Their Little Witch
Chapter 18
On their arrival in Wakanda, Tony, Rhodes and Natasha had jumped straight into another jet to head back to the States. They'd said their goodbyes, stating their need for time to come to terms with all that had transpired. Not unexpected, Harry mused. In an ideal world, he would be on a beach, somewhere quiet maybe.
To be fair, Wakanda made a good replacement.
The people here were friendly; they didn't approach him randomly on the street or stop and stare at his scar. For the most part, he'd been left alone. Hermione was currently in with Shuri, who had seemed quite taken with the prospect of a new challenge. Harry thought that when she was better, and she would get better, Hermione and Shuri would get along almost scarily well. Harry liked Shuri, she reminded him a lot of Hermione, and who Hermione would have been with the right support and without the segregation that she had suffered.
T'Challa was friendly, too. Though he hadn't spoken at all on the plane, Harry had respect for him because of the way he'd handled Kingsley, and while Harry knew that Kingsley wasn't a bad or evil man, he also knew the pressure that he currently faced in a role that he almost certainly didn't actually want. It would be easy to persecute one muggleborn to appease the remaining purebloods, especially one who couldn't currently fight back, and it would score him some early brownie points with the right families, but Harry couldn't stomach the thought of anyone using Hermione that way.
She wasn't a bargaining piece, or an unwanted being, she was Harry's sister. If he had to go back to war for her, he knew he would. And he wouldn't be alone.
Hermione seemed to come with a pack of guard dogs now, the most prominent one having a metal arm and a look on his face that said he'd kill you for talking too loudly. Harry almost pitied anyone that tried to get to her right now. Almost.
Steve and Luna had gone for a 'walk' that had made Bucky smirk at the other man with an almost challenging glint in his eyes.
Harry clears his throat, effectively gaining Bucky's attention,
"I was just wondering, and you can tell me to mind my own business, but are you and Hermione, uh, are you together?" He's flushing a deep red, he can feel it on his cheeks, and Bucky just stares at him for a moment, seemingly evaluating the loaded question,
"I would say not yet, but that sounds a bit presumptuous. Why? Are you interested?"
There's no blush on Bucky, just cool interest, and Harry finds himself feeling a bit intimidated by the bigger man,
"Ah, well, no. Hermione and I are like brother and sister. She's my best friend, with Ron of course, and I just wanted to know if her interest in you was returned or not, because she's been hurt before."
Bucky leans back, crossing his arms as he considered what Harry had said. Honestly, he knew that the boy wasn't interested in Hermione, but it didn't hurt to make him squirm,
"I think I've been interested in her since we found her in the graveyard."
Harry frowns,
"I thought you rescued her from Malfoy Manor?"
Bucky sighs at him, rubbing his temples,
"No, well, not exactly. Tony and Nat did, and then she disappeared off their jet. It was a few days, maybe four, when we found her. Skinny, covered in mud, looked like she was ready to die. She couldn't talk, really, either. But she had these really empty eyes and when she looked at me, I got this feeling that despite it all, she really wanted to get better. She wanted herself back, and I get that, you know? So, I picked her up, because she couldn't walk and despite not knowing who I was, she rolled her fist into my shirt and fell asleep. I just have this need to protect her, and I've been waiting for her to show me any indication that she was even remotely interested."
Harry laughed, despite the hollowness in his chest,
"The biggest sign is that she let you pick her up. Hermione can't stand being babied, she really hates it."
Bucky nods slowly, he had picked up on that. Harry fishes around in Hermione's beaded bag, pulling out a photo frame and handing it to Bucky.
The photo was of Harry, Hermione and Ron, probably from their fifth year. Her hair was huge and had snowflakes in it, he notes with interest. She's trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue, and it's making her laugh. Harry and Ron are throwing snowballs at each other. She was sandwiched between the boys and when he looked at her, she waved at him. His eyes flick up to Harry, who's smiling sadly,
"It all went to crap that year. But she loved that photo, said it made her feel more alive when she could remember that the little memories do still happen."
"Her hair has personality."
Harry laughs,
"Her hair deserved its own postcode. If you were sat behind her in class, there was no way you could copy the notes."
Bucky hands the photo back to Harry, who slides it back into her bag,
"She'll get better, and when she does, you should take her out somewhere. She's never really dated anyone, so her expectations won't be high. And Ron isn't here to ruin it this time, not like he did at the Yule ball."
Bucky takes a deep breath,
"I might do just that."
Harry nods, looking at Bucky's gun. He licks his lips before asking,
"Can you teach me to fire that?"
Bucky's eyes flicker down to see what he's looking at, then he grins, remembering when Steve had been much, much smaller and had asked the same question at the firing range,
"I'll have to ask T'Challa if he has somewhere safe to practice, but sure. Why not?"
Harry nods, a smile tugging at his lips. He wanted to make the effort, to bond with Hermione's new friends. If they were important to her, then it mattered to him.
They sit in silence for a while, before Bucky breaks it, much to Harry's surprise,
"We could be waiting a while, I'm going to get a coffee, do you want one?"
Harry considers for a moment before nodding slowly,
"That's probably a good idea, thank you."
Bucky just nods before standing up and casting a look at the door which was hiding Hermione and Shuri before walking down the hallway.
Harry watches him walk away until he's out of sight, then he lets out a breath that he didn't realise he'd been holding.
He stood to stretch his legs, running his hands over his lower back. The chairs weren't comfortable, but then, nothing really felt comfortable anymore. He wondered briefly what Ron was up to, whether he regretted not coming, but then he gave himself a mental shake. Ron had family, a family that he'd been separated from for almost two years; of course he should be with them right now.
As much as Harry knew he'd be welcomed with open arms at the Burrow, he also knew that he couldn't live with himself if he hadn't come here. And Luna certainly wouldn't have let him forget it, either.
He could have had a good, domestic life if he'd gone with Ron. He'd be well fed, have his every whim answered, Ginny would certainly want to pick up their relationship, his face would be on every newspaper and magazine. It would be easy.
The problem was, Harry didn't want easy, anymore. He wanted to repair the damage done to his and Hermione's relationship; he wanted to offer her the same support and loyalty that she had offered him over the years. He wanted to see her 'maybe relationship' bloom. He couldn't live with the Weasley's if Hermione wasn't there.
At the moment, if she came out of that room with that annoying Hermione glint in her eyes and asked him to go back to Hogwarts to sit their NEWTS, he thinks he would probably agree.
But, more than that, he wanted, no needed, to know if there was space in the life she was building for him. And if there wasn't, he'd work for it until there was.
When Bucky came back, it was with two steaming cups of coffee and two bacon sandwiches. He passed a grateful Harry his share, taking his seat back with a grunt, he'd spotted Luna and Steve on their 'walk' and the image would now be forever burned into his brain.
Bucky took a bite of his sandwich, grateful for normal, over cooked food. The breakfast at Hogwarts had been good, but too perfect. Everything had been just right, cooked to perfection.
Bucky hated things cooked to perfection. He liked his food a bit crispier, not too much, mind you. Just enough that you know someone made it.
Harry had finished his quickly, surprised at how hungry he was. After they'd lost Hermione, they'd spent a lot of their time at Grimmauld Place, but food had still been difficult to come by and Kreacher wasn't very good at grocery shopping. They'd lived mostly on crisps and pasties, eating only when necessary.
They'd been waiting for another hour when the door finally opened and Shuri stepped out, closing it quietly behind her. She looked almost shocked to see the two men waiting and she gestured for them to follow her.
She took them to a more private sitting area, the walls were filled with bookcases and knick-knacks and the purple sofas were covered in throws and cushions. Harry figured this must be Shuri's private room. She gestured for them to sit; waiting patiently as they got comfortable, then she eyed them both seriously,
"Do you want the good news or the bad news?"
Bucky answered for them,
"Give us the good news first."
She nods, smiling at them,
"The good news is that her brain activity is consistent, with small spikes. That basically means that she's in there, and she's fighting to come out. My hypothesis is that she retreated into her mindscape to get away from the pain, and simply doesn't know how to come back. This, I can help with. Like your memories, White Wolf, I can build bridges in her mind that will help her. The bad news is that she has to do this herself. She needs to feel safe, I think. Are you following?"
Bucky nods confidently, a relieved smile on his face, but Harry isn't sure,
"What if she doesn't feel safe?"
Shuri's smile drops,
"Hermione's recovery is dependent on her. I can give her bits of help, nudge her in the right direction, but if she doesn't want to come back, if she doesn't feel safe, then she simply won't. Would you walk into an active volcano, knowing you were so close to eruption day?"
Harry shook his head and Bucky's voice came out raspy,
"How do we make her feel safe if she is stuck in her brain?"
At this question, Shuri smiles,
"That's the simplest part, safe is relative and Hermione knows this. My theory is that a few days, maybe a week tops, of no pain and BAM she'll know it's okay to start waking up. The tricky part is what happens when she comes back. She's in a place she won't recognise, having been previously captured, she may not react well. We all need to be prepared for a violent, angry little witch."
Harry nods, that he can deal with. Angry Hermione is scary, yes, but despondent Hermione was worse. Shuri then looked at her fingernails,
"About the arm."
At this, the two men both flinch,
"I have two options to discuss, but I want to do more research first. I've never worked with a witch, so what I don't want, is to do anything that might damage her magic. What I can't do, however, is wait for her to be better. The arm needs dealing with, sooner rather than later, I think. Now, do you want to go to your rooms? I've taken the liberty of having you all put here, on the same floor."
She turns to Harry with a cheeky smile,
"But, if you get lonely in the night, my room is on the floor above you."
Harry flushes a burning red and she lets out a delighted laugh before turning to Bucky,
"If I show you where the rooms are, you must tell Captain Rogers to stop desecrating my hallways. It's undignified."
Then she's laughing again while Bucky groans.
It would turn out that T'Challa had already taken the liberty of showing Steve and Luna to their rooms, an amused smugness on his face at the way Steve had blushed.
It had only been a few minutes' walk for Harry and Bucky to get to the rooms from where they'd been, and it was with true hope and joy that they'd relayed the news about Hermione to Luna and Steve. Luna had promptly burst into happy tears, Steve visibly relaxing.
Steve had then phoned Tony with the news; his excited shouting could be heard by everyone,
"Pepper! She's okay! She's going to be okay!"
Harry had beamed, she'd found a good bunch in these lot.
Luna had asked Tony to start making plans for their return to the compound. Harry had tried hard not to be shocked at Tony's plan to build a new wing on the existing building for the people around him, and he suddenly got the impression that he was intruding on something private. He made to leave, but a metal hand closed around his wrist, sitting him back down. Bucky's face is as neutral as ever,
"He'll do you a room as well. It's there if you want it."
Harry saw the offer for what it was, a spot in their crazy life, their group. His first instinct was to accept, the feeling of fitting in left him with a warmth in his stomach, but it was something he couldn't agree to until he knew what Hermione's opinion was. Then he had the Weasley's to think about, could he really give up his life in England and relocate to America? What about his own 'maybe relationship' with Ginny? He didn't know what he wanted.
Bucky nodded at him in understanding, it wasn't an easy choice to make. The difference, really, was the Bucky would go wherever Steve was. And that had now extended to Hermione. There was no doubt where she would go, she'd been as uncomfortable in England as they had been.
It was now coming up to ten in the evening, and Bucky was beat. As were all the others, so they went their separate ways, even Luna and Steve had decided to spend the night apart.
When Bucky crawled into bed that night, even though it wasn't cold, he slipped on the jumper that Hermione had made him. For a moment, he could feel her with him. Probably her magic, he muses. Shuri's explanation about Hermione needing to feel safe had actually made a lot of sense, once he'd stopped to think about it. She'd almost come back to him last night when she was surrounded by people who would look after her, and the first thing she had done was enquire about how everyone was faring. Then, when she'd been around arguing, raised voices, she'd sought him out. She'd allowed him to carry her and he thought, subconsciously she was reaching out, it made him feel warm that the person she'd reached for to feel safe was him. No matter what anyone else thought, Hermione trusted him. With her in his thoughts, he felt himself slip into sleep.
Luna curled into her bed, a gentle ache between her legs and a heavy chest. Thing's had escalated quickly today, and while she didn't mind, quite opposite actually, she wanted to tell Hermione. She wanted to see the look on her friends face, and she wanted to share her bit of joy. She also didn't really want to sleep alone tonight, but she felt that Steve and her needed tonight apart, they needed their own space. She put it down to adrenaline from the battle, the need for more.
Harry had sat in his shower for at least an hour, letting the water run through his hair and skin. He'd rubbed his skin raw, lathering it with shower gels in an attempt to banish the stench of battle. Even after he was clean, he hadn't been able to find the heart to move. The water felt good beating on him, it felt cold and real. This whole situation had been so messed up, everything had gone wrong. But, things were also going right. It was a conflicting sensation, to finally be free of Voldemort, to have a life to live and not know what to do with it. He hadn't really given much thought to what would happen if he'd actually won.
He only turned the shower off when he heard his door open and he hurried to cover himself with a towel, rushing out of the bathroom with his wand in his hand, only to find Hermione shuffling around the room, her eyes still looking so lost,
"Hermione?"
She didn't answer him, and he didn't really expect her to. They both just stood there, unsure of what to do. He didn't know how she'd found him, had she gone to everyone's rooms? No, because if she had, she'd have a small following.
Her fingers were picking at her skin and he took her hands in his to stop her from hurting herself,
"I don't know what you need, 'Mione. How about we find someone who does?"
She doesn't acknowledge him speaking. She just stood there, looking around the room without interest, and he suddenly found himself getting angry,
"I don't know how to help you, Hermione. I don't know what I'm even doing here." He runs his hand through his hair, using his other to keep his towel up as he goes to sit on the bed,
"It wasn't supposed to be like this. You were never meant to stay at Malfoy Manor, and now I can't even tell you how sorry I am. How I tired, I tried every night for months to apparate back in. And you're standing here now, but you're also not, and this is so much harder than I thought it would be. You're safe now, you know that. I know you do. We're safe."
He puts his head into his hands, feeling his shoulders shaking. He knows he should call someone, anyone who knows how to help her. Someone better equipped. Maybe Luna, or even Bucky.
Then he feels a weight on the bed, and he's looking at her as she sits down, fumbling with her hands. She starts humming absently and Harry shakes his head,
"Oh no, Granger, you don't get to come in here and comfort me. That's not happening."
She just continues to hum to herself, and Harry feels his body sagging,
"I should be comforting you. How on Earth are you not even here but yet knowing enough to try and comfort me? How does that even work?"
He recognises the tune, she'd hummed this after his nightmares when Ron had left them, and it had never failed to send him to sleep,
"It's not going to work, I'm not going to sleep yet. You might as well give it up. I'm not even tired."
But he is, and if Hermione had been aware, he knows she would scoff at him. But this Hermione doesn't, she just sits there, not even looking at him, but still humming that god-forsaken song,
"Please, 'Mione, don't make me go to sleep."
Yet, despite his pleading, he can feel his body giving in. He has just enough time to frown at her before sleep claims him.
Hermione just sits there, continuing to hum until a blonde head appears from behind Harry's door. Luna smiles sadly, she'd come to check on Harry and see how he was coping, she hadn't expected to be beaten to it.
Luna steps forward quietly, helping Hermione to her feet,
"Now that Harry is asleep, lets get you settled, shall we?"
When they step into the hallway, Luna closes the door with an almost silent click and looks at the other girl. Her eyes are flickering around slowly, almost like she was taking in the change in scenery. Luna tugged her along gently, Hermione following slowly. She's stopped humming.
At some point, Hermione had also removed her socks and shoes, Luna noted with just a bit of confusion. She could also see scratch marks on Hermione's injured arm that made her heart hurt.
She slowly, silently opened another door, tugging Hermione in with her. The room is dark, almost pitch black and gently pulls Hermione deeper into the room before turning and leaving.
Luna went to the next room, hesitating for only a moment before knocking, a soft 'enter' reaches her ears and she slides into the room, closing the door behind her.
Steve looks up from the bed, he's sat up with a sketch pad on his lap and he'd showered, dressed in simple linen pj's. Luna suddenly felt grimy and unclean, wishing that she hadn't come in.
But Steve just smiles, patting the bed next to him. Luna approaches hesitantly and sits on the edge of the bed, not saying anything for a moment, but Steve is staring at her with that fond smile on his face and she can't help herself,
"What are we?"
Her hands rush to her mouth in mortification as a blush fills her cheeks. Steve laughs, a reall, belly-aching laugh before pulling her closer,
"Well, you're a small witch and I'm a super soldier from the past."
She blinks up at him,
"I think the wrackspurts are in my brain, tonight."
Steve fumbles for a moment before seeming to gain the courage,
"Then stay here, with me. I'll chase away your wrackspurts."
She smiles up at him, laying her head on his chest,
"I would very much like that."
"Me too."
Bucky wakes with a start, someone was watching him. He reaches for his knife before flicking his light on, sitting up quickly. His arm lowers the moment he realises who's stood there. In her still dirty clothes, her hair still up in a bun, is Hermione. She's just stood there, he notes with a small frown,
"Hermione?"
She looks up at the ceiling, her hands fumbling with the hem of her shirt. He glances down at himself; he'd fallen asleep in his clothes, too. He shrugged his boots off, taking his socks with them, almost wrinkling his nose at the smell.
He stands, grabbing a glass of water and taking a sip. Her eyes lock onto his glass, watching. He takes another sip before remembering what Neville had done at breakfast and he was hit with a rush of shame when he realised that she probably hadn't eaten or drank anything since.
He approaches her slowly, putting the glass to her mouth and she parted her lips slightly, letting him tilt the liquid for her. She drank slowly, her eyes going cross-eyed as she tries to watch the water.
When he pulls the glass away, she turns her head to look around the room. His room was basic, white walls, oak furniture and clean sheets. All the rooms had also been given a pitcher of water and a small fruit bowl. He gently took Hermione's hand, leading her to the bed. He sat her down before grabbing a plumb, her eyes following the fruit. He watched her watch him take a bit before offering the fruit to her and she slowly moved forward, taking a small bite. She smiled as the juice dripped down her chin and he swiped it away with his thumb.
He managed to feed her like this until she'd had half a plumb, half a banana and half an orange. She'd refused to take anything that he didn't share. If he didn't bite, she wouldn't.
Her fingers had gone to her hair and he undid the bun, letting her choppy hair down. She'd tugged it for a while, until he'd taken her hands in his,
"Are you tired?"
She doesn't answer, but she doesn't fight him when he lays her down on the bed. When he turns to switch the light off, her cold hand grips his arm. He turns to her, wrapping a protective arm over her middle and after a few minutes of lying there, he watches her give in to sleep.
He doesn't move, not even an inch, for at least an hour before he turns the light off, immediately returning to her. If she needed to feel safe, then that's what his goal would be. She'd be safe with him.
He listens to her breathe for a while before he manages to get to sleep again.
A.N. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Marvel. Please review! Please remember that this doesn't follow canon at all, so some of the characters may behave a bit differently to what you are used to! If anyone wants to design me a cover, please feel free!