I tried not to leave you all hanging too long.
Avanell – What Harry is worried about is when Hermione had gotten a hold of something sharp she cut herself. He figures if she gets a sword she is going to kill herself. The incident was Hermione cutting herself. BTW I hope you enjoy Belonging Together. And if you are interested in Eric, read The Son's Journey. It is his own angst at Hogwarts. Thank you much, I hope I kept you entertained.
Desepere Romantique – He was just lucky. That and he was meant to get it.
Dancerrdw – I hope this was fast enough for you. But it does contain a bit of violent Hermione.
Tefy – your right they wouldn't have, think about it, would you if you were Professor McGonagal
F75 – Here is how she will use it. I hope you enjoy
Ana – Alrigth, here is the next. The battle to take place. I hope it satisfies you
Sony89 – thank you, my style flows well I hope. That has been what I've been trying for
NairobiDawn - Ron is offering the help she needs right now, but he will have more later. He is a chivalrous person.
Isabella Heart – Here you go. The suspense is over.
Chapter 12 The Battle
Ron wasn't too sure how he got off so lucky. So far he had managed to break into Hogwarts. Then into his former Transfiguration Professor's office, steal the sword. Made it off the school grounds and then all the way to Saint Mungo's. Now he had snuck a weapon into the hospital.
Katherine was sitting with Hermione finishing her breakfast.
"Hello, Ron." She said to him. "I wasn't expecting to see you today."
"I just wanted to see Hermione today." Ron answered.
"Where's Harry then?" Katherine asked.
"He had to work for a bit today. I had the day off." Ron answered. "Is Alice off today?"
"No, she's asleep in her office, again. She wants to be around the minute anything else happens. I'll leave you two alone." Katherine cleaned Hermione's mouth gently with a towel then rolled the tray out.
Ron walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He then immediately went about putting several charms on the door and the room itself. No one was going to break in anytime soon.
He then went over to Hermione. He placed his hands around hers.
"I'm here." He said gently to her. "I figured out your message. I brought it. Let me know if you understand me."
Hermione had started to feel a little discouraged. She wondered if Harry and Ron had received the message. She heard Alice and Katherine talking to her several times, asking for the message. She tried each time they asked to write it again.
The nemesis however had figured out that Hermione was trying to get a message to Harry and Ron. It had appeared not to know what the message was. Whenever she started writing it would appear and try fighting her.
It had prevented her several times from trying to deliver the message. Hermione would try to hide from it, or she would try to block it from her.
The shield she had created with her mind did not work completely, unless she had all her energy concentrating on it.
She heard Ron and Harry speak to her briefly again. They said that she got the message and that they were going to try and figure it out.
For the time being now, Hermione would just continue fighting the nemesis. Keeping it at bay for as long as she could.
It almost seemed like forever when she heard Ron's voice again. It was such a joyous thing to hear.
Hermione immediately sat down and began concentrating on it. She also thought about the shield about her. Hermione was sure the nemesis would soon return.
She thought about Ron's hands. She thought about them touching hers.
Just has they had before they appeared to her. Hermione took her hand and started stroking Ron's. She thought about him and how he would hold her hand in his.
Ron held onto Hermione's hand has he talked with her. She then started rubbing her other hand across his. This was a good sign. Ron then took the sword out from the place he hid it in his cloak and placed the hilt into Hermione's hand.
Ron watched as Hermione ran her hand across the hilt. "That's it. It's yours. Do what you need to." He said to her.
Hermione felt Ron's hands move away for a moment. She still kept concentrating on them. That was when she felt something metal touch them. They did bring her the sword. Hermione concentrated on the image of the sword. She moved her hands around the hilt, trying to bring it to her.
A loud scream interrupted her. She turned to see the nemesis running towards her. It was holding something in its hand.
Hermione immediately used all her energy to envision the shield around her. She concentrated all her will on it.
This time the shield seemed to actually appear.
The nemesis tried breaking through it. Hermione kept it up.
"What ever it is you are thinking won't happen. I'm going to destroy you." The nemesis shrieked. It then started changing forms again. It changed into Lucious Malfoy. "We will have you again, then we will kill you."
"No, you won't." Hermione said. She refused to be scared by the image.
She went back to thinking once again about the sword. She still held the shield in her mind. As she concentrated she saw the hilt becoming more visible.
Ron watched Hermione as she moved her hand around the hilt of the sword. Her eyes still held a far away expression. Not focused on anything.
"That's it Hermione. The sword's yours." Ron said encouragingly to her.
Hermione held the shield where the nemesis stood. The nemesis had started to pound on it. Trying to break through it.
When she looked back at her hands, Hermione saw the hilt had come into full view. She immediately went about trying to picture the blade. She then started gliding her hand along where the blade should have been.
Ron watched as Hermione's hand slowly left the hilt and glided itself along the blade of the sword.
He watched as small tinkles of blood came from where she cut her hand.
Meanwhile Professor McGonagal and Harry made it to St. Mungo's.
"I am going to the Spell Damage Floor. Excuse me." Professor McGonagal had said politely to the receptionist when they were stopped.
The receptionist quickly sent a note to the Spell Damage Floor to alert them on who was coming.
Katherine had taken a seat in view of the rest of the ward. Ron had been in the room for a while, but he was aloud. Alice told her that they could come at anytime.
One of the nurses she got along with came in quickly. "Katherine, did you hear? Professor McGonagal is one her way up."
"Are you sure?" Katherine asked.
"It just came from the reception desk." The nurse said leaving to tell the rest of the floor probably.
Katherine's first thought was Alice. She immediately went to her office.
"Alice wake up, your mum's here." Katherine said to her.
"Mum?" Alice asked waking up. She had transfigured her chair so that she could sleep in it. The book she was reading was in her lap.
"We just got the word from downstairs." Katherine said.
Alice immediately woke up and stepped outside. Her mum had visited Hermione in the past, but that was only on Sunday when the hospital was nice and quiet. She usually took the quieter way in.
"Ron is with Hermione right now. He showed up sometime ago." Katherine said to her as they walked out into the wing.
Alice came out just in time to see her mum walk in with Harry.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Has Ron been here to visit?" Her Mum asked.
"He's with her now." Alice said. "What happened?"
"Ron believes that he figured out the message." Harry said. "He thinks that it was an object we came across, Gryffindor's Sword."
Alice suddenly became stern. "You mean he is in there with a sharp object, after what happened last time."
"Yes," Harry answered. His thoughts had been the same as Alice's.
Alice immediately went over to the door of Hermione's room and tried opening it. It did not open at first. She used her wand.
"I figured Ron would use charms to make sure we couldn't get it." Harry said.
"I have several of my own up around this room as well." Alice said.
"Then lets start taking them down." Professor McGonagal said.
All three pulled out there wands. They each did different spells at the door to try and open it.
Katherine in the meantime went after the tray with the bandages and emergency potions on it. She was afraid it might be needed soon.
Hermione felt the blade on her hand and saw it come more into focus.
"No you don't." The nemesis, who had resumed its normal form, screamed at her. It charged right then.
Hermione was not expecting it. It had broken through her shield. She fell to the ground with the nemesis on top of her.
She wrestled around with the nemesis. The nemesis had a rock in its hand and was trying to use as a weapon.
Hermione took an open opportunity and kicked.
The nemesis was taken by surprise and fell back. Hermione again pictured the sword in her mind. Hoping that she hadn't lost it.
That was when she saw it. It was lying the ground just a few yards from her. She quickly scrambled up and after it.
The nemesis Grabbed Hermione's foot.
Hermione swung herself around and kicked the nemesis' hand away. She then grabbed the sword and got into a defensive posture.
"What do you think you're going to do with that?" The nemesis mocked.
"Kill you." Hermione said. She knew this had to work.
"I can't be killed." The nemesis said. "I am alive in you and I will never die."
"Yes you can. See this." Hermione held the sword so the nemesis could read the name on it.
For a moment the nemesis seemed horror struck by the name.
Hermione took advantage of the opportunity. She thrust the sword right into the nemesis's heart, then quickly pulled back out.
The nemesis fell down onto its knees. Gasping for air, but still alive.
"You see you can be killed. I end you and I end this place. No go back to hell where you came from." Hermione raised the sword above her herself and slammed it down in a final blow. The blade came down on the Nemesis's head.
Sir Nicholas would have been proud.
There was a shattering noise all around her. Hermione looked around. Everything around her was breaking up. Shattering the same way the mirror had done earlier.
Ron stared at Hermione's face. She had dropped the sword a moment before. Ron had picked it up and moved it to the side.
Her eyes still held a blank expression. Then all at once they went into focus.
"Ron." She said looking straight at him.
Ron could not say anything he just hugged her.
Hermione held onto him, just crying. That was all she seemed to be able to do.
"Its over, it's all over." Ron was finally able to say to her.
The door suddenly burst open on them.
Harry was the first one in "Of all the. . ." He started to say.
"Harry!" Hermione said looking up.
Harry could not believe it. He had not expected to find her like this. Without a word he went over and hugged Hermione as well.
Professor McGonagal and Katherine both hung back, awestruck by Hermione being well again. Any anger Professor McGonagal had towards Ron at that time was gone.
Alice was the first to step up. She produced a handkerchief so fast she had to conjured it. She began to wipe the blubbery off of Hermione's face. "I'm Alice." She said to Hermione.
"You've been taking care of me." Hermione said to her. She had recognized the voice as one of them who had been talking to her.
"Yes," Alice said. "I'm a Healer. Are you feeling well? Are you tired or dizzy at all?"
"No," Hermione answered. She started to move herself off of the bed. When her feet hit the ground her legs gave way.
Ron and Alice had been the ones to catch her.
"Not so fast." Alice said helping her back on the bed. "You're going to need a little time to heal. But I think I can let you go to home to the Burrow today. After I'm done checking you over."
She picked up the sword where Ron had left it.
"I believe this should go back with you, Mum." Alice said passing the sword to Professor McGonagal.
"I would like to know how you managed to get this out my office, Mr. Weasley. Especially without anyone knowing about it."
"Well," Ron started to get a little red around his ears.
"I will take the explanation later." Professsor McGonagal said. "Right now I think you have a lot of catching up to do with Hermione. I am so glad that you are finally awake. I will inform everyone at Hogwarts."
"Thank you." Hermione said to her.
"I am afraid that I must ask you gentlemen to leave now." Alice said.
"We'll be right outside." Ron said gently to Hermione.