Harry sat sobbing in the waiting room of St. Mungo's, Molly's arm around his shoulders, when Hermione walked in.
She looked at Arthur, who was watching them helplessly. "What do they know?"
"They caught it before it burrowed into her system permanently. Experimental surgery." Arthur's voice sounded hollow.
"I know it's not the right time to bring it up, but I'm guessing the tests they did on Harry came up negative?" Hermione hazarded.
Harry barked out a laugh and sniffled. "The curse fractured and I shot it straight into her. I am so stupid."
"Oh, for pity's sake Harry, stop it!" Hermione ordered him as she ignored his words and transfigured a magazine into a box of tissues. "No one could have known! Not even the best wizards and witches of our time knew what was going on! They knew there was a scrap, but how were they to know it was transferrable?"
"I should never have touched her." Harry's face began to screw up again. "Never gone near her. I am so stupid."
"Will you stop saying that? What if someone comes out here with important information and you're falling to pieces? She is your wife. She needs you. Stop it!" Hermione looked furious with him. "And where's Ron?"
"He's handling the media. Doing a crack job of it, too." Arthur smiled as he sighed.
"Good." Hermione said.
"You know how much he's rubbing off on you, don't you?" Harry smirked at Hermione as he blew his nose. For the first time she could truly see his eyes and she breathed in as the brilliant green she was used to looked at her behind fogged frames.
"Harry, your eyes—"
"I know."
0
"How long did they say she'd be out for?" Neville pushed aside a pile of letters so Hermione could set down takeout containers. The letters were still coming into Grimmauld Place, but Ron had been working hard on press releases, so Harry didn't have to keep stating the same things over and over. Most of the letters were tied into neat bundles according to subject.
"A couple days." Hermione shrugged. "Maybe more. How long until the Ministry lets Ron go?"
"About an hour." Neville grinned. "That reporter should never have accused Ron of the Weasleys using their daughter to get closer to Harry."
"I didn't think he had it in him." Hermione chuckled.
"I'm sure the reporters' jaw is fine. They took him straight to the hospital." Neville shrugged as he peered in a box. "At least Harry's better. Wonky possessions gone wrong can be a lot worse. Some bloke took out a whole building in the 1700's. Twelve families."
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked.
"My long-ago grandfather had a brother charged with hunting him down after he fled. Kept a journal." Neville pulled out something crispy and nibbled on it. "Is this cod? Anyway, there's already precedent in the Ministry for this. He has a restriction spell cast on his wand and a charmed chain to wear around his neck so they can track him."
"I thought it would be so much worse." Hermione let out her breath.
"Harry's a victim in this as well." Neville pointed out. "His whole thought process wha-whosit was hijacked."
"Ooh, so technical." Hermione teased.
"Well, anyway, it falls under the same laws as people under the influence of Imperius. He's not going to Azkaban." He shrugged.
"Oh, the papers are going to love that," Hermione said, her voice dripping with acid.
"They can love it all they want." Neville snorted. "It's the truth and it's not going to change because someone wants a scandal that isn't there."
"Looks like Ron's rubbing off on you." Hermione grinned.
Neville laughed. "Seems like there's an awful lot of rubbing off going on!"
Hermione burst out laughing as green flames leapt up in the fireplace. Ron walked through and his eyes fell on the food.
"Go ahead." Hermione sighed. "You haven't eaten in, what? A couple of hours? You're probably wasting away."
"You shut it," Ron said grumpily, but he began picking at the containers.
"What's with you?" Neville asked.
"They hit me with a huge fine and some of the reporters got pictures," Ron said grumpily.
"Good." Hermione said firmly, to everyone's surprise. "Now you know what it's like to be famous. Not all it's cut out to be, is it?"
Ron scowled at her but said nothing. He knew she was still sore about that tiny Easter egg from his mum. "Is there any news about Ginny?"
"She's still out," Hermione said wearily.
"She should be coming around by now, shouldn't she?" Neville asked.
"Oh, probably," Ron said as he peered into the crisp bag. "I'm sure they'll let us know what's going on."
0
Hermione tiptoed into the bedroom she shared with the other girls in Russia, but a curtain was pulled back and the room was flooded with light.
"Good grief, Luna!" Hermione spluttered as she staggered. "What are you doing in there?"
"Working on a permanent light spell." The light faded and Luna lifted the dark goggles from her eyes. "Thought I'd have a fancy necklace, too."
Hermione giggled and there was a groan from one of the other beds. "Is he sleeping in here?"
"He was waiting for you and reading, but he started snoring like an air raid siren about an hour ago." Luna admitted.
"I heard that," a sluggish voice called out. Another curtain was pulled to the side and Hermione saw her sleepy husband.
"Sleeping in the same room as a student?" Hermione said in mock horror. "The scandal."
"We have a guard in the room and I'm officially under the care of the Amazons now." Luna pointed out. "Father nearly fainted. Even he didn't think they were real."
"Ginny came around, but something's not right. She's a lot weaker than she should be." Hermione screwed up her face.
"You can't expect things to go according to plan." Severus yawned. "For now, be happy. She's alive."
A chill went down Hermione's spine, as if someone had walked over her grave.
'Be happy' for now, or 'she's alive' for now?