19. A Lot Has Happened

Ginny was nervous to say the least. It had been a long while since she had been in a hospital doing what she loved. Ever since she turned down Dr. Traveeny's offer to live in Italy and work at her dream job, she had been living unemployed and left to plan her wedding in her down time... which was all the time... But now she was back in her white hospital robes and able to practice medicine on her patient. Her only patient... who happened to be the most stubborn witch in the entire world.

"I told you I'm fine."

"And I told you you're not."

"Coming from a recently unemployed Healer... that doesn't mean much."

"Sod off."

"Gladly, I'll just be on my way then... Hey! Let me go!"

"Not until you let me draw your blood."

"No way."

"Then I will seal you up in this room until you do, don't test me."

"Ginny..."

"Hermione..."

"Merlin! This is so degrading! I'm not mental!"

"You said you saw Voldemort... and hello, he's dead..."

"I don't know what I saw anymore."

"Don't pull that bullshit with me, 'Mione. You said you saw him... and then you proceeded to punch out a mirror in your bathroom while half naked."

"This isn't funny."

"I didn't say it was."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"What? I'm not... I'm just... you're being hilariously ridiculous is all."

"So you do think this is funny!"

"Maybe a little."

"I might be going insane and my best friend is laughing at me?"

"Oh, so you are going insane now?"

"I said might be."

"Yea okay," Ginny replied with a roll of her eyes and jabbed a long needle into Hermione's arm.

"Gah! Ow!" Hermione flinched and tried to pull her arm away.

"Stop moving, woman! You're going to make me lose your vein and then I'll have to do this again!"

Hermione stopped moving and sighed. "If you would have warned me I wouldn't have been so jumpy."

"If I would have warned you, you would have made sure that I didn't prick you. I know you better than that."

"Prat."

"Nutter."

"Hey guys, how's it coming?" Harry stuck his head in the room, a huge smile on his face.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, Harry... it's going swell. I have a needle jabbed in my arm and I feel like I might faint."

"You feel faint?" Ginny furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yes."

"Harry, go get Hermione some juice and a cookie."

Harry sighed as if he were reluctant to leave. "Oh, alright."

"What? You can't do something nice for a friend now?" Hermione snapped. "Just go get me a fucking cookie, Potter, before I Avada the shit out of you." Ginny and Harry's jaws dropped slightly and Hermione turned a perfect shade of red. "Wow, I have no idea where that came from... I'm sorry..."

"It's, uh, okay. I'm going to get that cookie now..."

Ginny nodded and turned back to Hermione. "Are you still feeling faint."

"Yea," Hermione replied a bit breathlessly. "Merlin's beard, Gin! Are you trying to fucking drain me of all my blood? Hurry up, damnit! I'm not a fucking blood bank." Hermione covered her mouth. "I have no idea where that came from either."

Ginny sighed and removed the needle from her arm, placing a cotton ball over it. "It's okay, Hermione... but now do you see why I want to check you out?"

"Gin, you think I am going crazy... not that I have Tourettes."

"It could be a symptom..."

"Symptom my ass, Gin. You barely know what the fuck is wrong with me!"

"Okay, your outbursts are getting worse..."

"That wasn't an outburst. That was all me."

"Well, I don't think..."

"...I'm back. Here you go, Hermione." Harry handed her a cookie and a cup of juice.

Hermione sighed and grabbed the treats from Harry and lay back in her hospital bed. "This is so frustrating."

"Don't worry. Gin will find a cure. Promise."

"Harry! Shut up! You don't know if I can or not! Stop making shallow promises!" Ginny shouted and shoved past him, leaving the room.

Harry groaned inwardly and followed her out. "Gin..."

She whirled around with tears in her eyes. "Why do you always do that? Not everything is going to be okay. Not everything ends up perfect like you want it to be. Why do you always... always do that?!"

"Gin..." She pulled away from his reach. He reached further and grabbed her, turning her to face him. "GIN! Listen to me... You are amazing. You are going to figure something out. I know it."

"Stop it. Just stop it!"

"Everything is going to be okay," Harry cooed and pulled her into his embrace. "Just... trust me."

"Yea okay...I could..." She pulled away slowly. "I just don't trust you, Harry..." she murmured and walked away, leaving Harry just standing there... hurt and perplexed.

"YOU CALLED TRAVEENY?!" Harry bellowed in the hall of St. Mungo's days later.

"Harry I had to... and you don't get to be angry or hurt about this!"

"Gin, the guy openly admitted that he wanted you and he offered to make you Head Healer on his team if you slept with him! I do get to be upset!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I said no, Harry... unlike you and Herm..."

"...Don't! Please do not even go there right now."

"Harry..."

"He kissed you! You may have pushed him away, but he still kissed you... and that bothers me."

"It bothers me that you and Hermione had a heated snog session just three rooms down from where we stand! It bothers me that you and Hermione kissed the night you proposed to me! It bothers me that..." Ginny stopped and took in a huge breath. "I have to go help him prep Hermione for surgery." She kissed his cheek quickly. "I love you..." she murmured and briskly walked away.

"Love you too," Harry whispered defeatedly.

"Oi! What's up mate?" Ron slapped Harry on the back and greeted him with a cheerful smile.

"Hm? Oh. Nothing... just waiting for Hermione's surgery to get done. What's up with you?" Harry asked, trying to distract himself from the thought of Traveeny's hands all over Ginny.

Ron beamed even bigger. "I'm going to get back together with Hermione."

"What?" Harry wrinkled his nose in confusion. "She's with Malfoy."

"No, they broke up... Plus, they argue every two minutes and since Penelope is out of the equation..."

"Which she really isn't because she's..."

"...don't even bring that up."

"What makes you think Hermione will take you back? That she'll want to be with you over Malfoy who, I regret to even admit it, treats her amazingly well?"

"She kissed me."

"Oh really?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no... I kissed her, but she kissed me back."

"When?"

"After her and Malfoy called it quits."

"So you took advantage of her vulnerability? That's low."

"Oh really?" Ron scoffed and raised a mock eyebrow. "You act as if you've never taken advantage of her vulnerability."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "That's not the point..."

"But really it is..." Ron stated and then after a few moments of awkward silence he spoke again, this time with more of a point. "I can't stop thinking about her, mate. We're meant to be with each other... I love her."

Harry half smiled. "Then go for it..." Ron nodded as Harry continued. "But, mate? Be careful not to get hurt again..."

Ron grinned this time. "There's no chance of that," he declared as he began walking off.

Harry groaned. "I'm not so sure," he murmured, knowing deep down that Ron really was going to get hurt.

Three days earlier...

"Stop treating me like a child!"

"Stop acting like one! Your tantrums are driving me insane... and I'm not the crazy one here!"

"FUCK YOU!" Hermione bellowed and chucked her shoe in the general direction of the blonde.

He ducked and glared at her incredulously. "Stop throwing things at me!"

Hermione sighed and threw herself back down on the couch where she had been only moments ago, enjoying a nice evening in with her... with, er... Malfoy. That is, until he commented on her 'illness' and ordered her to take her medicine and basically proceeded to treat her like a child.

He sighed heavily as well and came to sit next to her. "I want to be with you."

"But we both know that it's not working right now... so I guess we're over? Nice, Malfoy. Nice."

"Stop it! That is not what I said."

"Well it's what I said... I can tell I'm a nuisance and that you are growing tired of 'taking care of me' so I think it's best if we just end things now before anymore feelings are involved."

"Hermione, I..."

"...It's over," Hermione declared through gritted teeth. "Please go."

"You're making a big mistake," he muttered under his breath and burst out the door, angry and hurt.

Later that night at the Burrow...

"Yea, I dumped him, Ron... why is that so hard to believe?"

"I don't know... I thought you two would last at least half a year. You only lasted two months... and now it's summer and you aren't going to see him until September... and..." There was a smile on his face now.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "And what?"

Ron shook his head and sighed, leaning his back up against the willow tree in his back yard. "Penelope and I broke up too you know."

"When? Why?" Hermione asked.

"We, er... had our differences."

"Like what?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"If you didn't want to talk about it, you wouldn't have brought it up."

"I just thought you should know... I really don't want to get into the details of it all."

"Just tell me."

"No."

"Ron!"

"I'm not telling you."

"You're impossible! I don't get why you can't just tell me and..."

And then he kissed her... initially, he just wanted to distract her, but he soon realized that there was something more there... as if they had never been apart and all the emotion that was shared between them was back. He couldn't help but to deepen the kiss when he felt her relax in his arms... under their tree... that's when he knew that no matter what... it was always going to be him and Hermione...

And that's when she knew that it was never going to be her and Ron...

Three days before Hermione and Ron's kiss...

"Dr. Traveeny! What are you doing here?" Ginny asked as she opened the front door a little more for him to squeeze through.

"I have come to see if you might reconsider my offer."

"I can't leave, Sir. I have a life here and I don't want to jeopardize that..."

He nodded and took a seat on her couch. "Where is your husband this evening?"

"He's not my husband yet... and he's at work."

"Late nights?"

"I guess so."

"Is there trouble in paradise, Ms. Weasley?"

"What? No... what are you talking... why are you here, Edward?"

He stood up almost as soon as he sat down and glided over to her, cupping her face in his hands. "I find you to be one of the most attractive witches I have ever seen..." he whispered and kissed her softly but forcefully.

Ginny's eyes widened and she shoved him away. "What the fuck?" she yelled as she wiped her mouth free of his unwanted saliva.

"You know, if you satisfied my desires... I could satisfy yours. I could move my practice here and make you my Head Healer on staff..."

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Oh yea? And what's the catch?"

"Like I said... you could satisfy my desires..."

"I think I just threw up in my mouth."

"Oh, darling... don't act as if my status as top physician doesn't get your panties in a twist."

Ginny scoffed, "your status was the only thing that I respected you for... and now I have no respect for you whatsoever. I think you should leave."

"You're throwing your career away," he seethed as she shoved him out the door.

"No, I'm not..." Ginny hissed. "And by the way?" She looked him up and down before grotesquely stating, "Ew!" Then she slammed the door in his face. She couldn't believe him! How could an esteemed doctor be such a perv? Ginny shuddered at the thought of his wrinkling body writing around on top of her. It made her literally throw up in her mouth... she sighed and went to sit on the couch. One thing was for certain... she had to tell Harry.

Present...

"Hey, how are you feeling, babe?" Ron cooed in her ear once her eyes fluttered open for the first time since surgery. He placed a loving kiss on her forehead.

She was confused. "I'm fine? What... what's going on? Where's Malfoy?"

Ron stiffened and pulled away. "He's not here. I'm here now... I want to be with you. I love you."

Hermione's eyes widened. "What? No, no, no... I can't Ron. I'm sorry."

"Are you serious?" Ron glowered.

"The correct question here would be are you serious? I just got out of surgery and you bombard me with your highly inappropriate feelings for me? Not so classy."

"But we kissed."

"It was friends kiss... one that I ended and told you that I didn't want to do it again. Or do you not remember that? You only seem to remember what you want to remember... that's always been the problem with you."

"I have no problem! I didn't do anything wrong except for love you! You were the one who cheated on me!"

"Right... almost six months ago. We've not been together since November... Ron, it's over and I'm sorry, but we'll always be friends."

"I don't want to be friends..." Ron murmured and stormed out of the hospital room just as Ginny was coming in.

Ginny sighed. "I told him that you were going to chose Malfoy... he just refused to believe it."

"Where is he, by the way?"

"He's... I don't know... you broke up with him and we haven't seen him since then."

"Oh drat. I hope he knows I didn't mean it... I wasn't myself when I said all those things. I love him, Gin."

"I love you too, Hermione."

Both girls turned to see the blonde standing in the doorway with a bouquet of carnations.