Ron took him on a broom.

Motherfucker!

I warned him not to! I made him swear he wouldn't but he did it anyway. And then Harry decided that he could try it on his own, and fell - as I could've predicted - and broke his arm. I don't care how good he may or may not have had been on the blasted death-traps in the half an hour he'd managed to escape Ron's company! It's absolutely dangerous! He's still crying a bit, and I cuddled him in his bed in the hospital wing. His arm was healed up in a flash, but the whole ordeal was scary for him. Ron's holding Bear-y Potter (Please don't ask) and looking solemn.

Let's just say... I ripped him a new one.

'Harry, come on, you're all better now!'

Harry still looked unsure of me.

'But I disobeyed! Are - aren't you upset with me?'

I sigh. 'Yes, but I'm more upset that you got hurt. I should have been watching you. I shouldn't have left you alone. I'm at fault too.'

'Hermione, look I'm-' Ron starts, trying not to wilt under my glare.

'I don't care Ronald. One more word and I'll be dropping you from a hundred thousand feet.'

Harry reaches out for his teddy bear and Ron chucks it to him instinctively, and Harry whispers, 'Thank you.'

I know Harry's a little frightened of me at the moment - he saw me digging into Ron, but I was only acting as any mother bear would. He's extra formal when he's worried, upset, hurt or frightened. Before I used to be worried about frightening him - but now, he knows the difference between what he'd been subjected to at the Dursleys', and our disciplining. He was especially sorry that we were bothered by him breaking his arm... I didn't think that such a thing would have a big effect on him - it makes me so angry that he is so surprised when people care. It's not fair.

Ron fidgets, his hands pulling and twisting at a corner of the bed sheet in an effort to be busy. He hates not doing anything but he knows that as soon as he says something I'll shut him up. I'm in one of those moods now, and the last thing I need is someone to argue with- oh, fuck me...

'Harry!' Susan yells, shaking the two boys out of their timid-ness and giving me a headache. She gives Harry an enthusiastic hug, and says, 'I'm so sorry I wasn't here earlier, I was stuck in class but I was so worried.'

Behind her, Daphne walked more calmly and said to Harry, 'Yes. You were very brave getting your arm fixed. As a treat-'

'We got you some chocolate!'

Susan offers him a large-looking bar of milk chocolate, and Harry reaches to take it when he stops. He looks at me, and Ron, and then at the door to Madame Pomfrey's office. 'I don't... I can't take it.'

'Why not?' Ron asks.

'I was bad. I don't deserve it.'

Susan frowns, and says, 'But you need cheering up-'

'Maybe...' Harry asks hesitantly, pulling his bear closer, 'Maybe we can give it to Madam Pomfrey instead. To say thank you.'

I smile. That's kinda cute.

'That's a very sweet idea Harry. Why doesn't Susan take you and you can say thanks in person.'

Once Harry's hopped off the bed and the two have gone, I share a look with Daphne. And then we both turn to stare daggers at Ron.

He blanches.

'I apologised how many times!'

'To Harry, maybe! And Hermione, even. But not to me.' Daphne says, the suggestive threat immensely terrifying.

'We don't even know you-!'

'Hey!' I defend, 'Daphne's one of my closest friends. And Harry likes her, so don't even start.'

He complies, and backs away.

I continue, 'As it is, you're in everyone's bad books - I've a mind to write to your mum.'

His face went dark. 'You wouldn't.'

Daphne replies stonily, 'Don't test her.'

She's right. What Ron doesn't know however, is that I've already sent a quick note to Mrs Weasley. That's going to blow up in his face later on. While Daphne playfully threatens Ron with her wand and while Ron flinches embarrassingly every time her wand moves, I ponder.

What will Harry's temperament be once he's his real age again? Ron's been more conscious of this than I have - I mean, we had this conversation;

'So... Harry'll be calling you mummy when he's back to normal, eh?'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'What if we're affecting him? He'll be totally different! I'm just saying maybe you should be less of a mum and more of a friend-'

'I am too being his friend.'

'Yeah, very mature.'

'I am too being mature- Hang on, are you jealous?'

'Of course not!'

'You are!'

'Harry likes me plenty. All you do is make him sit quietly and do those stupid muggle worksheets-'

'Hey! Harry likes my worksheets!'

'You're coddling him! He needs more men around, you, Bones and Greengrass are stifling him-'

'I already said no Quidditch!'

'But 'Mione-'

'No buts!'

'You're being a bore.'

'And you're being stupid.'

Yeah. That had not been a good moment. We'd argued like that for a while before Harry himself came and said that I was too his friend. Maybe I shouldn't have stuck my tongue out at Ron afterwards, though...

Ron and Daphne leave the hospital wing together, debating something or another that she didn't actually understand - some wizarding fairy tale that Ron thought Daphne had recounted to Harry incorrectly. Queer. That's two down - one more to go and then it's just Harry and I.

Like it should be.

When they come out of the office, Harry's blushing as Susan walks him back to bed.

'Did Madame Pomfrey like the present?' I ask.

Harry only nodded, and Susan supplied, gushing, 'She gave him a hug and it was really cute!'

I smile, though Harry was desperate to talk about something else. 'When can I leave?'

'Not yet. You're still on potions. Susan, don't you have Charms now?'

'So do you.'

'McGonagall gave me leave for a day. I have a pass and everything.'

'Oh.' Susan said dejectedly, 'Right. Well, I'll see you later.'

Upon her exit, I sigh in relief. I wish I was the one who was supposed to be in bed - looking after Harry is taxing work.

''Mione?'

I turn, and Harry's looking at with worry and guilt all over his face. He may be a lot older now, but he's holding that teddy bear just as tightly as he had when he was a bit smaller.

'Please don't be mad at me.'

He sounds so desperate and scared, it's heart-breaking. Everything about him has been heart-wrenching recently. I know he doesn't understand her feelings - how could he understand that I was upset because I love him? He didn't really know what love was.

I sigh, and sit him down.

'I'm not mad.'

'But you got rid of everyone. I thought y-you were gonna-'

My eyes widen, and I jump in to assuage his thoughts.

'No! It's nothing like that, never.'

He visibly relaxes, but his grip on the bear doesn't change. That's his tell - he's still scared. How had I managed to make him scared of me? I was being a good role model, I was a firm disciplinarian and I was kind as fuck almost all the time.

I patted his head, and said, 'I'm sorry.'

'What?'

I explained, 'Maybe if I'd let you try Quidditch, with my supervision of course, you could have had fun safely. I guess there's nothing really fun to do that you like at the moment.'

Harry frowns.

Talking without looking directly at me, he admits, 'I... I like the homework you give me.'

'You do?'

'The Dursleys... they never let me do school properly. I wanted to be clever so I could run away... You're a really good teacher Hermione. I like when you teach me maths, and when we do reading.'

I'm glowing inside. Not only that Harry really did want to succeed, but that he loved having me teach him what to do. And to be fair, cuddling up with him and reading with him was steadily becoming one of my favourite things to do.

Sometimes, the littlest things made it all worthwhile.