A/N: Quite a long chapter, with much dialogue and really not helping more than one plotline of the story. Please enjoy anyways. I'll be 17 tomorrow!!! Agh!
Chapter 24: I Should Have Listened
"He just walked right by us, Hermione! Like he didn't even know who we were!" Harry exclaimed a few minutes later. He and Ron had gone to the hospital wing immediately after to report the strange incident.
"Harry-- he doesn't know who I am.... he only knows you," Ron replied.
"I get what you're saying Harry," Hermione said. Harry smiled appreciatively.
"Yeah, he must be getting to used to people almost wetting their pants when they see him," Ron said sarcastically.
"Ron, you know I hate it when--"
"Of course I do," Ron interrupted, "I was only joking."
"Who's Roscoe Semoris?" Hermione asked.
"Dunno," the boys said simultaneously.
"But really creepy....if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was Snape's brother for all he was so greasy and oily-looking," Ron said.
"But you know how Fudge is always so....arrogant?" Hermione and Ron nodded. "He wasn't today. He just stood there, agreeing with everything Semoris said."
"Usually he just says what he wants and that's the end of it," Ron commented. "He was so un-Fudge-like today."
"Well, now that you've finished your lovely story, would you mind going and taking a shower? You two smell awful! What have you two been doing?" Hermione interjected.
"Playing Quidditch with Ginny and Rachel," Ron said, "Well Harry helped Ginny and I--"
"You planned with Rachel where your next make-out session would be!" Harry teased.
"I did not!" said Ron indignantly, cheeks flaming.
"Ooh who's Rachel?" Hermione asked.
"Just one of Ginny's friends," Harry said. "She was at your party last night. Long brown hair, freckles--"
"And green, green eyes...like two emeralds...." Ron trailed off.
"Like Harry's?" she asked. Ron nodded dreamily. Harry and Hermione looked at each other and then at Ron and burst out laughing.
"What's going on?" Ron demanded, snapping back to reality.
"It doesn't matter," Harry said.
"Are you two going to change anytime soon?" Hermione inquired. "The smell is suffocating me!"
"Yeah, yeah we're leaving. See you later Hermione,"Ron said grumpily, dragging Harry off by the neck of his robes.
"Bye! We'll be back later!" Harry called after him, struggling to stay upright and unlatch Ron's hand from his robe's neck.
***
Later that afternoon, Harry returned to the hospital wing alone. Ron had gone off, muttering something about going to meet some new friends for a game of Gobstones or some such nonsense. Harry figured he was having a secret rendezvous with Rachel in the gardens or something.
When Harry entered Hermione's curtained off area, she was fast asleep...again. Although he hated to wake her, he didn't want to leave without a visit since he had promised to come again later. He stepped up to her bedside and leaned down to wake her.
"Hermione," he whispered, pusing her bushy brown hair back from hair still slightly discolored face. Her eyelashes fluttered open.
"Hmmm?" she mumbled, still half-asleep.
"It's Harry. I just wanted to see if you wanted to visit right now. If you're not up to it, I'll just leave and go back upstairs."
"No, no. I'm awake, I'm awake,"she said, sitting up abruptly shaking the fog of sleep out of her head.
"You sure are sleeping a lot. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. It's the medicine Madam Pomfrey is giving me to help my skin go back to normal and to keep my fever down. It just makes me a little drowsy."
"Oh."
They sat in silence for a few moments.
"I have some schoolwork to do--" Hermione began.
"Alright I'll leave then--" he interrupted, but was cut off by her.
"Actually I was wondering if you would help me a bit," she asked.
"Me, help you?"
"Yeah why not?"
"I'm just so used to being the helped, not the helper."
"I just need some stuff explained, that I probably missed in class."
"Alright let's see it," Harry directed her. She pulled a book from her bedside table.
"Do you want to sit down?" she said, scooting over to make room beside her.
"Are you sure?"
"Harry, I don't have cooties and you don't smell anymore... you smell good now."
He grinned. "Alright then. Show me what you need help on."
Hermione began explaining. After two seconds, when he realized that she knew exactly what she was talking about and was probably being overly conscientious of what to write, he tuned out. He watched her hands as they deftly flicked the through the pages, and pointed to things. She turned her head to him to ask him a question, to which he nodded absent-mindedly. She looked back at the pages and he continued watching her as she studied the words on the page and the question at hand. He watched her lips moving as she spoke and her lashes flicking open and closed.
She began to be aware of him staring at her. A tear rolled down her cheek. Since he was watching her, he saw it and immediately noticed that she had stopped speaking and sat there staring at the book as more tears spilled down her cheeks.
"What's wrong Hermione?"
"My skin isn't that bad is it? I'm afraid that it'll never go away....I hate being so vain, but it's awful when your best friend can't even help staring at it...it looks all moldy doesn't it..."
"No, no Hermione. I wasn't looking at that. Come here." He put his arms around her and folded her into a tight embrace. "You're not vain. And no it doesn't look moldy! You can barely see it...it's almost gone!"
"I should have listened to you when you said the bacon smelled funny. Then I wouldn't be in this mess!"
"Don't worry about it. You'll be fine. Don't cry any more. You're beautiful Hermione," he said. He wiped away her tears with his thumb.
"You really think so?" she said, her chocolatey eyes gazing up at him.
"Of course. You're the most beautiful person I know, inside and out."
"Thanks Harry."
"I think I should leave. Would you like anything before I do?" Harry asked.
"No. I'll be fine. I think I'll play with my mood ring for awhile," she chuckled.
"Don't work too hard. Just...read or something. I'll come in tomorrow after Quidditch try-outs. Ron and Ginny are going to be there. Hey....wait here a second!" he dashed out.
"Where do you think I'm gonna go?" she muttered. She lightly touched the bandage still on her head and ran her fingers over her mottled skin. She heard raised voices in Madam Pomfrey's office. A few seconds later, Harry strode back through the curtains.
"You're coming out to the Quidditch pitch with me tomorrow. Somehow I convinced her that the fresh air would do you good," he stated proudly.
"Oh Harry, you're the best! I'm beginning to get cabin fever! Thank you so much Harry!" She reached up and threw her arms around him.
"It's the least I could do after making you feel so bad. I'll be here to pick you up at nine o'clock then?"
She disentangled herself from him. "But I thought try-outs started at 11...."
"They do. I have a surprise waiting for you.... I already checked it with Madam Pomfrey. She said it was fine with her.... but I'll let you wait to see it in the morning! Nine o'clock! Don't be late!" He leaned down and gave her a squeeze before stepping back and leaving.
"What is he planning?" she muttered to herself. She picked up her wand, pointed it at her quill and transfigured it into an alarm clock. She set it for seven, placed it back on her dresser and turned out the light. She promptly fell asleep.
***