Here with Me

Here with Me

By aries11

Song: "Here with Me" by Dido

He felt guilty.

Ron knew that it was wrong to take Harry's Invisibility Cloak without asking. He knew he should not have been out of bed, considering all that had happened. Whatever had Petrified the students and Mrs. Norris could have been lurking around any corner.

However, he had to see her.

He wouldn't sleep until he had gone to see her.

Alone.

After what had seemed like the longest walk of his young life, Ron finally reached the door of the hospital wing. No turning back now, Weasley, he thought. You've gotten yourself this far. Now do what you came to do. With a deep breath, the red-haired boy pushed the door open and stepped into the large room. He walked quickly, not knowing what might have followed him.

To Ron's right were the first two students who had been Petrified. The first was Colin Creevey, who still had his hands near his face as if he was still holding his camera. Next to him was Justin Fitch-Fletchley, the Hufflepuff boy that Harry had saved from the snake during the Dueling Club. Ron looked to his left and first saw Penelope Clearwater, his older brother Percy's girlfriend.

And then he saw her.

She lay on the last bed of her row. Her right arm was at her side, and her left was slightly raised, her hand outstretched. Her face appeared to be looking straight ahead, and the expression she wore was of shock and fear.

Hermione Granger. The bushy-haired girl whom he had met on the Hogwarts Express a year earlier. The one he had saved from a mountain troll. The same girl who had saved him from Devil's Snare. She was the cleverest witch he had ever met. There was not a spell she could not do. She was his classmate, his partner, and his other best friend.

And now she was Petrified. This time, Ron could not save her. No spell he knew could make her move again. The guilt her was already feeling worsened. Ron threw off the Cloak and walked to Hermione's side.

"Hermione?" he said. "It's me, Ron, can you hear me?"

I didn't hear you leave

I wonder how am I still here

I don't want to move a thing

It might change my memory

Nothing. She looked entirely helpless.

"Hermione," Ron said again, "I don't know if you can hear me or even if you know I'm here. I just had to come and talk to you. I'm alone. Harry's still sleeping. He doesn't even know I was coming. I'm not even supposed to be here."

Oh I am what I am

I'll do what I want

But I can't hide

Ron could almost hear Hermione retorting, When did that ever stop you? That thought made him smile.

"Hermione, I have some good news and some bad news. I think I should start with the bad news. Harry and I went to see Hagrid earlier tonight, and while we were there, Mr. Fudge and Mr. Malfoy came and had Hagrid taken to Azkaban Prison! That's not it, either. They've suspended Dumbledore, too!

I don't want you to worry, though, because I still have to tell you the good news. Hagrid isn't the heir of Slytherin! After he was taken, Harry and I followed those spiders into the Dark Forest, and we found Aragog. You should see him, Hermione: he's huge! Anyway, we asked him if he was the monster, and he said he never even left the box that Hagrid kept him in! He's not the monster! Don't you see, Hermione? Tom Riddle framed Hagrid! Oh, but then, Aragog tried to sic his family members on us. Hermione, there were spiders bigger than Bludgers out there! I thought Harry and I were goners. But then our car appeared out of nowhere, and we got out of there."

Ron realized how excited he was getting, so he took a deep breath to calm himself. Then, without thinking, he reached out and touched Hermione's hand. It was hard as stone and did not feel like a hand at all.

I won't go, I won't sleep

I can't breathe

Until you're resting here with me

I won't leave, I can't hide

I cannot be

Until you're resting here with me

"Don't worry, Hermione," he said. "We're going to solve this. And we're going to get you back. Professor Sprout is working nonstop on the Mandrake potion. It'll be ready any day now. You'll have your nose back in Hogwarts: a History before you know it!"

Ron gave a small chuckle but stopped when he saw Hermione's face again. It was then that he realized why he had come in the first place.

"Hermione...there's another reason I came here tonight. I know we argue a lot, and I know sometimes I act like I don't care about you. But that's not true. I do care about you. I care about you a lot. You're my best friend, too. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you or Harry. Do you think I would have tried to curse Malfoy if I didn't care about you? I don't eat slugs for anyone! When we went into the forest tonight, the only thing I could think of was how much I wished you were there with us. I knew you would know how to get us out of there."

I don't want to call my friends

For they might wake me from this dream

I can't leave this bed

And risk forgetting all that's been

"There's something else I miss from you. You're the only normal girl I know anymore! Everyone around here is so jumpy. Ever since you were attacked, they've all but given up the idea of Harry being the heir of Slytherin. Everyone's still scared, though. McGonagall says there's the possibility of the school being closed. Ginny has been acting exceptionally strange these days. She's so quiet and withdrawn. Every once in a while, she just starts to cry, and when we try to ask her what's wrong, she just shakes her head. She'd probably tell you what was wrong. Don't you see? We need you, Hermione."

Oh I am what I am

I'll do what I want

But I can't hide

I won't go, I won't sleep

I can't breathe,

Until you're resting here with me

I won't leave, I can't hide

I cannot be

Until you're resting here

I won't go, I won't sleep

I can't breathe

Until you're resting here with me

I won't leave, I can't hide

I cannot be

Until you're resting here with me

With that, Ron started to rise, but then a thought stopped him.

"There's just one more thing I want to tell you, Hermione. The other day, Malfoy said it was too bad that you weren't dead yet. Hermione, it took Harry and Dean Thomas to hold me back! I didn't need my wand. I was ready to kill him with my bare hands! I'll only say this once more, Hermione: there is nothing I wouldn't do for you. I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

Oh I am what I am

I'll do what I want

But I can't hide

Ron gave Hermione's hand one last pat, stood up, and walked back to where he had dropped the Invisibility Cloak. As he reached down to pick it up, something hit him,

All of a sudden, Ron remembered something from when he was little. His mother used to read the children stories from the Muggle books that their father brought home. What were they called again - fairy tales? As odd as Ron thought that name was, there was something that he remembered hearing in one of them. No, two of them! In both stories, there was a girl under a sleeping enchantment, and a prince came to rescue her, and he...

If it had ended the same way for two different Muggle fairy tales, then did that mean...?

Ron walked back over to Hermione's side and sat back down at the edge of her bed. He then leaned toward her.

"Hermione, this is for your own good. If you remember this, let's keep it between us until the time is right."

And with that, he lowered his head to her face and kissed Hermione very softly on her stone-like lips. Then he pulled back and waited.

And waited.

And waited a bit more.

And then some more.

I won't go, I won't sleep

I can't breathe

Until you're resting here with me

I won't leave, I can't hide

I cannot be

Until you're resting here

Ron had no idea how long he sat there and waited for Hermione to move. Before long, the sun was rising, and he knew it was time to go. There was nothing else he could do. With a heavy heart, Ron stood up, walked back to where the Cloak was, and put it on. Madame Pomfrey could come in any minute. She probably would not be very pleased to find him there. Ron realized that he was very tired, having not slept much the night before. He had no idea how he was supposed to stay awake in classes that day. But then he realized it was Saturday, and that he could go back to bed and sleep for a while. Hopefully, he would not bump into anyone on his way back to Gryffindor Tower. Before he left, he took one last look at Hermione. He and Harry would come back later that day to see her.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he said sadly. "I thought it would work."

As Ron walked toward the door, he tried to think of why the kiss had not worked. Maybe it was because those stories really were just make-believe. Maybe it was because the spell that Hermione was under was entirely too strong for anything besides a Mandrake potion.

Or maybe...the spell really only worked if the person who kissed someone under such a spell was in fact their true love.

Ron hoped with all that he had that the real reason was anything but the third.

I won't go, I won't sleep

I can't breathe

Until you're resting here with me

I won't leave, I can't hide

I cannot be

Until you're resting here with me