AN: It's good to know most of you like this story (and hopefully the rest of it). Some of you might think Hermione's OOC in this chapter, but I think her actions are understandable, given the situation.
Disclaimer: Seemed to have forgot about this. I don't own Harry Potter. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Scholastic.
After Ginny had left, and Harry had been given a dreamless sleep potion, Hermione got up and walked over to the bed
next to his.
"Professor Lupin?" asked Hermione quietly as she slowly pulled his curtains back. She knew he hadn't
taught in four years, but she couldn't help calling him Professor.
Unlike Harry, he was sitting up in his bed, his head in his hands. She watched as he took in one laboured breath after
another, accompanied occasionally by an odd choking sound.
"How did it happen?" she asked softly, not bothering with formalities. He didn't look up as he replied it
a quiet voice.
"Snape sent me the ingredients to the potion -wrote the things as clear as day. Apparently I couldn't read
them as well."
"But Professor Dumbledore said you never drank the -"
"Dumbledore's intelligence was wrong then. I drank it all right. I just brewed it wrong. They secured me, but
that was useless…" These words were followed by a small sob, and Hermione stood up in disbelief, not offering any
comfort as she walked slowly from the bed.
On her way to the hospital wing, she had had time to reflect on the situation. She had figured someone had poisoned his
potion, or he had been hurt, and had been incapable of taking it. Dozens of different scenarios had floated through her
mind, but not this. He was a grown wizard, for Merlin's sake, he should've known how to brew a bloody potion.
She turned around, anger beginning to flow through her.
"How could you?" she hissed, with fire in her eyes. For once in her life Hermione Granger was completely infuriated. Whenever she had been angry before, no matter how bad it had gotten, there had always been that logic she was known for lingering in the back of her mind. That was gone now. She no longer registered the tears streaming down Remus's face, Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore just a few yards away, or the boy in the bed next to her.
"You were a professor damn it!" she hissed as Lupin hung his head, "How brainless could you be?" The increasing volume of her voice had caught the adults' attention and Dumbledore quickly made his way over.
"Ms. Granger -"
"No!" she shouted turning to the headmaster before he could finish speaking, "Are you saying nothing's wrong? Look at what he's done!"
"Ms. Granger that's quite enough!" snapped Madame Pomfrey as she made her way over. Hermione looked angrily between Madame Pomfrey's glare and Dumbledore's typically unreadable eyes. All three however turned at the sound of a door opening.
Ginny Weasley walked into the wing, confused by the glaring match that was going on in front of her.
"I forgot my bag…what's going on?" she asked as she picked her bag up from the floor.
"Nothing," snapped Hermione, and with one last glare at Remus she headed toward the door.
"I'll be back when Harry wakes up." she added to Ginny tersely before she strode away.
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Ron Weasley lie on his bed in Gryffindor tower, staring out at the thick snow falling past the window. He was calmer now, his temper cooled considerably.
That's a first, he thought to himself, Actually calming down before I break something. He didn't know what caused his outburst earlier. He was supposed to be seventeen, not some second year that couldn't control his emotions. In reality the past 24 hours had been a living nightmare for Ron. For some reason, old resentment had flared up this morning, at a most inopportune moment. He drew the hangings shut, hoping after a small rest, he'd be able to go to the hospital wing and visit his friend, not to mention his sister, with some pride intact.