The Sense

Note: Thank you again for the reviews. Like always, I am looking to improve my work so if anything can be fixed, please tell me. 'Tis greatly appreciated ^_^. Oh, and also updates are shortish and shall remain shortish for a little while. I'm a senior in high school who will be graduating soon so it's kind of hectic right now. But hey, after I graduate I'll have the whole summer to write. All I have to do is shelf books at a library (the worst possible summer job imaginable). So, on with the show...

Mrs. Weasley carefully descended their creaking stairs into the living room, where Tonks and Kingsley were deep in discussion.

“Why are you two in here? I thought you where in the kitchen.”

“Lover’s spat in the kitchen.” Tonks grinned. Kingsley laughed.

“Excuse me?” Mrs. Weasley clutched her apron and wrung it between her fingers.

“Harry and Hermione were in there fighting in there about half an hour ago, so we thought it best to leave them alone.” Kingsley said.

“And what makes you think they are – “

“Relax, Molly, it was just a joke!” Tonks motioned her to come sit down. Mrs. Weasley relaxed and took a seat.

“What were they fighting about?”

“No clue. Tea?” Tonks offered. Mrs. Weasley shook her head.

“Was it bad? Do I have to speak – “

“Molly, relax, they can handle it. They’re adults.” Kingsley said. “Now, do you know when the – “

Suddenly they heard the creaking kitchen door swing open and slam against the wall. Several footsteps pounded against the Weasley's worn but clean floor. The yelling voices of distressed teenagers interrupted the conversation.

“MUM!” Ron yelled.

“Mum, Hermione fell!” Ginny rushed into the living room, flushed.

Ron and the twins followed her, all equally out of breath.

“She was – “ Fred gasped.

“We…fly…she – “ George tried to elaborate.

“Fell…shitty broom – “

“WHAT have I told you about foul language in this house!?” Mrs. Weasley scolded, temporarily focusing on Fred's choice of words.

Harry then scrambled in, a limp Hermione in his arms.

“Oh, Hermione!” Molly rushed over. Tonks and Kingsley shot up and gently nudged some Weasleys aside to help.

“Here, let me have her.” Kingsley took Hermione from Harry’s arms and placed her on the couch. Harry was reluctant to let go of her, but he knew that she as in good hands. This did nothing but strengthen his feeling of helplessness. “What happened?”

“We wanted to play Quidditch. We got her to play with us but – “ Harry began.

“You got her on a BROOM?!” Mrs. Weasley demanded. Though it was never spoken out loud by anyone, it was common knowledge that Hermione avoided broomsticks.

“Yeah, she said she wanted to give it a go, so we gave her my old broom.” Ron explained.

“No, we made her do it.” Harry said quietly, looking away. “We guilted her into doing it. I guilted her. Said it would ruin my birthday if she didn’t.”

“Harry, this is not your fault.”Ginny said firmly, joining Kingsley and Tonks and Hermione’s side.

“Yeah, mate, it was an accident. Not everything is your fault.” Ron agreed. His voice wavered. “If anything…it’s my fault. I gave her the stupid broom.”

“You didn’t know she would fall.”

“Neither did you.”

“I still got her to do it.”

“Please, since when has anyone gotten Hermione to do something she didn’t want to do, anyway? She’s got a will of a stubborn horse, that one. Remember when she dumped that Brain Elixir of Carmichael's before your O.W.L.s?” Fred said.

"They were doxy droppings." Ginny reminded them.

“I do it all the time.” Harry murmured silently. He always got Hermione to do things she didnt want to do. The most recent and major being when he almost brought her, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna to their deaths in the Ministry of Magic in his 5th year. He wrung his hands until he could no longer feel his fingers and his forehead had wrinkled in worry. He had a sudden flashback of when Antonin Dolohov cursed Hermione into unconsciousness and he felt the same feeling of guilt, regret, helplessness.

Now I know how she felt when I pretended to be hurt. I’m scum. I can’t believe I did this to her...It’s my fault...I did this...

“Ouch, we’ve got something.” Tonks announced, holding back a clump of soft brown bangs. A large round bruise disfigured Hermione’s flawless skin near her left temple. Harry bit his lip so hard he tasted blood.

Hermione, be ok. Please, be okay.

"Should we, I mean, we need ice for that right?"

The Weasleys stared at him like he was mad.

"What?" Ron asked, bewildered.

"To bring down the swelling. We need ice." Harry clarified. He was met with the same blank stares.

"Mitigo" Tonks said. She pointed her wand at Hermione's forehead and instantly the nasty bruise began to shrink. In a few seconds all trace of it was gone.

"What are you going on about, Harry? Ice?" George wondered.

"Muggles do it to bring swelling down."

Mrs. Weasley looked mystified. "Really? And how long does that take?"

"Few hours...depends on how bad it is. Sometimes days."

Mrs. Weasley looked horrified and shook her head, muttering about "poor muggles". "If we had to do that, the amount of times my boys have been knocked in the head, they'd have permanent brain damage by now."

"You mean they don't?" Ginny made a face. "A lot of good magic did them, then."

"Watch it, Ginny." Ron threatened.

Ginny ignored Ron and peered into Hermione's face. "So she'll be okay? Won't end up as dim as this lot?" she indicated her brothers.

"She'll be just fine, the damage is gone. In fact, I'd say she'll be waking up any minute now." Tonks smiled.

Thank God. Harry wiped his forehead, surprised to see how slick with sweat it had gotten.

~*~

Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay...

She'll be alright...

She's got to be okay, she's go to be...

Hermione's blank mind was suddenly assaulted with intense feelings of worry. Her thoughts exploded with feelings of guilt and anxiousness. It was as if a blanket of worries had been wrapped around her brain, trying to smother it. Wave upon wave of anxiety pounded at her. She couldn't take it. She jolted awake and her eyes were greeted with 5 heads of red hair and piercing green eyes. She clutched her head and screamed.

~*~

"Hermione!" Harry cried. She curled into a shaking ball and shrieked.

"NO! STOP IT! LEAVE ME ALONE, NO!!" she screamed, grasping her ears as if blocking her hearing would stop the assault. Instead, the Weasleys, Harry, Kingsley and Tonks seemed to get even more panicked about Hermione. Confusion also radiated from them. This increased the pressure on Hermione's brain to the point of torture.

"Hermione, please, what's wrong!?" Mrs. Weasley grasped her by the shoulders. Hermione was blasted with another wave of panic, but this wave seemed to be held back by something. Something soft. Warm. Inviting. Pleasant.

She realized that all of their anxiety and panic seemed to be lined with this feeling. The warm, pleasant feeling that seemed to transform the savage attacks into something bearable.

What the hell is going on?

She removed her hands from her ears, but she still shook in fear. The feelings where tolerable now. They were not as clear anymore, but tolerable. Their thoughts were growing vague.

Their thoughts? I could feel their thoughts!?

"Hermione" Harry grabbed both her shoulders from Mrs. Weasley and looked into her eyes. "Hermione, are you okay?"

Harry had the warmest feeling. The most pleasurable. It made her feel relaxed, as if she were lying on a cloud and had no troubles in the world. She was so wrapped up in the amazing feeling that she did not answer. She closed her eyes.

"Hermione, please talk." Harry said more desperately, seeing that Hermione had closed her eyes again. He gave her shoulders a little squeeze. "Please."

Suddenly the warm pleasant feeling was replaced. Increasing guilt and panic washed over Hermione again. Again, the mental strain became intense.

"ARGH!" she cried and pulled away as if Harry's touch burned her skin. "I have to...I have..." She could not continue. She could not take it. The Weasleys, Kingsley and Tonks stared as she bolted from the couch and sprinted to the room she and Ginny shared. The door shut with a BANG.

Harry bit his lip. She hates me.

---That's all for Chapter 3. I just wanted to insert this random bit of information: EVERYONE must go watch Prisoner of Azkaban, if you haven't already. There was so much H/Hr I nearly spazzed. In a good way.