By Her Side
Hermione opened her eyes and then closed them. The room was bright, too bright.
She heard something move and she opened her eyes again. Someone was occupying a chair beside her bed. Hermione blinked hard against the bright light and tears, shaking away the flaring spots and blurry vision.
She sat up and immediately regretted it. It felt as if her head suddenly became a drum, a deep throbbing pounding began, causing her vision to swim and for her to go light headed.
"Hermione!" A voice gasped. She felt arms grip her and pull her back into the bed. "What are you doing?"
Hermione shook her head; the whole room seemed to be spinning. "Who? Ron? Is that you?" She asked, her voice hoarse.
"Yeah, Hermione. It's me. Are you okay? Want me to get Pomfrey?" Worry was etched in his face.
"What? Where am I? What happened?" She asked.
"You're in the Hospital Wing, now. You're okay." Ron grinned, a strained grin. "Do you want Pomfrey? I can get her."
Hermione shook her head, wincing as the pounding seemed to grow worst. "No. I'm feeling a bit better now, just a little dizzy." She replied lying back heavily upon the bed. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the pounding headache and the nauseous feeling that was bubbling in her stomach. She lay there for a few moments, taking deep easy breaths and trying to focus.
Ron sat in the chair beside her bed, wringing his hands and glancing nervously toward her and back toward Pomfrey's office. "How are you feeling, Hermione?"
Hermione groaned. "I feel like hell." She responded. 'What happened?"
Ron sighed. "Myrtle attacked you." He said. "I don't know how and I don't know why. I just heard it second hand from Neville who heard it from Dean who claims to have been the one to run to get Pomfrey."
"So you don't know what happened?" Hermione asked.
Ron shook his head. " No. I came here once I was told that you got attacked. No one knows why Myrtle attacked you, but from what I hear, they're talking about banishing her from the school. First the potion, now this. That ghost's nothing but trouble."
"They can't banish her!" Hermione gasped. "This is her home."
Ron looked at her in confusion. "She just attacked you." He said.
Hermione groaned and sat back up in the bed. This time her vision stayed clear, the room stayed still, but her head still pounded heavily. "It's not her fault. I provoked her."
"What?"
"I was going back to the Tower and she confronted me. We had an argument and I called her dead, and laughed at her about it." Hermione explained, intentionally leaving out parts.
"You laughed at her?" Ron shook his head. "What were you thinking Hermione? You could have been killed."
"I don't know." Hermione said. "I guess I wasn't thinking."
Ron grinned for a moment. "Of all the times you decide not to use your head." He said.
Hermione smiled faintly. "It always seemed to work well for you and Harry." She replied. Then she looked up across the Hospital Wing and toward the back bed surrounded by a curtain.
Ron followed his gaze, his smile vanishing and a hard look forming. "Yeah. He's fine." He said, without her asking. "I told him what happened to you and he just buried himself in his blankets. Didn't move or say anything."
Hermione couldn't help but feel hurt. That he didn't care that she had been attacked, even in his depression he at least could have made an effort to see how she was doing. She shook her head, trying to not feel disappointed and sadden.
Ron laid a hand upon her shoulder. "Hey. It's okay, he's just...occupied." He said. "He's not in his right state of mind."
Hermione nodded.
Ron sat back in his chair. "When I heard you had been attacked and were taken to the Hospital Wing...I felt scared. I mean not just scared, but really scared, like...I don't know." Ron dropped his head into his hands in frustration. "It was the thought that you were hurt...it just scared me."
Hermione was quiet. "I...th-" Hermione began, but Ron cut her off.
"Everyone's been worried about you." He said quickly. "Neville's been in and out three times, Luna came once, and Ginny came, all blubbering and sobbing."
"Ginny came?' She asked a little surprise and also relieved he had changed the subject.
"Yeah. I know you two have been having a fight or something, but this really shook her up. She came her all sobbing, Pomfrey had to chase her out." Ron shook his head.
"I'm glad for that." Hermione said.
"What?"
"No. Not like that, just that Ginny came by to see how I was. I'm glad she still cared enough to come." She said.
Ron only shook his head, muttering "girls" under his breath.
"You're awake!" Pomfrey suddenly said, striding down the rows of beds towards them. She stabbed a finger in Ron's direction. "You. Why are you here? I thought I told you to leave an hour ago."
"Just visiting." Ron replied.
"Visiting hours are over." Pomfrey snapped. "Out."
Ron grinned to Hermione, taking her hand. "Get well, won't you? Class will be a bore without you there, especially Potions." He grinned again and hastened to the doors.
Pomfrey frowned watching him leave. "That boy." She said shaking her head. "This is the fourth time I had to chase him out." She then rounded upon Hermione, a clipboard appearing in her hand. 'And how are you doing?"
"I'm...I'm feelin' fine."' Hermione replied, smiling as Ron waved vigorously as the heavy doors slowly closed.