Three More Days

Three days and he would be back. Three more days; that was seventy-two hours, or four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes, or two hundred and fifty-nine thousand and two hundred seconds. Not that she was counting.

Hermione sighed heavily and returned her quill to the blank piece of parchment lying on the desk in front of her. She could feel its unwritten lines laughing at her, teasing her inability to concentrate and scorning the know-it-all that couldn't even think of a title for a piece of simple transfiguration homework.

"I'm going insane," she muttered to herself, scrunching up the impertinent paper and chucking it at the back wall of the library with enough force to make it bounce straight back at her.

"Er… Hermione?" a cautious voice asked, "Are you okay?"

She turned to Neville and gave a reassuring smile but the quick mood change only served to worry him more. "I'm just fine," she spoke hoping that her voice didn't betray her.

He glanced at her in disbelief as he took in the piles of screwed up parchment littering the back of the library- he wasn't used to seeing a Hermione so willing to experience the wrath of Madam Price, mind, everything she'd done this month had been odd. She gave him an all-too-innocent smile in reply and Neville decided to change the subject.

"So how's Ron's aunt doing then?"

"Huh?" Hermione's mind drew a blank.

"Ron's aunt… the one he's looking after at the moment… the reason he hasn't been at Hogwarts for the past four weeks…" he prompted.

She clicked and cursed herself for the slip, "Oh! Yes, of course."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"How is she? I thought that he was writing to you and Harry."

Hermione silently begged for the floor to open up beneath her and flushed with embarrassment at not even being able to maintain a simple conversation. She felt as coherent as cotton wool with the constant worry of Ron filling her mind. Questions that she tried to keep suppressed for Harry's sake and her own sanity surfaced again: Was he okay? What was he doing? And the one that haunted her the most: Would he come back? She tried to quell her fears and answer Neville's question but could come up with no response. Luckily she was saved by another red head.

"You should know better than to try and get anything out of Hermione Neville," came Ginny's voice as she joined them, Hermione sighed in relief, "everyone knows she's got withdrawal symptoms from lack of contact with my brother." She grinned wickedly at her flushing friend. "Isn't that right Hermione?"

Hermione tried to pull herself together. "This has nothing to do with Ron I just… have a headache," she stumbled

"Yes, a headache," Ginny muttered dryly sharing a sarcastic look with Neville.

"Was there something you wanted Neville?" Hermione asked, desperate to change the topic of conversation.

"Not really. I was just wondering if Ron was still coming back at the end of this week."

"He should be," Hermione bit her lip as the worrying thoughts returned.

Ginny spoke before her friend could stumble over another reply; noting as she did that Hermione would defiantly owe her one, or a few hundred, by the end of this month. "Yeah he'll be back," she said confidently, "Aunt Millings is only in need of help till her healer gets back from Sydney and her own family problems."

"You know I still don't entirely get why Ron had to go," Neville wondered aloud, "I mean, this year is quite important for him."

"Well Mom and Dad are really busy at the moment, Bill and Charlie are out of the country and I'm too young apparently. That leaves Ron and the twins- which would you send to help out a sick relative?" Ginny covered up quickly speaking the well-practised lie. She didn't even notice that she'd left someone out.

Standing up Neville gave her a knowing smile as he pictured the twins looking after anyone remotely frail, "Okay. Well I'll see you two later I've got a shield charm to practise with Harry."

The girls said their goodbyes and as soon as the coast was clear Ginny allowed her face to show it's true expression of nervousness. "He will be alright won't he?" she whispered.

Hermione took her hand into hers. "I'm sure he'll be fine," she breathed back trying to make herself believe it. The two sat in a contemplative moment till Hermione broke the silence and, smiling, questioned enviously, "How did you become such a great actress anyway?"

Ginny grinned lightly in return, "Try living fifteen years with five brothers and see how good you get at lying."

"You've got six brothers Gin," Hermione's eyes poured with sympathy.

"No I haven't."

"Gin…"

Ginny pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear in frustration. "Do you think we'll ever tell them the truth," she said, turning the train of conversation yet again.

Hermione sighed in defeat but her eyes made it clear that this was only a temporary victory, "You mean about where Ron really is?" Ginny nodded. "I don't think so, not unless it's something really important. It's dangerous enough having your whole family knowing," she rushed on noticing Ginny's eyes glare, " not that I don't trust them, but it's all too easy for things to be overhead and that doorway is certainly something that should not be played around with."

"I'm really worried about him Hermione. I know he's a pain half the time, okay make that most of the time, but it's so odd not having him around to torment the life out of me."

"I know what you mean," she agreed the words leaving her mouth before she could stop them.

Ginny smirked, "What? So your actually miss the daily arguments over 'Vicky'?"

Hermione gave the younger girl a significant death glare, "Will you just pack it in?"

"No! I can't tease Ron about you so I have to tease you about Ron."

"Ginny…" she half warned, half laughed and then stopped mid smile, "What do you mean you tease him about me?"

"Nothing!" she chirped innocently, inwardly cringing at the slip.

"Come on. Tell me!"

"Merlin, Hermione when did you turn into such a girl?" This earned her a light slap on the arm, "Oh, yes. I'm sorry, fourth year wasn't it? Well that's when my brother realised anyway." Another slap, "Tell me, what do you actually see in him?"

"You wouldn't be asking that question if you weren't related to him." Hermione huffed indignantly.

Ginny laughed out loud, "Ha! You just admitted it! You fancy Ron!"

Hermione swung her eyes around the library in alarm. "Not so loud," she hissed.

"Why not? They already know anyway."

"Just quiet down. Please."

Ginny sat back down silently and an air of conspiracy settled around them, "So when did you finally accept it?"

Hermione's hand unconsciously reached for the necklace around her neck that Ron had given her for Christmas and Ginny smiled knowingly. "I still haven't actually said it you know," she defended.

"But you have accepted it?"

Hermione's mouth closed tightly in answer.

"Tease," Ginny moaned and leant backwards on her chair.

"I don't understand," Hermione began and then faltered, Ginny let her carry on without interruption, "We've been separated longer than this before and I'm certain he's fine, Dumbledore would be more worried else, but I don't know anything." Grudgingly Hermione shifted the blank parchment waiting to be written on to reveal a book that, after a quick glance from Ginny, was revealed to discuss magical doorways. "I can't find the answers," she sighed with frustration.

"You told Harry that you'd take a break," Ginny gently scolded.

"I lied. See I'm not that bad an actress."

"Well, I suppose we could keep looking for another three days," Ginny suggested, receiving a grateful look from her friend, "Just as long as I can continue to mock you about Ron."

The two girls were found laughing lightly when joined by Harry two hours later. There were two hundred and fifty-two thousand seconds left on the timer.


AN: Thank you to reviewers and nattieb, I hope you liked the dip back home and don't mind me milking last chapters cliffhanger for all its worth.

sea-me-surf- the simple answer is yes.

supernova8610- thank you for practically singlehandedly getting me over the 100 reviews mark.