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"Just 'cause he's awake doesn't mean he should be," Yuusuke answered. He paused, then hastily went on, "He's out of the woods and gonna be okay, yeah, but he's gotta get some rest. Which," he grumbled, "he won't with people tromping in and out of the room all the time. Even Madam Pomfrey... even I'm stayin' out til they've got a private room set up."

Harry could buy that. Hiei was paranoid enough to have protections on his bed when he was in perfect health; he had to be scared almost out of his mind to be this sick. Walking closer, Harry raised a hand to Yuusuke when he got in range enough to be polite. "Come on-"

She almost jumped out of her skin. "Harry!" she yelped, spinning.

"Sorry." Harry caught Yuusuke's grateful half-smile over Hermione's shoulder. "But it can't be that important, can it?"

"Well..." she hedged. "I just had a question about my tutoring..."

Harry stifled a groan. "Merlin, Hermione!" Figured. It just figured. He hooked his hand around her elbow and tugged. "Let's get you out of here before somebody with a lot less patience than Yuusuke hexes you or something."

"But you don't understand..."

Harry cast a quick glance back at a poleaxed Yuusuke, nodded a goodbye, and pulled Hermione off in a random direction. Once out of sight, he met her slightly wild eyes. "How long have you been winding yourself up about this?"

"Er..."

Translated, that meant 'too long'. "Right. You can't, I dunno, study for NEWTs or something?"

"I do."

"Trancewriting?"

"I'm up to eight pages."

"Extra credit?"

"They won't give me any more."

"... There's this thing called 'sleeping'. I hear it's rather popular. You might want to try it."

Hermione poked him, getting the ticklish spot under Harry's ribs, and Harry flinched away with a laugh. "I do sleep!" she protested.

"For how many hours a night?" Harry asked, still grinning.

"More than you were getting last year," she retorted.

A Good Offense, Chapter 21