I know my health should be my priority but I have an Arithmancy test and a Potions essay to hand in and—"

"And you will have to do all that tomorrow," Madam Pomfrey said sternly, giving Hermione a look which plainly told her to get back under the blankets. "I will not have you gallivanting about with such a temperature."

She blinked twice out of disbelief. "Temperature?"

"Yes, you have a very bad case of what I believe Muggles call...uh...'flu'," she said uncertainly, as if she expected to have said it wrong. "Now, keep still while I figure out how to cure this."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You mean, you've never treated the flu before? Are you sure this is safe?" She winced in fear as she watched Madam Pomfrey pour several of her potions into a glass she had conjured. It was smoking and foaming so much that the whole of the cloth which covered the top of the trolley now appeared to be stained a muddy green. "I mean, this could be like...polydrug use."

"I assure you Miss Granger. I'm as qualified as a medi-wizard after treating the Weasley twins, your friend Harry Potter *and* his father," Madam Pomfrey said, curling up her nose as a slight stench began to waft from the mixture she'd created. It was no longer smoking nor foaming, but it had already turned pink and was beginning to turn brown.

Hermione curled her nose up as well. "Maybe you should just...give me some tissues and let me heal naturally." She didn't want to know what the potion would do to her. Who knew if she would start sprouting ears on her arms? Although, from her memory, Madam Pomfrey was able to remove ears from Fred Weasley's legs...

"Nonsense. I will not have anyone stay in this wing for more than a week unless absolutely necessary, " she said grumpily. "Here, drink this."

Hermione gave one last desperate look at Madam Pomfrey, suppressed a groan and drank the hideous potion, her nose pinched with her other hand.

It tasted as bad as it looked.

"Yes, yes, drink it all up."

"Eurgh...never make *anyone* drink that ever again," Hermione said, screwing up her face with her tongue poked out as far as it would go. "I feel like throwing up now."

"Lie down, and I promise you'll feel better than you felt before you drank it," Madam Pomfrey said, forcing Hermione to relax and settled back down onto the mattress. While Hermione lay unmoving, she bustled about putting everything back in place and wheeling the trolley around to give a dose of potion to her only other patient.

When Madam Pomfrey returned, as much as Hermione didn't want to admit it, she felt quite a bit better. She felt less lethargic and normal in every other department, the most noticeable being her temperature. It was back down to 'Right as Rain'.

"I think the taste is still in my mouth, though."

"Ah, well, that's a good sign."

"So when can I go back to class?" she asked excitedly. She was practically wringing the sheets as she watched Madam Pomfrey making up her mind.

"Well...I guess you can leave when the bell for lunch has rung," she replied.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," Hermione said, near squealing.

"But"—Hermione's face fell—"you must rest between now and then. And you may not leave a second earlier. Understood?"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey..."

*****

Harry nearly slept all the way through History of Magic. Not that that was any different to any other History of Magic class. It was just a lot more boring when he only had Ron to pass notes to. He even tried doing the work and reading the passages as instructed by Professor Binns, but it just seemed pointless. He was teaching the exact same thing as yesterday. He seemed to have lost his place in his lesson plans or something.

From beside him, Ron gave a huge yawn and started scribbling on the desk. Every few minutes he would stop and take a few more notes, not yet realising that they had already learnt and noted everything the Professor was teaching the day before. Harry rubbed his eyes several times to try to stay awake, but inevitably gave up and slumped in his seat.

The drone of Professor Binns' voice was, after a gruellingly long stretch of time, interrupted by the joyous ringing of the bell. Finally, lunch.

"I'm starving," said Ron.

Harry didn't reply. He just shrugged and walked the tiniest bit faster.

"Hey, Harry, what's up with you?" Ron asked, stopping Harry by grabbing a firm hold on his shoulder. "You're not still worried about Hermione are you? You saw her this morning, she's fine."

"No...I, uh, just have a Potions essay to finish and I've only got until the end of lunch," said Harry, covering up his behaviour with an excuse that was sure to work on Ron. He still hated Snape just as much as before, even though he no longer took Potions.

"Well, I warned you about taking Potions. Snape's habits die hard. Actually, they don't die at all," Ron mumbled on until they finally made it back to Gryffindor Tower. "Actually, I wish he'd—"

"Hermione?" Harry called out as soon as they stepped through the portrait hole. "What are you doing out of the hospital wing so quickly?"

Hermione, only just noticing the arrival of her two best friends, could only smile and shrug. "What? Don't you trust Madam Pomfrey after all you've been through?"

"Well..." Harry found it wasn't necessary to reply. Hermione was always right anyway.

"I'll take that as being a positive answer."

Ron glanced at the exchange between Harry and Hermione and rolled his eyes. Once again, it was like they were speaking gibberish. Oh would they just get together already, he thought in a silent prayer to anyone who might have access to his thoughts. Am I supposed to believe in God? Ron asked himself. Because if he is, he's doing a bloody bad job right now...

"Since I have no desire to hear about Potions, see you later," Ron said, turning to leave. At the last minute, he turned back around and said, "And can you please spare the rest of us from all the googly eyes going back and forth between you? It's bordering on incessant."

Ron left as Harry and Hermione looked at each and gulped.

"Did he just say...'googly eyes'?"

"Yes."

"Are we doing that?"

"No?"

"Are you sure?"

"No?"

They were now lost for words. They hadn't ever looked at each other in that way (at least not directly), had they?