~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chapter 17: In Mortal Peril ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione was terrified, everything inside her was telling to run, that she was in great danger. The man approached her cautiously holding his hands out to her.
"I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay."
Just then the enormous church bells started to toll, their sound was loud, vibrating the whole room. The three of them grabbed their ears in pain. The waves of sound vibrated throughout their bodies and they felt momentarily paralyzed. Hermione took this moment as an opportunity to escape as she darted past the two men and ran down the stairs. She couldn't tell if they followed her or not because the bells were so loud, but she wasn't going to stop and turn around. She ran through the church and hid in the confession booth and stayed quiet.
"Vere did she go?" she heard a voice say.
"I don't know. Let's check everywhere" she heard another voice speak.
She heard their footsteps walk away from her as they began their search for her through the church. She was afraid to breathe but she mustered up enough courage to peek outside the confessional. They were at the opposite end of the church with their backs to her. This was her chance. She looked around and saw a group of women approaching. She quickly darted out of the booth and joined their group as they headed out of the church. It was drizzling outside and lightning flashed across the sky. A truck was approaching slowly carrying a load of hay. She ran to catch up to it and jumped in the back burying herself in the straw. This would cover her for now as well as provide some shield from the rain. She closed her eyes.
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Ron and Remus flooed into the Leaky Cauldron and quickly headed out into the crowd in Diagon Alley.
"What is our first plan of action?" Ron asked him.
"First, we are going to find out where this letter originated" Lupin said as he headed toward the Owl Post Office.
It was a small building crowded with people as they stood in line that was at least twenty people. Ron let out a frustrated groan when he saw this.
"We are losing precious time waiting here" he said then pulled out his auror badge. "Official Ministry business, move along" he said aloud as he moved to the front of the line.
"Very nice" Lupin smiled at him through the groans and protests of the others in line.
Ron and Lupin approached the counter to a harried looking wizard.
"Can I help you?" he asked a little irately.
"Yes, we need to find out where this letter originated" said Ron.
The wizard took the letter and looked at them with a puzzled look on his face.
"This is just a blank piece of parchment" he said.
"We just need to find out where it came from" Lupin said.
"Alright. I can only give you a general area."
The wizard placed the piece of parchment in a small box and waited. After a while a slip of paper printed out of it. The wizard gave back the parchment and the receipt to the men.
"It looks like it was from somewhere in Paris" the wizard told them.
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Harry flooed into the Leaky Cauldron after Ron and Lupin but he must have just missed them because he couldn't find them in there.
"Hey look who's here! It's Harry Potter!" he heard someone call out as the pub came to complete silence before people started to whisper excitedly.
Harry gave a small nervous wave. "Uh, hello. Um, I'm looking for two men on of them with red hair. They just flooed in here and…"
"They went into Diagon Alley!" a small witch blurted out then looked away shyly.
Harry gave her a big smile, said thank you and headed toward the Alley past the now blushing witch.
It was crowded in the alley; there was no way he was going to find them in here. He was losing time. He was certain that whatever was discussed between the two of them had something to do with Hermione. He didn't like that they were keeping it from him. Sure he and Hermione were on the outs but he still cared about her and deserved to know if she was in trouble or not. Harry's stomach felt like ice when he saw her hand on the clock at "Mortal Peril". He had to start somewhere so he apparated to the Cellar. He could only think of one person who might know something about this. He searched through the crowd but couldn't find him. He walked up to a bartender.
"I need to find Draco Malfoy. Do you know where I can find him?" Harry asked the man.
"Get lost buddy" the bartender replied.
"Look I don't have time for any games. This is an emergency, where is he?"
The bartender gave him a rude gesture then turned his back on him. Harry got angry. He reached over the bar and grabbed the bartender from behind and turned him around, his wand in his face. The bartender's eyes widened when he took note of Harry's scar on his forehead.
"I'm going to ask you one more time. Where can I find Draco Malfoy?"
"I can tell you where the bastard lives" said a voice behind him.
Harry turned around to face a pretty blond witch.
"Come on. I'll take you there right now" she said as she gestured for him to follow her.
Despite the company, it was the worst cab ride he had ever taken. He had to listen for fifteen minutes about her and Draco's relationship, every aspect that she could possibly rave about in the ride over. The cab stopped in front of an elegant high rise in the middle of muggle London.
"This is where he lives?" Harry asked her.
"Of course. The penthouse" she answered.
The cab driver opened her door and she stepped out. Harry stepped out behind her and the driver held out his hand for payment. Harry looked at the witch who was busy checking herself out in her pocket mirror. Harry sighed and pulled out his wallet and gave the man some money. He and the witch then walked toward the building. She stopped suddenly right in front of the doors. Harry stopped too.
"What is it? Something wrong?" he asked her.
"The door" she said matter of factly.
Harry yanked the door open for her, gesturing for her to walk through as he gave a very forced and fake smile.
"How are you Miss Delia? Long time no see" said the man at the front desk.
"Can you please take us to Draco Malfoy's?" she said curtly.
The man's face fell and he looked a bit nervous. "I'm sorry Miss Delia but he gave us explicit instructions that he was not to receive any visitors."
"But you know me and you know I know him" she cooed at the man.
"I'm sorry but he specifically mentioned you."
"WHAT?!" she screamed and the man behind the desk immediately cowered.
"I'm sorry sir" Harry stepped in pushing a raving Delia behind him, "but this is an emergency and we must contact him. Can you please let us up?"
"Let me call him first."
Harry held out his wand. "Obliviate" he said softly and gave his wand a small flick.
The man blinked rapidly and looked at the couple in front of him.
"I'm so sorry. It will never happen again. We just moved into this building and we keep forgetting our keys. But thanks for understanding. Shall we head to the lifts now?" Harry said as he threw his arm around Delia's waist.
The dazed doorman nodded and led them to the lifts.
"Which floor was it you say?" he asked.
"The penthouse" Delia said sweetly.
The man inserted the key into the panel, turned it and pressed the "P" button.
"Thank you so very much" Harry said when they reached the floor. He gave the man some money before he and Delia stepped out onto the floor.
"Goodnight." The doorman called out to them as the doors on the lift shut.
Harry immediately dropped his hand from her waist.
"Alright, which is it?" he asked her.
She led him down the hall to a door marked "B" and knocked rather loudly. No answer. This time she pounded loudly. They heard shuffling from inside.
"I said I wanted no visitors!" came Malfoy's voice from inside.
"Open up Draco you son of a bitch!"
Draco yanked the door open clad in only a pair of sweatpants.
"How the fuck did you get up here?"
Harry stepped into his view.
"Potter, what are you doing here?"
"Who's at the door Dra—"came a female voice from inside.
"Becky?" Delia sounded shocked as she shoved Malfoy aside and stepped into his flat. "My best friend, Draco? You're-shagging-my-best-friend?" She proceeded to hit him repeatedly with her purse.
Harry watched amused as Delia continued to assault Malfoy. The other witch pulled Delia off of Draco then they began to fight.
"Get out! Both of you!" Malfoy shouted as he began to throw out the other witches clothes and purse.
"What do you think you're doing?" she shouted at Malfoy as he threw her out into the hallway clad only in one of his bed sheets.
"Crazy fucking witches; get the fuck out and STAY OUT!" he said as he slammed the door in their faces.
"Call me sometime, Harry!" Delia called out from behind the door.
Malfoy spun around angrily at Harry who had an amused look on his face.
"Didn't know you were into my leftover's Potter."
"I'm going straight to the point. What did you do with Hermione?"
"What are you talking about, Potter. We both know she's in New York" Malfoy said as he walked into his room and threw on a pair of jeans.
"Is she? Did you tell your little friends about that?" Harry called out to him from the foyer.
"I don't like what you're implying" Malfoy sneered as he threw on a black jumper and walked back to the living room. "Forgive me. I'm not in the mood to play any games seeing as my night was rudely interrupted."
Harry rushed up to him. "Where the fuck is she, Malfoy? ANSWER ME! If I found out that one hair has been harmed on her head…"
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Malfoy shouted back angrily although Harry saw his eyes flicker in thought for a bit.
"What? What do you know?" Harry asked him.
She hadn't picked up the money he'd wired to her three weeks ago. The owl had stayed in New York for a week then came back with his message undelivered. Malfoy was torn between concern for Hermione and his intense dislike for the boy-who-lived. Should he help him? Hermione was in trouble, could he put all differences aside and help Harry find her. Blasted mudblood had been gone for only a month and had already found trouble. He could do it; for the sake of Hermione and how he felt for her (he chose not to dwell on his feelings for too long). That would be the noble and righteous thing, right?
"Get out of my house, Potter. I don't know anything about Hermione's whereabouts. And I'm not going to lift a damned finger to help you find the little mudblood" Draco decided that righteous and Malfoy do not go well together.
"If I find out that you were involved in this, in any way, I will make sure the rest of your days here on earth will be the most miserable ones you've ever had" Harry threatened before he stormed out of Draco's flat.
Draco was fuming. What would Potter think if he was the one to find Hermione and bring her home safely? A smile grew on his face at the thought of what the look on Potter's face would be. He quickly grabbed a jacket and left his flat.
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The sudden lack of motion jolted Hermione out of her dreamless slumber. The truck she was riding in had suddenly stopped. She lay still as she heard the car door open, then the voices of two men speaking in a language she didn't understand. How long had she been riding in the truck? How long had she been asleep? The men's voices started to fade as they walked away from the vehicle. Hermione let out a breath that she had been holding; her heart rate slowed down. She lifted herself off the truck, brushing the hay off of herself. She looked around. The truck was in a parking lot in front of a local tavern. Hermione shivered from the cold as she looked at the smoke rising from a chimney on the roof. The sound of people laughing and chatting away filled the air. Yet, she felt alone. She had no idea who she was, she didn't know what happened to her or if anyone was even looking for her. She had nowhere to go that she felt safe. No wait a minute. Where it was safe, she thought over and over. Hogwarts. She had to get to a place called Hogwarts. And Hogwarts was west. She walked over to the driver's side of the truck and looked around her. No one was in the parking lot. She tested out the door. Aha! Luckily it was unlocked. She sat in the truck and reached under the steering mount looking for the two wires to hot wire the truck with. Where did she learn that? Was she a criminal? Was she on the run? She didn't dwell on it too much as the truck started and she drove off.
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"Yes. Yes I do remember her. Very pretty witch. She came to send a letter over a week ago, no?" said the wizard behind the counter at the owlery.
Ron and Lupin had been searching each and every owlery in Paris, showing each and every employee pictures of Hermione. Ron and Remus both gave each other smiles. Finally a break, she was somewhere around here.
"Do you know if she was alone or with someone?" Ron asked the wizard.
"She was by herself. Very early in the morning she came in. She was in a hurry. She mentioned something about leaving on a train, maybe?"
"Thank you. Thank you very much for your time" Lupin said as he and Ron turned to leave the building.
The sun was setting and both of them were very tired.
"We'll turn in for the night. Tomorrow we'll hit the train stations" Lupin stated.
"Where do you suppose she went?" Ron asked him.
"I don't know. Hopefully we'll get a clue tomorrow."
Ron had a troubled look as they walked on. Remus took note of this.
"Do you think we should've told him?" Remus asked Ron.
"I really think he should know about this. I'm sure he already does."
"Yes. You're probably right. But we both know that Harry has a saving people thing. This could be a trap and Hermione could be the bait. I don't want to chance that."
"Neither do I, but I can guarantee you that Harry has already begun searching for her."
"Which is more reason why we have to stay one step ahead of him. If I know Harry, he's going to use all the resources he can to find her."
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"And you are proposing that we drop all our work here so we can go out and help you find your lost little friend who probably doesn't want to be found?" Snape asked in a condescending tone.
"I'm afraid Professor Snape is right, Harry. Hermione made it very clear that she wants to be left alone. However, if she is in danger as you say, then we can only afford a few members to help you. Remus Lupin has already volunteered himself it would seem" Professor Dumbledore said.
Harry was getting desperate, he had asked Dumbledore to call an emergency meeting of the Order. So far, the response was less friendly and more sympathetic.
"Please, I'll just need a few people to help me" Harry pleaded with the Order.
A few of them exchanged looks with each other.
"We'll help you Harry" Fred and George stood up. "We can go under the premise of research to expand our market."
"I'll go too, Harry" volunteered Tonks.
"I'll keep my ears open, maybe something will come up" said Mundungus Fletcher as he lounged lazily in the corner of the room.
"Thank you. Thank you all so much" Harry smiled gratefully at them.
"Perhaps there are others outside our circle that would like to be of assistance to you?" Dumbledore said suggestively.
Harry nodded.
"Of course we'll help you Harry" Neville said and Ginny nodded in agreement.
Harry had gone back to the burrow to find Ginny. Cho was still there and in a bad mood when he arrived. Harry mentally smacked himself for forgetting about his girlfriend. She had been pissed off at him and gave him a good lecture but he explained to her that it was an emergency, and that he would never leave her side if it wasn't. She said she had understood but was still acting a little coldly toward Harry.
"You know. We should tell Viktor, he would love to help too" Ginny advised but Neville nudged her in the side when he saw a grimace briefly flicker over Harry's face.
Harry rubbed his hands together and thought a bit.
"That's a good idea Ginny. We're going to need all the help we can get" he said finally.
"I can contact the wizard embassies in Europe" Cho piped in.
"Thanks. That would help, too" Harry said as he held her hand. Ginny scowled at Cho who smiled smugly back unnoticed by Harry.
"Right. So what's our plan of action?" Neville asked.
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"This is everything you have?" Draco asked the airline administrator.
"These are all the eyewitness reports and testimonies" the man answered back.
Draco had gone to the airline headquarters under disguise as a muggle detective to find more information about Hermione's flight. Apparently, she did board the plane but did not get off in New York. A single testimony from a hysterical flight attendant reported that a woman had simply disappeared off the plane. No one knew how she had gotten out of the plane; it was just a mystery that the airline wished to cover up. One does not lose passengers after all. They explained it as her getting off the plane just before it left the gate and she had never returned to it.
"Thank you" Draco said as he handed back the file to the man.
"I hope this was of some assistance in your investigation."
"It shed a new light on things" he said as he walked out of the room. So, Hermione must have apparated out of the plane, which means she might still be here in Europe.
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Hermione was not doing well at all. The car she had chosen to steal had a broken heater and only a half a tank of gas. She had no idea where she was, what country she was in or how to get to where she wanted to go. She shivered from the cold in the car that was stalled on the side of the road. She searched through the items in the car and found a blanket which she promptly wrapped herself in, and a little package of snack food that she devoured in an instant. Sudden panic hit her, where was she going to sleep, how was she going to find food? First things first, she had to get away from the vehicle, the owner for sure had discovered it missing and was now probably alerting the authorities. She gathered more provisions she could find in the car like a flashlight and some more food. She checked inside the glove compartment and found various papers which she figured were some sort of registration papers and…a map! She unfolded the map and dug out her flashlight to give her some light to read by.
"Prague" she said aloud as she scanned the cities on the map. Somewhere in the back of her mind told her that she was in the Czech Republic, which meant that if she went west she would hit Germany and from there she could find another map. Gut instinct told her to keep heading west. A shine of headlights caught her attention as she hastily stuffed her map into a backpack that she had found in the car. She ducked lower into the car pressing herself down into the seat as the car passed by. She had to leave soon. She grabbed her flashlight and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself as she opened the car door to step out into the cold night. Thankfully the clouds seemed to have moved on giving Hermione a clear view of the night sky. She studied the stars for a moment before identifying the North Star, how she knew this was another mystery to her. That meant that west was further down this road, she concluded as she began to walk down the road, dodging the cars that passed by running into the cover of the forest.
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"Apparently she didn't get on the plane to New York" Tonks briefed Harry the next day. "They say that she had somehow gotten off the plane before it left the gate."
Harry ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "So that means she was in Europe all along."
"No. It just means she didn't go to New York on that plane."
Neville came bursting into Harry's office. "Ron just made a withdrawal from his account in Paris at the Golden Arrow Tavern and Inn."
"Alright then, we go to Paris to find Ron and Lupin and make them tell us what they know."
"What about Ginny?" Tonks asked.
"She went to find Viktor in Bulgaria" Neville answered.
"We'll send her correspondence to tell her where we're at" Harry said as he grabbed his jacket.
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Fortunately for Ron and Remus, there was only one magical train depot in Paris. Unfortunately, none of the people who worked there had seen Hermione.
"Maybe she didn't get on the train" Ron thought sullenly.
"Or perhaps she took a muggle train" Lupin suggested. This presented a whole new set of problems, which station did she depart from? "Well, let's get a list and start looking."
Ron's stomach began to growl with hunger as they approached noon time. No luck yet, no one recognized Hermione at all.
"We'll check one more then we'll eat some lunch" Lupin said acknowledging Ron's grumbling belly.
They walked up to the ticket booth and flashed the man behind the glass a photo of Hermione.
"Detectives from London here. We were wondering if you had seen this woman at this station about a week and a half ago?" Ron asked.
The man peered at the picture and smiled. "Yes I remember her. Very polite, very beautiful. She bought a ticket to Prague I believe."
"Prague?" Ron said aloud.
"Do you know if she was traveling with someone?" Lupin asked.
"No I do not believe so, she only bought one ticket."
"Thank you. Thank you very much." Lupin turned to Ron. "Better take our meal to go since we're going to Prague."
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Ashton opened the door to his hotel room to answer the persistent knock.
"Ve have a problem" said the man's voice as he stepped into the room.
"What now Poliakoff?" Ashton asked irately.
"I haff received vord from Viktor that Hermione is missing and that he is coming here to meet me so we can help find her."
"So? Lead him off her trail until we find her first."
"There are other's looking for her, too, aurors in Paris and here in Prague."
Ashton sighed and looked out the window in deep thought. "If they find her, she'll recognize us. We have to do some damage control. Come on let's go."
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What light Hermione had was slowly fading with the sunset as she continued her journey west. She was faring worse than yesterday. She had been walking all day with hardly any food or water. She was cold, very cold and she was becoming mildly delirious with fever. And to make it all worse, it started to rain again. She stumbled through the forests by the side of the road, weak and tired. Her foot caught on a tree root and she tumbled to the forest floor. She was too tired to move as she lay there, rain sprinkling down around her. She was drifting in and out of consciousness as she saw something white approach her. She forced herself to focus on the object she lifted her head. It was a snowy white owl. Hermione smiled at it in her delirium. "An angel" she said weakly before she lay her head back down and closed her eyes.
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Viktor had told Ginny that he would meet her halfway in Germany, and then they would fly to Prague together. The weather got nastier as they approached the city, the wind began to pick along with the rain. Viktor shivered and closed his robes around him tighter. He then looked back at Ginny to make sure she was alright. Ginny nodded at him then suddenly a flying white object attacked her. Viktor swung his broom around and whipped out his wand.
"No Viktor! Don't! It's Hedwig, Harry's owl!" she shouted out to him and he put his wand away.
"Vot's the matter?"
"I don't know" she said as she watched Hedwig dive to the ground then fly back up to flap in her face before diving again.
"I think she wants us to follow her" Viktor said as he dove down following the owl's path.
Viktor and Ginny landed in a forest beside the road. The rain was now pouring and wind had picked up speed considerably. The two could barely make out Hedwig prancing around an object on the ground. Viktor squinted his eyes.
"Her-me-oh-knee!" he shouted out as he and Ginny ran to her side.
"Oh! She's as cold as ice!" Ginny shrieked. "Can you find a pulse?"
Viktor felt Hermione's cold wrist…nothing.
"Oh God her lips are blue! And she's so pale!" Ginny continued.
He felt her neck…"Yes! She's still alive, but it's a veak pulse."
"Hogwarts" he heard Hermione say weakly.
"What? What did she say?" Ginny asked.
"Something about Hogwarts" Viktor said. "Let's go. Ve have to get her help!"
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Remus and Ron ran into the embassy as soon as the rain started to pour from the night sky. They walked into the lobby and were shocked to see the two wizards already there.
"Montgomery, Poliakoff, what are you doing here?" Ron asked the two wizards.
"We were just here to give a report. Strangest thing. We're here on business when we find Hermione here. She had been mugged and apparently had no idea who she or who we were, then before we could help her she took off. We were here filing a report on her behalf."
"Where did you find her?" Lupin asked.
"At a church."
"You were discussing business in a church?" Ron asked skeptically.
"Well it was private business that was none of your concern."
Ron pulled Lupin aside. "We tell Harry now. Hermione is somewhere out there, alone, and confused, wandering who knows where in Eastern Europe!" he hissed at Lupin. Ron had the image of Gilderoy Lockhart after he had obliviated himself.
Just then the doors burst open and two figures walked in.
"Ginny!" Ron shouted aloud. "What are you—oh my God, is that Hermione?"
Viktor carried her in his arms as they walked in. Ron and Lupin rushed up to him.
"Ve need to get her some help!" Viktor said as Ron lifted her out of Viktor's arms. "Ve need to get her to a hospital!"
"She kept saying Hogwarts on the way over here" Ginny spoke up.
"Then that's where we'll take her. Dumbledore will take care of her" Lupin stated.
"She's not going to make it!" Viktor protested.
"We'll floo to Hogsmeade and from there we'll rush to Hogwarts" Lupin continued as Ron nodded.
"I'm coming vith you" Viktor said then turned to Ginny. "Find Harry and tell him vhere ve are and that ve haff his Her-me-oh-knee. Go! Go now!" he ordered Ginny who promptly picked up her broom and flew into the sky.
Then the three of them, with Hermione in Ron's arms, ran to the embassy's floo network. Ron stepped into the fireplace, with Hermione, as Lupin threw in some floo powder.
"The Three Broomsticks!" Ron shouted before he disappeared into the smoke and flame.
He tumbled out of the fireplace, with Hermione still in his arms. He couldn't tell if she was breathing or not, but she was so cold and pale that it scared him. Footsteps approached him.
"Goodness! What happened here?" Madame Rosemerta asked.
"We need help. Please get us a carriage to Hogwarts, right away!"
With a whooshing sound, Lupin tumbled out of the fireplace, followed shortly by Viktor.
"Hermione? Hermione, can you hear me?" Lupin bent over Hermione's face. "She's barely breathing. We've got to hurry!"
"I've got a carriage waiting for you outside!" Madame Rosemerta came running toward them.
Ron scooped Hermione back into his arms as they headed out for the carriage. As they climbed inside, he heard Lupin tell the driver to get to Hogwarts as fast as this carriage would take them. It seemed like forever before they stopped at the front steps to Hogwarts, but in reality it was only a couple of minutes or so. Viktor stepped out of the carriage, followed by Ron who reached out for Hermione as Lupin handed her to him, and then they rushed up the stairs. Noise could be heard in the Great Hall as dinner was in full swing. Lupin burst through the doors causing an abrupt silence.
"Dumbledore, we need your help!" he shouted.
Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape all rushed from the head table to meet Lupin who led them out the doors. Professor McGonagall let out a gasp as she saw the sight before her. Two rain-soaked men huddled over the body of Hermione Granger. Ron was bent over Hermione then looked up at Lupin and Dumbledore with panic and fear in his face.
"She's not breathing!"
Dumbledore conjured up a stretcher, placed Hermione on it and whisked her away to the hospital ward.
"Poppy!" Dumbledore shouted as he and the others burst into the ward.
"What is it? What is the matter?" asked the nurse as she walked out of her office.
"Please help her! She's stopped breathing!" Ron said trying to control his voice.
Madam Pomfrey promptly went to Hermione's side on the bed Dumbledore placed her on. She quickly conjured up a screen that showed Hermione's vitals. Ron turned pale when he heard the high pitched monotone of a flat lined heart rate. Dumbledore and Poppy continued to wave their wands over Hermione, but she stayed flat lined. Lupin couldn't take anymore and turned his back on the sight. Viktor sat in a corner holding his hands over his ears to block out the sound. Ron couldn't breath. The room suddenly became too small for him.
"Please turn the monitor off Poppy" Dumbledore said quietly after a while.
Madam Pomfrey did as she was told and the room was plunged into silence. Ron walked over to the bed as Madam Pomfrey began to sniffle. He looked at the pale still form of Hermione lying on the bed. He thought of his first day on the train when he had first met her, how she looked during the Yule Ball, how they had fought bitterly then how they had spent an entire night together talking, making up for lost time. He was never going to have that chance again. How were he and Harry going to live without her? Harry. Oh God. How was he going to tell Harry?
