Lost Memories

lii. tears and pain

"Er... My... Nee..."

My eyes widened as I knew how the events were going to come into play. Still sleeping, Ron extended his hand blindly and Hermione took it, looking down at him and forgetting about Lavender. She looked as though she were about to cry.

"Reckon you're single now, yeah?" I said sourly to her.

With a huff, Lavender stalked out of the ward and slammed the doors shut.

"Ah," Dumbledore beamed, "to be young and feel love's keen sting. Come, everyone, I think Mr Weasley is well-tended. We will be back soon."

Dumbledore motioned for the other teachers to follow him out of the ward. I sighed and walked back over to Harry and Ginny, who now accompanied him. For a split second, I thought Ginny was going to kiss Harry as she leaned into him.

" 'Bout time, don't you think?" Ginny said to us, motioning to Ron and Hermione.

Then, instead of staying in the ward with her brother, Ginny left. Harry's eyes followed Ginny as she left and I sighed deeply, looking over to Hermione.

"Hermione?" I asked, amusement in my voice.

"Oh, shut up, Charlotte," Hermione said with a faint smile.

Before I could say anything else to Hermione, the dormitory doors opened again and Mr and Mrs Weasley hurried up the ward. They had done no more than satisfying themselves that Ron would make a full recovery on their last visit to the ward; now Mrs Weasley seized hold of Harry and hugged him very tightly.

"Dumbledore's told us how you saved him with the bezoar," she sobbed. "Oh, Harry, what can we say? You saved Ginny... you saved Arthur... now you've saved Ron..."

"Half our family does seem to owe you their lives, now I stop and think about it," Mr Weasley said in a constricted voice. "Well, all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry."

Madam Pomfrey soon came over and kicked us out because there could only be six people next to Ron's bed. Harry, Hermione, and I reluctantly left Ron's side, allowing the Weasleys to stay with him.

Once Ron got out of the Hospital wing, Hermione caught Ron up on all the word he missed during his absence. Harry was still stumped on how to get the memory, Dumbledore wanted, from Professor Slughorn. Harry opened his Potions book, hoping that the Prince would help him, and flipped through the pages.

"You won't find anything in there," said Hermione firmly.

"Don't start, Hermione," said Harry. "If it hadn't been for the Prince, Ron wouldn't be sitting here now."

"He would if you'd just listened to Snape in our first year," said Hermione dismissively.

"You just made up with Ron, don't have a go at Harry now, too," I said sharply.

Harry ignored us and turned to the book. After a few moments, he tugged on my robes and brought my attention to the book.

"What do you think this means?" he whispered to me.

Looking at where he was pointing to, I saw a little scribble of an incantation that read "Sectumsempra" above the words "For Enemies."

"Well, sectum- means cut," I whispered, "I reckon it's a hex. Don't use it."

Harry shrugged his shoulders and folded down the corner of the page.

"So how's McLaggen shaping up?" Ron asked Harry as he got ready for the game.