THE MANOR
Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything in this fic unless you didn't see it in Harry Potter (books or films), or anywhere else, which is very little. So, don't sue me!
Chapter 22 – The Hospital Wing
Hermione's eyes opened slowly, and she found herself in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. Staring at the ceiling, she listened to sounds of movement, and conversation. What time was it, she wondered vaguely? Blinking, she turned her head to her left, and half smiled, feeling a nagging worry that something had happened that she couldn't just yet remember.
Looking left, she could see Draco was lying on a Hospital bed like hers, his head tilted towards her, eyes shut, silvery blond hair splayed out on the white pillows. His face no longer had the unhealthy pallor it had before, but looked much healthier … than before what? Hermione frowned, and remembered as a rush of images flowed into her mind. Before what? All that excitement, of course. How could she even forget?
'Hermione?' a voice called softly from her right.
Hermione turned her head a hundred and eighty degrees and smiled widely. 'Harry!'
'You all right?' Harry asked, green eyes concerned.
Hermione winced as she moved a little. 'I'll be fine,' she assured him, and the worry diminished from his eyes. 'Just a little bit stiff,' she added, raising a finger to her head as her voice set off a small spasms of aches. 'How about you?' she asked, surprised. 'What are you doing in here. Actually, how did we get in here? Last thing I remember I Stunned a Death-Eater, and then there were voices shouting at me, and then I wake up. We won, right?'
'It ended,' Harry shrugged. 'I'm only in here because I got a bit cut on the side. Nicolas Flamel fixed it when we were there, but he thought it'd be better if I had it re-healed, so Madam Pomfrey did it again. I'm fine though,' he smiled reassuringly, seeing her anxiety. 'Only a scratch.'
'So what happened to me?' Hermione frowned.
'You were Stunned,' Harry said, a little awed. 'Three Stupefies, actually, and you're still fine!'
'No wonder it hurts a bit,' Hermione grinned at him. 'So, what happened after I got –' she hesitated.
'Knocked out?' Harry finished. 'Well, we kept on fighting, but it seems the Death-Eaters gave up, so they Disapparated. We cleaned up the leftover mess, but then Voldemort came back and tried to take you and Malfoy,' he nodded over to the pale-haired boy. 'I tried to stop him, but he ended up almost killing me. But then, Malfoy somehow managed to get out of his unconsciousness, don't know how, and offered himself to Voldemort if he promised not to kill us,' Harry shuddered. 'Dumbledore, though, came, and Voldemort fled.'
Hermione was silent, digesting this news.
'He saved us, you know,' Harry said, eyes resting on Draco Malfoy's sleeping form. 'I never would have believed it possible before,' he added quietly.
'I know,' Hermione said softly.
'I wonder, I wonder why he helped us?' Harry mused questioningly. 'I always thought he hated us, but then, he was the one who found out you were missing. He somehow knew how to follow you, I don't know how, but he did. And then, he sacrificed himself to Voldemort twice.'
'Maybe he was lonely?' Hermione suggested.
'Could be,' Harry nodded. 'I'm grateful to him, though.'
'You were right,' Hermione said to him ruefully. 'You trust people more than I do.'
'That's good,' he said a little nervously. 'If they're trustable.'
'Is Ron okay? And the others?' Hermione asked anxiously.
'They're all sleeping and alive,' Harry said, looking around the hospital wing. Hermione could see Ron on the other side of Harry, slumbering, but otherwise healthy. Ginny, the Weasley twins, and a few other members of the Order were resting on the beds too. From the strong sunlight that filtered through, Hermione reckoned it must be about noon.
'So there were captives?' Hermione questioned.
Harry nodded. 'They're going to be given trial under Veritaserum, and we'll be able to identify the Death-Eaters. Finally everyone will know Lucius Malfoy and some of those others are evil,' he said, grinning in anticipation. 'It should also clear Sirius' name,' he added hopefully.
Hermione grinned broadly. 'Yes! Does that mean you can move out of the Dursleys'?' she asked.
Harry's eyes widened. 'Maybe!' he said, excited. 'Are you sure you're all right?' he asked presently.
Hermione smiled. 'Yes,' she said, and shyly, she reached her hand over to his bed, and clasped his hand.
On the other side of the Hospital Wing, Ginny Weasley watched Harry and Hermione, through half-closed eyes. She sighed, seeing their obvious attachment to one another. Well, now she would be forced to stop pining over the Boy Who Lived. He was now officially taken, it seemed, by Hermione, who happened to be one of Ginny's friends. There was no way Ginny would snatch a friend's boyfriend. It just wasn't right. But then again, neither was the idea that Harry and Hermione would be together. But she was prejudiced, she supposed.
She sighed again, and glanced to her right. Jem Codex was lying on the bed in his residual form, eyes watching her.
'Are you well, Ginny?' he asked her.
Ginny nodded, and winced. Her head still hurt a little after all the excitement of last night, and nodding was distinctly uncomfortable. 'Yeah,' she said. She tried to sit up a bit higher. 'How are you?'
'Perfectly fine,' he said cheerfully. 'Once this gash on my arm is fixed up I'll be right as rain.' He displayed his arm flamboyantly, as if saying that his injury proved his bravery or something.
Ginny smiled. A thought struck her. 'If you changed fo–' she began.
'No,' he shook his head.
'What?'
'You were going to ask. If I changed form while injured, would my other form be uninjured. The answer is no. I'd still have a gash on my arm, no matter what form I took,' Jem explained. 'Annoying, isn't it?'
At that moment, three fourth year Gryffindor girls trooped into the room.
'Ginny!' Jane called out, and the three rushed over to their friend.
'We were sooo worried about you, Ginny, sweetie,' Olive said, concerned.
'When you didn't turn up to classes,' Chloe said, 'we knew something must be wrong. And then you didn't come to dinner, or back to the dorm.'
'Yeah, you missed Herbology,' Jane said, grinning.
'With David Arlington,' Olive added, smirking at Chloe's pink face.
Too tired to tease Chloe, Ginny settled for smiling. 'What've I missed,' she inquired.
'Nothing much,' Jane shrugged. 'Except for the drama surrounding you disappearing off into the night with your brothers, Hermione Granger –'
'And Harry Potter,' Chloe said quickly, with emphasis.
'Ssshh!' Ginny said, giving Harry, who was still holding hands with Hermione and talking softly, a furtive look. She noticed Jem, in the next bed, twitch, as if hiding a snicker.
'What happened?' Olive inquired.
'I'll tell you all later,' Ginny said, sighing. 'I'm too tired right now.'
Olive, though, was eyeing the bed next to Ginny's, where Jem had pretended to fall asleep again.
'Who's that?' she asked, pointing.
'A-a friend of mine,' Ginny answered.
'Is he at Hogwarts?' Chloe asked, equally interested.
'No,' Ginny said, hurriedly thinking of an answer. 'He goes to Beauxbatons.'
'He's cute,' Olive said, grinning speculatively.
Ginny thought it better not to tell her that Jem was in actual fact about seventy years old, when Jem conveniently chose that moment to give an exaggerated yawn of awakening. He looked at the four girls. 'Bonjour, Ginny. Can you introduce me to your friends?' he asked with a terrible French accent.
Ginny rolled her eyes. She might as well. 'This is Jane Nicholson, Chloe Smith and Olive Dendy. Jane, Chloe, Olive, this is Jem Codex.'
'Lovely to meet you, mademoiselles,' Jem said with a vapid smile.
The three girls giggled, faces going pink, and Ginny rolled her eyes again, inwardly echoing Arabella Figg's earlier description. Charmer!
Others were waking up too. Fred and George were sitting in their beds, obviously enjoying their time away from the classroom, and had somehow procured pen and paper, on which they were drawing designs for the packaging of some of their new products. Early in the afternoon, though, Madam Pomfrey shooed the protesting Weasley twins out of the Hospital wing.
'We're still recovering,' Fred said with an air of injured innocence.
George clutched his head as if in agony. 'You can't send us out there!'
'I can and I will,' Madam Pomfrey said briskly. 'Professor McGonagall has requested that both of you attend her Transfiguration class this afternoon.'
'But we're in pain!' Fred said.
'And you have your NEWTS coming up in a couple of weeks,' the Hogwarts nurse said warningly.
Grumbling, Fred and George left the Hospital Wing, holding their designs tightly.
Sirius and Lupin had both woken up by then, and both snickered, seeing the twins sent out, before resuming their discussion. From what Hermione could surmise, they were talking about the likelihood of Sirius being cleared. Lupin would occasionally wince, touching his neck every now and then where Wormtail had burnt him with the silver hand deadly to a werewolf. Artemis Pearce, lying near them, woke suddenly with a jolt in the middle of their discussion.
She sat up abruptly. 'What am I doing here?' she demanded, looking at the Hospital Wing with unfriendly eyes.
'You were Stunned, Arti,' Sirius told her.
'Me? Stunned?' Artemis sounded outraged. 'How?' the fierce woman demanded, amber eyes flashing.
'By a few Death-Eaters,' Sirius said simply.
'You managed to take down two of them before they got you,' Lupin said soothingly.
Artemis's face looked furious.
Snape entered the room at that moment, carrying a flask of some bluish liquid.
'Ah, thank you Severus,' Madam Pomfrey said, taking the flask of liquid. She poured some into two glasses, and handed one to Hermione, and the other to Artemis.
'What is this?' Artemis asked suspiciously.
'You and Miss Granger were both multiply Stunned. This is to make sure you don't have any side-effects from such strong spells. It's lucky both of you were in good physical condition. Severus kindly brewed the potion for you,' Madam Pomfrey said, bustling over to check up on Ron.
Artemis looked at Snape. 'You made it?'
'I did, Artemis,' Snape said calmly.
Artemis scowled, and drank the potion down, at which point, Hermione drank her own. 'I'm going now,' she announced, and swung out of bed.
'Now, Ms Pearce,' Madam Pomfrey said, hurrying over.
Artemis's fierce eyes stared the nurse down. 'I am perfectly fine,' she said coolly. 'I'll pop over to see Albus, and then I'm going.'
'Suits us fine,' Sirius muttered.
'Sirius!' Lupin chided.
'She needs to relax a bit, Arti,' Sirius just said, rolling his eyes.
'That's not her fault,' Lupin said.
'No. I suppose being in Slytherin does that to you,' Sirius acknowledged, and pointedly looked at Snape, who glared at him, before stalking out of the room, black robes billowing behind him.
'You should stop arguing with him,' Lupin said fairly.
'Why bother?' Sirius shrugged. 'He likes it. And it's fun.'
'I doubt Severus likes it,' Lupin said doubtfully.
'You should join in. You have more reason to throw a spat with him than I do, actually,' Sirius said quietly.
Lupin shook his head, face set. Hermione, overhearing, stared. Why would Lupin have a reason to be angry with Snape? Because he exposed his werewolf-self to the world, causing him to leave Hogwarts?
'Out you get Mr Black, Mr Lupin,' Madam Pomfrey said crisply.
Obediently, the two adults left the room, also heading to Dumbledore's office.
'Mr Codex, I believe your stay has expired too,' Madam Pomfrey said, turning to Jem, who looked at her innocently.
'I'm still recovering, Poppy!'
'You are perfectly fine,' Madam Pomfrey said.
'But look at my arm,' Jem said, shoving his bandaged arm in her face.
'Mr Codex!' Madam Pomfrey admonished.
Jem groaned. 'Fine, fine,' he said.
'You too, Miss Weasley,' Madam Pomfrey told Ginny, who stood meekly. After sleeping the morning away, she felt much better.
'Mr Potter, I believe you're healthy enough to leave too,' she said. It was like she was systematically clearing the Hospital wing, though for what purpose, Hermione had no idea. Maybe it was just some deep-seated need in the school nurse to have a nice, clean, quiet and empty Hospital Wing.
Harry nodded. 'I feel fine anyway,' he said.
'Can I leave too?' Hermione asked, remembering all of a sudden that they had their OWLs very soon.
Madam Pomfrey frowned. 'No, Miss Granger. You have been exposed, as the Headmaster tells me, to an intrusion into your mind, and have also been multiply Stunned, which resulted in a broken wrist. You will not be leaving just yet.'
Harry shrugged, and waving, left the Hospital wing, promising to bring Hermione notes from class before the day was over. Ron had woken up though, and Hermione spent the rest of the day talking to Ron about their adventures, having already heard Harry's side of it all.
When Harry came to give Hermione her notes before dinner, he hesitated, and then kissed her lightly before leaving, red-faced.
Ron, observing this, grinned slyly. 'Is that the beginning of a new relationship, perchance?'
'You don't mind?' Hermione asked apprehensively.
'Of course not!' Ron said, looking outraged at even being asked. 'You two get along a lot better than we did.'
'Thanks, Ron,' Hermione said, smiling.
The next morning, Ron was released from the Hospital wing quickly, while Madam Pomfrey let Hermione go reluctantly, after several inspections, making sure she was truly well again.
'You've recovered very quickly,' she said doubtfully. 'Maybe your mind was not forced into as much as Professor Dumbledore said.'
'I'm fine,' Hermione assured her yet again. She looked over at Draco, who lay, exactly as he had been before. 'Is he going to be alright?'
Madam Pomfrey sighed. 'He should be fine. Professor Dumbledore has taken a look at him, and he says he will recover.'
Hermione nodded, throat tight, and left the Hospital wing.
The next day, though, she returned. Classes had continued, and Arithmancy had been very lonely without Draco sitting next to her as usual. She found herself forced to endure several stares and questions, but she felt reluctant to speak, burying herself into her studies, worried about Draco, letting Harry, Ron, Ginny or the twins do all the speaking.
On Friday, Draco was still in bed in the Hospital wing, seemingly dead to the world, if it weren't for the fact that his pulse was still steady. His naturally pale face was not tense, but relaxed, as if he were just sleeping, except that he wasn't. Had he lapsed into a coma? Hermione knew that Voldemort had forced open his mind completely as part of the Death-Eater rite. He had tried to do the same to her. But why had she escaped relatively unscathed?
She sat next do Draco's bed. Harry and Ron were in the Common Room, studying fast, but she held Draco's hand – neither cold nor warm, watching his closed eyes intently.
'Why don't you wake up?' she murmured, staring into his face. She frowned, and tentatively, she tried to reach out mentally, to brush against his mind, to stir him into awakening, when she heard a slight cough behind her.
She dropped Draco's hand and whirled around. 'Professor Dumbledore!'
'Miss Granger,' Dumbledore said pleasantly, light blue eyes twinkling at her. The Headmaster of Hogwarts stroked his long silver beard pensively, as he watched her.
'Do you know what's wrong with him?' Hermione asked urgently. 'He's still not awoken.'
He sighed. 'I'm afraid Mr Malfoy is not quite so resilient to Voldemort's attacks as you are yourself, Miss Granger.'
'Is he okay?' Hermione asked. 'Everybody says he is, but he isn't waking.'
'He will recover well,' Professor Dumbledore said, smiling a little at her concern. 'He should awaken soon. Tomorrow, maybe? Or Sunday.'
Hermione's heart lightened. 'Why didn't anybody tell me that?' she demanded as an afterthought.
'Nobody knew,' Dumbledore said in response.
'Oh,' Hermione nodded, and took up Draco's hand once more. Then she dropped his hand, placing it carefully back on the bed beside his body. 'I wanted to ask you about some things Voldemort said to me,' she said abruptly.
Professor Dumbledore looked at her queryingly.
'Before Draco and Harry came to rescue me, Voldemort spoke to me about things,' she said seriously. 'That's before he broke into my mind.'
'What things, Miss Granger?' Dumbledore asked, interested.
'He said he didn't just hate Muggles because of his mother's death. He was saying that Muggles are destroying the world, and that he was there to stop them. He said that he was doing good, saving the world, and that you, well that you, sir, are being foolish for allowing the world's destruction to come about. He didn't even look insane when he was saying it, you know, without the red eye stuff,' Hermione's words tumbled over one another in her haste to get them out. She paused. 'Is he speaking the truth?' she asked slowly.
Dumbledore sighed. 'Tom Riddle was, and still is, an intellectually superior wizard,' he said heavily. 'But do you think there is any truth in his words?' Dumbledore's light blue eyes looked piercingly at her.
Hermione quailed at the question. Was there any truth in Voldemort's words? The question was one that had been plaguing her ever since she had spoken with him. Yes, a small voice whispered in her mind. Yes, she did believe him.
'I-I do see something in what Voldemort says,' Hermione said hesitantly.
Dumbledore nodded. 'And that is because there are truth in his words.'
'So you don't care about the destruction of the world by Muggles?' Hermione queried.
'I do care, Hermione,' Dumbledore said seriously. 'The balance of the world is tilted,' he said distantly, almost as he were quoting some famous passage or phrase from a poem Hermione ought to recognise. 'Muggles are destroying the world.'
'And you're just going to let them destroy it?' Hermione demanded.
'No.'
Hermione stared.
'I intend to do whatever I can to prevent this,' Dumbledore said firmly. 'I admire Voldemort's motives, and I admire his ability to see into the heart of the matter, something his Death-Eaters cannot do. But I do not admire the way he intends to balance the world again. Do you agree with him? The idea of slaughtering as many Muggles as possible and subduing the rest of the race?'
'One must make sacrifices,' Hermione echoed Voldemort's words.
'But one must also be humanitarian. We are wizards and witches,' Dumbledore said, his white hair shining silver in the light of the afternoon sun. 'But, above all, we are still human. Human, as Muggles are human. And there are some things that are not humane. Killing others, is not humane, even if there is a purpose.'
Dumbledore's words had mollified Hermione somewhat. 'So why would Voldemort want to do something like that?'
'I don't think Tom Riddle is quite so over the idea of revenge as he believes himself to be,' Dumbledore said softly.
After a pause, she spoke again. 'What do you mean to do then?'
'I will take the course of action dictated by the Prophecy,' the old wizard said serenely.
'The Prophecy!' Hermione exclaimed, latching onto the word. 'Voldemort spoke of a Prophecy too. He spoke of a Golden One that he believed would help him destroy Muggles.'
'And I speak of a Golden One who will help balance the world. There is a Golden One, and there is a Prophecy,' Dumbledore said.
'What is the Prophecy?' Hermione asked eagerly.
'That, I will not disclose to you now,' Dumbledore said, soberly. 'Oftentimes, people hear Prophecies, and try to follow them, and it disturbs the path of the Prophecy. The future is always undecided. The Prophecy relates only to one future. But it is a future I wish to follow.'
'But why would Voldemort want to follow that same future?' Hermione asked, puzzled.
'The prophecies of the ages are words. All prophecies are words. But people can draw different meanings from those words. Voldemort's means of achieving balance is different to mine.'
'What are your means?'
'My means are based on peace,' Dumbledore said simply. 'Peace, and reason. Peace, and love.'
'But there will be war, though, won't there. If we must stop Voldemort?'
'Yes,' Dumbledore nodded sadly. 'War there will be, but not against the Muggles. My intention is to keep those of non-magical blood from warfare, although that is not Voldemort's intent.'
Hermione nodded, and thought again. 'Professor Dumbledore,' she began. 'Who is the Golden One?'
Dumbledore hesitated, as if unsure about speaking. 'The Prophecy tells that the Golden One would be born to parents whose lives are killed, as the seventh month dies. The Golden One will be marked by Voldemort yet also Beloved. Can you draw any conclusions from this?'
Hermione stared at the serious blue eyes. 'Harry,' she breathed. 'Harry is the Golden One. But why would Voldemort want to kill him?'
'Because he stands in his way,' Dumbledore told her, gently knowledgable. 'In the Prophecy, it can be read that Voldemort dies.'
'But he believes in the Golden One,' Hermione said frowning. 'He says the Golden One will help him!'
At this, the fleetest of frowns crossed Dumbledore's features. 'But, the Prophecy,' he muttered, blue eyes briefly shadowed. Seeing Hermione's eyes on him, he spoke to her again. 'Do not worry about this,' he said, assuringly.
Hermione sighed, and nodded. Another thought occurred to her then. 'Why did he want us?' she asked. Seeing Dumbledore's look of polite puzzlement, she clarified the matter for him. 'Harry told me. Before you came, Voldemort said he refused to leave without either Draco or me.'
Dumbledore's eyes were pensive.
'He said earlier that he wanted me to join his side, because he said I was smart and stuff, but I tried to refuse. But he really wanted me to join him. He tried to force me to join him! I'm sure there are other clever wizards and witches out there,' Hermione continued.
'Ah,' Dumbledore said, nodding. 'That. I was wondering when you would ask about why Voldemort would want you in particular.'
'Do you know?' Hermione asked the Headmaster directly.
'Yes, Hermione. As a matter of fact, I do,' Dumbledore said. 'Remember when you were in the chamber with Voldemort, and Voldemort tried to force you to join his side?'
Hermione nodded.
'Yet you resisted. He tried to plunge into your mind, and it hurt, didn't it. I can still feel the aftermath of your pain,' Dumbledore said gravely. 'But he didn't force you. You didn't succumb to his will, and, a couple of days after the event, you were completely recovered. On the other hand, Mr Malfoy,' he nodded to Draco's prone body, 'suffered a similar intrusion. He could not resist, although he did his best, and as a result, he lies here, his mind still struggling to heal itself.'
Hermione waited patiently for Dumbledore to get to the point.
'My point is, Hermione, you have powers that Voldemort does not have. You have a mental ability far beyond his.'
'But he hurt me!' Hermione said, disbelieving.
'Because your mind is as yet untrained,' Dumbledore answered her. 'Such mental facility does not manifest itself in a person until the witch or wizard is well immersed in his or her adolescent years, as any special magical powers usually do. I myself did not realise my own abilities until I was seventeen.'
'You have the same abilities?'
'Oh, yes,' Dumbledore said chuckling. 'And I can tell you now, that Voldemort needs somebody who can read into the minds of others.'
'I can read minds?' Hermione was nearly squeaking.
'You will be able to read minds,' Dumbledore corrected. 'With training.'
Hermione's eyes were wide as saucers. 'What else can I do?' she asked, wondering.
'Reading minds is one useful aspect of this particular magical ability,' Dumbledore said. 'Also the ability to shield one's mind from other minds, as you managed with Voldemort. The ability to shield the minds of others. To even heal minds,' Dumbledore added. 'Which is why I know when young Mr Malfoy will awaken.'
'You've been healing his mind?' Hermione said, awed.
'As you will be able to do.'
'How can I learn?' Hermione asked eagerly.
'I will teach you, commencing when school comes back,' Dumbledore said thoughtfully. 'Since this magic is rare in as powerful a form as yours or mine, and can be dangerous untrained.'
'So Voldemort wanted me for my telepathic powers,' Hermione said slowly, thinking. 'Because you have such telepathic powers.'
Dumbledore nodded. 'That's right.'
'So why did he want Draco?' Hermione asked, looking at Draco.
'I do not know why he wanted Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger,' Dumbledore said solemnly. 'Except that for some reason, Voldemort wanted him. And for that reason alone, Mr Malfoy must be kept safe at all times.'
'How?' Hermione asked automatically.
'Well, for starters, you could look out for him. You could tell him to tell me if anything wrong anything happens to him. I will be talking with his mother, though. Perhaps she would know, although I doubt it. I do not think Lucius Malfoy confided much in his wife at all. Which in some ways is a pity, but also a blessing. Narcissa Black was not a stupid child at school, and she is not stupid now, even after many years of marriage,' Dumbledore mused. 'I will have to talk to her about keeping Mr Malfoy safe during the holidays.' His mind obviously began whirling, thinking of possibilities.
'Is Harry still going home to the Dursleys in the holiday?' Hermione asked, remembering her words previously with Harry about Sirius. 'I mean, won't Sirius be cleared?'
'Of course he will be cleared, you silly girl,' a tall man with a pointed beard, dressed in Slytherin colours had been strolling through a picture on the walls of the Hospital wing of a couple of witches embroidering some dresses. He had stopped, though, at the mention of Sirius. 'Ridiculous, really, accusing a member of my family, my great-great-grandson, worthless as he may be, and then imprisoning him! Respect has dropped, in the Ministry, since my day,' the portrait said, sounding terribly insulted. The witches in the background, nodded hurriedly, as the wizard turned imperiously to them.
'Sirius may be cleared, Phineas,' Dumbledore said, smiling at the portrait, who sniffed, before sauntering off the portrait, before turning to a gaping Hermione, 'but unfortunately, I cannot let Harry live with Sirius.'
Hermione wrenched her attention from the portrait of Phineas Nigellus, evidently Sirius' great-great-grandfather, whom she remembered reading about in Hogwarts: A History as one of Hogwarts' past Headmasters. 'Why can't Harry live with Sirius?' she said indignantly on behalf of Harry.
'There are reasons,' Dumbledore said dismissively. 'I will tell Harry myself,' he added.
Hermione nodded.
Dumbledore turned to leave, but before doing so, stopped. 'I would appreciate it, Hermione, if you could keep what I have told you, and what Voldemort said to you, to yourself.'
Hermione nodded again, and turned back to Draco, as Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing.
Author's note: I'm devastated. Seven reviews. My goal of one hundred looks further away than ever … I was thinking of doing a whole I'm not going to post another word until I get at least ten+ reviews or something, but I figured that's being unnecessarily cruel to those who do review. But I'm on my knees! Please! Am I so terrible that I'm author of one of the few harry potter fics that are over eighty thousand words (that's about as long as, if not longer than, book 1 of Harry Potter) yet have received less than a hundred reviews? Or is every one too busy on holidays?
Also, nobody answered my British plea, so I'll repeat it. Are any of you people out there British? I can't really get my next part started up until I get a bit of British information. I'll ask the questions here, so just answer me if you know the answer:
*Do people ever visit the Parliament House? Is there a Parliament House? If so, what's it like (from a visitor's point of view). Do kids visit Parliament House when in school (you know, on a school excursion)?
*Okay, what about the Tower of London? Is it spooky? If you've been there, can you describe the entrance, what it's like going in etc. What's it like inside? Is there a central room (ie. crown jewels – what's it like?)
*What films were popular in the summer of '96 in Britain? Clothes? Bands?
*What's a name for a fairly posh area (like Surrey) in Britain?
If you know any answers, tell me!
Thanks to those who did review:
pansygamgee - thank you! "Holy crapazoid" - that's an interesting term!
No Comment - Pettigrew's not caught, but as you have read, in this chapter, they can free Sirius anyway because the Death-Eaters they catch know that Pettigrew's evil and Sirius is innocent! I can tell you now, I'm never going to kill of Sirius in my world.
wolfy 65 - thanks for taking the time out to read my fic!
chintamani - I love the Belgariad! Finally, somebody else out there who worships David Eddings!
Lady Prongs - no real appearance changes, I think. I don't really like that when it happens, personally, although I know lots of other authors use that.
Porphyrophobic Grape - I want 100 reviews! Geez, I sound like a spoilt brat there!
Cinnamon Angel - have fun at work.
This chappie was the 2nd last chapter for Part One. The next chapter's the last one!
