In Sickness and in Health

{4}

"He apologized."

Harry blinked in his seat across from her at the ministry break room, seeming unsurprised by this development that had Hermione arse over tits.

"That's good of him, he apologized to me as well, though it was much less of an event than you're making it," he said.

"Harry," Hermione tried to reason with him in her most serious tone, though it only made the Auror laugh, "I never thought he would... or could!"

Nodding, her companion took a chip from his plate and ate it whole, their lunch-time get-together only fifteen minutes in, but Harry was a hungry Auror.

"I think over the course of time, and through that time not having my mum, made him realize some things. He doesn't make excuses for the way he acted towards us, and I believe that's because he truly meant a lot of his wretchedness. Now though... now Snape has been shown what's really important, and that is his life and the sanctity of others."

Hermione felt like she was talking to someone else for a moment. She had to shake her head a few times to clearly see Harry who hadn't thought his words odd at all.

"Wow, Harry, that actually makes sense."

The man smiled proudly, though did take a bit of offense after Hermione started snickering.

"You did forgive him, right?" He asked, however, seeming skeptical knowing exactly how Hermione Granger of all people worked.

"Of course," she answered immediately.

Nodding, Harry relaxed his shoulders and tossed back another chip. "Now if only we could get Ron to do the same."

"Unlikely," Hermione said, taking a bite of her own sandwich and swallowing it down quickly. "He's more stubborn than I am on things like that. I doubt he'd ever forgive him... even for saving his life."

"Well, we can always try.... So he's at your house a lot. Snape, that is."

"Comparatively," she replied skeptically, "Well he will be anyways. There's seven more treatments Ron has to go through, then he'll be out of the coma. He stayed for about an hour last time, potion giving and all."

"I'm surprised you left the house, I know Gin wouldn't have moved from my bedside if I were like that," Harry commented, drinking from his travel mug of tea.

"You know me, Harry, I have a muggle baby monitor I magically enhanced in my office so that way if I can't hear his breathing, or something suspicious is happening, I can go there in a moment's notice."

"It's weird they let him stay at your flat. I mean, I couldn't imagine sleeping next to someone in a coma."

Hermione thought about it for the first time since she'd had Ron back, and in a muggle sense it was odd. For some reason though, in her life as a witch, she felt that the only thing odd was going back to the muggle ways of life. Having a comatose Ron in her bed did keep her from sleeping on it, as the previous night she'd made friends with their couch again, but having him home assured her his safety. It was like keeping an eye on him at all times, and not having to worry about the healers mistreating him.

"It's reassuring, really," Hermione said aloud, "There's comfort in knowing that nothing strange could be happening to him in St. Mungo's. And I sleep on the sofa, by the way."

"Well, as long as it's you and not me," Harry said finally, indulging more into his lunch.

With only a few minutes left to their meal, someone interrupted their rather private affair.

"Hey, Draco," Harry said happily, the blonde reaching out to shake his hand in return.

"Hey," Malfoy greeted back, and Hermione shrunk, attempting to remain unnoticed, but it didn't quite work.