'Harry?'
'Don't forget about me!'
~ The Problem With Ginny ~
'Ginny, are you in here?'
Thanks to Fred and George, Hermione now found herself in the girl's bathroom on the ground floor. While she did genuinely want to help Ginny, it couldn't of come at a worse time! She desperately wanted to get back to Harry. Three minutes ago they'd almost kissed, and now she was surrounded by toilets? It wasn't right.
'Hello? Ginny?'
'Go away, Hermione!' Ginny snapped, concealed behind a cubical door. Hermione sighed impatiently.
'Ginny, what's wrong? You've got everyone really worried about you!' She added under her breath, 'we could all be doing more important things right now!'
Ginny didn't respond.
'Ginny, please! This is getting ridiculous. Can you come out already?'
Still no response. Hermione tried a more sensitive approach.
'Is it something embarrassing? Because if it is, you know you can - '
'No!' Ginny interrupted loudly, her voice reverberating off the bathroom walls. 'I'm just angry!'
Without warning, the cubical door Ginny was concealed behind flung open. She wasn't kidding when she said she was angry; coming towards Hermione, she looked ready to strangle someone. Hermione took a step back at the thought.
'Why, Hermione?' Ginny demanded nonsensically, throwing her arms in the air. 'Why would they lie to me?'
'Who? Who lied to you?' Hermione asked innocently, having no idea what Ginny was talking about.
'My entire family!' she cried, and began pacing up and down the bathroom like a caged tiger, gritting her teeth. 'I can't keep this in any longer…I have to say something...'
'Ginny, I'm afraid I don't quite understand - '
'I'm adopted, Hermione!'
Hermione could've laughed, but she checked herself. This had to be a joke. A joint effort between Ginny, Fred, George and Ron, perhaps? It had to be!
'Where on earth did you get that idea?'
'I found out,' said Ginny plainly. 'Well, I guess I figured it out more or less. I mean, it explains everything doesn't it?'
Hermione shook her head dismissively. 'I'm sorry, what does it explain?'
'Why I love Ron! It's because I'm adopted! It's the only way to explain it. You understand what I'm saying, don't you Hermione?'
Hermione had to laugh now. This was getting beyond a joke. Two days ago Ginny had accidentally fallen in love with Ron due to love potion. Hermione wasn't well informed on the details, but she knew Ginny had since been cured...right?
'Have you lost your mind? Ginny, Ron's your brother! That's...that's the most absurd thing I've ever heard!'
'He's not my brother! I'm adopted!' Ginny enforced. Hermione pursed her lips sternly, channeling Professor McGonagall.
'No! No you're not, Ginny!'
'Yes I am!'
'You're not adopted!'
'Yes I am!'
Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but then quickly thought against it. Ginny was clearly on the edge, and Hermione knew better then to push her off.
'I hoped you would at least understand, Hermione,' Ginny went on, staring at her reflection in the mirror over the sink. 'Don't you know what it's like to be in love with somebody?'
'I - ' Hermione found this question a little hard to answer. 'I think this is different!' Ginny slammed her hands on the sink and spun around.
'No, it's not different! It's love! Perhaps you're conspiring with my family too...' Ginny considered, now filled with suspicion.
'Ginny!' Hermione gasped, not knowing how much more insanity she could take - she'd had quite enough insanity for one year, thank you very much. 'I am not conspiring against you and neither is your family, I swear! You have to stop thinking such things! What you're saying doesn't make any sense. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were - that you were...'
'That I was what?' said Ginny expectantly.
Relapsing Hermione thought, but didn't say. That was it. Ginny had to be relapsing! How else could this all be explained?
'Er, Ginny,' said Hermione, adopting a more systematic tone of voice. 'How exactly were you cured of the Aphora Bewitching Potion?'
Ginny was confused.
'What does that have to do with anything?'
'Humour me!'
Thinking for a moment, Ginny then said, 'I was given the same herbal remedy as Harry and Malfoy. Why?'
Hermione recalled Ron telling her about a herbal remedy. She was annoyed at the time, seeing she'd previously believed the only way to truly cure an Aphora Bewitching Potion involved traveling to Greece and performing a ritual. It seemed there was some merit in this after all. Ginny had to be relapsing, but Hermione needed to be sure.
'Listen to me, Ginny,' said Hermione seriously. 'You're not well. You have to trust me. I think you may have something called potion relapse - '
'Potion recap?'
'No, relapse! Love potion relapse,' Hermione stated carefully. 'In the mean time, whatever you do,' Hermione's voice was extra grave, 'stay away from Ron! I don't think he'll take this very well.'
With this established, Hermione was set to leave and headed for the exit.
'Hang on!' said Ginny, still confused. 'Where are you going?'
'I'll explain later! Trust me!' Hermione called back, and without turning round, hurried out the door.
~ Love Potion Relapse ~
Hermione's point of destination was the library. On arriving, she saw Harry and Ron were no longer there, which was probably a good thing since Hermione needed to concentrate. Determined, she charged into the Potions section and began stripping it bare. She eventually came across the perfect book.
'The Most Common Effects of Potion Backsliding, Regression and Relapsing, excellent!'
Dropping herself and her bag to the floor, Hermione spread the book open, turned to the first page and ran her finger down the extensive index.
'Backsliding, regression and relapsing in love potions, page three hundred.'
Hermione turned to page three hundred. There was another list here, detailing a number of different love potions. Hermione scanned the list, until she saw the Aphora Bewitching Potion. This then led her to the following passage:
Love potion relapse for the Aphora Bewitching Potion
This type of relapse occurs when treatment for an Aphora Bewitching Potion has been inconclusive. The Aphora Bewitching Potion is a highly potent love formula, and is extremely difficult to stabilise once taken. Most treatments are temporary, lacking long-term results
Symptoms for love potion relapse include, in varying degrees: delusional behavior, increased anxiety and elaborate fantasising. Patients resume being 'in love' with the bounder of their Aphora Bewitching Potion. In most cases, patients will fabricate absurd reasons to justify their relapse. Famous witch Maureen Mole suffered relapse from the Aphora Bewitching Potion for ten years. She believed, most inaccurately, that fifteen-year-old Benjamin Youngblood, the best friend of her son, was the reincarnation of her dead husband Merrick Mole.
'Then, relapse evokes fantasies to explain attraction after one thinks they've been cured,' Hermione rationalised, thinking of Ginny. 'Like believing one is adopted.'
Hermione continued reading to the next paragraph.
It is strongly advised, when attempting to cure an Aphora Bewitching Potion, that the proper ritual be taken on Mount Olympus. Any other treatment runs risk of causing relapse.
Satisfied, Hermione shut the book and stared into space for a moment. An awful realisation was on the threshold of being revealed.
'If Ginny has love potion relapse,' she reasoned aloud, 'Krum probably has it too.' Hermione eyes flicked to her school bag, where she'd stuffed Krum's 'I'm still interested in you' letter. 'And if Krum has relapse, that means...' with a heavy heart, 'Harry?'
'Don't forget about me!'
Hermione was in the motion of turning around, but then the voice behind her said 'stupefy!', and everything went black.
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