Diclaimer- Not mine! Never will be! they all belong to J.K!

Chapter Two

Everything was black at first, but with a slight movement, a blinding white light pierced the darkness and colours emerged.

I had opened my eyes.

Temporarily blinded the light, I shook my head. The image cleared and I recognised immediately that I was in the Hospital Wing. It still looked like it was day, but it looked like some time had past while I been unconscious.

As I tried to push myself higher onto my pillows, I realised that a heavy weight lay on my feet. My eyes drifted to the weight and they widened at the sight.

There, snoring slightly, was the sleeping figure of Ron. He had placed himself in a chair next to her bed and his head was lying peacefully next to my feet.

I felt a smile tug at my lips. He looked almost child-like as he slept. His hair messed up, his chest softly moving up and down as he breathed. I didn't want this to end, but he couldn't really sleep there all day.

"Ron?" I whispered, moving my feet slightly. "Ron?"

Ron woke with a jolt. He have a massive stretch and a yawn and then gazed up at me with a blearily eyes. They immediately brightened as he saw me.

"Hermione, you're awake!" he said with a happiness I hadn't heard in his voice since our second year. "Madam Pomfrey, she's awake!"

Madam Pomfrey appeared from her room in the wing.

"Yes, Mr Weasley, I see that," she said with a small smile. "So please don't wake the rest of my patients."

Ron sighed and looked at me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.

I thought for a second. How did I feel? Actually, I felt fine, but a dull throb in my chest showed that I wasn't that good.

"I'm fine," I lied. "So stop worrying!"

Ron let a breath of relief. I can't believe he had been that worried. He HAD been sleeping.

Madam Pomfrey gave me a small blue vial. I knew what was she had given me.

"Madam, I'm fine," I protested. "I don't need this!"

Yet Madam Pomfrey told me to take it anyway...as a precaution. With a grimance, I looked at the vial, pinched my nose and swallowed the vial, hoping that the utterly vile taste would soon be over.

The taste hit the back of my throat, making me gag, but I managed to keep it down. Disgusting.

Finally, I placed the vial on the bedside drawers and sighed. Done. I glared at Ron, who was slightly sniggering, at my episode.

"I don't see what you're glaring at, Miss Granger!" Madam Pomfrey said. "It's vital that you take your potion to keep your scar at bay. Do you want a repeat stay in St Mungos?"

I shook my head.

There was no way I was going back there again!

Madam Pomfrey walked back to her room with a sigh.

I glared at Ron, expecting to see him still sniggering, but the expression he wore now shocked me.

"You were in St Mungos?" Ron said, his face full of anger and concern.

I looked down at my hands. Surely he had known. Surely someone must've told him about me.

"Yes," I muttered. "It was only for a few days! It was nothing serious!"

I said all this in a rush of words because Ron's anger had the tendency to scare me a little. Why was he angry? Was it because of me?

"This is my fault!" Ron said, breathing fast. "If I hadn't got it by that bloody curse, I could've stopped you from getting hit!"

I began to cry. Tears fell down by cheeks like small rivers. I had made him angry about himself. Why couldn't I make him see that he HAD saved me? How could I tell him that he was one I had fighted for when I was unconscious? Why couldn't I tell him...that I love him?

"Oh Ron!" I sobbed, putting my face in my hands. "I'm so sorry! P-Please don't h-hate yourself because of m-me!"

Ron looked up at me, his ears still red, but his ice-blue eyes widened with shock.

"I don't, Hermione, and it's nothing to do with you if I was," he said, moving to her side.

Then he did something that I will remember for the rest of my life. He put his arms around me (no awkwardness), held me, looked into my eyes, and KISSED me.

Ronald Weasley, my best friend, the boy who I had had a secret crush for since our second year, was KISSING me.

His lips were so soft and gentle. It amazed me. I found myself closing my eyes, and returning his kiss.

When we finally stopped, having to come up for air, I looked up at him and smiled. Ron looked slightly embarrassed, but very pleased with himself.

He cupped my face in his hands, and gazed deeply into my eyes. It took my breath away from the intensity of his gaze.

"Hermione. You scared me when you collpased. It made me think back to last year when I woke up to see you half-dead. You were so cold and pale and I didn't do anything to prevent it, Ron said, looking down to hide the tears filling in his eyes. "You made me realise something I had known since fourth year...I-I love you."

((He said it! Now how will Hermione react!))