Thank you so much for your reactions and feedback from the last chapter. It really kept me happy! :-)
With the sound of the explosion still reverberating around the dilapidated house, which of the group survive and what else is discovered?
Hermione woke to the sound of rubble and dust settling and an unexplained heat lapping at her feet. She forced her eyes open with a groan and immediately pulled her legs away from the small fire still burning on what used to be the armchair she was sat in. There was a stinging in her leg and on her arm, but she otherwise felt okay. She pushed herself into a sitting position and reached for her wand.
"Augmenti…" A jet of water soon extinguished the fire, leaving behind a thick cloud of smoke. Hermione coughed once and tried her hardest to get her bearings.
"Hermione?"
She could hear Ron, but she couldn't see him from her position on the floor. With what seemed like a lot of energy, she carefully pulled herself onto her feet. She had blood staining her trousers, she thought she may have a cut and the right arm of her robe was singed which would explain the stinging she felt. She felt a surge of panic when she couldn't immediately see him.
"Ron?"
"I'm here…" A pile of rubble shifted and Hermione finally spotted him, lying under a chunk of what used to be the landing. "I can't move…"
She scrambled over to him and fell onto her knees, pushing the dust away from his face so she could see it properly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay… Harry – you alright mate?"
Hermione glanced over to where Harry was standing up, a rush of relief coursing through her body. They were both okay. She returned her gaze to Ron, her eyes wide and looking scared.
Ron was all too familiar with the signs of Hermione's impending panic attacks and although he was the one trapped, he found himself trying to calm her down. "I'm alright sweetheart, I promise… I'm just stuck." He tried to move again, but he felt the weight pinning him to the floor.
"It's just some rubble. I've tried to clear it but it's so heavy…" He could hear the scrambled sound of pieces of concrete rubbing against each other and Hermione groaning with effort but it was no good, the rubble was just too heavy for her.
"Use your magic, Hermione…" He sighed. She had never been good at keeping her cool once she got herself worked up. In any other situation, he would have teased her for her forgetfulness but now wasn't the time or place.
He didn't hear her mutter her charm but suddenly the weight was lifted from his body and he immediately found it easier to breathe.
"Stay still…" Hermione checked him over carefully and when she was satisfied he was okay, she helped him to sit up.
Ron closed his eyes again until the dizziness passed. He felt Hermione sit down next to him with a grunt. "Are you okay? You're not hurt?"
Hermione shook her head before realising his eyes were closed.
"I think I've got a cut on my leg and a burn on my arm and my head is a bit sore. I was thrown from the chair but I wasn't as close to the blast as you and Harry were."
Ron forced his eyes open again to survey the scene. A huge hole had been blasted through the side of the house where the staircase once stood. His ears rang as he watched Harry checking himself over.
"Where's Perch Harry?"
Harry frowned then lifted his lit wand higher. "By the staircase…" Harry started to climb over the remains of the brick wall which were now strewn across the room and threw himself at Perch's still body. He was silent as he concentrated on checking the Senior Auror's vitals. "I've found a pulse, but it's weak. There's a lot of blood and mess. I think he took the full brunt of the explosion. I need to get him to St. Mungo's…" Harry started tearing strips from the bottom of his robes to use as makeshift bandages to staunch the bleeding.
Ron nodded and quickly got to his feet, closing his eyes briefly as he immediately felt dizzy. He took a few deep breaths before climbing over the rubble to get to Harry, Hermione hot on his heels. The three of them worked quickly to prepare Perch's body for transfer.
The sound of muggle sirens started in the distance. Someone from the village must have heard the explosion and called for help. The trio knew they needed to act fast before the authorities turned up.
Hermione suddenly realised the four of them were alone. "Where's Quinn?"
Harry fastened Perch to the stretcher Hermione transfigured out of the rubble. He didn't lift his head from his work. "I saw a house-elf appear and take his hand just as the explosion went off. He must have used it to apparate out of here…" He started to levitate the stretcher. "I tried to grab his foot but he kicked me away before I could get a decent hold on him…"
It was only now that Hermione and Ron noticed that Harry's nose was bleeding and a bruise was starting to bloom under both eyes. By the looks of it, it was broken again. Hermione pointed her wand at him, planning to fix it for him but he pushed it away.
"I'll get it looked at when we get to St. Mungo's. We need to get out of here before the muggles show up…"
Ron surveyed the scene again as Harry and Hermione wasted time arguing over whether he should let her heal him. As he looked up, he noticed countless sets of eyes and ears peering over the side of the hole created by the explosion.
"Uh… guys…" He waited for his friends to turn and look at him before pointing up.
Hermione let out a loud gasp. "They're here!" She started to limp towards Ron, peering up at the elves. One by one, they started to reveal their faces, although they although seemed to be timid and shy. She couldn't even count how many there were as they all piled close together.
"'Mione…" Ron pulled at her good arm to bring her attention back to him. "We need to move."
Hermione tore her eyes away from the elves and looked at Ron. "Okay." She pushed her hair out of her face, a serious business-like look now on her face. "Harry if you take Perch to St. Mungo's then can you go to the Ministry and inform Robards and Kingsley of what happened. I think they'll at least have to send the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee along as well as more Aurors." She waited for Harry to nod his understanding before turning to Ron. "Can you go to Hogwarts and get Hagrid? I know he's still not finished setting up the sanctuary, but I don't see where else we can take them?"
Ron looked reluctant to leave her. "Are you going to be okay here alone?"
"Yes, yes…" She dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
He sighed and kissed her cheek before starting to clear a path through the rubble to help Harry get the stretcher outside. It would be safer than apparating directly from the dilapidated building.
Hermione stepped back into the view of the elves, debating how best to coerce them out of the cottage. Given she needed to work quickly, she decided she needed Betsy's help. The poor house-elf had not been allowed on the mission and was instead waiting back at the Ministry for news. Hermione only needed to say her name once before she appeared immediately.
"Miss Granger… wh… what happened?" The small elf looked overwhelmed at the state of the cottage.
"Betsy, thank you for coming so quickly. We've found the elves but we need to get them out of here before the muggle authorities get here. Can you speak to them?"
The house-elf nodded and looked up at the hole in the ceiling. She took a moment to someone her courage before speaking.
"Hello everyone…" Betsy tried to keep her voice steady, she was proud to be asked to do such an important job for Miss Granger. "My name is Betsy. You is now in a very dangerous situation and you must go with Miss Granger to be safe."
Betsy waited patiently, but none of the elves spoke up. She racked her brains for what she could say to persuade them they were safe, feeling the pressure from the sound of the sirens grown closer. "Me and Miss Granger are working for the Ministry of Magic and we is in charge of house-elf welfare. It is our jobs to make sure you are being safe and looked after. Your friend Charles sent us to you and if you are coming with us, we can find you safe homes…"
The sound of Charles' name stirred something in the elves and they started muttering between themselves. Eventually, an older looking elf apparated down to the room where Hermione and Betsy waited. As she did, a pile of rubble fell from where the staircase once stood.
"Miss Granger, Betsy. I am Heffle. Charles was my friend. The elves have decided to come with you to Hogwarts but we must be able to see Charles to know for sure he is safe."
Hermione nodded her agreement. "My friend has gone ahead to Hogwarts. He will ensure Charles is there to greet you…"
Heffle looked satisfied by her response and looked up at the other elves who were watching them with keen interest. "It is safe. We need to go to Hogwarts. We should do what she says…"
One by one, the elves started to apparate away with short pops. Hermione felt a huge weight fall off her shoulders as she followed Heffle and Betsy through the path Ron cleared. Once she was positive the house was empty, Hermione turned back towards it; using the last of her energy to place protective charms around the house, preventing Quinn from returning to it and stopping the muggles from interfering in the rubble before the Aurors could get to it. The approaching sirens would hopefully just drive straight past, forgetting why they were heading this way in the first place. She felt two small hands take hold of her and she let them apparate her to Hogwarts.
The castle grounds were a flurry of activity. Hermione leaned against a short wall near Hagrid's hut to catch her breath, watching as the half-giant led a small group of students towards the sanctuary. A tug at her hands reminded her that she was still with Heffle and Betsy. She kept hold of them tightly and let them lead her down to everyone else.
Ron was busy helping Madam Pomfrey set up small camp beds inside the sanctuary, but he abandoned his task as he spotted Hermione heading towards them. He pulled her into his arms as soon as she got to him, being careful with both of their injuries as he buried his head in her hair. "You're okay!"
Hermione nodded wearily against his chest. She allowed herself a minute to close her eyes. Now the adrenaline was starting to wear off, she was vaguely aware of how much everything hurt. "Have the elves started showing up?"
"Yeah… Hagrid just pulled the 7th year Care of Magical Creatures students out of their classes and they're starting to check them over. We should go to St. Mungo's…"
"Later…" Hermione reluctantly pulled out of his grip with a slight sigh and moved to help Hagrid. Ron watched her go with a frown, but he knew there'd be no use arguing with her while she had her mind set on helping everyone.
The rest of the day passed by in a blur of activity. Hermione and Ron worked with Hagrid, the 7th year students and Madam Pomfrey to work their way around the elves, getting them settled into their beds and checking over their ailments. At some point, Neville and Luna had joined them, but Hermione was so focused on getting the names of every elf and checking on their welfare personally that she didn't get a chance to greet them or thank them for coming to help.
Harry eventually came back from St. Mungo's, his nose fixed but with a grim look on his face. He spotted Ron getting himself a drink and wandered over to him.
"It's not looking great with Perch mate…" Harry sighed and helped himself to a drink. "His injuries are serious and they've already called his family in. They're trying to work out if they can magically reconstruct his leg because it was blown to bits. If he survives, the chances are he won't work again…"
Ron sighed heavily but didn't remove his eyes from Hermione. "Fuck! He was a grumpy bastard but a really good mentor. He was getting close to retirement too…"
Harry followed Ron's gaze and watched Hermione move around the sanctuary. "How's she doing?"
"She's running herself into the ground trying to be a fucking superhero…" Ron rolled his eyes and finally tore his gaze away from his girlfriend to look at Harry. "She needs to be checked over properly; her leg was bleeding and she's burnt her right arm so I had to force her to stand still to get some dittany on her. She won't stop until she's spoken to every one of those bloody house-elves personally, despite the army of helpers that have turned up…" He sighed and leaned against the table.
"Come on then…" Harry nudged Ron with his shoulder. "Let's go help out and then we can get you both to St. Mungo's to be checked over…" Harry shrugged off his robes and headed over to Hagrid to see where he could be useful.
The sun was setting over the castle as Hermione helped the last house-elf to bed. The sanctuary had been warmed for the night and a mixture of students and ministry workers were getting ready to take the night shift. Harry had already left to check on Perch, so Ron wandered over to Hermione slowly. Every part of his body ached and he was pretty sure he'd broken a couple of ribs.
Hermione looked up and gave him a weary smile. She finished her conversation with Hagrid and limped across to Ron. "I think I might stay here tonight, help Hagrid look after the elves. Did you know there's way more than the 19 I was expecting? My department head neglected to tell me that elves don't get added to the counter until they've matured and are starting working. Have you seen some of the babies? I've never seen a baby house-elf before, they're adorable!"
Ron watched her with his eyebrows raised, waiting for her to finish rambling; a sure-fire sign she was tired. "You're not staying here tonight 'Mione. We're done for the day. We are going to St. Mungo's to be checked over properly and then I'm taking you to Mum's for a proper meal. You look exhausted and I feel bloody exhausted. Those elves are in really good hands, there's literally nothing else you can do for them now…"
Hermione sighed, but she knew he was right. She was so tired; she could probably fall asleep where she was standing. This was one of the reasons why she needed Ron; she was very well known for running herself ragged with work, always trying to push herself and her limits in the pursuit of knowledge. Even back when she had the time turner, Ron had been one of the first to notice how exhausted she was, although he didn't exactly handle it properly. It was frustrating at times, but mostly because she always had to admit he was right, which often made him act like a smug prat.
"Fine…" She scowled up at him as he let out a soft chuckle.
"Come on. Do as you're told and I'll let you spend the night at mine!" He wrapped both arms around her, pressing a soft kiss against the top of her head apparating them both carefully to St. Mungo's.