Chapter 47

"Before we proceed I would like for you both to sit here for a moment and think happy thoughts."

Harry looked at the professor like he'd had one too many drinks of Fire Whiskey. The professor just smiled back at them both.

"The state of mind you both are in at the moment of contact will have a positive effect on the outcome of the proceedings."

Well, thought Harry, that made some sort of sense.

Hermione and Harry sat facing each other, both in squishy armchairs. they closed their eyes and thought happy thoughts. The first in Harry's mind was when Hermione had been tempting him during class and her resulting punishment afterward. That was an extremely happy thought.

However, the lusty thoughts gave way to the smell of her hair in the morning when he always woke holding her close. Then her smile, through the years, when they had beaten back the Dementors, when he won the first few matches of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, when they saw each other before the beginning of each term, when Harry first said to her he loved her ...

"That should be sufficient. Now Harry, the ring."

Harry opened his eyes, met hers and the smile on her face gave him courage to continue. He slipped the ring out of his pocket and held it lightly between his fingers as he sat forward. He realized that they were too far apart and started to get up , but changed his mind at the last second.

It's good feelings Dumbledore wants? Well then, here's some good feelings.

He dropped down in front of the chair on one knee and watched Hermione's right hand go to her now open mouth in surprise as she caught her breath.

Harry thought he should say something, it being a very romantic and scary moment in both their lives, but held himself back knowing Hermione knew how he felt and anything he said couldn't explain it any better.

He took her left hand in his and brought the ring up to the third finger, sliding it smoothly on until the stones touched.

They both held their breath in anticipation of what might happen. Even Dumbledore had told them he didn't know exactly what kind of reaction might take place, naming several possible.

Harry looked up to Hermione. "Do you feel any different?"

She dropped her hand from her mouth and shook her head.

He frowned and looked up at Dumbledore who was staring, still, at the ring. "Professor?"

That's when Harry saw it out of the corner of his eye at the same time Hermione gasped.

"Har..."

She didn't quite get his name out before both the stones started to shine brightly. He felt a wrenching in his chest and it wasn't merely physical.

"Harry!"

Hermione fell down to the floor and grabbed him tightly, her breath in ragged gasps loudly in his ear.

He felt it too, like they were being torn apart, down the middle and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

"Don't let go of me, Mione!" he yelled.

She clutched his tossed hair into a fist and screamed. "NOoooo, don't leave me!"

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"See there, I told you he was coming around."

"Go get Healer Doffton, quickly. You there, send an owl to Headmaster Dumbledore and alert him that Potter has awoken."

He heard a door opening and closing somewhere far off as he struggled to open his eyes.

"Mi ..."

There was someone next to him with a hand on his shoulder. "Lay back, don't try to sit up just yet. You've been though an awful shock. Your body needs to remember what its doing.

His throat was dry to the point of cracking and his head throbbed with pain.

"Here see if you can sip some of this, it's Pepper-up Potion."

A hand pulled his head up slightly and he sipped from the glass feeling the potion burning his throat and sending energy to the ends of his arms and legs. He pushed the glass away when he had enough sense to open his eyes and think properly.

"Hermione ... where's Hermione!" he tried to yell, but instead it came out a raspy quiet tone.

"Mr. Potter, please wait for the healer, she can answer your questions better than I."

He laid back down and tried to relax. "Sit me up, please."

The mediwitch nodded and tapped the bed with her wand. He felt the back of the bed raise up until he came to a position where he could take in all of the room.

"St. Mungo's?"

The witch nodded.

Just then the door opened and a witch dressed as a healer entered.

"Mr. Potter, good to see you awake at last."

Harry tiredly blinked. "More potion."

The mediwitch nodded again. "He's only had a few sips," she told the Healer.

"Go right ahead, try to get a good mouthful if you can."

She set the glass to his lips and he drank heartily feeling better with each gulp.

"That's enough," the healer teased.

Only Harry didn't think it was and grabbed the glass struggling with the mediwitch to finish it all.

The healer joined in and finally pulled an empty glass from the hands of a now rejuvenated Harry Potter. Steam was billowing out of his ears, more from the Pepper-up Potion than from anger which was readily becoming apparent on his face.

He sat up abruptly and swung his legs to the side while throwing off the bed-sheet. "Answers," he almost growled.

The healer stood firm and straightened her robes. "I will not answer any of your questions until you stop this foolishness and lay back down.

Harry took in as much of the room as was possible and seeing a nightstand beside his bed covered in sweets and get-well cards he spotted his wand.

The mediwitch followed his eyes and started for it as he did. Years of Quidditch training had not been forgotten by the muscles in his arm for it snapped out and took the wand before she could come close.

"Now, tell me what happened before I jinx the lot of you," he rasped.

The door opened again and Dumbledore entered. "I do not think that will be necessary, Harry."

The healer turned. "Headmaster, I assure you we have everything well in hand if you wouldn't mind waiting outside."

Dumbledore tilted his head down and he peered over his half-moon glasses. "But I do mind Healer Doffton, and by the looks of things I think Harry was about to take the situation into his own hands. Now if you would not mind waiting outside. I assure you I will alert you when your presence is needed."

The healer huffed and strode out of the room . "The board of regents will hear about this, I assure you."

Dumbledore chuckled, "Do tell Jeffery I said hello."

He winked at Harry. "I gave Jeffery his first job out of Hogwarts," he whispered. "Now he's Chair of the board of regents."

Harry sighed feeling the exhaustion return to his body. The Pepper-up Potion and the rush of adrenaline was starting to wear off rather quickly. "Professor ... Hermione."

"Lay back down, Harry. You are a sight. And please trust me when I say Miss Granger is doing as well as you are, I'm afraid. She should be waking up any time now, if indeed she has not already."

He tried to grasp what Dumbledore was saying. "Did it work?"

"I would think that would be obvious, Harry. Do you feel any hatred toward your fiancé?"

He was suddenly filled with relief and threw his head back on the pillow.

"What happened?"

Dumbledore found a chair and pulled it closer to the bed. "There was quite a lightshow in my office that night. In the end, however, you both had collapsed from what I assume was the shock of the portioned souls of Phineas and his wife departing."

Something didn't sit right with what the headmaster had just said, but Harry couldn't figure out what it was.

"Something went wrong, " said Harry.

Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "No, everything went as planned. When you put your ring on Hermione, the other ring was destroyed. Here are the pieces."

He took a small sack out of his robes and up ended them in his hand. "I thought you might want to see for yourself that the old ring was destroyed."

Harry looked down and saw the platinum band had split in two and the emerald was cracked and had lost its luster. Once he had seen the pieces he knew it was over and they could get on with their life. Only when he raised his eyes up to the headmaster's he knew there was something else he wasn't being told.

"What?"

"Harry," Dumbledore paused. "You both have been at St. Mungo's for some time."

Harry knew that was why he was so tired and his muscles so stiff.

"How long?"

Dumbledore sighed, "It is the new year, Harry. The twenty-third of January if I am not mistaken."

Harry shut his eyes. "The wedding."

"Has been postponed."

He didn't wait to ask. "I want to see Hermione, now."

Dumbledore sized him up to see if Harry would fall face first on the floor before taking three steps.

"I will call the mediwitch to assist you."

He sat up before Dumbledore reached the door. "Tell her to bring something more to limber me up or wake me up if you could."

He was only gone a few minutes before the same mediwitch as before returned with a smoking concoction. "This should help you to recover. Your muscles have tightened over the last couple of months. this is a relaxant and vitamin energy supplement."

Harry took the mixture and starting gulping it down before he could taste it. Potions had a nasty tendency to taste awful, especially if they're good for you.

"Now don't try to over do it and you should be fine."

He passed her the empty glass with a grimace on his face.

"Do you want to wait a minute for it to take effect?"

Harry was already on his feet and grabbing at a terrycloth robe that hung on a hook beside the closet.

"I'll take that as a no," she sighed. "She's right next door, to the left as you exit the room."

Harry slid his feet along the floor, not entirely trusting that he wouldn't fall. He pushed on the door to the room adjacent to his and saw the sleeping figure of his fiancé on the bed, asleep.

"We expect her to wake up any time now," the mediwitch whispered.

Harry nodded. "Bring in some more potion for both of us."

"Mr. Potter, please. It's not a good idea to ..."

Harry cut her off. "Do you remember a donation that was made sometime in the fall of last year September I believe."

Of course the mediwitch knew of it. The entire hospital staff knew of it. "Yes, Mr. Potter."

He looked at her intently. "I'm the one that made that happen. I'd be more than happy to make another donation if you'll shut up and do as I ask."

Her mouth snapped shut, turned around and left.

"I see you are beginning to understand the value of being obscenely rich, Harry," chuckled Dumbledore. "Go ahead. I'll send her in with the potions and stand guard to make sure you aren't disturbed."