Yay chapter fooouuurr! wooo

Hope u like this one!

I like the middle bit =) fluffyness

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Chapter Four: Visits and Removal

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"What?!"

"I'm scared Ron," Hermione cried, "I'm really, really scared..."

"No."

"What?"

"No. No, you're lying. You're fine! You're perfectly fine, Hermione!"

"Ron, I-"

"This isn't funny," he said, fighting back tears.

"Ron. Ron, I don't know what's going to happen. I'm only saying what I heard." Ron didn't say anything. He held her closer and rested his head on top of hers.

"You're going to be ok."

"I don't know, Ron. I just don't know. They said it's too early to tell, and that I shouldn't be worried but what if they're wrong?" Ron lifted one of his hands to stroke Hermione's head. Her eyelids were getting heavy and she felt drowsy. "Ron, let go please. I'm really tired."

"No."

"Please, Ron..."

"I'm not letting you go, Hermione."

"Hmmm." She was already asleep.

---

The news of Hermione Granger's illness spread fast throughout the school. People were constantly whispering about her in the corridors and making up rumors like 'You know that Granger girl has some strange disease that's gonna kill us all.' Due to these remarks, many students could be seen running through the halls with their robes clamped over their mouths. Hermione received cards and gifts from her fellow students on a regular basis and had visits from Harry and Ron everyday.

"Hi 'Mione," Ron said as he entered the hospital wing on Thursday, followed closely by Harry and Ginny. "We brought you a little something."

"Oh, Hermione!" Ginny cried flinging herself onto Hermione and smothering her with her arms. "I'm so sorry I haven't come to see you."

"That's ok, Ginny. I'm glad you're here now."

"Here," Harry said thrusting a large package under Hermione's nose. "From the three of us." He smiled. She nodded and opened the package to find it stuffed with sweets and chocolates from Honeydukes. "You missed the last visit, so we thought it'd cheer you up a little."

"Thanks you guys," she said calmly. "Did you get my homework too?" she asked hopefully, "'cause I really am behind..." Ron handed her a piece of parchment with the week's homework written neatly on it. She could only assume Harry wrote it. At the very bottom was Ron's unmistakable messy handwriting: You'll get better soon. I love you. Tears stung her eyes as she looked up at Ron. He smiled, kissed her forehead and got up to leave.

"We should get going," Harry said, "I haven't even started my potions essay."

"Right. We'll see you later, Hermione," Ginny said, sympathetically.

"Bye," Ron whispered as all three of them left the room.

"Miss Granger!" Madam Pomfrey came bustling into the room. "Ah, I see your friends have brought you gifts," she commented, motioning towards the large stack of cards and gifts on her bedside table. "Isn't that lovely?"

"Mm," Hermione nodded.

"Well now, I think it's time you took your potion and had a nice nap hmm?"

"I suppose." Hermione took the small glass from Madam Pomfrey and finished it in one gulp. She was used to the unusual tingling by now. The hospital wing became blurry and it was mere seconds before darkness consumed her.

---

The hospital wing was pitch black when Hermione awoke. She sat up on her bed and blinked as if trying to make out the room which was near to impossible, given the lack of light. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and gazed through the blackness.

"Get up, Granger." The person's voice was cold and harsh.

"What?"

"I said get up. Now, before anyone sees me."

"Malfoy?!"

"Keep your bloody voice down, will you?"

"What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"I heard you were sick and- God, I'm already regretting this."

"Good. Now go, or I'll call Madam Pomfrey."

"No, listen. I just wanted to say..."

"Say it."

"I hope you get better." Hermione laughed.

"Better? Malfoy, you wanted me dead during our second year."

"Well, things change."

"Sure."

"Look, if anyone finds out I was here, you'll pay."

"Alright."

"I'll see you around, Granger." His footsteps echoed through the empty room and down the deserted corridor.

"Strange," Hermione muttered to herself. She closed her eyes and lowered her head onto her pillow. In hopes that she would be able to start her work the next day, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

---

"How are you feeling today, Miss Granger," Madam Pomfrey asked. Hermione opened her eyes, squinting from the sunlight that was pouring in through the windows.

"Unusually...good," she answered.

"Good, good. I think it might be safe for you to spend the day in your common room."

"But, what about my classes?!"

"I'm sure you don't want to attend your classes?"

"Of course I do!"

"Well, I still think its best if you just spent the day in Gryffindor tower. Better safe than sorry, right? Anyway, it'll be nice to get some exercise, hmm?"

"Yes...I suppose." Hermione ate her breakfast in silence, still thinking about the previous night. That really was weird, she thought...Maybe I was dreaming...after all, it was Malfoy...Once she finished eating, she threw on her robes and gathered up her books. "Thank you Madam Pomfrey," she called and walked out the large wooden doors for the first time in what seemed like ages.

The common room was empty when Hermione arrived. She wished she could attend her classes, but orders were orders and she would do as she was told. She sat on one of the squashy armchairs near the fire and opened her potions textbook. She took out the piece of parchment Ron had given her.

Potions

-Read pages 435-467

-Write an essay (no less than one full roll of parchment) on the Groath plant and its uses.

Page 435...435. The Groath plant. Native to Northern Ireland and Scotland, this unusual plant has many uses in the medical field. In most cases, it is used in Pepperup potions as a cure for the common cold. Discovered by Ronald McGregor, the Groath plant has proved itself useful since the early 1900s...

Hermione sighed. As much as she loved the fact that she was finally doing something productive, she was finding it hard to focus. She grabbed a piece of blank parchment and pressed the tip of her quill to it. She tapped it repeatedly, biting her bottom lip. Think, Hermione, think.

The Groath Plant and its Uses

By Hermione Granger

The Groath plant was discovered by Ronald...Weasley...

"No!" She quickly erased the 'Weasley' and replaced it with McGregor. Concentrate...Ok.

It is used in Pepperup potions to cure...red hair and freckles...

"Stop it!" she told herself. She quickly crumpled her sorry excuse for an essay and tossed it into the fire. She let her mind wander, only for it to fall upon Ron. She couldn't get her mind off him. "What the hell is the matter with you?" Hermione hissed at herself. She just saw him the day before, not to mention everyday before that. But still...she missed him.

Hermione spent the day trying to get through her many assignments while the odd student came in and out of the common room. It was very boring and extremely hard to concentrate with Ron's face clouding her thoughts every other minute. At around six o'clock, Hermione dropped her quill, closed her book and sighed. There was no way she was getting any more done today. Just as she was packing up her books, there was a swish and a thud and Ron came clambering through the portrait hole.

"Ron!" she squealed and ran towards him.

"Hey, hey. Look who's back," he said, smiling. She flung her arms around him and- Thump, pinned him to the ground. "My, my, Hermione. Are you sure you should be...roughhousing?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I was thinking about you."

"Really?"

"Really..." She leaned in to kiss him firmly on the lips. Just as Ron's hands were about to entangle themselves in her hair, she broke away from him. "And do you know what else?" Before he could answer, she kissed him again.

"What else?" he asked, pulling her face away from his.

"Nothing, just stalling," she said, giggling. He loved to see her happy.

"So," he said sitting up, with Hermione perched on his lap, "How come you're here? Pomfrey let you out?"

"She said I can spend the day here. She says I need exercise."

"Hmm. Is that right?" He kissed her forehead and twisted his fingers in her hair.

"Ouch, Ron." He looked at her, and pulled his hands away.

"What the bloody-" In his hands were several strands of long brown hair, tangled in his fingers. "I didn't even pull- did I?" She didn't answer. "I'm sorry..."

"Not your fault."

"Come," he said getting to his feet. He extended his hands to her and she placed hers in his. He pulled her up off the floor and put one arm around her shoulder.

"Ron-?" He put his other arm behind her knees and lifted her off the ground. "Ron! Put me down! Put me down NOW!"

"Now, now Miss Granger, I will not tolerate shouting. So you can either come quietly or I will have to have you taken care of." Her hands snaked around his neck and she smiled her approval. Ron carried her up the stairs to the boys' dorms and kicked the door open. He strode across the room and lowered Hermione onto his bed.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"No problem." She moved over automatically to make room for Ron.

"Ooh, you want me to join you, huh?" he smirked.

"Perhaps." He lied beside her on the bed and pushed a curl away from her face, a few strands of her hair remained in his hands. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. He instinctively wrapped an arm around her and held her close to his body. Both breathing in perfect unison, they drifted off to sleep.

---

Hermione awoke to find herself back in the hospital wing. She sat up quickly on her bed. She was too confused to even bother asking what had happened to her this time...she only wanted to know where Ron was. She ran her hands through her hair...it was a lot less bushy...

"Miss Granger, I see you're finally up." The voice was Professor McGonagall's.

"Where's Ron? What time is it?"

"Noon."

"Ok."

"Noon...on Sunday."

"Sunday...Sunday? No. It's Friday...or Saturday at the latest!" She protested.

"I am afraid, Miss Granger, that it is in fact Sunday."

"And Ron?"

"Mr. Weasley brought you here on Friday when you failed to wake up."

"Failed...?"

"Miss Granger, this is Healer Johnson," she said, motioning towards the tall wizard in white robes beside her, "He will be your escort today."

"My- my what?"

"Your escort. Miss Gra- Hermione...we have had specific orders to have you taken to a proper hospital. A Muggle hospital. Healer Johnson is here to take you to St. John's General Hospital in London."

"What? No!"

"It's only so they can run a few tests, dear." Her voice was now shaky and her face looked...worried?

"No! Professor, please! Don't make them take me! I'm fine!"

"Miss Granger, is it?" Healer Johnson asked.

"Yes, sir. But I'm fine! Really! I don't need to go."

"Now, please, Miss Granger...this is just so we can take a few simple tests. You'll be out in no time," he assured her as he steered her into a wheelchair. "Everything's going to be fine, I want you to close your eyes and relax, dear...ok?" He pushed the wheelchair containing a very distressed Hermione out of the hospital wing.

"NO!" she shouted, jamming her heel into the floor, causing the wheelchair and Healer Johnson to stop abruptly. "No! You can't make me!"

"I'm afraid you're going to have to sit down, Hermione." She didn't answer; instead she got up out of the wheelchair to look him in the face.

"I do not want 'tests', I don't want people freaking out over me, I don't want to go to some stupid Muggle hospital! I want my ordinary life back! I want my friends and my school work," she cried, "I want to be me again." Tears were now welling up in her eyes.

"Miss Gr-"

"Don't."

"Please don't make me have to jinx you."

"Oh yeah? Try me!"

BOOM- everything went black and Hermione thought no more.

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chapter 5 coming tomorrow! errr...well technically today lol its 1:08 in the morning!! eek I need sleep thanx for the gr8 reviews!! The better the reviews the faster ill update hehe ;)