AN: Just to be sure: if you're squeamish maybe give this one a miss. Details of what happened at the camps ahead.


You love her. You love her! Harry could still hear Ron's accusation ringing through his memories as he sat in the Great Hall; had been hearing it for the past three weeks. The Quidditch practices have gotten a bit strained. Half the team wouldn't do a thing I said if their positions didn't depend on it. Slytherin's going to have a lot of help today. Harry sighed as he considered the work he had put into trying to get Hadrian, Ron and Ginny to participate as team members with the rest, but the three of them didn't seem to care about the mood in the dressing room all that much. I never thought that of the three I would find it easiest to talk to my ex-girlfriend. Unfortunately she still feels closer to two people who currently hate my guts for reasons I'm not entirely sure are my fault. On top of that I haven't been getting more than an hour or two a night. Without Hermione to wake him from his nightmares and talk him down, there was absolutely no chance of Harry getting back to sleep as the horrors kept wheeling through his mind. That in turn had led to his ability to get to sleep at all taking a beating. He was starting to revert back to his old habits from before Hermione had found out about his sleeping problems. I swear, if this keeps up I'm going to use the next Hogsmeade weekend to get some whisky. I know it's not a perfect solution, but without Hermione, it's the next best thing.

I never realised just how much she was helping me. Ancients, but I'm exhausted. Harry lifted his cup of coffee to his lips and took a drink. At least the coffee is keeping me awake during the day. Harry looked up as someone sat down next to him. He instantly recognised the curling, brown locks of his best friend.

"Good morning, Hermione."

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah." Come on, Hermione. I'm not the one who can draw people out with conversation. That was always you or Ron. Hermione had barely spoken since she had overheard Ron. In classes she didn't volunteer extra information anymore and only answered the questions their professors specifically asked her. I'm not sure what to make of the way she's been acting either. Hermione had been furious for the first few days after the incident. She had taken every opportunity she got to glare at Ron. After that she had withdrawn in on herself and made a point of ignoring Ron and anyone within five feet of him. She still did her duties as Head Girl, but Harry found himself leading the weekly meetings with the prefects in their entirety while Hermione sat there without saying a word. It's not that I mind doing the work, but she's really worrying me.

"So, will you be coming out to the match or are you going to spend the time doing something else?"

"Don't be silly, Harry. Of course I'm going to come watch you play. I haven't missed a single one of your matches since we started Hogwarts and I'm not going to break that run now." I'd be more convinced if that was anything like your normal tone of voice. Harry was spared having to come up with an answer by Iris dropping into the seat on his other side.

"You know, I think this may be the first time I've ever been excited to go to a Quidditch match." she said as she started loading up her plate.

"Oh? Why's that?" Harry asked.

"Well, normally I would have to go because of Hadrian and everyone would talk about how he was the star performer, no matter how well or poorly he did. This time I can go to watch someone I can actually get along with and want to cheer for. On top of that Hadrian doesn't have the fanbase here that he did back home and I'm curious if people who aren't already enamoured with him will be as impressed with his gameplay." That's… actually, I'm not sure what that is. I've never really had someone tell me they hope to see someone playing poorly on the team they are cheering for.

"Well, we'll do our best to entertain then." Though I'm worried that it's going to be a comedy act. Might as well get it over with. Harry stood up from the table and called out: "Gryffindor team on me!"

"Good luck, Harry." Iris said. Harry looked at Hermione wondering if she was going to say anything. She ended up mumbling something without looking at him. Harry felt like a cold knife had been stuck in his chest at her indifferent attitude. After this match I'm going to have to confront her about this. I can't take another cold shoulder treatment or whatever this is; not on top of the recent uptick in nightmares. Harry gave the girls a stiff nod and strode out of the Great Hall with his team following in his wake. As he was walking through the doors he chanced one last look over his shoulder and saw that Iris and Hermione were deep in what looked like a furious debate. I definitely need to talk to Hermione about what's going on with her.

When he got to the dressing room Harry went into the captain's office to change and prepare his pregame speech. I doubt it's going to make much difference at this point. I'll just have to get the Snitch as soon as I can. Once he felt he had given the team enough time to get into their gear he stepped out to address them. At least I don't have to rush them into getting dressed. Good thing everyone here's a Quidditch nut.

"Alright, you lot. It's up to us to open the Hogwarts Quidditch season and we're going to make it a good one. With how many Slytherins were expelled we can't count on them playing their usual style so keep your eyes open and be ready for anything out there. I know our team has the quality needed to get this season off to a good start and I mean to see that happen. I told you when we started practicing that we were already on the road to the cup. Now it's time to take that first hurdle. Let's go." There was an encouraging cheer from half of the team while Ron, Ginny and the kid remained stubbornly quiet. It looks like Ron might be a little less hacked off at me though.

Okay, that might be my imagination. I'll deal with it all after I've caught the Snitch.

:-:-:-:-:

Hadrian shot forward to grab the falling Quaffle that one of the Beaters had knocked loose from a Slytherin Chaser. Got it! He immediately turned his broom up the pitch and rocketed off as fast as he could. He waited until he had the attention of most of the opposing players and two Bludgers heading for him before he threw a long, looping pass to a wide open Ginny. With that much space and time she didn't have any problem putting the Quaffle through Slytherin's right hoop. Hadrian flew back to the Gryffindor side of the pitch while Ginny took her celebratory flight past the screaming Gryffindor section. That makes it 70-50 to Slytherin. What the hell are our Beaters doing? They can't still be hanging around 'keeping their eyes open and being ready for anything', can they?

Despite the success of the last play, the Gryffindor Chasers had regularly found themselves blocked by a well hit Bludger or a Beater hanging in their flight path. I don't know where the snakes found that kind of talent, but it's obvious that our 'captain' has neglected that aspect of our team. I will admit that their Keeper is unusually good though. The Gryffindor team was struggling to find an opening to tilt the game in their favour. And while we're all struggling along down here, Harry's flying around up there without a care in the world. This is why you never make a Seeker the captain.

Hooch's whistle sounded and Hadrian watched carefully as the three Slytherin Chasers flew at them in a bunched formation. Play Action Feint. They'll split apart with each one trying to look like they have the Quaffle. When the Chasers split apart it only took Hadrian a split-second to find the one with the Quaffle. On the left. Hadrian leant down over his broom and shot off to challenge for the Quaffle. Just before he got to the opposing chaser he killed his speed and looked carefully to see what way the girl would dodge. She threw herself and her broom further towards the edge of the field and Hadrian re-engaged his broom with one hand coming off of the shaft to punch the Quaffle out of his opponent's hands. Just as he had committed to the tackle he saw the red ball being launched over his head towards the other side of the field. Ahead of him was only the smirking face of the damn she-snake. Just you wait. I'll get you back for that.

Hadrian wrenched his broom around and rocketed back towards his own hoops. By the looks of things he could tell that another Chaser had already passed the Quaffle to take Ginny out of the game leaving the third Chaser facing off against Ron and Demelza. Two on one. They've got this. A pair of bludgers put paid to Hadrian's analysis though and the Slytherin Chaser scored and flew back to his own half, pumping his fist. Shit. We need to close the damn gap on that scoreboard. Ron passed the Quaffle back out to Ginny and the Gryffindor Chasers surged forward.

"Hawkshead!" Hadrian heard Ginny scream. He and Demelza quickly obliged and fell in behind their teammate. I would be a better choice as center forward, but Ginny is an acceptable choice given her experience in this world. Hadrian shook the stray thought off as he brought his focus back to the match. Hadrian saw two Chasers and a Bludger closing in on Ginny. Any moment now. Be ready. As he had expected Hadrian saw the Quaffle come out in his direction when the two Chasers were too close to Ginny to react. He eked a bit more speed out of his broom as he shot forward and blasted past the challengers as he grabbed the Quaffle. The third Chaser came up to block him and Hadrian recognised the girl who had thrown the Quaffle over his head a minute ago. He dove under her using a corkscrew move. Hah! Told you I'd make you pay. With the way open to the hoops Hadrian mentally prepared his shot. He pumped a fake towards the left hoop before throwing the Quaffle towards the right. The Keeper had started to move towards the faked shot but managed to fling his body the other way at the last moment. He didn't manage to get more than a fingertip to the Quaffle but it was enough to deflect it onto the brass. As the Quaffle bounced off of the hoop Hadrian was surprised to hear the crowd's gasp turn into a thunderous cheer. What?! There is no way that everyone has suddenly started to cheer for the snakes. Hadrian twisted around on his broom and saw that Harry was falling like a meteor.

"Someone stop Potter!" the Slytherin Keeper screamed in a blind panic. The Beaters smacked the Bludgers towards the speeding blur but Harry dodged them without even looking. He swerved through the Chasers in less than a second and kept plummeting towards the pitch. Hadrian was sure he was about to lose his counterpart when Harry turned at nearly a right angle and shot along the pitch. Another three seconds later Harry raised his hand and Hadrian could see a pair of silver wings beating against his fist. It's done. We've won. Hadrian's thoughts felt like a chill wind sweeping through him. I wasn't able to make a lick of difference.

That hollow feeling stayed with him as his teammates celebrated around him. It was still there when he showered and changed. It didn't leave him until he was standing in the Gryffindor common room with a warm Butterbeer in his hand. The entire House was celebrating their first victory of the season around him, but Hadrian had rarely felt like more of an outsider since his first night here. And it's not even like anyone is actively ostracising me. The thing that finally filled the hollowness inside with another feeling was a throwaway comment that he heard behind him.

"As long as we have Harry it doesn't matter if the Chaser line and the Keeper can't play worth a damn. They just have to keep the difference less than 150 points." a young voice said. No! I am the strength of this team. Harry's decisions as captain are the only reason we hadn't already won the match by the time he caught the Snitch.

Could it be that he is training us in such a way that he'll get noticed more by the scouts? The idea made a frightening amount of sense to Hadrian. If I'm going to get the team to listen to me rather than him, I need to make them see that he is fallible. It worked wonders with Ginny over the summer and I'm sure it could work again. I've almost perfected my delivery system so I think it's time that I started brewing the necessary potions. Feeling bolstered by his resolution, Hadrian found himself more able to appreciate the party and he went to find Ron and Ginny. By this time next week, everyone will know that listening to Harry over me is a bad idea.

:-:-:-:-:

"I had forgotten how much I hate watching you play." Hermione said as Harry dropped down next to her and Iris on the couch.

"Really? I thought he was quite good." Iris responded in surprise.

"It's not that. I hate watching him try to kill himself chasing that Snitch."

"I'm not going to kill myself, Hermione. Quidditch might be rough, but no one's ever died while playing it."

"You and I both know that you have come damn close over the years."

"I don't think I will have to play through a cloud of dementors again though, do you?"

"Damn it, Harry. The war is over and done with. You shouldn't be risking your life anymore." Hermione hissed at him before she stood up. "I'm going to go to bed. You have fun with the rest of the maniacs." Harry watched as Hermione marched off through the crowd.

"Harry? Are you alright?" he heard Iris ask.

"I will be. I'm just worried about Hermione. She's been acting really out of sorts and I don't know how to snap her out of it. Hell, I'm not even sure that I can." Iris was silent for a moment and when he looked to the side Harry found her worrying at her lower lip. "You know what's bothering her." Harry felt very sure of his epiphany all of a sudden. "You were discussing it in the Great Hall this morning."

"I-... I can't tell you, Harry. Hermione told me that in confidence and I don't want to break her trust."

"Just tell me that it's nothing serious. Please."

"It's nothing serious." Harry gave his pseudo-sister a sceptical look. "I meant that, Harry. It's nothing life threatening, it's just something she has to come to terms with on her own."

"Can I help her with whatever it is? I don't even need to know what it is."

"No. I think that you'd probably make it harder for her if you tried to help."

"Can you help her?" Iris looked taken aback at Harry's question. I don't care, just as long as I know that someone is there for Hermione.

"I can try."

"That's all I can ask." At least until I figure out what else I can do. Harry spent the rest of the evening doing his best to pretend that being surrounded by happy, touchy people wasn't tearing at his nerves and that he wasn't worried about Hermione.

A few days later Harry was patrolling the corridors. The conversation with Iris and Hermione was still swirling through his mind. It hasn't gotten any better. I know Iris said that I can't help, but there has to be something. He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. I'm sorry, Hermione. I can't stop worrying about you, I can't sleep, I can barely focus on my days anymore. The coffee isn't enough. I know you won't like it, but this weekend I'm going to get a case of Lagavulin. It might be bad for me, but better bad for me than bad for you. In the meantime I'll just try to exhaust myself again. Harry took out the Marauders' Map. Let's see who's out of bounds tonight.

:-:-:-:-:

Hadrian tried to work as quickly as he could without making mistakes. This is going to be great. With a little luck I'll be in my proper place by dinner tomorrow. Hadrian had worked diligently over the last three weeks to prepare this prank and it was almost perfect. He had taken apart one of the Tickle Grenades he had made over the summer and attached its trigger mechanism to a magically powered piston with a nozzle at the end. His piston was filled with the potions he had painstakingly brewed and vaporised. Now it was just a matter of aiming and priming it and then waiting for someone to walk by and trigger the Proximity Ward.

I'll admit I'm not overly fond of the amount of luck involved in the targeting, but placing it here and now should give me the best chance at a favourable outcome. Hadrian was working in the corridor that lead to the Head Suite. At least it did when I was Head Boy back home. It was about as close to curfew as Hadrian could reasonably cut it without getting caught. The Head Students' effectiveness had become nearly legendary in the two months that they had been patrolling the halls. This isn't going to work if they see me here. Those two are too mistrustful of me for them to accept the idea that I was simply passing by.

Hadrian checked everything one last time before sitting back and wiping his hands on his robes. That should do it. All that's left is to pull the pin and get out of here before someone puts me at the scene of the prank. He got up and walked a few steps down the hall before summoning the trigger mechanism's pin. As it flew into his hand, Hadrian heard a satisfying click. He quickly got out of there and hurried back to Gryffindor Tower. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

:-:-:-:-:

Harry was walking back to the Suite after completing his rounds. Ancients' blood, but this was a long night. I can't believe they thought that if they all went out at the same time that they would stand a better chance of getting away with it. Harry had found no less than seven couples in various broom cupboards around the school. Who even comes up with a plan like that? And how do you pitch it? 'At least some of us are going to get caught, but the rest might get lucky'? I have to hand it to them for the inter-house cooperation though. The couples had all had at least one partner in the fifth year Arithmancy class. They had conspired to try and get away from the attentions of patrolling Head Students and staff by all going out together in the hope that people would stop looking after finding the first couple. And there goes the nerd image. I wonder how many extra sign ups Professor Vector is going to get from this?

Harry had been so lost in his thoughts that he found himself in the corridor leading to the Heads' Suite before he realised it. What drew his attention back to his surroundings was a soft click. Harry looked up from his musings just in time to see a spray of light blue mist hit him straight in the face from out of nowhere. Fuck. Move. He dove to the side and tried to throw up his usual combination of shields but fell sprawling on the floor before he could bring his wand up. Something's off. Everything around him seemed hazy and there was a ringing in his ears. Move. Harry's fingers scrabbled for purchase on the flagstones as he tried to get himself up again. Move. His feet refused to stay under him long enough to get him upright. Move. In the back of his mind, Harry could hear the familiar screams growing louder. MOVE!

With a lurch Harry made it to his feet. He would have fallen back down if he hadn't flung himself against the wall for support. Panting from exertion Harry forced one foot in front of the other. He could feel the rough granite of the castle walls scraping against his shoulder through his robes. Cold sweat dripped down his back and he felt like gibbering in terror. Get a grip, Potter. Get to a defensible position. The screams in his head were getting louder and louder. The shadows around him seemed to move as unknown assailants prepared to attack but he beat them back with haphazardly flung curses.

"Potter?" Harry looked up and saw that he had made it to the portrait that guarded the Heads' Suite.

"Relief." he rasped out the password. The portrait looked like it was going to say something else but swung open. Harry stumbled through the opening and crashed painfully to his knees. Gritting his teeth he staggered back to his feet and dragged himself to his room. The door had barely closed behind him when he collapsed next to his bed. This time he didn't get back up, but curled into a ball as his memories overtook him. There was someone whimpering and crying and Harry had the uncomfortable suspicion that it might be him. Each and every life he had taken since Professor Quirrel when he was eleven was paraded in front of him as he lay on the ground.

"Harry?!" Harry jerked around and tried to train his wand on the intruder, but his fumbling fingers couldn't get a grip on the smooth wood. He felt someone gather him into a pair of soft arms. "Oh, Harry. What happened to you?" Now that he could feel someone else Harry noticed that he was shaking. "It's going to be alright, Harry. You're at Hogwarts, Voldemort's dead and we're all safe. Just stay with me; focus on my voice."

"H-hermione?"

"That's right. I've got you, Harry." Harry thought he could feel a hand brushing through his hair, but was still too disoriented to be sure.

"Mab's wings! What is going on here?!" The new voice sent Harry into a panic. Protect Hermione! Get your damn wand, Potter! His attempts to keep this newest threat away from his friend were stopped by a small hand grabbing his wrist and holding it down.

"Harry, it's okay. It's just Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. They aren't going to hurt you. Please, Harry, just trust me. I won't let anyone hurt you." Trust you? Of course I trust you, Hermione, but we're under attack. I can't trust anyone else. "Stay back. You're frightening him." Harry tried to get a better look at who Hermione was talking to, but even his head was refusing to move the way he wanted it to now.

"Harry, we need to let Madam Pomfrey take a look at you. She won't hurt you; I'll be with you the whole time to make sure of that, okay?" Harry could feel an arm in his grasp even if he wasn't sure how it had gotten there. He gave it a squeeze that was more desperate plea for Hermione not to leave than any real consent to be examined, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances. "Madam Pomfrey, I think he should be okay for now, but please, don't do anything to startle him."

"Do you know what happened to him, Ms. Granger?"

"No. Harry was out patrolling tonight. I thought I heard him come in, but he seemed to be stumbling and falling all over the place so I came to look and I found him lying here like this." There was a slight pause before Hermione resumed in a more suspicious tone. "How did you know to come here?"

"Your guardian portrait and several others alerted me that Mr. Potter had entered your suite looking extremely ill. I summoned Madam Pomfrey and accompanied her here." Harry tried to make sense of what the voices around him were saying but it was hard. The only one he could really keep track of was Hermione. Hermione is the only one I need to be aware of. She said she'd be here. Hermione always keeps her promises.

"He is being affected by some kind of potion. I will need to draw a blood sample to analyse if we're going to discover what it is. Please hold him still, Ms. Granger."

"Did you hear that, Harry? Madam Pomfrey needs to draw some of your blood. It may hurt a little but it will help us heal you, so please let her do it, okay?" It turned out that Harry barely felt the sting. By now the adrenaline was starting to wear off and his eyes were starting to feel heavy. "There. All done. Let's get you to bed, Harry. I'll be right here with you. I promise I won't leave you."

Harry felt himself being floated up and landing on something soft. He felt the covers being drawn up over him and this time he was sure he could feel a hand running through his hair. That feels really nice. Harry fell asleep even though there was still a murmur of voices around him, for once unable to form a concern about possible attacks in the face of his utter exhaustion.

:-:-:-:-:

Harry awoke slowly. The first thing he noticed was that he was being held against a soft, warm body. He blinked his eyes open and tried to see what he had gotten himself into now.

"Harry?" a familiar voice, filled with worry asked.

"Hermione?" he managed.

"I'm here, Harry. How are you feeling?" Harry turned to the voice and saw a blob of brown that was presumably his best friend.

"I don't know. Tired I suppose, even though I don't remember having a nightmare. You sound worried. What happened?" Harry felt like the words were bubbling out of him in a jumbled mess. Hermione was quiet for a moment.

"You were suffering from the effects of a potion last night. Madam Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn should have analysed it by now and one of them will hopefully be by soon to at least tell us what it was and hopefully bring any potions you might need to heal."

"Oh. Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Why are you in my bed?"

"You had a pretty firm grip on my arm last night and lying down next to you was the only way I could get comfortable enough to sleep."

"Sorry about that. I hope I didn't hurt you."

"You didn't, Harry. Don't worry."

"That's good. I don't want to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. What did the potion do to me?"

"You were delirious. I heard you come in because you were bumping into the furniture. I found you screaming and crying on the floor next to your bed." There was a pause and Harry got the uncomfortable feeling that he was being scowled at. "That Silencing Charm that you put up is going to come down, Harry. I had thought it was a little suspicious that you hadn't had a nightmare since I broke things off with him and now I know that I should have been a lot more suspicious. How am I supposed to help you get through this if you won't let me help?" Harry cringed at the anger and disappointment in Hermione's voice.

"You were having trouble sleeping after what happened. You needed rest, not my problems added to yours."

"I thought we'd agreed that it was my decision to make that I want to help you?"

"Maybe. I've earnt my nightmares though, you haven't."

"Harry, no one deserves to have nightmares like that." Hermione's tone had softened as she spoke about his problems.

"I do. I'm a monster."

"What makes you say that?"

"I killed innocents; slaughtered them."

"Harry, you know that's not true. You fought to defend those who couldn't defend themselves. What happened wasn't anyone's fault except Rookwood's."

"No." Harry's voice was barely above a whisper. "No, that was just that night. They were just the ones that had escaped from one barrack; one barrack of seven."

"Harry?"

"We had been discussing what we should do about the victims of the experiments before the attack. I argued that we should try to help them as much as we could, that we should try to heal them. The Unspeakables we had along were arguing that we had to put them down, that we didn't have the resources to keep them safely locked up and that it was only a matter of time until they broke out again. After the attack everyone agreed with them. I couldn't get anyone to agree with me anymore. Several of the experiments had been seen eating their victims and no one wanted to think of ways we could help them anymore. All I could do was get them to agree that only volunteers would go into the barracks and that they would be told exactly what we were doing before they went in." Why can't I stop talking? Hermione shouldn't have to hear this.

"At first no one wanted to go in and murder innocents in cold blood. I- I volunteered. I thought that if I did it that no one else would have to get their hands dirty. Once I had volunteered others soon joined me. We headed into the first barrack with a dozen men and women. The experiments were locked in cages with rune powered containment wards. We could see half eaten human corpses in the cages with them and someone pointed out that we wouldn't have been able to feed them anyway. It doesn't really make a difference to the end result though: we slaughtered them. The wards allowed us to curse them without letting them fight back." Tears were running down Harry's face by now and he couldn't stop them any more than he could stop the stream of words running from his mouth.

"After that first barrack five of the volunteers couldn't bring themselves to go on. The rest of us moved on to the next barrack. The experiments saw what we were doing and they tried to get out of their cages to get to us, to protect themselves. In the fourth barrack they succeeded. We were caught in a battle we were hopelessly undermanned for. We managed to kill the experiments but two of our squad were so injured that they couldn't carry on; three were killed. Shack and I finished the last two barracks together." Harry absently noticed that he was shaking. He didn't know if Hermione was still there or not, but the words wouldn't stop coming.

"The last barrack was the worst. Rookwood kept the children he experimented on in there. I saw a toddler with insect wings bashing itself bloody against the wards. There were newborns that had grown claws and teeth and apparently torn their way out of their mothers; we could see that they had been eating their own parents. One little boy was screaming as he caught fire over and over; I could smell his flesh burning through the stench of the dead bodies, but whenever the fire went out he looked fine again. Not one of the experiments in that building was even old enough to go to Hogwarts, but we killed them." Harry turned his face up to where Hermione had been and almost fainted when he saw that blob of brown hair still lying next to him. "I murdered innocent children, Hermione. I deserve to suffer for being the kind of monster who could just do that."

Harry felt Hermione's arms tighten around him as sobs tore through his body. He could hear her whispering into his ear, but the words didn't make sense to him. When he finally regained some control, Harry noticed that Hermione's hand was stroking his hair and he began to make sense of her words.

"You are not a monster, Harry. You are a good man who's had to do monstrous things. A monster wouldn't have nightmares every night for months afterwards. You told me they were lashing out at anything that moved. That tells me that they were in pain. I know I would have preferred to be killed rather than live on in suffering that no one could hope to cure."

"How?" Harry's voice sounded like a croak.

"How what, Harry?"

"How can you even stand to look at me?"

"Like I said, Harry: I know you are a good man. One who's killing himself over doing what he had to and I would really be a monster if I didn't help you."

"You could never be a monster."

"Neither could you, Harry." Harry was about to protest that when the door to his room opened.

"Ms. Granger? What's going on here? Has something else happened to Mr. Potter?"

"No, Madam Pomfrey. We're fine." As she spoke Hermione drew Harry's face into her shoulder as if she was protecting him from something.

"Of all of Mr. Potter's traits you could have chosen to emulate, did it really have to be that answer?"

"We really are fine, Madam." There was an edge to Hermione's voice that Harry knew meant a warning to stop this line of conversation. He tried to jump in and help her reassure Madam Pomfrey that everything was fine and could she please leave so they could get back to being fine, but his words were being muffled by Hermione's shoulder and she wasn't giving him a chance to draw back. "What was the potion that was affecting Harry?"

"There were two." Madam Pomfrey said, sounding a little taken aback. "A Befuddlement Draught and a variation on the Babbling Beverage. Its effects are slightly mitigated, but released over a longer period of time. We expect that Mr. Potter will spend most of the next twenty-four hours with an uncontrollable urge to talk about anything and everything on his mind." Nononono, please, no. Hermione is one thing, but I can't tell everyone what happened. Harry felt Hermione's arms give him a reassuring squeeze and tried to draw comfort from it, grateful that everything that he was saying was still being muffled by his friend's shoulder.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Professor Slughorn has been brewing all night to create this antidote which he assures me will have Mr. Potter back to his normal self within the hour." Harry felt Hermione shift a little and then a potion phial was pressed to his lips.

"Go on, Harry. Drink it." Hermione whispered to him. It was a little awkward, given their positions, but Harry managed to swallow the potion down. There was another shift that Harry interpreted as Hermione giving the phial back to Madam Pomfrey as she pulled him back into her shoulder. "Thank you, Madam. Was there anything else?"

"Have Mr. Potter come up to see me this evening before dinner. If he does not, I will be coming to look for him."

"I'll make sure he's there, ma'am."

"Hmph. See that you do." Madam Pomfrey's huffy declaration was followed by crisp footsteps and the sound of the door closing.

"She's gone, Harry." Hermione said softly, fractionally loosening her grip. "How about we get ready for breakfast? We can just drop by the kitchens instead of sitting in the Great Hall if you like."

"I-... okay. Thank you, Hermione. I don't know what I'd do if had to spend the whole day talking. I don't want to know what I would end up saying. And thanks for-... for listening and-..." Even with the potions running through his body, Harry couldn't quite find the words.

"You're welcome, Harry. Just remember: I meant what I said. You are not a monster and you never could be." Hermione said just before she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'll see you in the common room, alright?" Harry nodded numbly and raised one hand to touch the spot her lips had just left. Hermione smiled at him and slipped out of his bed to head to her own room. It took Harry several more minutes to get himself in gear. He quickly showered and got dressed muttering to himself all the while. When he headed out into the common room he found it empty. Hermione must still be changing. He settled onto the couch to wait for her. I think I can actually feel the need to talk getting less. Ancients' blood, but I never want to have to talk that much again. Harry was brought out of his thoughts by a poke in his shoulder and looked up to find a smiling Hermione standing over him.

"Ready to go?" Harry nodded in response. "Good. Before we leave though, you can just remove that Silencing Charm on your room." Harry rolled his eyes at her but drew his wand with a small smile and set to work.

:-:-:-:-:

Come on, come on. Don't tell me that he's not going to show. Hadrian was having trouble hiding his excitement as he sat at the breakfast table. Calm down. I don't know that it's going to be Harry just yet, but the fact that he's not here is promising. Of course Granger, Pomfrey and Slughorn are also missing. Don't tell me that they took him straight to the Hospital Wing? The whole point is to have him in here babbling like Looney on a bad day. The Befuddlement Draught should have caused him to see enough nonsense that he will completely make an arse of himself when he can't shut up about it.

No. Think positive. Maybe Granger's missing as well because I got both of them. That would be better than anything I dared to dream of. Slughorn and Pomfrey could be doing something else; restocking the Hospital Wing's potions supply for example. Hadrian couldn't quite believe his own reasoning. Where could it possibly have gone wrong? I need to figure that out before I try again. Hadrian had another three altered Tickle Grenades filled with gas, not yet primed, in his trunk. I also need to come up with a name for this prank. Insanity Ambush? Hmm, not quite; needs more work.

Hadrian's musings were interrupted by the bell for their first classes. He and Ron got up and headed for their Potions class. Ron was still riding high on their defeat of Slytherin last week and hadn't found a reason to stop talking about it yet. When they got to class Hadrian saw that Harry and Granger had made it there before them. They were talking in quiet whispers, but that stopped when the rest of the seventh years taking the class walked in. Guess I didn't hit them then. They look like they managed to sleep so there is no way they would have been able to analyse the potion they were hit with and counter it so quickly, not with the Befuddlement Draught keeping them from thinking clearly. After identifying it they would still have had to brew an antidote so there is no way they could have recovered already. So the question becomes who did I hit?

Hadrian kept his eyes open for the rest of the day, but nobody was babbling nonstop nonsense. As he sat at dinner he tried to analyse what could have gone wrong. The mechanism must not have fired. Maybe the summoning charm introduced magical interference? Or possibly there was a simple mechanical failure. That is the only explanation for why no one is showing any symptoms.

:-:-:-:-:

Man, what a day Harry thought to himself as he got ready for bed. I am absolutely exhausted. Who knows, maybe I won't even have a nightmare tonight. Even as he had the thought, Harry knew that it was wishful thinking. No matter what Hermione says, what I did still makes me a monster. I did what Riddle tried to do to me, except that I was successful. He was about to get under the covers when he heard a knock at the door.

"Harry? Are you decent?"

"Yeah. Come on in, Hermione." The door opened to reveal Hermione in her nightclothes. "What's up?"

"Are you ready for bed?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Good. Get in." Harry was about to protest when he noticed the stubborn set to Hermione's mouth. I'll probably find out what this is about faster if I play along. Harry got into bed and laid down before shooting Hermione a look from his pillow. Ta-da! Hermione worried at her bottom lip for a moment before she came up to the bed and toed off her slippers. She quickly slipped in next to him, taking Harry by surprise.

"Hermione? What's-… what are you-…?"

"Hush, Harry. You told me this morning that you hadn't had any nightmares despite what happened to you last night. The only other time you've mentioned not having nightmares was two weeks ago when you comforted me after what I'd heard him say. What do these two events have in common?"

"We were sleeping in the same bed?" Harry asked as kept himself as still as if he had been hit by a Full Body Bind. I'm not thinking about being in bed with Hermione became his new mantra.

"Yes. That's why we're going to do the same again tonight. It's called the scientific method, Harry. I have a hypothesis and now I'm going to test it."

"And what happens if your hypothesis turns out to be correct?" Hermione scooted up close to Harry and pressed a kiss to his cheek before snuggling down and laying her head on his chest.

"Goodnight, Harry." Harry was uncomfortably aware of the way she was pressed into his side, but reached out to grab his wand and turn off the lights. You are going to be the death of me one of these days, Hermione Granger. As Harry fell asleep he didn't notice his arms coming around Hermione and pulling her closer to his chest.


AN: Now you know why Harry is so messed up over the camps. As a quick side-note: giving someone who's suffering from PTSD a deliriant is a terrible idea. Hadrian doesn't know about Harry's condition of course, but still... terrible.

When referring to a 'centre-forward' I imagine that being the name for the 'Head Chaser' on a team.

As always: thanks for reading.