Improving Bedside Manner

IMPROVING BEDSIDE MANNER

Hermione Granger was always looking for something to do. She hated sitting doing nothing at all. Hermione was one of those small, annoying children who whinged about being bored- constantly.

Ron Weasley was always looking for something not to do. If he could get out of doing anything at all, he was happy. Ron was one of those small, annoying children who never seemed bored- rather unnatural his parents thought.

This dislike and fondness of idle moments came to a climax within the hospital wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the final weeks of their fifth year. A rather unfortunate accident within the Ministry of Magic involving a number of students, a secret organisation, a dark lord and his band of followers, had left Hermione, Ron and their best friend Harry Potter contained within the stark white, antiseptic smelling wing for over a week now.

*****

"I am sick of this place!" wailed Hermione.

"Why don't you read a book then? That's usually your solution to every other problem," answered Ron rather dryly.

"Oh, but I'm sick of reading now."

"Hermione Granger, sick of reading?" piped up Harry, who was searching absently (though Ron and Hermione knew it was for Sirius) for nothing in particular out of the window next to his bed.

"Yes, well I'm sure that would be what you would say too if you had been reading for seven days non-stop and have exhausted your own reading material and are not able to make it to the library," she haughtily replied, wincing in pain as she tried to sit up in bed.

Harry and Ron exchanged puzzled looks. It still seemed quite impossible for them to believe that Hermione was truly fed up with reading.

"This place has sent her bonkers mate. Since when did Hermione ever not want to read? Maybe we should have a word to Madam Pomfrey about it. Could be one of the potions she's taking?" whispered Ron under his breath to Harry who just gave him grimaced stare.

"Well Ginny said she would try and come and visit sometime today," said Ron more loudly.

Hermione gave a happy sounding 'hmphh' and Harry too, much to Ron's surprise, looked slightly more pleased than he had in days at the announcement of this news.

*****

A very vivid red head bustled into the long room lugging her school bag behind her.

"Hello there you three!" she said happily.

"Hi Ginny," they all chorused back.

"So what have you all been up to?" she inquired.

"Well, apart from eating, sleeping, taking ruddy awful tasting potions and oh, reading," said Ron looking directly at Hermione with a large grin. "Nothing much."

"Yeah well apart from the usual school thing, life is much its regular old self."

"Has Dumbledore said anything about what happened?" asked Harry is a hushed voice.

"Nah not yet, though everyone has been talking about it. Some of the rumours though! I swear they are straight out of the Quibbler," Hermione gave a small satisfied smile. "I've heard there was a mass breakout of talking hippogriffs, a troupe of travelling house elves practicing the dark arts and a convention of squibs lobbying for a confederation of non-magical, magical folk."

The trio all looked at Ginny with speculation.

"Okay well, most people have some sort of idea, but Professor McGonagall came and saw me and said she wouldn't disapprove of some rumour-mongering," Hermione gave a shocked gasp. "She said Dumbledore would announce it all when he thinks the time is right."

"Well I suppose if Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore think it's..." started Hermione.

"Oh yeah, Mum sent this for you too Ron," said Ginny suddenly, giving a sly but swift look at Hermione and then back at the boys. She rummaged through her bag, tossing out school books, rolls of parchment and quills as she went. She finally pulled out a copy of Quigley's Quidditch Weekly and flung it over to Ron.

"Awww great. Thanks Gin," he replied.

"Oi Harry check this out! There's an article in here about a new move being used by the Uzbekistani team," goggled Ron. Harry rolled on his side to face Ron, his back now to Hermione and began to listen to Ron animatedly read and attempt to act out the 'Uzbek under-roll' within his bed. Ginny made her way over to Hermione's bed and sat at the end of it.

*****

"Has it been that bad in here?" she asked.

"Well on top of Ron's avid description of his struggle with the brains, Harry's moodiness and my utter frustration with this place- yes," Hermione commented.

"Well I overheard Madam Pomfrey telling McGonagall that you all should be out of here by the weekend," said Ginny in a comforting voice. "Hey Hermione, can I ask you something?"

"Oh yes, I suppose so. Are you having trouble in one of your classes?"

"No," she said grinning audaciously.

"What then?" asked Hermione cautiously.

"You like Ron don't you!" Ginny stated in a cunning voice.

"Is this a question or a statement Ginny?" said Hermione very quickly through clenched teeth.

"Oh well, that's up for you decide. So do you?"

"Well of course I like him. He's one of my best friends," the older girl replied taking a different tact.

"No, not like, I mean like."

"No."

"No?"

"Ginny, don't give me that look. You look exactly like your mother when she knows Fred and George are up to something." Ginny looked utterly horrified for a moment but then broke into a wide grin.

"Ah yes I look like mum, but obviously this look can come in handy. You just said mum gives it when she knows something. And I guess I just know something too!!"

"Okay, well maybe a little," said Hermione turning pink on cue. "Oh well maybe a lot."

"Ha! I knew it!!" she exclaimed rather loudly. The two boys turned around.

"Go back to quidditch you two. This is girl business," Ginny said. Hermione turned even pinker and tried to slide down into her sheets without causing herself another injury. The boys simply turned back around and continued to peruse the magazine.

"How did you know?" asked Hermione timidly.

"Oh I can tell."

"Merlin, it's not that obvious is it?"

"No of course not. Come on Hermione, you aren't exactly known to be...er...skilled in this area. You just seem to light up when Ron's around, that's all."

"Does he know?" Hermione enquired fearfully.

"Hmm, I'm not sure about that. He hasn't told me, so I can't give you a definite answer. Oh well come on, this is Ron we are talking about. What is it that you said- yeah that's right! He's got the emotional range of a tea....a tea... a tea bag," she said, scrunching her face up in contorted concentration.

Hermione giggled. "It's a teaspoon actually."

"Oh well, close enough. But he does change when he's with you."

"He does?"

"Yeah, he's more thoughtful."

"Thoughtful!" scorned Hermione, "He's constantly picking a fight with me, or he brings up Viktor and makes fun of the things I do, or just...just..."

"Hermione it's called flirting!"

"It's what!" answered Hermione in a frightened voice.

"Oh please tell me, you didn't actually think that was all genuine? Hermione he is the first one to defend you if anyone says anything about you; at home, he never shuts up about what you say or do; and he practically wets himself if you brush up against him!"

"Well...do I really?...does he?...oh holy hippogriffs...."

"Fighting with you is how he can get your absolute, undivided attention. And admit Hermione, you do take the bait. He can just reel you in."

"But..."
"But nothing. I thought you knew what you were doing!"

"No. No I don't...I mean no I didn't. It's just Ron has always been like that so I didn't know there was a difference between normal fighting and flirting fighting. Besides, as you mentioned, it's not like I have a lot of experience in that area like some of us!" She gave the younger girl a very purposeful stare.

Ginny didn't quaver under the impenetrable gaze but simply said, "What about Viktor?"

"Yes well that was a disaster. He is a nice enough boy and I'm happy to write to him, but...well...it was never a romantic matter," Hermione stated in no-nonsense voice.

"Yes, point taken. You just need some practice. That's all."

"Practice?"

"Hermione do you honestly think that you can learn everything from a book?"

"Yes. Books are very informative you know. I'm sure there would be one in the library somewhere."

"Sure! What's it called '1001 Ways to Woo Wizards'? Think about Hermione, even our exams have a practical component." Ginny chuffed. "You two just need to spend some quality time together. You need to improve your beside manner! Oi Ron come over here!" she called out.

Ron gave Ginny a blank look, a grunt and grimaced his way out of bed and onto the end of Hermione's.

"Come and entertain Hermione. I'm going to talk to Harry and update him about the new seeker in Puddlemere United from Australia," and with that Ginny sprang up off the bed and settled down on Ron's bed launching into a very descriptive story about Bluey Mc Daniel.

*****

"How are you feeling?" Ron asked Hermione.

"Oh well...umm...you know...still a little sore," said Hermione rather slowly, avoiding looking into Ron's eyes.

"Yeah tell me about it. My chest is still red and swollen from those bloody brains," and with that Ron lifted up his pyjama top and proceeded to show Hermione all of his injuries and his rather nice upper body too, at the same time.

A rather loud and suppressed giggle came from Ginny, "Oh Ron there's no need to strip off for Hermione. When I said entertain her, I just meant for you two to talk."

"Err...yeah...right," blurted out Ron, his ears reddening in record time. "Ah, sorry about that Hermione."

"Oh...ah...yes...apology accepted."

"So you'll come and stay this summer won't you? Either at The Burrow or Grimmauld Place?"

"Oh well actually I don't know."

"Oh..." Ron's voice seemed to hollow.

"It's just that with everything that's happened, Mum and Dad want me to come with them to a convention in Italy, and they said we could stay for a holiday afterwards. I guess they just want me nearby. They worry you know."

"Yeah and so do I...." Ron trailed of. "But won't it be safer if you are near the Order?"

"Yes, I suppose it would be but they are muggles remember. I think they believe that if I'm not in the country I'm safe."

"But there are Death Eaters everywhere Hermione, maybe they should speak to Dad about it?"

"Yes maybe. Oh I don't know. This is all a bit new to them, and now with an impending war....this is...it's hard on them."

"Yeah, well it's hard on all of us too."

Hermione gave a sigh and finally looked Ron in the eyes, "I'm so scared Ron. I don't know what is going to happen and Mum and Dad don't really understand and he's...he's after muggle-borns and Harry."

"Hey, it will be okay Hermione. We're all here to protect you and the Order is becoming more active and gaining new members. Do you think I would ever let anything happen to you?"

*****

In the bed next door, Ginny gave Harry a nudge and together they both got up as quietly as they could leaving Ron and Hermione in the room by themselves.

"What's going on there?" Harry asked.

"Well I felt I needed to er...improve the bedside manner of those two. Harry, denial and unrequited love are very serious diseases. Besides Hermione could be going to Italy over the break. Can you even imagine what Ron would be like after eight Hermione-free weeks? It would be horrible. I thought they just needed some alone time...just to...ah...put the wheels in motion."

"Mmm, yeah true. I wondered what was going to spark them off," Harry said with a bit of a grin.

*****

Ron looked over at Hermione. She was biting her lip, as she always did when she was worried. Her eyes were beginning to water. Even though her hair had calmed down significantly since they had first met, due to the constant contact with the pillow it was looking very bushy once more. Her night dress was crumpled and there was a yellow stain near the front buttons, where Hermione had dropped her boiled egg from breakfast earlier. Ron thought she was beautiful. He looked directly at her and said, "Hermione, you can't worry about that all now. We just have to be ready when it happens."

"Oh I know. But I worry. It's just me and if I got to Italy, I will be worried sick about you and Harry all the time. But then I haven't exactly spent a great deal of time with Mum and Dad, so I feel I ought to go. Oh it's just so hard living these two very separate lives."

Hermione looked down at her hands clenched in her lap and then let the tears flow freely. She looked up at Ron, "I...the ministry...you and Harry...what would happen if I lost you? You and Harry are the best friends I have, I don't know what I would do if you weren't there."

"Oh Hermione, we aren't going anywhere, you know that," he stretched his arm out and lifted her face up so that she was looking at him again, "Come on, don't cry now, here blow your nose." Ron promptly ripped the front pocket off his hideously ugly paisley printed maroon pyjamas and handed it to her.

"Oh Won, youb wipped your byjamas nowh. Your movver wo'n be habby," commented Hermione through the makeshift handkerchief.

"Huh?"

"Oh! Sorry. I said you ripped your pyjamas now. Your mother won't be happy."

"Well I'll have to get another pair eh? These ones are getting rather small," he said indicating the six inches of leg that were sticking out from the hemline.

"Yes I guess so," she replied with a bit of a giggle.

"See that's better. Let's not worry about that now. Enjoy your summer in Italy okay. Maybe you can convince your parents, not to go for the whole time. Then you can still come and stay with me... and er...Ginny and Harry of course."

"Oh Ron, you really surprise me sometimes!" and with that Hermione sat up straighter, crawled down closer to Ron and flung her arms round his neck, snuggling into his chest "You really can be thoughtful!"

Ron looked utterly perplexed for a moment, but then a very large, very Weasley smile erupted on his face. He looked down at the blubbering mess in his lap and kissed the top of her head, trying not to wince in pain due to the extra pressure Hermione was exerting on his chest. Ron looked over at the door, ecstatic that Hermione Granger felt he was thoughtful- and was sitting in his lap- and was giving him perhaps the greatest hug of his life. Hermione released Ron from her grip and looked up into his face. He looked back down at her. They closed their eyes, leaned slightly forward and kissed. Ron opened his eyes. Another red head the same colour of Ron's own suddenly came into his line of vision. Ginny Weasley looked up at her big brother with a very similar smile on her face, gave him the thumbs up and mouthed "It's nice to see you've improved your bedside manner!"