Hermione Is Attacked
Harry's first impression was that he was not in his own bed. This was confirmed when he failed to get his glasses from the bedside table. He put his hand out to the other side of the bed and found them, and placed them on his face.
"Thought you'd be up by now" said Hermione as she hugged him.
"What happened?" Harry asked, as his head focused on everything around him. He appeared to be lying on one of many beds in what looked like a Hospital Wing of some kind.
"You fought the Troll so I could run away" Hermione threatened to sob, "I found Professor McGonagall and we came back and the Troll had already beaten you to the floor and was about to swung its club onto your head, when Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at it and it dropped to the floor. I was really worried about you. Sorry I'm not as brave as you though" she said, leaning over to hug him. A wave of pain went through Harry as she did so.
"Not so tight please" he said, and Hermione let go while blushing in embarrassment.
"An excellent idea" said a woman as she came over to Harry's bed. It was the only occupied one in the room. "My name is Madam Pomfrey, and I am what you would call a school nurse" she said.
"What happened?" Harry asked her.
"You're very lucky to have survived" Pomfrey told him, "You have a lot of injuries and it was a bit of work to cure them. Broken skull, broken arms, broken ribs… That's more then what I have in an entire school year sometimes" she shook her head.
"How long have I been asleep?" Harry asked her.
"About a week" Pomfrey replied.
"A week?" Harry said in wonder. That was one hell of a lie in.
"And your sister was by your bedside as much as possible" Pomfrey said, then she left saying she had to inform Dumbledore that he was awake.
"She's right" Hermione said when Pomfrey had left. "I was here all the time I could. I even skipped a lesson once when you were quite bad. Just too worried about you" and Harry slowly sat up in bed.
"You skipped a lesson?" he asked his sister.
"Yeah" and Hermione smiled.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, "And what have you done with Hermione Granger?" and Hermione giggled. Hermione filled Harry in with all the relevant news which he had missed, and only stopped when Dumbledore swept into the room with McGonagall and Pomfrey close behind him.
"Ah!" Dumbledore said, gazing at Harry, "I see that you are up and talking. That is all very well for you. I must ask though, why didn't you go to Gryffindor Tower like you was told?" he asked.
"Hermione didn't know about the Troll" Harry said, "I wanted to make sure she was alright and got back safely" he added.
"Admirable" Dumbledore said. "I must question you about the Troll. Tell me about it" he said, more like an order then a question.
"It was Troll shaped" Harry said. "And smelt bad" he added. Harry didn't like Dumbledore at the best of times, and if he knew what was going on in the school, then he should have been punishing those who had been teasing Hermione due to how she had arrived at Hogwarts.
"Most Trolls do" Dumbledore said, "I would like to ask you some more questions, Harry" he said.
"Do I have to?" Harry asked. "I would just like to go back to Gryffindor and rest there" he added.
"It would be for the best" Pomfrey said, "As long as he didn't run any races" she added. "I am well aware of you dislike of Hospitals. Hermione told me about that while you was recovering" Pomfrey said when Harry looked puzzled at her.
"Very well" Dumbledore said, "But we must punish Miss Granger for skipping her potions lesson" and McGonagall interrupted – speaking for the first time.
"I think that we can forgive that this time" she said.
"I rather think a detention is in order" Dumbledore insisted.
"I am her Head of House" McGonagall snapped, "I will decide what will happen to Miss Granger. A single point will be taken" and Dumbledore's face turned to stone.
"I must insist that she be given a deten…"
"ALBUS BE SILENT!" McGonagall thundered. She had shouted at students before, but never at the Headmaster. "I think that it is time that we had a little talk about things you haven't told certain people" she said icily. "You two may go" the deputy added at Harry and Hermione. Harry dressed quickly and then left holding Hermione's hand. Pomfrey hadn't seemed all that fazed by the whole thing. "By the way" McGonagall called after them, "Fifty one points to you Mr Potter"
#
"Here he is!" Seamus said, sticking his head out from the Portrait whole. It went back in again as Harry and Hermione passed through, Hermione going through first as always. The first thing he saw was the common room decorated in red and gold banners, and the Weasley twins with large trumpets in their hands which they blew.
"HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO!" they both declared as Harry came in. That entire evening people asked Harry how it felt to fight a fully grown Mountain troll.
"Painful" Harry said, and most people laughed – the exception being Ronald Weasley.
"Don't mind him" George said, "He's just very grumpy", and Harry smiled at Ron. The boy in question went up the stairs to the 1st year boys dorm – door slamming shut behind him loudly.
"Tit" George muttered. After a long while, the party created by the twins was over and most had gone to bed. The only ones up where Harry and Hermione, and Hermione was snuggled up to Harry.
"You know" Harry said, "People might think that you and I are…" he left the sentence unfinished.
"Harry!" Hermione said in shock. "That's disgusting" she giggled.
"You know what I mean" Harry giggled back.
"I'm glad you're alright" Hermione said quietly, "I know I'm not as brave as you are" and tears started to escape from her eyes.
"Who was the one that attacked a fully grown wizard with a tea tray?" Harry asked, holding his sister close, and wiping the tears from her face. "That was being brave" he told her.
"You really think so?" she sniffed.
"Of course I do" Harry assured her. "I'm just glad that you're alright. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost my best friend and sister" and this set Hermione off on a whole fresh set of tears. Once she had calmed down, Harry looked at her small frame. "I have tomorrow off plus the weekend" Harry told her, "Why don't we go down to that lake, and you can draw a sketch of me" and Hermione agreed.
"It's my day off tomorrow anyway" she said, pulling back her cardigan to show off her bracelet. "I'm glad I wont have to wear it much longer" and Hermione helped Harry up the stairs to his dorm room and hugged him goodnight. When she was in her own bed later that night, Hermione's mind was filled with thoughts of what she would have said to their parents, should Harry have actually died whilst buying her time to escape. If only she hadn't let that Ron get to her, and Hermione made up her mind to stand up for herself more often. The only trouble was that this wasn't something she could learn from a book. All she could do was to watch what Harry did, and learn from him. When she thought about it, Harry was always around when she needed help the most – the bullies at their primary school a big example. She briefly wondered if the rest of the Wizarding world was as bad, but she dismissed the thought. 'As bad as they are' her mind told her. There was also this nagging feeling about her relationship between herself and Harry. It seemed more then just brother and sister, it felt something more.
#
Harry's first lessons back was Potions, and he put up with the comments from Snape and the Slytherins for Hermione's sake. He had a hate of them and he suspected that they hated him as well. As for Gryffindor, Ron still made comments about Hermione but only when not in the hearing of a teacher, and Harry was beginning to get upset. It was soon near Christmas, and Professor McGonagall came round and asked if anybody would be staying over the holidays at Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione had both said that they would be staying at the school, after first asking their parents permission to do so.
"I thought they would say no" Harry said when they got the reply.
"I sent them an extra letter with Hedwig" Hermione admitted to him.
"Wondered why you got one extra when I didn't" Harry said, face brightening up as he had solved a minor puzzle. A cry of protest came from another table, and Harry saw that Dean Thomas had been beaten by Seamus Finnegan at Wizard's Chess.
"That's not fair!" Dean said.
"That's rich" Seamus said, "Coming from someone who supports a sport that isn't played in the air" he retorted. On several occasions, Harry had witnessed Seamus prodding dean's West Ham United team poster with his wand, trying to make the players move.
"Well I don't see you try to play" Dean said.
"Alright then" Seamus said, "Let's play this foot boral then" and Dean corrected him.
"Its Football" he muttered, and went up to the Dorm and retrieved a football which his parents had sent him.
"This should be fun" Hermione giggled to Harry.
"Do we have to play if the Mudblood is watching?" yawned Ron from the corner. All sound in the Gryffindor common room stopped. Even those muggleborns who didn't know what the word meant knew it was a bad word indeed.
"What did you say?" whispered Harry.
"Well that's what she is, isn't she?" Ron sneered. "A filthy Mudblood!" and Harry slowly got up.
"No Harry" Hermione was saying to him, "You mustn't" but Harry shrugged her off.
"She is my sister" Harry said, "Apologise to her now" he said but Ron shook his head.
"We can all say what we want to say" the red headed boy said. Harry's senses failed him for once as Ron slowly slipped out his wand and casually aimed it at Hermione. "Same as I am free to do this" and he jabbed his wand rather viciously, and green energy sprouted from the wand tip. It struck Hermione on the arm and tore into her flesh causing her great pain. The Patil Twins kept Harry away from Ron with the assistance of Dean, Seamus, Neville and several others. Fred and George saw what had happened at the end, and they pounced on Ron with assistance from the older students. In several quick moments, Ron was bound in ropes like a mummy.
"Get Professor McGonagall" Percy said to Lavender Brown, and Harry's fellow first year rushed out of the common room. Ron had somehow maintained the grip on his wand, but Percy slapped it out of his hand with venom. Harry meanwhile was now dealing with Hermione who was bleeding quite badly from her arm.
"We better get you to the Hospital Wing" Harry said, and started to bend down to pick her up.
"Let me help you" George said, detaching himself from the restraining mass of students on Ron.
"How bad does it hurt?" asked Harry.
"Really painful" Hermione gasped through waves of pain. The blood was pouring from her arm and onto the sofa.
"Take this" Percy said suddenly grouping about in his robes. He pulled out a small bottle and made Hermione drink it.
"Pain relieving potion?" George asked him, "You of all people know the rules, Percy" he said. "That should have been handed in when you had the chance" and Percy looked at him.
"Bugger the rules" he said, and then looked shocked as to what he had just said.
"You are human after all" called Fred from where he was holding Ron down.
"How does it feel now?" asked Harry to Hermione.
"Still hurts" she said, tears running down her face, "I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning like a whirlpool" Hermione added.
"I'm taking you to see Pomfrey" Harry said, and with help from two of the Weasley brothers, Harry soon had Hermione in his arms. He went as quickly as possible without causing too much pain to his sister, but Harry could feel a warm substance seep into his clothes and it took a few moments to understand it was Hermione's blood. The doors to the Hospital Wing were open, and Harry breezed past them. Pomfrey saw them come in, and paled when she saw what the matter was.
"What happened?" she asked, as she set to work waving her wand over Hermione. Harry explained everything and he watched as the cuts slowly healed themselves. "This is what we called a Blood replacement potion" she said, holding a small brown bottle. Drink it, and it will help to replace the blood you lost" and Harry's face lit up in recognition.
"I've read all about them" he said.
"That's my line" Hermione coughed as she drank from the bottle. It was an evil tasting liquid – like all medicines – but Hermione said after a while that the dizziness was going away. At that moment, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall came rushing in, and Dumbledore actually pushed Harry away in order for him to get closer to Hermione.
"I'm glad to know that you are going to be fine" he said.
"But Madam Pomfrey didn't say a word" Harry said.
"I knew what would be said, so I don't need to hear Madam Pomfrey's report" Dumbledore said back at him.
"I'd like to hear it" McGonagall said. "An attack on a member of my house has been made, and I wish to know the injuries" and Pomfrey listed them as being deep cuts with quite a bit of blood loss. She had to reassure her twice that Harry had not been injured – Hermione's blood still on his clothes. "Thank Merlin for small mercies" McGonagall said.
"Well I think that a detention for Mr Weasley will sort this out. About a month I should say" Dumbledore said smiling.
"I want the boy suspended" McGonagall said, and heads of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw came running into the Hospital Wing at that point.
"Suspending the son of one of our greatest Ministry employees?" Dumbledore blinked, "Detention will suffice" and Professor Sprout shook her head. She and Professor Flitwick had been filled in by Lavender Brown after meeting her in the corridor running quite fast.
"Have you lost it?" Sprout asked, not believing her ears.
"Miss Granger could have been killed" Flitwick squeaked.
"It is my decision" Dumbledore said firmly, and with a large touch of anger.
"No it is not" McGonagall said.
"Excuse me?" Dumbledore said, staring at the Head of Gryffindor House.
"It is not your decision because you are no longer Headmaster here" McGonagall said, pulling out her wand before Dumbledore could react. The other two heads followed suit. "Albus Dumbledore, you are relieved"
A/N:
Now theres a shock!
Tell me what you think and enjoy. See if you can spot the reference to Aladdin. (wrong year, but it fits nicely anyway).
One or two of you might spot the line concerning Hermione's thought about herself and Harry. One or two of you have correctly guessed there is something more then just siblingship.
Regards
Pixel And Stephanie Forever
