Serpentine Virtues Chapter 7

WARNING: Some mature subject matter. Nothing even remotely close to MA/NC-17 stuff, but I thought I'd put a warning here. Just in case.

This chapter was aided with copious amounts of advice from a few IRL friends (whose names shall not be disclosed for privacy purposes). But I thought I should give creds.

Words that are both bolded and italicized are Chinese dialogue translated into English.

Enjoy Chapter 7.

oOo

The last few weeks before Easter came quickly. And Harry Potter was nervous. More nervous than he'd ever felt before on any date.

Fifth Year was Cho Chang. He'd done his best (which was awful, looking back at it now) to court her, and had succeeded…sort of. There was that disastrous Valentine's date, but honestly, Harry couldn't remember himself being nervous before that. The butterflies really only showed up on the day of.

Then, in Sixth Year, he'd gone on a couple walks around the lake with Ginny. Those had seemed…almost natural. Although Harry really couldn't say he was surprised, considering how well he knew Ginny. It was almost like talking to a sister, although it didn't feel like that at the time.

Now, though, just thinking about his quasi-date with Daphne brought that weird jumpy feeling into his stomach, and he started sweating lightly.

Honestly, he wasn't sure if the nervousness was a good thing or not. He'd known Daphne for years now, and yet, now he's nervous and jumpy just going to dinner with her? Had his feelings for her changed that much in the span of merely four months? Things had moved along incredibly quickly ever since Hermione's visit. The things that she'd said had really galvanized him into action, and now he was scared.

Sure, he had the standard "I really hope I don't embarrass myself" jitters, but this time, he was nervous just thinking about Daphne.

Still, he was visiting Ron and Hermione first thing after he left Hogwarts the day before Easter, and was staying with them for a night. That would hopefully give him some time with his best friends to calm down. He knew that Hermione would be happy for him, and would offer a lot of advice. While most of it would probably be useless to him, there was always the possibility that he'd pick up something really useful.

Evidently, Rose was quite excited at the prospect of seeing him. Hermione had written him a letter the week before detailing how Rose was very excited to see her "Oncle Hawwy".

Harry had smiled at that.

It was the Friday before Easter break, and he was packing his bags, getting ready for his little excursion away from Hogwarts. He was half-surprised that he'd found a home here at Hogwarts as a Quidditch instructor, but he also knew that Hogwarts would probably always represent home to him.

A knock on the door distracted him from his thoughts. Wondering who it could possibly be, he called, "Enter".

The door opened to reveal Aurora Sinistra, who stood nervously in the doorway.

Harry, surprised by her appearance, and not entirely sure what exactly she wanted, tossed the pair of socks he'd been holding into the rucksack he'd been planning to take with him, and stood up.

"Aurora! What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Harry, I hope I'm not intruding on anything important…" Aurora said hesitantly, seeing the mess in the room that was the result of Harry throwing things around while packing his rucksack.

Harry scratched the side of his face, slightly embarrassed to be caught while having such a messy room. Still he was a guy, and guys generally had messy rooms. It just happened that way.

"No, no, it's fine. I was just packing for my trip." Harry said.

"Oh. Where are you going?" Aurora asked.

"Just going to see my friends." Harry said vaguely. While the awkwardness had mostly disappeared from their relationship, and indeed, Harry had even taken to sitting next to the Astronomy Teacher during mealtimes in an effort to improve their awkward relationship.

It had worked for the most part, and Harry could now say with confidence that after Neville and Minerva, he trusted Aurora the most. She'd been witty, intelligent, and slightly flirtatious in their conversations, and Harry found that he quite enjoyed talking to her. He'd even made a point to visit her after lessons were over occasionally. The two had developed quite a friendship over the past couple of months.

Still, Harry didn't want to touch on the subject of Daphne with her. At least not yet. He wasn't sure, but he just felt that it'd be safe keeping any dates or even quasi-dates away from Aurora, because he didn't want the conversation to get too awkward.

There always seemed to be something between them, and Harry wasn't particularly sure what exactly it was. He also didn't really want to find out, especially when he was this confused about his feelings for Daphne.

Indeed, there was a lot riding on this weekend outing, and Harry hoped that most of his questions and feelings would be resolved by the end of the trip.

"Oh? Who are you seeing?" Aurora asked, jolting Harry from his thoughts.

"Just Ron and Hermione. I haven't seen them in a while." Harry responded.

"That's nice to hear that you all are still friends after all these years." Aurora said, smiling.

"Of course, we've been through hell together." Harry said, mentally pushing back some of the awful memories from the war.

"Well, I have to get going. I've got a night class to prepare for. Have a safe journey Harry." Aurora said softly, with a hint of…something in her voice.

"I will." Harry said, smiling as he watched Aurora leave. She paused in the doorway, and Harry thought she would say something, but she just looked at him for a brief moment, and walked out the door.

The smile dropped from his face after the door closed behind her. Were those…tears he saw in her eyes? Harry immediately discounted that thought. Why would she be crying? He blamed it on a trick of the light.

He turned his attentions back to packing, but he had a lot of questions that he'd pushed into the back of his mind. It was strange that Aurora had come to see him, especially when now she was very likely to be late for her Astronomy class. What had she really wanted?

Throwing the last few things into his rucksack, Harry dismissed his thoughts, and climbed into bed. His thoughts turned towards seeing his friends the next day, and a smile came to his face almost unconsciously. He'd not seen them for a few months now, and he was really looking forward to this visit.

oOo

Laughter filled the bright summer air, and Daphne couldn't help, but smile, watching the children play and laugh in the yard. She and Harry had invited all their friends over, and they'd all come for this celebration. It was James' sixth birthday, and they were throwing a big birthday party for him. Daphne always thought that Harry put a lot of effort into these parties, and she knew that it was most likely because he never wanted his children to feel the pain of a neglected childhood like he had.

She smiled at the scene in front of her. Rose, who was four years older than James, had always preferred a book like her mother, but this time, James and Hugo had managed to coax her away from the book she'd been reading (Hogwarts: A History), and she'd joined in with their game.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around hair, and lips pressed to her head.

Without turning around, she said, "Hello, love."

She felt the lips on her head twitch into a smile, and the arms tighten around her.

Turning around, she slipped her arms around his neck, entangling her fingers in the messy jet-black hair, and kissed him softly.

Harry smiled back at her, and said "I love you."

She'd always been enthralled by him. His eyes enchanted her; his lips captivated her, and his body seduced her.

She'd never regretted going on that date with him after he came back from injury. And then, after that one date, her whole life was turned upside down in six months and she was putting a ring on her finger by the end of the year.

Those six months held memories that she treasured above all else.

"Harry." She moaned against his lips.

After breaking the kiss, Harry smiled at her.

"Daphne."

Daphne tilted her head at him curiously.

"Goodbye."

Daphne frowned. What…?

The picture dissolved, and Daphne woke, clutching her pillow to her chest, wishing it was Harry.

This was the tenth time that she'd dreamed about him in the past three months. Each one placed her in fantasies with Harry. And each time, she woke, clutching something (usually her pillow) to her chest, and wishing that it was Harry.

Releasing her tight hold on the pillow, she realized that it was Easter weekend. Harry was coming this weekend. A smile came, unbidden, onto her face at the thought. She turned and caught sight of the clock on her bedside table. It read 7:16. It was time to get up anyways.

Getting out of bed, she padded to the bathroom and stripped out of her nightclothes before getting into the shower. As the warm water cascaded down her body, she thought about her dreams. They always featured her and Harry, sometimes married, other times as lovers. She would never admit it, but she almost…welcomed the dreams. It made her feel a lot closer to Harry than she had ever been.

Still, she hoped that the date the next day would prove to be what she'd been dreaming of since childhood.

As she got out of the shower, she turned her attention to the day's agenda. Evidently, Oliver's new team still wanted to go over some promotional things, and Daphne was obliged to be there as his representation. Then, she'd agreed to meet Blaise for lunch, and this time, even Tracey was coming. She still wasn't very happy that Tracey was dating Malfoy, in fact she was still pretty angry about it, but she wasn't going to sacrifice nearly twenty years of friendship over him. He'd already fucked up her life enough. There was no reason to lose a close friendship over him.

Besides, as long as Tracey didn't make her interact with Malfoy, she was fine.

The meeting had gone off without a hitch. She'd quickly Flooed Oliver, knowing that it was his off day for training, and that he was most likely still at home at 11 AM, especially if he'd been drinking the night before.

Oliver had, evidently, been drinking, and he was passed out on his sofa when Daphne's head stopped spinning through fireplaces, and she was looking out into his living room.

Daphne checked to make sure he was clothed. The last time that she'd tried to do the right thing and wake him up for his Quidditch practice (it had been around noon at the time), she'd stumbled upon a very naked Oliver Wood on top of some girl that she'd never met.

Needless to say, she'd avoided going to his house for a significant amount of time afterwards.

Still, it looked like he had shorts on, judging by the scrap of cloth that she could see through the legs of the dining room table, so she pulled her head out, before throwing a fresh handful of Floo powder into the fireplace, and stepping inside.

Oliver, it turned out, was shirtless, not that Daphne was particularly impressed. Sure, Oliver had quite an impressive body, but Daphne still had an image of a shirtless Harry stepping out of her shower one day after practice, so Oliver did nothing for her.

She tapped him on his shoulder a few times, shook him, even slapped him, but it did nothing. Oliver just laid there like a rock.

Rolling her eyes in frustration, she aimed her wand at his head, and muttered, "Aguamenti"

Sputtering and choking at the sudden torrent of water that splashed onto his face, Oliver spasmed and rolled onto the floor coughing, while shouting, "What the fuck was that for?!"

Daphne didn't even deign to respond, just tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for Oliver to recover.

When Oliver had finally wiped all the water off his face and took a closer look at his "attacker", he groaned.

"What time is it, Daph? And why are you here? I thought you avoided my house at all costs ever since that incident."

Daphne still flushed a little red at the memory of the incident.

"I'm here because, as a responsible agent, I have to inform you that you've got a promotional signing two weeks from now. Got that?"

Oliver groaned. "You know I hate those stupid signings. I mean, I want to things for the kids, but just sitting there and signing stuff for hours just doesn't appeal to me."

Daphne rolled her eyes. They'd had this conversation thousands of times in the past. She was sick and tired of Oliver's whining, and she was going to be late for lunch if she lingered.

"I'm just telling you that it's going to happen. If you still want Cleansweep's sponsorship, you'd do well to attend that promotional. Now, I've got to go. Put on a shirt, and go eat something."

"Yes mother." Oliver deadpanned.

Daphne turned and walked towards the fireplace, satisfied that she'd gotten her message across.

Oliver, of course, couldn't resist one last, slightly perverted, jab.

"You know, from this position, your arse really is sexy."

Without even looking back, Daphne hexed him. The ensuing squeal of pain made Daphne smile, right before she entered the Floo again, calling out, "Diagon Alley."

oOo

"No, no, no, you morons. I want you to kill THIS Weasley, not THAT Weasley. Got it?" Cho Chang fumed, as she pointed through various pictures of redheads.

Gods damn those stupid Weasleys breeding like rabbits. They all looked very similar as well, although Cho thanked Merlin that one of the twins had been eliminated from the equation. She could just imagine the headache she'd have if she tried to tell the morons to kill THAT twin and not THAT twin.

Once again, Mr. Zhou had to suppress the anger within him at being called a moron. Honestly, there was so much friction between himself and the client that it was surprising that the whole situation hadn't exploded yet. Still, there was a lot of money involved, and Mr. Zhou could do anything for money. After all, that's how he got to his current position anyways.

"Ms. Chang. Please understand that it is extremely hard to tell this family apart. Which ones do you want my organization to kill?"

Cho sighed in exasperation. It was a wonder that Mr. Zhou's organization could possibly be one of the most successful assassination corporations. Honestly, they were complete and utter idiots from what she'd seen so far.

Still, their reputation boasted a high success rate, and a guarantee of discretion, meaning Cho would not be implicated in any way if somehow, the assassins were found out and captured.

Cho didn't fancy the idea of Harry Potter coming after her in revenge. At least, not until he suffered through all the pain she had.

She didn't have anyone left in the world. Her friends had all deserted her after school because of her time in captivity. She'd realized, too late, that her friends were just shallow sheep who followed the most popular person in their lives, an exalted position that she'd held throughout most of her school years. Her family was gone, either dead, or mere shells of human beings, at the hands of Death Eaters.

She'd been in a very dark place, and only the notion of revenge kept her going.

She clenched her fist, digging her nails into her palm, containing the bubbling anger within her. She'd have the last laugh.

Cho Chang began to patiently explain to Mr. Zhou her selected targets.

Mr. Zhou shook his head. It was undeniably cruel, what Ms. Chang wanted to do.

But she had the money. And money talks.

oOo

In all honesty, Ron Weasley hadn't been prepared for fatherhood. And he knew it.

The good thing was, Hermione had definitely been prepared for motherhood. And she'd shown it from day one.

Rose, their firstborn daughter, had pretty much been under Hermione's care since the day she got back from St. Mungo's. And Ron was fine with that. He'd been hoping for a boy, so that he could instill the same passion in Quidditch, and especially the Cannons, as he'd had himself when he was a boy. Hermione called him sexist for it. ("Ronald Weasley you sexist arse. Why on Earth can't young girls like Quidditch just as much as boys? Look at your sister, she was and still is an avid fan!).

That led to thoughts of Ginny. Ginny. The younger sister that he'd tried his entire life to protect…and failed. Both he and Hermione had been absolutely stunned when they'd heard the news. Shocked. Disbelieving.

Ron still wasn't entirely sure that he'd gotten over his sister's death. Hermione had grieved with him for a month. After all, Ginny had been her best female friend. Hermione had done a remarkable job moving on, somewhat, from Ginny's death, although sometimes, reminders would catch her, and she'd start crying.

Those occasions were few and far between though, thankfully.

Ron had now lost a brother and a sister. He had two brothers with physical scars that would never heal, and a whole family with mental scars that would never leave them.

He thanked whatever benevolent spirit was out there that he had Hermione.

Immediately after Ginny's death, Harry had gotten injured. With all the blood on the ground after the injury he sustained, Ron had been terrified that he'd lose both his best mate and his only sister in the course of two days. Thankfully, he'd been alright and stabilized at St. Mungo's. Ron and Hermione had been one of the first to see him there, although they did catch a glimpse of his agent, Daphne Greengrass, leaving his room in the morning looking quite tired, almost as if she'd spent the whole night there.

Judging by the relationship between Harry and his former agent now, and the way that Hermione kept ranting about how Harry was "too blind", and that he needed to "wake up and see that happiness is right in front of him".

While Ron didn't particularly like the idea of someone "replacing" Ginny, so to speak, as the love of his best mate's life, he wanted Harry to be happy. Hearing that he'd scheduled some kind of date with Daphne this weekend was good, and Ron hoped that the date would do Harry a world of good. He hadn't seen his best mate in a while, and the last time that they'd talked had been rather short, and Ron was too worried about Hermione to really catch up with Harry.

It was really nice that Harry was taking this little sabbatical from Hogwarts to come and visit. He looked forward to seeing his best mate again.

Ron looked at the clock. It read two forty-six. Only a quarter of an hour before Harry was due to arrive at around three. Where was Hermione? She'd wanted to be here (obviously) when Harry arrived, and had promised that she'd be back by two.

Ron frowned, but before he could do anything, a silver otter "swam" into the room. Ron sighed. He had never gotten exactly how to do messenger Patronuses, and it was incredibly annoying whenever Hermione bugged him about it. She wanted him to learn it so that they could have efficient communication when they weren't around each other, but honestly? He could never get the damned thing to work.

The otter opened its mouth, and Hermione's rather frazzled voice came out, "Sorry, dear, we're running a little late. I picked up the wrong size of that Chudley uniform for Rose, and she got a little… upset over it. It took me a little while to get her to calm down. She's normally so calm; I guess it shows how much she loves her Uncle Harry. Anyways, I should be back before Harry arrives, but just in case I'm not, do tell him where I am. And work on that messenger Patronus. I'm telling you, it's a much better form of communication than using Pigwidgeon. Love you, bye."

Ron was surprised that Rose had actually thrown what sounded like a tantrum, as Hermione definitely had sounded quite annoyed and tired. Rose had been exceptionally quiet, and exceptionally bright from childhood.

She loved Harry to death (sometimes Ron even joked that she loved him more than her own father) though, which was probably why she threw a tantrum. She hated being late when Harry came over, although his visits were getting rarer.

Ron was going to have to berate him for that.

Just then, the wards on the property alerted him that Harry was here. Walking to the front door, he opened it just as Harry came up the driveway.

"Hey Harry mate! It's been a while!" Ron said enthusiastically, greeting his best mate, who promptly ended the Levitation spell he'd had on his rucksack, and embraced the redhead.

"Ron, how are you doing? How's Rose?"

"They're great. Hermione's running a bit late, but Rose has been pining after you for years. You really do need to come around more often."

Harry smiled a little wistfully at that.

"I know. I just don't have much free time, and even less since I stopped playing Quidditch. At least I would have off days where I could visit when I played Quidditch. Now, though, McGonagall really is on your ass about work. It's almost as worse as back when we were at school, but at least I can still play Quidditch somewhat."

"Yeah…" Ron trailed off, a little subdued thinking about that day.

He'd been ecstatic, just like nearly the entire nation, watching England finally, finally, win the Cup.

But the joy and cheering was incredibly subdued, considering what had happened to his best mate.

Hermione's arrival brought both of them out of their thoughts.

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked, running at him. Harry braced himself, knowing what Hermione would do next. Sure enough, her arms wrapped around him in a tight hug, her bushy brown hair got all in his face.

"Mmph, om, nom." Harry gasped out, hair getting into his mouth, while he tried to speak.

Ron, watching the scene, decided to take pity on his friend.

"Hermione, let go of him, he can't breathe."

Hermione released her grip, and Harry took one breath…before getting wrapped up in a hug from a much smaller figure…who could only grab onto his legs thankfully.

"Uncle Hawwy! Uncle Hawwy!" Rose cried.

"Hey Rosie." Harry said, grinning, as he bent down to Rose's height.

"Don't call me Rosie!" Rose shouted, putting her hands on her hips.

"Okay Okay," Harry said, the smile widening.

"Where's my pre-sent?" Rose demanded.

Harry smirked, and, from his back pocket, produced a Muggle Barbie doll. Rose's eyes lit up at the sight of the doll, and she snatched the doll from Harry's hands faster than one could say "Quidditch".

Hermione immediately prompted her daughter, "What do you say, Rose?"

Rose, who had started running towards the house with her new treasure in her arms, turned around and said, "Thank you Uncle Hawwy."

Harry smiled and watched her go. He'd always loved children, and wanted his own someday. Maybe it was a leftover shadow from his childhood, but he just had this urge to have a child that he could care about, cherish, and love.

"Mate, she loves you more than either one of us." Ron said jokingly.

Meanwhile, Hermione, as was her wont, was lecturing Harry.

"Harry, how could you? I told you not to bring her a gift. Why do you spoil her so much?"

"Oh, please, the gift is nothing, Hermione. It cost like a few Sickles in Muggle money. Don't worry about it."

Hermione huffed, but decided not to say anymore. They headed inside, reminiscing, while Hermione told Harry about some new "never to be used before" methods of strengthening bones.

The rest of the night was mainly spent talking about the revolutionary potions and healing methods that people were coming up with.

Harry seriously suspected that it was because of him that they were doing it. And for once, he wasn't complaining about his fame.

Still, he had much more pressing matters to deal with. One of which was telling Daphne how he truly felt. Both his friends gave him similar advice.

"Harry, you just have to man up and tell her." Hermione said.

Ron put in, "Mate, just wing it."

And honestly, when Harry was lying on the bed in the guest room at his friends' house and thinking about the next day's date, he wasn't sure what he should do. He didn't want the news to be too abrupt for Daphne, especially considering how she must be very busy at this time of the year, in the spring, when every team was gearing up for the summer League tournament, and signing players onto their rosters.

Hermione had been quite adamant, just like she had been when she'd gone to Hogwarts, that he should go after Daphne before it was too late.

Punching his pillow in an attempt to get comfortable, Harry tossed and turned. It was getting quite late, and he still wasn't feeling drowsy. His lips were slightly chapped, so he grabbed his glasses and wand from the bedside table.

Sitting up, he conjured a glass, before pointing his wand into the glass and muttering, "Aguamenti."

He stood, taking a drink, and walked over to the window, looking out at the Muggle community that his friends lived in. It was a nice community, with little to no crime. As he was about to go back to bed, three loud pops were heard, and he immediately was on alert. That sure as hell sounded like Apparition.

Who would be Apparating here in the middle of the night? It made no sense. Harry was immediately on high alert. His instincts told him something wrong, and his instincts had served him well in the war against Voldemort. Besides, trouble seemed to follow him everywhere, so he quickly walked out of his room, and headed over to Ron and Hermione's bedroom. Knocking quietly, he waited.

Soon, a sleepy Ron opened the door, and said, "Mate—"

Harry clapped a hand to his friend's mouth just as they heard footsteps downstairs. Ron evidently had heard them as well, and he nodded, before disappearing inside, presumably to wake Hermione and grab his wand.

Harry strained his ears, and could just barely make out a few whispers. Still, he had no idea what they were saying. It wasn't even in a language he could understand.

"Hey, it's this way."

"So, which one is it we're taking down?"

"I think it's this one. See, this is the address. Right?"

"Stupid English people. How many 'Main Street's' are there in this community."

Harry was pretty sure that the people wanted to harm them, and so he kept a tight grip on his Holly wand. Harry saw Ron and Hermione come out of their bedroom, and motioned for them to come over to him, crouching by the staircase. They kneeled down next to him, and Harry summoned his Invisibility Cloak just as he heard the people downstairs begin to creep upstairs. He threw the Cloak over the three of them, and they crouched together, counting the number of people coming up the stairs. There were five people in total, and they all held wands.

Squinting hard in the dim light, Harry could also make out the glint of what looked like potion vials strapped to their chests.

Were they…assassins? And if so, who had hired them?

Ron elbowed him, just as Hermione cast Muffliato wordlessly around them, before whispering, "We have the element of surprise. Stun three of them, and then we have a three on two numbers advantage. Ready?" she asked, her eyes wide.

Harry could see the fear in them, and so he nodded and smiled encouragingly.

Together, they raised their wands, and with a whispered count, they threw off the cloak, and cast Stunners. The assassins, caught off guard, were hit. Unfortunately, Ron and Hermione had targeted the exact same assassin, and thus wasted a shot. Instead of the three on two advantage they had been hoping for, they got a three on three even fight. And the assassins were good. Ron nearly took a Cutter to the head, and only the quick shielding of Hermione saved him.

Meanwhile, Harry was outclassing his opponent. Unfortunately, his adversary was quite adept at shielding and dodging, although he was barely attacking at all. Harry was still careful, and made sure not to get cocky. Suddenly, all three of the assassins stopped fighting, and all took aim at Ron. Three Killing Curses sped from their wands and headed towards the redhead.

Harry's overpowered Blasting Curse nailed his target, and the assassin was blasted through the wall. Hermione also took down her target. Both were either dead or incapacitated.

Ron meanwhile, had quite literally dove off the stairs jumping down a flight of stairs. A loud "Crack" and a scream of pain was heard. Evidently, he had not made it out of his jump unharmed.

The remaining assassin, seeing all three Killing Curses miss, jumped after Ron in an attempt to finish him off, but Harry hit him with a Disarming Spell before he could do anything, and then Stunned and Body-bound him.

Harry and Hermione were both breathing hard, just as another moan of pain was heard. They rushed downstairs to see Ron cradling his arm, while his leg was bent in an unnatural position. Meanwhile, more pops were heard outside. Harry, on alert, snuck to the door and looked out the peephole. They were Aurors, but they couldn't enter the property.

Harry remembered the wards on the property. How had the assassins gotten by the wards? It didn't make any sense.

Still, he opened the door, and headed outside. The Aurors immediately reacted to his presence, and pointed their wands at him whilst one of them shined a light on him. Seeing that it was him, they immediately lowered their wands and came forward.

"Mr. Potter? Why are you here? What happened? We got reports of a lot of spellfire around here."

"We were attacked. Some assassins who didn't speak English found us, and attempted to murder Ron."

"They attacked Mr. Weasley? Are you sure? They didn't try to fight you?"

"They fought us, but after the fight had gone on for a little bit, they all suddenly switched focus, and they all fired AK's at Ron. He escaped, but he's got a broken arm and leg to show for it."

"Alright, Mr. Potter. We'll help Mr. Weasley to the hospital, and then take a full statement from you."

Harry nodded, just as Hermione came out, levitating Ron, who was unconscious.

They quickly brought Ron to St. Mungo's where he was evaluated, and pronounced fine after they healed his leg and arm quickly. Ron woke up in the middle of the examination, and was quite disoriented, but a goblet full of Dreamless Sleep Potion helped put him back to sleep. Hermione decided to stay, and Harry was going to stay as well, but Hermione shooed him out, telling him that he still had a date the next day.

Harry argued that while the date was important, his best mate's health was even more important.

Hermione told him that Ron would be fine, and that Daphne wouldn't appreciate being stood up, despite the circumstances.

Harry finally acquiesced, and left the hospital around three AM after the Aurors had taken his statement.

He'd headed to a nearby hotel, and fell asleep almost instantly, the exhaustion finally catching up to him.

oOo

Thank you for reading. Please review.