Disclaimer: I don't own anything else you recognize in this story.
Chapter Thirteen
Hermione was pacing the floor of the hospital wing nervously. She and Ron and managed to reach Hogwarts and Dumbledore had insisted that both of them go up to the hospital wing for recuperation. But Hermione was far from wanting recuperation. She was worried about Harry and she couldn't rest while he was out there in danger. He might need her help for all she knew.
Ron, who was sitting up with a bunch of pillows behind him, was eating a plateful of chocolate and watching Hermione nervously pacing about everywhere. He was clearly unworried about the whole scenario, which made Hermione extremely irritated.
"How can you just sit there relaxed as you please while Harry's out there dead for all we know?" Hermione finally exclaimed exasperatedly.
Ron finished chewing on a piece of chocolate that he had in his mouth and set the plate of chocolate on the nightstand beside his bed. Hermione rolled his eyes as her foot tapped impatiently on the ground. He always had to act like some immature little boy in disasters like these.
"Well, seeing as I can barely move without me crying out in pain, let alone get up and do anything about Harry, I don't see how you can worry about him. Harry's going to be alright as he always is," Ron exclaimed, breaking off another piece of chocolate and biting a piece out of it.
"But Ron, this time it's different. This is a matter of life or death. Don't you understand? If Voldemort wins tonight, you'll know for sure Harry's dead and what are you going to do then? He's your best friend and you act like you couldn't care less!" Hermione hissed.
A dark shadow suddenly flitted across Ron's face. Hermione immediately wished that she had never said anything. Ron's best friend was Harry and the two of them would help each other to the bitter end. Ron desperately wanted to help Harry, but considering his circumstances, he couldn't do anything and had to make the best of it. Hermione shouldn't have said anything.
"I do care, Hermione. It's just that, I can't do anything right now and I wish I could," Ron said quietly.
"I know, I kind of realized that too late," Hermione said lamely.
Ron gave a grim smile. "You always have a habit of speaking before you think."
"And so do you, so do be putting it all on me, now," Hermione shot back.
Ron raised his hands up in defenses. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. I should've thought before I spoke."
The two of them laughed and fell silent. Hermione walked over to the window between Ron's bed and the next one. The window faced the giant lake outside and Hermione watched the waved lap against the shore silently. She knew she had to do something, but what she didn't have any idea.
Finally turning back to Ron, she said, "Maybe we should go back to the Malfoy mansion. We might be able to do something if we go there."
"How are you for certain that Harry will still be there, though?" Ron asked thoughtfully. "And anyways, you know I can't go with you, I'm kind of in pain right now."
"Well, maybe if I helped speed up the healing process—" Hermione began.
"No! I don't want you to! I mean, I know you're good and everything. After all, you had training in that area, but you're not that good. I don't feel like be one of your rare mistakes, thanks," Ron exclaimed.
"But, Ron, if you want to go and help Harry, then I have to heal you, or we'd be going really slow and by then, we'd probably be late," Hermione retorted.
"Well, then go by yourself, then. You're the one who wanted to go. And anyway, it'll be difficult for just one of us to get out of here," Ron pointed out.
"Fine." Hermione threw up her hands in disgust, "Fine. But don't blame me when you wish you could've done something and you already had the chance."
"Right, I'll be sure to remember that," Ron called after Hermione.
But she wasn't listening to what Ron was saying. She had to get to Harry as fast as she could. She had a mission to do and it couldn't wait for anything, not even her best friend of many years.