Ron Weasley was looking for her.
"Harry! Have you found her yet?" he called.
"No, but I heard someone say that they'd seen her with..." Harry trailed off.
He looked slightly confused.
"With who?" demanded Ron. "Come on, mate! Give me a name!"
Harry was wondering why Ron wanted to find Hermione so badly. It was just a potions essay.
He hadn't even started his yet.
"Lavender said she saw her with Malfoy!" exclaimed Harry.
Ron burst into laughter.
"Malfoy! Wow, Harry! You almost got me for a second! Malfoy! Like Hermione would be seen with that spineless git!" Ron broke off into laughter.
Harry's voice was quiet when he said, "It's true. I saw them."
Ron chuckled, laughing less now.
"So how long will he be in the infirmary? Did she get a few punches in?"
Harry stated, in the flattest tone you could imagine, "They were walking towards the infirmary."
"They? What is 'they,' Harry? Did she take him there? Why would she-"
Harry interrupted him, saying, "They weren't fighting. They were smiling, and..."
Ron yelled, "What were they doing?"
"Laughing. They were smiling and laughing and talking."
"Why didn't you break it up?" demanded Ron, his eyes narrowing in accusation.
"Because she was happy with him," said Harry.
"She could never be happy with a prat like him! I'm going!"
"Ron! Just let her go. She'll be back-"
Ron shook his head sadly.
"No, Harry. She won't be back. She'll start spending all her time with that snake until she becomes one. Then she'll hate us, and we'll have to hate her. Right now, I'm going, with or without you."
"Well..." Harry trailed off.
Should he go with Ron?
What if Ron was right?
What if Hermione liked Malfoy?
He had to go. He had to to save-
"Harry!" called Ginny from the other end of the common room. "Can you come over here for a second?"
Harry grinned at a furious Ron, and said, "Sorry, mate. I guess she needs help with her potions assignment."
Ron glared at him.
"You're not even good at potions!" he called after Harry.
He was ignored.
Ron ran through the corridors as fast as he could, dodging students and professors and flying paper airplanes.
His name was yelled and chastised a hundred times.
He went on.
When he reached the double doors that were the entrance to the infirmary, he froze in pure jealousy and anger.
Through the window of the infirmary doors, he could see Draco.
Draco and Hermione.
Kissing.
Alot.
It was almost scary to watch.
It was terrifying.
Horrifying.
When they finally stopped, they were talking, it looked like.
He put one of his filthy Slytherin arms around her shoulders.
Ron stealthily opened one of the doors, coming in the infirmary.
Their backs were to him.
Draco was saying to her, "It's okay, Hermione."
Bloody hell!
Malfoy couldn't use her first name!
He was supposed to call her Granger!
Or mudblood!
Not Hermione!
"I don't think so. Malfoy," said Ron angrily.
"What do you want, Ronald?" asked Hermione.
She was furious.
He could tell.
It was all Malfoy's fault.
"For you to get away from that ferret!" yelled Ron.
How dare that prat make her angry! thought Ron.
A high-pitched screeching noise resounded through the room.
On a blackboard behind him, his name was written:
Ronald Bilius Weasley
Hermione finally got up, and Ron sighed in relief.
"It's a good thing I saved you, 'Mione. He's a prat, you know," Ron told her affectionately.
She glared at him.
"Shut up, Ronald."
Then she kissed him, and it was amazing.
A thank you kiss!
Finally!
But she pulled away.
He was about to ask why when she socked him square in the nose.
Ron screamed just as Madam Pomfrey came through the doors.
She looked confused.
Hermione just said, "I'm all good now."
Madam Pomfrey nodded, smiling now.
Hermione was smiling too.
Then she did the unspeakable.
She walked over to that snake arce and took his hand.
They left the room together, leaving Ron to have his face taken care of.
He got a bloody nose!
I hate that guy! thought Ron.