Like promised McGonagall returned to check up on Hermione. The older woman was weary around her favorite student; it pained the elder witch to see the normally strong, defiant girl looking so broken. The color was returning, she was no longer the same pale shade as her bed sheets, and the bags under her eyes were slowly disappearing.
"Ms. Granger," McGonagall started, "you are looking much better."
"Thank you Professor." Hermione tried her best to give her role model a reassuring smile. "I'm feeling much better."
"That's good." McGonagall paused, not really wanting to bring up her real reason for visiting but knowing it had to be taken care of soon if anything was going to get done.
"Have you been able to remember anything from your attack?" she asked, quietly as she resisted the urge to wring her hands, settling for fighting behind her back. Hermione nodded before she began to share with her mentor the details she'd been able to remember.
"I remember I'd offered to cover Jones' last half-hour of patrols, she was just dreadfully sick. I remember that I'd just finished up patrols when my attacker put me in a full-body bind. From there it's a little bit fuzzy. I remember lying there, most likely after the Cruciatus curse had been shot at me, and seeing just a bit of my attacker. He was a Slytherin boy, I believe he might have been a year or two below me but again, it's all a bit hazy. He was blonde too, um, pale skin. Sorry this really isn't a lot of information. It's not even enough for a decent description, I wish I could remember more, I wish I could-" McGonagall stopped her with a raised hand, signaling that the brilliant girl had fallen into her old bad habit of rambling when she was upset or riled. The head of Gryffindor house waited patiently until she saw that Hermione was calm before she spoke.
"Hermione dear, you've done fine. That is a perfectly reasonable amount of detail, more than I would have expected after being under the Cruciatus curse. There is enough for the other faculty and I to begin looking for anyone for one nagging worry.
"Do you think you will find him? Do I who fits that description." She gave the young girl a reassuring smile, placing her wrinkled hand over Hermione's and giving it a firm squeeze. Hermione looked up, feeling a bit better save even have a case to make? What happens now?" Okay maybe it was more than one nagging worry, but once the floodgates opened there was no stopping it.
"Yes I think we will find him, your description will certainly help, and we've found that students are rarely able to keep these things to themselves. Your attacker will brag to someone and before long the gossip will reach the professors. We will find out who attacked you. As for your case, in a matter like this one I would recommend we reprimand him for the use of an Unforgivable Curse; I would make sure that your name would remain out of the report." Hermione nodded along, the logical part of her thrilled at how precise McGonagall would be when orchestrating this whole ordeal.
The two continued talking for some time, going over the facts and all the different people that would have to become involved in the case. They would of course get Jones' testimony along with Professor Slughorn's and from there the Professors would keep a watchful eye out for any students that matched the description, and a keen ear for any of the gossiping among the students. McGonagall left, fully ensuring Hermione that things would be handled immediately and that she and the other professors would do their best to keep her name out of the paperwork.
Hermione was feeling exceedingly better; the only thorn in her side was the one day more she would have to spend in the infirmary. Sure she wasn't one hundred percent, not by any stretch of the mind, but she was going stir crazy and just chomping at the bit knowing that she would have to miss yet another day of classes. Now that McGonagall was gone she had nothing to distract her overactive mind and was slowly going crazy of boredom.
Just as Hermione was mentally listing the pros and cons of ignoring the nurse's rule and heading down to the Great Hall the doors opened slowly and a tall, lanky figure slipped into the room, arms full of books, parchment, quills, and on top a tray literally overflowing with food.
It was Ron Weasely, bringing Hermione her homework for the day and 'some' dinner. He dumped the books onto the floor at the foot of Hermione's bed, leaving the pile of books, quills, and parchment behind as he brought the tray, which was nearly overflowing with all the different types of food Ron had brought them to eat. He'd offered to do this, knowing that Harry had a large paper due in the morning and Ginny was running a Gryffindor Quidditch practice for the chasers tonight. He may have had an ulterior motive to get Hermione alone but Harry and Ginny didn't need to know that.
"Ron, my goodness, just how many people do you think your feeding here?" she asked, knowing that Ron would most likely eat most of the food on the tray by himself. She gave him a smile, happy to have someone there with her; this room would surely drive her mad before morning.
"Well," Ron stood next to her bed, tray in hand, looking a bit skittish, and the red tint to his ears a telltale sign that he was nervous. "I just, I didn't know what you'd want, and so I brought everything." He set the tray down in her lap, standing by her bed awkwardly. Hermione shook her head, whatever was on Ron's mind had him in a state. Shifting she sat up and crossed her legs in front of her before placing the tray back on her lap. She reached forward a bit, patting the bed and motioning for him to sit. He listened to her, though it didn't seem to be a conscious action, more like a reflex from years of trial and error, eventually learning that listening to Hermione was most often the best decision.
"So what did I miss today?" she inquired, not missing the large pile of books and supplies that Ron had brought with him.
"Don't worry about that, you're supposed to be resting anyway. Just eat." His usual bluntness had returned but he softened his statement with a smile. The same smile that had given her butterflies the first five years of their friendship. She'd had a silly little schoolgirl crush on her red headed friend for the longest time. Fourth year had been the climax of that little adventure, when he didn't ask her and then accused her of fraternizing with the enemy, her date Victor Krum. She'd wanted so badly to go with him but she knew he didn't really see her as a girl but as the third to their trio. She'd wanted that night to change it, and maybe it did, but now any of those romantic feeling and childhood fantasies of them dating had disappeared. She'd spend nearly all of fifth year fighting those feelings, knowing she wouldn't be able to handle those unrequited feelings and the war that would soon be raging around them. The end of fifth year only proved her right, that kind of puppy love would only distract her and ultimately put them in more danger. She couldn't risk that.
So she'd forced herself to get over it. In the long run she was sure this was the right choice, she and Ron were not as compatible as her fourteen year old mind had thought, or maybe it was her heart that was in charge back then. They were great as friends but she knew that their arguments would end any relationship in a harsh, friendship-damaging way. She didn't want to lose that friendship, or put Harry and Ginny in the middle like that.
Plus now that she was over Ron she had found herself in an unlikely romantic relationship with Draco Malfoy. She'd never think to even consider him but it had surprised her and now they were… she didn't know what they were, only that she cared for him and he felt the same and that their feelings would be tested by the oncoming war. Draco had alluded to future battle, but was hesitant to tell her anything, claiming that it would put her in the crosshairs. She'd tried to explain to him that she already was there, she was a number one target for death eaters, right up there with Harry and Ron. But he was determined not to tell her, though he'd told her so much already.
Hermione was jolted back to reality when Ron tapped her on the shoulder; he'd been talking to her while she'd just been staring off into the distance.
"Wha- Oh Ron I'm sorry, I-"
"It's okay." He stopped her with a raised hand and an easy smile. "I'm sure you've got too much on your mind to listen to me ramble on about my problems." Hermione eyed him, instantly curious as to what she'd missed when she wasn't listening.
"Problem? Ron tell me, please let me help." It was rare that Ron willingly admit to needing help and even rarer for him to come to Hermione for help with something that wasn't schoolwork. Ron blushed a bit at her eagerness, uncomfortable with all of her focus being on him and only him.
"I…uh… well." He stuttered trying, unsuccessfully, to start. "Okay, there is this girl." He finally started, feeling dumb but having no other way to start.
"Anyway she's bloody brilliant, and I'm well, I'm not, and I really do fancy her, but I don't know how to go about telling her. She wouldn't want me anyway but I'd like to give it a go, otherwise I'll never really know, you know." He looked really nervous and unsure now, his ears were really red and he kept running a hand through his hair.
"Oh Ron, I'm sure she'd like you, you really don't give yourself enough credit. You're kind, fiercely loyal, and brave –though sometimes too brave for your own good -, you're fun. Ron I'm sure whoever this girl is she'd jump at the chance to go out with you, even if it's just for a Hogsmeade weekend. You should definitely tell her." She really hated when Ron doubted himself; no he wasn't Harry, but she thought that was a good thing. While she didn't see Ron in a romantic way anymore she couldn't ignore the obvious traits that would make him a good boyfriend, the same traits that made him a good friend. Ron was looking at little bit more sure of himself.
"Can I ask who it is?" Hermione's curiosity was nagging at her. She should have listened to her mother's warning 'curiosity killed the cat' but being brilliant as she was she instead followed the second part of the saying 'but satisfaction brought it back'. Ron was visibly uncomfortable once more, shifting and fidgeting with his hands.
"I…well…um."
"You don't have to, I don't mean to pry."
"No, I mean, it's…" he took a deep breath, determination clear on his face, "It's you, Hermione."
Hermione struggled to keep her jaw from opening in a shocked; never did she expect him to say that. She wanted to speak, her mouth must have looked like a fish, opening and closing as words started to form but inevitably got stuck in her throat. Ron stared back at her, seemingly unaware of the turmoil that was going on in her mind.
This couldn't be happening, she must still be asleep. All those years she'd spend just hoping he'd say just those words, and now, when she was finally over him, he choose to make a move. She couldn't believe it. Ron was starting to look worried, noticing her silence.
"Ron I…I don't….I sorry I just don't…I don't see you like that Ron. I'm so sorry." She apologized weakly, knowing that there was nothing more she could do. Her pride hated to apologize, knowing that it wasn't her fault that she'd grown out of her feelings for Ron, but feeling horrible all the same. She'd encouraged him to put his pride and ego on the line and now she had to throw it back into his face. She hated herself at that moment, but there was nothing she could do. She waited for Ron to process her words, as he seemed to be just at gob smacked as she had been.
"What! What you mean you don't SEE me like that?!" Ron was angry, visibly, but she knew that was only to cover up his wounded pride, and she tried to let him be angry with her. She tried to explain.
"Ron, I'm so sorry. If I'd known you were talking about me I never would have gotten your hopes up like that. I just…you're my best friend Ron, you and Harry are like the brothers to me." She tried to apologize, cringing inwardly at just how lame this explanation sounded to her ears.
"But you JUST said all those things about how 'any girl would jump at the chance', or was that just for my benefit?" he was getting angrier as each second passed.
"No Ron. It was the truth. You are all those things and so much more, any girl WOULD be lucky to have you but right now, I don't feel that way, not anymore." She noticed her mistake. That last little bit of information, the 'not anymore' part, and Ron noticed it too.
"What do you mean 'not anymore'!?" his ears were red, as was his face, and his hands were clenched, his knuckles white as the fists sat in his lap.
"Ron, I'm so sorry, but if you had said these words two years ago, hell even last year, I would have agreed before you'd finished speaking. I had a huge crush on you for the longest time. But I…I don't know exactly, but I guess I just grew out of those feelings. After the Yule ball and all the drama that went on with that I just realized that we fight, and we fight badly. We'd never last in a relationship. We are too different anyway. And it's more than that; I meant it when I said all those things about you, and when I said you are my best friend. Those things are all true, and I don't want to risk losing the relationship we have; especially not in the midst of the war that is brewing around us." She was trying really hard not to get angry with Ron but he was making it difficult. His tone made her skin crawl as it reeked with blame, blaming her for this. His next words would be the breaking point in her patience with him.
"You just can't let that Yule Ball thing go can you?! So I was dumb, so I didn't ask you. I thought we forgave each other."
"I did forgive you Ronald. But the facts are that back then you didn't see me as a girl, anyone can attest to that, and you can say you didn't think or you were a dumb person then, but that's just it, you didn't think and I was tired of you never noticing me."
"But if you had feelings why didn't YOU say something!?"
"Because you and I barely got through a day without fighting, because you and Harry were my only real friends for so long, and if I scared you off I'd be alone again, because it hurts when we fight like this and I can't imagine what our fights would turn to if our relationship turned to something more." She was panting, the faint pain in her chest and ribs returning as she struggled to regain the breath she'd lost.
"But you don't get to just decide what the best thing is for me. You don't have that right." He pointed a finger at her.
"But I do have the right to grow up, to change my mind, and to do what makes ME happy. I never thought you like me and that was hard to swallow, but it was either sit there and suffer as your ego grew and you flittered about from girl to girl or get over you."
Ron opened his mouth to speak again, looking as if steam would soon billow out of his ears. But Madame Pomfrey threw open the doors and silenced him.
"Mr. Weasley," she chided, "you will not come here and harass my patients. Whatever issue you two seem to be having can be taken care once, and only once, Ms. Granger is back to one hundred percent. And seeing as this argument had already begun taking a toll on her energy, I suggest you leave and return to your common room for the night." Ron couldn't speak, he wanted to tell the older witch to shove off, but when he looked back at Hermione he saw what the nurse saw. Her face was flushed much like his, but her expression was pained, each breath a bit gaspy as she clutched one arm to her ribcage. He nodded and left, obediently.
Hermione was still fuming as the nurse redressed her wounds and checked to makes sure she had not over exerted herself in any way. With that the nurse walked to her office, leaving Hermione alone to process the events of the afternoon. Ron would be fuming for a few days; any Harry would keep his distance out of loyalty to Ron. Everything she'd feared was going to happen was a very real possibility right now.
She pushed those thoughts aside, levitating the stack of books and getting a start on her assignments. She had papers for each class, most of them two to three pages in required length. She worked until her fingers were stiff and sore, and her back situated oddly. Madame Pomfrey had turned in for the night but Hermione was determined to stay up. After the exhausting day she'd had all she wanted was to see Draco.
He'd never been a real comforting type but talking things out with him made her feel better, and he seemed to feel better after talking to her about the things that were bothering him, well what he could tell her anyway. In the beginning that was all they did, talk about their problems and worries. Now they were slowly learning how to talk to each other, to comfort the other; it was slow, Draco couldn't undo an entire upbringing of prejudices in one night and she understood that. But she felt that it was getting better, and if last night's confession was anything, it was proof that he cared for her just as much as she did for him; a scary realization that stood in the forefront of her mind as she lost the war with her eyelids and eventually subsumed to sleep.
(A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Please there are nearly five hundred of you reading and no one leaves me anything :( Thank you for reading)