The three friends returned to the antechamber to see their favorite Scotswoman conversing quietly with the American wizard. When they saw the three teenagers approaching they ceased whatever their conversation had been and turned toward the returning heroes. Harry, anticipating the question, held the stone up for them to see. AJ smiled.
"Good, that will make the first part of the ritual much easier," the large man commented. "The ritual runes and circles are all drawn, but we need to decide whom to start with."
Harry's response was immediate. "Remus or Tonks."
AJ was thoughtful for a moment, pondering the other wizard. "I'm going to assume there's a personal ulterior motive to those choices, but that might actually work to our advantage. The more that people involved in the ritual are vested in the return of their loved ones, the higher likelihood of success. Is there any family of theirs here? Someone who would see either of them when using the Resurrection Stone?"
"Errr . . . I don't think Remus has any blood family left except his son, but I saw him when I used the Stone earlier today," replied Harry.
The larger man seemed to cringe for a second before nodding to himself. "Alright, we'll give it a go like that. Mister Potter, I'll need you to come with me now and we'll begin. Professor McGonagall," AJ said, turning back to Minerva. "Have we been in touch with any family of this other person Harry mentioned?"
"We've sent word to her mother Andromeda," McGonagall replied. "She should be here shortly; she had to prep her grandson for the trip. She was very shaken at the news of her daughter and son-in-law's deaths, so she may be delayed."
"Son-in-law? This woman Tonks's husband is dead as well?"
"Remus and Tonks were married," Hermione supplied. At that the thoughtful face returned to AJ's countenance. "Oh. Well, provided this Remus gent's soul is available and willing to return the ritual should take about 30 minutes. If her mother isn't here by then, and provided that Remus has returned to us, it may be possible to use him in the second ritual, but he will be very weak so soon after the ritual and I'd prefer not to do that if I can help it. Now, Mr. Potter, are you ready?"
Harry nodded "What do I have to do?"
"Well, first; do you have all three Hallows with you?" Harry again nodded in the affirmative. "Good. I need you to . . . relieve yourself of all objects except the Hallows. Anything else could cause interference in the ritual. Remus will also need to be stripped and brought into the Ritual Circle, but I will take care of that." The American drew his wand and silently transfigured a table into a set of privacy dividers near the door to the Ritual Room. "Mister Potter, to protect your modesty I'd suggest disrobing behind the curtain and wrapping yourself in the Invisibility Cloak. Please leave your head uncovered, however, so that we know where you are." He transfigured a second table and, after being told which body was Remus's, gently levitated it behind the curtain and followed behind it.
Harry turned to Hermione and handed her his holly wand. "Hang onto this for me," he told her, before wrapping her in a strong hug. He did the same to Ron before hurrying behind the divider and shirking out of his robe, trainers, and underclothes and, taking off his glasses, he wrapped himself in his father's cloak before reappearing, only his head visible to the others.
"Ready, partner?" he heard AJ call from behind the other divider.
"Ready," he replied.
"Good, let's get to it then." The divider AJ had gone behind slowly shifted toward the door to the Ritual Room, and as it did everyone saw that both wizards' clothing lay piled on the floor. As Hermione stood and watched she felt Ron's hand reach out and take hers tentatively. She realized she needed to talk to him about what had happened upstairs, when they had kissed, and the possible ramifications, especially in the light of her earlier subconscious revelation. But she also knew that now absolutely wasn't the time. She squeezed his hand gratefully though, thankful for the comfort the contact provided regardless of whether they were still just friends or something had finally fundamentally changed for them.
The divider reached the door and Harry started to go behind it. "Good luck, mate," Ron said, the last words that were spoken before the door to the room closed with a solid and resounding thud.
AJ hurt. A lot. He'd had to take off the bandages that were keeping his lifeblood from flowing from the large wound on his shoulder, and he'd also had to leave the sling that was keeping everything immobile behind, as they could all mess with the ritual. It was his magic and not a small amount of sheer force of will that was keeping the American moving, though he wanted nothing more than to collapse in a ball and scream out in pain. But that would have to wait until later; these souls needed his help, and he knew that he was the only one that could provide it.
Carefully, he levitated Remus's corpse to the center of the ritual circle and laid it gently down onto the floor. Once that was done, he knelt and extended Remus's arms and legs until he resembled the Vitruvian Man and, taking the mixture of dragon's blood and valerian he had mixed, began drawing a complex rune over Remus's heart. Looking up, he noticed that Harry was watching in fascination.
Seeing the American turn toward him, Harry realized he wasn't even sure of the man's name. "Did I hear Professor McGonagall say your name was Thompson?"
"Thomson. No 'P'," replied the American. "But my friends call me AJ, and if we're not friends after this I'm not sure I have what it takes you be your friend, Mr. Potter." The large man smirked slightly at that and continued his drawing.
"Alright, AJ, and it's Harry then. What exactly are we doing?"
"It's a very old ritual Harry, another item lost to time like the information I gave you when we met before. Even this rune won't show up in any book you might find in any library save one."
"Then how do you know it?" Harry asked. "How do you know any of this?"
"Anger, frustration, and devotion," AJ commented cryptically. When he looked back up and saw Harry staring at him with a what the fuck does that even mean? expression on his face, AJ chuckled. "When this is done Harry I'll be glad to explain as much of it as I can, but right now I need to explain your part in this. Okay?" Seeing Harry's assent, he continued. "The first part of this is fairly straightforward. I will charge the ritual circle. When that's done, I will need you to use the Resurrection Stone to make Remus visible to you. When he appears you will explain to him what is going on and get his assent to return. If he agrees, I'll need you to use the Elder Wand to inscribe the rune I'm drawing now onto the chest of his ethereal self; we'll practice it a few times to make sure you've got it down. He'll then need to lay down within his own body and, once you tell me that is done, I will cast the final part of the ritual and, if all goes well, he should return to us.
"Now that's all the easy part. Here's the hard part. When I cast the finalizing spell there will be a pull on both of our magics. Yours will be used to . . . let's call it replace . . . the magic that has been lost for the time that Remus has been dead. It will be the job of your magic to restore the balance of magical energy to the world; in simplest terms you'll be recharging him. It has the potential to be very draining. Understand?" Again, Harry nodded.
"You said it would pull on both of us. What will your magic be used for?"
AJ smiled again. "Normally my role would be played by you and I, myself as the ritual caster and you as the Master of Death. But your magic will be needed to bring Remus back. Therefore, at least for this one, I need to keep the circle energized and also keep the bastard that wants Remus to stay dead from getting what he wants. If I can't do that before Remus wakes up then the ritual will fail."
"What happens if it does fail?"
"That's an interesting question that I don't have a reliable answer to. It's possible that nothing will happen; perhaps he's had his fill of souls for the day, or the cocksucker is just too busy to worry about us. It's also just as possible that, due to the hole we're about to rip in the Veil that Death himself will try to inhabit the body of your friend with a desire to wreak havoc on the world in retaliation for our trespass into his domain, in which case I apologize in advance but I'll be overloading the ritual circle and obliterating this room with you and I in it to keep that from happening. I'm really hoping for success, but barring that I'm hoping for the former more than the latter."
"Me too."
"Still want to do this?"
Harry summed up the courage his Hogwarts house was famous for. "Hell yes."
"I knew I'd like you. Let's get started."
The minutes stretched by for Hermione outside in the antechamber. Though the wizard Minerva had identified as AJ had said the process would take half an hour that time had already come and gone. Andromeda had arrived with little Teddy in the interim and nearly collapsed at the sight of her dead daughter. Minerva and Hermione had both caught her, though, and with Hermione holding the infant they had relayed as much as they understood about what was taking place in the Ritual Room. Upon hearing it, Andromeda barked out "Necromancy is illegal! It's Dark Magic to raise the dead! Merlin knows I want her back, but this is wrong!"
McGonagall was quick to respond. "It can bring back your daughter for Merlin's sake! If it can save even one family one moment of heartache I would call that the most wonderful magic that can be cast! It's not Necromancy, Andromeda, it's the restoration of Balance." The teacher was speaking very passionately; all of the people under those sheets were either students or friends of hers, and she knew the pain of loss and wanted as few others as possible to know that pain. "I've known AJ Thomson since he was 13 years old, Andromeda," she continued, which caused Hermione to shoot her professor a questioning look. "I've had the pleasure of teaching him during the summers when he would come to visit Albus, and I will tell you now that he is as dedicated to the goodly causes as any one of us."
Any further arguments or clarifications were cut short as the doors to the Ritual Room opened. For several heart wrenching moments nothing appeared. Then, the head of Hermione's best friend came out of the gloom, looking tired and haggard. As the rest of the room stood dumbstruck, he made it about a dozen steps before dropping to his knees. Ron, the first to come out of the surprised stupor, rushed over and caught him before he fell over. His unfocused eyes stared blankly at his red-haired friend. "He's crazy. Utterly bloody bonkers. That was completely mental," he commented before slumping down against Ron.
"Harry! Ron, is he okay?" Hermione gasped, moving toward Harry and Ron with Teddy still in her arms. She knelt down beside the two of them and brushed Harry's long black hair back gently so she could see his face, which looked exhausted but still aware. As she looked him over herself, needing to make sure he was still with them, a voice called out from the doorway.
"He'll be fine. He needs some chocolate and as much caffeine as you can pump into him." Though she couldn't see the speaker she recognized the voice as the mysterious American. "Could someone be a dear and put the divider back and throw us a couple of sheets? Mr. Lupin here would very much like to hold his son again but would like to avoid having too much of himself flapping in the breeze."
Hermione's mouth opened in shock, and she looked down at Harry to see a smile on his face. "We did it Hermione. It worked." He looked over at his godson, his smile widening as he met the baby for the first time. "You hear that, little man? Your daddy will be out in a minute and he's really looking forward to seeing you." Hermione, overcome by emotion, sobbed in joy and kissed Harry's forehead before both she and Ron enveloped him in a hug. A moment later, another set of arms joined their embrace.
"Thank you Harry. Thank you so much," Andromeda called out, sobbing into the shoulder of the beleaguered teen, her arguments regarding the ritual assuaged by the return of her son-in-law and the rekindled hope that now swelled within her.
Harry turned and smiled even bigger as a weary looking but very much alive Remus Lupin emerged from behind the privacy divider, a sheet around his waist and, seeing his son, rushed to the human dogpile in the center of the room and joined in the happy reunion. Teddy, seemingly recognizing his father, squealed in glee and reached his little hands out toward Remus, who was already crying profusely as he took his child from Hermione and held him close.
"It wasn't me. It was all him," Harry said, nodding toward the privacy divider where the large American wizard was just emerging in his own sheet.
Despite the gravity of the situation Hermione couldn't help but take note of the well-defined musculature of his upper body, and also the damage that had been wrought on that body. He wasn't muscled to the point of unattractiveness as she'd seen on the covers of some of those bodybuilding magazines at the market. But he was large and well proportioned; a powerful V-shaped upper torso showed several nasty slashes across it. His wide chest narrowed down to slender hips and a toned stomach which had a wicked looking bruise on his left side oblique. Her understandable but improperly timed appraisal was cut short, however, as he tipped back against the wall and slid down it to the floor, drawing a line of blood on the wall from his ruined shoulder as he did so.
Without conscious thought, Hermione jumped up and ran over to him, keeping him from slumping over entirely. She grabbed his tilting head in both hands and forced it up to face hers. His eyes opened slightly as if he were dazed, but when green eyes met brown and Hermione felt that jolt again it seemed that the haze cleared from his gaze and he seemed momentarily energized. "Hello there, pretty eyes," the man said softly, such that only she could hear him. He looked intently into her eyes and it seemed to focus him; it was certainly doing something to her. "They are simply stunning. You are simply stunning." She couldn't help but smile down at him. Hermione knew she looked a mess; her clothes were worn and battle-stained, she was dirty, and her unwashed, unkempt, bushy brown hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. Dispite all of that, with that simple comment this complete stranger (though, oddly, he somehow didn't feel like one) had still made her feel more attractive than anyone else ever had. Help now: swoon later the voice in her head said.
I don't swoon she replied to the voice sternly.
Two words. Gilderoy. Lockhart.
"Just stay awake," she said to the man by way of reply, not betraying the conversation in her mind or the storm taking place somewhere in her stomach. "I don't want you to go into shock." He nodded his understanding and chose to follow her orders by gazing at her. She could see his eyes darting around, seeming like they were trying to take in every nuance of her face, and she was fascinated by his interest in her.
She was startled out of her reverie by Madam Pomfrey kneeling down beside them. "I need to examine his wounds, Miss Granger," she said professionally. Nodding, Hermione gently leaned him back against the wall so that Poppy could see the gashes on his chest. "I'm assuming these will heal, Mr. Thomson?" to which he just nodded weakly, but that was all it took for the healer to cast a few quick healing spells that both scabbed the chest wounds and lessened the nasty bruise on his side, though none completely went away. "Can you pull him forward Miss Granger? I need to look at his back." Hermione, her hands already gently holding both sides of his face, carefully led AJ's head to her chest before sliding her right hand to his left shoulder and her left behind his neck. She then slowly leaned her upper body back at her hips, pressing him against her and bringing him slightly off the wall so he could be examined. She felt his left arm wrap around her waist loosely, which helped to stabilize their position and lessen the strain on her arms of holding him. It also helped to intensify the storm in Hermione's belly.
"Best grievous wound ever," AJ mumbled, loud enough for the two women to hear. Hermione, seeing where his face was and realizing why he had said that, blushed but continued to hold him as Madam Pomfrey looked at his injury with a visage that was decidedly displeased.
"He's pulled open all of the scabbing again, or the healing charms have deteriorated like he warned. Miss Granger, please see if he'll eat a few bites of this," Pomfrey said, handing her a few small pieces of chocolate. "What in Merlin's name happened in there?" she asked as she quickly tried to stop the bleeding in his shoulder again.
"That crazy bloke there got into a screaming match with the Grim Reaper," Harry replied. All eyes in the room except Madam Pomfrey's turned toward Harry Potter, much invigorated after a few bites of his own Honeydukes Chocolate courtesy of Professor McGonagall. More than one jaw was open. "He had warned me that Death might show up with the Veil being so weak during the ritual. Well, he showed up all right. Actually showed up, like an honest-to-Merlin presence. I didn't think that was actually a thing; I thought he was just being poetic. While I was busy getting Remus back where he belonged, AJ had to hold Death at bay so that he wouldn't either screw up the ritual or take possession of Remus's body," Harry said with a sense of near awe in his voice, a very unusual thing for Harry. "That's why it took so long to come out; we couldn't open the door until he was gone."
"It's the damnedest thing I've ever seen," Remus added, bouncing Teddy up and down. "I was watching the whole thing from my body as Harry's magic was working to seal the ritual. The big lad there had to keep reinforcing parts of the inner ritual circle with his magic to keep . . . well, Death, I guess . . . from getting to me. It kept getting angrier and angrier, saying something about teaching him a lesson for stealing from him again, whatever that means."
"It means," a weary and pain-riddled AJ commented from somewhere in Hermione's bosom, "that that's the second and a half time today that someone who should be dead isn't because of me and he's getting grumpy about it. And I plan on pissing him off at least a dozen more times before dinner so he's bound to be quite the nuisance before we're done."
"Second and a half time?" said Hermione, not understanding the statement and hoping that conversation would keep the man from slipping into shock. "How can someone almost die half a time? And what was the first?"
AJ chewed on the small bit of chocolate Hermione had gently placed into his mouth, but did not answer the question right away. "I'd tell you but I don't want the Matron madder at me than she already is," was all AJ finally responded with. "It's how I got this," he continued, reaching his arm that had been around Hermione's waist over her shoulder and poiting vaguely at the wound on his back. He lifted his head off of Hermione and she could tell he was having a hard time getting his eyes to focus. She kept her hands on his shoulder and neck, however, as Madam Pomfrey continued to work. Blinking long a few times he smiled at Hermione, who smiled back, and as she offered him another bite of chocolate he seemed to savor both the chocolate and the company for a moment before turning his head to the room. "Okay . . . who's next?"
"Oh no, Mr. Thomson," Poppy replied. "You have lost far too much blood, and this wound isn't getting any better. The cracks in your scapula have worsened, and the entire bone is in danger of breaking. How you're not screaming bloody murder is a complete mystery to me, but you need rest, and since I can't heal it with magic we should probably get you to a Muggle hospital."
"Can't yet," replied AJ with a groan as he shakily rose with Hermione's help. "Right now hopefully all of these souls are still tethered to their physical bodies, a side effect of the Killing Curse. The longer we wait the greater chance that they move on for good, and even if they haven't time will cause a greater strain on people's magic to restore the Balance. We have to get to them as soon as we can or they'll truly be lost."
"Young man, please, even a couple of hours would help. Without proper care you may never regain full use of that arm."
"An arm versus 13 people returned to their loved ones? Seems like a pretty good deal."
"But –"
"Enough!" a suddenly invigorated AJ yelled, his outburst and the magic attached to it quieting the healer and forcing her to take a few steps back. Hermione felt the magic around her but maintained her grip on AJ, and as he looked at her again he seemed to calm back down and the pressure wave dissipated. He took a few deep breaths as he turned toward Pomfrey, his face looking tired but apologetic. "I'm sorry for yelling, Matron. You're right that the pain is becoming difficult to manage, and I'm sure the blood loss is not helping my state any. And I understand and appreciate that you are doing your job. But this is mine. If anyone else could do it, I would certainly let them. But they can't. This task falls upon Harry and I. You ready for another go at it, bud?" he asked, looking over to Harry, who was already working his way up to his feet. "At least this time if that son of a bitch shows up it'll be the both of us. Ma'am," AJ said, turning toward Andromeda, "are you Tonks's mother?"
"That I am Mister . . . Thomson, did I hear?"
"You did. But please call me AJ. Ma'am, I'm sorry for the bluntness but I'm going to need you to disrobe yourself and your daughter and accompany Harry, myself, and your daughter into the Ritual Room. I'll explain the specifics inside. There's a divider over there for you and once inside I swear to control my wandering eyes as much as any man is capable of at the sight of a beautiful nude woman. I have a feeling that is going to be a true test of will." He said the last bit with that mischievous smile on his face again, and despite the gravity of current events Andromeda couldn't help but chuckle at him as she made her way behind the privacy screen.
With Andromeda getting herself and Tonks ready, AJ turned back toward Hermione. He slid his left hand down and took her right hand with it as he looked at her again, and she felt the unknown sensation return. "Thank you," he said sincerely as he smiled. His voice then dropped low so that only Hermione could hear. "I apologize if I made you uncomfortable before," he said softly. "While I meant every word, I know that it must have seemed quite . . . forward of me. I don't regret the words, but perhaps a more appropriate atmosphere would have been better," he followed with quickly, and her eyes widened a bit at the confession. "We'll talk about it later if you'd like, but now is not the time." He let go of her hand and put his own in between them, making a fist except for his pinky, which he stuck out. "I swear. Okay?" he asked with a smirk. Shaking her head and smiling at the sweet, if a bit child-like, gesture, she took her own pinky and wrapped it around his, sealing their pact.
"Deal," she said in response. "I need to go check on Harry," she said as their arms fell back to their sides. With a nod from AJ she turned and walked toward her two best friends, Harry (with his glasses temporarily back on) looking on in amusement at the antics he had just witnessed and Ron looking like he might blow his lid at any moment. He looked ready to speak as she reached them, but as he opened his mouth Hermione shot him a look. "Not now," she said simply; it was statement that carried the weight of a command, and he closed his mouth again and seemed to stew.
As they waited for Andromeda, Remus walked over to AJ with Teddy smiling in his arms. "AJ, if I can call you AJ?" Remus began, receiving a nod to continue from the large man. "I don't know what that was in there or how you did it, and I don't know if you're going to be able to do it again to bring my wife back to me. I pray to all the gods that you can. But even if you can't you've returned me to my son, and for that alone I am burdened with a debt I'll never be able to repay. Thank you." There were tears in the older man's eyes again as he finished his statement.
The young wizard clapped his good arm on Remus's shoulder, his weakened right hand holding the sheet around his waist. "No thanks are necessary, but you are more than welcome." As Andromeda emerged from behind the screen wrapped toga-style in a sheet, AJ gave Remus a wry smile before letting out a deep sigh and turning toward the door to the Ritual Room. "Caritas, veritas, aequitas," the American said softly, seemingly to himself, before ushering Harry and Andromeda into the chamber, levitating Tonks's body between them and him. The doors closed as Remus stared at where they had last been, seemingly dumbfounded.
Hermione came up next to him, Ron to her right and McGonagall to Remus's left. "I thought he said something right before he went back inside, but I couldn't hear it. What did he say?" Hermione asked.
"Something that I never thought I would hear," he whispered, almost reverently. He looked at the teens and his former professor and colleague. "He said 'caritas, veritas, aequitas.' 'Love, Truth, Balance.'"
The other three, however, still didn't get what had made Remus react the way he was. "I'm sorry, Remus, but I don't get the significance," Hermione said.
Remus looked at Minerva, then at the two teens. Years growing up with access to the Black and Potter family libraries (though as a werewolf he'd had to have Padfoot borrow books from the former for him to read; Sirius's parents wouldn't even let him in the house) had allowed Remus to indulge deeply in his love of obscure history, and here was a perfect example of the fruits of all of that reading. "It's the shortened version of the Paladin's Creed," Remus said quietly. That comment brought a gasp from McGonagall and confused looks from the two teens.
McGonagall was first to react. "But . . . he's so young."
"Paladin? Like, The Song of Roland Paladin?" Hermione asked, confused by her teachers' reactions.
"Excuse me but what the bloody hell is a Paladin?" Ron said, not liking being the only person not in the know, and more than a little upset that said 'Paladin,' whatever that was, seemed to not only be putting the moves on, but may have gotten close to second base with, his best friend/new maybe-girlfriend.
Unsure of how much Minerva and Hermione knew of the Paladins, Remus decided to volunteer the information. "Most people think the Paladins are a myth because if they do actually exist no one's fessed up to being one in a very long time. Most wizards probably don't even know the term, that's how obscure the lore is; I doubt more than 1 in 50 would recognize the word and what it represents, and even less know anything in-depth about their lore. And in the Muggle world it's not much better." Remus had swapped into the voice he had used when he was still a professor, like this was just another lesson. "It's not the name they were originally known by, though it's the name that's survived the longest. The word is indeed referenced in Muggle stories, such as The Song of Roland, from the time of Charlemagne in France; in that legend it was what the king called his 12 truest and most powerful knights. But in the stories of the Wizarding World it's said that the group of people who became known as Paladins were originally known as The First Circle, and are the origination of what Muggles call the Knights of the Round Table. They are the group most closely associated with the transition of magic in Europe away from the nature magic of previous societies like the Celts and Picts here in Britain and toward what we consider modern spellcasting; Charms, wandwork, and the like. According to the stories they were the protectors of what they called the 3 Pillars, hence their shortened creed; Love, Truth, Balance. They believed that all magic originated with these tenets. Some of the most powerful and altruistic wizards and witches in history have been thought to be Paladins, all four of the Hogwarts Founders among them. In fact, some theories suggest that was what originally brought the four of them together, and why they originally built this castle." He paused for a moment. "It certainly would explain how he knew about this ritual; it is said the Paladin Library dwarfs the Library of Alexandria."
"It would also explain how he's still standing," Minerva added. "I've known AJ Thomson for a number of years now and, while he's certainly a strong, put together lad that wound would have even the strongest of us sobbing like babes. But if he's powerful enough to be a Paladin, my guess would be he's using his magic to suppress it. Being able to do that and go through this ritual even once, let along thirteen times, is a Herculean task."
"Regardless of if he is one or not, let's just hope he's up to the challenge," Remus said, holding his son tightly in his arms and hoping that his wife would be joining them soon. "He and Harry need all their strength and focus on the here and now; they'll be time after to discuss the rest."
Nymphadora Lupin did indeed return to her mother, husband, and baby son. As a matter of fact, AJ and Harry were able to bring all 13 Hogwarts defenders who had died from the Killing Curse back from Limbo. As the day had worn on the two young men had consumed an inordinate amount of chocolate; like recovering from a Dementor attack the chocolate seemed to drive away the weariness being in such close proximity to Death imposed. Madam Pomfrey also had to resort to using Muggle treatments on AJ's shoulder wound to keep spots from opening back up too badly; she had never heard of "QuickClot" before but found the substance fascinating. Everyone could see AJ's pallor increase as the day wore on, but as long as there were souls left to be saved he refused to be dissuaded from his course.
Hermione had been helping him each time they had emerged from the Ritual Room, just as Ron had been there to help Harry. Ron always gave her a dirty look when she did so but he hadn't said anything yet; she had a feeling that her helping as she was, and the interaction between her and AJ, would lead to yet another argument between them.
Because there was definitely something unspoken going on between her and AJ. Each time she managed to lock eyes with the American wizard there was that now familiar, though still not fully explained, spark of affection for the young mage. She didn't know what it was, but let it pass as she gently coaxed the progressively weakening man to take bites of the offered chocolate or sips of the American fizzy drinks that the oddly dressed elf name Cal had brought.
When AJ had first called for Cal in the antechamber it had raised Hermione's hackles and, to her later chagrin, she had calmly but firmly berated the American for owning a house elf. Cal had set her straight, though.
"Woah there, young miss, let's get a few things straight," Cal had said. "First, stop giving the man a hard time. I realize it's difficult sometimes seeing how much of a stubborn ass he is."
"Thank you and eat it, Cal," AJ had weakly responded.
"Eloquent as always Andrew," the elf had responded without missing a beat. "Second, I'm not a 'house elf.' I'm just an elf. You Brits have a very backward way of thinking with regard to other magical species, and also seem to think that all other wizards think like you do. I'm his friend, not his servant," Cal offered. "I don't always come when he calls, but when I do it's because I choose to and because it's usually either entertaining or important. Most of the time I'm already there anyway; you'd be amazed how much he sucks at Mario Kart." Hermione smiled slightly as she heard AJ growl at that comment. "Our relationship is built on respect and a mutual admiration that skews slightly in my favor. As it should, seeing as how he's just eye candy with a wand."
"Oh so it's like that, Mr. 'I'm only 3 feet tall but have a bigger closet than anyone I've ever met,'" AJ retorted, chuckling slightly. "And the shoes. Oh my gods, the shoes! A whole room just filled with tiny effing shoes."
Hermione could see the light in the elf's eyes, indicating that this was probably a common back-and-forth between the two. In a faux-whisper, Cal responded, "spends more time on his pecs than his potions practice." She could see the broad smile on his face as he did so, however, and suspected that he was doing this to try and keep AJ's mind off his pain and exhaustion.
"Whatever, you egotistical, sawed-off-" AJ managed to get out before having a small coughing fit. "Aw, hell, I'm sorry dear," he said to Hermione, and she looked down to see that he had starting coughing up blood and some had gotten on the front of her robes. Seeing it, she immediately mentioned it to Poppy, who was once again treating his shoulder.
"That's it, Mr. Thomson, this is over. I don't know how the diagnostic spells missed it but you obviously have internal bleeding and we need to get you squared away immediately." The healer was almost in a lather by this point.
"There's only two left, Matron. Two more souls returned to their loved ones and then I swear to all that is holy I will let you treat me like a complete invalid. Which at that point I probably will be." That had only aggravated her, and after making sure he was stable and feeding him yet another Blood Replenishing Potion (his fourth of the day) she stormed off to go check on Harry. "She hates me, doesn't she?" AJ had asked Hermione as she wiped the blood from his lips with a clean cloth. The young woman shrugged.
"Well, the fact that she's voluntarily going over to talk to Harry, who up until this point was probably her most stubborn patient, should give you a clue."
"Great," he said. "I'm really looking forward to a night of needless pokes and prods from an angry witch who knows 84 ways to kill me while literally leaving no evidence."
As the last ex-victim, 17-year-old Jennie Wade from Hufflepuff, was ushered out of the antechamber and back up to the castle proper by her grateful parents, all eyes were on her and her parents and everyone was filled with a sense of accomplishment. AJ took the opportunity of everyone's head being turned toward the stairs out of the chamber to finally collapse in a heap on the floor, though he still had the presence of mind to fall on his left side so as not to further injure his right arm. Hermione heard him collapse and immediately ran behind the curtain to help, Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey right on her heels. Ron was helping Harry, who was also exhausted both physically and magically, get his clothes back on behind the other privacy curtain, and there were no other males available to assist him.
"He needs help now," Madam Pomfrey stated matter-of-factly. "I can't give him any more Blood Replenishing Potions, and whatever internal damage there is needs to be dealt with. Maybe a piece of his scapula broke loose and finally punctured a lung from all the exertion, or maybe something else I don't know. Maybe Horace knows of a more potent potion we can try. Let's get both him and Mr. Potter up to the Hospital Wing and see if we can stabilize him here; I don't think he's in any condition even for Side-Along Apparition or a Floo trip to St. Mungo's."
Minerva nodded and then waved her wand, converting the privacy divider into a stretcher. Hermione lifted him using a Levitation Charm and gently placed him up on said stretcher, being careful to make sure his modesty stayed intact. Poppy then Levitated the stretcher and started it toward the stairs back to the main part of the castle, and McGonagall fell in behind. Hermione turned and waited for her two best friends, who shortly thereafter emerged from behind the divider. Harry looked very pale and was leaning heavily on Ron, but he had a huge smile on his face. "That was the most draining and effort-filled thing I think I've ever done, and it was bloody fantastic!" he exclaimed as they approached Hermione. He wrapped her in a hug. "Thirteen people, Hermione. Thirteen! Thirteen reasons to celebrate instead of mourn." He pulled back from the hug and held her at arm's length. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine, Harry," she replied. "You were the one doing the work."
Before he could answer, Ron managed to stick his foot in his mouth as he muttered, "Bloody sure you're fine, fawning over that big bloke all day."
Hermione and Harry both stopped and looked at him. Harry's eyes were bugged out in amazement that Ron had said that, but the glare from Hermione made it look like she was trying to cast a wandless Unforgiveable at him. When Hermione spoke, her voice was calm and cool, which both boys knew wasn't good. "I'm sorry, Ronald, what was that?" she asked faux-coyly as her ire was raised by the improper comment.
"Well, it's true Hermione," Ron answered in an exasperated tone. "Every time that AJ fella came out of the room you ran right over to him. You sittin' there letting him look at you, letting him put his head . . ." Ron didn't finish his statement but waved his hand vaguely at Hermione, indicating her chest.
"Ronald Weasley, of all the asinine things you have said during the tenure of our friendship, and believe me there have been many, that has got to be one of the most ridiculous," she said to him sternly. "That 'AJ fella,' as you so eloquently put it, just saved thirteen of our friends. He did it without any reservation and at great physical risk to himself; that wasn't pumpkin juice he was coughing up. But he kept going, because he cared about complete strangers enough to risk his own life for them by doing something that until this morning we all thought was impossible. And you're going to sit there and get jealous at him because he had his head against my breasts?" By the end her volume had raised to significant level, and the pitch of her voice had gotten a bit squeaky.
"You're my . . . we're . . . it's not right Hermione," Ron answered back hotly. "No one's head should be near your breasts!" he continued, his eyes involuntarily looking down at them.
"Oh for Merlin's sake Ronald, grow up!" she intoned, and then turned and started walking out of the room, the conversation clearly over in her opinion. "I need some air. Harry, Madam Pomfrey wanted you up in the Hospital Wing." She then turned indignantly toward Ron. "Ron: my breasts, and the rest of me for that matter, are mine to do with as I please, thank you very much. So unless you want me to lay claim to what people can and can't do with pieces of your anatomy, I'd suggest you remember that." And with that, she stormed out the door and left the two boys staring at her.
"Mental, that one," was all Ron managed by way of response after a few moments. "You see what I'm saying, don't you Harry?"
"Let's get up to the Hospital Wing," Harry said, not wanting to tell his best friend that he completely agreed with Hermione. "I'm not sure how much I have left in me, and a comfy bed sounds really good right now."
"Alright," Ron answered, either missing the fact that Harry hadn't answered him or taking the fact that he hadn't disputed him as affirmation of his statement.