Ron leaned back, kicked his feet over the arm of a lavishly stuffed red
chair and began to untie his gloves.
"Argh," he moaned, "quidditch practice was rough."
Harry gave a nod of agreement as he untied his mud coated boots and finger- combed his hair, letting leaves and twigs fall to the floor. "Did you see Creevy and that bludger? Bloody hell, if I knew he could hit like that, I wouldn't have wasted so much time before letting him on the team," Harry said in admiration.
"And Parvati Patil," Ron sighed. "Mate, did you get a look at her? I would do anything to trade places with her broom."
"Harry! Ron!" Ginny cried, "You're tracking mud everywhere!"
Ron let his feet drop to the floor and looked like a child just caught stealing a cookie before dinner. "Harry did it."
"Whatever, you two; just clean it up," Ginny grinned, and walked past them toward her group of girlfriends. Harry couldn't help but look back and stare at her hips swaying side to side. An elbow nudged his ribs hard.
"Hey," he looked at his best mate, "I couldn't help it."
"She's my sister, you git!"
Harry shrugged. Ron searched for his wand that was buried in the red cushions and cast a quick cleaning spell. He sat with his elbows resting on his knees.
"So what about 'Mione?"
Harry shook his head. "I don't know what's wrong with her, mate. I mean, did you see her today? She was pretty out of it."
"I know."
"Should we go check on her? I haven't seen her around since before Lupin's class."
"Yeah."
With that, the two boys changed clothes and exited through the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Is that her room?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, it's the one with the old man on it."
"I take offense to that," the portrait protested. "I'm simply youthfully disabled." Harry and Ron shared a smile.
"Harry, look, it's not shut all the way."
"Should we knock?"
They shrugged and walked in. The two boys laid eyes on the spell-bound cat at the same time.
"Woah! Look at Crookshanks," Ron said, bending down and poking the cat curiously. "Looks like Neville in first year."
"Bloody hell! Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked, walking toward the bed where Hermione's body lay.
"Oh, Fuck!" Harry yelled, and Ron ran over. They both laid eyes on her comatose body. Only the white of her eyes were visible from her half closed lids, and she was shivering.
In a panic, they looked at each other. "Go get Mme. Pomfrey!" Ron yelled.
"No, no," Harry said, "I think it's that stuff she's been taking. I'm going to get Lupin, he'll know what to do. You stay here. She's still breathing; just watch her."
Ron nodded, and Harry ran out the portrait toward the werewolf's office. Panting, he rushed in and found Remus Lupin at his desk leaning over a pile of scrolls.
"Moony! Something is wrong with Hermione!"
Remus looked up from his desk at the boy; he knew this was coming sometime. He jumped up, and grabbed his wand. "Is she breathing?"
"I think so," Harry panted as they ran down the corridors. "Her eyes are all rolled back and white stuff is coming out of her mouth."
As they rounded the corner of Gryffindor Tower, they heard a smooth voice.
"Haven't seen you run like that for years, Lupin," Snape mocked.
"I could use your help in here, Snape. Give me a hand."
Snape surreptitiously patted the vial in his pocket and followed the two into Hermione's private quarters.
"What is he doing here?" Ron asked, gesturing towards the Potion Master.
"He's here to help," Lupin responded. Lupin rushed over and put his ear to her chest.
"Help with what, may I ask?" Severus peered over the shoulder of his shorter colleague. "An overdose? I suppose I was wrong to expect more out of her, eh?"
"You git, she might be dying." Ron exclaimed.
"It's her own fault then."
"Hermione!" Lupin exclaimed, gently slapping her face. "Say something; talk to me."
No response. He turned her on her side, opening her mouth and examining her airways for anything clogged.
"Look, Moony," Harry shoved an empty vial in front of his face. "This was on the floor."
Snape took a deeper breath than usual as Remus untwisted the lid and dabbed a small grain on his tongue. "It's Duplexplicis. I smelled it on her this afternoon." With more strength than most thought he possessed, he picked Hermione's body up and rushed her to the bathroom, leaning her body against the toilet.
"Listen Severus, I need you to go get something for this, an antidote or something. I know you know how," Lupin demanded. Snape glared at the implied accusation before exiting the room with one sweep of his black robes.
"Sorry Hermione" he whispered before casting a spell with his wand pointed at the girl. "Aegrotus." Hermione's body suddenly came to life. She began to convulse as she vomited uncontrollably in his grasp. Ron stood in the doorway with his head turned and Harry looked on with worried intent.
"It's okay, Hermione," Lupin said, crouched on his knees and rubbing her back comfortingly. "It's okay." Her watery brown eyes locked with Lupin's.
"I'm so sorry," she mumbled before her body forced her to turn her attention back to the toilet.
"Argh," he moaned, "quidditch practice was rough."
Harry gave a nod of agreement as he untied his mud coated boots and finger- combed his hair, letting leaves and twigs fall to the floor. "Did you see Creevy and that bludger? Bloody hell, if I knew he could hit like that, I wouldn't have wasted so much time before letting him on the team," Harry said in admiration.
"And Parvati Patil," Ron sighed. "Mate, did you get a look at her? I would do anything to trade places with her broom."
"Harry! Ron!" Ginny cried, "You're tracking mud everywhere!"
Ron let his feet drop to the floor and looked like a child just caught stealing a cookie before dinner. "Harry did it."
"Whatever, you two; just clean it up," Ginny grinned, and walked past them toward her group of girlfriends. Harry couldn't help but look back and stare at her hips swaying side to side. An elbow nudged his ribs hard.
"Hey," he looked at his best mate, "I couldn't help it."
"She's my sister, you git!"
Harry shrugged. Ron searched for his wand that was buried in the red cushions and cast a quick cleaning spell. He sat with his elbows resting on his knees.
"So what about 'Mione?"
Harry shook his head. "I don't know what's wrong with her, mate. I mean, did you see her today? She was pretty out of it."
"I know."
"Should we go check on her? I haven't seen her around since before Lupin's class."
"Yeah."
With that, the two boys changed clothes and exited through the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Is that her room?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, it's the one with the old man on it."
"I take offense to that," the portrait protested. "I'm simply youthfully disabled." Harry and Ron shared a smile.
"Harry, look, it's not shut all the way."
"Should we knock?"
They shrugged and walked in. The two boys laid eyes on the spell-bound cat at the same time.
"Woah! Look at Crookshanks," Ron said, bending down and poking the cat curiously. "Looks like Neville in first year."
"Bloody hell! Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked, walking toward the bed where Hermione's body lay.
"Oh, Fuck!" Harry yelled, and Ron ran over. They both laid eyes on her comatose body. Only the white of her eyes were visible from her half closed lids, and she was shivering.
In a panic, they looked at each other. "Go get Mme. Pomfrey!" Ron yelled.
"No, no," Harry said, "I think it's that stuff she's been taking. I'm going to get Lupin, he'll know what to do. You stay here. She's still breathing; just watch her."
Ron nodded, and Harry ran out the portrait toward the werewolf's office. Panting, he rushed in and found Remus Lupin at his desk leaning over a pile of scrolls.
"Moony! Something is wrong with Hermione!"
Remus looked up from his desk at the boy; he knew this was coming sometime. He jumped up, and grabbed his wand. "Is she breathing?"
"I think so," Harry panted as they ran down the corridors. "Her eyes are all rolled back and white stuff is coming out of her mouth."
As they rounded the corner of Gryffindor Tower, they heard a smooth voice.
"Haven't seen you run like that for years, Lupin," Snape mocked.
"I could use your help in here, Snape. Give me a hand."
Snape surreptitiously patted the vial in his pocket and followed the two into Hermione's private quarters.
"What is he doing here?" Ron asked, gesturing towards the Potion Master.
"He's here to help," Lupin responded. Lupin rushed over and put his ear to her chest.
"Help with what, may I ask?" Severus peered over the shoulder of his shorter colleague. "An overdose? I suppose I was wrong to expect more out of her, eh?"
"You git, she might be dying." Ron exclaimed.
"It's her own fault then."
"Hermione!" Lupin exclaimed, gently slapping her face. "Say something; talk to me."
No response. He turned her on her side, opening her mouth and examining her airways for anything clogged.
"Look, Moony," Harry shoved an empty vial in front of his face. "This was on the floor."
Snape took a deeper breath than usual as Remus untwisted the lid and dabbed a small grain on his tongue. "It's Duplexplicis. I smelled it on her this afternoon." With more strength than most thought he possessed, he picked Hermione's body up and rushed her to the bathroom, leaning her body against the toilet.
"Listen Severus, I need you to go get something for this, an antidote or something. I know you know how," Lupin demanded. Snape glared at the implied accusation before exiting the room with one sweep of his black robes.
"Sorry Hermione" he whispered before casting a spell with his wand pointed at the girl. "Aegrotus." Hermione's body suddenly came to life. She began to convulse as she vomited uncontrollably in his grasp. Ron stood in the doorway with his head turned and Harry looked on with worried intent.
"It's okay, Hermione," Lupin said, crouched on his knees and rubbing her back comfortingly. "It's okay." Her watery brown eyes locked with Lupin's.
"I'm so sorry," she mumbled before her body forced her to turn her attention back to the toilet.