Ginny was waiting for Hermione when she returned with a cup of Tea. "Hermione there you are! Is there anything I can do for you hun?" asked Ginny with concern.

"Can you help me pack," asked Hermione weakly.

"Of course! But first you have to eat something," she said as she handed Hermione a plate of toast.

"Thanks Gin," said Hermione as she begun to nibble.

"Do you want me to tell the boys? They're gonna wonder where you are." Hermione nodded and continued eating. Half an hour later Ginny was escorting a fed and packed Hermione back to Dumbledore's office. She watched as her friend said the password to the gargoyles and stepped onto the staircase. Poor Hermione! Ginny thought as she headed towards the Great Hall, the bearer of bad news.

Draco and Blaise were sitting outside when an owl approached them and held out it's leg. "It' for you Draco" said Blaise as the bird flew away. Oh joy a letter from the headmaster, he can't expect me to be the one who made her cry can he! Thought Draco exasperated.

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

I am writing to inform you that Ms. Granger will be absent for the next week or so. As head boy your duties will continue without her (even the ball planning) and you are to keep track of assignments so you can help her catch up when she gets back. Have a nice day.

Albus Dumbledore

"I have to plan the ball now! How fair is that? Why should I have to pick up her slack?" said Draco angrily.

"Woah Dude! You can really be an ass. Can't you put two and two together?"

"Yah I can add by twos thank you very much!"

"There's obviously a family issue going on, why else would she be crying so hard and then leaving for a week. You can be pretty stupid, and lets face it self centered sometimes!"

"Oh," was all Draco said. What Blaise said had made perfect sense and once again he was starting to feel the pangs of guilt.

"Yah! And please tell me you weren't such a douche when you were comforting her last night"

"I wasn't! Don't you recall why I came to talk to you in the first place? She's screwing with my emotions man!"

Blaise could only laugh. He'd never seen Draco so frazzled about a girl.

"Don't laugh at me!"

"Like you wouldn't do the same to me,"

"Thats different!"

"How?"

"It just is,"

And that was the end to that conversation.

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

The soothing rhythm that told the two women supporting each other at the end of the man's bed that he was still alive. Unmoving and covered in many bloody bandages Peter Granger looked all but dead to the world. The slow and steady rise and fall of his chest seemed all but deceiving and broke Hermione's heart. Laury who had been with Peter the entire night never leaving his side was beginning to look a little worse for wear. who always looked her best had a tangled mass of curls feebly tied back, mascara running down her face and tell tale circles under her eyes. This too broke Hermione's heart this women standing before her looked nothing like the mother she knew so well and it made her want to cry even more, but she bravely held her tears back.

"Mom why don't you go home and rest, I'll stay with dad for awhile,"

"But hun, what if he wakes up! What will he think if I'm not there?" said Laury in a panicked voice.

"I promise you'll be the first to know mum," said Hermione giving her a hug. "Now go, get some beauty sleep," she said trying to lighten the mood. Both women let out feeble laughs and then the older reluctantly parted. Hermione then pulled up to her father's beside, and squeezed his hand with her own. "Daddy..I..I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can I want you to know how much I love you! I love you soo much and you need to come back, we can't live without you! Especially mom! She wouldn't know how to take care of herself without you. And the world, well it will be a very lonely place. And oh Daddy I just can't say it enough I love you. And I don't think I tell you that enough. You can't leave me without saying goodbye you just can't!" said Hermione before she burst into tears. She cried for sometime before her eyes dried up and lay her head on Peter's chest. Listening to his heart beat.

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

Some hours later Hermione woke up disorientated in a white room. Laury was standing in the doorway her lips slightly up turned as if she wanted to smile. She could never have asked for such a daughter. She pulled up a chair beside Hermione. "Good afternoon sleepy head,"

"Is it really afternoon already?" said Hermione

"Yes my dear, it seems you needed sleep just as much as I did,"

"Hows daddy? Is he any better?"

"A nurse will be in shortly to check up on him,"

Both women waited in an anxious silence for the nurse to arrive.

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

"Afternoon Ladies," said a stern and rather stout nurse.

"Afternoon," the women said in unison.

All of a sudden the nurse rushed out of the room without even glancing at them. Hermione and Laury looked at each other anxiously, both thinking the same thing.

Classes were rather odd for Draco on Monday morning, as much as he hated to admit it, they were kinda dull without the constant bickering between him and Hermione. In transfiguration he even found himself watching Harry and Ron talking in worried undertones about Hermione. Once again he felt kinda jealous, no one would do that for him he suddenly disappeared...well maybe Pansy but that was different. And then he stopped himself. No! Friendship is only a weakness, only a weakness! But his heart really wasn't into it anymore. After all he'd made up with Blaise and having a friend wasn't so bad. It was actually kinda nice.

Then his thoughts strayed to Hermione, what is wrong with me! but before he could think about her any further

"Mr. Malfoy! Get your head out of the clouds this instant before you kill your toad!" shouted Professor McGonagal over the noise of the class. Draco looked down and realized his toad was about to burst. He quickly righted the spell but found his attention was still elsewhere.

Throughout the day, Draco found himself dosing off and always ending up in the same ballroom but only once did he catch a glimpse of the girl in the red dress. He danced aimlessly, paying no attention to his partners and more than once stepping on the toes of a lovely lady.

The constant beeping of the heart machine was the only reassurance the Peter Granger was still alive, but the Grangers were really starting to worry, the nurse rushing off like that could mean nothing good. Laury and Hermione held each other close comforting one another and preparing for the worst. It was several minutes before their agony was put to an end by the arrival of Doctor Yeung.

"Good afternoon ladies," he said in a happy voice. The women had no voices left so the simply nodded and attempted to smile. He began examining Peter and muttered "curious, how very curious indeed!" The women did not know what to make of this and continued to clutch each other in silence. "Well ladies I must say Mr. Granger is nothing short of a miracle. I have never seen someone take such a beating and recover so quickly!" The Grangers sighed in relief and actually began to smile. "I am sorry for all the suspense ladies but I guarantee you this, Mr. Granger will be awake before the week is up." This time full smiles cracked on the women's faces and did not leave for several minutes. The doctor bid them a good day and left them with a little bit of peace in their hearts. Little did they know that Peter's fast recovery was not due to a medical miracle but in fact an unconscious magic performed by Hermione herself.

On the third day of Hermione's being there Mr. Granger opened his eyes briefly for the first time. On the fourth he began to mumble in his sleep, and finally on the fifth day he was conscious for a full hour. Greeted by smiling faces he couldn't help but smile himself. As he was on the mend by the seventh day he insisted that Hermione miss no more school on his behalf and it was arranged that she would floo back to Hogwarts the next day;Sunday afternoon.

I hope there aren't too many medical mistakes I don't know much about commas. Anyways I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd love a review :) Thanks