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:Love Sex and a Bottle of Vodka:
:Chapter Thirteen:
Through Ginny's insistence and her own curiosity and, quite frankly, a deep desire to be in the social flurry of Hogwarts again, Hermione found herself accepting Dean's proposal for a date. Hermione found a bit of silly fluttering in her stomach and heart and she wondered perhaps if it was because it was strange to be going on a date again, or if it was because she had always thought Dean fancied the Patil twins, whom he had loudly said were the best looking girls in their year. Well okay, so that was all the way back in fifth year but still, it was still only two years ago.
"Hermione, you are being silly and if you don't calm down and just go on this date, you'll regret it," said Ginny. She was lounging on the luxe bed, appreciating the four-poster king sized bed with silk and velvet pillows and covers, in the traditional Gryffindor colors.
"I can't believe you have such a large bed," Ginny muttered, bouncing up and down a bit. "This is bigger than the Burrow." Hermione laughed. The financial situation of the Weasleys were looking up; Fred and George's joke shop had been a hit and now they were considering opening up to three more stores in various parts of the wizarding world. They were hardly in the situation to be buying second-hand clothing anymore but Ginny still found it amusing to joke about it.
"Shut up, you know it isn't. I still don't know about this," Hermione said, silently criticizing each square inch of her body, in front of the gilded framed mirror. Ginny rolled over onto her stomach. Hermione looked back at the redhead.
"Why don't I have any clothes like that?" Ginny was wearing a soft sweater, skirt, and thigh-high socks with fat stripes. Her legs were so skinny that they bagged a little but it worked for her. Hermione swore the little Weasley was wearing garters. She asked her.
"Of course," she said, her mouth curving into a smile. "I swear, I tried them the other day and it was so much fun. It's not like it's weird or anything; no one can see them. And my socks would fall down without them." Hermione grinned.
"Right; whatever you say."
"God, you're lucky Dean's muggle-raised. Imagine going out in robes." Ginny's nose wrinkled ever so slightly.
"And if you didn't have me, you would still be blissfully ignorant and prancing around in robes as well," Hermione said, distractedly, digging through her wardrobe. Did she own anything that wasn't scrubby or prim?
"It's a scary thought. Ron still refuses to dress in anything but robes and it's awful. Even Harry's tried to get him to wear something normal."
"Ginny, I can't find anything." Hermione knew she was whining but she couldn't help it. Dean was going to meet her at the Great Hall in twenty minute and all she's done was take a shower. Her hair was piled on her head in what resembled a wet mop and her body was wrapped up in a fluffy bathrobe. All Ginny had done was lounge on the bed, eat chocolates, and in the process, look infuriatingly cute and put-together.
Ginny slipped her socked feet into slippers and padded over to stand next to Hermione. She dug through Hermione's clothes, expertly flicking through piles of shirts and pants.
"Why can't I be small like you?" Hermione said. Ginny only came up to Hermione's chin.
"What, and be half-midget? You're the perfect height, Hermione. And you're all legs on top of that. So if you will please stop wallowing in self-pity and try this on?" Hermione took a dubious look at what Ginny had picked out but her expression cleared. It was a pair of dark jeans, nice enough to wear out, that Hermione remembered splurging on once when shopping with none other than Ginny. In her other hand was a silky, shimmery shirt that Hermione didn't know she had. It was perfect. It was casual enough for a date in Hogsmeade and dressy enough to not look like a slob.
As Hermione dressed, Ginny hunted through more of Hermione's things and came up, triumphantly, with a pair of black, sling back heels.
"Did I know you had these?" she demanded.
"You can borrow them if you want. In fact, you should have them after I wear them this time. You deserve them."
"Nah, not when they look good on you."
"I'm going to be late. You know you just saved my life, right?" Ginny laughed.
"Yeah. You're hopeless, Hermione." When Hermione turned to leave, Ginny suddenly gasped as though she remembered something.
"No, no wait." She pressed a small tube of petal-pink lipstick into Hermione's hand. "Just so you don't look washed out. I'm going to stay here, okay? Your room's so much nicer than mine."
"But I'll be back soon," Hermione reminded her. "No sneaking Harry in here." Ginny blinked innocently.
"Who says you'll be back so soon?"
"Not everyone's promiscuous like you, Ginny." Ginny snorted.
"Hurry up and go. And don't forget to tell me everything, don't you dare leave a single detail out."
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Dean was waiting for her and Hermione felt a little stir again when she saw him. He looked nice. He was the polar opposite of Draco and she didn't mind at all.
"Hey ready to go?" he asked. For a second he almost looked like he as going to offer her his arm. Hogwarts has a way of bringing out the chivalric traditions in people. Maybe it has something to do with the parchment and quills. At the end, they settled on just walking, their hands dangling some few inches from the other's.
Dean had made reservations at a small but nice Italian restaurant in Hogsmeade. When Hermione asked Professor McGonagall if the Head Girl's privilege of going to Hogsmeade whenever they wished outside of school hours extended to one guest. Professor McGonagall responded with a yes and Hermione swore she saw a slight wink from the usually stern teacher.
Hermione and Dean walked in silence in the crisp, fall night air to Hogsmeade but when they got to the restaurant, the conversation, unfortunately, was horribly strained until the food came out.
It was only after they had milled around outside, admiring little displays in store windows, that they settled into an idle chatter.
"Look at that. It makes me wish it was Christmas," Hermione said. Her nose was cold but the jacket she had thrown on proved to do its job. She was pointing to a display of a miniature castle, complete with toy swans in the moat and a little princess that came to wave a handkerchief out a window every twenty seconds. Hermione could see inside the windows little rooms that brought to mind comfort. She suspected it was magic that made the fireworks above the toy castle explode continuously.
"It is nice," Dean admitted. "But, it doesn't really do anything, does it?"
"It doesn't have to do anything. It's just nice to look at," Hermione said, smiling as she gave the castle one last look. They kept walking, away from the village, up a hill where it felt as though they were the only people left on the world."I think this is better," Dean said, appreciatively. "Look at how many stars there are." His hand reached for Hermione's but, feeling only slightly guilty, Hermione drew her hand back.
"Um, Dean? I don't want to, I mean, it's just that, we started this...meeting as friends, and I was thinking maybe that's just how it should end too." Dean gave her a sidelong glance. Hermione opened her mouth to further explain but Dean stopped her.
"No, I understand, I can take a hint." He gave her a crooked smile and turned his back to her, looking at the sky. Hermione came up next to him.
"Hey, let's jump." Hermione looked at Dean with disbelief. She couldn't read in her voice whether he was serious or not. The other side of the hill ended abruptly and all Hermione could make out was a couple of rocks on the bottom. It would mean a broken ankle if she fell legs first, a broken neck if she fell head first.
"Dean?"
"It's just that, Hermione..." It sounded like the beginning of a confession that Hermione didn't want to hear.
"You know what, never mind, I was being weird. Just, forget it." Dean turned around but doing so, his foot slipped on a rock and he stumbled backward. Hermione rushed forward to catch him but the rocks studding the grass proved to be slippery and she felt her own heel get wedged in between two rocks and her ankle twist. Stumbling, she suddenly realized she had pitched forward and despite Dean's desperate attempts to grab her arm, she went careening over the side of the hill.
The last thing she thought, as the infinite blackness that was rushing around her entered her eyes to cover her mind, was to scream out for Draco but when she was gone before she could open her mouth.
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Draco frowned. Something felt extremely uneasy in his mind. His stomach started to drop as though he was falling. He jumped out of his chair and looked around for something that he could not see. Hermione. Was it Hermione? Was she hurt?
He was running towards her room when Ginny came out. They both stared at each other, like a mirror. The same expression was plastered on both their pale faces: eyes wide and mouths open.
"Did you feel that too?" Ginny demanded. "What happened?" Draco shook his head and ran a shaking hand through his hair.
"I don't know. But it's-"
"Hermione," Ginny finished. They only stood there for another second but it felt like an eternity. Then they started at a run for the infirmary. When they burst out into the hallway, they found Harry and Ron running towards them.
"What the hell is going on?" Ron asked. He looked frazzled and Harry was swaying and looked faint. The sickening sensation did not stop. Their hearts pounded as their stomach dropped out mercilessly and their ears roared. Harry put a hand out to the wall to steady himself.
"We think it's Hermione. Something's happened," Draco said. A quick alliance had been formed without anyone's notice, between the Gryffindors and the Slytherin. Even Ron didn't think to question why on earth Draco would be having the same nauseating experience as the Gryffindors.
"Why? I mean, how? Magic doesn't denote an ESP connection," Harry said. Sweat gleamed on his brow as though pearl had melted over his skin.
"I know but maybe, maybe her raw need had somehow caused this...disturbance." Draco was so worried that he was fumbling over his words.
"What happened to her?" The scared whisper had come from Ginny. Then they all took off again, to the infirmary. When they got there, they found an ashen Dean.
"Hi Dean...Dean!" Ginny jumped at seeing him there. "Where's Hermione?" Dean was shaking and explaining in halts and leaps and finally the story spilled out. They had gone for a walk up a hill in Hogsmeade. He had stumbled and trying to steady him, Hermione's foot got caught and she fell forward over the edge.
Hogwarts infirmary's emergency group had already gone to get her. Dean had tried to climb down himself but it was too steep.
When the little gold bell started to shriek, signifying anyone to clear the way for an emergency vehicle, the group held their breath. It was almost like a Muggle emergency van. If it hadn't been a serious situation, they might have been amused by it. But it was a serious situation and no one was in the mood to be amused.
The emergency vehicle was like a van but instead of wheels, it rested on brooms and it soared through the hallways, screeching to a halt at the infirmary where Madame Pomfrey quickly took over. People carried a stretcher that held Hermione and they brought her to a waiting bed where Madame Pomfrey expertly mixed elixirs.
"Do you know what's wrong with her? Is she going to be okay?" Draco asked urgently. If Madame Pomfrey found it strange that there were four, not including Dean who needed a look over as well, other students in the infirmary, or the fact that Draco Malfoy was taking interest in Hermione, she didn't point it out.
"It appears that she has a concussion. We will have to wait until she wakes up to see the repercussions of this. It will be awhile. I've made sure she'll sleep soundly all night for my magic to completely heal her brain."
"But if your magic can heal her brain, won't she be okay?" asked Ginny worriedly. Madame Pomfrey shook her head.
"No, you children don't understand. With the continued exposure to magic, the rules change. If she chooses to, subconsciously, she may will herself to forget her life, the magic world, or maybe just the fact that she likes blueberry pies. She might accidentally cut off feeling to random parts of her body. The exposure to magic makes all of this possible."
Draco bit his colorless lip. He would wait; they all will.
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Hermione woke up and the minute she opened her eyes, she was greeted with a jarring disarray of colors. She closed them again. Madame Pomfrey was at her side in an instant.
"Keep your eyes closed. They're confused as well as your brain. If you just let them settle for a minute." Hermione tried opening them again. Finally, the colors seemed to be settling in their appropriate places and things started to focus a little bit more. Madame Pomfrey was directly over her, administering medicine. When she tried to focus her eyes on what was on the far wall, her head ached too much.
"Don't worry, your sense will come back to you, it'll take twenty minutes tops." Madam Pomfrey was right. Hermione's senses were hopelessly jumbled. When she felt the fabric of the blanket beneath her fingers, the taste of fresh apples was in her mouth. When she tried to smell the antiseptic scent that she remembered filled the air of the infirmary, all she got was a ringing sound in her ears.
True to her word, however, Hermione senses did start to settle, especially after she swallowed down the bitter medicine. She tried looking at the far wall again, and to her delight, she found that the headache had left her and it was her friends, on the couch, sleeping. Harry was the first one awake and he hurried over to her side.
"You're okay right?" he asked.
"I'm fine, Harry, I think I really am." Harry nodded seriously.
"Can you move your toes?" Hermione tried.
"Yes you big goof. Why?" Harry shook his head.
"Nothing, just something Madam Pomfrey said." Hermione suddenly noticed how wan he looked.
"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Harry smiled.
"Of course. You gave us such a fright, Hermione. I don't even know how to start to punish you." Hermione laughed slightly and it woke Ginny up. Ginny ran up with a squeal and hugged Hermione, despite Madame Pomfrey's chastisements.
"I'm so glad you're okay," she kept saying, brushing coppery strands away from her face. Ron kept telling her to shut up but Hermione knew he was only covering up how frightened he had been and how glad he was that Hermione was okay.
Hermione frowned slightly as she saw someone walking over. It was a blonde boy.
"Hermione? Thank god," he said, taking her hand in his. "You're alright?"
"Yes," Hermione said. She frowned slightly. "But who are you?"
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