Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling.
CHAPTER XIV: SHOCKING NEWS
"How could you not tell me they weren't dead but missing?" Hermione fumed, glaring at Professor Dumbledore and pounding her fist on his desk.
"Hermione, please calm down," Sirius soothed gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. She whipped away from Dumbledore and stared at him disbelievingly.
"Calm down? Calm down?" she repeated angrily. "How can you expect me to calm down when you never told me about this?"
"Hermione, we wanted to tell you but we just couldn't," Mrs. Weasley responded from the chair, clutching tightly onto her husband's arm.
"Why couldn't you tell me? Don't you think I'm capable of hearing such news?" Hermione replied stiffly.
"Hermione please," Ginny pleaded softly.
"And you," Hermione remarked bitterly, turning on her. "Did you know about this?" she inquired, her cinnamon eyes flashing dangerously.
Ginny opened her mouth to answer, but she cut her off. "Did you know about this?" she repeated. She hung her head and gave a small nod.
Hermione stared at her in shock. "I don't believe this," she stated, throwing her hands up in the air. "Of all people, I expected you, Ginny, to tell-"
"Hermione, don't yell at Ginny. We were the ones who stopped her from telling you," Bill interrupted from the sofa he was sharing with his pregnant wife, Fleur.
"And Hermione, take a seat now," Hagrid commanded, gripping her firmly by the arm and pushing her onto a chair directly in front of Dumbledore, who throughout this moment had remained quiet. She seemed to be taking deep breaths in order to calm herself down. Everyone was silent as she continued to act this way, until finally she questioned through a forcefully calm tone, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Dumbledore sighed heavily and placed his gnarled hand over hers and looked directly into her eyes. "Ms. Granger do you have any idea what it would have been like if we had told you about this?"
In a deathly voice she replied, "At least my children would have a hope that their father was still alive and not dead like they think he is."
"A false hope," he reminded her gently.
"It would have been a hope, nonetheless," she retorted firmly. Everyone in the room was silent as Hermione gave them all a stony glare. When no one spoke up, she realized she'd had enough.
"Look, I don't have time for this," Hermione remarked, getting up from her chair. She turned to Sirius, who was eyeing her cautiously as if she would explode any minute from anger and frustration. "Where are they?" she questioned sharply.
"At St. Mungo's Hospital, Room 21," Sirius answered.
"Then that's where I'm going," Hermione declared.
"Oh no, you don't," Percy announced, leaving his wife, Penelope's side and gripping Hermione firmly by the arm. "We're all going," he reassured her gently.
She nodded her head and the next minute all the people in Dumbledore's office had apparated to St. Mungo's Hospital. But she was utterly shocked to see a very unexpected guest to be waiting for them to arrive. It was none another than Draco Malfoy.
"You!" Hermione exclaimed at him. She pointed her wand at him threateningly. "What are you doing here?" she spat bitterly.
"Shut it Granger. Meeting Potty and Weasel would be the last thing I would want to do during my free time," Malfoy shot back, equally roused up as his rival.
"Watch your mouth, Malfoy," Charlie warned him, his eyes narrowed. "Just because you found them does not give you the right to insult them."
"He found them," Hermione sputtered, completely shocked. Of all people, she had never suspected Draco Malfoy to find her best friends and then bring them to the hospital. But, she didn't have a long time to throw abuses at him, because he became engulfed with a Ministry official.
"C'mon," Fred instructed in her ear, gripping her by the elbow and steering her into the hospital room.
The first person Hermione saw was… "Ron," she gasped, rushing to his side. He was lying motionless on the bed, his eyes closed, his arms hanging limply at his side. His red hair was unusually long and extremely disheveled and his freckles were apparent more than ever. But, along with the physical looks she knew belonged to him, Ron now had numerous scars over his face and body.
"Oh Ron," she whispered softly, grasping his hand tightly with his and lightly tracing a finger across the deep scar which had grazed his cheekbone. He looked much older than the last time she had seen him, but he would always be the same Ron she had met on the train twelve years ago and was the father to her children. All the other Weasleys gathered around him, Mrs. Weasley clutching onto her husband's shoulder and sobbing into his chest.
Tearing her gaze from his face, Hermione's eyes wandered towards the other side of the room where Ginny was hovering over a raven-haired boy; it was Harry. She took in his appearance and he was equally injured as Ron was. Sirius's face had turned deathly pale and Dumbledore's blue eyes refused to twinkle in such predicaments. Ginny gingerly lifted her head from Harry's chest and her eyes met her's. They were both thinking the same thing; "When would the boys they loved ever wake up?"
Blinking back the tears that she was sure would fall any minute if she didn't act quickly; she rested her head onto Ron's hand and silently cried herself to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~************************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione awoke a few hours later to the sound of blurred voices. Not lifting her head from the bed, she caught bits and pieces of the conversation around her; words such as, "Potter, Weasley, Dark Lord, Five Years, so young, kids...
"Kids," Hermione blurted out, raising her head and looking around her wildly.
"My kids," she stammered weakly, glancing hurriedly at her watch. "I have to pick up my kids."
"Hermione relax," Mr. Weasley soothed her gently. "Hagrid's gone to pick them up from their friends' house."
"Thank Heavens," she sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair, but not releasing her hold on Ron.
"Hermione, if you're going to meet your kids, I would think it would be best if you washed your face," Mrs. Weasley advised her kindly.
Hermione managed a feeble smile and reluctantly headed for the hospital bathroom. Staring into the mirror she was surprised to see a girl who she barely recognized. Her usually combed hair was sticking up in all ends, her dark brown eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were streaked with dried tears.
She threw some cold water on her face and searched her purse for a comb, but was met with no avail. She then realized that she didn't need a brush, she had something better than that; a wand. She muttered a quick charm and her hair fell around her in curls. When she thought she was ready, she started to walk back to the boys' room. Waiting for her there were her two children.
"Mommy," they cried in unison and rushed towards her.
"Hey kids," she replied happily, bending down and gathering them into her arms.
"What are you doing here?" Kelly inquired inquisitively.
"Honey, listen to me. Hagrid's going to take you over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. You two will be staying with them for a couple of days," Hermione informed her daughter.
"Why Mommy?" Jason asked, staring at her thoughtfully with round eyes.
Hermione sighed and absentmindedly ran her hand through his wavy hair. "I'm meeting some old friends of mine in the hospital and I really don't want to leave them, darling."
Her children were quiet for a moment as they digested this news. Giving another deep sigh, she gave them both a kiss on their cheeks and murmured, "I love you both very much."
She turned to face Hagrid. "Hagrid take them to my parents' house and explain to them what happened," she instructed an equally exhausted Hagrid. He nodded his head weakly and scooped the two kids into his large arms.
"Bye Mum," Kelly stated rather uncertainly. Hermione waited for Jason to say goodbye too, but he merely shook his head and they apparated.
Hermione stood rooted in her spot for a while before returning back inside the room Harry and Ron were sharing. Ginny was constantly muttering small words to Harry, even though he wouldn't be able to respond back. She approached Ron, who was surrounded by all the Weasley brothers, their faces deathly pale and extremely anxious. The nurse was busy changing his oxygen tank, while the doctor resumed checking his pulse. Preoccupied with so many thoughts, she started to trail her nails down his cheek.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Dr. Murdock advised from the other side of the bed. She stared at him blankly. He pointed at her finger, which was resting against his cheek. "Don't do that. It would startle him to have someone touching him, especially if he's in a coma," he explained gently.
She reluctantly pulled her hand away and sat in the vacant seat next to George. He wrapped his arm around his shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze, reminding her that she wasn't going to be facing this alone. She leaned against his shoulder and grasped her other hand with Ron's, which was extremely cold. Meanwhile, Percy and Bill were engaged in a deep conversation.
"Have the media found out about this?" Percy asked his elder brother. Bill shook his head.
"Not yet. Fudge's advised them to stay away for now, but it's only a matter of time before some stupid bloke will break the news to the press."
"How were they found?" Percy queried. Bill shrugged. "I don't know. You're going to have to ask the doc since he was the only one who talked to Malfoy, that git."
Percy repeated the question to Dr. Murdock. He heaved a deep breath and took his glasses off his nose and wiped them with his white coat. Replacing them back onto his face he replied, "Mr. Malfoy found them in the Shrieking Shack. You see, the Ministry was planning on tearing it down, but when they went inside they found these two-" he broke off and nodded in the duo's direction.
He continued, "Mr. Malfoy found these two boys lying unconscious on the floor. His immediate reaction was checking if they were alive. Once he found their pulse, he called for the paramedics." He shook his head. "It took a number of five men to pull Mr. Weasley away from Mr. Potter, since he was holding onto his hand so tightly. I was surprised his arm didn't pull off when they dragged him away."
"Were they holding anything?" Fred prompted curiously. Dr. Murdock was thoughtful for a moment before he remembered. "Mr. Potter was holding his wand in his free hand and in Mr. Weasley's hand, the authorities found-" he paused and rummaged in his pocket. "They found this," he stated holding forward a golden compass.
***
CHAPTER XIV: SHOCKING NEWS
"How could you not tell me they weren't dead but missing?" Hermione fumed, glaring at Professor Dumbledore and pounding her fist on his desk.
"Hermione, please calm down," Sirius soothed gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. She whipped away from Dumbledore and stared at him disbelievingly.
"Calm down? Calm down?" she repeated angrily. "How can you expect me to calm down when you never told me about this?"
"Hermione, we wanted to tell you but we just couldn't," Mrs. Weasley responded from the chair, clutching tightly onto her husband's arm.
"Why couldn't you tell me? Don't you think I'm capable of hearing such news?" Hermione replied stiffly.
"Hermione please," Ginny pleaded softly.
"And you," Hermione remarked bitterly, turning on her. "Did you know about this?" she inquired, her cinnamon eyes flashing dangerously.
Ginny opened her mouth to answer, but she cut her off. "Did you know about this?" she repeated. She hung her head and gave a small nod.
Hermione stared at her in shock. "I don't believe this," she stated, throwing her hands up in the air. "Of all people, I expected you, Ginny, to tell-"
"Hermione, don't yell at Ginny. We were the ones who stopped her from telling you," Bill interrupted from the sofa he was sharing with his pregnant wife, Fleur.
"And Hermione, take a seat now," Hagrid commanded, gripping her firmly by the arm and pushing her onto a chair directly in front of Dumbledore, who throughout this moment had remained quiet. She seemed to be taking deep breaths in order to calm herself down. Everyone was silent as she continued to act this way, until finally she questioned through a forcefully calm tone, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Dumbledore sighed heavily and placed his gnarled hand over hers and looked directly into her eyes. "Ms. Granger do you have any idea what it would have been like if we had told you about this?"
In a deathly voice she replied, "At least my children would have a hope that their father was still alive and not dead like they think he is."
"A false hope," he reminded her gently.
"It would have been a hope, nonetheless," she retorted firmly. Everyone in the room was silent as Hermione gave them all a stony glare. When no one spoke up, she realized she'd had enough.
"Look, I don't have time for this," Hermione remarked, getting up from her chair. She turned to Sirius, who was eyeing her cautiously as if she would explode any minute from anger and frustration. "Where are they?" she questioned sharply.
"At St. Mungo's Hospital, Room 21," Sirius answered.
"Then that's where I'm going," Hermione declared.
"Oh no, you don't," Percy announced, leaving his wife, Penelope's side and gripping Hermione firmly by the arm. "We're all going," he reassured her gently.
She nodded her head and the next minute all the people in Dumbledore's office had apparated to St. Mungo's Hospital. But she was utterly shocked to see a very unexpected guest to be waiting for them to arrive. It was none another than Draco Malfoy.
"You!" Hermione exclaimed at him. She pointed her wand at him threateningly. "What are you doing here?" she spat bitterly.
"Shut it Granger. Meeting Potty and Weasel would be the last thing I would want to do during my free time," Malfoy shot back, equally roused up as his rival.
"Watch your mouth, Malfoy," Charlie warned him, his eyes narrowed. "Just because you found them does not give you the right to insult them."
"He found them," Hermione sputtered, completely shocked. Of all people, she had never suspected Draco Malfoy to find her best friends and then bring them to the hospital. But, she didn't have a long time to throw abuses at him, because he became engulfed with a Ministry official.
"C'mon," Fred instructed in her ear, gripping her by the elbow and steering her into the hospital room.
The first person Hermione saw was… "Ron," she gasped, rushing to his side. He was lying motionless on the bed, his eyes closed, his arms hanging limply at his side. His red hair was unusually long and extremely disheveled and his freckles were apparent more than ever. But, along with the physical looks she knew belonged to him, Ron now had numerous scars over his face and body.
"Oh Ron," she whispered softly, grasping his hand tightly with his and lightly tracing a finger across the deep scar which had grazed his cheekbone. He looked much older than the last time she had seen him, but he would always be the same Ron she had met on the train twelve years ago and was the father to her children. All the other Weasleys gathered around him, Mrs. Weasley clutching onto her husband's shoulder and sobbing into his chest.
Tearing her gaze from his face, Hermione's eyes wandered towards the other side of the room where Ginny was hovering over a raven-haired boy; it was Harry. She took in his appearance and he was equally injured as Ron was. Sirius's face had turned deathly pale and Dumbledore's blue eyes refused to twinkle in such predicaments. Ginny gingerly lifted her head from Harry's chest and her eyes met her's. They were both thinking the same thing; "When would the boys they loved ever wake up?"
Blinking back the tears that she was sure would fall any minute if she didn't act quickly; she rested her head onto Ron's hand and silently cried herself to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~************************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione awoke a few hours later to the sound of blurred voices. Not lifting her head from the bed, she caught bits and pieces of the conversation around her; words such as, "Potter, Weasley, Dark Lord, Five Years, so young, kids...
"Kids," Hermione blurted out, raising her head and looking around her wildly.
"My kids," she stammered weakly, glancing hurriedly at her watch. "I have to pick up my kids."
"Hermione relax," Mr. Weasley soothed her gently. "Hagrid's gone to pick them up from their friends' house."
"Thank Heavens," she sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair, but not releasing her hold on Ron.
"Hermione, if you're going to meet your kids, I would think it would be best if you washed your face," Mrs. Weasley advised her kindly.
Hermione managed a feeble smile and reluctantly headed for the hospital bathroom. Staring into the mirror she was surprised to see a girl who she barely recognized. Her usually combed hair was sticking up in all ends, her dark brown eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were streaked with dried tears.
She threw some cold water on her face and searched her purse for a comb, but was met with no avail. She then realized that she didn't need a brush, she had something better than that; a wand. She muttered a quick charm and her hair fell around her in curls. When she thought she was ready, she started to walk back to the boys' room. Waiting for her there were her two children.
"Mommy," they cried in unison and rushed towards her.
"Hey kids," she replied happily, bending down and gathering them into her arms.
"What are you doing here?" Kelly inquired inquisitively.
"Honey, listen to me. Hagrid's going to take you over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. You two will be staying with them for a couple of days," Hermione informed her daughter.
"Why Mommy?" Jason asked, staring at her thoughtfully with round eyes.
Hermione sighed and absentmindedly ran her hand through his wavy hair. "I'm meeting some old friends of mine in the hospital and I really don't want to leave them, darling."
Her children were quiet for a moment as they digested this news. Giving another deep sigh, she gave them both a kiss on their cheeks and murmured, "I love you both very much."
She turned to face Hagrid. "Hagrid take them to my parents' house and explain to them what happened," she instructed an equally exhausted Hagrid. He nodded his head weakly and scooped the two kids into his large arms.
"Bye Mum," Kelly stated rather uncertainly. Hermione waited for Jason to say goodbye too, but he merely shook his head and they apparated.
Hermione stood rooted in her spot for a while before returning back inside the room Harry and Ron were sharing. Ginny was constantly muttering small words to Harry, even though he wouldn't be able to respond back. She approached Ron, who was surrounded by all the Weasley brothers, their faces deathly pale and extremely anxious. The nurse was busy changing his oxygen tank, while the doctor resumed checking his pulse. Preoccupied with so many thoughts, she started to trail her nails down his cheek.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Dr. Murdock advised from the other side of the bed. She stared at him blankly. He pointed at her finger, which was resting against his cheek. "Don't do that. It would startle him to have someone touching him, especially if he's in a coma," he explained gently.
She reluctantly pulled her hand away and sat in the vacant seat next to George. He wrapped his arm around his shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze, reminding her that she wasn't going to be facing this alone. She leaned against his shoulder and grasped her other hand with Ron's, which was extremely cold. Meanwhile, Percy and Bill were engaged in a deep conversation.
"Have the media found out about this?" Percy asked his elder brother. Bill shook his head.
"Not yet. Fudge's advised them to stay away for now, but it's only a matter of time before some stupid bloke will break the news to the press."
"How were they found?" Percy queried. Bill shrugged. "I don't know. You're going to have to ask the doc since he was the only one who talked to Malfoy, that git."
Percy repeated the question to Dr. Murdock. He heaved a deep breath and took his glasses off his nose and wiped them with his white coat. Replacing them back onto his face he replied, "Mr. Malfoy found them in the Shrieking Shack. You see, the Ministry was planning on tearing it down, but when they went inside they found these two-" he broke off and nodded in the duo's direction.
He continued, "Mr. Malfoy found these two boys lying unconscious on the floor. His immediate reaction was checking if they were alive. Once he found their pulse, he called for the paramedics." He shook his head. "It took a number of five men to pull Mr. Weasley away from Mr. Potter, since he was holding onto his hand so tightly. I was surprised his arm didn't pull off when they dragged him away."
"Were they holding anything?" Fred prompted curiously. Dr. Murdock was thoughtful for a moment before he remembered. "Mr. Potter was holding his wand in his free hand and in Mr. Weasley's hand, the authorities found-" he paused and rummaged in his pocket. "They found this," he stated holding forward a golden compass.
***