Harry's POV
Outside, the wind was howling like a raging beast, and rain fell heavily on the roof of the castle. The hallways were drafty and cold and the lanterns that lined them seemed to be casting shivering beams of light onto the floor.
It was the day after the incident at the top of the Astronomy tower and it seemed as if a lifetime had passed since we had all sat together in the common room like a normal bunch of friends. All we had done in the past month or so was: bicker (that was mostly Ron and Hermione), sit in awkward silences (that was because of the two death waters disguised as students), and basically prepare for the next battle.
This morning, I had watched the sun rise over the grounds of Hogwarts and it had been a truly magical experience for me. I had never, ever been outside at that time before and so had not known how it felt like watching the sky turning lighter every minute.
After promising to stand by me no matter what happened, Neville and Luna had left to get a few hours of sleep before the day actually started. But Ginny had stayed, wanting to be with me when the sun came up. When it did, we had been sitting side by side next to the lake, our eyes glued to its silvery surface. The sky had slowly turned periwinkle and the lake had pale gold reflected on its surface. The air had been cool and refreshing, and I remembered thinking how it smelled of winter.
When the sun had fully come up, Ginny had urged me to go back to the dormitory to get some rest. And I had gotten a few minutes of sleep before somebody was shaking me awake. It had turned out to be Neville.
That was how I ended up in the hallway outside the Gryffindor common room. I was headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. I had waited for Ginny by the staircase leading to the girls' dorms, but clearly she was sleeping in today. I couldn't blame her. After all that happened yesterday, I wanted to go to sleep too and never think about it. But I knew it was different for me. It would always be different for me. I had to get over the shock and start working on a plan to find my sister.
Professor McGonagsl had said that we would leave the next week, but that did not mean I was completely relaxed right now. I was worried. How was I supposed to find her? Would she get along with me? What would she be like? Questions burned through me, but I knew I couldn't get answers to them right now. I needed to wait.
"Harry, can you pass the plate of scrambled eggs please?" I looked up from my own plate of French toast to see Lavender Brown looking at me from across the table. She had trailed after Ron throughout most of sixth year and to be honest, I kind of felt bad for her after finding out that she had been heartbroken after that. But then she had started getting closer to Draco. He had of course disappeared for a while too and she had been devastated again. Noe though, since he was back, color had returned to her face and her eyes didn't look so sad anymore.
"Sure," I replied, picking up the plate she requested and handing it over to her.
I ate my breakfast in silence on my own. Ron was probably at the hospital wing beside Hermione's bed and Ginny was still asleep. I decided not to wake her up and started walking in the direction of the hospital wing. I had to see Hermione. I had to know how she was doing. Ron had of course been with her the whole last night. I think he felt as if he was responsible for what had happened to her.
The halls I walked through were either deserted or are just beginning to fill up as I made my way towards the hospital wing. Since breakfast ended five minutes ago, most of the students were heading towards their classes, unaware of what had transpired last night. But I knew that it would not be long until news spread. Soon, everyone would know how for the past few months, we had all been studying with a couple of death eaters in our midst.
I reached the hospital wing and pushed through the doors to see it completely empty except one bed which had a patient on it, and the curtains have been carefully drawn around it. I moved closer and pushed them apart to see Hermione lying there on her back, her hands placed on her stomach and her bushy brown hair spread over her pillow, framing her face.
I gently touched her hand to find it ice cold. I really hoped she would be okay soon. Ron and I were nothing without her.
Just when I was bending over to place a vase of flowers on the bedside table, I heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Ron carrying two steaming cups of hot chocolate. His hair looked unkept and was sticking up in all directions. His eyes had shadows under them and his face was paler than it had been last night.
"Morning," I greeted.
"Morning," he replied. "Aren't you supposed to be resting or something?"
I chuckled halfheartedly. "Aren't you?"
He sank into a chair that sat beside Hermione's bed and from the looks of it, had been there the entire night.
"I guess," he said. "But I want to be here when she wakes up." I could tell he hadn't slept much either. His voice was hoarse.
"You should go rest," I told him uneasily. It was obvious he was in pretty bad shape, perhaps not physically, but mentally he seemed shaken.
"Nah, I'm alright," he told me. "I just went to get a cup of hot chocolate. This chair is not comfortable but it did allow me to sleep for a few minutes."
We stayed there, silently looking down at our best friend, not daring to start a conversation. After all that had happened, I had forgiven Ron, but I knew he had not forgiven himself, and being with me had to make him feel uncomfortable. After a few moments of utter quiet, I attempted to break the silence.
"So is that other cup for me?" I pointed at the other cup of steaming hot chocolate that Ron had places on the side table. He was taking small sips from his own, not looking up.
"Oh, that," he paused. "I just brought it in case Hermione woke up, but.. yeah, go ahead. Take it."
"I don't think Madame Pomfrey will appreciate you giving her hot chocolate as soon as she wakes up," I grinned.
"Yeah," he replied, still looking at Hermione's still form.
I decided to leave him alone after another couple of minutes. Clearly, he needed some time. Before pushing the door open though, I turned towards him.
"Ron," I started and he looked up. "It wasn't your fault."
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A/N
So how was it? I have missed writing this story so much! Did you notice something different about how I wrote this chapter compared to how I wrote Crushing Darkness? Haha I'm just curious.. Anyways please leave comments and votes xD
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