Thanks for all of the great reviews! I couldn't hold out on you guys for long, so here's the next one.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Visiting hours are over, Ms. Granger," Madame Pomfrey said gently.
"But someone needs to be here with him. Can't I just stay for tonight?"
Hermione could see the conflicting emotions play out on her face. "Fine," she answered, "but you must promise me that if any changes in his condition occur at all, you will notify me immediately."
She nodded fervently.
A small smile spread across Madame Pomfrey's features. She turned to go to her quarters for the night, but turned around and asked, "What spell was placed on Mr. Potter exactly? You three were in such a state, I couldn't understand anything you were saying."
"Malfoy cast something called Amortium. It was a spell I've read about before, but it's been such a long time I've forgotten what it is. Do you have any idea?"
She raised her eyebrows. "I've never seen such a response to this type of spell before," she murmured.
"But what is it?" Hermione asked with a hint of impatience.
"A Love Spell. It makes the person that is hit fall in love with the person that they love most. This is the most severe case I've ever seen; no one has been knocked unconscious by one of these in my experience before. Mr. Malfoy must have been quite angry when he cast this."
Hermione glimpsed at Harry. Was he going to be alright?
"In any case, if all goes well, Mr. Potter will wake up in the morning, right as rain. Whoever is the recipient of his love should take caution; however, these things can become very messy, especially when dealing with teenagers. When he does wake up, keep him in this room. I need to see who the unfortunate person on the other end is and notify them."
Hermione replied, "Yes, Madame Pomfrey," and the older woman smiled and walked out of the main hospital wing to her room. Hermione turned to Harry.
"How many times am I going to end up waiting for you in this hospital wing before we leave school," she sighed as she made herself comfortable in the chair. It was going to be a long night.
* * *
The sunlight poured into the windows and Hermione groaned. She stretched her stiff legs and arms and sat up straighter in her chair. Turning to Harry, she let out a muffled shriek.
Harry sat up in bed, staring at her intently. He had a dreamy look in his eyes and a spacey grin on his face.
"Good morning, Hermione," he said.
"G-Good morning. I'm so glad to see you awake; me, Ron, and Luna were so worried about you. Would you like some breakfast?"
Harry only continued to stare.
"Did you hear me?"
He shook his head. "Yeah. Yeah, breakfast would be nice."
She smiled brightly and answered, "Great." She got up and began to walk away from the bed.
"Wait! Where are you going?"
She turned around in confusion. "To go get breakfast, Harry. No one else is going to go."
"But you can't leave! Stay here!"
That spell must have disoriented him, she thought. "Don't worry; I'll be back before you know it."
He relaxed and leaned back against the pillows. "Okay, just don't take long."
Hermione walked out utterly confused. Whoever he was in "love" with was really messing with his mind. She returned in fifteen minutes levitating a plate of toast and pumpkin juice to walk into a room holding a very concerned Harry.
"You're back! I'm so glad!"
She walked slowly to the bed and set the plate down. "I wasn't gone for long."
"It felt long to me. Great, you brought toast, I'm starving," he finished and launched himself upon the toast.
Hermione ate her toast and looked at Harry with her eyebrows knitted together. Who was causing his behavior to be so erratic?
He glanced at her and, to her surprise, began to blush.
"What is it?"
"You know, you're beautiful when you eat," he stated.
Her jaw dropped. "What?" she said in a strained tone.
"You're a beautiful girl, Hermione. Gorgeous, even."
Hermione was spared the chance to respond with the entrance of Madame Pomfrey.
"Wonderful, you're awake, Mr. Potter. How are you feeling," she asked in a business-like manner. She quickly set to her task of checking over him.
"Spectacular, just like Hermione's eyes."
Madame Pomfrey stopped her work instantly. "Ms. Granger, you say?"
He nodded, his eyes never leaving Hermione's shocked face.
"Well, this is slightly unexpected. Mr. Potter, you seem to be fine. Would you mind stepping into the lavatory to change into your clothes while I talk to Ms. Granger?"
"Not at all, Madame Pomfrey." He gathered his robes, walked into the lavatory, and closed the door behind him.
She turned to look at Hermione. "I do think that I've found our person."
"It can't be me! There's no possible way; he's never seen me in that way!"
"On the contrary, it seems that he has. Love Spells are powerful in their own right; it reveals a person's innermost feelings for that one person. Mr. Potter is in love with you."
She only shook her head. "Malfoy must have messed with his head when he hit him with that spell. Isn't there some way to make him stop?"
"You could be correct in thinking that Mr. Malfoy may have knocked some proverbial screws loose in his head. This could be the after effect of seeing you by his bedside first," she mused. "Come back to me with Harry in a week and I'll see how he feels. In the meantime, prepare to be bothered immensely."
"But-
"I'm back, Hermione!" He put his arms around her waist and grinned at her. "It's almost time for class, isn't it?"
"Why-yes, but you should stay here," she said with a struggle through her embarrassment.
"But I shouldn't miss class, that's what you always say. Let's go!" He grabbed her hand and almost skipped to the door. "Bye, Madame Pomfrey," he called out over his shoulder.
The door shut behind them and she only shook her head. Ms. Granger would learn of love the hard way.
-->