Harry was sitting in the cave, resting his head in his hands. He couldn't believe what was happening!

"Do not blame yourself Harry," Kahn said softly from the floor. He decided to accompany Harry back to the glade, so he could teach him some pointers on the way… telling him when the best times are to find certain animals in specific areas and such… teaching him the basics of tracking as they travelled. He even talked Harry through how to keep his meat preserved, so he could eat from the same beast for a few days.

"Even your friends don't hold anything against you anymore. They understand that it was your decision."

"I shouldn't have left…" Harry mumbled to the floor, shaking his head.

Kahn nodded his head. "That is true… You can't do anything about it now though, so it is pointless to dwell on it."

Harry looked up at the Feline with sad eyes. "Do you think I should go back?"

Kahn held his gaze for a few moments before replying to his question.

"It is not my place to tell you what you can and cannot do Harry. However, I will give you a suggestion."

Harry nodded in understanding and waited for Kahn to continue.

"Very well… Although I believe that you should return to Hogwarts as soon as you can… I also believe that you should wait for a length of time. Your friends and the rest of the student body - Including the staff - are only just coming to terms with the news of your death… Imagine what would happen Harry, if they were to learn so soon, that you were indeed alive and made them suffer through that torment needlessly."

Harry sighed and nodded his head. He was pretty much in a lose - lose situation. If he stayed where he was, and let everyone believe he was dead, his friends would suffer… Yet the same thing would happen if he was to reveal to them that he was alive, and made them grieve needlessly.

"So basically," Harry said, "I should only go back, if there is no other choice… because that's the only option available." Harry looked into Kahn's eyes and saw confirmation. Sighing dejectedly, he leant back onto the stone and shut his eyes. He suddenly felt tired. He opened his eyes again as he heard movement, and saw Kahn getting a little shakily to his feet. Harry frowned slightly in concern… for he had an image of Kahn being almost infallible, and this moment of weakness seemed to trouble him slightly.

"Are you alright Kahn?" he asked cautiously as the Feline grasped the wall and placed a massive hand to his forehead. He looked down at Harry and smiled at him reassuringly before gathering himself and straightening up again.

"Of course."

Harry wasn't convinced, but already knew that it was pointless to argue to point with him.

"I will try to look in on you whenever I can Harry," Kahn said as he approached the crack leading outside, "But I'm afraid it won't be as often as I would like."

"That's ok… Your obviously a busy cat and I wouldn't want to interfere with your other business."

Kahn nodded appreciatively, "Thank you… as it is, my presence would have been missed and I need to make another stop…"

"Oh! You should get going then! Oh… and thanks for helping me out - I'll have it a lot easier now." Harry said as he ushered Kahn from the cave.

"Your welcome Harry…" he said gratefully as he stepped outside, giving a small wave as he vanished from sight.

Harry stared at the opening for a few moments before turning around and taking another piece from the beast they'd caught earlier on. Harry sat and ate in silence, already beginning to miss the company Kahn provided. He shook his head, still not being able to shake the feelings Kahn stirred in him. He felt a strange connection with him that went beyond words, yet he knew he felt a similar feeling around someone else as well.

Harry shook his head again and ate his last mouthful of meat before settling down on his hard bed.

"I'm thinking too much…" he murmured as he transformed and stretched out, resting his head on his front paws and drifting off to sleep……

Hermione, Ron and Ginny exchanged a fleeting glance of fear before bolting back to the hospital wing and skidding to a stop just outside the door. As Ron made for the handle Hermione tried to stop him, hearing voices inside but being to slow to stop him.

Ron pushed the door open and they all rushed in, looking for the cause of the loud crash and scream… stopping in horror at what they all saw before them.

A tray that Madame Pomfrey had obviously been carrying, and it's contents were strewn over the floor, the bottles smashed and the substances in them pooling on the white floor… but that wasn't what had caused the three students to gape in horror…

At the other end of the wing, knelt the strangest creature they'd ever seen, and it currently looked extremely exhausted. Madame Pomfrey hadn't looked towards them, as she was talking to the being, trying to keep it upright but not having the strength. Gingerly, she let it fall forward slightly, placing a clawed hand on the floor as it struggled to stand.

"…your mad… you know that… turning up here like this!" Madame Pomfrey scolded him softly as she tried to keep him on the floor.

The beast just shook his head at her, his white hair cascading over his catlike face.

Ginny could no longer keep her voice quiet and voiced what they were all thinking.

"What the hell is that thing!!??" she shrieked, taking a step toward them but being held back by Ron.

Immediately, Madame Pomfrey and the beast looked toward them sharply - Pomfrey made to speak but stopped as the Beast raised his hand toward them, causing them to finch in fear, but they were taken by complete surprise when it's eyes suddenly gave off an intense hot white glow, and it shimmered out of sight.

"Where'd it go!!??" Ginny exclaimed, looking towards where the creature had been moments ago.

Madame Pomfrey had by this time gotten to her feet and after throwing a disgruntled glance where the beast just was, began walking briskly toward them, looking most displeased.

"I thought I told you three to leave!! What makes you think you can just barge in here when you feel like it!!"

"We heard a crash and someone scream!" Hermione said firmly, still confused by what had transpired.

"Well, Miss Granger, you can plainly see what the crash was," Madame Pomfrey stated, gesturing to the floor and the mess on it, "Now please fetch the headmaster for me… there is something I must discuss with him…" she added as she bustled them out the door.

"But what was that big blue thing!!??" Ron asked hotly, wanting some answers from the matron.

"I assure you, I have no idea what your talking about, now fetch the headmaster please!" she replied sharply, once more slamming the doors in their faces.

None of them moved, all eager to hear what was going on inside, so they all remained silent as they heard Pomfrey scolding someone… obviously whatever it was that she denied was even in the ward.

"….That was too close Kahn! Have you lost your mind! Showing up like this…!! Your probably the most foolish of your kind in existence!!…"

Any other words spoken were either too soft, or they were too far from the doors to be heard properly. Sighing, the three stepped from the doors and looked at each other questioningly.

"Well," Ron said as they began to walk in the direction of Dumbledore's office, "At least we know we weren't seeing things…"

"I want to know what it was we *saw*?" Ginny huffed angrily.

"I know what we saw," Hermione said darkly, frowning in concern, "but what I want to know is… why was it here?"

Ron and Ginny looked at her blankly.

"Why am I not surprised that you know what it was…" Ron said, smirking over at her as she scowled at his comment. "Well? Aren't you going to tell us then?"

Hermione sighed and glanced over at Ron, seeing that he was now serious and Ginny was now interested in what she had to say, so she nodded her head and began to speak.

"Well, they're called Felanade's… or more commonly - Feline's. They're a very secretive race, so there isn't much information about them as such… but from what I've read, the wizarding community is a little wary of them - Not that they mind that… they like to be left alone. The Ministry doesn't like them very much, because they have no respect for diplomatic authority. They have a wild nature and they have their own rules to life. The Ministry won't approach them though because they fear them to an extent… Apparently they're quite powerful…"

"I think I'd be scared of something that huge as well…" Ron said, shaking his head slightly. "I mean - Did you see it's size!! Pomfrey only came to his shoulder!! And it was on it's knees!!"

"Ron," Ginny started, "Just because it's big, doesn't mean it's dangerous. Look at Hagrid…" she added pointedly.

"And Madame Pomfrey seemed to know him well enough…" Hermione told them, "… but what I want to know is, how did he vanish like that? I mean… he just waved his hand and he vanished! Poof - Gone!!"

"Weren't his eyes creepy though?" Ginny said spookily, though she was grinning so the effect wasn't the same. "The way they glowed white… just before he disappeared… Freaked me out."

"Actually, I thought it looked kinda cool!" Ron laughed as they approached the stone gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office.

"Alright," Hermione said seriously when they came to a stop, "We don't tell Dumbledore what we saw in the hospital wing - Only that Madame Pomfrey sent us to come and get him, ok?

They both nodded in understanding, but Ron asked a question as Hermione made to give the password.

"Do you know anywhere else we can find information on these Feline things?"

Hermione turned to look at Ron in surprise. "You want to look!?"

Ron looked a little insulted and curtly said "Yeah! So?"

"No!" Hermione said quickly and shook her head, seeing how Ron had taken her the wrong way again, "It's just that you usually don't like reading anything you don't have to…"

Ron just nodded, and waited for her to answer his original question.

Sighing audibly, Hermione nodded her head, "Yes, actually… What I read was in the library, but it was in the areas available to everyone, which is why it was so vague… However I think we could find some more detailed accounts in the restricted section."

"But who would give us permission to go looking for that!" Ron exclaimed, waving his arms around.

"How about we ask Hank when he gets back?" Hermione quipped, "We could tell him we wanted to research magical creature's and need access to the restricted section if we want to do it thoroughly?"

"You actually think he'd believe that?" Ginny inquired, looking between them sceptically. She had Hank for CoMC as well, and he seemed anything but dim when it came to brain power.

"Well he can't be any worse than Lockhart was, could he…" Ron answered, grinning at Hermione as he spoke and started laughing when she scowled at him and gave the password, causing the gargoyle to leap aside, revealing the spiral staircase that led to Dumbledore's office……

The next week flew by in a jumble of research in the library, classes and avoiding the common room. They asked Hank for a note to get into the restricted section after breakfast on the Monday, for it was the first time he was seen at the teachers table since he disappeared. He still looked a little worn out, but he gave them the note whole heartedly, praising them for taking such an interest in the area of Magical Creatures.

So as such, they spent all their free time between classes and lunch scouring through dusty volumes in search of any reference to Feline's or Felanade's, but with little luck. Classes were almost a daily torture, what with their classmates ignoring them or just being rude, throwing them dirty looks or snide comments - All while a teacher wasn't around (Obviously). As they never wanted to be in the common room after classes either, they ended up in the library… only stopping to go down to dinner.

In particular, Malfoy was going out of his way to instigate trouble between them and everyone else… starting a situation by throwing a well chosen comment, only to vanish when others started throwing accusing words or looks at them in response. He was making it impossible for the school to forgive and forget, by keeping it fresh in everyone's mind.

"Why can't he just shut up!?" Ron growled, as they made their way up to Gryffindor Tower to drop off there bags after a murderous double potions. "He's getting to the stage that I'd pay to see him beheaded!"

"Now Ron," Hermione chided, "You know that's not true… You would have done that on the first day you met him!" she added quickly as Ron was about to protest, laughing as he stopped and smirked at the truth in the statement.

They walked through the portrait hole and their smiles left their faces - for every person in the common room, turned to look at them scathingly before turning they're backs on them. Fred and George had at least tried talking to the house and tried to convince them that it wasn't Ron's fault, but none of them wanted to listen to them. The twin's looked at everyone crossly before shrugging apologetically at Ron and returning to their work. Ron spotted Ginny sitting in the corner on her own and walked over to her.

"Gonna come to the library today Gin?" he asked quietly as he knelt in front of her. She gave no response and continued to stare into the fire, almost as if she was in a daze.

Ron frowned at this behaviour, concerned that she may have reached the end of her tether.

"Ginny?" he repeated, tapping the side of her face gently with is hand and being startled when she jumped out of her skin and turned to look at him, trying to focus on his face.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worry etched on his face as Hermione came over.

"Ron? I need to tell you something…" Ginny said, almost mechanically. Ron looked at Hermione only to see his own feelings of concern mirrored on her face, before returning his gaze to his sister.

"What is it Gin?" he coaxed gently, taking hold of one of her hands, noticing that it was trembling slightly.

"I - I had a dream last night - and I tried to dismiss it as just a nightmare, but - it seemed so real!" she whispered, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"What was it about?" Ron pressed, trying not to show his anxiety as Ginny wept.

"It - it was - about Harry!" she choked, looking at Ron before turning her eyes towards everyone in the common room and shaking her head.

Both Ron and Hermione took this as a hint that she didn't want to talk about this in a room full of people who despised them… So Ron assisted Ginny out of her chair and they walked through the portrait hole, not really knowing where to head.

As they stood outside the common room, Ginny broke down completely and threw her arms around Ron, sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder as she clung to him desperately. Ron immediately wrapped his arms around her reassuringly, whispering words of comfort into her ear as he fought back his own tears at seeing his sister so distraught.

They stood there, wrapped in each others arms for some time, until finally, Ginny lifted her head from Ron's shoulder and looked sheepishly up at him. Ron smiled at her as he tucked a stray piece of fiery red hair behind her ear, but his expression grew serious as he returned his gaze to her eyes.

"What was your dream about?" he asked gently.

"You said it was about Harry?" Hermione added softly, desperately wanting to hear more, but also knowing how Ron would be more likely to get the information out of her. Hermione couldn't have believed it, but their bond had grown even stronger in the past week. It was obvious to her that both would be lost without the other… yet she was worried how the other would handle it, if one of them was to find another to confide in.

Ginny nodded at Hermione's question, furiously wiping away the stray tears that had sprung to her eyes at the mention of it.

"It was horrible! I'd call it a nightmare… I should have told you this morning but I was still trying to ignore it as only a dream… but I'm not so sure anymore. It felt so real."

"What happened in it?" Ron asked, failing to hide his concern.

Ginny was fighting back tears again as she remembered the details to it, and tried to convey them into words.

"I - I saw him! He was walking around in a forest, looking at the ground, as if he was searching for something… when he turned around suddenly, looking terrified! I think he heard something… but, the strange thing was - he changed! He wasn't Harry anymore - he looked like some sort of animal - I'm not sure, it wasn't very clear… He started to run away really fast - but then everything went white and it sounded like some sort of explosion went of somewhere!" Ginny was wide eyed and looking a little frantic by this point, the colour draining from her face.

"It's ok Gin," Ron whispered soothingly, though still looking a little worried. He looked over towards Hermione and was shocked to see almost the same terrified expression on her face also.

"Was there anymore to that dream Ginny!?" Hermione asked, trying to sound calm, but not being able to keep all her anxiety out of her voice.

Looking over at Hermione, frowning slightly in confusion at her avid reaction, she nodded her head.

"Yes, there was… the last thing I saw before I woke up this morning was - was a vision of Harry lying down in some sort of cave with - with a trail of blood leading up to him! It was pooling on the floor and - and he had a huge wound somewhere around here-" she finished shakily, gesturing to a point somewhere above her left hip but below her shoulder as she ran her hand down the ribs under her arm.

Hermione's face grew even paler and her breathing grew unsteady. This couldn't mean what she thought it meant!

"Hermione what is it?" Ron asked coming to stand in front of her, looking worried.

"We're going to see Dumbledore! Right now!" she answered shakily before stepping around Ron and almost running down the hall.

"Whoa! Wait up!!" Ron called as he took off after her, Ginny not far behind, "Why do we have to tell Dumbledore about Ginny's dream!?" he called as he caught up.

Hermione stopped so suddenly, Ron had to throw himself to the side to avoid running her down. He turned to her, breathing heavily as Ginny caught up also, and stared at her.

"Well? Why do we have to see Dumbledore about a dream?" he panted, looking concerned as a very grave expression formed on Hermione's face.

"I'm afraid that I have to tell you, that I don't believe that it was just a dream…"

Hermione didn't want to say anymore to them on the matter, so she turned quickly and resumed the journey towards Dumbledore's office.

Ron and Ginny remained stationary, staring blankly at Hermione's retreating back. Ron suddenly came to his senses and shouted down the hall to her, "Are you telling us that Harry's ALIVE!!"

Hermione turned around as she went to turn the corner and looked at their hopeful expressions gravely and yelled in response, "YES!! BUT IF GINNY'S DREAM IS WHAT I THINK IT IS - HE WON'T BE FOR MUCH LONGER!!"

Not pausing for another second, Hermione turned the corner and streaked away, hearing the footfalls of Ginny and Ron behind her.

The run to Dumbledore seemed to take forever, but finally they came to the stone gargoyle. Hermione skidded to a halt and waited impatiently for Ron and Ginny to round the corner, before gasping the password and sprinting up the spiral staircase, barging into the office without knocking.

Dumbledore looked over at them in surprise, before noticing their exhaustion and strained expressions. He stood from his chair, and walked around his desk, peering at them concernedly.

"What's happened?" he asked firmly, but before anyone could say anything else, Ron had straightened up and looked at the headmaster pleadingly.

"Is it true!!?? Is Harry alive!!??" he gasped as he clutched at the stitch in his side, spotting a couple of other figures in the room as he glanced past Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked sharply at Ron before turning his hard gaze to Hermione.

"Miss Granger…?" he warned, but didn't continue as Hermione waved her hand, signalling him to stop.

"I'll explain it later!" she panted as she gestured to Ginny, "but I think Harry's in trouble!" she exclaimed, her panic beginning to return.

"Trouble!?" Hank and Remus exclaimed simultaneously, "What kind of trouble!?" Hank added, looking between them all as he and Remus rose from their seats.

"Ginny had a dream last night!! It had Harry in it - and he's hurt!!" Hermione said staring pleadingly between the three professors.

"Do you know where he is?" Remus asked hurriedly, his concern evident on his face.

"I - I only saw a cave…" Ginny said weakly, almost in a daze.

Hank moved instantly toward the door. "I know where he is…" he stated simply as he opened the door and jumped down the stairs, leaving two very worried professors and three very confused student's in his wake. Hermione found her voice first and ran to the door to look down, spotting Hank at the bottom.

"How do you know!?" she shouted, causing him to stop and look up at her.

"I'm sorry Miss Granger - But now isn't the time! We have to get Harry here quickly if he has any chance of surviving; and he is quite far away!" he replied loudly, turning to walk out the opening.

"But how would you get there in such a short space of time!!??" Hermione yelled, confusion muddling her thoughts.

Hank stopped at the question and didn't move for a few moments, when finally, he turned his gaze to her again - his blue green eyes glinting with some hidden meaning…

"I - myself - cannot," he stated calmly, a sly grin on his strong features despite the situation, "but I know someone who can…"

With that, Hank turned and ran from the stairwell, his footsteps echoing up to her. Hermione stood there for a few moments - utterly bewildered by what had just transpired, when she came to her senses and spun around, venturing back into the office.

Her confusion was shortly forgotten as she saw Ron and Ginny, bearing down Remus and Dumbledore for answers about Harry's being alive.

" - but you told the whole school he was dead!!" Ginny exclaimed shrilly, looking as though she were on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "You - you lied to everyone!"

"Miss Weasley - Please calm down…" Dumbledore told her gently, holding up his hands in front of him, trying to get her to settle down with little success, " - however, if you remembered correctly - I did not tell everyone that I believed Harry was dead… I only said that he was seen throwing himself from the tower window and was *assumed* to be dead, for we had no body…"

"But you still lied to us!!" Ron shouted, losing his temper, "You still let us believe that he was dead!!"

Dumbledore nodded his head, almost sadly. "Yes Mr Weasley, I did - and I am truly sorry for the pain my decision caused you all… however you must also understand, that it was ultimately Harry's decision to leave. We had to tell everyone something."

This reasoning however, did not appear appease Ron's anger in the slightest.

"You could have told us the truth!!" he cried indigently.

Dumbledore nodded again, not denying that he could have told them the real reasons for Harry's departure, before looking at Ron in contemplation.

"Let's say I did tell you, that Harry had merely left because he felt so horribly guilty over what he did to *you* Ron… What would you have done?" he questioned, peering at Ron over his glasses. "Gone after him, perhaps? Accuse him of deserting you all and try to force him to return? I assure you, that your state of mind Mr Weasley, at that time, was less than diplomatic. You would have only made the situation worse."

Ron looked extremely disgruntled about being put in his place, but he still nodded his head to show that he understood Dumbledore's reasoning.

While all this was happening, no one had noticed Ginny shuffle over to one of the vacant chairs and sit in it mutely, staring off into space. It wasn't until Remus turned around to approach his chair after the situation with Ron had been settled, that he noticed her sitting there.

"Um - Ginny -?" he asked tentatively, causing everyone to turn and look at her.

Ron was at her side in an instant and knelt down in front of her, taking one of her hands in his own and gazing up at her forlornly.

"Ginny?" he said gently, peering at her intently - growing more concerned as he got no response. Ron straightened up further, so he could look into her eyes and started to panic as he saw a blank slate where his sister's usually lively and boisterous gleam should reside.

"Ginny… Come on! Ginny look at me!" he urged gently, bringing her hand to his lips and giving it a tender kiss while turning her head slightly with the other, gently forcing her to look at him. He smiled in relief as Ginny's eyes slowly focused on him, but it vanished in an instant as she began to cry.

He looked over to Dumbledore in alarm before returning his eyes to his sister, physically pained by the anguish and sorrow in her eyes.

"What is it Ginny?" Ron whispered soothingly, placing his hand on her face as he wiped at her tears. "You can tell me… can't you?" he added hopefully, unable to hide the desperation in his voice.

Ginny opened her mouth so speak, but no words came out, so she simply shook her head in sorrow and looked down at her knees; leaning forward slightly so her forehead rested on Ron's shoulder.

"It's ok Gin," Ron said in a shaky voice as he wrapped his arms around her, rocking back and forth slightly, "It's ok… You don't have to say anything… You can tell us when your ready…"

"…Hmpf! *A bit late for that approach*…" Hermione mumbled to herself, unaware that Dumbledore and Remus had heard her, causing them to raise their eyebrows at each other, knowing how she was referring to the way Ron had badgered Harry, causing the reason they were in this situation.

Ever so discreetly, Dumbledore cleared his throat and made sure that he was being listened to before he spoke.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I believe that we should head down to the hospital wing and wait for Harry's unfortunate arrival."

Everyone nodded and started towards the door, Ron holding onto Ginny as they walked, all remaining silent as they descended the stairs and for much of the journey.

It was when they were very near the ward, that Hermione decided to ask Dumbledore the question that had been nagging her ever since Hank's departure.

"Excuse me, Professor Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore glanced down at her as they continued walking then returned his gaze ahead of him.

"Yes Miss Granger?"

"Well, I was wondering Sir… but… who was Hank going to fetch that would reach Harry so quickly?"

Dumbledore shot her a bemused look at this question. "He said he was getting someone?" he asked, as though the very idea was ludicrous.

"Um, yes? He said that, seeing as he himself couldn't get there fast enough - he was going to find the one who could…"

"Aaahhh… Now I see…" he chuckled, smiling to himself. "Very interesting… Well Miss Granger, I do believe you will find out soon enough."

Hermione frowned in bewilderment at Dumbledore's statement, but remained silent for the rest of the walk.

They came to the wing doors and hovered for a moment, before Dumbledore turned to address the three teenagers.

"I would appreciate it, if you stayed out here for the moment. We don't know if Harry is here yet, and it would probably be best if you didn't see him straight away… all things considered." he requested gently.

Ron shook his head forcefully and stared at the headmaster determinedly.

"No! We are going to see him! I think we deserve at least that…" he pleaded, "… I mean, until half an hour ago… we thought he was dead…" he added weakly, looking at Dumbledore with glassy eyes.

Dumbledore looked down at him gravely, not sure if he should allow them to see Harry in the state he would no doubted arrive in. He glanced at Hermione only to see an impassive expression on her face, as though she were deep in thought. Sighing, he turned his gaze to Ginny, wondering if she could handle actually seeing Harry, seeing how the news of his continued existence had effected her. Finally he looked over toward Remus to see him nod slightly at Ron's request.

Sighing resignedly, Dumbledore returned his gaze to Ron, who was still staring at him expectantly and nodded his head.

"Very well, Mr Weasley. You all may enter… however you mustn't interfere with *anything* that happens. You must remain calm, no matter what you see. Is that understood?"

Everyone nodded, though Ginny still looked like she hadn't heard anything since they left Dumbledore's office.

Nodding again, Dumbledore and Remus opened the wing doors and ventured inside; Hermione, Ginny and Ron only a step behind them.

"Poppy!!" Dumbledore called, his voice echoing in the empty ward. Madame Pomfrey emerged from her office, looking curiously around the small congregation.

"Albus! Whatever is the matter?" she asked in concern as she rushed over toward them. "Is one of you hurt?" Her eyes fell on Ginny and she frowned in puzzlement before moving over to her.

"Miss Weasley, perhaps you'd better sit down…" she suggested gently as she made to steer her toward a bed, only to have Ginny withdraw fiercely and cling to Ron even tighter. Pomfrey looked alarmed by her behaviour and looked at Ron, who shook his head at her before moving Ginny towards the bed himself, whispering softly in her ear.

"Albus -" she said softly after returning to his side, "- What happened!? She look's like she's had the fright of her life!"

Dumbledore sighed heavily as he looked toward the siblings.

"I'm afraid that Miss Weasley was unable to handle everything that's happened in the past hour. She started the day believing Harry was dead - as you know he's not - Then, a time ago she and Mr Weasley discovered that he was indeed alive."

"Oh my…" Pomfrey gasped, turning to gaze at the red heads with sadness. "So that's why she's so delicate…"

"Yes, I believe that that news stretched her to her limit's… However I believe what pushed her over, was the prospect of losing Harry - again…"

"Again?" Pomfrey said, completely baffled. "How again?"

"Actually Poppy-" Remus spoke up, "-that's why we're here… You see, we think Harry's been hurt - badly by the way Hermione spoke - so we're expecting him to show up any minute with a certain someone…"

Poppy raised her eyebrows at him indignantly, "A certain someone? Could you be more vague perhaps?"

"How about a Feline? Is that more direct?" Hermione spoke up from the bed she was leaning on. Looking over towards them, Hermione smirked when she saw them staring at her, speechless.

"What? You actually thought that we'd believed you when you told us there was nothing in here last Friday?" she said to the Matron, who immediately looked away, also avoiding Dumbledore's scrutinizing gaze. "I know what it was… and I'm guessing that that is who Hank went to find just before, because it just appeared in here, didn't it? Out of thin air, which is why it gave you a fright… I'm guessing that it has a form of apperating, but seeing how that's impossible inside Hogwarts, it must be different in some way."

"You know Hermione," Remus said, crossing his arms but smiling all the same, "You surprise me! How did you know what a Felanade is?"

"You keep forgetting that I read widely, Professor…" she stated, mimicking his pose and grinning. Slowly the grin left her face and she looked at Dumbledore, wanting to ask him something but not sure if she should.

"Never be afraid to ask me something Miss Granger," Dumbledore told her, correctly interpreting the look on her face. "If I am unable to answer the question, than I shall tell you."

Hermione nodded her head and took a breath. "Are you absolutely certain we can trust it? Because I've read a bit about them, and I know it's not a lot, but they seem really dangerous and -"

Hermione stopped as Dumbledore raised his hand, giving her a piercing look.

"First of all Miss Granger, *his* name is Kahn, and for someone so intelligent as you, it would do you better to not be so narrow minded. I have known Kahn since I was very young, and there is no one I would more willingly trust my life with."

"But they're supposedly extremely dangerous! Barbaric and ruthless even…" Hermione argued, trailing off as she saw the affronted expression Dumbledore fixed her with.

"I truly hope I never hear you say that again, Miss Granger. It seems your source of information is extremely one sided. I pray you don't speak that way when he is around… He is usually very understanding when it comes to other peoples opinions - But calling him a barbarian would be going a tad to far, I'm afraid. Though he might pay it little heed, seeing as your one of Harry's closest friends." he finished sternly.

"Your not going to deny that they're extremely dangerous though! Because you just said he'd be upset at being called barbaric… You didn't say anything about how he'd react to my calling him dangerous." Hermione retorted, although not as enthusiastically as she normally would have.

"No I didn't," Dumbledore replied calmly, "because I happen to know what they are capable of doing… However, I would only truly call them a danger, if I was to get onto the wrong side of them." he added, giving her a pointed stare.

Hermione swallowed and nodded her head jerkily, fully understanding the implications Dumbledore had so subtly suggested.

During the quiet debate, Poppy had bustled around the ward, gathering anything that she thought she might need when Harry finally did arrive. She turned to Hermione as she resettled on the bed and asked her quietly, so Ginny couldn't hear her, "Err, Miss Granger - Do you know what Harry's condition is like at all?? From what Remus told me, you were the one that told them of Harry's condition…"

Hermione nodded then wondered if the matron had ever had to heal a Muggle wound before.

"Yes I do… Ginny described it to me - she had a dream - but from what I heard, he was shot by a rifle… Do you know what that is!?" she asked hastily as Poppy looked slightly confused. "Don't worry about the details then. Ok - From Ginny's description, the bullet hit him somewhere in his left side… near the ribs."

"-Err - Bullet?-"

"A metal projectile moving faster than the eye can see - I'll explain the particulars later, but this piece of metal will be lodged inside him somewhere… and depending on the type of rifle used, the wound could be anywhere from small and clean - to gaping and torn…. It's very serious either way - we think he's been this way since sometime last night - but the most important thing to do, is to remove the bullet before you heal the wound…"

Anymore discussion was prevented however, when a swirl of bright white light particles began to form in the middle of the room. Everyone turned to look at it as it's glow grew in size and became solid substance, finally fading to reveal the creature they'd seen the previous week standing in it's place… holding an unconscious Harry in his arms.

Immediately, everyone except Ron and Ginny dashed toward them, making it impossible for him to move anywhere without jostling Harry or forcing anyone to move. As it was, he was short of breath and unsteady on his feet, and he needed to put Harry down or he would drop him.

Finally having had enough, he mustered his fading strength and roared, "MOVE!!" causing the bottles to rattle with the force of his voice.

Everyone moved away instantly - Hermione in terror, Poppy in shock, and Remus and Dumbledore merely stepped aside respectfully, showing no ill will toward him for his abruptness. Growling severely Kahn instantly moved toward the closest bed and lay Harry down onto it gently before falling heavily to his knees.

It was then that they noticed the blood on Kahn's fur, seeping from two wounds on his back and one on his right thigh. There was also some on his abdomen, but as there was no wound, they knew that the blood belonged to Harry.

"My Lord Kahn!! What happened to you!!" Poppy exclaimed, immediately moving toward him, intending to inspect his wounds but was stopped by the Feline turning to face her, looking almost angry.

"Do not concern yourself with me Poppy! We must tend to Harry first…" he added gently, turning back to him so he could inspect the wound. It didn't look good… Harry had a gaping hole in his side, and what lay beyond that looked as though it had been torn to shreds. Kahn looked up sharply as Harry groaned in pain - his pale face wincing and his skin growing clammier. His breathing was extremely shallow and ragged and his heartbeat was almost non-existent. He sighed as thought of the pain Harry must have been in, lying there waiting for death to take him … Knowing that no one would be coming for him. Actually, he was astounded he was still alive at all…

"Hmmm, the damage is quite extensive…" Poppy murmured anxiously as she looked over Kahn's shoulder. "I'm unable to heal such a widespread wound…" she sighed despondently.

"What!!" Hermione cried, jumping from her seat and rushing over to her friend, "What do you mean you can't heal him!! He'll die!!" she shouted, glaring at the matron in incredulity.

"No he won't…" Kahn rumbled quietly, staring at Harry with a pained expression. "I won't let him…"

Poppy shook her head and placed a hand on Kahn's massive shoulder, "You can't … Your hurt and you had to Orb Harry hear with you. You don't have the energy to heal him…" she reasoned softly.

Kahn shook his head. "I don't care … It is my duty…" With that, he held a massive hand a few inches from Harry's side. His eyes began to glow white once more as he moved his hand slowly around the wound, but not actually touching it. After a moment or two of this, Harry began to groan again as a few shards of metal emerged from the wound and were floating towards Kahn's open palm, stopping before actually reaching it. After a substantial number of shards were removed in this fashion, Kahn lowered his hand and allowed the pieces to fall to the floor.

He was breathing heavily and the fur on his face was growing damp with the effort, but he still raised both of his hands once more, and rested them over Harry's wound. As she saw this, Poppy rushed forward and tried to remove his hands.

"No more Kahn! You need to rest and heal… At the rate your going you'll bleed to death…" she murmured as she glanced at the steadily growing pool of red at Kahn's knees.

He shook his head at her faintly.

"I can… rest… later Poppy," he wheezed, "My wounds… are more resent… You'll be able to… help me out… later."

She looked ready to protest again. But Dumbledore had walked over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Let him go Poppy." he said as he gently steered her away.

Kahn took several deep breaths and focused himself. His eyes gave off a brilliant light once more, but now he seemed to be in an invisible breeze. His white hair was beginning to sway and float in the invisible current of energy he seemed to be drawing on and his hands were beginning to give off a golden glow. The longer he sat this way, the more intense the effect on Kahn it had… His hair was now blowing about and wisps of a translucent energy were becoming visible, swirling around him slowly, surrounding his massive frame.

By now, the golden light from his hands was so bright, you could hardly make out the shape of his hands - causing them to avert their eyes slightly from the glare. Finally, the glow from his hands and eyes faded, the visible energy vanished as did the strange breeze that had only effected the Feline.

He removed his hands from Harry's wound, making Hermione gasp in shock and Ron sit more rigidly. The wound had disappeared completely, as if it had never existed.

There was no trace of it left bar the blood soaking Harry's robe and the hole that had been left by the blast. Harry's breathing had grown stronger and some of his colour had returned, yet he remained unconscious.

As Hermione rushed over to Harry's side, Poppy hurried toward Kahn, who was swaying dangerously on his knees.

"Come on Kahn… We need to get you to a bed so I can work on you. Try to stand -" she said as she grasped him just under his arm, trying to assist him getting to his feet. With the help of Remus and Dumbledore they managed to stagger over to a bed. Kahn managed to remain standing as Dumbledore moved another bed so it was end to end with the one they were standing at, for Kahn needed to lie on his stomach so Poppy could see to his back.

As he laid down, Poppy came around to face him and knelt down. She could see just how exhausted he was, and hated having to keep him awake for any longer, but she had to.

"Kahn? Can you tell me what caused these wounds? I need to know so I can treat you… It'd be so much easier if you could heal yourself, but you can't… Do you remember?" she coaxed.

Kahn sighed and looked at her before turning his eyes to Dumbledore and looked at him apologetically. "Yes I remember… Actually - That's why I didn't turn up straight away. I would have been here much sooner but I got a little sidetracked." he whispered, no longer possessing enough strength to speak any louder.

"How so?" Remus asked, curiosity and concern showing on his face.

"As soon as I saw Harry, I knew what had happened to him. He'd run into some poachers and been injured by them, thinking he was an escaped zoo animal and wanting to cash in on such a fine prize. I stayed long enough to know he was in a critical condition, but I also knew he would last a while longer at least… so I went after them." He growled menacingly, anger flashing through his eyes as they glowed white for an instant as the memory came back to him.

"What do you mean Kahn?" Dumbledore began cautiously, seeing his eyes glow brilliantly in his spurt of rage. "You hunted them down? Punished them for what they did to Harry?"

Kahn nodded his head as his eyes grew even brighter.

"I hunted them down as one of the animals they kill for sport. They fired their weapons at me, causing my wounds… but I didn't stop. I yearned for the pleasure of the hunt and the satisfaction of destroying what caused Harry so much pain. I owed it to him to provide him protection and I failed. When I returned to Harry, there was nothing but pieces of them to signify that they even existed."

Dumbledore sighed and hung his head while Remus and Poppy were holding onto the bed frame to keep themselves standing, both rather pale in colour.

"W - well, at least I know how to treat these…" Poppy said weakly as she straitened herself and set about gathering her things.

Hermione had gotten to her feet and was now staring at Kahn in horror, glancing between Dumbledore and Remus as though they were mad to call this creature trustworthy.

"You *murdered* them!!" she whispered in complete disgust, flinching only slightly when he turned his glowing eyes to her.

"No more than what they tried with Harry," he growled viciously, "I claimed my Vendetta… kept my honour… there was no wrong in it."

"Honour!" cried Hermione, "What honour is there in murdering foolish Muggles!"

"I did not murder anyone!" he shouted, his anger giving him energy, "I claimed Vendetta! If Harry had died, it would have been dishonourable to let his killers live! As he has survived, I still would have lost my honour had I let them live, for it means they would have gone unpunished for what they did to my charge! I had to redeem myself for allowing him to come into harms way!"

"Hang on!" Ron spoke suddenly, startling everyone as he'd been quiet for so long. "How could they mistake Harry for an animal!?? He walks on two legs, not four…?"

"Oh Ron!" Hermione huffed as she rolled her eyes, "Isn't it obvious? He's -"

"It is not our position to tell you that," Kahn interrupted sharply, glancing at Hermione momentarily before returning his violet eyes to Ron, "Harry has not given his consent for us to reveal that to anyone, so we cannot. It is not our secret to tell,… it is his." he explained calmly, the anger he'd shown with Hermione gone. "You shall wait for him to awaken… then you can ask him yourself."

As he lay down on the beds, allowing Poppy to work on him, Dumbledore and Remus simply nodded at his explanation and refused to answer any more inquiries on the matter. Hermione obviously looked affronted by this demand, and was scowling at the back of Kahn's head.

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore called faintly, "A word please…" he requested, walking away from the gathering and heading to a secluded corner. Hermione looked puzzled but followed him anyway, halting just in front of him and giving him a bemused look.

Dumbledore simply surveyed her for a moment before speaking firmly.

"Have you figured out what you did wrong yet, Miss Granger?"

Hermione blinked and raised her eyebrows in wonder, before frowning slightly in confusion. "What do you mean Professor?"

"I'm talking about the way you handled Kahn, Miss Granger… He saves Harry's life - and yet you question his morals… His sense of honour - And to make matters worse - you show him no respect whatsoever!"

"But he *murdered* those Muggles!!" Hermione said in a loud whisper, not believing how Dumbledore could defend the actions of this beast.

"In your eyes… Yes. He murdered them. But you must remember that he does not live by our rules… It was not murder to him… it was keeping his honour, for he had allowed his charge to come to harm - and those that caused it had to be punished for it."

Hermione shook her head and sighed heavily. She just didn't understand how they could accept Kahn's reasoning on the matter. As far as she was concerned, it was cold blooded murder - And she didn't trust the Feline as far as she could throw him.

"You don't have to trust him Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, seeing the way she had been eyeing off Kahn. "And once he is healthy again, you could tell him that to his face and he wouldn't mind, for it is your choice - but only if you treated him with respect and addressed the matter in a polite fashion. You have made a very bad, first impression… reacting to him the way you did."

Hermione nodded and looked toward where Poppy and Remus were still tending to the injured Feline, frowning as Remus was laughing at something he'd told him while Poppy was attempting to remove the bullets from his back.

"Um… Professor? Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly."

"Well, I was wondering how Professor Lupin knows Kahn?" she asked, still eyeing off their non-judgemental behaviour together with growing curiosity. "I mean … You said you've known him since you were really young - which in itself I don't completely understand - But … How is Remus so well acquainted with him? It's almost as if they were brothers…"

Dumbledore looked toward the joking pair with a distant expression in his eyes, smiling faintly as Remus feigned extreme shock before laughing hysterically.

"I'm afraid you will have to ask him about that yourself, Miss Granger. Emphasizing what Kahn said earlier … It is not my place.

"Please consider what I said about him, Miss Granger … He is not as cruel as you believe." Dumbledore suggested gently as he walked back toward the group, joining in on the joke that Remus and Kahn were sharing.

Sighing again, Hermione made her way back to Ron and Ginny, taking a seat next to Ron on the bed and gazed at Harry's unconscious form.

"You lied to us as well you know," Ron said softly, after a few moments. He turned to stare at her accusingly and she began to feel tears forming in her eyes. Blinking furiously, she returned her gaze to Harry and nodded mutely.

"Why?"

"Because he asked me to…" Hermione whispered, inclining her head towards Harry.

"So everything you said to us was just a farce! Covering up the fact the he was still alive!!" Ron hissed, glaring at her angrily when she shook her head.

"No! I altered the truth in part - yes. I won't deny that … but everything I felt about it was real. As far as I was concerned, he *had* killed himself - accept I knew he was still alive … At least, I knew he was when he left…"

Hermione paused for a moment as she tried to put into words the confusion the whole situation had caused her… but she found she couldn't…

"You two had it easy anyway…" she finally muttered, looking down at the floor.

"What?" Ron spat, frowning at the comment. "How can you say that!? You're the one that knew he was still alive! We had to go through his death!"

"No… I only knew he was still alive until he vanished into the forest. After that, I could only hope he still was… And look at what happened!" she cried, gesturing toward their friend, "If he had have died… I wouldn't have known any different and would still be hoping he was alright!! At least you didn't have that worry. You'd grieved already and accepted it … but I was still left not knowing…"

Ron sighed as the tears began to flow freely down Hermione's face as she gazed at Harry. He was wondering which was worse - not knowing, or knowing, but decided not to think about it … they were obviously as bad as each other.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't of got mad at you…" he apologized as he turned to look at her. "It's just -"

"No, it's ok Ron," Hermione interrupted, wiping her face and smiling weakly at him, "I'd be mad at me too."

Ron contemplated her for a moment before nodding slightly, allowing a small grin to creep onto his face then turned back to keep an eye on Harry……

Another couple of hours went by with no movement on Harry's part. Kahn had been moved awkwardly to a more secluded area for him to rest, with Remus and Dumbledore venturing in and out periodically … mainly to check and see if there had been any change in Harry, for Kahn had asked for regular updates.

It was during one such update, that Harry began to stir … his eyes fluttering open and issuing a loud groan. Ginny instantly came out of the daze she'd been in all afternoon and jumped from Ron's arms … dashing to Harry's side.

"Professor Dumbledore!" she called loudly as both Ron and Hermione joined her, smiling happily down at him……

……. Harry felt as though a thick fog was lifting from his mind. Slowly his senses were returning to him and he vaguely recognised the feeling of floating on a cloud. He forced himself to open his eyes, seeing only a haze of white before him. Suddenly, he felt his body protest as he tried to move, groaning as the aching intensified. He sensed movement near him and heard someone shout in an distant voice … a voice he could recognise … but how could she be there?

"Ginny?" Harry said, barely above a whisper as he tried to focus his eyes again; now seeing a few blurry shapes standing over him. He felt someone grasp his hand firmly … he could hear someone crying…

"Harry!" he heard, a little sharper than before. Harry let himself relax as he heard Ginny's voice call his name, closing his eyes so he could focus properly and let his body wake up, taking comfort in the knowledge she was close by. He opened his eyes again, everything a lot clearer, and looked around … registering the fact that he was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts!

"How did I get here…?" Harry groaned, shutting his eyes again and sinking back onto his pillow. The last thing he remembered properly, was dragging himself into his cave after losing the group of poacher's that had shot him…

"Harry!" another voice rang out … causing Harry to open his eyes again and turn toward the voice, smiling faintly as he saw Remus darting from another area to the wing; making a beeline straight for him. "Your awake!!" He came to a halt next to him and was smiling broadly, "How do you feel?"

Harry grinned up at him before adopting a passive expression, "Never better," he said seriously.

Remus frowned at him scornfully, "Well then why are you in the hospital wing? You can't be so desperate for a holiday that you'd come here on purpose…? Come on, spit it out!"

Try as he might, Harry couldn't keep a straight face, for Remus had looked so serious as he scolded him … causing Harry to break out into laughter, followed closely by a groan as his ribs screamed in protest.

"Harry, are you ok!?" Ginny cried urgently, tightening her grip on his hand as she stared at him with worried eyes, rimmed with tears.

"Don't worry Ginny," Remus assured her, bending down slightly so he could examine Harry's side with more ease, "Does this hurt Harry?" he asked as he gently applied pressure to his side, seeing him wince slightly and nod. "Hmmm," he muttered, frowning slightly, "Well my best guess is it's just tender, not surprising though, considering how serious it was … you'll have to take it easy for a while. I find it very unlikely Kahn didn't heal you properly … There isn't much he can't fix…"

"Kahn!?" Harry croaked when he could use his voice again, staring up at Remus in surprise, "How do you know him?"

Now it was Remus' turn to look surprised, staring down at Harry questioningly. "Me!? H - How do *you* know him?"

"You know that beast!!" Hermione cried indigently, staring at Harry as she indicated to the area Kahn was being kept.

"Hermione!" Remus began heatedly, "You've been told -"

"What do you mean *Beast*!?" Harry said angrily, staring at Hermione reproachfully as he cut Remus off. Hermione made to reply but was interrupted by a deep voice from the back of the room.

"I do believe -" Dumbledore spoke up as he emerged from the same place Remus did, "- that this is going to take some time to explain, so why don't you three -," he gestured to Ron, Hermione and Ginny, "- go down to dinner, so Harry can get some much needed rest - and everyone can settle down - before we start getting into long explanations."