5Know-It-All
Chapter 2
Summary: No matter how bad anything got, she always knew he was it.
"Have you heard anything about Ernie?" Hannah asked for the millionth time.
"Not yet Hannah, but I've been looking, like I said before. Now you are no use to Ernie dead and that's what you will be if you don't let me finish treating these burns. They are seriously infected," Hermione said, pushing Hannah back down on the bed. She rolled up Hannah's shirt again and started saying her spells over...for the seventh time that day.
"Okay. But he'll be okay, right? I mean, he's smart. He'll be okay," Hannah whispered.
"I'm sure he is Hannah, now drink t his."
"What is it?"
"It'll give you a dreamless sleep," Hermione explained. Hannah drank it up fast.
"Your boyfriend, is he okay? Ron Weasley right?" Hannah said, yawning loudly.
"Yes, he's okay, and no, he's not my boyfriend," Hermione corrected, although she smiled as she said it.
"Oh…" Hannah yawned, "so you're in…that stage. Has he kissed you yet?" Hannah closed her eyes for a full minute then snapped them back open. "Well?"
"I don't think you need to know the answer of that question" Hermione said, blushing a deep shade of red.
"That means yes!" Hannah sad exclaimed. "You need…to give me…details…about…"
"I will. After you take a nap."
"Promise? You two…a…are…so…cute…" Hannah succumbed to the potion and fell asleep.
"Promise," Hermione said, covering Hannah with a blanket.
"Thank you Ms. Granger. I really appreciate your help," Madame Pomfrey said, coming over to Hermione.
"It's no problem."
"It's just…sometimes, being taken care of by someone you trust and know and care about is better."
"I understand and whenever you need my help, just call," Hermione said.
"Can you stay just a bit longer? There's one more patient I would like you to look at. I'm not quite sure of the extent of his injuries because I can't get him to talk. He's in shock over something," the nurse said. Hermione nodded and walked over to wear Madame Pomfrey was pointing. She pulled back the curtain and had to stifle a cry. Lying on the bed was George Weasley. He didn't look so injured, at least not n the physical sense. Mentally, his pain was showing. He looked sick, almost dead. Hermione walked over to his side and it was then that she noticed the head full of dreadlocks that lay on George's bed, with the darker boy's hand holding desperately onto George's freckled arm. Hermione crossed to the other side of George's bed and gently shook the other boy.
"Lee? Lee, wake up," she whispered.
"Fred!" he yelped, jumping up. He looked around, confused, as if he had forgotten where he was. "Oh."
"If you want to go to a dormitory and sleep, I've got it-"
"No. I want to…I need to be here," Lee objected, shaking his head. Hermione nodded and went back over to George.
"Do you know if there's anything wrong with him…you know, physically?"
"Um, yeah. His left arm is broken in two spots and something fell on him. I think it hurt his head, maybe a concussion. Also his leg looks really messed up," Lee recounted. Hermione pulled up George's robes to expose an agitated cut. "That looks infected," Lee said, pinching his face up.
"No, it's just a little dirty. I can heal it up easily," Hermione said, taking out her wand. She said a few spells and the cut quickly cleaned itself and healed up. She pulled the pant leg back down. "It might be tender when he wakes up. If it is, just put something cold on it and that should be that," Hermione said. Lee nodded. Hermione moved on to George's arm. Again, this was a simple mend.
Hermione worked rapidly, healing George's concussion within minutes, and all his other small cuts and bruises. She noticed Lee never let go of George's hand, no matter where Hermione was working on George's body. She smiled a bit, knowing George would be left in capable hands when she left. After a few minutes, she sighed.
"What's wrong?" Lee asked, worry evident in his eyes.
"I really need to wake him up and ask him if there's pain anywhere that we don't know about," Hermione said. "But I don't want to wake him up."
"I'm not so bad with healing spells and all that. IF he wakes up in pain, I'll see what I can do. If I don't know what to do, I'll come get you, I promise," Lee offered.
"Alright. I'll see you later," Hermione said. She put her hand on his shoulder, offering comfort she knew he needed. Lee covered her hand with his, squeezing it tight. She felt a tear drop from his eyes and wrapped the other arm around the boy. They stayed that way for a minute before Lee took a shuddery breath.
"Thanks. Goodnight," he said softly.
"Goodnight," Hermione said just as softly. She suddenly felt very tired, more tired than she could remember being in a long time. She couldn't get to the Gryffindor common room fast enough. The moment she got to a chair, she collapsed in it.
"Hey Hermione," a sleepy voice muttered. Hermione opened her eyes a crack and saw on the couch next to her Ron, Harry, and Ginny. She noted with a smile that Ginny was snuggled up in Harry's lap. She also noticed that Ron wasn't glaring at Harry and Ginny, which she was thankful for.
"Hi," she said back.
"You just missed Neville and Luna," Ginny said. "They said to say hi when I saw you."
"Okay." Hermione looked at Ginny's dropping eyelids and Harry's completely closed ones. "You two should get to bed."
"We probably should," Ginny said. She tapped Harry's chest, jerking him awake. "Come on Harry, let's go," she said. She led a just barely awake Harry up the stairs and to bed.
Hermione looked around the common room. She was alone…with Ron. All alone. She looked back at Ron, who was staring at the fire, his eyes half closed. The light from the fire danced in his eyes. In fact, the light was so bright that it wasn't until after three minutes of staring at Ron did she realize he was crying. Her breath came in sharp when she saw the tear drop from his cheek into his lap.
"Ron?" she asked, breaking the silence. They sat in silence again, for so long that she thought he wasn't going to answer until-
"It's been bearable up until now," Ron finally said. "You know? I mean, Cedric…but I barely knew the guy. I felt horrible for Harry, but… then Sirius…and Dumbledore…those hurt, a lot. But those were…bearable. I could get through it. I felt bloody horrible, but I knew it would pass. But Fred? That…I feel like…like I'll never be happy ever again. I…" Ron stopped and took a shuddering breath. He looked up at Hermione and Hermione's breath hitched. In his eyes were a thousand emotions: anger, sadness, depression, guilt, and hopelessness were just the surface. So much for having the emotional range of a teaspoon, she though wryly. Hermione caught something else in his eyes, something that pulled her in: complete and total, unadulterated love and adoration for…her? And need. He needed someone with him, right now.
She immediately got up and kneeled next to him on the couch. Sobs started to wrack his body and she took him into her arms. He pressed his head to her stomach and cried while she held him. After some time he looked up at her. She stared back. Then, before she could even realize what he was doing he was kissing her. She kissed him back fiercely, wanting to go faster, yet thinking they were going too fast. His hands were everywhere, in her hair, on her back, at her hips, on her face. Her hands stayed in his hair though, playing with it.
Too soon, he pulled back. She didn't want to let him go, but she knew that if they didn't stop now, they might not ever stop and now wasn't the time. Not when the wounds were all still so raw. She laid back and he lay on top of her, with her stroking his hair.
"I still can't believe it," he mumbled.
"Can't believe what?" Hermione asked.
"That after all this, after all the things I've put you through, you still want me," he clarified. She smiled, thinking back on all the times they had fought.
"But we always got back together. It didn't matter how bad the fights were or how crazy everything got, there was one thing I always knew, was always sure of," she said.
"What?" Ron asked, looking up at her.
"You. Always you, never anyone else," she said softly. He smiled and put his head back down. He took her hand and laced his fingers through her's.
"You and me. I like that," he whispered. She smiled again and closed her eyes. Just as she was drifting off, she heard Ron's voice say:
"You always knew we would get over ourselves and get together?"
"Of course. I was completely sure of it."
"Know-it-all." She sighed.
"Ronald Weasley, you are the most insufferable, annoying boy I have ever met in my entire life!" she whispered fiercely. She felt him laugh silently.
"Ah, but that's why you love me so much, isn't it?"
"Oh, go to sleep," she pouted. Ron kissed her hand.
"Okay…I love you."
"I love you."
She didn't even hesitate when she said it.
I hope you liked the ending. I like the ending. A lot. Review. It's optional, but it makes me smile and wins you brownie points. Signing your review earns you more. Just saying.