Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters, spells or place names in this fic, they belong to JK Rowling, only the plot is mine.

Well, here's chapter 6, quite long again, but there was no sensible place to break it up. Hope you like it. I've caught up with myself writing/typing wise so it might be a bit longer for the next update, but i've still got loads of ideas to carry through for the near future so it should keep coming thick and fast. Please R&R. :)


Chapter 6

Hermione appeared behind a strategically placed bin, opposite the solid glass she was about to walk through to gain entry to St. Mungo's Hospital of Magical Maladies and Injuries. She moved up to the glass and whispered to the plastic dummy in the window.

'Hermione Granger to see Ronald Weasley.' The dummy nodded her head a fraction and Hermione stepped up to walk through the glass. When she materialised in the reception of the hospital she took her usual route through the many corridors before taking the stairs to the permanent residence wards on level four.

As she opened the door to the ward she smiled at Healer Thompson as she walked past him.

'Good afternoon Hermione,' he said, a smile edging on to his face as he did so.

'Good afternoon Healer Thompson, how are you today?'

'Oh can't complain Hermione, can't complain.'

'Any change?' she asked. It was the question she asked everyday and the answer she received everyday came to her again.

'No, I'm afraid not,' Healer Thompson replied. He hated not having anything else to tell the young witch, but working in the ward he did, it was very rare that he got to give relatives news of a happy nature.

'Ok, thank you,' Hermione replied, as she walked through the ward towards Ron's bed. The curtains around his bed were half drawn.

As Hermione walked up to him, she saw the sun was streaked across his face making his skin look paler but his freckles more prominent. She moved next to the bed, and saw that Ron's fringe was crooked, knowing he would hate her moving it, she straightened the hair and stroked his cheek.

'Hey sexy,' she said quietly, 'how are you today?' It wasn't a greeting she used in front of other people; it was for Ron and Ron only. 'I'm ok, a bit tired, I couldn't sleep last night but neither could Harry so we helped each other get there eventually, hasn't stopped me from being tired all morning though. Answer me this Ronald, why is it always you who causes me to lose sleep? In our fourth year at school after the Yule Ball I lay awake for hours thinking about you. Then in sixth year when you went off with Lavender all I could think about was why you weren't with me. I laid awake for hours then too. And now here we are, no longer at school, no longer at war, but I still lie awake at night thinking about you. I hope you're dreaming about me. If you are I hope I'm good company for you.'

When Hermione had first started visiting Ron she found it hard to talk to him, she was very self conscious about it, and still very angry with Ron and herself for letting this happen. After Ron had been transferred to St. Mungo's on that fateful night she managed to get a vague explanation of what happened to the both of them.

Hermione had seen Ron apparate back to HQ with Mad-Eye Moody leaning heavily on him. As Ron disappeared from sight, the spell that had been sent at them by a Death Eater had instead headed straight for her. Reacting without thinking she performed a shield charm and the spell rebounded off her temporary shield and set fire to a nearby hedge.

'EXPELLIARMUS!' she screamed and the Death Eaters wand left his hand and landed at Hermione's feet.

'STUPEFY!' she shouted, at the same time stamping on the wand snapping it in two. The simple but effective spell did its job; the Death Eater fell forward and landed with a thud on the ground. She took three paces forward.

'Incarcerous,' she said and ropes flew out of her wand binding the arms and the legs of the Death Eater together. She knelt down and had a quick look around her, trying her best to see in the dark. Before she had chance to take in the scene, two wizards, duelling as fast as she had ever seen, came towards her. She stood up to move out of the way of the Death Eater who was retreating too fast towards her. She heard the wizard who was duelling the Death Eater shout the stunning curse. It hit the Death Eater square on the chest and he fell backwards at speed knocking Hermione to the ground as he did so. As she was falling, Hermione didn't see the jagged rock on the ground, but she felt it hit the side of her head as she landed, taking her consciousness from her.

The hours after she woke up were the most hectic she had ever experienced. When she was being seen to by a Mediwitch at St. Mungo's after things had settled down, she was embarrassed to admit that with all the spells and magic flying through the air, she had managed to miss them all only to be knocked out cold by a rock on the ground.

She had been told that Ron apparated back to the battle and found her on the floor. He hadn't believed her to be dead, he could have been told by a Healer there and then that she was dead and he wouldn't have believed it. It was as he was kneeling over Hermione trying to wake her that he had been hit in the back and the chest by spells from two different Death Eaters. One, the other, or a mixture of the two caused him to fall unconscious. No one had seen Ron get hit and even if they had, the spells had been performed non-verbally meaning that the Healers, and before them, members of the Order of the Phoenix were working blind when it came to trying to revive him.

Hermione looked up at the small chest of drawers next to Ron's bed and saw the Daily Prophet sat on it with a piece of parchment laid neatly on top. She moved to the other side of the bed and picked it up, sitting on the edge of the bed as she did so. Instantly she recognised Harry's handwriting and she smiled.

H,

I've read Ron the Quidditch results so you don't have to. I know you'll be mortified at that! He he!

She smiled, as much as she tried, she couldn't sound enthusiastic when it came to reading out the endless list of Quidditch scores.

I managed to get some dress robes, they're dark red, which I'm not convinced about but I'll see what you think later on. I'll be back here at five.

Have a good afternoon.

Love from

Saviour Boy!

Hermione laughed when she read the last line of the note. She folded it and put it in her pocket picking up the newspaper as she did so. She unfolded it and glanced at the headline, apparently one of the head goblins at Gringotts was retiring. She had a quick flick through the rest of the paper and when she didn't find anything of interest to read to Ron placed it back on the chest of drawers.

'Well Ron, thankfully Harry has spared me reading you the Quidditch scores, which I'm obviously very upset about,' she said with a smile. 'He'll be back later on after work, as I will too.' Hermione checked her watch and read twenty-five to one.

'Right, well I'm just going upstairs to get something to eat. I'll be back in a few minutes ok?' She took her purse from her bag and walked along the ward to the double doors. She opened them and carried on up the stairs to the fifth floor and the canteen. Whilst hospital food wasn't the best in the world it was faster and easier than finding a muggle shop to buy something from. Sometimes she made her own lunch but last night she had completely forgotten.

She walked through the canteen looking at the shelves, stands and chill cabinets as she did so. Nothing instantly took her fancy and she wasn't feeling very hungry so she took a bar of Honeyduke's milk chocolate, a packet of crisps and a bottle of pumpkin juice. She walked up to the till and placed her unbalanced lunch on the counter.

The witch behind the till was elderly, with glasses on a string and greying hair. She had taken it upon herself to make sure Hermione was keeping well and eating properly when she ate at the hospital.

'Hermione Granger, I pray to Merlin that isn't your lunch,' the elder witch said with a frown on her face.

'I'm afraid it is Grace, I'm not very hungry and I need all the sugar I can get. I didn't sleep well last night.'

'But Hermione you have to have a proper lunch, you have the rest of the day to get through. You won't be able to concentrate at work if you don't eat properly.'

'I know but I can't face anything else, I promise I'll eat properly at dinner.'

'Well make sure you do,' Grace replied as she started adding up the total of Hermione's lunch. 'Has there been any change?' Grace asked, not expecting to hear that there had.'

'No, he's still being lazy I'm afraid.' Grace smiled.

'That's two sickles please love,' the elder witch said. Hermione got the money out of her purse and handed it to Grace. 'Thank you dear, have a good day and make sure you have a proper dinner.'

'I will Grace. See you soon.'

'Bye dear.'

Hermione turned around and walked to one of the tables. She sat down and put her foot on the table. She opened the packet of crisps and laid it on the table. She rested her head in her left hand and ate her crisps with her right. The minutes ticked slowly by as she ate, occasionally taking a drink from the bottle she had bought.

She got up from the table and walked from the canteen, down the stairs and back through the ward to Ron's bed. When she got there the curtains were drawn and she could hear voices behind them. She pulled them back and what she saw took her by surprise. All the Weasleys were there and Harry too. Ron was sat up in bed. He turned to look at Hermione and when he did she gasped at his piercing stare. His face broke into a cheeky grin and he reached out and took her hand in his.

'Hermione,' he said, the smile on his face widening.

'Ron,' she said, it coming out as a whisper.

'Hermione,' he said again, this time louder.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and felt it begin to shake her gently.

Her eyes snapped open and came into focus slowly. She looked around and saw Grace at her side. Realisation hit her. A slight sadness crept into her heart when she realised her dreams weren't true.

'Grace, how long have I been asleep?' Hermione asked.

'Only ten minutes love, I thought I'd wake you before you were late for work.'

A slight panic rose inside Hermione, she pulled her jacket sleeve up and looked at the time. It was five to one. If there was one thing she hated it was tardiness. Thankfully five minutes was plenty of time to say goodbye to Ron and still get to work on time.

'Thank you Grace, I can't believe I fell asleep,' she stood up and hastily finished off the rest of her crisps. She pocketed the chocolate and picked up her drink.

'Be careful at work Hermione, it's hazardous enough training to be an auror, never mind when you're tired.'

'I will Grace, thanks again. See you later.'

She picked up her empty crisp packet and walked towards the canteen doors. She threw the rubbish in the bin as she left and then took the stairs two at a time. She walked as fast as she could through the ward and found Ron exactly as she had left him, the only difference being the position of he sunlight on his face.

'I'm sorry I was so long darling; I fell asleep in the canteen. How embarrassing! I've got to go back to work now. I'll see you later on.' She bent down and kissed him, stroking his face with her thumb. 'Sweet dreams.'

She picked up her bag off the floor, walked out of the ward and the hospital, and apparated back to work.