Hermione in the Hospital Wing (2)

"You mentioned chocolate just now," Ron suddenly changed the subject. "Will it work?" Harry froze for a moment, then smiled. "I don't know. Aunt Penny always brought a box when she visited patients. She said chocolate could cheer people up."

"Hermione doesn't like things that are too sweet." Ron's tone was as serious as if he were discussing a potion recipe. "Honeydukes has a dark chocolate with a high cocoa content. It isn't very sweet. Does your friend know?"

Harry shook his head. "I didn't know they had that."

Ron stood up. "I'll go find her. The owl hasn't left yet, so I'll have her switch it." Then he ran out. Harry called after him, "Do you know her name?" "Susan Bones! The one waiting for you by the Great Hall!" Ron's voice drifted back from the corridor, growing fainter and fainter.

Harry sat alone in the common room, looking at the two pots of sunflowers. Their petals were golden, swaying gently in the firelight like two smiling faces. He tried to remember the last time Hermione had smiled—it had been the day before yesterday, in the library, when she found a book about the history of werewolves and excitedly told them a whole lot of things he hadn't understood at all.

Ron had been dozing beside her, and she smacked him on the head with a book. The two of them argued for ages. That was normal. Hermione smacking Ron on the head, Ron complaining that she was too fierce, Hermione standing there with her face red from anger—that was normal. Not this, sneaking off to the Hospital Wing alone in the middle of the night without even telling them.

When Ron came back, his face was bright red with embarrassment. "She switched it. Susan said it was no