Ron's POV

As I opened my eyes, everything seemed fuzzy. I blinked a few times and as I went to rub the sleep out of my eyes, I realised someone was holding my right hand quite tightly. I looked down and realised how it was. I couldn't see her face, but I knew that head of hair anywhere.

"Hermione?"

I was surprised at how weak sounding my voice was, but not as surprised that Hermione was sitting there worriedly next to me after everything I had put her through.

She lifted her head up and I was shocked to see tear streaks running down her face.

"Ron?" she whispered in a tiny little voice. I had never really heard her use such a scared and vulnerable voice before. That was when I remembered that she was holding my hand. I looked down immediately, feeling suddenly shy. Her warm fingers were laced between my big clumsy ones. I searched for something to say.

"Er…"

She snatched her hand away and started to regain some of her usual Hermione-ness.

"How are you feeling?" she asked and I couldn't help noticing she was fidgeting slightly.

A lot worse now you've taken your hand away, I thought regretfully to myself.

I swallowed.

"Uh…my throat hurts a bit." I looked to the table beside Hermione that had a big jug of refreshing looking water on it aswell as a large stack of gifts, which I would most certainly start eating later. Right in front of Harry as well, I thought, without offering him anyway. If he wasn't so darn popular then there would never have been a love potion to accidentally swallow in the first place.

Hermione looked to where I was indicating and hastily picked up the jug, knocking a fair number of boxes of chocolate frogs down.

"Oh!" she exclaimed and started scrambling around retrieving them.

I gave her a small smile. It wasn't like her to be like this and I knew she must have been really worried. I can't imagine how I would have felt if she had almost died. I licked my lips nervously…I didn't even want to think about it.

I took the glass of water she had carefully poured me and gulped some down. Unfortunately, it didn't help my throat at all but I smiled at her to stop her from looking at me anxiously. She went a bit pink and started looking at my various cards.

I still didn't understand why she was here. I don't think I could even ever look at her again if she had snogged Krum repeatedly in front of me. Stupid Krum, I thought, I'd like to beat his fat head in…

Why wasn't she mad at me? After me being a idiot this year and she was here beside me, being supportive and holding my hand.

"Hermione?"

She looked up concernedly.

"Yes"

"How come you're not mad at me anymore?"

She looked at me for a while. Merlin, where would I be without Hermione? It had almost killed me not being on speaking-terms with her this year. I had hurt her. I knew that. I had made her cry, but I couldn't stop. All of these years, I had always felt like I would never be smart enough, or rich enough, or handsome enough, or brave enough for her and suddenly it was me hurting her and I couldn't stop. I regret it so much now. I know that I want to be with her. It was in that moment when she was staring at me and sitting next to me in the hospital wing that I realised no matter how much of a screw-up I am, she'll always be there.

"I guess I missed having you as a friend."

A friend. I guess that was her way of telling me that was all she wanted me to be.

Still, Hermione as a friend is better than no Hermione at all.

I smiled. She still had a hurt look in her eyes, though, that had been there since that bloody night at the Quidditch party when I had ruined everything. I had to make that look go away. She had to know how I felt. I grabbed her hand.

"Hermione. About Lavender."

The hurt look was replaced with the Hermione-ish sparks, like when she had slapped that git, Malfoy.

"I don't really want to talk about Lavender." She said sharply as she wrenched her hand from my grasp.

"It's not Lavender I care about." There. I had said it.

I watched as her cheeks glowed rose-colour.

"I know." She said softly. "Get some sleep Ron." And with that she turned away. I sank back on my nicely plumped pillows. I wanted to tell her I loved her, I thought drowsily. Oh well, I thought, there'll be time for that soon enough. And with that I sank back into the first peaceful sleep I'd had in months.