A/N: Sorry for the really long wait. I just started High School a week ago and it's becoming really hectic, I barely have time, but I was too excited to continue this story, so everyday, I'd spend at least 2 hours working on this story even though the laptop kept on crashing. I'm really sorry for the wait. I hope you all bear with me.

Voilà!! The next chapter for "Run Away Princess"!


Please review!

Chapter 9: Visits

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Ginny banged her fist angrily on Harry's front door. There were sleepy footsteps coming from the other side. Someone opened the door.

And it wasn't Harry.

At least the Harry she knew.

He reeked of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot. "What?" He grumbled.

"Good morning to you, too," She snapped, shoving herself past him. She walked towards the table, and set her bag on the chair. She folded her arms crossly, shooting him looks.

"It's morning already?" He asked droopily, he sat on the couch.

"What is wrong with you?" She scolded. "Casey's in the hospital without anyone to look over her. And here you are, getting yourself drunk. You passed out in a bar. A bar of all places! You're all over the news!"

"I don't care." He mumbled. "I haven't had this much fun since...well. Forever."

"I don't give a damn if you haven't had fun! What happened to you? And promise me, be decent—no alcohol!" She yelled, Harry smirked. She started to sound like his Aunt Petunia he hadn't seen since in a while. He didn't plan on seeing her anymore. Aunt Petunia and his Uncle Vernon were the nice sort of couple, until his mother's death. They started to blame Harry for an unknown reason, and treated him wrongly.

"Fine. What's wrong with me? Well, one, she almost died because of me. She's been at the hospital for six days now. Two, she forgives me. Three, Uncle Remus' chemo isn't working better than expected. Four, I think Casey likes Mitch, I mean, Mitch. Mitch, the bodyguard."

"So what if she likes Mitch? What's so wrong?" Ginny inquired, sitting beside him.

"That's what I would want to know." He sighed, Ginny of all people would understand and know the answer to why there was a sharp pain in his heart whenever he looked at Hermione, thought of Hermione, and talked to Hermione, maybe she could provide an answer.

Maybe it's a disease.

--

Six days ago.

"Do you forgive me?" Harry asked her, staring into her deep brown eyes. He watched her eyes flicker from the heart monitor to his alluring green eyes. He was looking for the twinge of rage in her expression, he expected her to start shouting at him, calling security to throw him out.

But she didn't.

"Yeah," She responded, smiling at him.

"Don't you hate me?" He confirmed.

"Dislike." She corrected smartly, smiling.

"Is that good?" He asked sadly. She surprised him by her calm response. He somehow expected her to start a tantrum or something...

"Very."

It pained him for her to say that. The phrase "If you love her, set her free..." suddenly passed his tangled web of thoughts. He frowned to himself discreetly. If he continued to keep her within arm's length, something dangerous might happen. He wanted her to hate him. He wanted her to stay away. But he didn't exactly love her...

"I'm going now." He announced, straightening his jacket, walking towards the door. He felt her warm hand around his wrist, he cringed at what he was about to do.

"Don't go." She pleaded.

"I want to." He lied, "You'll be fine here."

"But—"

"I'm not good with hospitals." He confessed, but trying to put some arrogance in it, hiding his disgust in the nauseating smell of medicine and the image of his mother's dead body on a stretcher being pushed by nurses towards a room. Also his mind flashed back to the moment he was watching Sirius bleed on the street, anticipating the loud and alarming sound of the ambulance.

"I hate the smell." He added, he was good enough to make it sound like just another excuse from Harry Potter. He didn't quite know why he was putting such an effort on pushing her away, but maybe his plan would work. She'd somehow find him too unbearable to hang out with and she'd go with someone else in some place safer.

Her face softened, staring at him with compassion. "Okay." She let out, facing away. "When's Draco arriving here?"

"I already called. He's leaving for a business trip tomorrow so Ginny's arriving in a few days." He said softly, "Bye." And his figure retreated down the white halls of the hospital.

Hermione heaved a sigh, his emotions were like a roller coaster ride: Scary and unpredictable.

---

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Ginny scolded, her hands wrapped tightly around the roll of newspaper. "Why the hell would you push her away like that?!—Especially when she needed you the most!" She yelled, and Harry in turn received another strong blow on his side. "You don't do that to your friends! You good for nothing—"

"Hey, get off!" Harry finally said, managing to push the red-faced woman off of him. "Honestly, you and your stupid aerobics classes." He scowled at her, rubbing his sore arm.

"Oh—sod off." She concealed her smile as Harry made a disgusted face.

"Anything you want to tell me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, you just don't come here to erm... hit me."

Ginny looked hesitant for a brief moment as silence engulfed her usually cheery form, but his curious expression made her give in.

"Draco and I just got engaged."

There was an awful silence that circulated the two of them, drowning her thoughts in worry. She thought that the screaming or the "I'm so glad for you two, congratulations!" would start by now. But Harry remained still, his mouth open.

Well, that's Harry for you.

"Oh." He managed, shifting uncomfortably on his seat. The leather made little squeaking noises, making Ginny's face scrunch up in anxiety and dread.

"Congratulations." He said sheepishly, running his clammy hands through his jet black hair. "I—uh, I'm erm... Great. I'm happy for you two, really." He smiled widely at her. At the back of his mind, his father and his mother danced in a war field called his thoughts.

"Do you think that Casey could stay with you guys soon?"

"Why?" Ginny inquired, her brows creasing.

"I uh— was offered a job, really good pay for, Uncle Remus' erm, you know, since the medical bills are becoming expensive... and I'd be in and out of the house for weeks. I think the studio's in California or something. I might be shooting abroad."

"I'll see, for the mean time, I think I'd extend my vacation here for a few more days. It's been a while."

"It's only been 2 weeks, more or less." Harry explained, he remembered his conversation with Hermione almost 2 weeks ago.

She didn't hate him, and for an odd reason that made him smile.

---

Draco sat tiredly while waiting for the other passengers to load the plane. He watched his other business partners howl with laughter as they entered the first-class wing, sitting happily on the booth beside his. The eerily bouncy and happy tune of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" made him shudder—Ginny's been changing his ring tone again. He looked around nervously as his colleagues and other businessmen turned their heads, finding the source. He heaved a sigh, and his hand flew to the inside pocket of his coat, in turn receiving sniggers from Crabbe and Goyle who were on the booth beside him, they somehow managed to grab a first-class flight to Washington D.C for kicks, and not business—and charged it on his company. He seemed impressed—they were getting smarter, now he owes $30 dollars to Blaise.

Four letters confused him—Harry. He accepted the call with caution. Harry rarely called anyone on the cell phone. He spends more money by wasting gas and driving to the person he wanted to talk to. Hell, he could even go through the wild traffic towards the airport just to speak to someone for 10 minutes.

"What?" He grumbled in a low, dangerous tone, ducking his head and leaning towards the window. He pretended to search for something.

"When are you coming back?" Harry rushed. Draco smiled as he heard high-pitched talking on the other side. Harry always asked for Draco's help whenever he was almost annoyed to death.

"I'm waiting for the other passengers to board the plane, Potter. After this flight I'll more or less be there tomorrow, got other business stuff." He replied quite dully, leaning back on his chair and refusing the champagne the stewardess offered him. She frowned slightly, but had an easy recovery as Crabbe asked for another glass. There was a heavy silence on the other end. "Is that all?" He pressed, eyebrows raised.

"Can you somehow redirect the plane to Miami? Your wife misses you." He teased. "I swear if I hear the bloody word 'wedding' or 'peach' or 'church' or 'ring' again I would—"

"Hey. That's my wife you're talking about!" Draco scolded, chuckling slightly. "I'll see what I can do, please see to it that she won't do anything drastic without me."

"Like plan a wedding? Too late, she's already half-way through the bridesmaids. Do you think that the newspaper boy could be the ring bearer? She invited Gomez." he mocked and his voice cracking with laughter as he said that last statement. His voice was irritably sweet and high-pitched, impersonating Ginny.

"Gomez?"

"The gardener." Harry replied. "I didn't even know that his name was Gomez. I thought it was Mike or Ian or something. Turns out that Gomez was just his mother's surname... cause his father left and—"

"That's not something you see everyday." Draco cut him off, being nonchalant and he was starting to get restless with boredom.

"Well. Good news—I'm your best man." Harry supplied in the same tone.

"Right. As if I'd make you the best man. I think Severus would suffice." Draco snorted, more passengers started to board the plane.

"Severus? That old fart? Why him?" He sounded offended, but Draco wasn't sure on how genuine it was.

"He is my financial adviser! He was very essential to the company, he practically taught me on all there is to know about Malfoy Inc." He replied smartly, thinking on how Severus was very much like a father to him.

"Financial adviser, my ass. Severus in something other than those... weird clothes? Are you serious?" Harry asked, sounding disgusted. "He's always in black, and I don't think he'd be able to wear periwinkle blue—don't ask, Ginny thought of it—in a church."

"I am serious, but I don't know about periwinkle blue, I don't think that I could walk down the aisle to 'Crazy for You'. She bugged me about it last night. I thought traditional weddings were... Alright. But yes, I am serious and I will see you soon if you stop bothering me." Draco said in a dangerous mock tone

"Do you think that Snape would wear black to the—" Harry began, but Draco cut him off in mid-sentence, and snapped his phone shut.

Draco leaned back on his chair for a moment of peace.

---

The sun peers through the windows, and Hermione's eyes squint. She finds herself still in her hospital gown, and under the thin sheets of the cold, hard, bed that smells oddly like ointment and alcohol. A nurse is sitting across her, setting her breakfast on the table. She reaches her cold hands towards the biscuit and nibbles on it cautiously as more doctors fill in the room to have a look at her.

"Uhm, I think I can go now." She announced, smiling nervously at the tired but good looking person dressed in white staring back at her. He looked in his thirties and the ring around his finger proved that he was settled down already, which is good. His glasses were slightly askew when he looked around for her chart. He ran his pale hands through his auburn hair, with a look of distress on his face when his hazel colored eyes reached the bottom of the page.

"What is it?" Hermione pressed, "Can't I leave? I've been on observation for six days now and I am sure that I can go."

"First of all, Miss Barrett, I am Doctor Fuller, sorry for my manners since I haven't introduced myself until now. I'm a little tired, you see."

She nods, he looks tired and anticipates for a 'Yes, you can go now.'

"Mr. Potter here..." he begins, and shoots Hermione a look as she throws her head back on the bed, groaning. He raises his eyebrows at her.

"Go on." She supplied, staring at the ceiling.

"He asked us to keep you in observation for at least a week. By tomorrow you would be able to go."

"Please, I need to go now. Call him up or something." She pleaded. It's been six bloody days since she stretched out her legs and got a little exercise other than punching the buttons of the TV Remote.

"Uhm, I don't think that it's Hospital policy—"

"Harry asked me to bring her home." Mitch butts in, walking through the door in perfect timing as Hermione shoots him a grateful look. He brings a different ambience to the room. He's wearing a 'Black Sabbath' T-Shirt today, some faded jeans and his sneakers. For a brief moment Hermione forgot that he was her undercover body guard. People have been thinking that they're just good friends.

"Oh, is that so? Uhm, we'll take a few more hours for her last check-up and finalizing the release forms." Dr. Fuller smiles at them, and leaves the room. Mitch waltzes in and takes a seat on the plastic chair across her bed.

"Thank God for your perfect timing." Hermione thanks, while taking a scoop from her pudding.

"You're supposed to eat the waffle before the dessert, you know."

"Pssh." She said, rolling her eyes.

He smiled at her, as she continued to eat. "So, Black Sabbath today, huh?" Her chocolate covered lips mumbled, she grabbed a piece of tissue and dabbed it on them. He nodded once.

"Are you angry or something?" she implores. "Cause yesterday you were wearing pink and you were unusually hyper."

"I'll take that as a compliment." He says, and she smiles gratefully. "A somewhat weird and unusually random but—true, compliment."

"Oh." She said, relieved. "Is Harry really going to pick me up?" She tried to sound nonchalant.

Mitch said nothing and left the room, Hermione tilted her head slightly, to see that Mitch was calling someone on the cell phone, looking somewhat nervous. She burst into delicate giggles.

---

"What?"

That was Harry's first reaction. Mitch waited patiently for a second.

"Why on earth would you do that?" Harry pressed.

"Others are being suspicious..." he began.

"Fine. I'm picking her up today. You can have a day off if you like." He replied. Mitch heard the loud music stop, as well as the sounded of car keys jingling.

"I'll escort her home, if that would be okay, then I could go out for a while." He suggested, taking a seat on a chair.

"Right." Harry agreed, and then a dull beeping sound came from the other line. Mitch smiled to himself and placed it back in his pocket.

---

"78 bottles of champagne on the wall, 78 bottles of champagne! You take one down and turn it around, 77 bottles of champagne on the wall!"

"Ginny." Harry warned. "It's beer. And stop singing! I can't stand driving us to the hospital with you in the car. I should call the driver."

"No." She chirped. "77 bottles of champagne on the wall... 77 bottles of champagne..."

"For the love of God, shut. The. Hell. Up." He begged, and Ginny laughed mockingly at him.

"Fine." She huffed, crossing her arms tightly around her chest. There was a moment of silence between them as she pondered her schedule for the day.

"99 bottles of medicine on the wall. 99 bottles of medicine. You take one down and—"

"GINNY!" Harry's annoyed voice boomed throughout the car. She laughed to herself.

---

"You ready?" Harry asked Hermione who was dressed in her everyday clothing. Her hair was tied into a messy ponytail and she smelled of antibiotics.

A familiar scent.

"Since six days ago." She grunted angrily, and her arm unconsciously finds safety around his as they walk towards the car. She felt the soft wind wrap around them, making his hair messier as the sweet breeze swept through the two, she felt content as a cloud of peace and silence hovered above. She coughed as dry air entered her lungs and shivered slightly. And soon a black figure disrupted her vision. She stifled a shriek. Instead a tiny squeal escaped her lips. Her hands grabbed the material steadily, removed it from view and she examined it, to find out that Harry had tossed his jacket to her carelessly, and managed to slip from her grip—as he was approximately 3 feet away from her now. She exhaled a breath she didn't know she held, and she wrapped his jacket around her. And she found herself taking in his alluring smell of his musky cologne.

"We're nearly there." He announced dully, as a black car appeared in sight.

She nodded—even if she was behind him. She saw the familiar red-head in the car, she inferred that Ginny was apparently listening to music or reading something, a wedding magazine, perhaps.

"Here." Harry offered, opening the back door wide enough for her. She climbed in softly, and he went in after her. He sat on the other side, putting more than enough distance between them.

"Where's Mitch?" Hermione asked, and noticed how Ginny shot Harry a worried look. She heard him whisper 'What? Oh—shut up.'

"Here." Mitch smiled, entering the front seat, as Ginny who previously occupied it moved beside Hermione. Harry nodded towards the driver, who pressed on the gas pedal and drive them home. Harry inconveniently found himself sitting next to Hermione thanks to Ginny.

Hermione remained silent as Ginny continued her "99 Bottles of Things I Don't Know but Would Sure Love to Toss Them Down Song", Harry turned on the rock music and kept arguing with her to stop her wretched singing, and Mitch having a conversation with the driver. She felt out of place.

She tried to drown out the noise, just for a second, she tried to concentrate on something, someone to help her. But her thoughts kept finding their way to the man beside her, the car was unusually small, either that or Ginny was taking up too much space—Hermione and Harry were pressed against each other uncomfortably, their distance consisted of centimeters and she could hear his steady breathing—He was apparently shouting at Ginny. His voice was somewhat soothing, controlled—a feat she hadn't discovered in him until now. She was unusually glad that the last thing she heard was his irritated voice as she was soon engulfed in a black mist. Why? She didn't know.

"Wake up, dear." Ginny's soothing voice welcomed her back into reality. "We're here."

"Hmm?" Hermione stirred, waking up from her slumber—she didn't know that she had fallen asleep. They started leaving the car, one by one. She leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment. Begging to no one in particular for a few more moments of peace—an extension for the calm before the storm. There was always something chaotic happening when you put Harry and Ginny in the same room together. The mere car ride was more than enough evidence.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." Harry's soft and distant voice could be heard from inside, also his faint knocking. She looked up, the car was now empty. The driver, George, was sitting on a bench a few feet away, smoking a cigarette.

"Casey." He called again.

Hermione looked up, somehow expecting him to smile smugly at her like he always did, his eyes dancing with amusement, also his arms folded across his chest.

But he wasn't. He wasn't there. The only thing she saw was his figure retreating from her sight, towards their new home. Home. That sounded good. Great.

---

She took tired and slow steps towards the large house in front of her, passing a few trees and sculptures. She expected Harry to tease her, do anything for that matter, his neutral behavior was strangely alarming, but why would she care? For all she knew, he could be in the other side of the world and she's wouldn't care—that was what she kept telling herself, but it sounded unconvincing. She ignored Ginny's calls towards the dining room to have a cup of tea, and found refuge on an old wooden swing under the tree next to the swimming pool. She plopped down and managed a heavy sigh.

"Home, sweet home." She breathed, lying down on the wooden bench that continued to swing, and closed her eyes. Smelling the sweet air she had missed so much.

She closed her eyes, and breathed deeply. Her cinnamon colored eyes fluttered open, looking up. She intended to stare up at the sky.

To find herself staring deeply on a certain pair of tantalizing emerald eyes.

Harry stared back at those beautiful eyes. The wind was blowing softly, and had the sudden urge to kiss her.

---

A/N: Did you guys like it? Thank you to all my reviewers! Without you guys this story would be rotting away. LOL. Haha. So please bear with me once again as I try to update sooner.