Aloha! Sorry that this chapter is late. I have had loads of homework and I am also busy writing a one-shot for Valentines Day. And I kept on having incredible new ideas to add to the plot for this. On with the third chapter!
Chapter Three: The Curious Case of RW
A distant ringing resounds throughout my mind. As it grows closer I snuggle deeper beneath the warmness surrounding me. I hear a faint bam and suddenly everything goes silent. A small smile drifts onto my face.
"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEP BEEP!" I shoot out of bed and leap onto my offendor. We fall to the hard wood floor with a thunk. As my eyes adjust to the darkness and my brain wakes up officially I take notice of the figure I am sitting on. It moves slightly and I catch a glimpse of platinum blonde hair.
"Malfoy did you really have to wake me up at-" my head swivels in search of a clock, "bloody two thirty in the morning?" I whisper harshly. Standing up swiftly I proceed to offer the blonde up as well, being the gentlelady I am. He ignores my outstretched arm and rises gracefully. The moonlight illuminates his sculpted face that is contorted into a wicked smirk.
"Welcome back to the world of the living Granger. I trust you had an astounding rest?" He says bluntly. I flash him a mock-charming smile, "Yes my rest was rather peacefull... until someone decided to disturb me." His smirk widens further. "By the way the she-weasel is downstairs screaming bloody-murder. When I opened the door she shouted at me to let her in, thus I came and got you. Make her go away." He stares at me expectantly. "Well go on now, go stop that banshee keeping me from my beauty sleep, or keeping us, as I think somebody needs it more than I." I shut him up with a glare. Malfoy gives me a pointed look and then marches out of my room.
I sigh and stretch my arms up. I consider myself an early riser but this is way to early for my liking. I softly walk down the staircase and fling open the large door. She struts right in and I slam the door.
"What the hell do you want?" I ask bluntly with just and ounce of malice creepig through. She gives me a bright smile, although it is strained. "I came to enjoy your company." I blink at her. "And why is my company so enjoyable... at two thirty in the morning?"
She laughs quietly. "I know it can't be your sunny personality." I glare at her. "And I know it isn't my extraordinary gossip skills." She plasters on a fake smile and motions for us to down. We both collapse onto the tan leather couch and face eachother, crosslegged. She bites the inside of her pale cheeks and stares at my shirt.
"What is wrong?" She shakes her head. "Ginny what is wrong?" I ask a bit louder, now very concerned. She takes a deep breath amd squeezes my hands. I hold on tightly and wait for her to begin. She opens and closes her mouth a few times before taking another relaxing breathe and looking me straight in the eye.
"Hermione. Ron is in the hospital." Oh no. "Is it-?" I begin wearily before she nods abruptly. "But his last episode was three years ago..." Ron used to have these seemingly random episodes. But five years ago we figured out a pattern. The episodes ocurred on the solstices. The most saught after doctors and professors could not figure out what caused his episodes. And suddnely, three years ago, they ceased to occur.
"Is he at Wesley Hosspital?" She nods. "Harry went with him, I ran straight to find you. If only Malfoy had let me in faster we could have gone with." Her pale cheeks redden as my friend rambles to herself. All of the sudden bright blue eyes are looking at me expectantly. "You can drive, yes?" I nod with my eyebrows creeping upward. I don't think I will be able to drive in this state of mind. With thoughts and theries running wild and free. But I will do it for Ron.
"Fine I will drive us." We then both sprint out of the door like rabbits and slide into Harry's car. I quickly press my finger on the identification lock and the vehicle's engine is ignited. I grasp the wheel and back out. "Ginny text Malfoy where we are going." She glares at me with slightly renewed vigor and punches a text to the blonde.
The car glides out of the camp and onto the road. I turn a sharp right and Ginny automaticly clutches the overhead rails. "You do know the speed limit is fifty?" I give her a pointed look. "So why the bloodly hell are you only going sixty?" She shouts. I send her a jaunty smirk and we cruise at a nice and easy seventy-five for the next half hour.
We pull into the hospital parking lot and
step out into the warm summer night. I glance down at myself. Blue and white polka dot pajamas, white UGGs, and a mane. I am just the epotime of beauty right now. But who gives a shit, my bestfriend is in the emergency room. I quickly catch up with the flaming red-head as she throws open the hospital doors. I snigger to myself as Ginny struts up to the front desk and slams her hands down in front of the bimbo of a recepionist, quite loudly.
I glower at the twenty or so people in the waiting room as I stroll up behind Ginny, whom is threatening the poor barbie doll. "You do know that threatening her will get you nowhere right?" I whisper is my friend's ear. She turns to me and crosses her arms over her pajama clad chest. "Then what else do you suggest we do?" She restorts sassily, and glares for a few moments. All of the sudden she brightens up and starts jumping up and down madly. "Oooh ooh ooh oooooh! I know! Blackmail! How come I didn't think of that before?" I chuckle before pushing gently past her to stand infront of the receptionist, Barbara says her nametag. Barbara the barbie. It has a nice sound to it.
I smile prettily and rest my hand on Ginny's shoulder. "I am terribly sorry for any trouble my friend has caused. We are going through some difficulties with a friend right now and her way of coping is... a bit irrational." I say elegantly with false sincerity. Waves of sadistic anger radiate off of Ginny but she will thank me later. "I was wondering if you could be as kind as to give us the information about our friend. Ronald Billius Weasley. That is Ginny his sister and I am a close friend." Barbara smacks her red over-glossed lips and then flashes me a supposed-to-be-cute smile.
"Sure thing sweetie. He is currently in the ER. I do not know anything else except that he is under the care of Dr Leventhius. I hope that helps and have a wonderful day." She then looks pointedly back at her computer screen and her hands start flying over the screen. Rude much?
I then start walking toward the ER waiting room. We have been to this hospital countless times thanks to our little... missions of heroicy. I can count the number of slick white tiles leading from the main entrance to the ER, nine-hundred-and-eighty. I know how many doors until the urgent care clinic, twenty-two. And disturbingly I even know the the passcode to enter the staff only restrooms, five-five-two-six-seven-five-seven-five-two-five-six. Yup I know all that amd even more.
"So what do you...Do you.. Do you think he is-" Her breathe catches, "okay?" I glance over at my ginger friend and squeeze her clamy hand tightly. "No Gin, I do not think he is okay. But I know that we can figure out a way for him to be." She nods shakily and we walk silently until coming to a stop before the giant oak door reading, 'Emergency Room Lobby'. I link our elbows and push through the door. We are met with bored glances and fake bright smiles. A flash of raven hair is all the warning I get before being tackled into a bear hug by Harry. The impact of this whole ordeal hits me as a flash of red does not follow the raven. Ron is on the brink of who knows what.
"Oh thank Merlin you are here Mione." My best friend mumbles into my tangled mane. I hug him as tight as I would if the world was about to end. Breathing in the familiar scent of salty ocean air, sweet caramal, and sandelwood calms my mind.
We stand, holding onto each other for the life of our third, for the next twenty minutes. Then I feel a light tapping on my left shoulder. Harry reluctantly realeases me and our arms link together automatically.
"I am sorry to interrupt your grieving... But there is no need to be grieving at all! Mr Weasley is doing dandy, except for..." The older doctor with laugh marks lining his face and bushy caterpillar white eyebrows examines us for a moment. "Yes you seem like the no-nonsense type so I will just come out with it. Your friend is under comatose. He is steady but we believe that he will be under for a while. You can have a minute with him if you would like. I am Doctor Leventhius if you need anything." Doctor Leventhius smiles warmly and strides down the hall.
Harry turns toward me and a strengthening look passes between us. We start walking briskly in the direction where the doctor came from. Coming to a halt before the door with a clipborad with Ron's name scrawled across it, I take a deep breath and Harry opens the heavy door. Ron is laying down on a pristine white bed. Wires of all different colors are pinned into his arm and his face is ghostly pale.
Harry walks slowly over to Ron as I stand in the doorway, processing my thoughts. You can figure out what is causing this Hermione. You just have to calm down. To achieve awesome things the first step is being awesome yourself. So find that awesomeness and let's kick some microscopic a- No! Hemione no bad words! That is one of the many side affects of being best friends with boys. I take a deep breathe and walk steadily over to stand beside my bespeckled friend.
The most difficult accomplishment will be being able to study Ron. I could ask for my teachers to send letters to the team of doctors, explaining that I am a logical and determined student that would be an asset to their investigation. But I do not want the assistance of others while proving my worth. What if I blackmailed them? Blackmail is simpy the art of knowing and using that knowledge to an advantage. Somwhere, deep in the back of my mind, a little voice shouts out 'No! Do not stoop down to that level of arrogance and darkness!' I ignore it because right now I need to focus on figuring out what is causing Ron's episodes and how to stop them.
I bend over and brush away a strand of bright red hair out my friend's face. Glancing up at the grim and utterly depressed look on Harry's face, I make my final decision. Yes, anything for Ron. If it takes me as far as to murder a thousand or to say "avada kedavra" then so be it!
"Hermione w-... we should go... I think the best thing for us right now is to continue on. It's what Ron would want us to do." Harry's voice is filled with sadness as he tries to stand steadily. I rush over and hug him tightly. "I know Harry." He pulls back, sets his warm hands firmly on my shoulders and gives me a stern look. "I can practically see the clogs turning in your head right now. Since you are going to figure this out and I know that I will not be able to stop you... I will say this... The only ways for you to succesfully be in the loop are all despicable. So, I will help you no matter what. If we go to azkaban we will go together." I knew he would say that. A small smirk works it's way onto his face and a smirk of my own soon mirrors his. "Alright, let's do this." We both send a silent prayer to Ron and then saunter out of the room.
"Where is Ginny?" Oh god I totally forgot about her.
"Probably the bathroom. You know how emotional she gets." He nods and we continue walking until reaching the waiting room. There the entire Weasley clan and a few coaches stand. Wordlessly Harry walks over to the Weasley's and I to the coaches. As I approach I realize that coaches Dumbledore, Mcgonnagal, Merrythought, Slughorn and... Riddle... have come. Weird, why would coach Riddle come?
"Ah Miss Granger, I offer you my deepest condolences. Is it alright if I inquire on the well doing of Mr Weasley as of right now?" Dumbledore asks kindly. I feel Riddle's calculating look on me as I reply solemnly, "Thank you coach Dumbledore. Ron is currently in a comatose. He is steady for now, but nobody knows what his diagnosis is." Dumbledore nods thoughtfully and swiftly walks off to probably find the nearest doctor. He is followed by the other coaches, except coach Riddle, who strolls to stand in front of me. He dips his head, freeing me of his penetrating stare for a few moments. But all too soon those icy orbs are upon me and I am drowning in his velvety voice.
"I am terribly sorry about Mr Weasley. It is to my understanding that this has happened before?" I release the breathe I did not know I was holding in before replying, slightly unsettled as to how he came to know that information. "Thank you. Yes this has happened before, but it eventually stopped three years ago." He nods with a faraway look in his molten iron eyes. "Did these...episodes occur during the solstices?" How the hell could he know that?! "...Yes." Riddle sends me a supposed-to-be warm smile and flicks a piece of lint off of his forest green knit sweater.
"I bet you are wondering how I know all this?" He asks amusedly. "Well honestly... Of course." That smile turns into an unsettling smirk. "I am required to know all of my students health records. Mr Weasley's is a bit more interesting than most." Oh duh. I mentally slap myself. Fatigue must be fighting intelligence in my mind, and winning. "Right. So anyway since it is four in the morning I believe I need some rest."
"Oh I almost forgot to tell you. I passed Miss Weasley not too long ago and she told me to tell you that her and Mr Potter will stay here for the night and that you should 'hitch a ride with a coach' so you can be prepared for tomorrow." Bloody hell, I bet Ginny was talking about a certain coach. Even when her brother lays in the hospital she is matchmaking.
"Sounds like her." I mutter and he chuckles deeply. "I offer myself to drive you back to campus." He bends and offers his arm all gentlemanly. His ebony locks fall over his eyes but I can still see the two silver pools sparkling at me. I place my hand on his arm and he smirks slightly. The contact makes my cheeks heat up slightly although I have no idea as to why. He leads me out of the hospital and to an insanely expensive looking black Lamborghini.
Riddle places his unoccupied index finger on a pad and the doors slide upward. I walk around to the other side and gracefully settle myself in. The interior is all sleek it smells insanely good, like coffee, mint and spice. He peels out of the parking lot like a good citizen but once we reach the highway he is cruising at ninety miles per hour. "Ninety?" I raise an eyebrow. He keeps his focus on the dark road ahead but a smirk curls at his lips. "It is not too fast for you though, is it?" A smirk of my own appears. "Not at all."
We drive the rest of the way in silence until reaching Hogwarts. Riddle parks under a pine tree and we both get out. I am met with the cold night air and suddenly am wishing I could stay in his car for the night. But it would be really awkward for me to ask.
"See you at ten Miss Granger." He waves over as he begins to walk off. "Yes I will see you bright and early at ten coach Riddle." I shout exasperatedly. He sends me a dazzling smile over his shoulder and then continues on his way. He should smile more often. It lights up his whole face.
I stroll back into my cabin and into my room where I fall into my bed again. As soon as my head hits the pillow I am asleep. My dreams are filled with weasels and riddles.