Chapter Twenty-Seven: Only a Plank between One and Perdition
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy VIII no matter how much I wish they were my works. Any additional characters added are mine.
A/N: Hello! Another chapter for you all. I hope you all enjoy it and please let me know in a comment/review.
oOoOo
Squall carried Hermione into the Infirmary and glanced around for Dr Kadowaki. He noticed her in one of the adjacent rooms, attending to a student who had fractured her collarbone when the Garden had started moving. The doctor had her hands full with a lot of students who had been affected, physically and mentally.
Dr Kadowaki turned to Squall, hurrying to his side when she saw Hermione dangling limply in his arms. 'What happened to her?' she demanded, guiding him towards a vacant room. He lay her down on the bed while the doctor busied herself with checking Hermione's vitals.
Squall shook his head. 'I don't know what she did…' he trailed off, frowning down at the girl in question.
Dr Kadowaki nodded. 'It's been a difficult time for us all. Perhaps she's just overdone it,' she answered, producing a syringe from a sealed envelope and taking a sample of blood from Hermione's arm. 'I'll need you to come back later, Squall. I'll need to do some checks,' she added, giving him a pointed look.
Squall nodded and left the room, catching a last glimpse of Hermione before Dr Kadowaki closed the curtains around the bed and then the door closed as well. He leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes, struggling to work out his feelings. He needed to know she would be okay, but he knew Dr Kadowaki would need to access her condition before he would know anything.
With nothing else to do for the moment, Squall sighed and headed out of the Infirmary before going to his room in the dormitories. As he unlocked his door, his eyes fell on the room opposite and he swallowed thickly. Shaking his head, he disappeared into his room and closed the door, intending on doing some much-needed thinking and possibly sleeping as well.
oOoOo
Hermione opened her eyes, unsure of where she was. The ground beneath her fingertips was rough and cold. She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around with a grimace. 'Where am I?' she whispered, her voice echoing in the stillness surrounding her. She struggled to her feet, feeling as if a huge weight was pressing down on her. Dizziness overwhelmed her and she closed her eyes tightly for a moment. 'What's going on?' she asked, receiving no reply as she attempted to calm her racing heart.
When she felt steady enough to open her eyes, Hermione glanced around at her surroundings and found it to be oddly familiar. She was in a dim corridor with lit torches being the only source of light. Against her better judgement, she walked down the hallway and shoved open the door at the end. She gasped as a vast library came into view and she couldn't help rushing towards the dusty tomes. Books had forever been something that felt safe to her. As she reached them, she promptly comprehended they were warped, and she couldn't understand the titles.
A creaking from a door across the room startled her and Hermione turned to see a woman entering the library. It took her a moment to recognise that the woman was the same one she saw during the dream she had in Deling City. Is this a dream? She asked herself as the woman sauntered straight past her to the books and ran her long, sharp fingers across the spines.
Hermione? Griever responded, his voice perplexed.
Hermione gasped. Griever! Where am I? She questioned him, hoping he would have some notion. She wasn't aware she could communicate with him in her dreams.
Unconscious in Balamb Garden… or at least that is where you should be, Griever countered, and Hermione could virtually hear his frown.
Griever… your Mistress… Hermione trailed off as she pursued the woman and strove to get a proper look at her. She could feel Griever tense in her mind.
Where are you? Griever demanded urgently.
Hermione frowned as the woman turned down another aisle and gazed at the books there. There was something disconcertingly familiar about her. The way she moved, the way her eyes sparkled as they fell on the books, and the way she smiled. Then she turned, staring straight at Hermione and tilted her head as if she could see her. A lump formed in Hermione's throat, her mouth becoming dry as panic froze her in place.
'Do you know why you return to this place?' the woman raised unexpectedly, turning back to examine the books.
Hermione! Where are you!? Griever yelled into her mind, but Hermione couldn't answer him.
'Do you know why I have hunted you?' the woman invited, taking a book from the shelf and looking at the back of it nonchalantly.
Hermione swallowed and shook her head. 'No… I don't know why…' she trailed off, taking a step towards her.
The woman turned to gaze at Hermione again and she knew this time that she could see her. 'I have determined you are more valuable to me alive than dead. I have a proposition for you,' the woman said, placing the book back on the shelf.
Do not heed her! She will lie to you! Griever cried, his voice fringing on pleading.
The woman smirked. 'My pet, your contribution is not requested,' she whispered, and Hermione felt a void in her mind.
'What have you done to him?' Hermione demanded, touching her temple anxiously.
The woman turned fully towards Hermione. 'I have… hushed him, but only for the extent of our discussion,' she countered, crossing her arms. 'It seems even I am incapable of detaching him from you absolutely,' she added, shaking her head.
Hermione frowned. 'Who are you? What do you want?' she questioned, determined not to play into this woman's game.
'My name is Ultimecia. I am a Sorceress and I exist in a dimension far beyond your capabilities to comprehend,' she retorted with a smirk as Hermione narrowed her eyes at the obvious insult. 'However, that is not my motivation for wanting to… officially meet you,' she said softly, walking past her towards the door she came through originally.
Hermione watched Ultimecia guardedly. 'Then what do you want?' she asked, wondering if she was finally going to discover what this was all about. Her mission and the reason why she came to this world.
Ultimecia turned back to Hermione and tilted her head. 'Follow me,' she beckoned before continuing, the doors opening for her as she approached them. Hermione looked at the floor for a moment before taking a deep breath and shadowing Ultimecia further into the depths of her castle.
oOoOo
Squall peered around his room and groaned as the state of it hit him. He knew with the Garden moving everything had been hurled into disarray. There were books and magazines scattered across the floor. His wardrobe door had opened, and his clothes were lying in a heap on the floor. He picked up the presentation box he kept his Gunblade in when he wasn't using it and placed it on his desk. He unsheathed his Gunblade and laid it in the box, closing the lid before turning to the rest of his room. Slowly, he began picking up the books, placing them on the shelves and put the magazines on the desk. After he finished hanging and folding his clothes back up, he shut his wardrobe and sat on the end of his bed.
Well, that killed all of fifteen minutes, Squall thought with a groan as he lay back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He knew there was only so much he could do to keep his mind off everything that was going on. Hermione… what did you do? He pondered, placing his arm behind his head.
After a moment, Squall sat up quickly when he recalled the spell Hermione talked about before they went down into the depths of Garden. She wouldn't have done something risky… would she? He questioned himself, shaking his head. He knew she was the type of person who would though. Save the many before considering what it could entail for her. He closed his eyes and placed his head in his hands. She said that was a shield though… does she have other magic just as potent that can kill her? He wondered, rubbing his eyes and lying back down. He put it to the back of his mind for the moment. Until he spoke to her, he would only be theorising and feasibly worrying over nothing. She was alive and that was the greatest weight off his mind.
Squall stared at the white ceiling with a scowl. How long has it been since we started moving? He speculated, moving further up his bed and propping himself up on his pillow. There's not much more to do now that we've taken care of all the monsters which were loose in the Garden, he ruminated, closing his eyes for a moment. Shit, I still need to give my report to the headmaster. I have so many questions about Hermione and Griever as well… he trailed off in his thoughts, his brows furrowing as he thought of how much easier this would be if he had the capability to communicate with Griever. Maybe he would be able to shed some light on the situation. The headmaster will be busy… trying to clean things up and re-establish order in the Garden, he presumed, shaking his head.
Squall sighed and stood from his bed. He moved to the window and stared out at the vast ocean stretched out before him with no hint of land anywhere on the horizon. We're in the middle of nowhere, he thought, placing his hand on his hip. Man, I'm so bored. I hate having nothing to do… it gets me thinking too much, he mused with a scowl as he sat back down on his bed. Shit, I just realised that if Selphie and Irvine manage to return to Balamb, the Garden won't be there, he thought with a small smile, but it waned after a moment. I wonder what happened to them. I hope they weren't caught, he thought uneasily, glancing back out the window. Was it wrong for me to let them go? I can't imagine Irvine was too thrilled about it… though he did volunteer, he deliberated, placing his elbows on his thighs and resting his chin in his clasped hands.
Why the heck did the Sorceress fire missiles at Garden? Who is she anyway? And Seifer! This is his home, isn't it? Why would he side with her? Squall questioned, feeling fury building in him and he thumped his fist into his bed. I'll get even with them and get to the bottom of this… he trailed off in his thoughts as exhaustion came over him.
Squall changed into his jogging bottoms and pulled his white vest off, tossing it into a corner of the room. The tattoo covering his left side caught his eye in the full-length mirror next to the door and he glared at it. It was intended to represent Griever and he got it when he was still his disciple. He shook his head, thinking it would be best to refrain from mentioning to Hermione or the headmaster that he only abandoned his faith around the time she appeared…
Lying on his bed, Squall pulled the duvet over him and decided he would sleep and hide in his room until he was required. He knew Quistis or Zell would come and get him if Hermione woke up.
oOoOo
Cid made his way into the Infirmary and to the room where Hermione was still unconscious. Dr Kadowaki was next to her bed, doing some more examinations as he walked into the room and closed the door. 'Any change?' Cid asked, taking a seat next to the bed across from where Dr Kadowaki was working.
'Nothing, but…' Dr Kadowaki trailed off as she peered at Cid, her eyes puzzled.
'What is it?' Cid questioned anxiously, glancing at Hermione who could have just been asleep.
Dr Kadowaki sighed. 'As you can see, she is breathing. She has a pulse. She is the epitome of a healthy girl whose had a few bumps and bruises…' she trailed off again, shaking her head.
'But?' Cid prompted, raising his eyebrows.
'But she shouldn't be!' Dr Kadowaki cried, pulling out some charts. 'Her life signs are completely volatile! Look at her brain waves! They are utterly off the scale!' she yelled, passing Cid the records and he stared at them in uncertainty.
Cid glanced over them before peering down at Hermione. 'I'm no doctor, Karin,' he said, laying the charts on the bed. 'What is happening to her?' he asked, looking back up at the bemused doctor.
Dr Kadowaki shook her head. 'I can't say, but something is preserving her life,' she countered with a frown.
Cid felt a small smile tug at his lips, before it faded. 'What about her magic levels? Were you able to test them?' he inquired, clasping his hands together on the bed.
Dr Kadowaki nodded, reaching for another chart and opening it. 'It was complicated because she does not use Para-Magic. She is a Sorceress through and through. Dr Odine would have a field day analysing her,' she grumbled, rolling her eyes. 'Her magic levels are exceedingly depleted, and I discerned that it is intertwined to her life. If she had exhausted any more than she did, it would have killed her and I don't imagine that whatever is keeping her alive now could have saved her,' she replied, shaking her head as she flipped to another segment of the chart. 'She has acute magic deficiency. I have sent an email to an associate who has apparently met Dr Odine on a few occasions. I'm hoping for some insight on how to help her,' she said, closing the file and laying it on top of some other documents on a table.
Cid nodded. 'Then all we can do is wait,' he replied, frowning at Hermione.
oOoOo
A knock on Squall's door roused him from his nap, and he clambered out of his bed blearily. 'What?' he called, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
The door opened and Zell came in. 'Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to let you know that Dr Kadowaki is letting us in to see Hermione,' he told Squall who looked up at him. 'She's still not conscious though,' he added with a frown.
Squall's shoulders slumped in disappointment, but he nodded. 'All right, I'll go see her later,' he replied, standing up and turning to his wardrobe to grab his clothes.
'How you holdin' up, man?' Zell asked Squall, crossing his arms.
Squall turned to look at Zell before shaking his head. 'I'm fine,' he countered dismissively, staring back in his closet. Zell nodded, taking the hint, and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Squall sighed and got dressed, pulling his jacket on before exiting his room and heading down the hallway towards the Training Centre. He planned on fighting some monsters to keep his mind off everything, but he noticed the same girl who woke him up when he was in the Infirmary and who was attacked in the Training Centre after the Inauguration Party. She was walking towards the library. Curious, he pursued her, wanting to know who she was and how she seemed to know him.
When Squall entered the library, he couldn't see her in the aisles, so he made his way to the reading room and paused when he saw her sitting in a chair, reading a book. He strode over to her and stopped next to her, making her look up at him. He frowned; she was remarkably familiar, but he couldn't recall why. 'Hi,' she whispered, smiling up at him.
Squall tilted his head. 'I saw you in the Infirmary,' he said, resting his hand on his hip.
The girl nodded. 'You saved me from the monster,' she replied, her smile becoming wider.
Squall frowned. 'Who are you?' he questioned, feeling a puzzling connection to her even though he didn't think he'd ever spoken to her before seeing her in the Infirmary.
The girl's smile faded. 'Try to remember,' she countered, looking away to the book she held loosely in her hands.
'Remember?' Squall asked in misunderstanding, shaking his head.
The girl nodded and sighed, turning away from Squall dejectedly. 'It'd be heart-breaking for me to know I was forgotten,' she whispered, clutching the book rigidly in her hands.
Remember? So, I do know this girl? But from where? Squall asked himself, trying to piece together the mystery that seemed to encompass this girl.
'It's be nice to talk about old times again,' the girl added with a small smile to Squall.
'S-Sure,' Squall stuttered, turning away from the girl and leaving the Infirmary. Maybe the headmaster knows, he thought as he made his way through to the main hall to find Cid and speak to him about it.
Just as Squall reached the stairs leading up to the lift, Quistis came rushing down the hall. "Squall!' she cried, coming to a halt next to him.
'What is it?' Squall demanded, noting that Quistis came from the direction of the Infirmary.
'It's Hermione,' Quistis said, turning and hurrying back the way she came.
Squall frowned and chased after Quistis, hurrying down the hallway. As he arrived in the Infirmary, the place was pandemonium. Students were on the floor, unconscious or injured, while others were striving to escape. Dr Kadowaki was tending to a student and glanced up when he approached. 'What happened?' he asked, glancing around the waiting area.
Dr Kadowaki stood up and looked at a room down the hall. 'Something happened. Hermione was muttering in her sleep and then she screamed. It was like a wave of magic and it struck all of us,' she explained, pointing to the room she was in. The door was closed. 'I can't get into the room. Something has sealed it,' she added, shaking her head.
Quistis placed a hand on her hip. 'I tried the door, but it won't open. I'll assist Karin with the students. See if you can get it open,' she said and Squall nodded, but he wasn't sure how he would go about doing that. If Hermione didn't want anyone in… then how was he expected to get through the barrier she put up?
Squall walked towards the door, hesitating when he realised the atmosphere itself felt dense and thick, like it was congested. He took a deep breath and continued to the door, trying the handle but it wouldn't move. He banged on the door, trying to force it open with his shoulder, but to no avail. He sighed, questioning how he would get through to Hermione and somehow get her to let him in. Maybe this was her subconscious, sending out magic to protect her while she healed herself.
Squall leaned his head against the glass and closed his eyes. 'Hermione…' he trailed off, his voice a whisper. 'I should have been there for you. I should have realised and prevented this from happening,' he hesitated, not really sure where he was going with this. 'I'm sorry… please let me in,' he whispered, resting his hand on the glass.
A few moments passed where nothing changed, and Squall was about to give up when there was a click and the door opened. He swallowed harshly at the scene in front of him. The room was wrecked with shattered glass everywhere, the side tables were toppled over. The only thing still in place was Hermione and the bed she was lying in, still covered by a thin white blanket and nothing else.
Squall took a step into the room, assessing the destruction, when a sudden force held him in place. 'That is close enough,' a voice said, and he could see it was Hermione's lips moving, but it was not her voice. This was something sinister and malevolent.
'Who are you?' Squall demanded, frowning nervously at Hermione.
'That is not for you to know. I permitted you admittance because this girl desired it. Understand that this girl will live, but this degree of magic deficiency has rendered her unstable. It will fail her,' the voice countered, and the force keeping Squall in place lifted but he made no move to go towards Hermione.
Squall scowled, speculating on what that meant. 'Will she lose her talent to use magic?' he asked, crossing his arms and staring at Hermione broodingly.
The intense feeling in the air abated before completely fading, shifting back to normal. Squall watched in fascination as the entire room seemed to alter, restoring itself to what it looked like before. Even the shards of glass which were speckled about the room realigned themselves in the window frame and no cracks could be seen. The magic permeating the room felt warm and gentle, making him come to the startling realisation that he was no longer afraid of what Hermione was capable of.
Squall slowly walked over to Hermione's bedside and gazed down at her. Her hair was spread out on the pillow and her long eyelashes lay delicately under her eyes which were moving rapidly as she dreamed. He swallowed thickly; she was beautiful, and he couldn't deny that fact. He sat down heavily in the chair and rubbed a hand over his face before staring back at her. He reached out, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand which was warm under his touch.
Dr Kadowaki and Quistis crept into the room apprehensively, before glancing around in amazement. 'Wow, with the magic which discharged from her, I assumed this room would be a catastrophe,' the doctor mused, moving over to the other side of Hermione to check her vitals.
Squall pulled his hand back from Hermione's cheek. 'It was. She fixed it,' he whispered, shaking his head as he marvelled at how she could do that when she was unconscious.
Quistis and Dr Kadowaki stared at Squall in astonishment. 'Really?' the doctor questioned, gawking at Hermione in interest.
'How is she, Karin? Did that change anything?' Quistis asked Dr Kadowaki, glancing at Hermione uneasily.
Dr Kadowaki didn't reply as she scanned the charts with a frown. 'Interesting. It looks as if her vitals are back to normal,' she said, laying the files on the table and raising the cover which was the only thing concealing Hermione's modesty. Squall looked away awkwardly as Quistis suppressed a grin at his embarrassment. 'And the injuries she had when she came in here are completely healed. There's not even any scars,' she added in bewilderment, lowering the cover and crossing her arms. 'I guess she'll wake up soon,' she said with a shrug as she left the room, shaking her head and muttering something about miracles and magic.
oOoOo
A/N: So, that chapter was mostly just additional information really. Some more insight into how Hermione fits into the picture and such. I hope you all enjoyed it and please let me know in a comment/review. Your thoughts and feelings on how I'm doing is invaluable!