Chapter 5

Hermione woke up to the insistent calling of Madam Pomfrey's voice.

"Hermione, dear, wake up. Hermione..."

Hermione stretched and yawned. She was just having the loveliest dream about a tall, dark, and devilishly handsome man.

"What is it, Madam Pomfrey?" Why'd you have to go and wake me up from such a wonderful dream? If you only knew...

"It's about supper time, and as far as I can tell, you're free to leave the hospital wing."

Hermione smiled to her and slowly got up, checking herself for any sore muscles. The only thing that she could find wrong was a sore spot on the back of her head. She would be eternally grateful to the school's mediwitch for all the help she had provided through the years. Especially that bit with my teeth, Hermione mused to herself.

"Thank you, ma'am," she called to the matron as she exited the infirmary.

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As Hermione approached the Great Hall, the events of that morning came flooding back to her full force. How was she supposed to face Ron after that? She shook her head, no; the best option was to retire to her room. I'm not really that hungry anyways, plus I still have some chocolates left over from Honeydukes if worse comes to worse. Sighing, she headed up to her room.

Lying on her back upon her four-poster bed, Hermione thought about what had happened. Ron, her love, Ronald Bilius Weasley. How could he do this to anyone? How could he do this to me? Hermione thought bitterly. Now, now, her inner voice chided, don't go making yourself a victim. It's not like he raped you or really hurt you. Think of all those poor witches who those sorts of things happen to. Count your blessings, Hermione.

Hermione felt restless. Rising, she began to pace.

You shouldn't have let him in without your wand, silly girl!

If you liked him, wouldn't you have done something about it?

A knock at the door caused her to jump a meter in the air.

"Who is it?" she called warily as she reached for her trusty wand, ready to hex if it were Ron outside, daring to try anything again.

"Just me, Harry. Hermione, I didn't see you in the Great Hall, so I've brought you some dinner. I know what happened."

Hermione flung open the door. "Harry. It's good to see you."

"Can I come in?" he asked, offering her the bountiful tray of food.

"Actually, no...the only persons allowed in are the professors and I. Don't want another..." She struggled to find the right words. "Another incident."

"It's alright. I understand completely." He led the way down the stairs and placed the tray on the coffee table in front of the fire.

"How was dinner?" Hermione asked, trying to shake off her thoughts of why she wasn't at dinner with everyone else.

"Well, not so brilliant. Ginny's furious with me," Harry answered.

"Oh dear! Why's that?" she asked as she buttered a roll.

"Because Ron's on his way to the hospital wing." He shrugged simply. "I sent him up there a few minutes ago."

"What did you do, Harry? Oh, Professor McGonagall must be furious with you!"

"No, no. It's all right. I think she actually smiled at me after I punched him. His nose is broken, at best. I just got so angry after what happened. We're supposed to be like the three musketeers, Hermione. One musketeer isn't supposed to attack another. He deserved more than just a warning, so I decked him one on your behalf."

Hermione tried not to smile too broadly. "Thanks."

Harry grinned at her over the pumpkin pastry he brought up and sat with her while she ate the rest of the meal, contently, in silence.

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"This is unacceptable!" Severus Snape's voice roared and reverberated inside the Headmaster's cluttered office. "Stay away from her? That's it?"

"Severus, I understand that you're angry, but please try to relax. There's no grievous harm done. Miss Granger seems to be handling it quite fairly; I don't see why you can't as well. Minerva and I think this is an appropriate way to handle the situation"

"Albus. Minerva couldn't even be present for the meeting, she was so distraught. If this thing had such an effect on Minerva, just imagine what it's doing to Miss Granger. You know as well as I that this sort of thing could have severe psychological effects that we might not see right now. Even a Muggle would know that!"

Dumbledore shot his Potions master a warning glance.

"It's true," Snape grumbled.

Albus waved his hand as though clearing smoke. "Nevertheless, Severus, it seems that for now, the most we can do is hope for things to work themselves out."

Professor Snape glared at the aged wizard. Biting his tongue, he turned sharply and departed the Headmaster's office, his jet-black robes billowing behind him.

The Headmaster was a bumbling old fool, Snape decided. Ronald Weasley did not deserve the pity and sympathy that Albus had bestowed upon him. After seeing first hand what an abusive relationship could do to a household, Severus strongly felt such things were far too serious for a slap on the wrist. If Dumbledore's Gryffindor ethics were preventing him from administering a fair punishment, then it was far past the time where Slytherin tactics needed to be employed.

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Minerva McGonagall sat in her favorite chair in her study, facing her fireplace. She stirred her tea, miserating about the behaviour of her students. She hadn't even been able to gain enough composure to face Ronald in Albus' office and instead had communicated her rule, as both students' Head of House, via school owls. While she agreed that Ron needed to finish his schooling, she wondered if they had made the right decision on his punishment. She hoped that perhaps distance away from his friends was what Ronald needed to learn from his errors. As she watched the fire, the flames licked at the logs, burning brightly. She gave a small shudder and turned away in disgust. That's what Mister Weasley did to Miss Granger this morning. Licking her, devouring her, destroying her. My poor, dear Hermione, star student, bright, promising young witch. It was a fate to be bemoaned. Minerva hoped Hermione's grades and intellect didn't suffer as a result of the previous events. If they did, Merlin help her, Minerva McGonagall swore to change into her Animagus, a silver tabby, and personally scratch Mister Weasley's bollocks to the point where there was no hope of repair. See if you take after your father then! She smiled slightly to herself, pleased with her decision. I wonder if castration of an assaulting bastard counts as Azkaban material. Doubtful. What's fair is fair. Still, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall knew that as a head member of the faculty at Hogwarts, she was in no position to ever do such a thing. It would be nice though, she mused. She had been so pleased when young Mr. Potter had punched Ronald in the nose at dinner. He had it coming, and she couldn't help but to smile at Harry. He's always known right from wrong, even if he never had a proper father to teach it to him. Minerva rose with a soft sigh and began readying her papers for tomorrow's classes. All they could do, she reasoned, was hope for the best.

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Ron sat bitterly in the hospital wing as Madam Pomfrey fixed his nose. Harry was supposed to be his best friend! Who stood by him year after year, sat by him when he awoke screaming from countless nightmares, crammed for the O.W.L. exams in the wee hours of the morning, and fought right by his side during the final battle? Harry was supposed to be on his side, not Hermione's! This just isn't fair. I always get the short stick of things. I don't have Harry's eyes or famous scar; I don't have Hermione's brains or beauty. What have I got? More freckles than pages in Hogwarts: A History and luck with chess. I've got nothing that can make Hermione love me. It's not like Mum and Dad are the bloody Malfoys... they can't just pay her like Lucius and Narcissa bribe Pansy Parkinson to put up with Draco. I'm not sweet like Neville. I'm not famous like Harry. I've got nothing to make her love me, nothing to bind her to me. Bind... bind... bi...

"That's it!" he exclaimed suddenly, causing Poppy to jump slightly in alarm.

"What's it, Mister Weasley?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously. What was this boy up to?

"Erm... nothing, nothing, Madam Pomfrey. Sorry." He sank back down onto the cot slowly.

Nothing that you need to know about. However, I've discovered how to make Hermione love me for the rest of time. I'm not sure how I'll do it, but I've found a way to bind her so she will never leave me. She will be mine and mine alone! At that thought, Ronald Weasley began to plot on how exactly he would make Hermione Granger be his, without question, for all eternity.

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Lots of thanks to RobisonRocket, beta extraordinaire!