Chapter fourteen – Love Sick

Hermione rushed up and down the stairs, which kept on moving her from place to place. She nearly got lost because she in her hurry forgot to notice where she was.

Her thoughts flew around and confused her even more. What had happened to Ron? Was he going to be okay? And why did she feel as if him being hurt also hurt her?

She had doubted her feelings for Ron in a long time. She was not sure whether she saw him as more than a friend or if that just would be strange. She felt as if everybody expected them to end up together, and who knew, maybe they would. The thought had definitely occurred to her.

"Harry, what's wrong? What happened?" Hermione gasped as she found Harry outside the Hospital Wing. He didn't seem to be sad, but he looked rather concerned.

He grabbed Hermione's wrists and tried to calm her down. "He is going to be fine, Hermione. Don't worry," he calmed.

"But- but what happened?" Hermione's breath got even.

"He drank some love poison and then Slughorn accidentally gave him a drink, which turned out to be a dangerous poison, which nearly killed Ron!" Harry said in one breath.

"Killed him?" Hermione's breath once again left her and made her feel sick. Ronald Weasly, her best friend, had nearly died.

"Yes, I'll go into details later. Er, his family is with him now, but we can go in and check on him if you'd like to?"

Hermione nodded slowly. She wanted to see Ron. Before she did she wouldn't believe that he was truly all right.

They entered the Hospital Wing together. In the middle of the room they walked into, a bed was placed. Five gingers surrounded the bed, each one looking more relieved than the other.

Hermione walked up to the bed and stood between Ginny and Fred.

Without a word or any hesitation Hermione flung herself up next to Ron. She let her fingers travel from his hairline to his chin. He had very soft skin, which felt good beneath her fingers.

"Hey," she whispered to him so low that nobody but she could hear it.

In that same moment screaming was heard outside the Hospital Wing. It came closer and closer, moving with hurried steps.

The Hospital door flung open in one fast movement and made all of the Weasly's, Harry and Hermione turn their faces towards the intruder, whom turned out to be Ron's girlfriend Lavender Brown. She looked rather terrified and had a tear or two in her chocolate brown eyes.

Hermione caught herself wondering if the reason Ron had been so into Lavender was because of her eyes; Ron loved chocolate. On the other hand, she had been the only girl within a hundred kilometres wanting to snog him.

"Won-Won!" Lavender yelled in her terribly annoying voice, making Hermione wish she were deaf.

Lavender ran up to the bed and threw her arms around Ron's unconscious body.

Ron mumbled something not understandable, which made Lavender quickly let go of him to hear what he was saying.

"What, sweetheart?" she asked.

Hermione felt the urge to throw a lamp into Lavender's face. Okay, not very kind of her to do but she annoyed her a whole bunch.

"H-io-eee," Ron mumbled.

Hermione's eyes widened as she considered if he had actually been saying her name or if it was a trick of the mind.

She was not the only one who had noticed; Lavender looked as if her greatest fear had just been confirmed. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Her-ine," Ron repeated. He looked peaceful, unaware of the words that escaped his lips. "Her-Hermione."

"No - what have you done to him?" Lavender asked, casting an angry glare at Hermione.

"Lavender, I haven't-"

"I thought we were friends!" she yelled. "How could you do this to me?"

Tears began to stream down Lavender's cheeks. She was red in the face of anger and her eyes pierced Hermione. As Ron once again said Hermione's name, Lavender shrieked and then ran out of the Hospital Wing as fast and unexpected as her arrival had been.

"Finally," Molly Weasly said. Everyone in the room turned their heads towards her in disbelief. "Well, I never really liked her," she explained, making all of them chuckle a bit.

Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall and Slughorn entered the room, and they began a conversation with Mr. and Mrs Weasly concerning Ron.

Hermione didn't pay attention to their words, instead she stroke Ron's cheeks with a smile on her lips.

"You'll be alright," she whispered.

The next few days Hermione spent beside Ron's hospital bed. She was talking to him, even though he was still unconscious. Madame Pomfrey had given him a potion - brewed by Snape, which Harry and Hermione had agreed on not to tell Ron once he woke - that should wake him up again soon.

Harry was busy chasing down Cormac McLaggen and convincing him to play Ron's part as Keeper in the next match against Hufflepuff. He was so stressed about having two team players in the hospital, and feared a third would get in any kind of accident.

"Harry, it's going to be fine, trust me. We have so many great players and you saw how good Cormac was at the try-outs!" comforted Hermione. She was nervous about the match as well, though she tried to hide it. She had only ever played one match – and they had won because Draco was on the other team. He wasn't this time.

"Yes, I know. But, let's face it; none of us really like Cormac. He'll be bad for the team."

"True. Then you'll just have to tell the team that we need Cormac's talent and we have to live with his attitude for the time being."

And so did Harry just before the next Quidditch practise - their last one before the match.

He encouraged them to stay positive even though everything seemed negative.

The team, aware of Harry's brilliance, trusted him blindly.

The first weekend of March approached and Hermione woke up all sweaty on Saturday. She quickly got dressed into some casual clothes and rushed down to breakfast.

Lately she hadn't been speaking much with the other girls in her dormitory. Mainly because Lavender was pissed at her, believing she was the reason for Lavender and Ron's break up, and all the other girls supported her.

Lavender told everyone that she had broken up with Ron, but since he was still unconscious they were not officially over yet.

"'Morning, Hermione!" said a smiling Harry. He was seated next to Ginny, which would explain his smiling. "Morning, you two."

Hermione served herself a cup of cinnamon tea and scrambled eggs. Her appetite was not big.

"Are you nervous?" Ginny asked, addressing Hermione. She managed to nod between chewing. "Yes, indeed," she answered after sinking her eggs down. "I think I will stop by Ron, see how he is doing, you know."

"Good idea. He still wasn't awake last night," Harry said. He looked rather sad as he spoke. Ron - anyone who meant just a bit to Harry - was his weak spot. He hated seeing them hurt, and especially if he had been the reason behind it or had been able to prevent it from happening.

"Good morning, guys," greeted Neville Longbottom and joined them at the table. He served himself a bit food and a cup of pumpkin juice.

"Good morning, Neville. Where's Luna?" Hermione had only just noticed the non-presence of the always smiling, dirty blonde girl with the lion hat that she always wore during Gryffindor matches.

"Oh, haven't you heard? Luna is commenting the match today!" Hermione nearly swallowed the eggs she was eating whole.

"Luna? Well, that will be interesting," Harry said, coughing to cover his surprise.

"She's so proud and excited, but honestly I don't think she knows the first thing about Quidditch," Neville admitted. Hermione nodded in agreement. All she could hope for was that Luna would take everybody's attention off the match, off Hermione. She was sure she'd play rather bad, knowing Ron wasn't around.

"I'll go see to Ron. Meet you in the changing room!" Hermione got up from the wooden bench and walked out of the Great Hall.

Hermione knew all the steps up to the Hospital Wing a bit too well. She remembered always feeling concerned and worried while walking that way.

The only time Hermione herself had been patient was during her second year when Ginny Weasly had opened the Chamber of Secrets, and a Basilisk had petrified her. Luckily Professor Sprout was growing some Mandrakes, which had been used to bring her back.

"Ms Granger, you again?" Madame Pomfrey asked at the sight of Hermione. Hermione gave a nod, and then rushed over to Ron's bed.

"He is doing far better. He woke up last night, but I'm afraid that the entire process has tired him so much that he will be sleeping for the rest of the day," told Madame Pomfrey.

Hermione's eyes widened as she stroke Ron's skin once again. "He woke up?" she asked with a smile.

Madame Pomfrey nodded and then left Hermione alone with Ron. She, too, was going down to the Quidditch field. It occasionally happened that a player got hurt; so she was always around, ready to heal.

"Ron," Hermione whispered after Madame Pomfrey had left the room.

Ron turned his head towards Hermione and snored a bit.

Hermione couldn't help but giggle. Ron was back to being his own self.

She began speaking to him, telling him how nervous she was about the match and that he soon had to wake up to prepare for his exams.

"Hermione, is that you?" Ron asked in a dizzy voice.

Hermione jumped an inch back in surprise. She tightened her grip around his hand.

"Yes, Ronald, it's me," she said, happiness overriding her words..

Ron's eyes flew open and his gaze caught Hermione's.

"Bloody hell," he said. He sat up in the bed and looked far better than he had a few minutes ago.

"Er, Ron, aren't you supposed to be all tired and so?"

"Only if Lavender is around," he answered with a sigh. Ron reached out and grabbed one of the many sweets that visitors had brought to him during his unconsciousness.

"Excuse me? Do explain," she demanded.

"Well, I don't want to talk to her, so whenever she's around I pretend to be asleep," he explained. Hermione wrinkled her nose.

"But, Ronald, Lavender hasn't been visiting you since the day you got in here. She stormed out, and I don't think she ever returned." Ron's expression turned into wondering.

"Why did she storm out?" he asked. He didn't seem too sad about the fact, though. Rather relieved.

"You – er..." Hermione couldn't make herself tell Ron about him saying her name. She couldn't find the words. And what if he hadn't even meant to say it? Maybe he had just dreamed about her.

"She was angry to see me in here," Hermione finally spoke, only lying very little.

"Oh..." Ron said. "But who is it then that's been visiting me?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "M-me," she admitted. She knew she was blushing.

"You visited me?" he asked, "Why?"

Hermione never got to answer because in that same moment Jimmy Peakes, one of Gryffindor's Beaters, entered the Hospital Wing in a hurry.

"Hermione, the match begins in ten minutes!" he yelled. Hermione quickly rose from her spot.

"What match?" Ron asked in confusion. He felt like he was missing out on everything by being in bed.

"Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. Don't worry, Cormac has taken your spot," said Hermione, but she could tell that her words did worry Ron a lot. He hated Cormac and feared he would be taking his spot on the team for good.

"Thank you, Jimmy," she added and together they left the Wing in a rush and ran all the way to the Quidditch field.