"She needs to see Poppy, or go to St Mungo's." Minerva said, still kneeling on the floor beside the armchair.

"Minerva, she doesn't know about our world, how is she going to react when someone starts waving a stick over her, or we vanish from thin air and reappear in a hospital?"

"Well then, what do we do?"

"Stay with her, somehow break it to her what she is without setting off another attack, get her to a healer." Edward pulled out his wand and a tea service appeared on the coffee table before them. He proceeded to make a cup of very sugary tea and pressed it into Minerva's hands. "I know you won't want the food that's in the kitchen Minerva but if you don't drink that tea I will force it down your throat." Minerva peeled her eyes from the deeply asleep form on the sofa and looked down at the cup in her hands with some amount of surprise. She brought it to her lips and sipped. The warmth seeped down into her stomach pleasantly making the world of difference.

"I just can't believe she's right there."

"I know."

"She's so lost."

"I know."

"I have to help her."

"I know."

They lapsed into silence, sipping tea and keeping vigil over the sleeping woman. Edward left to go downstairs and tell Paula what had happened to Hermione, feeling that one of the women who had helped take care of her for the past 9 months should know. Paula had come up to check on her, needing to see for herself that she was alright and heading to call Abbey and let her know. Minerva and Edward promised to stay with Hermione and not leave her alone. After an hour Edward went to retrieve some of the food from the kitchen, a lovely lasagne and brought enough for two back into the living room.

"Please Minerva, eat just a little, you can't have eaten since lunchtime." Minerva glanced at the food surprised to find she was indeed hungry now she thought about it.

"Oh Edward, I'm so sorry about all of this, you just wanted dinner and a catch up, not…" She stopped as Edward held up his hands.

"Minerva don't you dare try and apologise again, plus we are eating dinner are we not? And partly solved what has consumed your time for the last year and I already know you were just trying to keep the school together and the children safe for the year before that. See caught up! Well I am anyway. You'll just have to live with some curiosity for a bit."

Hermione let out a little sigh and rolled over snuggling against the burgundy blanket. They both returned to watching over her.

"Poppy, it's Poppy we need to get her to."

"Hmmm?"

"If we take her to St Mungo's everyone will know, she'll be surrounded by her friends, the Weasleys, the Ministry, the press, the entire Wizarding World. It'll be too much."

"I agree, but she still needs to know about us before Poppy can do anything."

"I don't know how to do this."

"Of course you do, you told her when she was younger."

"But she was a child, so much more able to digest and accept something like that. The mind of a twenty year old is vastly different to an eleven year old. I don't know how to tell her this time."

"Tell me what?" Came a sleepy murmur from the sofa.

"Are you ok? What do you need? Can I get you anything?"

"You can tell me what you're keeping from me." Hermione pushed herself up with a moan due to protesting muscles. She rubbed her face trying to wake up enough to concentrate and press her point.

"I'm not…"

"Don't try and tell me you're not keeping anything, you have been guarded and careful with your words since I met you and you've come out with a couple of strange terms I've never heard of. Just tell me."

"But what about the attack, I don't want you to go through that again."

"I won't, it's never happened twice in the same day, I'm fine." Minerva looked at her studying her face for a sign it was alright. She sighed.

"Give me your hands."

"What? Why?"

"Just have a little faith. I promise I won't hurt you." Hermione nervously stretched out her hands placing them in the older woman's who was on the ground in front of her. Minerva gave them a light squeeze of reassurance and closed her eyes in concentration. Hermione could feel a warmth emanating up her arms, not the burning which signalled an attack but a light comforting warmth, like a glow. She went to retract her arms in surprise but Minerva was ready for her and tightened her grasp, keeping eye contact with her to let her know it was alright. The glow expanded travelling through her body making her feel as if she were drifting. Closing her eyes she could see a golden light behind her sensation felt like home, it was right, it was like she had been missing it without knowing what she was missing.

Minerva released the younger womans hands and watched as the magic swirling around her dissipated and her eyes slowly opened again a content smile on her face.

"What was that? It was amazing."

"It was your magic, I reactivated it."

"My what?!"

"When you were eleven years old I came to visit you and your parents to tell you that a place had been reserved for you at a special kind of school. A school for magic, and you came in the September of that year, and spent six years studying with us. You are possibly the most talented witch of your generation." Hermione looked from Minerva to Edward who was nodding in agreement.

"Is this a joke? It's really not funny, just because I may not be aware of my past does not make me an idiot to be taken the mickey out of." She jumped up, stumbling a little due to her still aching muscles. She backed away to the other side of the room, wide eyed, wary of the two who had not moved an inch, who she had thought she could trust. Apparently not.

"I swear on my life I am not making fun of you Hermione. I'm trying to help you."

"I don't believe you." Hermione choked out, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, the warmth and comfort she had felt moments before completely gone, replaced by fear. "It can't be, it's not possible. I thought you were going to help me."

"What about this?" Edward cut in, he pulled his wand from his pocket. Hermione gasped and backed further away. "I promise I won't hurt you Hermione, I just want to show you something I won't touch you." He slowly leaned forward and picked up the glass from the table and tapped it with his wand murmuring something. The glass began to fill from the bottom with water. If possible Hermione's eyes grew even bigger.

"It's just a trick, an illusion, and before, you must have given me something to make me feel like that. Magic is not real!" She was fumbling for the doorknob to the hallway now.

"Okay, okay just wait." Minerva pleaded, standing up slowly. Hermione had hold of the door handle now, twisting it, opening it. Minerva took a deep breath and morphed into her tabby cat. Hermione froze.

"Meow?"

Hermione shut her eyes whispering to herself "It's just a hallucination, it's just a hallucination, it's just a hallucination…" over and over. Her breathing growing ever more rapid.

"No, I promise you it's real Hermione," Edward pleaded gently, "Minerva took her animal form. No tricks. How could that possibly be a trick?"

Hermione forced her eyes open towards the tabby cat, still whispering to herself, her cheeks stained with tears. Minerva slowly started to pad towards the petrified young woman keeping eye contact, willing her trust from animal form.

"No! No stay away. I can't, I don't, I…" She crumpled at that moment, sliding against the wall towards the floor, her mind unwilling to have to process any more that night.

"Shit." Edward swore hurrying towards the girl past Minerva who was already morphing back. Just as they reached her she began to convulse, her muscles going rigid once again, not content to just last a few seconds this time she carried on writhing and twitching.

"She needs Poppy now!" Minerva stretched her hand out as if to grab her for apparition.

"Minerva no!" If you take her in this state, she'll splinch, you'll splinch!. Give it a minute, see if it subsides."

"Alright, alright, just let me try something." She grasped Hermione's hands forcing her own magic out and into Hermione, willing it to heal the trauma and stop the convulsions. The twitching slowed, and finally stopped.

"That's enough Minerva. I don't need you passed out too. She's stopped now." Minerva moved from her crouch backwards so she was fully sitting on the ground. Edward went back to the table and picked up the glass of water he had conjured only minutes before and held it out to a now rather pale Minerva whose hands trembled as she took it gratefully. "That was stupid Minerva, even mediwitches only use that if they absolutely have to. You're damn lucky you're so powerful."

"We need to go to Poppy." Minerva reached out to touch Hermione again but Edward grabbed her hand before she got there.

"I'll take her, you barely have enough strength to get yourself there, I would take you too if I could. Hogwarts yes?" Minerva nodded. Edward moved forwards and picked up the young woman for the second time that night, holding her against his chest. "I see you there in a moment."


AN: Once again you are all the best, loving the follows, favourites and most of all the reviews. Reviews make me happy! Now I'd better go write some more because I am going to run out of pre written stuff rather soon.