Chapter 5.
Fred and George had not been convinced, however, when she had left them to go for her bath.
"Do you think she's going to be ok?" Fred asked.
"I don't know, I really don't know. She looked really upset, really upset."
"Should we go after her? I don't think she does plan to talk to us later."
"Well, she may feel better after her bath." George commented, as they began to walk towards the common room. "Girl's tend to do that."
"Yeah. I'm not so sure." Fred added.
"You know...about what Ginny said..." Fred started. "I don't believe it...I can't imagine it...there's got to be something else going on."
"Yeah, Ginny's probably got totally the wrong side of something, as usual." George finished, just as they passed the prefect's bathroom, of which the door was slightly ajar. They heard a voice yelling, but they couldn't hear the words. Then they heard the smash of glass. They looked at each other. "You think we should?" Fred asked.
"Well, let's wait out here for a bit, whoever's in there may come out soon. We don't want to walk in on anyone naked, or on the toilet." George concluded.
"Good point."
So they waited outside. "Hey, wait a minute, that could be Hermione." George said after quite a while.
"No, that's the prefects bathroom..."
"Well, she said she was going for a bath, and if it was just someone in for the toilet, they'd be out by now...And there was the scream...and the glass..."
"That's it." Fred said and walked over to the door. "I'm going in." George followed. What they saw is a sight they would never have hoped to see in their lives.
"HERMIONE!" They yelled together at the still body lying at the bottom of the bath. They rushed over to the side and knelt down, pulling her out of the water and lying her on the tiles, soaking the floor.
"Hermione, Hermione, HERMIONE!" Fred yelled, shaking her. He sat her limp body up and hugged her tightly, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Oh Hermione. Why, why? Why did you do this to yourself? Wake up, wake up!" he cried into her already wet hair.
George put his arm round Fred. "Come on, we'd better get her to the hospital wing." He said shakily.
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They had covered her in George's jumper and carried her to the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey took her. They pleaded to stay with her, but Madam Pomfrey ushered them out, telling them that Hermione would be ok now and that they should get some sleep. They grudgingly left and set back towards Gryffindor Common Room.
"What do we tell the others?" George said. More to himself than Fred.
Fred said nothing and they walked into the common room. Ron and Harry were still up, but apart from them the room was empty, it was nearly 11.30pm.
"What's up with you two?" Harry asked. "Got busted planting dungbombs in Snape's office?" He laughed.
Fred sat down and stared at Harry, a few tears falling from his eyes. George went over and sat in the last free seat.
"Wow, Fred.." Ron laughed nervously.
"Ron, Harry, what's been upsetting Hermione. Did one of you two say something? Why did you upset her? Why, why? What has she ever done to you? Why were you not talking to her?" George flustered.
"Hey, we've done noth...what's going on?" Harry asked.
"Hermione's in the hospital wing." Fred said simply.
"What?" Ron asked, panicked.
"She's in the hospital wing. She ran into us, she was upset...then...then...we found her...just lying there, so lifeless...If only we hadn't let her go, if only we'd forced her to talk to us...if only we didn't wait so long..." George said, putting his head in his hands.
"What are you saying? What did she do?" Harry asked slowly.
"Harry she tried to drown herself in the bath. It was obvious. And we let it happen. She came to us...and we let it happen."
"What are you talking about?" Ron turned to his brothers, the former part of their sentence not quite sunk in yet.
"She ran into us, very upset, crying, talking about someone, but she didn't want to tell us. She said she was going for a bath...and...and we let her...and...this is all our fault. We could have stopped her, but we didn't. We let her do this...." George tailed off while Fred remained silent, staring into the fire.
"I'm sure it wasn't your faul..." Harry started, but Ron interrupted him.
"You let her? You saw she was upset, and you just let her nearly die? Thanks alot guys. I want to go and see her!" He stood up.
"Ron, don't get mad at them, how were they to know she was going to do this? Calm down." Harry said.
"You can't see her, Madam Pomfrey kicked us out." Fred said.
Ron sat back down and put his head in his hands. "I still love her, did I ever mention that? I still bloody love her. She was so upset when she dumped me...I was so confused...and then Ginny told me she had been cheating on me...I didn't know what to think. I don't believe she did, but she's been so...wierd lately, don't tell me you haven't noticed. Something's happened that she's not telling us. But what could be so bad she can't tell us? We're meant to be her best friends." He looked at Harry.
"I don't know Ron, I just don't know." He stared into space. And thats how the four boys stayed, staring, thinking, until 2.30am when George suggested they'd better get to bed, which they all agreed to, they were all somehow shattered, news like that tends to have that effect. They all went to bed, but none of them slept. Fred and George were still haunted by the image of Hermione lying in the bath, lifeless...Fred could still feel her cold, breathless body against his when he had held her...Harry was scared and concerned...lying in the dark a few tears escaped his cheeks. He loved her so much, he didn't know what he could do without her....he could hear Ron crying too...Harry knew Ron still loved her, partly because he had told him that everyday since they had broken up...and partly because it was so obvious, but he was trying to be strong and not let it affect him, as she clearly didn't feel the same anymore.
Fred and George had not been convinced, however, when she had left them to go for her bath.
"Do you think she's going to be ok?" Fred asked.
"I don't know, I really don't know. She looked really upset, really upset."
"Should we go after her? I don't think she does plan to talk to us later."
"Well, she may feel better after her bath." George commented, as they began to walk towards the common room. "Girl's tend to do that."
"Yeah. I'm not so sure." Fred added.
"You know...about what Ginny said..." Fred started. "I don't believe it...I can't imagine it...there's got to be something else going on."
"Yeah, Ginny's probably got totally the wrong side of something, as usual." George finished, just as they passed the prefect's bathroom, of which the door was slightly ajar. They heard a voice yelling, but they couldn't hear the words. Then they heard the smash of glass. They looked at each other. "You think we should?" Fred asked.
"Well, let's wait out here for a bit, whoever's in there may come out soon. We don't want to walk in on anyone naked, or on the toilet." George concluded.
"Good point."
So they waited outside. "Hey, wait a minute, that could be Hermione." George said after quite a while.
"No, that's the prefects bathroom..."
"Well, she said she was going for a bath, and if it was just someone in for the toilet, they'd be out by now...And there was the scream...and the glass..."
"That's it." Fred said and walked over to the door. "I'm going in." George followed. What they saw is a sight they would never have hoped to see in their lives.
"HERMIONE!" They yelled together at the still body lying at the bottom of the bath. They rushed over to the side and knelt down, pulling her out of the water and lying her on the tiles, soaking the floor.
"Hermione, Hermione, HERMIONE!" Fred yelled, shaking her. He sat her limp body up and hugged her tightly, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Oh Hermione. Why, why? Why did you do this to yourself? Wake up, wake up!" he cried into her already wet hair.
George put his arm round Fred. "Come on, we'd better get her to the hospital wing." He said shakily.
------
They had covered her in George's jumper and carried her to the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey took her. They pleaded to stay with her, but Madam Pomfrey ushered them out, telling them that Hermione would be ok now and that they should get some sleep. They grudgingly left and set back towards Gryffindor Common Room.
"What do we tell the others?" George said. More to himself than Fred.
Fred said nothing and they walked into the common room. Ron and Harry were still up, but apart from them the room was empty, it was nearly 11.30pm.
"What's up with you two?" Harry asked. "Got busted planting dungbombs in Snape's office?" He laughed.
Fred sat down and stared at Harry, a few tears falling from his eyes. George went over and sat in the last free seat.
"Wow, Fred.." Ron laughed nervously.
"Ron, Harry, what's been upsetting Hermione. Did one of you two say something? Why did you upset her? Why, why? What has she ever done to you? Why were you not talking to her?" George flustered.
"Hey, we've done noth...what's going on?" Harry asked.
"Hermione's in the hospital wing." Fred said simply.
"What?" Ron asked, panicked.
"She's in the hospital wing. She ran into us, she was upset...then...then...we found her...just lying there, so lifeless...If only we hadn't let her go, if only we'd forced her to talk to us...if only we didn't wait so long..." George said, putting his head in his hands.
"What are you saying? What did she do?" Harry asked slowly.
"Harry she tried to drown herself in the bath. It was obvious. And we let it happen. She came to us...and we let it happen."
"What are you talking about?" Ron turned to his brothers, the former part of their sentence not quite sunk in yet.
"She ran into us, very upset, crying, talking about someone, but she didn't want to tell us. She said she was going for a bath...and...and we let her...and...this is all our fault. We could have stopped her, but we didn't. We let her do this...." George tailed off while Fred remained silent, staring into the fire.
"I'm sure it wasn't your faul..." Harry started, but Ron interrupted him.
"You let her? You saw she was upset, and you just let her nearly die? Thanks alot guys. I want to go and see her!" He stood up.
"Ron, don't get mad at them, how were they to know she was going to do this? Calm down." Harry said.
"You can't see her, Madam Pomfrey kicked us out." Fred said.
Ron sat back down and put his head in his hands. "I still love her, did I ever mention that? I still bloody love her. She was so upset when she dumped me...I was so confused...and then Ginny told me she had been cheating on me...I didn't know what to think. I don't believe she did, but she's been so...wierd lately, don't tell me you haven't noticed. Something's happened that she's not telling us. But what could be so bad she can't tell us? We're meant to be her best friends." He looked at Harry.
"I don't know Ron, I just don't know." He stared into space. And thats how the four boys stayed, staring, thinking, until 2.30am when George suggested they'd better get to bed, which they all agreed to, they were all somehow shattered, news like that tends to have that effect. They all went to bed, but none of them slept. Fred and George were still haunted by the image of Hermione lying in the bath, lifeless...Fred could still feel her cold, breathless body against his when he had held her...Harry was scared and concerned...lying in the dark a few tears escaped his cheeks. He loved her so much, he didn't know what he could do without her....he could hear Ron crying too...Harry knew Ron still loved her, partly because he had told him that everyday since they had broken up...and partly because it was so obvious, but he was trying to be strong and not let it affect him, as she clearly didn't feel the same anymore.