Disclaimer: We didn't make Harry Potter. Deal with it.
“Harry, wake up,” sighed Hermione Granger. She hastily brushed aside some curly strands of bushy hair. St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was the last place Hermione wanted to be. Thoughts of regretful arguments were racing through her usually sensible mind. She began to stroke Harry’s cold forehead.
“Do you think he will blame me?” Hermione asked Ron suddenly.
“He shouldn’t, but he was really mad. What did you say to him, by the way? All I heard was shouting and when I got to the kitchen, I saw him slamming the door in your face,” Ron stood up and started pacing.
Ginny, who also happened to be sitting there with Ron and Hermione, looked very pale. She knew what had happened, but she had lied about it. No one else knew what had happened to him that dreadful night.
Hermione stopped stroking Harry’s forehead and began to stare at it. She wondered what he was feeling. She wondered why he was unconscious. She wondered if he was thinking of how horrible she had been lately.
“Hermione, it’s not your fault,” persuaded Ginny, using all the strength she could muster in her frail voice.
“But if it is not my own fault, then who is to blame? I know it wasn’t your fault. If only you had been there when whatever happened to Harry happened. The healers could have him awake by now.”
Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but Hermione did not take notice to Ginny’s awkward behavior. Suddenly, Ginny jumped out of her chair.
“What is it Ginny?” asked Hermione in a concerned voice, looking up at her.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just remembered something I had to do. Send an owl if Harry wakes up, please. I really look forward to seeing him smile again. No, don’t worry; I think I will be back. I can handle it.”
“Fine,” Ron said. Seconds later, Ginny had left the room.
“Ron, I have something to ask-” Hermione began shakily.
“No way,” groaned Ron, interrupting Hermione.
Hermione, who was also trying to comb Harry’s messy hair, although she knew it was entirely worthless to do so, put the comb on the bedside table and turned around. She scowled as Draco Malfoy entered the ward with a superior look on his pale face.
“What?” Hermione asked in the same shaky voice.
“Oh, hello theoretical best friends to this pathetic lump of nothing inside some thick wool blanket. I just had a few words with some…people. Plus I wanted to give you my money for the bet now. See, you think Potter will come around. I disagree with your assumption. I personally think he will be gone by tomorrow morning; you get the money because you need it, Weasley.”
Hermione glared at Malfoy. “Why don’t you just leave us alone? You always bullied Harry in our previous years at Hogwarts. But when we go back for our final year, I won’t let you. See, I am Head Girl. Harry is Head Boy. They have more power than all the Prefects put together. You can be thrown out of the school if I get strong enough evidence to Dum- I mean, McGonagall.”
“And I am threatened by this, how?” Malfoy asked in a somewhat amused voice.
Hermione didn’t answer.
“I’ll just leave, then,” Malfoy said after a long, awkward silence.
“How could he do that?” Hermione asked Ron through heavy tears after she was positive that Malfoy had left.
“I don’t know. It is Malfoy, do you really need an explanation? He’s a bloody menace,” Ron said to Hermione in a somewhat consoling voice. He patted her on the back and she felt something inside of her jump.
“Hello,” said another familiar voice. This person, however, was one person that they were always pleased to see and talk to. Remus Lupin stood in the doorway. Hermione glanced over her shoulder to see him looking more battered and ill than ever.
“Lupin, how nice it is to see you!” Hermione said to him as he began to walk toward Harry’s bed. She was still crying.
“Hermione, what’s wrong? You don’t exactly seem happy to see anybody right now.”
“No, really, I am fine. It’s just, Draco Malfoy came in and he…”
“What?”
“He said that he was sure that Harry would be gone by tomorrow! How could he say something that is so obviously untrue? Harry will wake up. He has to!” Hermione said determinedly, with her tears finally slowing down.
“That isn’t true in any way at all. How about we leave Harry alone for a few moments and get some tea?” Lupin suggested, being very careful not to say anything offensive to either of the two troubled teenagers.
“If leaving him will bring him back around, then I won’t be reluctant at all to go, but what if something happens? I mean, Ginny left and said she had to do something. I wonder what it was.”
“She sent an owl to me and persuaded me to come and try to, just possibly, calm you down a bit. Her letter wasn’t calm, though. She has a hypocritical side to her.”
“Okay, shall we go, now?” Ron was uncomfortable thinking and talking about Harry, with the state of things; although he had been doing so ever since Harry had arrived at St. Mungo’s.
“Yes, let’s go now before I change my mind,” Hermione said quickly. As they left Harry’s room, Hermione glanced back at him and had to blink tears out of her eyes. She knew that she should stop having breakdowns, but she felt that she was to blame for everything that had happened in the past few days.
“Here we are. This tearoom is quite lovely, don’t you think? Why don’t you two sit down, I can get the tea. Go on ahead, that couch over there looks very comfortable,” said Lupin cheerfully.
“Okay,” Ron said dully. Hermione sat right next to him.
“Ron, I want to talk to somebody about this important issue. I have felt this way for a while, but I don’t know what to say. Do you think I should tell them about my feelings on this particular thing, or would now be a bad time?”
“I don’t know, I’m not exactly the person to go to for advice, but do whatever you have to do. First, can you hand me that muffin?”
“That wasn’t much help, but I think I should go ahead. Ron, I love you. I can’t tell you how much I have been looking forward to finally being your girlfriend, but it is never the right time.”
It took Ron a minute to respond. He looked shocked that she had asked him. “Blimey. I can’t, Hermione. You know I can’t. Bloody bad timing for this, I agree. Besides, don’t you love Vicky?” he added, with a bitter tone to his voice.
“No, Ron. I haven’t talked to him for months. And I never really loved him. I admit that I liked him, but I never once loved him. I won’t beg for a yes, but I expected more.”
A minute later, Lupin came back with the tea floating in front of him. “Now, back on to the discussion we were having about Harry. Do they have any idea what happened to him, in the least, a possible hint?”
Hermione shook her head to Lupin’s question. She was unable to speak. Her heart had been ripped into a million pieces, and the expression she saw on Ron’s face was not one of regret. She saw nothing but concern on Ron’s face. The concern was for his best friend, but not the girl who dreamed of being with him and only him for so long.
“It is a shame Ginny doesn’t know. She could have been the key that may perhaps fit into the lock, speaking figuratively, of course,” Lupin was sipping his tea and wondering about many things concerning Harry, the Order, and when one particular person was going to reveal all he knew.
“I agree, it’s such a shame she doesn’t know. But, if you don’t mind, I really don’t feel like being around anybody right now, so, I’ll just go. Believe me, I’ll be fine,” Hermione said, placing her tea cup on the table by the couch.
Hermione looked back at Ron and felt tears filling her eyes once more. She doubted that she would ever be fine. She found herself standing outside of Harry’s ward. She knew that going back in would bring so much pain. She knew that the pain was supposedly avoidable, and she should have just let Harry go. There was also a hole in her heart where her feelings for Ron had been for so long.
“Hermione!” Ron shouted, walking up to the pathetic looking girl.
“Hello, Ronald. I don’t feel like going in at the moment. I thought I said that I wanted to be alone.”
“Hermione, if this is about me, you shouldn’t punish Harry for what I said. I mean it, go on in. I don’t think he will be mad. I am not going to let you make a fool of yourself and me, because you know that I’m the fool.”
“Fine,” Hermione said bitterly. She went inside the room and stopped as she saw who was sitting by Harry’s bed. It was Luna Lovegood.
“Yes, I understand. But honestly, you should wear the wool ones, as they are the warmest. Oh, hello! Harry was complaining about his feet being cold, so I was suggesting which pair he should wear. He doesn’t want the wool ones because they itch, but the rest are so thin. And one is infested with nargles. Speaking of nargles, would you like to assist me with the nargle song I wrote?”
“How can you talk to him? He’s out cold!” Hermione had a look of fury on her face.
“Telepathic communication,” Luna said brightly.
“No. That’s not possible! It’s just a myth! Besides, I doubt he would care about his socks. Nothing is going right!” Hermione turned around and left Luna and Ron standing in an awkward silence.
“She’s mental, I’m telling you. I have never seen her so…moody. Ginny isn’t any better, either. They both have gone mental…” mumbled Ron.
“Ah, but have they? You say they are mental, but maybe you are being insensitive to their feelings,” Luna said wisely.
“I-no, I’m not being insensitive to anyone’s feelings!” Ron’s ears were turning pink.
“Whatever you say,” Luna said in an extraordinarily serious voice.
“Excuse me?” a small healer called, “visiting hours are over. Can you please come back tomorrow?”
“Fine,” Ron grumbled. He walked out in a huff, Luna following close behind.
Author’s note: Yes, awkward timing for Hermione. Um, I think that is about all I have to say...just thanks to my beta!