Chapter 8 –

Today in the Hospital Wing appeared to be continuing just like the days before it. Students came and staff alike came and went, most only staying for a few hours, while others stayed overnight and were released the next morning. This was the case for all except for two occupants.

Hermione slowly woke up from a brief nap and looked towards her best friend, but saw no difference in his condition. Today was the 5th day of Harry's stay since his duel with Malfoy and he had remained unconscious for most of his stay, except for a moment when he awoke and was screaming in pain shortly after arriving, forcing Madam Pomfrey to put in a magical coma until his condition improved.

Twisting her neck to try and relieve some of the stiffness Hermione glanced around the room and noticed that her and Harry were the only occupants of the room. She relished the peace and quiet and used the time to check Harry over once again. Sadly, he was still as motionless as he had been in the days prior, only the slow rise and fall of his chest revealing that he was still okay.

Glancing towards his bedside table, she noticed a small pile of parchment and books stacked on the corner nearest her, causing a small smile to grace her lips. She had spent the first day at Harry's side, only leaving briefly for meals and to go to the lavatory. She was prepared to spend the next day there as well, until Professor McGonagall had set her straight and forced her to attend classes. She still spent every other moment there with him, forgetting her assignments in Gryffindor Tower more often than not. Thankfully, either Ginny or Neville would bring her stuff to her, but she found it hard to focus when Harry's recovery seemed more important.

She had not been his only visitor. The Quidditch team visited the first day and offered their condolences, along with a few former members of the DA. Hermione found herself surprised when Ron and Ginny showed up the second day along with their parents, the Twins, and Bill and Fleur. She chastised herself for thinking like that, they saw Harry as a member of their family, much like how Harry felt about them. They too stayed for many hours talking with Hermione, trying to assure her and the two younger Weasley's that Harry would pull through. When they left, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all received hugs from the other Weasleys while both Molly and Fleur gave Harry a kiss on the cheek. Hermione bristled a little when Fleur leaned did so, a reaction that was not lost on Ron if the expression on his face was any indication.

Her relationship with Ron had definitely improved since Harry had been admitted but there was still an awkward tension that hung between them. Ron would visit often, usually hanging around before their first class and then again after dinner for a few hours but never for more than a few hours. He and Hermione would engage in casual conversation but they stayed far away from anything related to their relationship and whenever Hermione would hold Harry's hand or brush his bangs from his forehead he would quickly avert his eyes.

She once again looked down at the boy in front of her and felt a swell of affection course through her body. Though she had been making progress on her feelings leading up to the incident with Malfoy, but since then even she couldn't deny what she was feeling. The thought of losing Harry nearly ripped her heart out and she finally had to accept that she held romantic feelings for her other best friend. She moved her hand to brush the fringe from his forehead, her hand trailing down to his cheek when the sound of a shoe scuffling behind her startled her.

Whipping around she saw Ron approaching, a look of discomfort on his face.

"Sorry for startling you. I noticed you had a far-away look when I came in and tried to leave quietly."

Hermione couldn't stop the small grin from growing on her face. "Yes, well subtlety has never been your strong suit." Her jest was awarded with a small chuckle from Ron as he decided to sit in the chair opposite her. They sat in a comfortable silence for several moments, Hermione stroking Harry's hand lightly. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Ron hadn't averted his eyes as he usually did, instead his expression was one that she couldn't immediately recognized.

"Hey, Hermione?"

"Yes Ron?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and she could see that he was mumbling to himself. "Look…I'm sorry for the way I've been acting lately. I knew things were going to be awkward after we broke up, but I didn't mean for it to go on this long."

Hermione's mouth fell open, she never expected this from Ron. "Ron, I-"

"Let me get this out Hermione," he pleaded. The look in his eyes stopped the retort she had on the tip of her tongue; whatever Ron had to say, it was obviously important. "At first I couldn't help but be angry. While I kept my distance, I couldn't help but see that you and Harry were getting closer and that only made me feel worse. It was easier to blame you guys than to accept that t was partially my fault but I've finally figured it out."

He stood up and pulled his chair back around the bed and sat directly in front of Hermione. He reached forward and gathered both of her hands into his own, making her feel small by how much his hands engulfed her own. Oh, how this kind of contact would have lit a fire in her just a few weeks ago.

"I even tried to convince myself that you both were doing it to spite me, but I get it now," his gaze drifted over to Harry, a sad smile now on his lips, "I get that whatever we would've had is nothing compared to what you two have."

She couldn't hold it back anymore, the tears that threatened to fall now were coming without resistance. She launched herself forward and wrapped in a strong hug.

"I'm so sorry Ron."

"I know Hermione, it's alright," he pulled back slightly but didn't completely disengage from her embrace. "You have to admit though, the whole 'opposites attract thing sounds like a load of bollocks doesn't it." The teasing lilt to his voice kept Hermione from admonishing him for his language, she was far too happy that she had one of her best friends back.

From that point on, conversation passed between them as naturally as it had before they were in a relationship. It felt refreshing to have that weight lifted off her chest, now all she needed was for Harry to wake up and everything would finally be normal again.

Ron got up to leave, giving Hermione a slightly teasing comment about making sure Harry knows before he left for the night, the former silence wrapping itself around her once again.

She had picked up one of her textbooks to read a little bit as she found the quiet to be oppressing. She had read nearly 10 pages before a soft groan broke her concentration. She looked down the infirmary, expecting to see another patient moving about, but found that her and Harry were alone. Movement in the corner of her vision caught her attention and she couldn't stop the rise in her heart rate at the sight of Harry slowly coming to.

Harry fought through the darkness that shrouded his brain, attempting to figure out what had happened to him. He was able to recognize the fact that he had been unconscious, his multiple injuries over the years making him very familiar with the feeling. Wracking his brain, he tried to recall the last things that happened before everything went dark.

Hogsmeade. Katie. Malfoy.

His mind slowly remembered everything that happened from finding out that Draco was the one who cursed Katie, to his duel with him, and then…nothing. That was the last thing he could recall, meaning that he had evidently lost.

Beginning the all too familiar routine of coming back into himself, he began to regain feeling through his body starting from his fingers and toes, before moving on the center of his body. As the numbness left his center he was aware of a dull ache around his torso and was unable to stop himself from fidgeting and emitting a small groan. As he finally regained feeling throughout his body, the ache turned into pain and he couldn't but move and groan further.

"Harry!"

The sound of Hermine's voice helped relieve some of the tension in his body. Leave it to her to once again be by his bedside after being injured. The thought that he was that important to her warmed his heart and despite knowing how disorienting it would be, he had to see her. He slowly opened his eyes allowing them to adjust to the lighting of the Hospital Wing, when he was met by the happy yet teary face of one Hermione Granger.

Before anything could be said between the two, Madam Pomfrey bustled over and conjured a privacy screen so that she could check Harry over, despite his repeated protests. Though he did feel some small pain, it would get better eventually.

He needed to see Hermione.

When the Medi-Witch was finally done, she dispelled the screen and Hermione retook he spot next to Harry's bed and immediately enclosed his closest hand in both of her's.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, but all around okay." He offered her a smile that she gratefully returned, both content to just look at each other for a moment. He couldn't think of anywhere else he would rather be than right here with her. The thought was equally scary as it was comforting; to think that he was so inexplicably linked to the girl in front of him was the kind of thing that he never thought would be a reality.

Madam Pomfrey returned with potions in hand and told Harry that he had to take them, making him grown and Hermione chuckle in response. He did as he was told, and once the two of them were alone, they settled back into their comfortable silence.

Hermione was the one to cut through the quiet once again.

"When Katie told me, I took off after you, hoping that I would catch you in time, if mot to stop you then to help you when you went to confront Malfoy. I heard Malfoy say the curse from your potion's book and when I found you," she closed her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying. Harry squeezed her hand to reassure her that he was fine and still alive, but it did little to calm her down. Apparently, whatever happened had quite an impact on her. "You were lying on the ground in a pool of your own blood and nothing I did was stopping it. I didn't know what to do."

She opened her eyes, the sadness replaced still there as her gaze refocused on him. "I don't know what would happen if I ever lost you?"

Her last statement caught Harry off-guard. True, he found it hard to believe that he relied on her so heavily, but to hear her essentially say that the same was true for her, honestly scared him a good bit. He opened his mouth not 100% sure what he would even say, before the potions that he had taken started to take effect and he was claimed once again by the comforting darkness of sleep.

Life at Hogwarts had once again found a sense of normality. A few days after regaining consciousness, Harry was out of the Hospital Wing and attending classes again, the only reminder of his most recent stay were the three slash-like scars that went across his torso. Upon his release, Madam Pomfrey had warned him to continue to take it easy for a few days, his recovery taxed his body and left him both physically and magically exhausted. Despite the restrictions on his use of magic, he couldn't be any more eager to leave the Madam Pomfrey's care.

Alongside his physical recovery, there was also the recovery of his friendship. He quickly noticed after coming to that Ron and Hermione were back on normal speaking terms with one another and with him. He assumed that they had hashed everything out while he was indisposed but had the wherewithal to understand that whatever sense of peace that his two best friends had come to was a private matter. Though this stopped him from asking, it didn't stop his curiosity, as he was almost sure that it had something to do with him. He tried to not dwell on it too much, deciding that the renewal of their comradery was enough.

Though Hermione was ecstatic that the awkwardness was gone, she couldn't but occasionally feel desponded that she hadn't had the opportunity to have a talk with Harry about her feelings. She assumed that he felt the same, the clarity of her own feelings brought with it an understanding of Harry's own behavior since her and Ron had begun dating, but she didn't want to assume. She ultimately decided that the three of them had just gotten some normalcy back to their relationship and chose to let things settle awhile before broaching that particular topic. Still, her mind couldn't help but analyze the situation and come up with multiple worst case scenarios, such as her choice to wait making Harry think she wasn't interested or his lack of action meaning that he wasn't either. She had to mentally shake herself from such thought nearly every day, reminding herself that there was no evidence to suggest any of her wayward thoughts were true.

On top of this, Harry had relayed to herself and Ron that Dumbledore was apparently close to finding one of the Horcruxes and that the Headmaster had given the impression that Harry was to join him. Even without asking, she could tell that Harry was both a little excited to be taking the fight to Voldemort but also apprehensive about whatever they would find. She admonished herself for not figuring out that her intuition into Harry's thoughts and feelings were an indication towards her own, but now was not the time to be thinking about that.

They all understood that these objects were the reason that Voldemort was unbeatable, and it would only make sense that they would be guarded with the worst traps imaginable to prevent anyone from finding and destroying them. These thoughts and fears were another reason that Hermione elected to not have that conversation with Harry quite yet. As time went on, it was apparent that Harry was getting increasingly nervous and she didn't want to do anything that would take his mind away from the task that he and Dumbledore had to do.

No, she decided that the conversation that needed to take place between the two of them could wait until after the mission. Once the Horcrux was out of the way, their lives would revert to another brief period of peace, making it the perfect opportunity for her and Harry to talk about the future of their relationship.

Little did she know right that particular thought was.

AN – Another chapter in the books. If the ending of this chapter seems a little off, it's because I wanted to save the next major part for the next chapter, but I felt that I needed to connect where this chapter ends and the next one begins. What I have coming up next is hopefully going to be big an I didn't want to clutter it up by beginning it with the last section of this chapter.

We're finally on the home stretch. There's only either 2 or 3 chapters left. It all depends on how lengthy the end of chapter 9 is. If I feel it's lengthy enough I'll divide it somehow. After those 1 or 2 chapters, there will be an epilogue and then the story will be done.

There will probably be some people who will be disappointed with where I left Harry and Hermione's relationship here but trust me for now that it will all matter in the end,

As always, thanks for reading!