As they sat at Ron's side in the hospital wing, Harry raged about Draco Malfoy and how he must have gifted the mead to Slughorn in hopes it that would make its way to Dumbledore, but Hermione had tuned him out. She was holding Ron’s hand, gazing at his face while he slept, when she suddenly felt ridiculous about this silly fight they had been in since last term. She was aware she possessed some mostly fleeting feelings for Ron, nothing strong as the ones she had about Remus, but why shouldn’t she pursue them? He was her best friend, she already loved him, why couldn’t that eventually blossom into a romantic type of love? Her fantasies about Remus would never come to fruition, and a relationship with Ron was an attainable, realistic, option.