WTC recites a disclaimer
There were muffled voices all around him. He couldn't understand what they were saying; it was like listening through water. Everything was still black, he couldn't make out anything except little explosions of light, following the same beat as a loud throbbing in his head. His brain was still full of spider webs, and he couldn't remember what happened to leave him in this weird void inside himself.
Wait a second, he thought. The hushed voices grew a little clearer. He consciously made himself aware of his own body. My legs, my hands, my eyes... He winced as a bright light seeped in through the crack between his left eyelids. The recoiling action sent a stabbing pain through the back of his head and he cried out softy, bringing his hand up to his red, gauze-covered hair.
The low sound he'd made must have drawn the attention of the murmuring people, because he was suddenly surrounded by half a dozen faces. There was Harry and Hermione clutching hands, while Neville looked on anxiously, nibbling at his nails. Both Dumbledore and Professor McGonagal were showing age, eyes tired and lips set in thin lines. Even Snape was there, his face ashen and his eyes more dull that usual. Aster stood out to him, the red puffiness of her eyes showing she'd obviously been crying. Their expressions varied with a mixture of concern and relief as they gazed down at him. Everyone was silent until a bustling Madam Pomfrey pushed her way through the group to examine her newly conscious patient.
"Well now, Mr. Weasley," she said with a stern tone, although her face held a tired look of alleviation. "You are becoming much too familiar down here, you know. And this has to be the worst scare you have given me yet." She wiped his face with a damp cloth, and had him open his mouth. When she shoved a strong tasting herb under his tongue, the pressure inside his scull lessened almost immediately.
He wondered what would be so bad to frighten Madam Pomfrey this seriously. Closing his eyes, he pulled at his memory until scenes started passing through his mind. He had been comforting Aster after a fight with Malfoy. He was just about to kiss her when...
"I was stupefied!" Ron felt his face go slack. He was getting tired and thinking was difficult. "But, why does it hurt so much if, if I was only stupefied?"
"Because you fell." The words had come from Dumbledore, who was looking quite grim. "When you were stupefied you fell back, rather solidly, onto some rocks. There was considerable damage done to your head, and you had lost a great amount of blood before help had reached you. We weren't even sure Madam Pomfrey could mend the injury. However, with the help of Professor Snape and his effectual potions, and Madam Pomfrey and her extraordinary healing abilities, you are awake and you will be fine."
Ron looked at Snape and Madam Pomfrey in turn, expecting them both to puff up with pride at Dumbledore's words. They did not, however, both looked much too tired to bother.
"Who?" Ron asked. "Who did it?"
With this, Snape's face contracted with anger, disappointment, and regret. "You were assaulted, Mr. Weasley, by Draco Malfoy. He took the opportunity to do so while you and Ms. Leatherleaf were... otherwise occupied." Ron blushed deeply, realizing everyone in the room was probably aware of what he and Aster were going to do when he was attacked, including three of his Professors. "I assure you that Mr. Malfoy will indeed be corrected. You and Ms. Leatherleaf would be for your tasteless behavior, if both of you hadn't been through enough punishment already." He cast a expressionless glance at Aster, who had fresh tears running down her face. Turning, he nodded goodbye to the other professors, then left the room with his robes billowing behind him.
Professor McGonagal sighed, looking exhausted. "We'd best be leaving as well, Albus. We have work to do, and we need to inform certain people of Mr. Weasley's condition." She smiled kindly at Ron. "I hope you're feeling better soon, dear."
"Well, Mr. Weasley. You've given us all quite a scare. I'm glad that the danger has past, and I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will keep you quite comfortable." Dumbledore nodded and smiled a warm, youthful smile before following Professor McGonagal out of the infirmary. With that, Madam Pomfrey hurriedly went to attend to something in her office, leaving the students alone in silence. Harry was the first to speak.
"It was bad, Ron. It was really bad." His voice was thick, and he stopped to glance at the others before continuing. "Madam Pomfrey was crying and kept saying that she didn't know what to do, and that they should send you to St. Mungo's. But, Dumbledore kept telling her they didn't have time to deal with traveling or the formalities. So, he got Snape to give Pomfrey something to calm her down. They've all been working on you all night."
"You were in quite a mess," Hermione whispered hoarsely, giving away that she'd probably been crying a fair amount as well. "I honestly didn't think you'd make it. There was blood everywhere and it looked like..." She squeezed her eyes shut as if forcing away the picture of something horrible, and took a deep breath. "It looked like you were already dead when they brought you back here."
"Snape did something," Neville said quietly "I don't know what he did, but it was important. He was talking in a real secretive way with McGonagal and Dumbledore. Then he came in here, and when he came out he was all covered in blood. He said, 'I did the best I could with it, and it seems to be working for the time being.' Whatever it was, it made Dumbledore happy."
Ron was having trouble comprehending everything. He figured it was normal, seeing as he almost died only a few hours before. He could care less about figuring out what Snape did to save him, as grateful as he felt. Nevertheless, he couldn't tune out Aster's silence. She hadn't said a word since he'd woken, she just stood there trying not to look like she was crying. He wanted so badly to get up and hug her, to take her in his arms and tell her he was okay. But, he knew his body would never compromise, not now.
Hermione's cleverness somewhat assisted him with his dilemma. Her keen observation must have caught the expression on his face as he looked at the girl he was longing to touch. For she cleared her throat quickly, asking the other boys if they'd like to get breakfast and come back again later. "Ron needs his rest," she quipped, shushing their protests. Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she wished him well and pulled the fellows out the door with her.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked as soon as they were alone. He immediately felt stupid, it was obvious what was wrong.
Aster hiccoughed and sniffed a congested sniff. "I thought you were going to die," she laughed nervously. "You probably did a couple times." She stood apprehensively at the foot of his bed. He wished she'd come closer so he could take her hand. "I think I need to change my clothes," she mumbled absentmindedly, tugging at the uniform she wore beneath her open robes.
He noticed her white shirt was now red with blood. His blood. He slowly raised his right hand up and gingerly touched the back of his head, feeling the bandages. There were small amounts of liquid red dotting the tips of his fingers. Aster's eyes started to blink rapidly. She pulled her hand up to her face, which began to contort with teary eyes once again.
Ron wiped his bloody hand on his bed sheets and held out it to her. "Come here," he whispered. She walked toward him slowly, reaching out her own trembling hand, and enveloped his. He pulled her down to sit next to him on the bed. "I'm okay now." She wasn't looking at him, she was staring at the wall. He reached up and drew her face around, forcing her to look at him. "See? I'm alive."
She bit her lip and nodded. "I was just so scared. I didn't know what to do. I saw you fall and I couldn't do anything to stop it. And, then you started bleeding. If Malfoy hadn't sent Crabbe for help-"
Her last sentence hit Ron viciously in the face. "Malfoy did what?"
"Oh, I know he doesn't deserve any gratitude for it. If he hadn't done what he did, this wouldn't have happened. I'd have throttled him right then if I could have made any sense of myself. But, he was scared shitless, Ron. I don't think he meant for this to happen."
Ron wanted to nod, but he was afraid the back of his head would come off if he did. So, he held up his unoccupied hand instead. "Okay, okay. Enough about Malfoy. I have enough of a headache already," he smiled weakly.
She smiled back, and just looked at him for a moment. Then, without warning, she leaned down and wrapped her arms around his middle, laying her head softly upon his chest. Sighing, she laughed lightly. "That was a heck of a first date wasn't it?"
"Yeah," he croaked. Not really knowing what to do, Ron shakily ran his fingers through her hair. This girl would be the death of him yet, whether it was because of a blow to the head or his own nerves. But, he'd never felt this way about a girl before. If he died any time soon, he'd die content knowing he'd probably met the girl he wanted to be with. Although, he'd die even happier if he got that kiss they'd started.
As if reading his mind, Aster lifted her head and looked at him intensely with her catty eyes. She half slid and half crawled up the edge of the bed until her head was just above his. Her hair hung all around him, and he was abruptly intoxicated with her citrus scent. With the slightest of smiles, she lowered her porcelain face and gently grazed the side of his with her lips. The soft kiss scarcely touched the edge of his mouth, giving him just a taste of what he wanted. But, he lay there frozen, fearing that any reaction would stop the magic altogether.
The only other girl he had ever kissed was Hermione, back in his third year. She'd stayed with him for a while after she and Harry had rescued Sirius. Both were unsure of potential feelings and figured a kiss might give them the answers. It had been like kissing Ginny. He cared about her, but it was a little gross and weird. This thing with Aster was not the same at all.
Well, it was in one way. He still didn't have a clue as to what he was supposed to be doing. The only thing who could think to do was touch her hair, after that he was stumped. She didn't seem to have things planned through either. Her cheeks were pink and her lips twitched nervously. Although her legs hung over the side of his bed, her upper body pressed firmly into his. He could feel all her curves, feel the solid thumping of her heart, and feel pressure change on his ribs as she was breathing.
The sensations sent a wave of heat through his body. Cupping her face with both hands, he pulled her lips slowly to his. It was the most incredible feeling he'd ever felt before. A thousand shocks soared through him from that mouth. Though it was only slight, the touch of her lips gently nibbling his was almost more than his brain could handle. Wrapping his arms about her shoulders, he gripped her as close as he could and deepened the kiss just a little before letting go.
Her emerald eyes shined into his as they broke apart. The emotion behind them was raw and pure at the same time. He'd only known her for a little over a month, but he knew enough to know at that moment that she was definitely going to be the one. She must have seen the same unpolished look in him, because she grinned and planted another small peck on the tip of his nose, making him laugh.
"I." He stopped, wondering if he should say what he was thinking. However, anticipation filled the face floating above him, and he knew it was okay to tell her how he felt. For a moment he thought about her secret, the real reason he was laying there with her, bleeding and bandaged. I don't care, he thought. Whatever it is, I'd still feel the same way about her. I just wish I had Harry's courage right now. He grabbed her hand, winding his fingers through her's. "Aster, I think I-"
"Ahem!" The intrusion was accompanied by a rather amused face. It was Remus Lupin, grinning foolishly while still trying to carry the air of an authority figure. "Feeling better, Ron?"
Aster jumped up off of the bed awfully quickly, and the bouncing of the mattress cause a few sharp pains to erupt inside Ron's scull. He groaned. "Sorry," she winced, squeezing the hand she still held onto.
"Well," Remus said, still grinning, "Hermione gave me these things to bring down to you from some of the other Gryffindor students. Her and Harry have classes until dinner and she was afraid they wouldn't have time to come down themselves. I see you have had plenty of company, however." He lay a large basket full of sweets and cards that flashed various 'get well' messages down on a nearby table.
Both he and Aster blushed. He pulled off a deep shade of crimson, while Aster managed her deepest pink yet. "I should probably get going, Ron," she said before leaning over to give him a slight peck on the cheek. "I need to change and get to class. But, I'll come back down as soon as I can." She said a goodbye to Remus before dashing out the door of the infirmary.
"Quite the girl you've got yourself, Ronnie," Remus winked. Remus was the only professor he had who called the students by their first names, Ron respected him for it.
"Yeah, well," was all he could manage.
"So, how are you feeling?" The professor opened a chocolate frog, caught it as it jumped out of the package, and gave half of it to Ron.
"Alright, I suppose," he said as he sighed a little. He bit a piece out of the frog and swallowed before saying, "considering my head practically turned into pudding last night."
Remus nodded emphatically. "Probably the worst case Madam Pomfrey's seen in a long time, poor woman. We were treating her for shock while she was treating Aster and young Draco for the same thing." He popped the whole half of his chocolate frog into his mouth.
Ron stiffened at the mention of Draco Malfoy. "What'd they give him for doing this anyway?"
"A month's worth of detention," Remus answered, swallowing. Ron was about to burst with infuriation until he added, "and they confiscated his wand."
"What?!" Ron's mouth hung open. "For how long?"
"Noone's decided yet. There'll be meetings with his mother and some ministry officials before anyone will know when he'll get it back."
Ron thought about that for a moment. Draco's father was currently doing time in Azkaban. He was part of the band of Death Eaters who assisted in breaking into the ministry the night that Sirius was killed the year before. With his father gone, Draco and his mother would never have the same pull on the ministry as they used to. Even if the current corrupted minister, Cornelius Fudge, wasn't about to be debunked. Draco might be properly disciplined for a change.
"Good," Ron managed to say before Madam Pomfrey came rushing in, holding a mug of something in her hands.
"Here you go, Mr. Weasley," she said hastily, handing him the mug. "Visiting time is over for you. It should have been long ago, because you need rest." She started shooing Remus away. "Now, drink up. It'll help with the pain and swelling, and you'll get a nice nap out of it."
Ron rolled his eyes. He was tired, that was sure. But, as he was unconscious for almost a day, he figured he'd had enough rest. Besides, he wanted to get as much information about Malfoy's punishment as he could.
"Drink!" Madam Pomfrey demanded before he could protest. Drawing a curtain around his bed, she watched him put the cup to his lips and sip its contents.
The liquid was warm and sweet, like the milk his mom would make for when he was younger and had trouble sleeping. Emptying the cup, he felt pleasantly drowsy. Madam Pomfrey smile kindly at him, telling him to have a nice rest before slipping through the curtain.
With most of the light of day blocked by heavy material, he figured he might as well give in and enjoy the pleasant waves of warmth coursing through him. It was like falling asleep after a lovely winter day, cozy and protected under the blankets. Closing his eyes, he pictured the face of the beautiful girl who had been laying in bed with him only a few minutes before. He fell asleep remembering her spicy smell of oranges.
---
"Of course I took it!" An impatient voice was whispering somewhere beyond the curtain that surrounded him. It was Aster. He'd heard her use that tone with Hermione when she was being bugged about studying, something she actually did quite a bit of herself.
"On time? And all of it?" The second voice was Madam Pomfrey, sounding like an exasperated mother talking to a difficult child.
"Yes! I told you I did!" Aster's voice was rising a notch. Ron wondered how long the argument had been carrying on before he had woken up. It was a fair bit darker than when he'd dozed off.
"Well I had to check! You've been so bad about it lately." Madam Pomfrey was sounding more and more like Ron's mother. "It just isn't safe for you to be all willy-nilly about your medication!"
"It's not medication!" Aster spat bitterly. "If it was medication, I'd be cured eventually, wouldn't I?"
Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Whatever the case, it's not safe for you to be so irresponsible. You are aware of what would happen if you left it too long?" Pomfrey's voice softened, as if trying to make peace. "Would you like to put any of your friends in that kind of danger?"
"No," Aster gave in. "But, you don't know what it feels like. And, I don't mean just the feeling of drinking this stuff. I mean what it does to my body. They way I feel after..." From her tone of voice Ron could almost picture her shuddering. "But, I guess if I don't want to eat all of my friends, I have to do it." She'd obviously tried to make a joke, but her sadness still seeped through.
"Don't worry dear, you will get past this some day. It just takes time." Madam Pomfrey said before Ron heard her swift, swishy footsteps moving in the direction of her office.
"Time is something I have plenty of," Aster muttered harshly before her heard her stomping angrily out of the infirmary, slamming the door behind her.
Ron almost wished he'd slept through the altercation. It left him with too many questions and too much curiosity for his own comfort. He had wanted to Aster to come to him is her own time and tell him her secret, tell him what she was, when she was ready. Now he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold in that need to know. Inquisitiveness had gotten him in trouble too many times before. He didn't want it to get him in trouble now, he had too much to lose.
And that was Chapter Four. It was truly-needed fluff!
Hope you enjoyed it. Please review.
Chapter Five will be up as soon as a I can manage, between work and camping. And if all goes planned, there will be more action of all sorts! ) I promise I won't drag the whole "secret" thing much longer.