A/N: This chapter is mostly centred on Harry, Hermione and the problems caused to the Mark III by Hermione's petrification. Originally planed to only be the first part of a larger chapter but I decided to make it its own chapter. So, this one is centred on the duo. Next up will be about the summer break and the Mark III, the first broom released to the public.

ALSO: I'm making 3D models of the Potter broomsticks as the story progress. On the AO3 version of the story, the animated GIFs of the models are included in the fic but since Fanfiction . net doesn't handle images, I had to do something different.

Here is the code for the imgur album. Just add /a/ to the adress of the main webside followed by this:

hAq3wvd

I would put the entire link if I could, but fanfiction . net is being stupid in regards to links.

Development of the Potter Mark III came to a sudden and abrupt halt in the month of May, the day of the Quidditch finale where Gryffindor was planned to oppose Ravenclaw. As the Gryffindor Quidditch team prepared themselves to take off and enter the pitch, they were interrupted by Professor McGonagall who walked on the ground of the pitch and announced that the match was cancelled, before ordering everyone to go back to their common rooms.

The announcement chilled Harry to the bone. He suddenly started fearing for Hermione's life. The last time he had seen her was when she ran toward the library. She had a clue on something and had run off before either Ron or himself could say anything. Harry had wanted to follow her but he had known he didn't have a lot of time to go to the pitch and change before the start of the game. So, reluctantly, he and Ron had continued onwards.

Now, there had clearly been an attack and, as far as Harry knew, Hermione was still in the castle. It was with a heavy heart that Harry silently followed Professor McGonagall. Ron joined them as they exited the pitch.

When they arrived, McGonagall warned them. "This will be a bit of a shock." with an emotional voice as she opened the doors of the infirmary. "There has been another attack... another double attack."

At that point, Harry knew Hermione had been petrified. Yet, it wasn't until he saw her laying on the bed utterly still, her eyes open and glassy, that it hit him.

"Hermione!" groaned Ron.

Harry looked at Hermione with shock. Trembling, he approached her bed. He felt as if he had failed her. Hermione had been petrified. He had known that it was dangerous to go alone but he had let her. Harry hadn't been able to keep her safe. Before he realised what he was doing, Harry let out a wail and cried for the first time since he was five-years-old.

"Hermione... no... please no..." he pleaded as he fell on his knees at her bedside. Harry took her cold hand and wept.

Harry had not been able to continue the development of the Mark III alone. The problem wasn't that he couldn't do it alone. The problem was that it kept reminding him of Hermione, which always made him feel like something was stuck in his throat.

Harry and Ron spent the next month in relative silence. Just like the rest of the castle, the two friends were tense. Without Hermione, it felt as if something was missing, as if their friendship was incomplete. When he and Ron were working on studying, they would often glance up to catch a glimpse of Hermione, before remembering she wasn't with them anymore. It hurt them a lot. More than once, Harry had to catch himself before he started crying again. He wasn't sure why his emotions were so volatile about Hermione, especially since he had years of experience hiding them while living at the Dursleys. He wasn't sure he cared about the reason either. He just missed Hermione.

Sometimes, Harry would think about that day when he had registered the Potter Broom Company. He had felt very comfortable sleeping in her lap. When he would go to sleep during that month, Harry more often than not thought about that afternoon before sleeping. Imagining Hermione reading a book while he was resting in her lap, her hand playing with his hair, relaxed him tremendously.

At least one good thing had come out of Hermione being petrified, if you could call it that. The students didn't believe he was the Heir of Slytherin anymore. All knew how close he was to Hermione and, apparently, word that he had broken down upon seeing the petrified Hermione had travelled through the student body. Harry didn't really know how that had happened but he guessed a student or two had been in the infirmary at the time, and had witnessed it.

During that month without Hermione, Harry went into a studying frenzy. With everyone being depressed and tense, with nobody laughing and seeking fun, it wasn't hard for Harry to just fall into the rabbit hole that was studying. He was far from the only one. Just like him, Ron had started becoming more studious. It was rare during that month to see Ron ask if someone wanted to play chess with him. He barely spoke about the Chudley Cannons. Everyone wanted to forget what had happen and move on... but they couldn't. Not while it was still happening.

Gilderoy Lockhart was the only cheerful person in the castle during that month, falsely believing that Hagrid had been the culprit. Since Hagrid had been arrested the same night Hermione had been petrified, the peacock had called it a day and said that everyone was safe again. A lot of students liked Hagrid and a lot more knew that the danger was not over so Lockhart's nonsense had made everyone loath him.

Harry had taken to helping Madam Hooch enchant PMK-2 Robin broomsticks every Saturday during that month, if only to occupy his mind. It had come at a surprise when Harry learned that Hooch was the one that was enchanting the new brooms.

"I was quite good in runes and charms when I was at Hogwarts." had said Hooch, correctly interpreting Harry's surprise.

On the last Saturday of May, Madam Hooch accompanied Harry toward her office. In a storeroom near it were all the broomsticks that had been enchanted by Hooch and Harry. The duo only had five more broomsticks to enchant before they would be done. As he began enchanting his first Robin of the day, Harry realised something.

"Madam Hooch?" asked Harry.

"What is it, Harry?" asked the flying instructor, not raising her head from the broomstick she was building.

"Where did you get the parts for the brooms?"

Hooch looked at Harry with a smile. "I'm guessing you are tired of enchanting Filch's old brooms?" Harry nodded. Hooch started explaining. "There are manufacturers that produce custom broom parts. Some sell their products in shops like Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley while others are only accessible on owl-order. The art of enchanting broomsticks never disappeared, even if it a lot rarer now that quick, fast and efficient brooms are produced by companies."

"Why doesn't everyone enchant their own broom, then?" asked Harry. "After all, Her-Hermione and I can do that." said Harry, stuttering a bit at Hermione's name. He had to swallow before he could speak again. "So why can't the others? It's not that hard, after all."

Madam Hooch sighed. "Harry, I am good in runes and charms. I earned an Outstanding in charms and Exceeded Expectations in runes when I took my N.E.W.T.s. I know my subject. Yet, even with everything I know, I probably wouldn't be able to produce something better than your Mark I by myself, even if I spent twice the time on it."

Harry's jaw dropped. "What? Why not? I mean, it's not that hard!"

"For you? Maybe not. But for others?" she said with a small shake of the head. "I suspect you might be a prodigy in the two subjects, maybe even a savant! For you, enchanting broomsticks might seem very simple and easy, but it isn't for others."

"What about Hermione, then?" he asked, having a hard time believing he was a prodigy in charms and runes.

"I think she might be the same as you. You said Hermione has as good of an understanding of the rune sequence as you, right?" she asked. Harry nodded. "Well, I have a hard time understanding it and I'm a full-grown woman who has graduated with N.E.W.T.s in the subjects. Now, imagine how the normal witch or wizard wanting a broomstick would do. Would they buy parts and enchant their own broom themselves, especially if they have a poor understanding of the subject? I mean, some people don't even take Runes in Hogwarts! Would they be able to make their own broom? Probably not. It's possible that they are simply too busy in their lives too. Maybe they have a time-consuming job or are raising children. It would not give them enough time to design a broom and enchant it. So, when they see a company like Cleensweep, Comet or Nimbus sell brooms that are better that what they could ever make by themselves... well, the decision is rather easy to make, isn't it?"

"I guess so." said Harry.

'So, there are people who sell broom parts? I will have to ask for a catalogue. I don't want to make flying broomsticks out of old brooms anymore.' thought Harry as he assembled the curved shaft to a broom head.

Hogwarts had chosen a rather simple but efficient and comfortable design for its brooms. Harry quite liked how the final brooms looked. It had a taken a lot of inspirations from the Nimbus 2001, as far as he could tell.

The shaft of the broom was shorter than usual and was raised in a curve, putting the handle of the broom closer to the rider. It was similar to the Nimbus 2001's shaft, except the curve on the Robin was a lot more pronounced. Both characteristics were made with eleven-years-old children in mind. The PMK-2 Robins built by Hooch and Harry also had a tripod attached to it, which offered a footrest for the students. The tail of the broom was also similar to the Nimbus broomsticks, as it was round and smooth.

As for the colours, the PMK-2 Robin had taken its inspiration from the English Robin. The small bird had given its colour palette after a suggestion by Professor McGonagall. In the end, the final broom had its broom head grey-Ish brown with hints of dark brown while the shaft was in two colours, divided upon its length. The side looking toward the sky was beige while the half facing the ground was orange. On the top of the handle was the number of the broom (the school brooms were numbered) and on the side was a simple, elegantly graved name: Robin.

Harry was quite proud of the finished product. He let out a sigh. If only Hermione could see it...

A bloodied and bruised Harry entered the infirmary, grinning like a lunatic. What a day it had been!

Earlier in the day, Harry and Ron had managed to visit Hermione for the first time since her petrification (Visitors had been barred from the Hospital Wing to protect the victims) and had discovered along the way what Hermione had found out a month earlier.

Hermione had somehow figured out that the monster was a Basilisk, a giant fifty to sixty feet long snake. With its long, poisonous fangs and its deadly stare, it was one of the deadliest monsters Harry had ever heard of. The fact that nobody had been killed was unimaginable. Yet, they had an incredible amount of luck during the whole tragedy.

As Harry and Ron arrived in the staff room, wanting to report Hermione's findings to the teachers, they learned that another attack had taken place. While they eavesdropped on the teachers, they heard, to their horror, that Ron's younger sister Ginny had been taken by the Heir of Slytherin to the Chamber of Secrets, which nobody except them knew where it could be.

In a last-ditch effort, Ron and Harry went to Lockhart, hoping to help him. They were shocked and angry when they realised he was trying to run away. Harry and Ron took out their wands and, after disarming the idiot, lead the very reluctant professor toward Myrtle's bathroom. There, Harry managed to find and open the entrance and pushed Lockhart down, before he and Ron quickly followed.

In the cave under the school, Lockhart tried to erase their memories, which literally backfired and caused a collapse of the ceiling, leaving Harry and Ron stranded on both sides. Harry went on forward while Ron tried to dig up an opening.

Then, Harry confronted the Heir of Slytherin in the Chamber, which he learned was Ginny all along! Of course, she hadn't done so willingly, being possessed by the spirit of the sixteen-years-old Tom Riddle, AKA Lord Voldemort. Harry and teenage Tom Riddle talked, menaced each other and Riddle released the Basilisk. Harry, after spending a few minutes not knowing what do to, managed to get hold of the Sword of Gryffindor and stabbed the Basilisk in the head through the mouth. Unfortunately, Harry was stabbed by one the fangs along the way and Harry could do nothing but wait as death slowly took him away.

Of course, it didn't go down that way as Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, managed to heal Harry with his tears before giving the diary to Harry. Without a second though, Harry had stabbed it with the fang, eliminating the treat of Tom Riddle and freeing Ginny of its influence. Ginny had woken up and she and Harry left the Chamber with Fawkes, the Sorting Hat and a bright, silver sword in hand.

Reuniting with a cheering Ron, the trio (and Lockhart) made their way toward Professor McGonagall's office, where they met the Deputy-Headmistress, the Headmaster and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They told them the whole story before the Weasleys took Ginny and Lockhart to the Hospital Wing, which is where Harry was currently. Of course, more had happened after that but it's not like it's important in a story about flying broomsticks.

Harry didn't care much for the sight he gave to others when he barged in. Harry was still bloodied and bruised. There were even some spots of black ink on his hands.

As he entered the Hospital Wing, Harry noticed that he had never seen the room so busied. On his left were the Weasley family which were surrounding a single bed with Ginny laying in it. She was sleeping, with her family looking at her. A few empty potions vials were sitting on the night stand. From what he could tell, Ginny had been given a few potions, including a Dreamless Sleep Potion.

On the other end of the Wing were the victims of the Basilisk. Unlike when he and Ron had come earlier, the curtains around the beds had been removed. Harry could already see that Colin Creevey and Justin Flinch-Fletchley were awake, with Professor McGonagall talking to them. Madam Pomfrey was currently trying to figure out how to use a Restorative Draught on Sir Nicholas' ghost. Shrugging to herself, she moved toward Penelope Clearwater.

Still grinning, Harry walked toward Hermione and took her cold hand in his'. "We did it, Hermione." he whispered. "The Basilisk is dead and the Heir of Slytherin is no more. Everyone is safe, again." From the corner of his eye, Harry noticed someone approach him. He looked up. It was Justin.

"Harry..." he started. "Professor McGonagall just told me what happened and... I want to apologise for my behaviour earlier this year, when I believed you were the Heir of Slytherin." said Justin, lowering his head.

Harry was too happy about the imminent return of Hermione to hold any kind of grudge, so he answered "Apologies accepted, Justin. I can't really blame people for believing I was the Heir, even if it frustrated me."

"Thank you." said Justin, giving a small bow. Harry nodded back as Justin walked toward the exit. The next person to approach was Colin Creevey who looked more excited than ever. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or groan.

"Harry! Harry! Is that true!? Did you really defeat the Heir of Slytherin and his monster!? I really wish I had been able to take a photo of the monster!" asked Colin really fast.

Harry let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, it's true, as you can see." he said, indicating his body. "I really need to take a shower." he muttered to himself.

"That's so cool!" said Colin. "How did you do it?"

"What about I tell you another time?" he suggested. "It's a long story and Hermione should wake up soon."

"Of course! You can tell me whenever you like!" said Colin before he skipped toward the exit.

Harry rolled his eyes as Madam Pomfrey approached them. Harry turned toward the Weasleys and yelled "RON! HERMIONE IS ABOUT TO WAKE UP!"

"I'M COMING!" yelled Ron back as he raised from his chair.

"Honestly!" huffed Madam Pomfrey as Ron joined them. "Can you not yell inside my wing, please?" Harry and Ron grinned sheepishly. The matron sighed. "No matters, it shouldn't take too long."

Madam Pomfrey took a vial to Hermione's half open mouth and slowly dripped it in. Harry, who was still holding one of Hermione's hands, started feeling warmth. He could begin to feel Hermione's heartbeat again. Her hand that had been pointing toward the ceiling, the one which had the mirror in it, began dropping. Hermione blinked once or twice before he took a big gasp of fresh air.

"Miss Granger? Can you hear me?" asked Madam Pomfrey. Suddenly, raised very quickly, looking panicked. When she saw Harry, she began talking very quickly with a terrified voice.

"Harry!" she said, poncing on him and taking him in her arms. "The monster is a Basilisk! We have to tell Dumbledore!"

"Calm down, Hermione!" said Harry with a grin. Looking at her, he said "You are a bit behind times. The Basilisk is dead and the Heir of Slytherin is gone."

"Gone...?" she whispered.

"Harry killed the Basilisk by himself! He got bitten along the way, thought." said Ron, grinning proudly. Harry mentally groaned and gave a glare to Ron. It was a good thing Ron had no idea what he had just done.

"WHAT!?" shrieked Hermione. "Where!?" she asked to Harry.

"Hermione... I'm fine..." he began.

"Where!?" she repeated. Harry sighed and rolled his sleeve on his left arm, revealing the scar the puncture from the fang had left. The scar had a slight tinge of black, just enough to make it stand out.

Upon seeing the scar, Hermione let out a wail and began sobbing. Harry took his arms around Hermione and held onto her tightly. Thankfully, it seemed that Ron had understood that they needed a moment together and had gone back to his family.

After a few minutes of holding Hermione, something he had dearly missed the previous month, Harry heard her whisper "How?"

"How I got bitten or how I got healed?" he asked back softly.

"Both." she whispered near his ear. It sent shivers down his spine.

"I got bitten when I stabbed the Basilisk with a sword up its mouth. I got healed when Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, cried on my wounds." he answered.

"I will have to thank Fawkes for bringing you back to me." she said. "We could name the Mark III after him." she said with a giggle. "It must be near completion by now, right?"

"Huh... right." said Harry sheepishly.

Hermione drew back to look at him in the eyes. "You didn't continue?" she asked. He shook his head. "Why not?" Harry looked down. "Harry... please." she said softly.

Harry looked back up. His eyes were moist. His face broke Hermione's heart. "It reminded me too much of you." he answered. "It made me miserable."

"Oh, Harry." she said as she began hugging him again. This time, it was Harry's turn to cry.

"I missed you... so much." he said, his head in her shoulder.

"Shh." said Hermione, rubbing his back. "I'm here, Harry. "We're together again."

And the newly un-petrified Hermione held Harry as he cried a month worth of bad emotions in her shoulder. They did not talk again about the development of the Mark III, not until the next day.

Harry and Hermione were sitting under a tree near the Black Lake. Ron was not far away, standing on the shore and skipping rocks on the surface of the water. Hermione was, as usual for her, reading a book. Harry had his eyes closed as he was laying back on the trunk of the tree, simply enjoying Hermione's presence.

"Harry?" she suddenly asked, looking up from her book, not that Harry saw it.

"Hmm?" he let out.

"Where did the development of the Mark III stop?"

Harry let out a sigh. "It's exactly like it was the last time you worked on it, Hermione. Like I said yesterday, I just wasn't able to continue by myself without you. I mean, I could technically have done it but I wasn't in the right state of mind."

"I understand, Harry." said Hermione softly. The two friends stayed in a comfortable silence for the next few minutes. Harry almost began dozing off to the sound of the chirping birds and the skipping rocks when Hermione spoke again. "Maybe... maybe we could just stop the development of the Mark III where it is and call it a day."

Harry opened his eyes and looked at her with his eyebrows raised. So, Hermione explained herself. "After all, we already accomplished the objectives we had targeted for the Mark III..."

"We didn't get a top speed faster than 100km/h." said Harry.

"I did a few calculations before I was petrified and I discovered that the broom could potentially do more than 90km/h. I know it's not technically past the objective but its close enough, no?"

"I guess."

"And we did improve the handling of the broom too. Really, I think the Mark III is at a stage where we accomplished the goal of making a broomstick perfect for unexperienced flyers or for those who want to play a game of backyard Quidditch, no?"

Harry looked at Hermione and smiled. "You're right, as always." he said. Hermione's cheek turned pink. "I think you're right. The broom doesn't have to be perfect. We can always add the improvements later on the Mark IV."

"That's right." smiled Hermione. "So, we end the development of the Mark III?"

"Yep." grinned Harry. "Now, we just need a name."

"How about the Pheonix?" suggested Hermione.

"No..." said Harry. "I already thought about a name before your petrification and I want to keep the name Pheonix for a future broom. It just doesn't seem right to name a half-completed broom after Fawkes... not after he saved my life."

"What is your idea, then?"

"What about the PMK-3 Ravenstar?" suggested Harry. "At first I had thought about simply 'Raven' to continue with the avian theme but it felt too plain so I added 'star' at the end." he explained.

"The PMK-3 Ravenstar... I like it." said Hermione.

"So, we go with that name, then?" asked Harry.

"Why not." grinned Hermione.

"The PMK-3 Ravenstar it is, then." said Harry, grinning too.

A/N: I know I said that this was a light-hearted fic, and it will be, but I don't want Harry and Hermione's relationship too be too much in the background. It's not the main point of the story but it's not in the background either. With Harry and Hermione already developing feelings for each other, I couldn't just skip over her petrification quickly, especially since it affected the development of the Ravenstar. Next chapter should be more similar to Chapter 2 than the other ones. ;)

EDIT: Forgot to mention something. The PMK-3 Ravenstar is named in honour of the XR2 Ravenstar, a fictional spaceship created by modders for the Orbiter Space Flight Simulator (2006, 2010 and 2016).