Authors Notes: Thanks for the reviews people! :D I was so pleased with the response I got from the first chapter, I've decided to post the second chapter up early!
Muirnin: Sorry if it seems rude to ask for reviews, but I love getting them, and I love to know what people think of my story, so I can make it better!
ANDTORR: This is for you, so you don't get very angry! ^_^
And to others who noticed that Hermione didn't use the Mobilicorpus spell on Harry:
I did notice that too after I'd wrote it, but I figured, that if Hermione was panicking, she'd have forgotten about it, like she did in the first book with the devils snare and the fire, so I decided to leave it in there. ^_^
So here's the next chapter for everyone who reviewed, thank you so much!
Enjoy!
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Harry opened his eyes to a bright white light, and for a split second it blinded him, and forced him close his eyes once again. Blinking, he finally got used to the light and managed to keep his eyes open.
He looked around, confused for a second as to why this wasn't his comfortable four poster bed in Gryffindor Tower. Upon closer inspection, he found he was in the hospital wing, for what reason he did not know.
He felt something stir on his right side, and felt a mass of bushy hair on his hand. Looking down, he saw Hermione's mass of bushy chestnut hair, leaning on the side of Harry's bed, fast asleep. She was wearing a pink dressing gown and slippers, which could only mean that it was morning. Thoroughly confused as to why they were there, he tried to call her, to wake her up, only he found he couldn't. His voice was completely gone, only a faint raspy whisper came out. He tried again, trying to shout it out, but only gaining a cough. It grew into a coughing fit and he sat up, coughing furiously and violently.
At last this woke Hermione up. She lifted her head slowly, rubbing her pretty brown eyes and looking up at Harry sleepily. After a moment, her eyes widened, and she smiled gleefully before throwing herself onto him, in a tight hug. Confused, Harry hugged her back, feeling completely drained and like he hadn't gotten any sleep at all.
"Harry! You're awake! Oh, thank Goodness, I was so worried!"
She pulled back, and Harry was shocked to see tears falling down her face. He felt utterly confused as to why she was so relieved. What on earth must he have done to himself? He tried to speak again, but it only came out as a dry, croaky bark.
"What…? Why.. am I.. Here?"
It was her turn to look confused, as she cocked her head and narrowed her eyes.
"You mean, you don't remember?"
He shook his head and she continued.
"You collapsed, in the middle of the common room floor… I had to carry you up here, everyone was at Quidditch practice…"
As she told him it came flooding back to him, he remembered being sent off the pitch by Angelina, because he was too tired to play, and couldn't see the snitch. He went back up to the common room, and the last thing he remembered was being pushed up to bed by Hermione.
He suddenly registered in his head what she had said. She had carried him up here? All by herself?
He looked to her, trying to express his thanks in his eyes rather than failing to say it in words, and pulled her into a hug. He felt a little scared, wondering why he had collapsed and not even been able to make it up to bed. She seemed to sense this in his hug, as she hugged him tightly and said; "It's okay, Harry, at least you're awake now."
He couldn't get the fact that she had carried him all the way here from Gryffindor tower out of his head, and the frustrating thing was, he couldn't tell her how grateful he was. 'Just like Hermione', he thought, as she smiled at him and asked him whether he wanted a glass of water. He nodded, hoping the water would help him regain the use of his throat. 'She's always there for me, always there to lend a helping hand. It must have killed her to get me all the way up here by herself… I wish I could repay her somehow…'
She handed him the glass of water and he took a long sip, the cooling liquid soothing his burning throat. He set the glass back down on the bedside table, and coughed slightly, before attempting to speak, this time, it coming out slightly more coherent.
"I must have been quite heavy, having to carry me all the way up here?"
At this, she lowered her gaze, and Harry looked slightly worried.
"Well, actually, you weren't," Harry's worried look turned to one of surprise. "You were quite light, and, um," She looked up at Harry, her eyes slightly sad, which caused Harry more worry. "Madam Pomfrey seems to think that it might have been the reason why you collapsed…"
Harry gulped. He knew the reason why he was thin, and he wanted to keep that reason to himself. He didn't want people knowing how the Dursleys treated him at home, he thought it was pitiful, and it made him weak. Since last summer, they had treated him with the utmost loathing, which made the summer more depressing then usual. Dudley beat him up more, and once or twice invited hid gang to join in on the fun. He was given a job, by Uncle Vernon, at his drill making company, loading vans and lorries full of heavy drills, backbreaking work for little pay, which the Dursleys then confiscated as 'rent'. They fed him as little as possible, which, really, was the main factor in Harry's thinness, and only once a day.
Harry hated the idea of ever sharing this information with anyone, he did not want people knowing that he let people walk all over him like that. He didn't dare tell Ron or Hermione, for the sheer fact that thy would get distraught over it. He didn't want to worry them, especially not so that they'd tell any of the members of the order of the phoenix. Last time the order did something, they had made matters worse. Uncle Vernon had confiscated Hedwig from Harry, and sent the letters to the order himself, claiming that Harry was happy and doing fine.
Hermione was looking at him with a concerned look on her face. He knew she knew that he was hiding something, but, for now, he decided, this would remain a secret.
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He was hiding something, and she knew it. She watched him as with the mention on his being thin, he gulped and fell silent, well, more so than before. She knew that the Dursleys treated him bad, and she knew that he would never talk about it. That was why she had to get it from someone else….
She sat at his bedside for the fourth day running since he had collapsed, Ron by her side, both silent and staring at him, waiting for him to wake. After a while, Ron gave up, claiming he couldn't stand to see Harry like this again. Hermione understood how he felt, but she had to stay, for when he woke up, so he wouldn't be alone, and frightened. She stayed with him for what seemed like an hour, her bushy brown head on his chest, staring at his manly shaped face, his silky raven black hair falling over his eyes. Subconsciously, she brushed it away.
A sudden movement from around the curtain startled her, and she moved her hand away. She peered at the curtains as they moved to let Professor Dumbledore walk through. He made his way over to Harry's bed, and laid a withered old hand on his forehead, a forlorn look across his wizened face.
"Not again, Harry… You've seen these walls far too much…and mostly through no fault of your own."
He paused, his hand still resting gently on Harry's head, before turning his gaze to Hermione, smiling wearily.
"I expected to see you here, Miss Granger. I am glad you decided to stay here with Harry, he needs his friends around him, especially now that he has fallen ill…"
Hermione gave him a puzzled look. He was making it sound like something serious, and it was worrying her. Obviously, he noticed this, and carried on.
"I don't suppose Madam Pomfrey has told you the results of the tests she took? No? Then, let me enlighten you, for I am sure you are most anxious to know. Harry has fallen ill due to lack of food and poor treatment at home, which he has not made better for himself coming back to Hogwarts. He was weak, at the beginning of this year, as you may have noticed, and during the course of this term he has been pushing himself to get better at his studies, and train for his inevitable battle with Voldemort. But, as you can see, all this stress and lack of food has gotten to him at last…"
He looked on sadly, his usually twinkling blue eyes dimmer then usual, and Hermione could fully appreciate that Dumbledore cared for Harry greatly. Hermione was unaware of the tears that had fallen down her cheeks as Dumbledore was speaking, and hastily wiped them away, as she picked up Harry's hand in her own.
Dumbledore locked her eyes with his own at this contact between herself and Harry and smiled knowingly, something which confused Hermione slightly, and made her feel slightly curious.
"You must stick by Harry when he awakens, for he will need his friends around him. We need him to be able to open up about what happens at home, so we can try to do something about it. Otherwise, this will continue to happen…"
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She looked back up at him, her heart breaking when she thought of what he had to go through. She cared so much for Harry, her best friend in the entire world, and wished she could take his pain away, wished that she could carry his pain for him. She had to settle for giving him a hug or two, or telling him everything would be fine, and she didn't think it was fair.
He was looking around the hospital wing, at the cards which people had sent when the news that Harry Potter had collapsed had gotten round. She knew he would hate it that people knew, but there wasn't really that much she could do, nothing stayed secret in Hogwarts. He looked so frightened and pale, his messy black hair standing up in all directions endearingly. He began to cough, which turned into a violent coughing fit, and she rushed to get him a glass of water. He took a long sip, and smiled at her, setting the water down on the table.
"Thanks."
Hearing his raspy, croaky voice was enough for Hermione. She began to cry, tears falling from her face, and she tried to wipe them away, for Harry was looking more and more upset. She failed miserably however and threw herself upon his chest, hugging him tightly, and crying. She felt him bring his arms around her, they were warm and comfortable, and she cried even harder.
"I'm so sorry, Harry, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't be crying like this! I'm not the one who's ill! I should be thinking of you, but I feel horrible! You shouldn't have to go through this, you shouldn't!"
She continued to cry and Harry hugged her tighter.
"Don't worry, Hermione," He croaked. "I'll get better soon, promise…"