Hermione was unable to move as she stood, staring at the destruction of the orphanage. Harry took her hand and led her towards a group of Wizards and Witches standing around a small child. Hermione felt like she would faint when she saw the little girl lying on the grass, her right leg and left arm in casts, a bleeding cut across her forehead, and a gash on her stomach, which the wizards were trying to close. Once her stomach was closed up and the blood was cleaned away, Hermione took a step closer, and realized who the small child was.
"Harry, it's Sarah," Hermione said barley above a whisper.
The Wizards and Witches had moved along to another child, leaving a stern looking lady to bandage her head. Sarah was crying. The lady helped her sit up on the grass, and moved over to another child with a larger injury then little Sarah.
"Hermione!" Sarah cried, noticing Hermione standing in front of her.
Hermione went to the little girl's side, kneeling on the ground next to her. Harry stood over Hermione watching as she took the little girl's hand. Sarah began to cry harder as Hermione pulled her into a hug, whispering comforting words to the small child.
"I was so scared, and now I hurt," Sarah said when she had calmed down.
"It's ok. It's all over now," Hermione said trying to keep her voice calm.
"A man tried to grab me, but then a dresser fell on top of me, and there was fire. I cried, and a nice man found me and laid me down on the grass," Sarah said, wiping her eyes with her little hands.
"Don't worry, Sarah. Those men won't come after you again. Now just sit tight for a minute okay?" Hermione said, standing up. The little girl nodded her head in answer.
Hermione stood up and faced Harry, Draco, and Ron who had now joined them. Draco looked from Sarah, to Hermione to Harry. Ron looked at the small child, then back to Hermione and back to the child once again.
"Is that Marist's kid?" Draco asked.
Hermione nodded.
"What happened?" Draco asked.
"Some Death Eaters tried to take her, then a dresser fell on top of her. Some man saved her from the burning building and put her down on the grass. She's in terrible pain and can't seem to stop crying," Hermione explained.
"Poor thing, she's got one of the worst injuries. Most of the kids with the bad injuries had parents who were Death Eater's," Draco replied.
"But why would Death Eaters want to harm former Death Eaters' children?" Hermione asked.
"Because these kids parents were either given the Dementor's kiss, or their parents decided to leave the Dark Lord, but he killed them instead," Draco replied.
"Harry, can we keep her?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry with pleading eyes.
"Hermione, she's not a pet in a pet store, you can't just take her away like that," Harry said.
"Please, Harry! She needs a home. We may not be married yet, but once we are, we'll be able to raise her together. Until then, she can stay at Hogwarts with me," Hermione said.
"Hermione, we can't…" Harry began.
"We can. We'll make it work," Hermione said determinedly.
"Hermione, listen to Harry," Ron said.
"I'm taking her home with me," Hermione said, heading back towards the small child.
"Harry, you know she won't be able to take care of that child alone," Ron said.
"I know. That's why I have to help her," Harry said quietly, heading towards Hermione and Sarah.
"They are both crazy," Draco said, heading over to another child in need of care.
Ron silently agreed with Draco and headed back to his work.
Hermione picked up Sarah in her arms, and walked towards a Ministry Wizard. Harry was on her heels. He finally caught up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Harry, I already told Sarah she's coming home with me," Hermione said.
"You can't adopt her on your own," Harry began.
"I can…"
"That's why I'm going to adopt her with you," Harry finished.
"Really?" Hermione asked, looking happily into Harry's eyes.
"Really," Harry replied.
Hermione smiled and Harry took Sarah from her arms and led the way to the Ministry Wizard. They stopped in front of a tall Wizard in light blue robes, holding out his wand, doing his best to fix a small boy's broken leg.
"Harry, let's take that one," Hermione whispered.
"No, only one," Harry replied firmly. Hermione sighed.
"Excuse me, sir," Hermione said.
"Yes?" The wizard asked, once he had wrapped up the boys legs and helped him lean up against a few pillows that were lying on the ground.
"Where might we go to adopt this child?" Harry asked.
"I can help you there," The wizard replied.
"Ok, we want to adopt little Sarah Rae Marist," Harry replied.
"Aren't you a little too young to be adopting a child?" The wizard said, looking Harry and Hermione up and down.
"Harry and I will be married in June, and Sarah can stay with me while Harry is on his Quidditch tournaments and when he's at his home, Sarah can stay with him and Sirius and Remus," Hermione replied.
"You're Harry Potter?" The wizard asked. Harry nodded.
"Keith O'Brien," Keith said, shaking Harry's hand as best he could with the small child in his arms.
"Can we please adopt this child?" Hermione asked impatiently.
"You sure you can care for her, because if you can't, she'll be taken away from you," Keith said getting down to business.
"We can care for her," Harry replied.
Sarah looked between Keith, Harry, and Hermione with her big blue eyes. Her gaze stopped on Hermione.
"Can I live with you?" Sarah asked Hermione.
"I hope so," Hermione smiled.
"Good," Sarah said with a satisfied grin.
"Considering you both are so young, and not married yet, I'll come by every month to see how things are going. If this is too much for the child, then I will have to take her back to the orphanage," Keith said, waving his wand sending a few papers flying out.
"I need you to sign here, and I'll sign there," Keith said, pointing to the paper.
"How can she come back to the orphanage? The children can't live in this mess?" Hermione asked, staring at the fallen down building.
"Once the children are all cared for, we'll work on cleaning up and re-building the orphanage," Keith said.
"Where will the children spend the night?" Hermione asked, as Harry handed her the papers to sign.
"We'll get tents to put the children in for the night," Keith replied.
Harry had set Sarah down carefully on the ground and now bent down to pick her back up. Sarah curled up in his arms and drifted off to sleep, a few tears still running down her cheeks.
"And if everything is fine with Sarah, and you agree she's happy, then you can't take her away?" Hermione questioned.
"Right," Keith replied.
"Well then, thank you very much," Hermione said, shaking Keith's hand.
"Hermione, why don't you go owl the school and have them set up another bedroom in your room for Sarah," Harry suggested as Keith walked away, shaking Harry's hand once again.
"Oh, right," Hermione said, waving her wand and some parchment and a quill flew out of the end.
Hermione leaned the paper up against Harry's back and began to write quickly. Hermione tucked the quill into her robes and folded up the parchment. Just as she was about to call for an owl, Hedwig flew onto Hermione's shoulder.
"Perfect timing, Hedwig," Hermione said as she tied the letter to Hedwig's foot. Hedwig gave a soft hoot and flew off into the air.
"We have a little girl now," Harry said quietly.
"Yes we do, and we better get our little girl back to the school, so she can sleep on a bed. I think she should sleep in the Hospital Wing for tonight, so Madame Pomfrey can keep an eye on her. She seems to still be in pain, and she's going to have trouble getting around," Hermione said.
"Yes, and I need to get back to Quidditch. Since the Bulgaria games have been cancelled, we have to head to Romania," Harry said.
"Isn't that where Charlie Weasley is getting married?" Hermione asked.
"I'm not sure, but I'll make sure I'm at his wedding, wherever it's at," Harry said.
"But, do you have to leave so soon?" Hermione asked.
"I'm sorry, but I do," Harry said. Harry took a look at his watch. "I have to leave now."
"I'm going to miss you," Hermione said sadly.
Harry kissed her on the lips, and handed her Sarah. He longed to wrap his arms around Hermione, but he didn't want to wake up the small child.
"Find Ron or Draco, and they'll make sure you make it safely back to the castle," Harry said, kissing Hermione one last time and then disapparated.
Hermione sighed, shifting Sarah in her arms slightly. The casts made her seem to weigh more then a normal three-year-old would weigh. Hermione began to walk around, searching for any sign of Draco or Ron. She found them both, helping clean up the chairs, dressers, toys, clothes, tables, and other items sprawled across the lawn.
Ron looked up as Hermione came towards him. He noticed the small child in her arms, and walked towards her, making a dresser come crashing down to the ground with a loud thump.
"Hermione, you didn't adopt her did you?" Ron asked.
"Harry and I did," Hermione said happily.
"How are you going to care for her?" Ron asked.
"We both have money, and she's going to stay at the school until Harry gets back, then she's going to stay with Sirius, Remus and him for a bit," Hermione replied.
"Sounds like you guys are divorced," Ron said.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Harry said to make sure I got to the school safely," Hermione said.
"Sure," Ron said, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder and they disaparated together to Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry.
Once in the entrance hall of the giant school, Ron apparated back to the Wizarding Orphanage. Hermione walked slowly up the stairs to the infirmary, shifting the sleeping child in her arms slightly. She passed no one in the halls, assuming the students were told to remain in their common rooms. Hermione knocked softly on the hospital wing door and Madame Pomfrey opened it.
"Oh, Miss Granger, Professor McGonagall just told me a few minutes ago you were bringing a small child with you. Come on in. I've made her up a bed," Madame Pomfrey said, holding the large wooden door open for Hermione.
Hermione stepped inside, finding a bed made, the curtains open. Hermione gently laid little Sarah down, pulling off her shoes, and pulling the covers up to Sarah's chin. Sarah opened her eyes as Hermione kissed the small forehead and stood to leave.
"Hermione, don't leave me. I hurt," Sarah sobbed.
Hermione turned around and walked back to the little girl's bed. She knelt down beside it, taking the small hand in her own hand. Madame Pomfrey was busy putting a potion into a goblet. Hermione pulled Sarah's strands of hair away from her eyes.
"I'm not going to leave you Sarah. I'll never leave you, but you have to stay in here for a few days, so that you will get better. I'll come visit you every day, and I'll even read you a story before bed. You may not be getting out of bed for a while, but I'll come every day, and every night. You can trust the people here, Sarah, they won't hurt you. I promise," Hermione explained.
"Will you read me a story now?" Sarah asked as Madame Pomfrey walked up with a goblet on a silver tray.
"I don't have a book, but I'll think of a story to tell you," Hermione said.
"Before the story, Sarah, you need to drink all of this," Madame Pomfrey said, handing the goblet over to Sarah.
Sarah held it with her good hand, while Hermione helped her lift the goblet to her face. Sarah smelled it, looking apprehensively at Hermione.
"What is it?" Sarah whispered.
"You'll see," Hermione said. "Now drink."
Sarah did as she was told, drinking every last drop that was in the goblet. Hermione took the goblet from the small girl and handed it back to Madame Pomfrey.
"Now a story," Sarah said with a small smile.
Hermione smiled, gently putting Sarah's head back on the pillow. Hermione pulled the covers back up to the little girl's chin and began to quickly think of a story to tell. She had finally thought of something to tell the small child, but before Hermione could begin, Sarah was sleeping soundly. Hermione kissed her forehead and stood up to leave.
"It was a sleeping potion, combined with a dreamless sleep potion. It will help keep her from being scared in her sleep as well as keep the pain from her mind. Tomorrow I'm going to have to take a look at her stomach though. It wasn't healed properly, but she should be okay for the night. I'll let you know if she needs you at all throughout the night, but I'm sure she'll be just fine," Madame Pomfrey explained.
"Thank you. I better go see what I can do to help set up her room," Hermione said.
"I believe it has already been set up," Madame Pomfrey smiled.
Hermione stared at her, shocked.
"Now get along to your room, you have to have strength to teach tomorrow," Madame Pomfrey ordered.
Hermione left quietly, heading towards her room. She entered her room, looking around. Hermione found a small brown door added to the wall her bed was on. She walked slowly towards the door and opened it. Hermione found a small room with lace curtains on a window that looked out over the grounds. The bed was next to the window, with lace curtains draping over the canopy bed. There was a small desk under the window and on the floor was a pink lace rug. There was a small white dresser on another wall and a closet door on the wall opposite the bed. There was a bookshelf next to the dresser, with a variety of muggle and wizard children's books. Hermione smiled when she found a small, black haired doll, with fair skin, and a pink dress lying on the bed.
Hermione opened the closet door to find several dresses and children's robes for the small girl. Hermione also found socks, t-shirts and shorts in the dresser. Hermione left the small room and went right to her desk to write a letter to McGonagall. She felt it was too late to pay the older women a visit. Hermione opened her window and a screech owl flew to her immediately, taking the letter from Hermione's hand and flying away towards McGonagall's corridors.
Hermione pondered on the day as she readied for bed. She was a mother now, and her beloved Harry was a father. Hermione said the word to herself for quite awhile.
"I'm a mother now-a mother. Sarah has a mother," Hermione sighed happily as she drifted off to sleep.
A/N: So how did you like this chapter? A special thanks to my beta reader's Kzerina and Brigade701. I enjoyed writing this chapter, and the next one should be even better. Please leave a review and tell me what you think? If you have any ideas, I would like to hear them. And maybe your ideas will be put into this story.
Kittluver87
