Potion Magic

Chapter 5

The connection between Ron and Hermione was much stronger this time. Their hands were shaking hard against each other, but try as they might they could not let go. The electrical charge was much more intense this time, and Hermione had to close her eyes from the bright flash of the connection.

Ron, initially felt the warmth of being connected to Hermione, and felt so contented to be joined inside of her. But he began to sense her probing his thoughts and there was a thought that he was very uneasy to share with her......his true feelings for her.

Defensively, Ron yanked his hand away from Hermione's grasp, severing the fusion between them. "What did you do that for?" groaned Hermione. The boils on her hand were beginning to burst from the intensity of her union with Ron, but she didn't care. Her hand may have hurt, but she SAW something within Ron, and she wanted to focus and explore it.

"Hermione, I don't think that that was such a great idea. Man, my hand hurts. You pack a great "kung-fu" grip!" Ron joked, trying to change the subject. But Hermione was not going to give up easily. Persistence was one of her best and worst qualities.

"I saw you eating dinner with your family, Ron. Everyone is crowded at the table, and your mom is clearing away the dinner dishes. Ginny is passing around a plate of treacle fudge. George is wearing this totally goofy purple wig and large hoop earrings." Hermione continued, ignoring Ron's reminders about her upcoming Arithmancy midterm. He was getting agitated, when Hermione realized his discomfort.

"Wait a minute, Ron. This isn't a bad memory, is it? I don't see anything bad. Let me keep going. George is marching around in this crazy lady's costume and Fred is marching behind him, beating a set of druid bongos. Your dad is laughing so hard that he's crying. Charlie and Bill are singing that old Weird Sister's song about the Muggle fortuneteller who saw snakes coming out of everyone's nose. Ron, there's nothing bad about this memory."

"You're right, Hermione. Everything is cool." Ron plopped back onto his pillows. He was still technically snuggled up with Hermione, but she may as well have been across the room. Mentally and physically, he was pulling away. Hermione finally realized that she had touched on something sensitive, and changed her tactic. Her voice softened as she realized what was causing Ron so much discomfort.

"Ron, you ...you feel alone. I can see it now. You are in a room full of happy people, but you feel alone." Hermione felt the rush of the realization, but then understood that Ron was embarrassed and ashamed at her knowing. She lowered her voice to a whisper, "hey, it's Ok. I feel alone lots of times, too. I know it hurts. I just would have never thought that anyone could feel that way sitting in the middle of the perfect magical family."

Quietly, Ron answered, "Sometimes, living in the so-called perfect family sucks. I could be invisible and they'd never miss me. I could fade away and they'd never notice. And I want to do well here at school, too. I really like Hogwarts. But I'm always in the shadow of my brothers. No matter how hard I work, I'll never get grades like Percy the perfect prefect or be as funny and loved as George and Fred."

"Oh Ron!" Hermione threw her arms around Ron's waist and hugged him. "You don't have to try to be like anyone else to be liked or accepted. People love you just the way you are. Don't you see? I wish I could show you how you are to me. You are clever and brave and great at wizard chess. You are fiercely loyal and empathetic to those in need. You make me laugh and I couldn't ask for a better friend." She felt Ron's body instinctively relax against her. Her head rested on his chest, and she thought of how strong his chest and arms seemed as he held her.

Hermione felt safe in Ron's embrace, and felt a fleeting hope. So she closed her eyes again, and looked inside her memory of Ron's mind. A slow devilish smile of triumph crossed her face, alight with the realization that it was a mutual feeling between them.

Miss Cuthbert came walking through the archway and exclaimed, "Miss Granger! Mr. Weasley! What are you doing? Please return at once to your own cots. I am scandalized to find you in the same cot. If you do not separate yourselves at once, I will inform Professor Dumbledore at once! Madam Pomphrey has almost finished the counter potion." Hermione sat up quickly, and stood up stretching as Miss Cuthbert marched away.

"500 points would have been worth it if I could have kissed her, " thought Ron to himself.

Hermione lounged back onto the hospital cot, and arranged her skirt and robes around her. She looked at Ron, long and hard. Yes, his face was still orange and full of large, oozing blisters. But he looked almost happy; amazingly enough, he looked content and pleased with himself.

"So, Ron, I thought you were supposed to be in a whole lot of pain. What gives? You're smiling like the cat that caught the canary."

Ron grinned, and said, "Yes, I guess I am in a pretty good mood after all. This is much better than having to spend another hour with Snape. I couldn't believe how mean he was to you, Hermione. Saying that your ambition blinded me is a load of bunk. He really is the unhappiest person I know."

Hermione agreed, "I wonder if he has always been this disagreeable. Wow, can you imagine how hated he must have been when he was a student at Hogwarts? She started to say something about how he must have been wearing the grumpy crown, when Madam Pomphrey came around the corner with a large steaming cauldron.

The cauldron was black cast iron, and Madam Pomphrey was walking very gently, as not to spill its contents. A smell of menthol and mustard wafted over the room. "There now, Mr. Weasley," said Madam Pomphrey. "I have returned with the first part of the counter potion. This ointment should begin to restore your face to its normal color, and will relieve the pressure around your eyes. Soon, we should be able to tell if there has been lasting, permanent damage to your vision. Now hold still....."

Madam Pomphrey used a small paintbrush and a large cotton swab to apply the aromatic salve to Ron's face. He tried not to squirm, but the potion was smelly and it burned. Hermione tried not to flinch when the potion was applied to her wounded hands. She was relieved when Madam Pomphrey left to concoct the second part of the counter potion.

"Do your hands hurt as much as my face does?" Ron asked Hermione.

In a reassuring voice, she replied, "Ron, your face looks much, much better. The color has gone down a lot, and your boils are shrinking by the minute."

"That's probably why they hurt so much," he muttered. "Herm, don't take this the wrong way, but I miss having you over here with me. I know I look goofy and everything, but it sure was nice to spend the time with you."

"That's about the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," blushed Hermione.

"Even Viktor Krum? I'm sure that he whispered sweet Bulgarian nothings in your ears all the time in the library." Ron was joking and serious at the same time, wanting to know if Hermione still had feelings for the famous Quidditch player that had visited their school last year.

Hermione considered her words carefully. "Viktor will always be my friend. He's a very nice guy. I mean, he was my first boyfriend. He wrote me letters and made me feel special. And I liked spending time with him. I think if you got to know him, you'd really like him, too, Ron."

"Are you two still going together?" Ron asked.

"No, we pretty much broke it off when he went back to Durmstrang after the Triwizard Tournament. Why do you want to know?" Hermione asked, probing, wanting to know what Ron was up to.

"Well, I guess I kinda wanted to know if you might want to kind of sort of go on a date sometime." Ron turned beet red underneath all of the orange skin. He had finally done it! Man, it was hard expressing your feelings to a girl!

Hermione felt all the blood rush to her face, as she tried to suppress a huge grin. Ron had actually asked her out. Her tummy turned a flip, and it was all she could do to not squeal into her pillow! She considered her words carefully as she spoke, not wanting to appear too eager, not wanting to do anything to mess this up, or scare him off.

"I'd love to go out with you, Ron," she said softly. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I'm a little out of commission at the moment," smirked Ron. "Are you sure you want to be seen with the guy who Peeves calls "Pumpkin Head?"

Hermione laughed and said, "From Peeves, that's a compliment. Did you want to go into Hogsmeade sometime?"

Ron thought, and then said, "No. I think I'd like us to do something a little quieter, if you don't mind. Maybe go on a broomstick ride to the meadow over by the Quidditch field. It's really pretty over there right now, with all the flowers in bloom. And I think we could be alone and just hang out. But do you know where I really wish I could take you?" Ron asked wistfully, and then he answered himself.

"There's this big field over on the other side of our house back home. It's sort of the abandoned growing up grounds of the Weasley Boys, but I think you'd like it. There's old forts that we've built, and our own makeshift Quidditch field. There's this great old pond that's surrounded by willow trees; it's great fun to go out there in a rowboat as long as you don't annoy Cyril, who's this ancient giant snapping turtle. We always take him some cheddar cheese - he really likes cheese. If you don't bring him a treat, he gets really mean and he'll turn the boat over and chase you back to shore. One time, George and Fred decided to try to catch him and ride on his back. Cyril was so mad, I mean, I could hardly believe that a turtle that big and that old could move that fast! Fred got away in time, but George lost the back of his pants to Cyril, and came flying out of the water with his bottom hanging out! He ran all the way to the house like that. Bill and Percy laughed so hard that they fell out of the boat and Cyril almost caught them, too. That was a great day." Ron chuckled.

Hermione noticed how Ron's face lit up as he spoke of his home and all the familiar places that he loved. She encouraged him to continue.

"Over by my dad's workshop, there's this hill that Percy enchanted back when he was studying for his NEWT's. We went up there to the top, and everything looks the same. So, he got this big black plastic garbage bag and told me to sit down on top of it. Now, on any normal hill, you'd just slide down in a straight line, right? But on Percy's hill, you spin down! It's so much fun, Hermione. You fly down this hill, just spinning in circles the whole way down. Everyone thinks it's great except for my mom, who had just eaten lunch when she tried and got really sick. Other than that, it was a big hit."

"I hope your mom and dad like me, Ron. I really want them to like me. I know that your mom was angry when Rita Skeeter wrote all that garbage about me and Harry, and I was so glad when she found out it wasn't true."

Ron agreed with her, "Yeah, Mom gets very protective of Harry, you know, not having a mother and all. She says at least once a week that she'd like him to come and live with us instead of the Dursley's. They're the kind of people who give Muggles a bad name."

Hermione felt a shock of self doubt rush through her body, and a wave of sadness came over her like a black cloud. It was hard to be a Muggle in the magic world, and Ron sensed this. "Herm, my mom doesn't think less of you because you were born into a Muggle family. In fact, I remember that one time she was saying that you were one of the smartest Muggles that she had ever met."

"Well, for once, being smart isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'd rather be kind, or lovable, or pretty in her eyes." Hermione said wistfully.

"Well, Herm, I wish I could show you what you look like in my eyes, but I can't see out of them at the moment, because I'm blind! Can I look at you like a blind person does?" Ron's voice was teasing, but he was serious. Hermione was confused. "What do you mean, Ron. How can a blind person see?"

"Like this. Come sit by me on my cot, facing me." Hermione sat next to Ron, wondering what was next. He reached out for her face, and she asked what he was doing. "When a blind person wants to find out what someone looks like, they touch the person's face. Can I see what you look like with my hands, Hermione?"

She took his hand and placed it on her cheek. Ron could barely breathe as he felt the softness of her cheekbone beneath his hand. Her face was much softer that he had ever dreamed. He ran his fingertips over her silky eyebrows and around the curve of her cheekbone. One hand ran though her hair, marveling at its satiny texture as the waves rippled through his fingers. His other hand traveled down the side of her face, grazing her jaw and stroking her chin. Oh, how many times he had watched that chin as she read! And now to hold it in his hand was exquisite. His index finger traveled up to her lips, and traced around them. Then, much to his surprise, she kissed his finger!

Ron felt an electric jolt run through his body. To feel her kiss, and not be able to see her was both exciting and erotic. She put her hand on top of his hand, pressing his hand into the curve of his cheek. Ron's thumb rested on the corner of her eye, feeling a thrill every time she blinked with her long curly eyelashes. His happiness was complete when, after holding her face for a while, she moved his hand to her mouth and kissed his hand. Oh, he could have stayed like this forever!

A sigh escaped Hermione's lips and Ron could feel her energy travel down his arm. No, wait, this was something different! Ron suddenly realized that her hand was on top of his hand - her hand that had been covered with the orange potion! Suddenly, as she kissed his palm again and snuggled her cheek into his hand, they became connected again. Hermione could feel Ron's energy go all the way to her toes this time, and she let out a low moan. Ron could feel the electrical charge of the connection traveling down his arm, to his chest, and down his body. He felt the connection with Hermione deep down inside and found himself in a state of high arousal.

"Hermione, I've never," stammered Ron, while she blurted out, "me neither!" He could clearly see within Hermione that she had never explored passionate feelings like this before, and better yet, that she liked it! "Whatever you do don't break this off, Hermione!" pleaded Ron. Other than a few brief kisses back home, he had never really made out with a girl before. And this was WAY BEYOND anything he could have imagined - especially in the middle of the hospital ward!

Hermione, caught in the surprise of these newfound sensations, focused to search Ron's mind. As she searched and probed deeper and deeper, Ron found his anatomy reacting to her. Oh, dear! He shifted positions quickly to hide his responding body.

Hermione thought to herself, "You can run, Ron, but you can't hide!" "Wait a minute! I heard that..."

Ron thought to himself. "Does this mean that we can hear each other's thoughts?"

"Well, Missy, turn about is fair play." Ron regained his composure, and gathered the electrical energy from his torso and focused on Hermione. He could feel the electricity leaping out his hands and through her face, where he was still touching her. Cautious as always, Hermione was initially resistant to this unfamiliar, yet delicious current racing through her. Ron had one unspoken question on his mind as he focused on Hermione: "Do you like me, too?" Hermione was so overcome with newfound feelings that she could not answer him aloud, but through the power of the Potion's connection Ron was able to sense within her just how strongly she felt for him.

Through the waves of unfamiliar sensations, Hermione's sharp intellect fought its way back into her consciousness. Wait a minute, she thought, he's talking to me through this connection. I can really hear his thoughts, his words inside my head! So she thought back, "Like you? You bet. But you have to know that no one has ever made me feel like this. I have a feeling that we've stumbled onto something big here." Hermione concentrated on sending her thoughts to Ron, hoping he could hear her voice within him.

Ron was shocked at how clearly he could hear her through the flash of feelings that drenched him like sweat. His mind was on fire, but he could hear her voice with every breath. "Hermione, I wonder if this is what it feels like to....."

"MR. WEASLEY! MISS GRANGER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Madam Pomphrey had entered the room to find Ron and Hermione almost in an embrace, with an orange current coursing through their bodies. She painfully pulled Hermione off of Ron, and rested her back onto her own cot. "Oh, my poor dears! Are you two all right! That must have really hurt! Look at you!" Madam Pomphrey clucked at them both.

And they both were a sight. Drenched in sweat, Hermione was wide-eyed, awestruck, and trembling from the violent termination. Ron was a lump of bitter disappointment. As Madam Pomphrey swept away, he muttered, "That was connection interruptus!"