AN: Thank you for all your kind words. Did you know that after this chapter, we only have one left?! It's been a rollercoaster, hasn't it?! It took me a while to get into Hermione's brain and work out how she'd react to everything. I hope I got this right! :) xxx
Hermione finally gets word about Ron and Harry's rescue and flees to St Mungo's to see their conditions for herself.
Hermione felt like she was living through all her worst nightmares at the same time. She ran down the grey corridor; feeling as if her legs were moving as fast as they could but yet, she wasn't getting anywhere nearer to her destination. She was treading through jelly; all of it working to delay the moment when she could finally find out how Ron was.
She turned a corner, almost colliding with a healer in pale peach robes. She clawed at the poor woman, almost in desperation. "Room 247, where is it?"
In credit to her, the healer didn't flinch. She'd probably dealt with much more frantic patients than Hermione. "Carry down this corridor, turn right, 3rd room on your left but I have to warn you the patient is not awake yet…"
Hermione let go of her as soon as she received the instructions and hurtled away, not hearing the last of her sentence.
Just an hour ago she'd been in Ron's old bed at the Burrow. She couldn't remember falling asleep, but she must have dropped off at some point as she was suddenly woken by the sound of Molly calling her name.
She had stirred, feeling a strange sense of disorientation. There was a weight in her arms that she didn't recognise and she was lying on a mattress that definitely wasn't hers. She wanted to open her eyes and be back at Primrose Cottage, sleeping soundly in the knowledge that everything was okay, but even in her sleep-addled mind, she knew that wasn't going to happen.
She forced herself to open her eyes anyway and face the grim reality of the day. She let out a loud groan, hating the gritty feel that only a couple of hours rest had given her; it made her feel unclean and unequipped to deal with everything. She turned her head as the weight in her arms shifted and sighed as she saw Ginny's head lying next to hers on the pillow. They must have gravitated together whilst asleep and Hermione had her arms wrapped firmly around the youngest Weasley. It had obviously given them enough comfort to ease them into a short sleep.
Hermione heard her name being called again, followed closely by Ginny's. Molly's voice sounded urgent, bringing Hermione crashing back to reality, reminding her of why she was at the Burrow. She sat up suddenly as her heart pulsed with pain, not caring that she had woken a still sleeping Ginny in the process.
"What's going on?" Ginny groaned as she was forced to sit up, rubbing at her eyes.
"Your mum is calling us…" Hermione was already halfway out of bed, pulling on the first pair of bottoms she'd found in the bag Ginny had brought her. "Ginny come on!" She didn't wait for the girl as she left the bedroom, taking the stairs two at a time until she made it into the living room.
The first thing she'd noticed was that Molly and Arthur were not alone. Sat in the small armchair nearest to the fireplace was a dishevelled looking Robards. The Head Auror had deep circles under his eyes and was looking older than his years and Hermione realised that he probably hadn't slept since their meeting the evening before. It wasn't until she spotted the bloodstains on his robes and the grim look on his face that she felt her legs to turn to jelly, her stomach lurching dangerously.
"Wh-what's happened, is he okay?" She gripped hold of the back of the sofa, using the material to edge her way around, desperate to sit down before her legs gave away completely. She felt Molly press a warm cup of tea into her hands, although she knew she wasn't going to drink from it. She glared at Robards, who refused to tell her anything or even make eye contact with her until Ginny was sat on the sofa. Molly and Arthur soon joined them, sandwiching the girls between them in a desperate attempt to keep them safe.
Robards cleared his throat, finally looking up at the family. "In the early hours of the morning, a little after dawn, the magical shield preventing us from completing our rescue mission fell. We were able to get quick access to the dungeon at Malfoy Manor and rescue Mr Potter and Mr Weasley. Harry seems to have escaped mostly unscathed, with just a minor injury and dehydration. Ronald on the other hand hasn't fared so well…"
Robards was forced to pause as Molly let out an anguished cry. Hermione felt it pierce deep in her soul, but she didn't flinch at it. She needed to know everything, all the details of the extent of his injuries before she reacted. Instead, she kept her deep brown eyes firmly on the Head Auror, her gaze steady and unfaltering.
"Is he alive?" The teacup shook in her hands as she spoke the words and she felt both Ginny and Arthur tighten their grips on her arm. Molly's hand found its way across the sofa, and the four of them sat intertwined, hanging on to Robard's every word.
"He is alive… just. He suffered a pneumothorax – that is, a punctured lung. We've never seen a curse that can do that much damage so it's proved difficult to treat him. In the end, we had to speak to our trusted source at St. Thomas' Hospital, who floo'd straight over. He's having a chest tube inserted to drain the air from his lungs and they've put him in a magically induced coma for the procedure. It was the only way…"
Hermione nodded as her heartbeat started to speed up. Ron was alive, for the moment, and although the mention of the use of a muggle procedure was reassuring, it also meant that she knew what could go wrong.
She found herself unwrapping herself from the grip of the Weasleys, almost as if she were working on autopilot. She calmly pulled on the shoes she'd left at the back door, not caring about whether she matched or how she looked before walking to the fireplace. She gave Robards a curt nod and without even considering whether the rest of the family were following her, she took a handful of floo powder from the jar on the mantlepiece and stepped into the fireplace.
It wasn't until she saw the long queue of people waiting to speak to the Welcome Witch that she felt the urgent panic bubbling up from her stomach. She hurried to the front of the desk, ignoring the complaints from the witches and wizards waiting, her eyes wild with fear. Luckily, the receptionist had felt sympathetic, probably taking one look at the state of Hermione and given her the right floor and room straight away.
And that's how she found herself racing through the corridors at St. Mungo's Hospital, desperately weaving through staff and visitors. She stopped suddenly as she saw Harry waiting outside a room, his arm in a sling and looking pale and a bit lost but otherwise okay. She started to take a tentative step towards him, desperate to get to him, to work out what was going on but she found herself being suddenly pushed aside. Hermione watched as Ginny threw herself at her husband, wrapping her arms tightly around him as she cried into his neck. She stood rooted to the spot, a wave of jealousy travelling over her body and for a moment, she felt angry with Harry and Ginny. Why did they get to be okay, to be together again while her boyfriend lay in a hospital bed alone? She wanted to be the one to throw her arms around Ron, to be comforted by him just like Harry was doing with Ginny right now (even with only one good arm).
She felt her throat constrict as she suppressed a cry. Harry lifted his head from where it was buried in Ginny's hair and nodded Hermione over. Hermione quickly closed the gap between them and she felt Harry lift his bad arm and drape it awkwardly over her shoulder, pulling her close too. The three of them stayed stood like this, ignoring the hospital visitors and healers as they moved around them until Molly and Arthur finally joined them. Hermione took a step away to allow Molly to make her usual checks on Harry.
"Where is he? Is he okay? Are you okay?" Molly wrung her hands as she stepped back from her son-in-law, satisfied that he was okay.
Harry nodded towards a grey door. "They just brought him up. He's still asleep…"
The door was ajar and Hermione could hear the steady beep of the monitoring spells keeping an eye on Ron's stats. She stared at the door, not sure what to do with herself next. She thought she'd be the first person to step across the threshold, but now she was here she was scared of what lay beyond the door. It wasn't as if it were the first time she'd seen Ron in a hospital bed; there had been plenty of times during their friendship and then her relationship when she'd kept a patient watch over him whilst he rested from various ailments and injuries. This time it felt different, as if there were more weight on it, more pressure for him to be okay, although she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
It was almost as if Harry knew what she was thinking. He slipped his hand into hers and pulled her close. "Only two visitors allowed at a time. Molly, Arthur – you should go first."
Harry gave her hand a firm squeeze and led her and Ginny to the chairs outside the room. "It was my fault, you know…" He let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, tears were shining in them.
"It was my idea to go to Malfoy Manor. I was pissed that we hadn't found anyone, despite all the leads. We were close anyway, so I just thought it was worth a try. It was my detection charms that found signs of life in the dungeon, although Ron was the one who suggested we were the ones to investigate. I should have known he wouldn't be able to handle going back down there, I should have recognised the signs of the panic attack."
He let go of Hermione's hand to rub his forehead. He was dealing with a lot of stress. It was just like Harry to be a martyr, to put everything on himself but Hermione couldn't bring herself to comfort him, at least not right now. She let Ginny take the lead, her lips pursed tightly.
"It was Quinn. He'd been hiding there since we visited his house last November. He had a house-elf with him, a really powerful one. Ron tried his best to persuade him there was a better life for him but it was no good. Philippe turned on Quinn; he killed him before slitting his own throat…" Harry let out a long shiver as he remembered the events from the morning, but she still couldn't reach out to comfort him.
Instead, she stared at the gap in the door, fighting the conflict of the desperate need to see Ron, but being scared to do so, just in case. Eventually, Molly and Arthur emerged and Hermione's choice was taken from her. She even offered to let Ginny and Harry go first, but after reassurance from her parents that her brother was okay, Ginny decided to focus on Harry for the time being.
"It's your turn lovey…" Molly rested a hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. "He's okay; just asleep. We're going to go and see the healers and fetch some things for him. I'll bring your bag along too, okay?"
Hermione watched as Molly and Arthur headed down the corridor before finally standing, her autopilot engaging again she took a few steps towards the room. She hesitated at the doorway, vaguely hearing Harry and Ginny saying something about going to get them some breakfast before taking a deep breath and crossing the threshold.
Her heart stopped as she finally laid eyes on Ron. A tube was secured tightly to his chest and all around him, the monitoring charms did their work, tracking his pulse and blood pressure. Although she couldn't see the wires and cables tethering him to life, she could feel the presence of the magic. He was her boyfriend and yet he looked strangely unfamiliar; pale and small and almost drowning in the hospital bed. Hermione desperately wished she knew a way to make him better, but although she racked her brains for all the healing charms and potions she knew, she couldn't find anything that would ease his pain. Instead she sat herself in the chair, picking up his hand and pressing a kiss against it before holding on to it tightly, almost as if she was scared to let it go and have him slip away.
Hermione kept a watch over Ron for the rest of the day. She was aware that other family members came and left, bringing clothes and food as well as books and other things to keep her occupied but she barely paid them any attention, her eyes fixed solely on Ron, wishing for him to wake up. She knew he desperately needed to hear his voice, to hear him say that everything was going to be okay.
After almost 12 hours sitting next to his bed, Hermione was roused from her thoughts by a short knock on the door. She lifted her head, surprised to see Lavender lingering in the doorway. The pretty girl had her curly blond hair pulled back in a tight braid and was wearing the familiar peach coloured healer robes.
"I was just starting my break and I heard…" Lavender went to take a step further into the room but hesitated. "I just… I just needed to check if he was okay?"
The last time Hermione had seen Lavender was at Harry and Ginny's wedding, almost a year ago. She was looking well, the scar across her face was healing nicely although Hermione could see the still red slash disappearing under the neck of her robes. Fenrir had gotten her almost as good as he'd had Bill and Hermione shuddered as she remembered watching the werewolf speeding after Lavender as she tried to recover from her awful fall. He had that look in his eye, one that said he was planning on turning the blonde into his dinner and she might have suffered a fate worse than death if Hermione had not thrown the curse at him.
She contemplated Lavender for a minute longer before finally speaking. "Why don't you come in?" She nodded towards the spare chair next to her, trying to summon a friendly smile but failing miserably.
Lavender took the seat quietly after glancing quickly over at Ron. The girls sat in silence for a while, before Lavender finally spoke up.
"My break is for half an hour and then I have to go and do rounds. I'll probably be back in here to change his drips but if you need a break – some time to fresh up, I don't mind waiting with him…"
Hermione turned her head towards her, suddenly seeing the girl in a new light. Where once she thought they were almost enemies, fighting over the same love interest; now she only saw someone who cared for Ron almost as much as she did. She didn't feel threatened by that knowledge, there was no doubt in her mind that Ron had any feelings for Lavender other than platonic now and it was a testament to the amount of work her and Ron had done to build on their relationship. She regarded what she was wearing, a pair of holey grey sweatpants, Ron's jumper, and her work heels. She looked and felt a mess and she hated that Ron might open his eyes and see her like this. She let out a relieved nod.
"I've needed the toilet for an hour, I just didn't want him to wake up and nobody be here…" The thought caught in her throat and all of the tears Hermione had been trying so desperately to hold back finally escaped her eyes. She was surprised when Lavender threw her arms around her and held her until her sobs subsided.
"Go and get some fresh air and get changed. You look a mess and you don't want him to wake up and see you like this. He'll need strong Hermione, okay?" The blonde rubbed Hermione's back softly before pulling away from the hug. "And you need a break. It's an order!"
Hermione nodded again and carefully got up, leaning over Ron to kiss his forehead before finally letting go of his hand. She cast her eyes over him one last time before grabbing the bag of her stuff Molly had brought over and quickly leaving the room, seeking out a bathroom. She needed to freshen up before she could even contemplate getting something to eat.
Half an hour later, with her face washed and teeth brushed, Hermione made her way back to the room. She was dressed in something a lot more sensible, old jeans with Ron's jumper back over her head and with comfortable trainers on her feet. She felt more like herself and ready to face whatever came next. She had two cups of coffee in her hands, deciding to treat Lavender after her surprising show of support. As she rounded the corner to the room, she noticed a flurry of activity. She felt her stomach lurch, her mind once again going to the worst possible outcome.
However, her fears went unfounded. She entered the room to see Ron sitting up in bed, looking pale and a bit bewildered but otherwise awake and fine.
Ron had been surprised to see Lavender waiting by the side of his bed when he woke up. As soon as he'd asked for Hermione, the blonde had sprung into action, calling for help as she'd helped him sit up, being extra careful with his drain. He'd sat there, letting the healers check him over although all the fussing was making his head pound. Lavender had reassured him that Hermione hadn't gone far, but he knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he knew she was safe. Although he knew Quinn had been killed by Philippe, he didn't think he'd ever be able to forget that vision from his mind, he had threatened Hermione so of course, there was still a risk.
Finally, he spotted her waiting at the edge of his room, a small smile breaking out on her face as he made eye contact with her. He rested his head back against the bed and let the healers continue their tests, relief washing over his body.
Eventually, the room emptied and Hermione approached the bed. She put the coffee cups down on the side, moving her hands to her hips as she stood over him.
"You're in serious trouble, you know that…"
"Why?" Ron croaked, a small frown forming over his face.
"You had me worried to death, Ronald Weasley! You're so lucky you're in a hospital bed right now because otherwise, I would hex you to the other end of the earth!" Hermione felt hot tears appear in her eyes again, which only served to frustrate her more.
Ron attempted a laugh, closing his eyes as he started to cough. Everything hurt and here was the love of his life, berating him for almost dying.
Things were all right again, or as close as they ever would be given his career. Once his coughing fit was over, he opened his eyes again. Hermione was still there standing at the side of his bed, crying over him. He raised his eyebrows, not having the energy to try and placate her with words. Instead, he just lifted his arm in an invitation to join him.
Hermione laughed, despite her tears and toed off her trainers before carefully climbing onto the bed next to him. He always knew how to make her feel better. She studied him carefully, checking his face for any signs of damage. "Are you okay?"
"I am now…" He lifted his hand to stroke her hair, closing his eyes again. "I was so scared Hermione…"
"You're safe now, I promise…" She slid her hand over his stomach, being careful of the chest drain attached to his side. She pressed one small kiss against his cracked, dry lips before resting her head against the crook of his shoulder. She was determined to stay by his side, not even moving as his family piled into the room; ignoring the two-person rule to celebrate him finally being awake.