Chapter Seven – Mirror, Mirror
"John? You look just like Hermione." With those words Ron collapsed into unconsciousness.
Hermione looked down and realized that she was still a girl, her heart leapt into her throat when she heard noises below her.
"Ron? Ron!" Hermione heard Harry's concerned voice echoeing up the stairs.
With a quick guiltily look at Ron Hermione rushed inside and hastily drank one of her potions. When she had returned Neville and Harry as long as every other Gryffindor in the tower were crowding around to see what all the commotion was about.
"Neville, deal with them," Harry ordered quietly.
Neville instantly turned and ordered the students down to the common room. The students looked at Ron's unconscious figure in shock before quickly descending the stairs.
Harry meanwhile had cast a patronus charm and Hermione only briefly caught sight of a stag before it disappeared out the nearby window.
Harry, Neville and Hermione were now alone on the staircase and Hermione instantly fell to the floor beside Ron. She quickly assessed his wounds before taking out her wand.
"Anapneo," Hermione aimed her wand at Ron's chest, waited a moment and then checked whether his breathing had improved. Satisfied that his airways were clear now, Hermione leaned over his chest wound, she took pulled off her pajama top, thanking Merlin that she was in the body of a boy at that moment and pressed the fabric to Ron's wound. Hermione had just barely held back her grimace at the blood when she felt Harry's eyes on her.
Hermione looked up to see Harry looking at her with an odd expression before his gaze fell on Ron, concern and pain etched on his face.
"Thank you," Harry said after a brief silence.
Before Hermione could reply Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey were standing next to them breathless.
"Move aside, move aside," the nurse said before looking over Ron's injuries, "Oh quite painful, poor boy, stab wound to the stomach but nothing I can't fix."
"We can't leave the Gryffindor tower until the school is secure – " McGonagall stated.
"Use my room," Hermione suggested instantly, "It's a single so there won't be any onlookers."
Again Hermione noticed Harry looking at her but she ignored him.
"Yes, very well," McGonagall agreed though she looked displeased.
Madame Pomfrey used a hover charm to lift Ron's body from the staircase to Hermione's bed.
"Did he attack you while you were sleeping?" McGonagall questioned looking at the tattered curtains and torn bed sheets of Hermione's bed.
Hermione only nodded as she watched as Ron was placed onto her bed, before the nurse shooed them all out of the room.
"I need to talk to the other students but then I will need to go and search the school for the attacker. Neville, Harry," McGonnagal looked at each boy in turn before continuing, "could you take care of the Gryffindors while I'm gone?"
The two boys nodded solemnly and looked at the door to Hermione's room before following McGonnagal down the stairs.
Ron looked up and saw Hermione's angelic face smiling down at him.
"You are so – so…" Ron laughed though it hurt somewhat, "You are so troublesome, but…I like you all the same."
Hermione continued to smile down at him.
"I like you too – very much."
"Did he say something?" Madame Pomfrey asked from beside Hermione.
'No, just mumbling in his sleep," Hermione replied.
Hermione was sitting on her large bed beside Ron's still sleeping figure her two small hands tightly holding onto one of his.
"He's going to be okay isn't he?"
"Oh yes, he'll be up and walking around in a few hours, clever thinking with the Anapneo spell my dear, without it he would have a hard a terrible time of it, most likely choked on his own blood. Clearing the passageways rather than healing the wound – I must admit that that is hardly the conventional healing methods, but all the same it is useful to have healers who think on their feet," The nurse looked at Hermione seriously before continuing, "Have you thought about a career as a healer?"
Hermione smiled at the nurse.
"In all honestly I've only been concentrated on keeping my secret for a year. And besides I didn't think women could study to be healers?"
The nurse smiled in return, she walked over and placed a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder.
"What you are doing is a great thing my dear, and perhaps by the end of the year, girls like yourself will have the opportunity to choose their own future."
"You and McGonnagal though," Hemione trailed off not sure how to phrase her question without sounding rude.
"Yes, teaching and nursing are as far as women in society can achieve I'm afraid. Don't you think women deserve greater choices?" The nurse looked at Hermione before chuckling, "Look at who I'm talking to, I cannot even imagine how difficult it must be to be in a boy's school."
"Oh," Hermione looked down at Ron's face and chuckled herself, "It's not all bad."
"How is he?" Harry questioned slamming the door open and running towards them.
"Mr Potter! This may not be the hospital wing but there is a patient here, so if you do not mind, perhaps you could keep the disruptive noises and excitement to a minimum."
Harry flushed and nodded his head before moving to stand opposite Hermione, while Hermione remained sitting. His eyes fell on her hands and Hermione instantly released Ron's hand before standing up.
"I'll leave you alone with him," Hermione said softly and without looking back at Harry she walked out the door.
She bumped into Neville, who was walking into the room at the same time, he nodded his head at her before walking over to whisper something hurriedly to Harry. Harry opened his mouth to respond but stopped when he noticed her still standing inside the room. Hermione felt increasing disgruntled with their secretive behavior and turned on her heel and left the room.
"Oh, Madame Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall needs to talk to you," Neville spoke to the nurse after John had left the room.
"Is that so? I do hope no one else has become injured," the nurse replied before hurrying out the room.
"Are you quite sure?" Harry questioned the instant the door closed.
"Yes, I overheard Snape and Dumbledore talking, it's Black and there's someone on the inside that's helping him," Neville stopped when they both heard Ron groan.
"Her – Hermione?"
Harry scoffed and sat down on the bed.
"Sorry no, just Neville and I here to nurse you back to health. Oh and yeah did I tell you, you're a git. I thought I was the one who was going to break the hospital record?"
Ron tried to laugh but Harry could see his thoughts were elsewhere.
"What were you two just talking about?" Ron asked as Harry helped him up.
"Neville was able find out some information for us," Harry explained.
"Ah, good man," Ron smiled.
"Well from the information I got from John I think it's most likely tha – "
"What does John have to do with this?" Ron interrupted Neville, his eyes suddenly narrowed, "You've been collecting information on him?"
"Well," Neville faltered looking confused at Ron's sudden hostility, "That was the plan wasn't it? And since I had the most experience in interrogation, Harry thought I should be the one to question him."
Ron's turned to face Harry.
"You two listen to me, John is not our enemy. He is my friend and I trust him."
"Alright," Harry replied.
"You're not going to argue with me?" Ron asked looking at his friend in surprise.
"No," Harry shook his head as he spoke, "I saw the way he attended to you when you were injured, he cares for you and besides if you trust him I trust him."
Harry saw the look of astonishment on Ron's face, "Don't look so shocked, I felt horrible when I saw you lying there on the floor in your own blood, you're my best mate and that means you have my trust even when I don't understand you."
"Thank you," Ron said in a quiet voice before lying back down, Harry noticed his friend's eyes wondering around the room, "Where the heck am I anyway?"
"John's room," Neville answered.
Ron started and sat up instantly on the bed though he grimaced in the process.
"What?! I - I shouldn't be on – I mean I can't be in his bed!" Ron whispered the last few words and a red flush spread across his face.
"What's this?" Harry said in surprise, "Is that the old Weasley blush? Well, well, haven't seen your face look this red since you fell off your broom in first year."
Harry laughed and even Neville had to bite on his fist to stop from laughing.
"Oh shut up!" Ron said grabbing a pillow and throwing it across the bed towards Neville, "Oh bugger, pick that up would you Harry?" Ron said quickly realizing whose pillow he had just used as a weapon.
Ron tried to get up but Harry and Neville both pushed him back down.
"It's just a pillow and besides he volunteered his room to be used as a hospital I doubt he will care if a few pillows are out of place," Harry explained.
"He did? John did?" Ron said in disbelief.
"You can ask him yourself when he comes back," Harry said with a smirk.
"Don't look at me like that Harry," Ron replied turning to his side to hide his face from Harry and Neville.
A soft knock was heard on the door and John peeked through the door.
"Sorry to intrude – umm but Percy says he needs help patrolling the school, said something about your duty," John explained though he looked confused at the cryptic message he was relaying.
Harry shook his head before looking at Ron.
"See you later alright, you just lie there in your nice warm bed while we go out and patrol the whole castle."
"Alright then, tell me how it goes," Ron replied with a smirk of his own, turning to lay on his back before placing both his hands behind his head.
After Neville and Harry had left John remained standing at the doorway looking nervously at Ron.
"H-how are you feeling?" Hermione questioned folding her arms around herself awkwardly suddenly aware that she wasn't wearing a shirt.
She slowly made her way to her cupboard and pulled on an old tank top, had it half way over her head before she realized that it was a girls shirt and hastily stuffed it back into the cupboard. She glanced over at Ron but he had suddenly turned over on the bed and was staring at the opposite wall. She breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed another pajama top before walking over to Ron. She buttoned up the shirt and sat down gingerly.
"Oh you need to drink this," Hermione said picking up the potion from the bedside table, "Orders from Madame Pomfrey."
Ron slowly turned over and tried to sit up, he bit his lip in pain and Hermione instantly replaced the bottle to the table before moving over to help him up.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
"You're all flushed," Hermione noted placing her hands on his cheeks in concern, "Are you alright? Maybe you should lie down again?"
Hermione leaned over to check his temperature, Ron had been looking down at his hands but at that moment looked up and their noses touched. His eyes widened and so did Hermione's, she backed away and hastily grabbed the potion bottle. She shoved the bottle into his hands before making a hasty retreat towards her windowsill.
"Thanks," Hermione heard Ron say.
A few awkward minutes passed before Hermione suddenly jumped from her seat and hurried over to Ron, her hands clasped together nervously.
"I'm so incredibly sorry for all those things I said to you the other day! I don't know what's the matter with me, I just say things without thinking sometimes which is odd because I usually plan ten steps ahead of me all the time, but when I'm with you and around you I just – I don't know its like I'm a completely different person. Like – I'm me and not this uptight person that I had to create to stop people from being able to hurt me. I don't know if this makes any sense I just –" Hermione stopped abruptly when Ron started laughing loudly.
She stopped pacing, which she didn't even realize that she had been doing and looked at him in confusion.
"You are so adorable," Ron laughed wiping tears from his face.
"Adorable?" Hermione repeated in disbelief blinking blanking at Ron.
"What's the joke?"
Hermione started when she heard Harry's voice.
"Excuse me," Hermione said breathlessly just as she entered the bathroom and closed the door behind herself. She took a few calming breaths before sinking to the floor.
'He thinks I'm adorable?' Hermione smiled and had to place her hands over her mouth in case the boys heard her through the door.
Her smile disappeared after she had recollected herself. She stood up and walked over to the mirror. John stared back at her.
"Oh bugger," she said and she heard her male voice echo in the bathroom.
A/N: Short I know - but enjoyable I hope. I've been busy with 'real life' stuff as well as developing this and other stories