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Hermione felt even worse after her nap which ended up stretching most of the afternoon. She was starting to realise that she might be ill, but she was nothing if not stubborn so she pushed it away as she made herself eat the stir fry that Fred made before she headed back to the Burrow - where she promptly threw up out by the back door. That was where Harry found her and he let her lean against him until she was able to stand up without the whole word swaying. Harry made her sit down anyway, his hand rubbing up and down her back as Hermione took slow breaths. The hated vomiting and the toll that it took on her body, even if she realised now that she should have known that this was coming after the crummy week that she had had.
"Feeling better now?" Harry asked when her shoulders finally stopped heaving up and down, and she finally let herself slump against him.
"A little." She mumbled. She hadn't spent much time with Harry recently. They'd both been busy with work, and if she was completely honest then she would have to admit that she had been avoiding him, mainly because she wasn't ready to talk to Ron about her new love life, and she knew that Harry was incapable of keeping a secret from Ron. It made sense, in a way, that he would become so open especially after having everyone lie to him or just simply not tell him everything for most of his life, but it meant that Hermione had to pick and choose what she could actually tell him. It felt weird now, anyway, that the first time that they had spoken in a week would be when she wasn't at all feeling her best.
"Want me to help you to your bed?" Harry offered as she allowed him to pull her to her feet. She was shaking, so as much as she didn't think she really wanted to invite Ginny's boyfriend into Ginny's bedroom and watch the two of them make out, she knew that she needed help to get there safely. Both her boys - the twins - were still at their own flat. George had been busy in the shop for most of the day from what she'd understood while Fred had been keeping an eye on her.
"Yeah, please." She agreed after a moment or two. She was honestly just waiting for his next lecture about working herself into the ground, though before when he'd given it, she had never actually been sick, just tired.
Harry surprised her by staying quiet and just getting her into bed, where she let herself curl up into a small ball. Her mind briefly flickered to George as she realised that she was going to have to cancel their date if she didn't feel any better by the morning, but she those thoughts didn't stay long as sleep decided to take her as Harry rubbed her back. She didn't even care that he was treating her like a child.
**
Hermione didn't feel any better when morning broke, in fact she was convinced that she felt worse. She groaned as she made herself sit up and glanced over at Ginny's bed. She rolled her eyes, though she knew that she couldn't blame the girl for wanting to stay the night with her boyfriend when she had done the same the night before.
She sat there for a while in the middle of her bed, her arms wrapped around herself tightly as she took several slow deep breaths. She had a feeling that if she dared to move then she would throw up again, but she also knew that she needed a glass of water - and she currently couldn't remember where she had left her wand.
When she felt a bit less shaky, she headed out of her room and down to the kitchen. She was barely able to suppress a groan when she found Ron sitting there. He gave her a half-wave from where he was sitting with his breakfast that made Hermione's nausea ten times worse. She chose to breathe through her mouth as got herself a glass of water which she made herself sip slowly as she leaned against one of the kitchen counters.
"Feels like I haven't seen you in ages." Ron commented, not even bothering to look at her, which Hermione supposed was a good thing considering that she looked like shit. She didn't know what she was supposed to say in reply though, as far as she was concerned the whole point of them being over was that they were meant to see less of each other. Wasn't that the whole point?
"I've been busy." She said quietly with a small shrug when she felt that she could finally speak without throwing up. She knew that now probably wasn't the best time to tell him that she was dating his brothers, but she didn't think that she would be able to stop herself especially as the words "I've had work and a date" slipped out.
"A date, huh?" Ron glanced around at her, an eyebrow raised slightly. Hermione couldn't tell if he was genuinely curious or if he was making polite conversation.
She gave a nod. "Uh, yeah. Meant to have another today." She was still thinking that she would have to cancel, but Ron didn't need to know that part. All he needed to know was that she was over him and as crappy as she currently felt, it was not because of him.
"Who's the lucky guy?"
Hermione hated the way he said that, as if she were some catch. He had left her after all. He didn't get to now decide that she was some sort of beauty. That wasn't at all fair.
"Guys, actually." She couldn't seem to stop the words; it seemed that she was vomiting words rather than actual vomit this morning and she wasn't sure that that was any better.
Ron's eyebrow lifted slightly higher and he was now swiveled around in his chair just enough so that he could see her properly. Hermione avoided eye contact as best as she could. She knew she couldn't get out of telling him anything now, she had well and truly put her foot in her mouth.
"Never pegged you as a serial dater." Ron said, his tone not exactly kind. She wanted to point out that she had never pegged him for being gay, but she held her tongue and managed to make herself take a breath. She almost felt as if she was sabotaging herself today. She couldn't seem to help it.
"It's not serial dating so please don't say it like that." She said quietly before she took another sip of her water. "We broke up for a good reason - you're gay and I'm polyamorous."
"Poly-what?" Ron's eyebrow had pretty much disappeared into his hairline now, but Hermione was starting to understand what Fred had meant when he had said that she didn't owe Ron anything.
"I'm not ready to talk about it in detail." Hermione said before she set her glass down. She wasn't ashamed of the fact that she had two boyfriends, but she wasn't ready to share their relationship with the world yet. It was nice to know that their relationship was theirs and theirs alone.
Ron rolled his eyes but he turned away from her and back to his breakfast. "Suit yourself." He muttered.
Hermione gave a short nod as she headed out to the hallway to see if her wand was in her jacket. She would suit herself and she was honestly quite proud of that fact. Her plan now was to let George know that she felt like crap and go back to bed. If he wanted to come over and hang out in his room here then that was fine with her, but she didn't think that she would be up for much more today.
She sent a patronus off to the twins' flat and then headed back up to her bed, this time glad to find that Ginny had still not materialised. She curled up in her bed and pulled her duvet up and over her head in an attempt to block out the world. Sleep took her again only just and few minutes later.