After he found out what had happened, Ron stopped talking to me. He told Ginny, and she also ignored me. George didn't come back for me, and didn't write me any the next day. Harry was the only one who would talk to me. I couldn't even really get all that mad at Ginny or Ron. I had caused a tree limb to snap and almost kill their brother. I wouldn't speak to me either. Still, it really hurt to think that I had lost my boyfriend, my second best friend, and only real female friend at Hogwarts, all in one bad afternoon.
The month dragged by, growing gloomier and darker. Harry tried to bridge the gap between me and Ron as well as he could, but he couldn't pretend we were getting along. I couldn't concentrate in my classes anymore and I actually stopped raising my hand to question. I didn't study in the library, spending most of my time crying in my dorm. I wanted to apologize to George terribly bad, but I was too proud and stubborn to actually write him.
To add to the problems, I couldn't look Draco in the eye anymore either. Every time I saw him in the hall I'd remember that he had seen me and George in a compromising position (which made me want to cry again at the memory) and heard us have a blow up fight. I'd blush terribly and run the other way, tears once again filling my eyes.
How could I have let myself get so angry and carried away? I almost hurt George. George, the one man I love more than anything, I almost hurt. Ugh, and he had even taken the time to come visit me on valentine's day. He should have gotten the boyfriend of the year award and I yelled at him instead. He was even trying to protect my honor and I just blew up on him.
Is it possible to cast a self aimed killing curse?
Angelina and Fleur were my constant friends. I was owling and messaging them constantly. They're the reason I didn't go off the deep end and fully delve into depression. Harry was also by my side a lot, but it was different with him. He was starting to get annoyed by my attitude and was telling me to just Owl George, that he'd understand.
It wouldn't have been so annoying if he hadn't been right. I needed to Owl him, but I also wanted him to apologize to me.
February finally came to an end, and March first arrived. Today was Ron's 17th birthday, and I was determined to be friends with George again by the end of it. They were almost guaranteed to sneak into the school to give him their presents. I'd get over my pride when I saw him again and I would get on my knees and beg him to forgive me for being so crazy and yelling at him. I hope he'd take me back as his girl friend, but I'd take being his friend. I couldn't handle the thought of him not forgiving me, I wouldn't be able to continue… I just decided to concentrate on the positive. George would forgive me, he'd have to.
I got Ron a gift even though we weren't currently talking. It was a magical calendar of the Chudley Cannons. It automatically would fill in when homework was due and when our breaks were. I thought he'd like it, but I wasn't sure he'd accept it. I was in the library, it was ten o'clock and I had just eaten Breakfast when McGonagall came and found me. I heard only the first few words she said. After 'Ron has been poisoned and is in the hospital wing' I was already leaving the library. I ran into both Ginny and Luna on the way there. They were both extremely pale and Ginny looked ready to faint.
I pulled her into a fierce hug, one that she returned, and helped them the remaining way to the Hospital wing. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were already there. They were in front of the bed and I couldn't see Ron at first. My heart froze in my chest and I couldn't breathe. What if he wasn't okay? I hadn't spoken to him in days, just because I was too stubborn to apologize.
Harry was by my side in half a second, he had been by the door but I hadn't seen him. He laid a comforting arm on my back and gently led me to the bed, murmuring that everything would be alright the entire time. Ron was lying on the bed, his eyes closed and his skin pale. He was sweating and looked chilly. How had he gotten poisoned? And on his birthday too!
"Alright, I'm afraid you all are going to have to leave now." Madame Pomfrey said, ushering us away from the bed. "I have a lot to do and I can't have you all under my feet." She pushed us behind the door and closed them tight.
All we could do now was wait.
Four hours later, we were still waiting. She wouldn't let us in, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had long since gone to Dumbledore's office for a private meeting. Harry, Ginny, Luna, and I hadn't left the doors though. We'd sat down in front of them and had been discussing what had happened ever since we got locked out. Ginny seemed to have forgiven me, at least she wasn't giving me the cold shoulder anymore. Luna wasn't the least bit upset about the love potion, in fact, she seemed to find it rather funny. She was just mad that someone had poisoned the drink.
We had just finished talking about all the ways we could think of that the poison might have gotten slipped into the bottle, for the fourth time, when we heard the sound of footsteps heading our way. We all rose expectantly, hoping it was someone who would let us into the room. A moment later, George and Fred rounded the corner, sprinting down the hall, looks of terror on their identical faces.
My knees instantly went weak and I felt like I was going to fall. I clutched onto Harry's arm tightly, watching George with desperate eyes. He reached us a moment later, and he and Fred pulled a sobbing Ginny into a tight hug. We all began crying, even Luna, and Fred reached over to pull her and Harry into the group. George looked up over Ginny's head and stared at me for a long moment before grabbing my arm and pulling me into the hug with them. I broke down crying even harder as I felt his arm on mine.
We all held onto each other for a moment, finding comfort in each other before we finally broke apart.
"What happened exactly?" Fred asked, lowering himself onto the floor. Ginny sat next to him, keeping her arm wrapped around him. Luna sat by him and Harry sat on her other side. George lowered himself beside Fred and glanced up at me questioningly. I glanced at the spot beside him and he nodded his head, letting me know I could sit beside him.
Harry began to explain the story again, for what must have been the fifth time. Fred and George never interrupted, they didn't even laugh at the part of the love potion. Once Harry finished filling them in Fred began to ask who we thought poisoned Ron.
Harry was just about to answer 'Malfoy' when Madame Pomfrey finally opened the doors and let us in to the room. George, Fred, and Ginny charged forward, running to their brother's side. Harry, Luna, and I walked into the room more slowly, giving the others a chance to examine Ron.
He looked better than he had this morning, but he was still extremely pale. He kept mumbling things in his sleep, but I couldn't make anything he said out. We all lowered ourselves into the seats around his bed, letting out a collective sigh of relief.
Fred resumed the conversation about who could have done it, and Harry and him went off on theories. I was watching them when I became aware that George was staring at me. A blush lit my cheeks as I remembered in perfect detail everything I had said to him, and the sound of the tree limb crashing to the ground. Tears once again filled my eyes as I looked at him. I couldn't really see him clearly through my blurry eyes and I thought about running out of the room.
George got up out of his chair and walked up to me, holding his hand out to me. I took it timidly; feeling scared of what he might say. He pulled me up out of the chair and led me down to the other side of the hospital wing, away from the others, but making sure we could still see them.
"Hermione," George started, his voice thick and quiet. "I'm sor-" I cut him off before he could finish. I was the one in the wrong here. I needed him to know how truly sorry I was I had yelled at him.
"I'm sorry, George, I should have never said all those terrible things." I said brokenly, tears falling freely down my face. His hands were on my cheek in a heartbeat, stroking it and wiping the tears off my face with his thumbs. I closed my eyes tightly at the feel of his hands and started crying all the harder, crossing my arms against my chest in an attempt to keep from falling to the floor in a guilty heap.
"Hermione," George said, trying to get me to look at him. I couldn't though, I just kept hearing that crack of the tree limp, kept seeing it fall. "Hermione, "George started again, "Love…"
"How can you say that?" I asked, snapping my eyes open at the sound of that wonderful, completely undeserved word. "How can you still love me after what I did, what I almost did to you?" I was shaking now, unable to stop. George moved his hands from my face and wrapped his arms around me, holding me still and steadying me.
"I love you Hermione, one fight isn't going to change that." He said simply, like it was silly I didn't understand that. "And I'm sorry too." He finished, leaning his head down to rest on top of mine. I uncrossed my arms from around my chest and grabbed him around the waist, pulling him closer to me and crying openly into his shirt.
"I almost hurt you!" I wept, shaking with guilt.
"You stopped yourself, there were three limbs above my head you could have snapped, you chose the only one that wouldn't hurt anyone." He said, stroking my hair and holding me tight.
"But what if I hadn-"
"Stop it Hermione." George said forcibly "You didn't, stop worrying about It." he forced me to look at him and I gasped when I saw him clearly. He looked awful, as though he hadn't slept in ages. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was thin, he looked dead tired, and I was shocked he could even stand.
"George," I said, letting my worry into my voice as I put a hand up to his cheek. His eyes closed at the contact and he titled his head, nuzzling his cheek against my hand.
"Are you doing alright, Love?' I asked, setting him down on the nearest bed. He nodded his head slowly, looking tired.
"I'm fine, Hermione. Just stressed." He said simply. I sat next to him and wrapped my arm around him, pulling his head down to rest on my shoulder. He was always comforting me, making me feel better. It was long since time I repaid the favor.
I stroked his head softly, rocking him slowly as I talked to him. I asked him about his business and told him that I thought buying Zonkos was a brilliant idea. I told him about what all Harry had learned, about what I had learned on Animagus magic. What animals I thought would be fun to turn into.
He fell asleep in my arms, I'd never held someone while they slept before. I loved holding George though. His face softened when he slept and he looked peaceful. All the worries he bore during the day disappeared and he looked happy, a mischievous smile lighting his face so that even in his rest he looked like he was up to trouble.
Hagrid came in after awhile, and Pomfrey told us that only six people were allowed in. She saw George sleeping on me and stopped talking, her face softening as she gazed at us. She bustled back out of the room and didn't make any complaints when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley appeared, putting us at nine visitors.
A/N: Happy New Years!