Chapter 15
Hermione was sitting in the most uncomfortable chair she had ever had the displeasure of experiencing. Although it might have had that unfortunate atmosphere because she was in the most uncomfortable situation she had ever had the displeasure of knowing. She was smack dab in the middle of her boyfriend and her… well… other boyfriend, twirling her fingers absently through his hair. It felt odd thinking that, having two boyfriends. It wasn't really true, though- Harry wasn't her boyfriend; he was just the boy she was madly in love with. She smiled as she pictured how just a few hours ago, his hands had been running over her body and worshiping her as if she were a goddess, touching her most intimate of areas until she-
"Miss Granger?"
Her mind was immediately shaken from that rather embarrassing and erotic thought as the matron, Madame Pomfrey, approached her. She straightened her back as though that would camouflage her awkward demeanor, and pushed the few remaining obscene thoughts from the front of her mind. She faced the older women with a polite smile, "Yes, Madame Pomfrey?"
The medic looked at Hermione with a small glint of hope in her eyes. "I'm sorry to have to burden you with this, but could you please look after these two for a few hours? I have just been called to an emergency conference at St. Mungos and can't seem to find any teachers that aren't wrapped up with classes or coursework."
A flash of worry shocked her body- alone… with the both of them? Hermione cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the sandpaper taste lodged in the back of it. "Of course, I wouldn't mind at all." She lied smoothly.
The matron smiled at her warmly, "Thank you very much, Miss Granger. I shall write a note to each of your
teachers, and have them send up someone with the coursework you three will be missing. Did you have anyone in mind that
you trust with that?"
"Ginny Weasley." Hermione replied quickly.
"Alright, I'll send word to her as well. Thank you so much again, dear. I'll make sure you'll receive some sort of extra credit for your service."
Hermione nodded in reply and watched as she exited. As she closed the door behind her, a breath came out that Hermione didn't realize she was holding. She let her eyes shift nervously to the two unconscious bodies beside her, her hand still running through Harry's hair. She didn't want to picture what would happen when they both woke up, but the images still made their way to her vision; horrible, disturbing images. Her hand ceased in Harry's hair and she placed it in her lap, her eyes focusing on how fervently they both were shaking. She heard a quiet moan and her neck snapped to the side, seeing Harry's dazed eyes focusing to the bright lights of the infirmary. "Why'd you stop?"
Her brows furrowed, "Sorry?"
"Your hand, it felt nice." He said, nodding to where her hand lay.
"Oh." She picked up her hand and continued where she left off thoughtlessly, gently massaging his scalp with her thin fingers. He let out a sigh of content and snuggled back into his pillow, eyes focused on her.
"Have you been here all day?" he asked curiously.
"If by all day, you mean the two hours it's been since breakfast, then yes." She said smartly and he smiled at her. "Madame Pomfrey just left for an emergency conference and left me in charge of the two of you. All of our homework is going to be sent up at the end of the day with Ginny." He nodded slightly and flinched. "Are you alright?" Hermione asked, concerned.
"My head feels like a fishbowl." He said, leaning up against the headboard and massaging his temples.
Hermione's hand once again dropped back into her lap as she studied the pained expression etched on Harry's face. She looked around at the small tray beside the cot and saw a collection of small potion vials, all with small labels stuck on them. Pulling the tray towards her, she examined the different labels one by one; there was one for stomach pains, throat pains, and even eyebrow pains. Finally, she found the one she was looking for, a bright pink liquid labeled "cranium pains" that rather reminded her of Muggle Pepto Bismol.
She whirled her head back over to where Harry was lying and handed him the potion wordlessly. He took it without complaint at chugged it down quickly, wiping his lips with his sleeve when he finished. She smiled at him, "I'm surprised you didn't spit it out."
"Now why on earth would I do that?" He asked innocently.
"Well potions aren't usually something you'd like to take with your morning kippers." She replied.
Harry snorted as he shook his head, a disgusted look washing over his features. "Well I was lucky, this one tasted rather like nutella."
"Hmm, well that seems appetizing." Hermione said jokingly. As if on cue, not even a moment later, her stomach let out a loud gurgling noise. She immediately averted her eyes from Harry's as she blushed a deep shade of red while he chuckled softly.
"Hungry?" He asked teasingly, his laugh still embedded in his voice.
Hermione lifted her head to aim a mild punch at his shoulder. "Not funny! I had to skip breakfast this morning in order to pull you off of Ron and get you both in here!"
"Hey, I came more than willingly! It was Weasley we had to pick up and carry all the way over here."
"You have no one to blame but yourself for that." She stated firmly with her arms folded against her chest.
"I am more than happy to take full responsibility for knocking Weasley out of the realm of consciousness." He replied, smirking at his accomplishment.
Hermione rolled her eyes and a lingering silence cast out between them. Hermione seemed to be in thought for a few moments, deciphering something out in her mind. After a few minutes, she looked up into Harry's eyes and tilted her head slightly to the side, "Harry why did you do it?"
He didn't need to ask what she meant, for he knew all too well. "He hurt you, Hermione. He brought you horrible pain that still haunts you today. I don't think anyone deserves to get away with that, and that's exactly what he was doing. You were letting him get away with it virtually scar free and here you are, wallowing in misery while he carries on as if nothing had ever happened."
Hermione took a deep, trembling breath. "That still didn't give you the right to hurt him the way you did."
"Hermione, the guy is a complete asshole!" He countered, completely aghast as to why she was defending him.
"I never said he wasn't." she retorted.
"Well you weren't doing anything about it, and it didn't seem like you were ever going to, so I just sped up the process a bit."
She scoffed, "A bit? Harry, you knocked him unconscious! I don't think that classifies itself as `a bit'."
"Well… in my book it does…" He trailed off, not finding anything else to say.
"And it's a wonder that hasn't been published." She said saucily.
Harry couldn't help the quiet chuckle at her comment, but quickly sobered up when he saw her narrowed eyes pointed at him. He felt his blood go from hot to cold in a matter of seconds as she pierced through his skin with her glare. "It isn't funny Harry, you could have killed him, or worse, gotten expelled!"
"Now, now, I'm sure that Weasley's life is a tiny more important than getting expelled, don't you think?" He asked with a glint of amusement in his eyes.
Hermione blushed and averted his eyes, "I guess I need to get my priorities sorted out, then."
"That you do."
"Harry, I never asked you to hurt him." She said abruptly.
"I know, but I wanted too." When he saw the confused expression on her face, he quickly explained himself. "It's this thing I have with people, I have to protect the ones I care about… the ones I love."
"A saving people thing?" Hermione supplied.
"Exactly! I can't let something horrible go on around me without fixing it. It's like I'm doomed to be the hero forever, which pretty much blows."
"And what's wrong with being the hero?" Hermione asked tenderly.
A dark look shadowed over him as he answered. "I'll never fully be satisfied with life as it is. I can't go a month without something coming up that I have to help fix. If I see an owl with a twig stuck in its wing, I'll have to pluck it out; if I see a damsel in distress, I have to help her; if I get word of an underground wizard rebellion, I have to help stop it. It's going to be like that the rest of my life and it'll make it so hard to finally settle down."
"Oh, Harry…" Out of reflex, she reached over and enveloped him in a soft hug, leaning slightly out of the chair she was sitting in. He welcomed her, wrapping his arms limply yet firmly around her and holding her close. They stayed like that until well past when they lost count of the seconds. When they finally released each other, Hermione somehow made her way onto the hospital cot, sitting next to Harry, above the sheets and he beneath.
"Did you mean it?" she asked in a small voice.
This time he had no idea what she meant. "Mean what?"
She turned to him with a light shining in her eyes, "Do you love me, Harry?"
He smiled sweetly at her, as if the answer was obvious, and to him, it was. "Yes. I love you, Hermione."
A lone tear escaped and made its way down her cheek, Harry's hand coming up and softly brushing it away, leaving a tingling sensation where it stayed still on her skin. "I've never had anyone say that to me before… except maybe relatives."
"Well it would please you to know that I really," -he kissed her check- "truly," -he kissed her temple- "do." He ended with a tender kiss on her lips and she couldn't help but smile against him.
When he pulled away, she couldn't stop herself from muttering, "I love you, too."
It wasn't as quiet as she thought, because his face broke out into a huge grin as he leaned over to kiss her, this time more firmly. She gave into his tender lips as she responded equally and allowed him to enter her barrier with his tongue. He leaned over her so that her back pressed to the soft mattress as his lips made a trail down her neck, sucking at the base softly while his hand made its way underneath her shirt to the creamy skin underneath and massaged gently. A moan erupted out of her throat as she opened her eyes slowly and tilted her head to the side to give him easier access. Her body stiffened as she saw Ron's comatose form lying on the cot beside them.
Harry, wondering what made her suddenly go rigid and stop responding to him so fervently, lifted his face to look where her head was turned. Seeing only the limp form of Weasley, he looked towards her in confusion. "What's the matter?"
Hermione craned her neck to look at him with an incredulous stare, "He could wake up and see us!" she exclaimed as if it was the clearest point of reason.
"So?" he responded meekly.
"So?! He could see us, go livid and attack you, and I would have to tear the two of you apart, which I do not feel like doing at the moment!" She whispered feverishly.
"Okay, okay, calm down, Sparky." He said with an amused expression. Hermione narrowed her eyes but did not respond, causing Harry's entertainment to heighten. "Even if he did catch us, what exactly could he do? I mean, I already kicked his ass." He tilted his head and smiled that mischievous smile that she loved.
"Yeah, I know but… I just want to be careful, okay?" she said, not quite believing herself.
"Fine, but you owe me one." He said, straightening his posture and leaning back against the headboard, his head upturned towards the ceiling.
"I owe you one what?" she asked, slightly bewildered at his coolness.
"One of these" he said, shocking her by cupping her face with one hand and leaning down to capture her lips again in a smoldering kiss.. Hermione felt herself giving in as he moved his lips smoothly against hers, but pulled away against her better judgment and gave him a penetrating stare. "Okay, okay, I'll quit it." He said, putting his hands up in defeat.
"Not for good, just for now." She heard herself say, blushing when she realized what had just come out of her mouth.
"Oh I don't know… I think your rejection may have turned my perspective around. I'll just go snog someone else for a few hours." He said, lifting himself out of his sheets and allowing his feel to touch the cold stone of the stone floor.
Hermione put her hands on his shoulders firmly and pushed him back down. "Oh, I don't think so."
"Getting a bit frisky, are we `Mione? Going back on your own wishes?" He asked with a small smirk atop his lips.
"Ha ha." She laughed dryly, "You are going to say right here until your bones heal."
"Aww come on, it's just a few broken ribs." He said, sticking out his lower lip.
Hermione hit him on his chest playfully and he caught her hand in-between the two of his, gently kneading it. She bit her lip and gently tried to tug her hand away, only to have his hands tighten around hers and pull her closer to him. She smiled at him, her mind slowly giving in to his romantic manipulations. Their eyes met and he knew that she wasn't going to push him away this time. They both leaned in for another stolen kiss, but before their lips could touch, the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hall outside of the door. Hermione glanced at the clock; it wasn't even lunchtime, so it couldn't be Ginny.
She moved herself from the bed and sat herself on the chair which she previously occupied. Harry followed her lead and scrambled to pull the covers over him and fluffed the pillows so his head could rest easier on them. He closed his eyes as he snuggled into the mattress and began to feign sleep. Grabbing the book she had brought up after her bathroom break about an hour ago Hermione opened up to the place she had marked and began to read. Calm down, you do not look like you were just snogging Harry and you do not feel the least bit scared as to who might be walking into the room. It could just be some third year to come in for a potion to help a migraine. Yes, that's who it is, just a third year. She told herself.
The footsteps became closer and Hermione's hands gripped tightly at her book. Just a third year, just a third year… They suddenly came to a stop and she had to lift up her head to look and see who it was, although it felt like a ton of bricks. She gulped as she focused in to who it was. That was definitely not a third year.
"Malfoy." She addressed curtly, trying to hide the strain in her voice.
"Granger." he replied just as coolly.
She noticed the large bottle of pumpkin juice he was holding and licked the inside of her mouth. She hadn't realized how thirsty she had been until now. "What are you doing here?"
"Is it a crime to come and see your best friend when he's in the hospital wing?" he asked innocently.
Harry repressed a snort from the bed and Hermione held back a sarcastic smile. Best friend her ass. "I suppose not, but I'm afraid to say he's still asleep. Pomfrey gave him a Dreamless Sleeping Drought before she left." She lied smoothly, thoroughly surprising herself.
"Ahh, well then I guess I have unlucky timing, then." Hermione nodded in response and turned back to her book, feigning to read once more. "I'll just head back to Potions, then. But do you think he'd mind if I left this here? I got it to congratulate him on finally giving Weasley what he deserves."
"Sure, I don't see why not." She said, not looking up from the book.
"Alright, then." He placed the bottle on the tray next to the bed and backed away slowly. "You can have some if you want." Her head shot up at the friendly gesture, but he was gone.
She glanced at the bottle beside her and licked her lips. She was about to reach for it when Harry whispered, "Is he gone?" She jumped in her seat a little, forgetting that he was "asleep".
"Yeah, he's gone."
Harry leaned up and looked over at her with a smile. "That was a close one, wasn't it? Thanks for not making me face him."
She smiled warmly, "Anytime." She stole another glance at the bottle. "Are you going to drink any of that?"
"Nah, I'm not really that thirsty at the moment." He said nonchalantly.
She nodded, "Do you mind if I have some? I'm parched."
"Not at all." He motioned to the bottle with one hand and Hermione sighed in relief. She took the bottle greedily and poured a glass into one of the empty glasses next to the potions. She gulped down the drink and relished the warm taste it brought to her taste buds. Licking her lips after devouring the drink in just seconds, she looked over at Harry who was staring at her with a silly smile on his face.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing, nothing." He replied, still smiling.
She narrowed her eyes, but didn't respond, instead she chose to re-cap the bottle and get back to her book, to actually get some reading done while she was here. Harry however didn't have any sources of entertainment other than her, so he took the book out of her hands and placed it on the tray. She opened her mouth to protest, but he only said, "No reading allowed."
"Why not?" she asked with a put-out look on her face.
"Because who needs sappy romance novels when you have the real thing right here to do with as you please?" He asked, puffing out his chest dramatically. Hermione smacked his overly puffed chest and he recoiled a bit. "Ow! You really need to stop doing that."
Hermione merely shrugged "It's not my fault, you deserve it."
She suddenly let out a loud yawn and stretched her hands over her head. Harry looked at her curiously as she rubbed her eyes and asked, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just a bit peaky is all." She responded with a small smile.
"Well, we didn't get much sleep last night, did we?" he asked, wiggling hiss eyebrows suggestively.
Hermione just pursed her lips and made a motion for him to move over. He complied and she slid under the covers with him. She laid on her side and felt his arms weave over her stomach protectively, her body melting seamlessly into his. "I'm just going to take a kip for a few hours, okay?" she asked, suppressing another yawn.
"I'll join you; this potion really makes you drowsy." She felt the rumbling of his chest as he spoke and smiled. They fell asleep just like that, curled up against one another, totally oblivious to anything else.
~*~
Harry was woken up by the familiar tapping of shoes nearby. His eyes opened groggily and he looked over to who was walking into the room. The dim light showed him that it was Ginny and she was smiling at the two of them. "Now isn't that the cutest thing I've ever seen."
"Shut up, Gin." Harry said playfully, hiding the faint blush in his cheeks.
She shot him a beaming grin and sat down on the chair next to him, setting something down on the floor beside them. "I brought you're coursework, notes and all."
"Thanks, we really appreciate it." He gave her a smile.
"No problem." She cast a glance over at Hermione. "Say, how long have you two been asleep?"
"Dunno, a few hours probably." He responded, looking out the window at the dusky weather outside. It was getting dark which meant they were missing another meal, once again, but he didn't mind.
"Do you think she'll mind if we wake her up?" Ginny asked curiously as she fiddled with the blanket hem on the side of the bed.
"Probably not, she hasn't eaten all day so she'll be pretty hungry and want to leave and get food straightaway." He said with a chuckle. He shook her gently on her shoulder, rubbing his palm softly against her jumper. "Hermione…" he called softly. She didn't respond, just kept on sleeping, her deep breathes remaining steady. "Hermione." He said more firmly, applying more pressure to her shoulder- still nothing. "`Mione, it's time to get up." Nothing.
Harry backed up off of her and laid her down on her back, observing her chest moving up and down slowly, her hair sticking up at odd ends, and her shirt slightly un-tucked out of her skirt. He would have found this sight beautiful if he weren't so worried. He felt her forehead and recoiled slowly, she was cold. He then moved to her hands and found the same result.
"What's the matter with her, why isn't she waking up?" Ginny asked with a shaky voice.
"I-I don't know, Gin."
Ginny pushed him slightly to the side and smacked Hermione on her face. Nothing. Hermione was out cold. Ginny and Harry stood frozen beside her side, not knowing what to do. It was clear that she was as unconscious as Ron beside them, but why? The only think they knew was that they had to wake her up, and fast.
~*~
A/N: Sorry for the long update, I won't bother with excused, because I know you're not listening… I'll try harder, though, I promise! Please continue with that lovely feedback I've been getting, it really brightens up my day
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