The Seventh Year Soap Opera

Chapter Eight- Raging Emotions

Neither of them spoke as Ron carried her to the hospital wing. Instead, they stared into each other's eyes, trying to decipher what the other was thinking. Ron was so relieved and so thankful that he had gotten to Hermione before Malfoy could do anything worse to her. Hermione was confused. Ron wasn't supposed to rescue her--Harry was. The boyfriend. That's how it was in all the romance novels she had ever read. And, considering her passion of reading, that was a lot of novels.

"What is the matter?" Madam Pomfrey asked when they entered the hospital wing, looking up from the boy she had been tending to. "You can go," she told him.

"Thanks Pomfrey!" he said jovially before leaving Hermione, Ron, and Madam Pomfrey alone in the room.

Ron took a deep breath. "She's pregnant and Draco Malfoy put the Cruciatus Curse on her," he said in a rush.

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened in horror. "Bring her over here!" she said, walking quickly to a bed.

Ron laid Hermione (who was still trembling slightly) on the bed and watched as Madam Pomfrey examined her thouroughly, muttering to things to herself like "Not good" and "Ooh". When she had finished she looked at Ron, worried lines now visible on her jaunt face. "Mr. Weasley, please stay here while I go inform Professor Dumbledore of this incident. Make sure she doesn't move too much. She could harm her child."

Ron nodded gravely and Madam Pomfrey draped a shawl around her shoulders. "Where is Mr. Malfoy by the way?" she said, intense dislike blazing in her hazel eyes.

"I left him lying in the corridor. It isn't too far from Gryffindor Tower," he told her. Madam Pomfrey set her lips in a firm line and walked out of the room briskly.

Ron went over to Hermione and sat on the edge of her bed. She looked like a ghost. She lay rigid on the bed, her skin a pasty white, her arms across her stomach, her eyes distantly darting across the ceiling. Her eyes wandered over to him and he could see tiny tears glistening in them. "Where's Harry?" she asked, playing with her fingers.

A flicker of jealousy flared inside him. She wanted Harry there, not him. He set his thoughts aside and said, "He's in a detention for Snape."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Oh," she murmured sadly.

Another tear strolled down her face, but this one wasn't for Harry. This one was for her baby. She was so afraid to move, fearing that one simple movement would hurt her unborn child.

This was too much for Ron. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was seeing Hermione cry. Every douse of wet pain was a thousand knives in his back. He wanted to kiss her and tell her everything would be okay. But that wasn't Ron's place. It was Harry's. Ron sighed heavily, his breath coming unevenly, due to the range of emotions building inside him.

"Don't cry," he choked out. "Please."

Another tear slid down Hermione's cheek and he could take it no more. He kissed her. Not on the lips, but on her cheek, the single tear touching his lips.

Hermione knew the intent of the kiss was brotherly, but it brewed a dangerous fire inside her, a fire of physical attraction, she was sure. This was how it all started, she thought secretly.

Another tear fell from her eye, touching Ron's lips once more. Impulsively, he licked the tear, tasting the overwhelming saltiness, his hormones raging. Hermione shivered in delight as his tongue grazed her skin. Ron noticed her reaction. What the hell are you doing? he thought angrily to himself, drawing away harshly. "I-I'm sorry," he said huskily.

"It's okay," said Hermione, just as huskily, brushing away her tears with her hand. She gave him a weak smile.

Yes, she thought, this was how it all started.

Hermione was sitting in the common room, pouring over her Arithmancy homework, but she just couldn't concentrate. She threw down her quill on the table, disgusted with herself. She missed Harry. She missed his light kisses and his warm hugs, his compassionate gestures, and the way he said her name.

It was the end of her sixth year at Hogwarts, and she hadn't seen him since the middle of her fifth year. She had only received two letters from Harry during this time, and even then they had been written in a rush and were very short. The second one she had received exactly 98 days ago, and it was eating her up inside. She didn't know if he was dead or alive--a lot could happen in 98 days...

Her thoughts were disturbed a redheaded someone who had just entered the room. "Hey Hermione," he said. "What are you working on?"

"Homework," she replied. as though the answer was obvious, running a hand through her somewhat bushy hair. Her eyes were hollow, her skin was pale, and she looked like she hadn't slept in weeks, which of course, she hadn't.

"Oh," Ron said, feeling a little stupid. "Well, I just came to get my Potions book. I'm off to the library to study with Seamus and Lavender."

Hermione gazed at him, complete shock written on her face. "You? Study? Since when?"

Ron grinned at her and shrugged. He began to walk toward the stairs, when he heard Hermione call his name. He whipped around. "Yeah?" he said.

"Why don't you ever hang around with me anymore?" said Hermione, a note of desperation in her usually confident voice. Ron shrugged agin and looked down at the suddenly very interesting floor. "Ever since Harry left, you've been distant. All you do is hang around with Seamus and Lavender. It's--It's like you're replacing me with Lavender--and--Harry with Seamus!" She said this last bit so quickly, she was surprised she didn't choke on her own words.

Ron looked up from the floor. "That's not true," he said hastily. "No one could replace Harry--or you."

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what I was saying. I-I just miss you, that's all."

"Sorry," said Ron guiltily. "You know I'm always here for you, right?"

Hermione nodded her head. "Let's talk about something else, please."

"What do you want to talk about?"

Hermione racked her brains. "Do you have any idea what happened between Neville and Luna that made them break up?"

Ron shook his head. "Neville hasn't said anything about it, really. He's been quiet about the whole thing."

"It's just," Hermione began with a sigh, "I saw Luna walking around the lake today with Theodore Nott."

"The Slytherin?"

"Oh, honestly, Ron, why do you have to categorize people by their House? We're supposed to promote inner house unity, you know. And yes, Theodore is a Slytherin."

Ron's eyes widened. "Maybe Luna cheated on him and they broke up because of that!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "For Merlin's sake, Ron, Luna is not that type of person. She and Neville were so dedicated to each other!"

"You're right, like always. But Neville's still not going to talk about it."

Hermione rubbed her temples tiredly. "Yes, well, I suppose I shouldn't keep you from studying, considering it'll be the first time you've ever done it in your life."

"Funny," said Ron. He gave her a small wave, then went upstairs to retrieve his Potions book. He came back down, the book clutched tightly in his hand. "Well, see you," he said to Hermione.

Then he noticed she was crying. "What's wrong now?" he said, setting his book on the table and sitting next to her.

"I just - I miss him...miss him so much, Ron!"

"We all do," said Ron, putting his arm around her. "Shh," he said softly, kissing her cheek. A tear fell to his lips. Feeling a fire burn every bone in his body, he pulled away quickly.

Hermione looked up and stared into his eyes, hypnotized by their hunger, and she pulled his face down to hers, kissing him. He moaned as she wrapped her arms around his neck, the contact of her skin on his complete ecstasy. She slid her tongue into his mouth, sensing, tasting, and probing into the heat she found there. His hands roamed all over her body like a wild man who had just been released from chains, sparks surging through the both of them.

The intensity of their passion and the pleasure it brought them consumed them both.

Hermione shook away the vivid thoughts of that night with a shake of her head. One thing was for certain, she thought sinfully, he never went back to the library. She grinned, then frowned almost immediately. How dare she even think those thoughts!

Ron's voice drifted into her ears, snapping her back to the present. "I think I better go," he said, standing up.

"No!" said Hermione, louder than she had intended. She bit her lip.

"Hermione, look," he began, running his hands through his hair, "I can't do this."

"What?"

"Be around you!" he said, frustrated.

Hermione felt hurt. "Why?" she said.

"Because--"

He was cut off by Madam Pomfrey and Draco Malfoy, who had just walked into the room. Hermione and Ron glared daggers at Malfoy.

"Mr. Weasley, were there any other witnesses besides Ms. Granger and yourself who saw Mr. Malfoy perform the Cruciatus Curse?" said Madam Pomfrey.

Ron shook his head, not taking his eyes off of Malfoy. There was hatred in his eyes, a hatred he had never felt before, and it scared him a bit. He could kill Malfoy and not feel sorry. He had just given him a good reason to, hadn't he? He had hurt Hermione! He had made her suffer! No one touched his Hermione! But wait. She wasn't his and she never would be.

"Why do you ask?" said Hermione.

"Because, no one is sure to believe you. The dislike--("Hate," interrupted Ron.) shared between you is widely known," Madam Pomfrey explained.

Ron noticed Malfoy smirk. How he wanted to wipe it off his face. "So he's going to get off!" he roared. "He performed the Cruciatus! That's a life sentence in Azkaban!"

"He will get a trial of course," Madam Pomfrey assured him. "But he is likely to get off, yes." Draco's smirk grew wider at this comment.

Hermione suddenly jumped out of bed, fury pumping her veins. She had never felt this much anger before... "Excuse me!" she shrieked.

"Ms. Granger, you musn't move!" Madam Pomfrey said, rushing to restrain her as she lunged at Malfoy. "Your child!"

Hermione ignored her. "He sexually harrassed and assaulted me! Then he put me under the worst kind of torture imaginable! Not only that, he put my baby's life in danger!" she bellowed.

"You are putting your baby's life in danger, Ms. Granger!" said Madam Pomfrey shrilly, grabbing Hermione by the shoulders and trying to lay her on the bed.

"That bastard better damn well go to Azkaban!" Hermione yelled, getting past Madam Pomfrey somehow, and stepping toward the Slytherin. She drew out her wand. "Cru--" she started, but her wand flew out of her hand as Malfoy yelled, "Expelliarmus!"

Hermione looked startled and Madam Pomfrey took that opportunity to stick a needle into her skin, some type of shot she assumed. Hermione clutched her arm and staggered onto the bed.

Ron tried to absorb it all. "He assaulted you?" he said in a soft voice, stepping toward him. Malfoy pointed his and Hermione's wand at Ron's face. Madam Pomfrey urged him to put them away.

"Hold on," Draco said calmly. He looked over at Hermione, whose eyes were beginning to glaze over from the shot. "Granger, you're pregnant?"

Hermione glared at him, too tired to do anything else (damn shot!) and then looked away from him stubbornly, refusing to answer. "Granger, I can make you answer me," he said tauntingly, waving around the wands in his hand.

She turned to him. "Are you hard of hearing?" she snapped. "Didn't I just say I was?"

Draco smirked some more, if that was even possible. "I knew you were a whore!" he said excitedly.

Ron clenched his fists so hard his knuckes turned white and he screwed his face up in anger. Malfoy didn't notice this and continued his insults. "So, who is the unlucky bastard? Weasel I suppose? Potter's too noble to have sex," he snarled, looking around the room.

"Judging by the silence, I'm guessing yes. Honestly, Granger, even you could have done better than that. Wait, scratch that. For a moment there I had forgotten you were a Mud--"

The words didn;t escape his throat. Ron lunged at him, knocking the wands aside. Malfoy's head cracked with the floor as Ron pinned him to the ground, the desire to kill flooding through him like nothing he had ever know. Then, he began to punch him. Over and over and over his fist made contact with the Slytherin's face, making it a bloody mess.

And Ron was in no position to stop.

"Mr. Weasley!" Madam Pomfrey yelled, coming out of her state of shock, trying to pull Ron off of Malfoy. It was no use. She wasn't strong enough.

Meanwhile, Hermione was terrified. Never in her life had she seen anyone in a rage like this, not even in her third year when Harry was ready to kill his Godfather. "Ron!" she cried hysterically, tears streaming down her face like waterfalls. "Stop! Stop please! PLEASE!"

But it seemed Ron was just getting started. He couldn't see Malfoy's pale skin anymore, just thick red blood, and it filled him with satisfaction. But he couldn't force himself to stop. He knew he was hurting Malfoy, really hurting him, and he wanted to stop, but he had become addicted to the motion of raising his fist in the air and bringing it to crash on Malfoy's face.

Hermione was still screeching at the top of her lungs, and Madam Pomfrey was crawilng on the floor, her fingers only inches from Ron's wand...

And then, Ron was hurled from his position and thrown across the room, his back slamming into the wall. He let out a moan of pain and fell to the floor. Hermione and Madam Pomfrey turned their heads to see Pansy Parkinson standing in the doorway, her wand pointed directly at Ron. She flicked her wand upward and slowly, Ron rose into the air again until the top of his red head touched the ceiling.

Hermione stared at Pansy in horror, knowing what she was going to do next. "No!" she cried, as Pansy gave a wicked grin and muttered something. Ron turned upside down in the air. Hermione shut her eyes quickly as she heard Ron fall to the ground faster than the speed of light, a sickening thud sounding as his head made contact with the marble foor.

Madam Pomfrey let out a shrill scream. Hermione popped open her eyes and saw Ron lying in a crumpled heap, his arms and legs sticking out at odd angles. Fear and adrenaline filled her heavy heart, and she rushed to his side.