AN: I'm so surprised I got a chance to update today. I just moved in to a new University and things are very hectic at the moment-but never fear, I shall still update regularly! Thanks everyone who is reviewing! I adore you all! Also, even if you're just reading and not reviewing-thanks for taking the time to read what I write! xx
I still don't own anything, by the way.
Chapter Four
Hermione didn't know what to brace herself for once she stepped inside St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Once they appeared inside, Kingsley along with a small group of aurors were already waiting for them. Kingsley gave her a small smile and cleared his throat.
"Fourth floor," he said in a low voice. They walked up a few flights of stairs, Hermione not breaking her eyes away from her white shoes. Ron's fingers were gripping her tightly as they reached their destination. The fourth floor: spell damage.
It literally felt as if she was walking in a dream. Everything around her was fuzzy and her head felt like it weighted ninety pounds. They walked down the hallway and when Kingsley stopped, Hermione stopped breathing.
"I'll need somebody to go with you, Hermione." Kingsley said. "You are to be in the company of others at all times until this is figured out,"
"Ron," she managed to choke out.
"We'll be right out here, Hermione." Ginny said before giving her friend a hug. Ginny held Hermione's trembling body and felt her neck become moist with her friends tears. Hermione pulled herself off and turned to face the door of her parent's room.
"Are you ready?" Ron asked, taking her hand back in his. Hermione looked up into his face and saw his blue eyes moist with tears. She nodded her head and pushed open the door slowly.
There they were. Lying in a queen sized bed-together. It looked like they were sleeping back in their home in Canterbury. Hermione timidly walked a bit closer. Upon closer inspection, Hermione saw that her mother's eyes were open-staring blankly ahead.
"Mum?" Hermione croaked out. Mrs. Granger turned her head slowly to face her daughter. Hermione, for a moment, felt a leap of hope-perhaps their case wasn't as severe as Neville's parents were-maybe it was all a horrible mistake...
But then, Mrs. Granger started trembling. Her eyes widened even more and a scream left her lips. It was a scream that didn't even sound like her mother, Hermione thought as she quickly moved away from the bed and back towards Ron who was standing in shock by the door.
"What's wrong with her?" Hermione asked, tears spilling from her eyes again. "What did I do?"
Ron shook his head, placing a hand on Hermione's back. Soon, Mrs. Granger's screams died down and she returned to just staring blankly. A small smile crept onto her face and remained there-but her eyes never left the wall in front of her.
Hermione walked forward again, this time going towards her father. His eyes were closed-he looked very peaceful, Ron thought. He walked a bit closer too and noticed that Hermione looked an awful lot like her father. She had her mother's hair-that was for sure, but everything else about Hermione was her dad-
"Dad?" Hermione asked, bending down on her knees. She took his hands in hers and he managed to open his eyes slowly. His face went from peaceful to complete horror as he let out a horrified gasp. He griped onto Hermione's arm tightly, looking at her face with wide eyes. Hermione started back, trying to pry her father's hand off of her throbbing wrist. Ron tried to help as well, while trying not to look at Mr. Granger's horrified face.
"STOP!" Mr. Granger yelled suddenly. "STOP! STOP! STOP!"
Mrs. Granger began to shriek again, her eyes growing to the size of saucers. Hermione pulled back forcefully and managed to get her wrist out of her father's grip. She immediately threw herself into Ron's arms, shaking violently. He quickly ushered her out of the room and closed the door behind them to drown out the sounds of her parent's terrified yells.
"What happened?" asked Harry, looking at a very pale Ron and Hermione. "We heard yells-"
"That's-that's...Oh!" Hermione yelled loudly before dropping into a chair. "That's not them! That can't be...what they've become! I only just saw them! Mum just wrote to me! This...this has to be some sort of sick joke!" Hermione babbled her eyes wide with fear. Ron knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his.
"Hermione," said Kingsley as he sat down next to her. "I know this must be very hard for you-it's very painful to watch the people you care about in that state,"
Hermione said nothing.
"However, we need you to go back to your house-identify some things, perhaps collect a few belonging you would like to take with you,"
"Where?" Hermione asked with a bitter laugh. "I've got no home. I've got nowhere to go,"
"Nonsense," Arthur Weasley said, lowering himself in the chair to Hermione's right. "You're coming back to the Burrow." He took her hand in his. "You don't need to go to your house tonight, Hermione. I'll bring you by tomorrow, or the next day if you'd like. This is all to be done on your time,"
Hermione took a deep breath and looked up at all the sympathetic faces around her. She could not understand what was going on in the least-her mind was in a complete frenzy. She closed her eyes and saw her father's terrified face and heard her mother's screams of fear-
-she should've been there. She could have stopped them-she could have saved her parents. She suddenly felt a whole new fear take over her body-if they were looking for her, there would be no doubt that they would look at the Burrow. Anyone who knew Hermione at all knew that she spent most of her summer time there-
She looked at Arthur, Ginny and Ron's faces. She shook her head back and forth-she would not be the cause of more pain being inflicted on this family. She had done enough damage with her own-
She faintly heard her mother start to shriek again. It was getting foggier and foggier-as was every other noise around her.
"Hermione?" asked Ron's concerned voice. She felt herself sway in her seat and before she knew it, everything went dark.
"That's it dear, open your eyes-"
Hermione heard Mrs. Weasley's voice but it seemed to be very far away. Squinting, Hermione saw Mrs. Weasley's kind, smiling face hovered above hers. She was sponging Hermione's forehead with cool water and she had to admit-it felt wonderful.
"What happened?" Hermione asked groggily.
"Fainted, dear." Molly answered. "It was too soon to see your parents in that state. It was all very overwhelming for you,"
Hermione nodded her head slowly and looked over to her side. Ron was kneeling on the floor next to her, holding her hand.
"How are you?" she asked him and he cracked a smile.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Hermione shrugged her shoulder in response and turned to face the ceiling again. "I'm alright, I suppose."
Mrs. Weasley patted her cheek softly and stood up from the side of the couch. She handed Ron the sponge and nodded kindly to him.
Taking his mothers recently vacated seat on the side of the couch, Ron raised the sponge and softly patted Hermione's forehead.
"Now that mum's gone," he began softly. "Why don't you tell me how you really are?"
Hermione grinned softly and opened her eyes. "How do you know me so well?"
"Suppose knowing you for almost eight years helps," he replied with a smirk.
"I don't really feel anything," she replied, honestly. "I feel numb."
Ron took a sharp intake of breath and nodded. "Yeah,"
"I feel like this is just some horrible nightmare. I don't understand how this could have happened-I-" she paused and closed her eyes again. "I've tried to keep them safe for so long."
"You have kept them safe Hermione-this isn't your fault,"
"Yes it is," she said. "They were attacked because of me." Tears welled in her eyes again but she begged them not to spill-her head hurt too much already and she just couldn't deal with another episode of sobs.
"You can get through this Hermione," Ron said in a soft voice. "We're all going to be here for you and I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
Hermione smiled slightly at him-she found that it actually hurt to move her mouth muscles in this position.
"I know," she finally answered.
"Hermione," called Mrs. Weasley's voice from the kitchen. "Why don't you go to bed, you've had a rough day."
Hermione nodded and moved off the couch. Ron followed her up the stairs and when they entered Ginny's bedroom they found her and Harry sitting closely, talking.
"Hey," Ginny said, standing up quickly and moving towards Hermione. "We were just about to go downstairs and check on you."
"How are you?" Harry asked.
"I'm alright," Hermione answered, sitting down on her cot. Ron sat down next to her and gently placed his hand on her leg.
"Well, we're going to be here for you, Hermione. Throughout everything," Harry said with a sad smile.
"I know," Hermione answered. "You guys are the only ones keeping me sane right now," She leaned over and rested her head on Ron's shoulder. "I have to go home tomorrow. I need to get some things and...will you guys..."
"Of course," Ron said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"You don't even have to ask, Hermione." Ginny said with a small smile.
Hermione nodded and closed her eyes.
When she opened them, it was morning-the sun was shining brightly through the open window of Ginny's bedroom. Hermione turned around and realized that Ron was in bed with her-his arm was draped protectively around her middle. She grinned and snuggled closer to him-she never realized how perfectly they fit together. For one blissful moment, Hermione didn't remember what had happened the day before. Once reality crashed into her, tears formed in her eyes once again. She couldn't believe that her parents had been attacked by Death Eaters. The fear that plagued her for the past four years had finally been brought to life.
What was to become of them? Were they going to be in that state forever? What would she tell her family? Close family members like her grandparents knew about Hermione being a witch-but others had no idea. The Grangers had always told family and friends that she went to a very prestigious boarding school to study Literature and Science. Hermione knew that they would never understand her being able to perform magic-what would she tell them now? Her parent's minds were damaged by dark magic...
It was all too much for Hermione to take in-just thinking about it made her nauseous.
Slowly, Hermione lifted Ron's arm off of her and slid out of bed. She grinned when she saw that Harry had stayed in the room as well-he was currently sleeping sitting up, his head resting on Ginny's bed. They obviously were really worried about her last night. She couldn't blame them-she must have been a sight.
Ron moaned slightly in his sleep, but his eyes remained closed. Hermione gently moved the hair away from his eyes and smiled lovingly at him-he really was a great boyfriend. Quietly, she left Ginny's bedroom and walked slowly downstairs, hoping to find something to settle her stomach.
"Oh," Hermione said, stopping abruptly when she saw Mrs. Weasley already in the kitchen, busy making breakfast.
"Good morning, dear." Molly said with a small smile. "You're up early."
Hermione nodded and sat down at the table. "I couldn't sleep."
Molly sighed softly and sat down across from her. She reached out and touched Hermione's hand gently. "How are you, honey?"
Hermione looked into Mrs. Weasley's soft blue eyes-they reminded her so much of Ron's. "I'm fine, I suppose-it's just a lot to take in all at once."
"I know, I just want you to know that we are going to be here for you, Arthur and I. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to-we've converted the twin's old bedroom for Harry to stay in, we wouldn't mind doing the same with Percy's old room. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"Thank you, but-"
"I know dear, it's all a lot to think about at once. You take all the time you need, I just want you to know that the offer is on the table."
Hermione smiled warmly at Mrs. Weasley and nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."
"Now, would you like something to eat? Some fruit?"
"Yes please." Hermione replied with a half nod. She watched Mrs. Weasley pile on some fruits on a plate as she walked over towards the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of pumpkin juice. She summoned a glass with a flick of her wand. Once she sat back down at the table, she heard barrelling footsteps coming down the stairs. Within seconds, Ron came running into the kitchen, a look of worry on his face. It immediately disappeared once he saw her sitting at the table.
"Oh, there you are," he said out of breath.
"Where did you think I went?" Hermione asked with a small smile. The tips of his ears turned red and he didn't answer her question. Hermione had a feeling he was going to be even more protective than he usually was with her now that this whole "Muggle List" rubbish came about.
"I told you she was just downstairs," said Ginny as she walked into the kitchen. She yawned openly before sitting down and picking a piece of fruit off of Hermione's plate with a small grin. Harry entered moments later, looking tired and in pain.
"Rough night sleep?" Hermione asked him with a grin. "You really didn't have to stay with me all night,"
"I know," Harry said. "But I wanted to," He busied himself by buttering a piece of toast, casually looking at Hermione as he did so. "So, are you ready for today?"
"No," Hermione answered honestly. "But I'll have to be, won't I?"
"You don't have to go today," Ginny said, thoughtfully. "You can wait a few more days."
"I need to get it over with. I'm going to keep putting it off if I don't go today," Hermione answered. "Besides, I want to give my parents a few things, maybe it will help them recover faster if they have a few things from home by their side."
She said this in a hopeful voice and looked at the faces around her, hoping to see the same positivity reflected in their expressions. She did not. They simply smiled kindly at her-it was a look Hermione had sported many times before. She sighed and shook her head.
"I'm being stupid, aren't I?"
"No," Ron answered firmly. "There is always hope."
Hermione shot him a thankful look and stood up. "I'm going to take a bath before we go."
Once she was gone, Mrs. Weasley turned and looked at her son. "It's not right to give her false hope, Ron."
"What false hope?" Ron asked, sounding angry. "There is a chance that they might recover, isn't there?"
Mrs. Weasley let out a long breath. "There have been many cases of witches and wizards who were tortured into insanity by the Cruciatus curse-there have been zero recoveries." She paused and shook her head. "The fact that they are muggles means that the curse would leave an even greater mark on them. I don't see them recovering-"
Ron looked at Harry and Ginny; they both looked terribly upset by this news.
"Hermione needs her parents," Ginny said softly.
"I still don't think we shouldn't stay positive," Harry said with a look at Ron. "For Hermione's sake, anyway."
Ron nodded and shot Harry an appreciative look.
A few moments later Arthur walked inside and sat down next to Ginny.
"Where were you, dad?" Ginny asked her father.
"Setting up protective charms around the house," he answered. "Now that Hermione's here its best we stay on the safe side and make sure no unwanted forces penetrate these walls."
"Do you really think that they are going to try and attack her, dad?" Ron asked. Harry noticed his friend's hands clench into fists. He couldn't help the anger that invaded him as well-as if they all hadn't been through enough in their lives-this was just the cherry on the cake.
"I do, son." Arthur answered gravely. "I wouldn't put anything past Death Eaters and I'm surprised you would."
"I don't," Ron answered. "I just don't want to believe it."
"Well, they aren't going to get her." Mrs. Weasley answered with confidence. "She's going to be under some serious protection. As are all of you,"
"All of us?" Ginny asked. "Why?"
"Do you really think if a Death Eater saw you on the street, they would simply pass by without a second look?" Arthur asked his daughter in surprise. "Our family is still heavily hated by dark wizards, even with Voldemort gone."
Ginny sighed and leaned back in her chair. "It's never going to be safe to live freely."
Arthur rubbed his daughter's hand gently and sighed. "One day, honey, it will be. When you have children of your own, the wizarding world will hopefully be a better place. Right now we're just getting over a war. The Death Eaters are still very angry that their leader was defeated. They don't want the world to think that they will remain dormant. They are still adamant on causing pain and suffering."
"Lovely," Ginny said bitterly. "Well they are definitely proving themselves."
Harry sighed and gently rubbed Ginny's hand.
So much for their perfect, stress-free summer.
Coming up next: A trip to the Granger home. What state is it in? Will Hermione be able to handle seeing her childhood home after it was penetrated by dark forces?
AN 2: For those who are really, desperately wanting some good old R/Hr romantic stuff, it's coming! Right now I feel like it would be totally OOC for them to start snogging and shagging, especially with everything that's going on. But don't worry-there will be plenty of that in future chapters!
Read and review!
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