Thank you for the lovely reviews and follows and favs!

Enjoy this chapter!

Harry was stewing in a hospital chair, outside Hermione's room. The past couple of hours had been torture for him, but he wasn't relaxing until Hermione woke up.

He was thinking back on the entire day. He had had a very eventful night, and his dreams had been filled with Hermione-the smell of her, the taste of her. And with morning, all his doubts had come rushing back again.

She had come after him when he's gone down to the village, and she'd practically begged him. But he had turned her down. Did that make him as cruel and hard-hearted as she had been in their seventh-year?

He had yelled at her, rejected her, walked away from her, though he had burned to kiss her and wipe away her tears.

And then, at tea- he boiled again just thinking of Ryan- that bastard had intentionally poured hot water all over her. He had rushed to her side, and for one crazy moment, had thought of pulling out his wand and healing her. But he knew that would trigger sensors in the Ministry, so he had to watch as his beloved Hermione writhed in pain, before she finally fainted.

He would have flayed Ryan alive if Vera hadn't freaked out about how there were no hospitals close enough to help Hermione immediately. They had had to take the carriage down to the station, then a train to the nearest hospital.

Harry had gone crazy with worry, and now here he was, outside the trauma ward, as they treated Hermione's burns.

The doctor came out, and explained that the burn wounds were serious, but wouldn't leave any lasting damage. Declaring her out of trouble, conscious and wrapped in ointment and bandages, he clapped Harry on the shoulder, gave a nod at Lady Grey, and walked away.

Harry heaved a sigh of relief, and followed Vera into the room.

Hermione was lying on a green bed, and she was wrapped, face, neck, torso, in white bandages. Harry listened through a haze, as Vera spoke to Hermione. He only tuned in when Vera turned to leave, to get Hermione some juice.

He looked at her, only her eyes and mouth visible through the bandages.

"Are you-alright?" he asked, his voice catching slightly.

"Yes, Harry. Frankly, you've survived worse," she said.

Harry started, as if her sentence surprised him. "But that's me. This is you."

Her voice went up a notch. "What's that supposed to mean? That I can't handle all this?"

Harry winced. He took her hand, saying, "No. I mean, this is you- I-I care about you."

There was a silence, and Harry was looking at the ceiling. Hermione squeezed his hand gently, and said, "I know you do."

There was another silence. Harry cleared his throat, saying, "So, the doctor said the bandages come off in four days. It's going to take weeks to heal and regrow your skin though."

Hermione clenched her eyes shut. Harry imagined she would be wincing if her bandages were off.

"Yes, about that. I'm going to heal my wounds after the bandages come off."

"What? But-"

"Lady Grey knows about-me. She was friends with Minerva, after all."

"Oh. So that's how she's a mutual friend."

"Yes, well," she said, and Harry let his eyes rove over her bandaged face, coming to rest on her torso. His eyes quickly flitted away again, but not before Hermione's pulse beat faster in embarrassment-he could feel it in her wrist.

He cleared his throat. "I'm going to murder Ryan."

Hermione's eyes gazed at him, alarmed. "Dont! Harry, look, just solve the case, alright? That's the best way to get him off our case. Uh, I mean, off our backs."

Harry laughed, saying, "That was a good pun, Hermione."

Vera entered the room, carrying two coffees for herself and Harry, and a huge iced juice for Hermione. Her eyes lingered on their held hands, and Hermione quickly withdrew her hand, reaching instead for the juice.

Lady Vera was talking to Hermione and Harry in the courtyard. Hermione was sitting on one of the stone benches in the shade.

"So, what you're saying is, the accidents have become more violent since we arrived?" said Harry.

"Yes, definitely. When the Board hired you, it was levitating laundry and doors that wouldn't shut, you know?"

Hermione nodded. "That's what Minerva told me. But the day I came here, that beam almost fell on me, remember?"

Harry smirked, saying, "Yes, you gave me quite a shock when you landed on me."

Hermione glared at him. "I didn't land on you. You pulled me onto you."

"Not on purpose."

"I'm not so sure about that."

Lady Vera cleared her throat, and Harry and Hermione jumped.

Harry continued, "Ahem-so, anyway, there was that incident. Then there was the message in bl-uh, in red in Hermione's room, and-"

"What?" exclaimed Lady Vera.

Harry and Hermione exchanged another look, and she said, "Look, Vera, we didn't tell you because we didn't want to worry you. It was nothing, really."

It hadn't been nothing. Hermione had freaked out, and Harry had kissed her.

Harry rushed on, "And then the ladder fiasco. I would like to add the boiling water incident, but-"

Lady Vera protested, "Ryan did apologise, and he feels terrible about it."

Harry glared at her, and Hermione jumped up, saying, "I'm going to the library, Harry, walk me, please."

They left an annoyed Vera behind, and Harry realised this was the first time they had been alone since Hermione had returned.

Thankfully, they arrived at the library, and Hermione showed him what she had found.

"Is this- can this be real?" Harry asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

Hermione laughed- a nice, tinkling laugh. Then she gave a small flinch- she couldn't open her mouth too much without stretching her cheeks-there were welts all over her face.

"Wow, Hermione, you practically solved the case."

"I know," she said, smiling modestly up at him.

Her smile slipped, as Harry's gaze became intense.

He said, "Once the case is solved, we'll go our ways."

Her gaze shot to his face, startled. She hadn't thought of that.

Hermione's eyes flitted between his eyes, and his lips, and she started to turn away without a reply.

"Why did you choose Ron?"

She turned, shocked. "What?" she asked.

Harry looked so vulnerable, and tortured, leaning on the shelf like that. He repeated, "Why did you choose him?"

Hermione stared at him, at a loss for words. She had expected this question, even prepared for it, a million times. But now-

He continued, "You want to know why I'm so wary of, of moving forward with you." His lip twisted at the word 'forward'. "It's because there is so much unanswered questions between us, Hermione."

Hermione looked at the floor now, feeling the walls close in on her.

Harry pressed closer, and his tone matched his body language. "Why did you pick him?"

Hermione looked around the room, as if the answer might be lying around somewhere. Why had she chosen Ron? She had asked herself that a million times, and the only answer she came up with had shamed her.

Harry's face was close to hers, she turned her face away so that his breath fanned her cheek.

"Are you going to make me beg?"

Tears filled her eyes, and she whispered her answer.

"I chose Ron because he would never forgive me if I picked you."

Harry froze. Whatever answer he'd been expecting, it hadn't been that.

"What? What does that even mean?"

Hermione waved her hands in the air, trying to explain. "I was confused- I liked you, and I thought I liked him. He was being nice to me, and he noticed me, when you did not."

She continued, faster, "So that night in the tent, before he left, he asked me, 'Who's it going to be?'"

Tears welled in her eyes, remembering how she had felt that night.

"I knew then, that if he ever knew that I felt something for you, he would never forgive me. And, and...if there was any chance of me having a life with him, it would be if he never knew I liked you."

Harry was looking at her with a twisted expression. Hermione couldn't begin to figure it out.

She realised it was disgust, when he spat at her, "You mean you decided to try him on to see if you liked him. If it didn't work out, you could come running back to me, and I'd accept you."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but Harry cut her off.

"But- wait, let me say it!" he yelled at her. "But, if you'd told me you liked me, and then it didn't work out between us, Ron would never take you after he knew you'd been with me. He'd hate coming second, is that it?"

His green eyes were flaming, and Hermione knew if he'd been holding his wand, it would be spitting red sparks right now, he was so out of control.

Hermione sobbed. "Harry, no, I didn't mean it like that."

Harry turned away, and kicked one of the cherrywood shelves. He snapped over his shoulder, "Don't pretend to me, Hermione. You said you liked me since sixth-year. Yet you spurned me that night in the tent. You wanted to play Ron and me to your tune, didn't you?"

Hermione stepped forward, her face streaming with tears. "Harry, that's not true. Ron and I are over. We broke it off, I haven't spoken to him in months."

"I haven't seen you in YEARS, Hermione," shouted Harry, and Hermione was stunned into silence to see he was in tears. His eyes were bright with unshed tears.

"I pined for you," said Harry, sounding disgusted at the very word. "I hoped you were happy with Ron, but I didn't want to stay around to watch you be happy. And all this while you never truly loved either of us," he ended bitterly.

He started to walk towards the door, and Hermione ran after him. "Harry, no, that's true! I love you!"

Harry stopped in the doorway, and turned. His green eyes were drawn now, and weary. He said, in a low voice, "I don't know if I believe you anymore."

And he walked around the doorway and disappeared out of sight, and Hermione realised her salty tears were burning her healing welts.

Leave me your opinion in a review!

Also, I'm taking a vote. The story's drawing to a close, only a few more chapters left.

So if you want an M rated scene, tell me, and you shall have it. :)