"What on earth happened?" Madame Pomfry, who had just come running through the Hospital Wing`s door, questioned upon seeing Hermione and the boys. Harry had insisted on laying Hermione on a bed, for it would be safer and more comfortable. Ron, though he knew it was the right thing to do, was reluctant to let go of Hermione. But finally, after quite a bit of coaxing from Harry, Ron lay Hermione down. Now Harry stood watching from where he leaned against a wall as Ron sat in a chair next to Hermione`s bed, holding her limp hand tightly.
"She sort of fell asleep," Ron said lamely, as Madame Pomfry shot him a look of disbelieving, so he added, again. "Sort of." Harry straightened up and walked over to Madame Pomfry. He quickly regaled her with the story of how Hermione had started feeling dizzy and fainted out of nowhere.
"So you see, Madame Pomfry," Harry concluded, sneaking a look at Ron as if asking if he had forgotten anything. "She just fell asleep, out of the blue."
"Yeah," Ron added as he stood up to stand next to Harry, but not before he placed Hermione`s hand gently on her stomach. "It was weird." Madame Pomfry didn't look convinced. She swept the boys aside, heading to face to Hermione`s side.
"Well, 'weird' doesn't explain why a completely healthy girl would pass out, completely out of the blue," she just about shouted at the boys. She snatched Hermione`s hand, none too gently from where Ron had carefully placed it as Ron cringed ever so slightly. It seemed to Harry that because he was so emotionally unstable, he didn't even care to try to conceal his true feelings. Madame Pomfry examined Hermione`s hand, muttering to herself the entire time.
"You can fix her," Ron asked, his eyes flickering from Hermione to Madame Pomfry, "can't you?" She paused, her eyes lifting from Hermione`s hand, on which she was still grasping tightly.
"I`m sorry dear," she said softly, her mouth an even line. "I don't know." Ron went pale as his whole body went numb. Before he knew it, his knees had given out and he was kneeling on the ground, with Harry quickly at his side. It had just been proved to Ron how grave the situation really was. It was very possible, no matter how terrible it was to think, that Hermione would never wake up. Ron felt sick at even addressing the thought.
"But you`ll try, right?" Harry asked, doing an incredible job of keeping calm under such extreme circumstances. But he was Harry Potter, after all. Ron, though he couldn't physically smile because his life was basically ending, was thankful that Harry was searching for some comfort for Ron. Madame Pomfry looked outraged.
"Of course I`ll try!" She shouted, shaking her head. Harry sighed, knowing that it was a given that Madame Pomfry would do all she could. Chancing a look at the window, Harry noticed that the sun had almost completely vanished over the horizon. It was time for them to head back to the common room, though it didn't seem like Ron was in any position to move anytime soon.
"Could we stay here tonight?" Harry asked, hit with the brilliant idea he couldn't ignore. Ron`s expression turned slightly hopeful and Harry knew he had done the right thing. Madame Pomfry surveyed them sharply, her eyes lingering on Ron. Then her expression softened.
"Fine," she snapped, turning on her heel and heading out of the hospital wing. "But don`t do anything too idiotic." Then, without so much as another look over her shoulder, she slammed the large double doors and was gone. And the boys, without speaking, pulled up two chairs on opposite sides of Hermione`s bed, and they sat and waited.