"Hello, Ginny!" She tried to sound casual, while trying to suppress the sudden stab of fear that had invaded her.
"Hiya Hermione!" Ginny sounded... normal. Hermione watched as the younger girl pulled a chair up to the bed without another word.
"What brings you here? Shouldn't you be in class?" Charms for the 6th year Gryffindors was Monday mornings. Hermione hoped her fear wasn't showing in her voice or on her face.
Ginny noticed that Hermione seemed a bit stressed. That was only to be expected, thought the youngest Weasley, gleefully. "Flitwick let us out early, so I thought I'd come see how you were doing." She ducked her head and schooled her voice to sound meek and mild. She was good at meek and mild, she'd been doing it her entire life. "This was the worst fall yet, are you okay?" She was so preoccupied with her mission that she had failed to notice Madame Pomfrey on the other side of the curtain around Hermione's bed.
Hermione's palms started sweating as she tried to control her fear. "Yes, I'm doing fine. Madame Pomfrey says that even with all the breaks, I'm doing better than can be expected." She smiled. Bravely, she hoped.
Merlin's balls, wasn't there anything that Hermione didn't excel at? Ginny fumed internally. "What happened anyway?" innocence infused her voice. Another one of her specialties.
Hermione was taken in by the young girl's manner, feeling her fear subside a bit. Surely they must be wrong, Ginny wouldn't be capable of doing something like this! "Well, Gin, I had just had a fascinating conversation with Professor Snape... " she started to explain before she was interrupted.
"And you fainted in shock?" Ginny hated having to pretend to fawn all over the girl sitting in the bed.
Hermione laughed, and her fear vanished. They had to be wrong. "No, but then I opened my big mouth and well, said something I shouldn't. The Professor understandibly got upset, and after he left I was so upset I kinda.. forgot, and tried getting to my rooms without calling my chair." Hermione blushed at the memory of what she had said to the man who had helped her immensely these past few months.
The red-headed girl almost couldn't believe her luck. The stupid cow was giving her the perfect opportunity, and well, she wasn't about to pass it up. "Oh, Hermione!" She exclaimed, patting Hermione's hand. Ginny dropped her eyes before continuing, "You don't think it's Snape causing all of this? It seems like something he would do."
Hermione was rendered momentarily speechless by this question. She didn't doubt Professor Snape, but why would Ginny say something like that? "Why would he do this to me?" She asked, hoping against hope that the girl's response would diminish her suspicions.
Right, the brightest witch of her generation. It was all Ginny could do to keep her eyes from rolling. "Well, maybe because he's threatened by you? He's a pureblood, and you are just a Muggle-born, and you are always raising your hand in classes, and I be the staffroom is filled with other teachers singing your praises. I bet he feels like you need to be taught a lesson, to be put in your place." Ginny didn't realize her own vitriol towards the girl in the bed next her had escaped during her answer.
Hermione almost recoiled at the hatred that infused Ginny's words. Her worst fears were confirmed, and she closed her eyes and laid back against the pillows trying to keep the tears of betrayal from showing. "You may have a point, Ginny, I'll talk to the Headmaster about it. Now, I'm really tired... " She trailed off, not bothering to keep the pain from her voice this time, and didn't bother to open her eyes.
Ginny smiled triumphantly, sure she had gotten to Miss Brainiac in the bed. Her voice dripped with sympathy as she rose from her chair. "Sure, Hermione. I've got to get to Muggle Studies. I hope you feel better!" She sailed out of the infirmary, sure her plans were progressing nicely.
As soon as she heard the door click, Hermione opened her eyes, and tried to process the conversation she had just had. She started shaking as she realized how close she had been to being even more hurt. Without warning, she was smothered by a pair of warm, plump, mothering arms. "Oh, child!" The school's mediwitch hugged the shaking girl.
"You heard?" Hermione asked, her voice muffled in the older woman's shoulder.
"Yes, I did." She shook her head in sadness. "Such venom! I'll get the Headmaster right away, dearie, and you just stay right here. " She pulled a way and smiled down at the bushy haired girl in bed. "Let me just set some wards, and then I'll be off to fetch the Headmaster." She waved her wand, and a few words that passed right over Hermione's head, she set up wards around the bed. Nodding to herself, she patted Hermione on the head. "Try to rest, anyone coming in will see you asleep. And they won't get close enough to disturb you."
Hermione gratefully squeezed the mediwitches hand, not trusting herself to speak. Madame Pomfrey nodded and left the girl in the bed to her own thoughts. Hermione was still unable to quite believe the hatred that had dripped from Ginny's mouth. And directed towards her. Even Ron's insults during their first year hadn't been so full of poison. She didn't want to deal with this. She couldn't. She picked up her book and started reading it again, trying to find an escape from the newly acquired knowledge that Ginny Weasley hated her enough to hurt her.
"Severus?" The Headmaster called as he looked around his Potion Master's quarters.
The man in question heard the voice calling to him, and walked into his sitting room to see his older friend's head in the fire. He bit back a sigh, and responded with a long suffering look, "Yes, Headmaster?"
"May I come through?" Albus asked diffidently.
Professor Snape shrugged. "My consent has never been required before."
The Headmaster twinkled at him before giving him a grand smile. "Thank you, your invitation is most elegant!" His head disappeared, and a moment later he stepped grandly out of the fire place, without a speck of dust on him. Severus always suspected he used a shielding charm.
As much as Severus grumbled, he had quite a large amount of respect for the Headmaster. He tried to not let it show. "Was there something you wanted, Albus?"
Dumbledore smiled, "Thank you, Severus, tea would be lovely." Albus responded and settled into one of the wingback chairs in front of the fire.
Severus indulged himself in a sigh, making it rather more dramatic than he felt, as he assembled the tea. He wouldn't get any answers out of the exasperating man until they were both settled with tea.
A few minutes later, everything was assembled. Dumbledore took a sip and looked over at his younger colleague, smiling a bit at the outburst he knew would follow his first comment. "I thought it best to inform you that Hermione Granger had a visitor this morning. Miss Ginevra Weasley felt she should spend some time with Miss Granger, ostensibly cheering her up."
Anger flooded the Potions Master. This was no time for the Headmaster's games! "Dammit, Albus! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I believe I just did, Severus." The older man replied calmly. He looked at the glowering man before him, "Calm down, Severus. I have just come from the Infirmary, where Miss Granger is fine. Poppy monitored their conversation, ready to document and intervene if necessary, and she summoned me immediately after Miss Weasley left. Miss Granger did not take any other injury, nor did Miss Weasley cast any spells. Poppy has already placed her memory of the conversation in a pensive for evidence."
Professor Snape's anger subsided, and he turned his mind to the next problem. What to do next?
A/N
Here it is. And there's some fun stuff coming up, I promise!
