Potion Magic

Chapter 10

The walk down to the hospital wing seemed to take forever. The doors were never locked there, as students and staff arrived at all hours of the day and night with weird maladies. Once the cloaked trio walked in the door, Hermione stepped out from under the cloak, saying, "I have to do this myself. You can come along, but this has to be me." Ginny and Harry nodded their agreement, as Hermione walked on ahead.

A lump rose in Hermione's throat as she approached Ron's bed. It was screened off from the rest of the room, which was currently empty of patients. She stepped carefully, not wanting to wake him or startle him, and drew the curtain back as quietly as she could.

And there he was.

Ron's head was thickly bandaged with several layers of gauze. His mouth was visible and he seemed to be sleeping comfortably. Soft breathing sounds were all that Hermione could hear above her heart's own pounding.

She knelt at his bedside, watching him for several minutes. Accident or not, she had put him here. "I know that I don't pray very often, but please help Ron. I know that he doesn't blame me," she prayed in a whisper, "but I will never forgive myself if he loses his eyesight. Please watch over him. Please heal him. Please show me what to do to help him get better." Tears were beginning to stream down her face as she picked up Ron's hand and held it with her own.

Lovingly, Hermione wrapped the wristband around Ron's wrist. It was a perfect fit. The leather was supple and smooth, and the silver buttons gleamed in the moonlight. Hermione took out her wand and said, "Entrancio - Be With Me". With those words, the wristband sealed itself around Ron's wrist. It even put off an orange glow for a moment, she thought, just like when we connected.

Moonlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the bed that housed the sleeping boy and the girl that loved him. Harry put his arm around Ginny as they heard Hermione whisper her prayer aloud. He thought it was very sweet when she did that; they had known each other a long time but he had never heard Hermione pray before.

Ginny's eyes were full of tears, for Ron and Hermione both, and she was surprised when Harry gently reached over and wiped one of them off her cheek. All Ginny could think of was how happy Ron would be to know how much Hermione cared for him, and that it was SO UNFAIR that he would wake up tomorrow and have missed all this. And what if he really did lose his eyesight? Ginny loved her closest brother very much.

She came out from under the invisibility cloak, and went to hug Hermione who was openly weeping. Harry quietly folded up the cloak, and sat down on the bed next to Ron. Soon, Ginny was curled up and crying under one of Harry's arms and Hermione was sobbing on his other shoulder. They sat that way for quite some time.

"So, what do you think?" A low voice spoke from across the room. "Do you think we did the right thing, Poppy?"

A female voice answered in a hushed whisper. "We won't know until tomorrow. What I do know is that this could ruin you, if it ever got out."

There was a chuckle. "Poppy, you are already the keeper of all my secrets. Add this to the pile." The shadowed observers retreated from the room, lest Ron's mournful friends see them.

Hermione and Ginny both were a mess, thought Harry. He searched and found some tissues and some washcloths. Harry began to wipe Hermione's face with the damp, cool washcloth, which seemed to soothe her almost instantly.

As her sobbing subsided and she began to regain her composure, Hermione gave Ron one last kiss on the lips. She whispered in his ear, "I love you, Ron. Please get well. I hope you remember us. I promise that I will never forget."

With that, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny left the hospital wing. It wasn't until they reached the bottom of Gryffindor Tower that they realized that Harry had carried the invisibility cloak back with them - they had forgotten to put it back on. They stopped walking at the stairwell landing to the girl's and boy's dormitory rooms. Hermione turned and hugged Ginny and Harry both, giving them both a kiss on the cheek. With a quiet, "I'll see you in the morning," Hermione climbed the stairs to her room, leaving Harry and Ginny behind.

They just stood there for a moment, and then Harry swept Ginny up in a hug. She wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders and laid her head upon his chest. "He's not overly tall," thought Ginny, "but he sure seems to fit me just right." Harry kissed the top of her head, sending chills all the way down to her toes. On any other night, Ginny would have jumped at the chance to kiss him back, but tonight was different. She simply said, "Thank you, Harry. Good night." and walked up the stairs to her own room.