A/N: I'd like to thank Kalieris because he/she (I don't know which, sorry)
gave my story an average of more than 2 reviews per chapter! YAY! (Yes, I
am incredibly happy about that.)
Chapter 45: St. Mungo's Hospital
Dumbledore stood beside Harry, droplets of raindrops dripping from his long and crooked nose. He cast a sideways glance at the meadow from his place by the forest and saw those who had survived Apparating back to get those who were unconscious or dead. Dumbledore levitated Harry and brought him back to the center of the meadow where Kingsley Shacklebolt stood waiting.
"Leave the five to me," said Dumbledore, his voice grave.
"He is alive?" asked Shacklebolt loudly over a roar of thunder.
"I do not know," said Dumbledore, shaking his head. "Where is Severus?"
"Tortured by the Cruciatus cruse. The house-elves are taking care of him."
"How many have died?"
"It's a wild guess, but I would say around 50," replied Shacklebolt, casting a quick glance at their surroundings.
"There were about 170. What about Death Eaters?" said Dumbledore.
"Nearly 100, and we still have more tied up and locked in the dungeons."
"Very well." There was a bright flash of lightning and another loud roar of thunder as the rain pounded hard upon them, the meadow turning into more of a swamp. "Take everyone from our side to St. Mungo's. I will take care of the five." Kingsley Shacklebolt gave a slight nod and conjured up stretchers as Dumbledore walked over to the Quidditch Pitch, Harry floating serenely behind him. If the sky had been clear, the sun would have been seen setting, but thick overcast clouds covered it and it felt as they were living in the early hours of the morning, instead of the evening.
"Draco," said Dumbledore softly. Draco, who had been struggling hard to get up, stopped and looked up at Dumbledore, his breathing fast and uneven. "I will take you to St. Mungo's Hospital-"
"How's Nora?" demanded Draco. He managed to stand up straight but wobbled dangerously. Dumbledore reached out and held him upright.
"I do not know," he replied. "Come with me and we will see." Only then did Draco notice Harry floating eerily in the air, lying on an invisible stretcher of some sort.
"Is he dead?" whispered Draco.
"I do not know," replied Dumbledore again before turning around and walking into the direction of the castle, which stood out poorly against the dark, thunderous sky. Draco hurried to keep up with his headmaster, all the while glancing worried looks around him as he clutched his excruciating arm that kept throbbing painfully. When they were back in the center of the meadow, Draco already saw her. She was lying amidst the debris of the castle that had broken off when so many people had been smashed against it. He ran over to her as fast as he could, his broken arm long forgotten, and let himself fall down next to her before holding her close in one arm, the broken one hanging limply at his side. Draco could see a long gash that went across Nora's chest, and when he looked closer, drops of blood were trickling out of it.
"Come, Draco," said Dumbledore from beside him. Draco snapped his head up and saw that Hermione had been put on an invisible stretcher as well. She, too, had a large cut across her chest and looked rather pale. There was a large bloodstain on her t-shirt and Draco thought she looked rather dead to him. He wondered in horror if Nora was dead too. She felt cold. And she looked so peaceful, lying there in his arms. He wondered if all dead looked this peaceful... but he could not believe she really was dead. He would not believe it. She had to be alive... for him. Draco slowly let Nora go and Dumbledore lifted her in the air as well and she now floated serenely beside Hermione and Harry. Draco got up again, but exhaustion completely washed over him and he fainted, landing for the third time on his broken arm. Dumbledore closed his eyes wearily, just standing in the pouring rain for a few seconds, before opening them again and levitating Draco up as well. Now all he had to do was find Ron, the only one of the five who had not been injured or knocked out.
"Dumbledore! Dumbledore!" Dumbledore turned around and saw Cleopatra, the Egyptian witch, running towards him, blood splattered all over her clothes. "Dumbledore," she panted upon finally reaching him. "Dumbledore, the Arabian King Obesa has just passed on." Dumbledore looked at her in disappointment. "He told me to tell you that you are to have his possessions and that you are to decide what is to be done with his riches." Dumbledore nodded gravely and Cleopatra gave him a sorrow filled smile before walking through the sheets of rain towards Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"It may have gone ominous but everything is still better than I could have hoped for," whispered Dumbledore more to himself than anyone. A smile made its way onto his ancient and wrinkled face, a smile only he could wear in such horrible situations, and he marched proudly through the mud puddles, four children floating behind him, thick raindrops still plummeting from the dark, swirling clouds.
"Dumbledore!" Professor McGonagall came running through the rain, an umbrella floating perfectly above her.
"Minerva, how lovely of you to join me," said Dumbledore cheerily. McGonagall eyed him suspiciously for a second before she remembered what she was about to say.
"Mr. Weasley has already been taken to St. Mungo's, though he appeared to be fine when I saw him. Seemed more concerned about the health of his friends than his own," she said.
"Ah, yes. Mr. Weasley is a loyal friend indeed. I will take these four to St. Mungo's in an instant and explain matters to him myself before he can visit them. Is there a special Apparating area set up? I daresay we can't all arrive in the reception area, what with all the patients," said Dumbledore. McGonagall nodded.
"Yes. The courtyard has been closed off. You will be able to Apparate there." Dumbledore nodded and McGonagall left again, carefully avoiding the many puddles scattered over the meadow. Dumbledore turned to the four floating students and swirled his wand high in the air. A second later they all disappeared only to reappear in St. Mungo's courtyard, where many more people, who had fought in the Second War, were Apparating or resting. The nearest Healer walked up to Dumbledore and immediately called three more over upon seeing the four children. Each Healer took one student inside the building and Dumbledore watched, hoping they would all be all right.
"Excuse me," he said to the nearest Healer, who was busy mending a shriveled up leg that belonged to Tonks.
"Yes?" the Healer asked, looking sideways at the old man.
"Could you perhaps be so kind as to tell me where a certain Mr. Ron Weasley is?" The Healer shook his head and turned back to Tonks, who grimaced in pain. But Dumbledore did not need to ask around anymore, for at that moment Ron came darting through the crowd straight towards his headmaster.
"How are they?" he demanded. "Are they all right? Are they alive?"
"I do not know," replied Dumbledore. "Draco is the only one of who I am certain that he will be up and about soon enough. But as for your other three friends, it is inconclusive. You see, Ms. Granger and Ms. Glassyd were both tossed rather intensely into the walls of Hatsrowg, and Harry... well, he is the most indecisive. He was pitched ferociously into a tree and then fell flat onto the earth. None of these three have showed any signs of life so far, unless there pulse is dangerously weak it is hardly noticeable..." Ron stared hard into one of the shrubbery's that was placed beautifully in the courtyard. But it's splendor went past him as his mind raced. Maybe, a few hours from now, he would have lost three best friends and only have one left. His life would be completely ruined! He slowly sat himself done on the nearest bench and put his head in his hands, not wanting to think of what life would be like with three best friends gone.
"I will come fetch you as soon as I receive news about them," said Dumbledore, before walking over to the nearest Healer and demanding the important facts so far about the members of the Order and International Organization.
Ron tried hard to lock everything around him out. The excited chatter of those who were completely healed, the painful wailing of those who were currently being healed and anything else that had to do with his life right now. A part of him felt proud that he was the only one of the five who was not injured... or dead. But that was overshadowed by the misery and worry of losing someone he cared for, for the first time. The others, they had already lost family members or someone they loved, but he... he had always known the protection and warmth from his large family.
~*~*~*~
It seemed to take an eternity before Dumbledore's voice finally penetrated the barriers Ron had set up. He snapped his head up and looked at his headmaster, who wore an unreadable expression. Before Ron could even say the first thing that had entered his mind, Dumbledore had begun speaking, answering Ron's unasked question.
"They are alive. All of them, but Harry only just." Ron was on the verge of hyperventilating. He had never been so close in losing his best friends. "You are allowed to visit them, if you wish." Ron looked at Dumbledore as if he were mad. "I'll show you where they are, then," his headmaster added smiling. Ron jumped up from his seat on the wet bench, not noticing that the back of his once magically dried up pants were now damp, and followed Dumbledore excitedly inside the hospital.
When they finally reached the fifth floor, the tearoom/hospital shop had been sealed off for patients from the Second War, Ron was already growing impatient and wondering when he could finally see them. When he finally burst through the door to the room his friends were in, with such excitement, it was only to see to his disappointment that they were all either still unconscious or asleep. There was a Healer in the room, she was checking up on Harry, and after she was done she told Ron to sit down, he sat in the empty chair by the window, and she explained to him the injuries of his friends. Dumbledore silently left the room.
Draco, having fallen with his full wait on the same arm three times in a row, had sustained multiple fractures in his arm and shoulder. Though this had all been completely mended the moment he had gotten here, Draco still needed to stay in the hospital to rest up a little.
The curse that had been used on Nora would've had a greater, more serious effect, if Hermione had not cast a silencing charm on Dolohov. But it had nevertheless caused enough damage that needed her to make ten different potions in order for it to heal. And she would not be able to move, without feeling some pain, for a while either.
Hermione, though hit with the same curse as Nora, was in even worse shape, "for the more you are hit with that curse, the more damage it does." The Healer explained. Hermione had to take seventeen different potions every twelve hours and would be feeling immense pain for a while if she ever moved; there was a high chance she would not move at all, just to avoid the smarting.
Harry was worst off than the other three put together. After having been smashed roughly into a tree and then plummeting many feet to the ground, he had fallen into a sometimes-irreversible sleep. The Healers had tried everything and anything to revive him from his coma, but nothing had worked and Harry would have to wake up himself. Ron gaped at the healer. How on earth could his friends have sustained such horrible injuries when he had gotten off with nothing!? Even now life was unfair and the thought crept into his mind that maybe it hadn't been worth it. That maybe they might as well not have fought in the Second War, since they would all die anyway. But the thought that they had saved so many families and lives of innocent people drove every other spiteful opinion out of his head.
The Healer had left Ron alone to think and he glanced at his friends. He got up and walked to Hermione, after having seen that the Amulet of Era's was still around her neck. He leaned closer to see it better and even now, after they had triumphed over evil, the colors black, dark purple, dark blue and dark green still swirled innocently inside the Amulet, joining each other but never mixing to form one ugly color of brown.
~*~*~*~
It was almost 2 o'clock in the morning now and Ron sat in the lonely chair by the window, just gazing into the Amulet of Era's like the hours before, wondering if he could've done something different and save Harry's life, for it was still not sure if Harry would ever wake again. Ron had taken the Amulet off Hermione's neck and held it carefully in two hands, nearly letting it fall to the ground when he heard someone call his name. He looked around and spotted the source.
"You're awake," he stated bluntly. "You're the first one," he added. Draco's eyes wandered over to the other beds and rested devastatingly on Nora for a few seconds before turning back to Ron, for explanation.
"She's not dead," Ron whispered and then recited what the Healer on duty had told him some hours earlier.
When Ron had finished explaining, Draco got out of his bed with difficulty and slowly and carefully made his way over to Nora's, who was still sleeping peacefully, her chest now rising and falling normally. He knelt down beside her bed and took one of her hands in his, looking desolately at her pale, but beautiful face, still thinking she looked like someone who had been forced to grow up to quickly. Draco could not help but think that he had nearly let her slip away from him for a second time and in the future he would hold on to her even more than he already had, because if he lost her again, there'd be no more reason to live.
"Here, mate," said Ron as he put the chair he had recently been sitting in, next to Draco, who looked at Ron, at the chair and then back at Ron before a small smile showed itself.
"Thanks," he whispered hoarsely, seating himself down on the chair.
"No problem," replied Ron, smiling as well. "I'll just go find me another one." And then he left the room. Draco watched him close the door and then turned back to look at Nora. He wondered what she was dreaming about, if she was dreaming at all. Or would it be a nightmare instead? He did not know, but if it was and she woke up screaming from it, he'd be right there to comfort her. Draco thought Ron was taking a rather long time getting a second chair, but he never knew how long Ron really was away, for he fell asleep again a few minutes later.
~*~*~*~
Nora opened her eyes and blinked, staring at the plain white ceiling. She tried to sit up but grimaced as pain shot through her, issuing from her chest. It took her a while to remember what she had clearly forgotten, before flashes of the Second War shot through her mind, almost like a slideshow. There was Voldemort killing Dumbledore with his own curse right in the beginning, followed by Death Eaters appearing from nowhere. Dolohov's twisted face smirking evilly at her and then purple flames. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and grimaced again as another twinge of pain went through her, again issuing from he chest. She looked down and saw that bandages had been wrapped around her and when she followed her arm, which was lying unusually off to the side, she saw her hand being held carefully in Draco's. She smiled a loving smile upon seeing Draco lying with his head on her bed, clearly exhausted.
It was only then that she remembered the others, and she scanned the room for them, a guilty feeling in her stomach. But from her lying position she could only see Hermione, who lay next to her, and a vague figure by the window. Nora wondered what had happened after she and Hermione had been unconscious. Had they won the Second War? But then shouldn't she be able to hear shouts of joy from all those wizards and witches celebrating? She hoped they had won; otherwise it had all been for nothing. All that pain for nothing.
The person by the window sighed, laid something carefully down on a side table beside him and then got up. He walked across the room with a few large strides and when he passed Nora's bed she could clearly see the red hair.
"Ron?" she asked, knowing such hair could only be one person. Ron nearly had his hand on the doorknob when he turned around. He flashed her a big smile and walked over to her bed immediately, standing on the opposite side from where Draco lay sleeping.
"That's two up," he said, giving Nora a careful hug. She tried to raise her arms and return it, but the pain was just too much.
"So what happened? Did we win?" she asked anxiously. Ron nodded after he carefully let go of her again.
"Yup." But his smile faltered when he thought of the cost their victory had come with. For the second time he repeated the story the Healer had told him.
"He may never wake up?" Ron nodded.
"But they say there's a larger chance he will," he told Nora reassuringly.
"Oh." There was a moment's silence. "Do my parents know I'm here?" Ron nodded.
"All of our families have been informed and Dumbledore's giving some sort of interview, just about now, in the Ministry of Magic, which will be in a late edition of today's Prophet, so the whole world will soon know as well."
"But I thought Dumbledore was dead?" said Nora.
"Nah," said Ron, kneeling down beside her bed and rubbing her arm comfortingly. "That was all some sort of little scheme he had planned. The Sorting Hat should've put him in Slytherin." Nora chuckled, closing her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again wearily.
"So, what've you been up to?" Ron shook his head.
"You don't have to keep me company. If you want you can go back to sleep," he told her. Nora smiled.
"Ah, you know me too well," she said. Ron shrugged, grinning.
"It's my duty as a best friend." He patted her head gently and got up again. Nora closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
"Now to find me something to do," muttered Ron, looking around the room.
~*~*~*~
It was now a day later, two days after they triumphed over Voldemort, and Ron was sitting with Draco beside Nora's bed; she had woken up again and was sitting propped up against a bunch of pillows Ron and Draco had gotten for her. There was still no sign of awakening from Hermione or Harry.
"And Dumbledore says our families will be visiting later in the afternoon," said Ron, checking his watch. "And it is now... 11 o'clock," he added a bit disappointed.
"We'll just have to wait until, then," said Nora simply, laughing when Ron gave her a look that clearly said 'Duh' and wincing when laughing hurt, as well as most other movements she usually made. A Healer came inside, saying she had received an owl for Harry.
"I'll take it," said Ron, and the Healer gave him the piece of parchment she had been holding.
"Who's it from?" asked Nora interestedly.
"Parvati," replied Ron, reading whatever it was she had written on the front. There was a hint of fury in the look he wore upon finishing.
"Well?" asked Nora and Draco together.
"It says here that she wants Harry to read it alone, which means she doesn't even trust us," Ron told them.
"Open it," urged Nora.
"But it says-" argued Ron.
"All the more reason we have the right to know, if it's something important," she interrupted. "Besides, I'm bored." Draco rolled his eyes. "That's one hit upside the head I'm going to give you when I can move properly again," she told him. Draco just flashed her a naughty little grin.
"All right," said Ron while opening the letter, turning their attention back to him. "'Dear Harry', bla bla bla. 'I really missed you', bla, 'never been this worried in my life', yatti yatti ya. Ah, here's what we're looking for. 'Though I find it very hard to do this, I really feel that I have to, because this whole thing has gotten me thinking. You know I love you, I really do, but I just don't think I can live with the fear, that you bring with you, of being attacked, and perhaps murdered.' What fear? Voldemort's dead, you cow," muttered Ron furiously, sensing where Parvati's letter was going. "'This is why I have decided that our relationship should end. It's just too much for me to handle. But always remember that I love you and that I always will', no she doesn't. If she did she'd stay with him," growled Ron. "'Good bye, Harry. I'll miss you.' And that's it!" he shouted incredulously.
"Oh, the nerve," muttered Nora.
"Well, I certainly never saw that one coming," said Draco while Ron heatedly crumpled up Parvati's letter and chucked it angrily in their wastepaper basket, which devoured it hungrily.
"This is going to kill Harry when he wakes up... if he wakes up," Nora said. "How dare she! And in a crummy little letter, as well! Ouch," she added, putting a hand carefully on her chest, trying to stop the pain.
"Well, Parvati turned out to be a real-" Ron would've completed his sentence with a whole row of cuss words if he hadn't been so rudely interrupted by Hermione screaming her lungs out. Ron and Draco immediately scrambled over to her and Nora tried as well, but ended up shouting in agony as well, clutching her chest, cursing Dolohov in the process.
"Are you ok, 'Mione?" asked Ron, as he and Draco each grabbed one of her hands trying to calm her down. Hermione shook her head fiercely, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks.
"What happened?" demanded a muscular male Healer as he entered the room, wand at the ready.
"We don't know. All of a sudden she was just screaming," said Ron rather weakly, eyeing the Healer, who walked over to Hermione, with apprehension.
"She must have tried to move, am I right?" asked the Healer, who's name was Petey Malkonov, as Ron saw on his name badge. Hermione nodded slightly. "Yes, well, it'll be a painful week for you." She looked questioningly at Malkonov, too exhausted to even speak. The Healer explained the situation to Hermione, as well as telling her what had happened to the others, and she tried to cast a glance at Harry, who lay across the room from her, when Malkonov had finished.
Nora was quite glad Hermione could not see Harry from her lying position, because, frankly, it was not a comforting sight to see him lying there in his bed, looking so pale and hardly breathing. In fact, if you had not known he was in a coma, you would've guessed him dead. Harry's chest didn't even rise or fall the slightest bit as he breathed and he never moved once in his, perhaps eternal, 'sleep'.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Ron asked Hermione quietly when the Healer had left again, after giving Hermione and Nora their medicine, which tasted completely horrible. Hermione nodded. "But at least you're awake. Now all we do is wait for Harry before we five are completely back again," said Ron, trying to look and sound cheerful. Hermione nodded weakly.
"H-... H-how long..." she tried to say, her voice gravelly. Ron's smile faltered a bit.
"About two days."
"Is D-D-Dumbledore dead?" Ron and Draco both shook their heads, smiling. Nora had slowly fallen asleep again.
"No. He just faked his own death to fool Voldemort," explained Ron.
"It's so quite," whispered Hermione, her normal voice coming back. "Do my parents... does my father know I'm here?" Ron and Draco nodded.
"He's coming to visit this afternoon, along with our families." Hermione yawned and immediately cringed.
"I wish they would give me some painkillers," she muttered, trying hard not to sigh and cause herself even more pain. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get some more sleep," she told Ron and Draco, who nodded their understanding. Ron gently patted her head and Draco gave her hand a slight squeeze before they walked to the middle of their room, wondering what to do next.
"What?" asked Draco, seeing the grin Ron was wearing.
"I have an idea to cheer her up," he replied. Upon seeing the questioning look Draco gave him, he went on, "You know those Muggle devices they sometimes talked about?" Ron pointed to Hermione and Nora. Draco frowned.
"They've talked about millions of Muggle things. Be more specific."
"You know those things that make music. It starts with an 'R'... I think."
"Radio?"
"Exactly."
"What about it."
"Well, I say we go find one, or summon one over, and bewitch it to play here, so it won't be so silent and they have something nice to listen to," Ron said excitedly. Draco shrugged.
"I guess it's worth a shot, isn't it?"
"Of course it is." And Ron dragged Draco out of the room, down the stairs and into the courtyard where people wounded from the Second War still waited.
"Now what?"
"Now we summon Hermione's radio."
"You think we're allowed? It's already summer vacation."
"Yeah, but we're of age, remember?"
"True... but wouldn't Muggles think it a bit odd if a radio flew through the sky towards London? I mean, someone's bound to notice and then it'll be both of our heads." Ron thought about this for a few seconds before his arm, already raised to summon Hermione's radio, fell limply by his side.
"Right. I forgot about that," he said sullenly. "But then how are we supposed to get one of those... things?"
"Radio's."
"Yeah, those."
"I dunno. Maybe the hospital has one." Ron looked skeptically at him.
"Yeah right... Oh! What about Hermione's parents?" he suggested excitedly. "We could owl them and ask 'em to bring it when they come to visit her this afternoon."
"That sounds like a good idea, but where are we going to get an owl?"
"Well, they're bound to have an owlery here, right?" Draco shrugged but they made their way inside in search of an owlery anyway.
~*~*~*~
At three o'clock both Ron and Draco slumped onto one of the couches in the reception hall of St. Mungo's, which was once again filled with people, though most did not seem to be injured in any way. The two boys had eventually found the owlery, after asking many, many portraits, most of whom had led them the wrong way, and when they had finally arrived in the draughty tower, they needed to go back down for some parchment, a quill and ink to write a letter, before they went back up to the owlery to send it.
~*~*~*~
Hermione woke up to soft classical tunes, drifting beautifully through the room, then silence, then what appeared to heavy metal, silence once more and then gentle, classical tunes once again.
"No, no, no, no, no, go back," ordered Nora. She was already awake again and sat propped up against the pillows Ron and Draco had fetched her earlier, directing the two boys with the radio, which they found simply fascinating. Ron went to the channel they had just passed and turned up the volume a little.
"What, this?" he asked. Nora nodded and smiled. This seemed to be a good channel, since they were playing 'We didn't start the fire' by Billy Joel. Hermione listened to it, eyes closed wearily, a slight smile on her face. She was busy singing the third chorus along in her mind when she heard the door open, an excited cry of 'Oh, what's this?' and then silence again as Mr. Weasley pressed every button on the radio at least once, utterly enthralled.
"Dad, please. Get a grip on yourself," muttered Ron, ears turning red. Nora ordered Draco to bring her the radio, while Mr. Weasley gave his son a hug, and she had soon found their favorite radio station again, hearing the last few tunes of Billy Joel's song.
"Where are the others, Mr. Weasley?" she asked, trying to look into the hall searching for them, without causing herself some more pain.
"Oh, they'll be here soon. Mr. Granger was leading us the right way, but Molly is currently holding them up by... er, demanding the best care for you five from the Healers," he said, a bit ashamed of his wife's concernedness. Mr. Granger had, after receiving the owl, brought Hermione's radio with him and gone back downstairs to wait for the others. "Now, this is one of them radio things, is it not? I read about them a while ago. Playing all sorts of Muggle music... I wish we could get one, but we don't have any plugs," he told them a bit crestfallen.
"There are portable ones, you know," Nora told him. Ron groaned as his dad's face lit up. "They work on batteries."
"That's all right, I've got enough of those," Mr. Weasley said.
"Really? The small ones?" asked Nora. Mr. Weasley thought this over.
"I do believe so."
"Ronny dear!" shouted Mrs. Weasley from the doorway. Ron seemed simply shocked to see his mother standing there with her arms wide open, expecting a big hug from him. He ambled weakly over to her and let her wrap him into those bone-crushing hugs she always gave.
"Hi, mum," he said as the families of the other three entered as well. Mr. Granger quickly hurried over to Hermione, who had opened her eyes, and gave her a gentle hug, during which she had to use all of her strength not to scream. Nora's parents, older brother and younger sister had walked over to her and all of them, except Lily, eyed Draco, who sat by the foot of her Nora's, suspiciously. Narcissa Malfoy had of course shot straight towards her son and smothered him in kissed, much to his humiliation. The whole Weasley party had surrounded Ron and his brothers congratulated him on his braveness while Ginny gave her older brother a big hug, tears forming in her eyes.
The radio had been switched off again so they could all hear each other over their own loud talking. Mrs. Weasley was the first one who walked over to Harry's bed to see him, since she considered him as her own son, and soon the others followed, all with the same question of 'will he ever wake up?' on their minds.
~*~*~*~
The families weren't allowed to stay long because the elderly female Healer insisted that "these children get some good rest, Madame," she told them while pushing Mrs. Weasley, the last one still struggling, out of the door and ordering them to not disturb the five any longer.
"Seriously," huffed Mrs. Weasley. "I daresay we're allowed to see our own children after having had to live in the fear of losing them."
"Yes, I certainly think so," agreed Mrs. Malfoy. Mrs. Weasley watched at her for a second with a look of 'did-I-ask-for-your-opinion?-I-think- not' before she smiled a little.
"Well, I'm certainly complaining about the staff," she then said resolutely and Mrs. Malfoy and Glassyd nodded their agreement. But before anything else could be agreed the large group was shunted out of the tearoom, still place for victims from the Second War, by the same Healer who seemed to be on the verge of losing her temper, if she had one.
"The nerve," huffed Mrs. Weasley as they all stepped outside in the warm air.
~*~*~*~
A/N: All right, I wanted to stop here, and save my idea for the next chapter, but that's a whole different topic and this one is still a bit short, only 12 pages, so I'll put it here. But I'm afraid it's gonna get real sappy, so be warned:
~*~*~*~
"I don't see why they had to leave so early," muttered Hermione.
"Yeah," murmured Nora.
"Turn on the radio again," Hermione ordered after having sighed a big sigh. Ron obeyed without even objecting her rudeness, as he usually would've done, but he guessed that Hermione was going to go through a horrible week, with the pain and all, so he decided to let it go this once.
"Can anyone get me a glass of water?" asked Nora, looking sweetly at Ron.
"We'll get it," offered Draco and he grabbed Ron and hurried out of the room, leaving a frowning Nora and a humming Hermione behind. Nora turned her head sideways to look at Hermione.
"What was that about?" she asked. Hermione looked at her friend and shrugged.
"Guy talk maybe?" Nora arched an eyebrow.
"Ron and Draco?" she asked skeptically. Hermione thought this over and then shrugged.
"I dunno, but you have to admit, they are getting friendlier with each other, even if it is inch by inch." Nora nodded.
"Yeah, but why does it take so long? I mean, Harry and Draco already are friends, for a long time mind you," she said, forgetting the original topic.
"Well, Ron's just more careful, isn't he?"
"I guess..."
~*~*~*~
"I'm going to ask her to marry me."
"What?"
"I'm going to ask her to marry me."
"Er... What?"
"Ron."
"Sorry. You just kind of... startled me."
"Yeah... sorry."
"No, no, no, don't apologize."
"Er... What?" Ron chuckled. "Aren't you going to yell? That's what I was expecting."
"Of course not."
"But... but I already had a whole speech formed in my head."
"You won't need it... unless when you guys tell her parents... they'll blow their top... at least her father will."
"Right... right," said Draco, completely unsure now.
"Oh no, no, no, don't worry. They'll love you," said Ron quickly, patting Draco's shoulder.
"I doubt it," he muttered.
"Aw, why not? I do." Draco snapped his head up to shoot a horrified look at Ron when he saw the redhead grinning cheekily.
"You scare me sometimes, you know that?" Ron nodded, grinning still.
"So when are you going to ask her?"
"Well, I was hoping sometime soon, now that I have mustered up some courage." Ron nodded, clearly thinking hard.
"Yes, yes. And where?"
"I dunno."
"I see... yes, well, you'll have to tell Hermione first. She'll give you some pointers; she's great in this kind of stuff," said Ron more to himself than to Draco before putting an arm around him and steering him back to their room. Even though they were allowed to sleep at home again, now that they were both better, the two preferred to stay in the hospital, to keep their friends some company.
"What took you so long?" demanded Nora, turning bossy like Hermione. "And where's my water?" she then asked, looking at the empty hands of both boys.
"Completely slipped our minds. We'll go get some right now," said Ron.
"What on earth were you guys doing all that time, then?" asked Nora suspiciously.
"Guy talk," called Ron as he dragged Draco out of the room with him.
"I told you," said Hermione in a fake arrogant voice.
"So you're right once again. It's not that big a deal. You're right every time," Nora told her. Hermione nodded proudly, trying hard to move as less as possible.
When Ron and Draco returned they were each holding a large pitcher filled with icy water, so that they wouldn't have to go back sometime soon.
"Cups?" asked Hermione, eyebrows raised, looking at them as if they were completely stupid.
"Urgh," said Ron, slapping his forehead.
"I'm not going back again," stated Draco. "Can't you use something else to drink from?"
"Yeah, or transform something?" added Ron. Hermione still looked at them as if they were stupid and then, when they still hadn't gotten the message, she indicated with her head to the bandages around her chest.
"Besides, I have no idea where my wand is," she told them.
"The Healers have it. They'll return it to you when you leave this hospital," Ron informed her.
"Ah, I'd thought I'd lost it."
"So what about the cups?" asked Nora, bringing the conversation back to the original issue.
"We'll go get them," grumbled Ron, pulling Draco with him.
~*~*~*~
"Here. Cups. And we're not going out of this room for something else until it's five hours later," said Ron, setting the plastic cups rather hardly down next to the two pitchers of water.
"Yes. Well, someone's going to have to help me drink because we all know I can't do a single thing by myself," said Hermione bitterly. Draco immediately walked over to her with a cup of water and Ron new this was his cue to distract Nora, who seemed a bit confused as to why her boyfriend would not rather be with her.
"Hi," said Ron, blocking her view from the other two.
"Er... hi," replied Nora, stopping to try and see what Hermione and Draco were doing and instead turning to Ron. "What are they doing?" she demanded. Ron shrugged.
"I dunno. So, how are you?" Nora frowned suspiciously at him.
"Fine."
"Good. Good."
"What do you want?"
"To give you your water," said Ron proudly, handing Nora a cup of water. She took it and carefully took a few sips before handing it back to Ron, who held onto it for her.
"So..." said Nora, not really knowing what to say, especially when Ron kept looking at her in that strange way. It almost seemed as if tears were forming in his eyes. Tears of pride. Which was weird, because what on earth had she done lately, except lie in this stupid bed and complain? Maybe they were tears of sadness, because she and the others had gotten hurt? But, no. He wouldn't be smiling like that.
"You know, I wonder if Harry will ever wake up," said Ron thoughtfully, handing Nora her cup of water when she asked for it again.
"Of course he will," she said consolingly before taking another few sips and handing the cup back to Ron yet again. Her mind had already been completely taken off of Ron's weird acting. "Of course he will. You know Harry. He always pulls himself through."
"Yeah, but there's a first time for everything. What if he doesn't this time? I'd lose my best friend," Ron stated somberly.
"At least you'd still have us. I mean, there are many people out there who don't even have one best friend, let alone three," Nora told him.
"Oh yeah? Name one."
"Professor Lupin."
"Oh. I forgot about him... name another one."
"Snape, probably," said Nora thoughtfully, and before Ron could even issue another sound she added," Trelawny, Pansy Parkinson and there's this really lonely first year Ravenclaw who was always walking alone... and of course there are hundreds more out there who I don't know."
"But Snape's a git, of course he wouldn't have any friends, and Trelawny's an old fraud, no one with free will would go near her and Pansy's just a big stupid cow who deserves no friends."
"If you had to chose, who would you rather be friends with: Snape, Trelawny or Parkinson?" asked Nora, smiling evilly.
"That lonely first year Ravenclaw."
"She's not a option."
"Then I refuse to answer."
"Killjoy."
"Well, who would you rather be friends with, then?" asked Ron interestedly.
"If I had to choose... Trelawny." Ron gaped at her. "Well, she's the only one who isn't a Slytherin," explained Nora shrugging.
"Ouch," said Draco from beside her, a hand over his heart.
"You're an exception," Nora told him, smiling. She then turned back to Ron. "I mean, seriously, Trelawny is way better than Snape or Parkinson." He shrugged, knowing Nora was pretty much right.
"Ron!" called Hermione. "I want company," she added pouting. Ron sighed and turned around to talk to his other friend.
"So, what did you and Hermione talk about?" Nora asked Draco interestedly. He shrugged.
"Nothing much."
"Liar."
"All right, we were talking about you and made a plan to spread all sorts of nasty rumors," he told her sarcastically, to get her off his back.
"Fine, don't tell me then," Nora told him, feeling a little sad and confused as to why he wouldn't just tell her.
"I love you," Draco said, seeing the slight pain in Nora's eyes and trying to make her feel better.
"Prove it," she said, grinning playfully.
"Well, I would, but I don't think you're in any state to do what I have in my mind," said Draco seriously. Nora smiled, her confusion long forgotten.
"Well, then, you'll just have to find something else," she said.
We move on to Hermione and Ron, who were busy discussing what Hermione and Draco had discussed moments before, because Draco and Nora were now involved in some very heavy, but yet careful, since some movement still hurt, snogging.
"So you did help him, then?" whispered Ron. Hermione nodded.
"Yeah. I gave him a location of where to do it and when."
"Well?" demanded Ron, just dying to know.
"I'm not telling right now, in case she hears. Besides, they'll tell you what happened after he's done it, ok?"
"Yeah, all right. What time is it?" Hermione looked at him, frowning. "Oh right, you can't move." Ron walked around Hermione's bed and picked up the watch that lay on her nightstand. "It's 7 o'clock," he said as he lay the watch down again.
"He's asking her a bit before 11," whispered Hermione, after having made sure Nora would not be able to hear. "You're going to have to help Draco set it up, all right?" Ron nodded eagerly.
~*~*~*~
"Could you guys get me some more water?" asked Hermione. Ron and Draco nodded.
"But there's still water left in the pitchers," Nora told her.
"That's warm. I want ice water," said Hermione dismissively. Ron and Draco left the room in search of more water and Hermione closed her eyes and rested, leaving Nora looking at her a little befuddled; her friends were acting rather strange today, to say the least.
~*~*~*~
Ron and Draco came back a little while later, each carrying a pitcher of ice water again.
"What took you so long?" asked Nora.
"Well, we were just making sure we had everything this time, because we didn't want to have to go back again," explained Ron, as he and Draco sat the pitchers down.
"I have a surprise for you," Draco told Nora, butterflies in his stomach. "I asked the Healer on duty if I was allowed to take you for a walk and she agreed."
"But I can't walk..." argued Nora, becoming more and more confused.
"That's all right. I'll carry you."
"But..."
"Oh, quit arguing. At least you get to leave your bed," snapped Hermione. Nora thought this over and then nodded.
"All right. But do be careful, ok?" she asked Draco rather weakly. He nodded.
"Of course I will," he assured her before carefully putting his hands underneath her, then cautiously lifting her in the air and then gently holding her close to him. Ron walked over and delicately put Nora's arms around Draco's neck, so she had something to hold on to.
"Good luck," said Ron, sitting down in a chair beside Hermione's bed.
"Thanks," said Draco, before slowly walking out of the room.
"What?" asked Nora.
"Well, he probably meant that he hoped you wouldn't get hurt while I carry you," said Draco shrugging.
"Oh. You know, we could have gotten a wheelchair for me or something."
"I doubt they have those here. Besides, wheelchairs can't go down stairs," replied Draco, carefully taking one step down at a time, focusing hard on not trying to hurt Nora.
"Yeah... and of course they don't have any elevators here, either," she said, looking around as much as her wounded chest allowed her. "So, where are we going?"
"The courtyard," replied Draco, beginning descending another set of stairs. "Damn, why did they have to put us on the 5th floor?" he grumbled.
"St. Mungo's has a courtyard?" asked Nora.
"Yeah... there aren't many people around, are there?" asked Draco, hoping she wouldn't ask why he was taking her to the courtyard.
"I guess. Usually there are more people out in the halls, aren't there?"
"Well, it's already 10:30, so most are probably ready to go to sleep."
"A bit early, don't you think?"
"Well, it's not like they have anything else to do," replied Draco, descending down the last staircase.
"Maybe I should walk on my own? I probably can already," Nora told him, seeing how much energy Draco was putting in trying to not hurt her.
"Oh no you don't. If you fall you'll injure yourself even more and we'll be farther from home than before," he said, holding on to her more tightly, as if afraid she'd jump out of his arms and try to walk anyway. They finally reached the hall that led to the courtyard.
"Thanks," said both Nora and Draco when one of the other patients in the hospital held the door to the courtyard open for them.
"Your welcome, kids," the old man said gruffly and then closed the door behind them.
"Oh, the sky's beautiful tonight," murmured Nora, looking up. It was completely cloudless and the stars twinkled brightly above them. Draco walked down a couple of paths, took a few turns and finally arrived at the place he and Ron had quickly set up. Nora only noticed her surroundings when Draco was carefully laying her down on a blanket, lain out on the grass.
"Merlin, you're heavy," he muttered, lying down beside Nora and wrapping his arms around her.
"Yes, I try to get really fat so I can watch you struggle as you try to carry me over the threshold on our wedding day," she told him, smiling sweetly. Draco's heart skipped a beat when she said 'wedding'. He wondered why this was so incredibly hard to do. "So, what's this?" Nora asked, becoming more serious. "I thought we were only going for a walk?"
"Er... we were... erm... but..." muttered Draco. 'All right, speech..." he thought frantically. 'Speech... the speech you idiot!' "Well, I thought we'd just lay and watch the stars for a bit as well," he replied.
"Oooh, very thoughtful," murmured Nora.
"Right, so..." but Draco got caught in his own words and he went silent.
"What's wrong?" asked Nora, sensing his nervousness.
"Nothing, nothing... remember about 6 months ago, when we were in Australia? The sky was just as beautiful and clear as tonight," Draco told her. Nora nodded, smiling. "I already knew a long time before, that I loved you, but you found out on that gorgeous night, under the star filled sky." Nora wondered where this whole speech was going, but in the back of her mind she knew not to interrupt him, so she just listened while gazing into his lovely eyes. "Now that I've been with you for this long already, I can't picture my life without your presence or your love and there is no one else I'd want as the mother of my children than you. Which is why I ask you: will you marry me?" Draco took out a silver ring from his pocket and held it out for Nora, who pretty much just gaped at him and the ring he was trying to give her.
"But..." she spluttered, completely at a loss for words.
"I didn't have time to buy you a ring, with Voldemort on the loose, so Hermione lent me hers until I do have one," he said. Only then did Nora see 'Terry (heart) Hermione' engraved in the ring.
"But Hermione has other rings, why'd she give this one?" she asked.
"Well, she said that if I used this, it'd have another special meaning," Draco explained. "So, will you marry me?" he then asked nervously, since she had still not given her answer. Nora gazed into his icy gray eyes, treasuring this moment, before closing her eyes and smiling.
"Of course," she told him, opening her eyes again, from which tears were trying to escape. Draco put the ring on her left ring finger and after that a careful, yet passionate, snogging session began, which did not stop, like in Australia, when bells announced loudly that it was 11 o'clock.
~*~*~*~
"And?" asked Ron eagerly when Draco and Nora entered the room and Nora was carefully put back in bed. "Well?" he demanded again, practically jumping up and down in eagerness.
"It went well," said Draco, grinning.
"I said 'yes'," added Nora, smiling lovingly at Draco.
"Oh, good for you!" said Hermione, beaming at the two.
"Excellent!" exclaimed Ron. But there was one person not able to celebrate and they all looked sadly at Harry, who lay calmly in his bed, not knowing about anything that went on anymore.
A/N: Wheeee! Another chapter finished! And it's 20 pages as well, so I certainly made this longer than it was before, though I know the proposal was a bit sappy and clichéd. Anyway, the next chapter's subject will be poor Harry in his coma.
Dumbeldave – Yay, glad you liked it, I was kind of worried that it was a bit... not interesting. But you liked it, so I'm happy. Hope you liked this chapter as well. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Athenakitty – Haha, no your questions aren't that bad, I just don't really know how to reply to them. But, yes, Voldie is very upset and, thankfully, very, very dead. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Kalieres – Well, Dumbledore didn't kill Kreacher, let's just say he had someone else do it, but it really isn't out of character, I mean, the house- elf had nearly gotten Harry and his friends killed.
As to why they don't take a portkey to Australia, is because this way the wizards and witches learn how to get along with Muggle transportation. It's just how to learn to live in the outside world.
And as for the lyrics, I know I must be very annoying, but I just can't restrain myself. When I re-edit the story when I've completed it, I'll try to take the lyrics out and rid the chapters of annoying author's notes.
Thanks for the helpful suggestions! And thanks for reading and reviewing!
Chapter 45: St. Mungo's Hospital
Dumbledore stood beside Harry, droplets of raindrops dripping from his long and crooked nose. He cast a sideways glance at the meadow from his place by the forest and saw those who had survived Apparating back to get those who were unconscious or dead. Dumbledore levitated Harry and brought him back to the center of the meadow where Kingsley Shacklebolt stood waiting.
"Leave the five to me," said Dumbledore, his voice grave.
"He is alive?" asked Shacklebolt loudly over a roar of thunder.
"I do not know," said Dumbledore, shaking his head. "Where is Severus?"
"Tortured by the Cruciatus cruse. The house-elves are taking care of him."
"How many have died?"
"It's a wild guess, but I would say around 50," replied Shacklebolt, casting a quick glance at their surroundings.
"There were about 170. What about Death Eaters?" said Dumbledore.
"Nearly 100, and we still have more tied up and locked in the dungeons."
"Very well." There was a bright flash of lightning and another loud roar of thunder as the rain pounded hard upon them, the meadow turning into more of a swamp. "Take everyone from our side to St. Mungo's. I will take care of the five." Kingsley Shacklebolt gave a slight nod and conjured up stretchers as Dumbledore walked over to the Quidditch Pitch, Harry floating serenely behind him. If the sky had been clear, the sun would have been seen setting, but thick overcast clouds covered it and it felt as they were living in the early hours of the morning, instead of the evening.
"Draco," said Dumbledore softly. Draco, who had been struggling hard to get up, stopped and looked up at Dumbledore, his breathing fast and uneven. "I will take you to St. Mungo's Hospital-"
"How's Nora?" demanded Draco. He managed to stand up straight but wobbled dangerously. Dumbledore reached out and held him upright.
"I do not know," he replied. "Come with me and we will see." Only then did Draco notice Harry floating eerily in the air, lying on an invisible stretcher of some sort.
"Is he dead?" whispered Draco.
"I do not know," replied Dumbledore again before turning around and walking into the direction of the castle, which stood out poorly against the dark, thunderous sky. Draco hurried to keep up with his headmaster, all the while glancing worried looks around him as he clutched his excruciating arm that kept throbbing painfully. When they were back in the center of the meadow, Draco already saw her. She was lying amidst the debris of the castle that had broken off when so many people had been smashed against it. He ran over to her as fast as he could, his broken arm long forgotten, and let himself fall down next to her before holding her close in one arm, the broken one hanging limply at his side. Draco could see a long gash that went across Nora's chest, and when he looked closer, drops of blood were trickling out of it.
"Come, Draco," said Dumbledore from beside him. Draco snapped his head up and saw that Hermione had been put on an invisible stretcher as well. She, too, had a large cut across her chest and looked rather pale. There was a large bloodstain on her t-shirt and Draco thought she looked rather dead to him. He wondered in horror if Nora was dead too. She felt cold. And she looked so peaceful, lying there in his arms. He wondered if all dead looked this peaceful... but he could not believe she really was dead. He would not believe it. She had to be alive... for him. Draco slowly let Nora go and Dumbledore lifted her in the air as well and she now floated serenely beside Hermione and Harry. Draco got up again, but exhaustion completely washed over him and he fainted, landing for the third time on his broken arm. Dumbledore closed his eyes wearily, just standing in the pouring rain for a few seconds, before opening them again and levitating Draco up as well. Now all he had to do was find Ron, the only one of the five who had not been injured or knocked out.
"Dumbledore! Dumbledore!" Dumbledore turned around and saw Cleopatra, the Egyptian witch, running towards him, blood splattered all over her clothes. "Dumbledore," she panted upon finally reaching him. "Dumbledore, the Arabian King Obesa has just passed on." Dumbledore looked at her in disappointment. "He told me to tell you that you are to have his possessions and that you are to decide what is to be done with his riches." Dumbledore nodded gravely and Cleopatra gave him a sorrow filled smile before walking through the sheets of rain towards Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"It may have gone ominous but everything is still better than I could have hoped for," whispered Dumbledore more to himself than anyone. A smile made its way onto his ancient and wrinkled face, a smile only he could wear in such horrible situations, and he marched proudly through the mud puddles, four children floating behind him, thick raindrops still plummeting from the dark, swirling clouds.
"Dumbledore!" Professor McGonagall came running through the rain, an umbrella floating perfectly above her.
"Minerva, how lovely of you to join me," said Dumbledore cheerily. McGonagall eyed him suspiciously for a second before she remembered what she was about to say.
"Mr. Weasley has already been taken to St. Mungo's, though he appeared to be fine when I saw him. Seemed more concerned about the health of his friends than his own," she said.
"Ah, yes. Mr. Weasley is a loyal friend indeed. I will take these four to St. Mungo's in an instant and explain matters to him myself before he can visit them. Is there a special Apparating area set up? I daresay we can't all arrive in the reception area, what with all the patients," said Dumbledore. McGonagall nodded.
"Yes. The courtyard has been closed off. You will be able to Apparate there." Dumbledore nodded and McGonagall left again, carefully avoiding the many puddles scattered over the meadow. Dumbledore turned to the four floating students and swirled his wand high in the air. A second later they all disappeared only to reappear in St. Mungo's courtyard, where many more people, who had fought in the Second War, were Apparating or resting. The nearest Healer walked up to Dumbledore and immediately called three more over upon seeing the four children. Each Healer took one student inside the building and Dumbledore watched, hoping they would all be all right.
"Excuse me," he said to the nearest Healer, who was busy mending a shriveled up leg that belonged to Tonks.
"Yes?" the Healer asked, looking sideways at the old man.
"Could you perhaps be so kind as to tell me where a certain Mr. Ron Weasley is?" The Healer shook his head and turned back to Tonks, who grimaced in pain. But Dumbledore did not need to ask around anymore, for at that moment Ron came darting through the crowd straight towards his headmaster.
"How are they?" he demanded. "Are they all right? Are they alive?"
"I do not know," replied Dumbledore. "Draco is the only one of who I am certain that he will be up and about soon enough. But as for your other three friends, it is inconclusive. You see, Ms. Granger and Ms. Glassyd were both tossed rather intensely into the walls of Hatsrowg, and Harry... well, he is the most indecisive. He was pitched ferociously into a tree and then fell flat onto the earth. None of these three have showed any signs of life so far, unless there pulse is dangerously weak it is hardly noticeable..." Ron stared hard into one of the shrubbery's that was placed beautifully in the courtyard. But it's splendor went past him as his mind raced. Maybe, a few hours from now, he would have lost three best friends and only have one left. His life would be completely ruined! He slowly sat himself done on the nearest bench and put his head in his hands, not wanting to think of what life would be like with three best friends gone.
"I will come fetch you as soon as I receive news about them," said Dumbledore, before walking over to the nearest Healer and demanding the important facts so far about the members of the Order and International Organization.
Ron tried hard to lock everything around him out. The excited chatter of those who were completely healed, the painful wailing of those who were currently being healed and anything else that had to do with his life right now. A part of him felt proud that he was the only one of the five who was not injured... or dead. But that was overshadowed by the misery and worry of losing someone he cared for, for the first time. The others, they had already lost family members or someone they loved, but he... he had always known the protection and warmth from his large family.
~*~*~*~
It seemed to take an eternity before Dumbledore's voice finally penetrated the barriers Ron had set up. He snapped his head up and looked at his headmaster, who wore an unreadable expression. Before Ron could even say the first thing that had entered his mind, Dumbledore had begun speaking, answering Ron's unasked question.
"They are alive. All of them, but Harry only just." Ron was on the verge of hyperventilating. He had never been so close in losing his best friends. "You are allowed to visit them, if you wish." Ron looked at Dumbledore as if he were mad. "I'll show you where they are, then," his headmaster added smiling. Ron jumped up from his seat on the wet bench, not noticing that the back of his once magically dried up pants were now damp, and followed Dumbledore excitedly inside the hospital.
When they finally reached the fifth floor, the tearoom/hospital shop had been sealed off for patients from the Second War, Ron was already growing impatient and wondering when he could finally see them. When he finally burst through the door to the room his friends were in, with such excitement, it was only to see to his disappointment that they were all either still unconscious or asleep. There was a Healer in the room, she was checking up on Harry, and after she was done she told Ron to sit down, he sat in the empty chair by the window, and she explained to him the injuries of his friends. Dumbledore silently left the room.
Draco, having fallen with his full wait on the same arm three times in a row, had sustained multiple fractures in his arm and shoulder. Though this had all been completely mended the moment he had gotten here, Draco still needed to stay in the hospital to rest up a little.
The curse that had been used on Nora would've had a greater, more serious effect, if Hermione had not cast a silencing charm on Dolohov. But it had nevertheless caused enough damage that needed her to make ten different potions in order for it to heal. And she would not be able to move, without feeling some pain, for a while either.
Hermione, though hit with the same curse as Nora, was in even worse shape, "for the more you are hit with that curse, the more damage it does." The Healer explained. Hermione had to take seventeen different potions every twelve hours and would be feeling immense pain for a while if she ever moved; there was a high chance she would not move at all, just to avoid the smarting.
Harry was worst off than the other three put together. After having been smashed roughly into a tree and then plummeting many feet to the ground, he had fallen into a sometimes-irreversible sleep. The Healers had tried everything and anything to revive him from his coma, but nothing had worked and Harry would have to wake up himself. Ron gaped at the healer. How on earth could his friends have sustained such horrible injuries when he had gotten off with nothing!? Even now life was unfair and the thought crept into his mind that maybe it hadn't been worth it. That maybe they might as well not have fought in the Second War, since they would all die anyway. But the thought that they had saved so many families and lives of innocent people drove every other spiteful opinion out of his head.
The Healer had left Ron alone to think and he glanced at his friends. He got up and walked to Hermione, after having seen that the Amulet of Era's was still around her neck. He leaned closer to see it better and even now, after they had triumphed over evil, the colors black, dark purple, dark blue and dark green still swirled innocently inside the Amulet, joining each other but never mixing to form one ugly color of brown.
~*~*~*~
It was almost 2 o'clock in the morning now and Ron sat in the lonely chair by the window, just gazing into the Amulet of Era's like the hours before, wondering if he could've done something different and save Harry's life, for it was still not sure if Harry would ever wake again. Ron had taken the Amulet off Hermione's neck and held it carefully in two hands, nearly letting it fall to the ground when he heard someone call his name. He looked around and spotted the source.
"You're awake," he stated bluntly. "You're the first one," he added. Draco's eyes wandered over to the other beds and rested devastatingly on Nora for a few seconds before turning back to Ron, for explanation.
"She's not dead," Ron whispered and then recited what the Healer on duty had told him some hours earlier.
When Ron had finished explaining, Draco got out of his bed with difficulty and slowly and carefully made his way over to Nora's, who was still sleeping peacefully, her chest now rising and falling normally. He knelt down beside her bed and took one of her hands in his, looking desolately at her pale, but beautiful face, still thinking she looked like someone who had been forced to grow up to quickly. Draco could not help but think that he had nearly let her slip away from him for a second time and in the future he would hold on to her even more than he already had, because if he lost her again, there'd be no more reason to live.
"Here, mate," said Ron as he put the chair he had recently been sitting in, next to Draco, who looked at Ron, at the chair and then back at Ron before a small smile showed itself.
"Thanks," he whispered hoarsely, seating himself down on the chair.
"No problem," replied Ron, smiling as well. "I'll just go find me another one." And then he left the room. Draco watched him close the door and then turned back to look at Nora. He wondered what she was dreaming about, if she was dreaming at all. Or would it be a nightmare instead? He did not know, but if it was and she woke up screaming from it, he'd be right there to comfort her. Draco thought Ron was taking a rather long time getting a second chair, but he never knew how long Ron really was away, for he fell asleep again a few minutes later.
~*~*~*~
Nora opened her eyes and blinked, staring at the plain white ceiling. She tried to sit up but grimaced as pain shot through her, issuing from her chest. It took her a while to remember what she had clearly forgotten, before flashes of the Second War shot through her mind, almost like a slideshow. There was Voldemort killing Dumbledore with his own curse right in the beginning, followed by Death Eaters appearing from nowhere. Dolohov's twisted face smirking evilly at her and then purple flames. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and grimaced again as another twinge of pain went through her, again issuing from he chest. She looked down and saw that bandages had been wrapped around her and when she followed her arm, which was lying unusually off to the side, she saw her hand being held carefully in Draco's. She smiled a loving smile upon seeing Draco lying with his head on her bed, clearly exhausted.
It was only then that she remembered the others, and she scanned the room for them, a guilty feeling in her stomach. But from her lying position she could only see Hermione, who lay next to her, and a vague figure by the window. Nora wondered what had happened after she and Hermione had been unconscious. Had they won the Second War? But then shouldn't she be able to hear shouts of joy from all those wizards and witches celebrating? She hoped they had won; otherwise it had all been for nothing. All that pain for nothing.
The person by the window sighed, laid something carefully down on a side table beside him and then got up. He walked across the room with a few large strides and when he passed Nora's bed she could clearly see the red hair.
"Ron?" she asked, knowing such hair could only be one person. Ron nearly had his hand on the doorknob when he turned around. He flashed her a big smile and walked over to her bed immediately, standing on the opposite side from where Draco lay sleeping.
"That's two up," he said, giving Nora a careful hug. She tried to raise her arms and return it, but the pain was just too much.
"So what happened? Did we win?" she asked anxiously. Ron nodded after he carefully let go of her again.
"Yup." But his smile faltered when he thought of the cost their victory had come with. For the second time he repeated the story the Healer had told him.
"He may never wake up?" Ron nodded.
"But they say there's a larger chance he will," he told Nora reassuringly.
"Oh." There was a moment's silence. "Do my parents know I'm here?" Ron nodded.
"All of our families have been informed and Dumbledore's giving some sort of interview, just about now, in the Ministry of Magic, which will be in a late edition of today's Prophet, so the whole world will soon know as well."
"But I thought Dumbledore was dead?" said Nora.
"Nah," said Ron, kneeling down beside her bed and rubbing her arm comfortingly. "That was all some sort of little scheme he had planned. The Sorting Hat should've put him in Slytherin." Nora chuckled, closing her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again wearily.
"So, what've you been up to?" Ron shook his head.
"You don't have to keep me company. If you want you can go back to sleep," he told her. Nora smiled.
"Ah, you know me too well," she said. Ron shrugged, grinning.
"It's my duty as a best friend." He patted her head gently and got up again. Nora closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
"Now to find me something to do," muttered Ron, looking around the room.
~*~*~*~
It was now a day later, two days after they triumphed over Voldemort, and Ron was sitting with Draco beside Nora's bed; she had woken up again and was sitting propped up against a bunch of pillows Ron and Draco had gotten for her. There was still no sign of awakening from Hermione or Harry.
"And Dumbledore says our families will be visiting later in the afternoon," said Ron, checking his watch. "And it is now... 11 o'clock," he added a bit disappointed.
"We'll just have to wait until, then," said Nora simply, laughing when Ron gave her a look that clearly said 'Duh' and wincing when laughing hurt, as well as most other movements she usually made. A Healer came inside, saying she had received an owl for Harry.
"I'll take it," said Ron, and the Healer gave him the piece of parchment she had been holding.
"Who's it from?" asked Nora interestedly.
"Parvati," replied Ron, reading whatever it was she had written on the front. There was a hint of fury in the look he wore upon finishing.
"Well?" asked Nora and Draco together.
"It says here that she wants Harry to read it alone, which means she doesn't even trust us," Ron told them.
"Open it," urged Nora.
"But it says-" argued Ron.
"All the more reason we have the right to know, if it's something important," she interrupted. "Besides, I'm bored." Draco rolled his eyes. "That's one hit upside the head I'm going to give you when I can move properly again," she told him. Draco just flashed her a naughty little grin.
"All right," said Ron while opening the letter, turning their attention back to him. "'Dear Harry', bla bla bla. 'I really missed you', bla, 'never been this worried in my life', yatti yatti ya. Ah, here's what we're looking for. 'Though I find it very hard to do this, I really feel that I have to, because this whole thing has gotten me thinking. You know I love you, I really do, but I just don't think I can live with the fear, that you bring with you, of being attacked, and perhaps murdered.' What fear? Voldemort's dead, you cow," muttered Ron furiously, sensing where Parvati's letter was going. "'This is why I have decided that our relationship should end. It's just too much for me to handle. But always remember that I love you and that I always will', no she doesn't. If she did she'd stay with him," growled Ron. "'Good bye, Harry. I'll miss you.' And that's it!" he shouted incredulously.
"Oh, the nerve," muttered Nora.
"Well, I certainly never saw that one coming," said Draco while Ron heatedly crumpled up Parvati's letter and chucked it angrily in their wastepaper basket, which devoured it hungrily.
"This is going to kill Harry when he wakes up... if he wakes up," Nora said. "How dare she! And in a crummy little letter, as well! Ouch," she added, putting a hand carefully on her chest, trying to stop the pain.
"Well, Parvati turned out to be a real-" Ron would've completed his sentence with a whole row of cuss words if he hadn't been so rudely interrupted by Hermione screaming her lungs out. Ron and Draco immediately scrambled over to her and Nora tried as well, but ended up shouting in agony as well, clutching her chest, cursing Dolohov in the process.
"Are you ok, 'Mione?" asked Ron, as he and Draco each grabbed one of her hands trying to calm her down. Hermione shook her head fiercely, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks.
"What happened?" demanded a muscular male Healer as he entered the room, wand at the ready.
"We don't know. All of a sudden she was just screaming," said Ron rather weakly, eyeing the Healer, who walked over to Hermione, with apprehension.
"She must have tried to move, am I right?" asked the Healer, who's name was Petey Malkonov, as Ron saw on his name badge. Hermione nodded slightly. "Yes, well, it'll be a painful week for you." She looked questioningly at Malkonov, too exhausted to even speak. The Healer explained the situation to Hermione, as well as telling her what had happened to the others, and she tried to cast a glance at Harry, who lay across the room from her, when Malkonov had finished.
Nora was quite glad Hermione could not see Harry from her lying position, because, frankly, it was not a comforting sight to see him lying there in his bed, looking so pale and hardly breathing. In fact, if you had not known he was in a coma, you would've guessed him dead. Harry's chest didn't even rise or fall the slightest bit as he breathed and he never moved once in his, perhaps eternal, 'sleep'.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Ron asked Hermione quietly when the Healer had left again, after giving Hermione and Nora their medicine, which tasted completely horrible. Hermione nodded. "But at least you're awake. Now all we do is wait for Harry before we five are completely back again," said Ron, trying to look and sound cheerful. Hermione nodded weakly.
"H-... H-how long..." she tried to say, her voice gravelly. Ron's smile faltered a bit.
"About two days."
"Is D-D-Dumbledore dead?" Ron and Draco both shook their heads, smiling. Nora had slowly fallen asleep again.
"No. He just faked his own death to fool Voldemort," explained Ron.
"It's so quite," whispered Hermione, her normal voice coming back. "Do my parents... does my father know I'm here?" Ron and Draco nodded.
"He's coming to visit this afternoon, along with our families." Hermione yawned and immediately cringed.
"I wish they would give me some painkillers," she muttered, trying hard not to sigh and cause herself even more pain. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get some more sleep," she told Ron and Draco, who nodded their understanding. Ron gently patted her head and Draco gave her hand a slight squeeze before they walked to the middle of their room, wondering what to do next.
"What?" asked Draco, seeing the grin Ron was wearing.
"I have an idea to cheer her up," he replied. Upon seeing the questioning look Draco gave him, he went on, "You know those Muggle devices they sometimes talked about?" Ron pointed to Hermione and Nora. Draco frowned.
"They've talked about millions of Muggle things. Be more specific."
"You know those things that make music. It starts with an 'R'... I think."
"Radio?"
"Exactly."
"What about it."
"Well, I say we go find one, or summon one over, and bewitch it to play here, so it won't be so silent and they have something nice to listen to," Ron said excitedly. Draco shrugged.
"I guess it's worth a shot, isn't it?"
"Of course it is." And Ron dragged Draco out of the room, down the stairs and into the courtyard where people wounded from the Second War still waited.
"Now what?"
"Now we summon Hermione's radio."
"You think we're allowed? It's already summer vacation."
"Yeah, but we're of age, remember?"
"True... but wouldn't Muggles think it a bit odd if a radio flew through the sky towards London? I mean, someone's bound to notice and then it'll be both of our heads." Ron thought about this for a few seconds before his arm, already raised to summon Hermione's radio, fell limply by his side.
"Right. I forgot about that," he said sullenly. "But then how are we supposed to get one of those... things?"
"Radio's."
"Yeah, those."
"I dunno. Maybe the hospital has one." Ron looked skeptically at him.
"Yeah right... Oh! What about Hermione's parents?" he suggested excitedly. "We could owl them and ask 'em to bring it when they come to visit her this afternoon."
"That sounds like a good idea, but where are we going to get an owl?"
"Well, they're bound to have an owlery here, right?" Draco shrugged but they made their way inside in search of an owlery anyway.
~*~*~*~
At three o'clock both Ron and Draco slumped onto one of the couches in the reception hall of St. Mungo's, which was once again filled with people, though most did not seem to be injured in any way. The two boys had eventually found the owlery, after asking many, many portraits, most of whom had led them the wrong way, and when they had finally arrived in the draughty tower, they needed to go back down for some parchment, a quill and ink to write a letter, before they went back up to the owlery to send it.
~*~*~*~
Hermione woke up to soft classical tunes, drifting beautifully through the room, then silence, then what appeared to heavy metal, silence once more and then gentle, classical tunes once again.
"No, no, no, no, no, go back," ordered Nora. She was already awake again and sat propped up against the pillows Ron and Draco had fetched her earlier, directing the two boys with the radio, which they found simply fascinating. Ron went to the channel they had just passed and turned up the volume a little.
"What, this?" he asked. Nora nodded and smiled. This seemed to be a good channel, since they were playing 'We didn't start the fire' by Billy Joel. Hermione listened to it, eyes closed wearily, a slight smile on her face. She was busy singing the third chorus along in her mind when she heard the door open, an excited cry of 'Oh, what's this?' and then silence again as Mr. Weasley pressed every button on the radio at least once, utterly enthralled.
"Dad, please. Get a grip on yourself," muttered Ron, ears turning red. Nora ordered Draco to bring her the radio, while Mr. Weasley gave his son a hug, and she had soon found their favorite radio station again, hearing the last few tunes of Billy Joel's song.
"Where are the others, Mr. Weasley?" she asked, trying to look into the hall searching for them, without causing herself some more pain.
"Oh, they'll be here soon. Mr. Granger was leading us the right way, but Molly is currently holding them up by... er, demanding the best care for you five from the Healers," he said, a bit ashamed of his wife's concernedness. Mr. Granger had, after receiving the owl, brought Hermione's radio with him and gone back downstairs to wait for the others. "Now, this is one of them radio things, is it not? I read about them a while ago. Playing all sorts of Muggle music... I wish we could get one, but we don't have any plugs," he told them a bit crestfallen.
"There are portable ones, you know," Nora told him. Ron groaned as his dad's face lit up. "They work on batteries."
"That's all right, I've got enough of those," Mr. Weasley said.
"Really? The small ones?" asked Nora. Mr. Weasley thought this over.
"I do believe so."
"Ronny dear!" shouted Mrs. Weasley from the doorway. Ron seemed simply shocked to see his mother standing there with her arms wide open, expecting a big hug from him. He ambled weakly over to her and let her wrap him into those bone-crushing hugs she always gave.
"Hi, mum," he said as the families of the other three entered as well. Mr. Granger quickly hurried over to Hermione, who had opened her eyes, and gave her a gentle hug, during which she had to use all of her strength not to scream. Nora's parents, older brother and younger sister had walked over to her and all of them, except Lily, eyed Draco, who sat by the foot of her Nora's, suspiciously. Narcissa Malfoy had of course shot straight towards her son and smothered him in kissed, much to his humiliation. The whole Weasley party had surrounded Ron and his brothers congratulated him on his braveness while Ginny gave her older brother a big hug, tears forming in her eyes.
The radio had been switched off again so they could all hear each other over their own loud talking. Mrs. Weasley was the first one who walked over to Harry's bed to see him, since she considered him as her own son, and soon the others followed, all with the same question of 'will he ever wake up?' on their minds.
~*~*~*~
The families weren't allowed to stay long because the elderly female Healer insisted that "these children get some good rest, Madame," she told them while pushing Mrs. Weasley, the last one still struggling, out of the door and ordering them to not disturb the five any longer.
"Seriously," huffed Mrs. Weasley. "I daresay we're allowed to see our own children after having had to live in the fear of losing them."
"Yes, I certainly think so," agreed Mrs. Malfoy. Mrs. Weasley watched at her for a second with a look of 'did-I-ask-for-your-opinion?-I-think- not' before she smiled a little.
"Well, I'm certainly complaining about the staff," she then said resolutely and Mrs. Malfoy and Glassyd nodded their agreement. But before anything else could be agreed the large group was shunted out of the tearoom, still place for victims from the Second War, by the same Healer who seemed to be on the verge of losing her temper, if she had one.
"The nerve," huffed Mrs. Weasley as they all stepped outside in the warm air.
~*~*~*~
A/N: All right, I wanted to stop here, and save my idea for the next chapter, but that's a whole different topic and this one is still a bit short, only 12 pages, so I'll put it here. But I'm afraid it's gonna get real sappy, so be warned:
~*~*~*~
"I don't see why they had to leave so early," muttered Hermione.
"Yeah," murmured Nora.
"Turn on the radio again," Hermione ordered after having sighed a big sigh. Ron obeyed without even objecting her rudeness, as he usually would've done, but he guessed that Hermione was going to go through a horrible week, with the pain and all, so he decided to let it go this once.
"Can anyone get me a glass of water?" asked Nora, looking sweetly at Ron.
"We'll get it," offered Draco and he grabbed Ron and hurried out of the room, leaving a frowning Nora and a humming Hermione behind. Nora turned her head sideways to look at Hermione.
"What was that about?" she asked. Hermione looked at her friend and shrugged.
"Guy talk maybe?" Nora arched an eyebrow.
"Ron and Draco?" she asked skeptically. Hermione thought this over and then shrugged.
"I dunno, but you have to admit, they are getting friendlier with each other, even if it is inch by inch." Nora nodded.
"Yeah, but why does it take so long? I mean, Harry and Draco already are friends, for a long time mind you," she said, forgetting the original topic.
"Well, Ron's just more careful, isn't he?"
"I guess..."
~*~*~*~
"I'm going to ask her to marry me."
"What?"
"I'm going to ask her to marry me."
"Er... What?"
"Ron."
"Sorry. You just kind of... startled me."
"Yeah... sorry."
"No, no, no, don't apologize."
"Er... What?" Ron chuckled. "Aren't you going to yell? That's what I was expecting."
"Of course not."
"But... but I already had a whole speech formed in my head."
"You won't need it... unless when you guys tell her parents... they'll blow their top... at least her father will."
"Right... right," said Draco, completely unsure now.
"Oh no, no, no, don't worry. They'll love you," said Ron quickly, patting Draco's shoulder.
"I doubt it," he muttered.
"Aw, why not? I do." Draco snapped his head up to shoot a horrified look at Ron when he saw the redhead grinning cheekily.
"You scare me sometimes, you know that?" Ron nodded, grinning still.
"So when are you going to ask her?"
"Well, I was hoping sometime soon, now that I have mustered up some courage." Ron nodded, clearly thinking hard.
"Yes, yes. And where?"
"I dunno."
"I see... yes, well, you'll have to tell Hermione first. She'll give you some pointers; she's great in this kind of stuff," said Ron more to himself than to Draco before putting an arm around him and steering him back to their room. Even though they were allowed to sleep at home again, now that they were both better, the two preferred to stay in the hospital, to keep their friends some company.
"What took you so long?" demanded Nora, turning bossy like Hermione. "And where's my water?" she then asked, looking at the empty hands of both boys.
"Completely slipped our minds. We'll go get some right now," said Ron.
"What on earth were you guys doing all that time, then?" asked Nora suspiciously.
"Guy talk," called Ron as he dragged Draco out of the room with him.
"I told you," said Hermione in a fake arrogant voice.
"So you're right once again. It's not that big a deal. You're right every time," Nora told her. Hermione nodded proudly, trying hard to move as less as possible.
When Ron and Draco returned they were each holding a large pitcher filled with icy water, so that they wouldn't have to go back sometime soon.
"Cups?" asked Hermione, eyebrows raised, looking at them as if they were completely stupid.
"Urgh," said Ron, slapping his forehead.
"I'm not going back again," stated Draco. "Can't you use something else to drink from?"
"Yeah, or transform something?" added Ron. Hermione still looked at them as if they were stupid and then, when they still hadn't gotten the message, she indicated with her head to the bandages around her chest.
"Besides, I have no idea where my wand is," she told them.
"The Healers have it. They'll return it to you when you leave this hospital," Ron informed her.
"Ah, I'd thought I'd lost it."
"So what about the cups?" asked Nora, bringing the conversation back to the original issue.
"We'll go get them," grumbled Ron, pulling Draco with him.
~*~*~*~
"Here. Cups. And we're not going out of this room for something else until it's five hours later," said Ron, setting the plastic cups rather hardly down next to the two pitchers of water.
"Yes. Well, someone's going to have to help me drink because we all know I can't do a single thing by myself," said Hermione bitterly. Draco immediately walked over to her with a cup of water and Ron new this was his cue to distract Nora, who seemed a bit confused as to why her boyfriend would not rather be with her.
"Hi," said Ron, blocking her view from the other two.
"Er... hi," replied Nora, stopping to try and see what Hermione and Draco were doing and instead turning to Ron. "What are they doing?" she demanded. Ron shrugged.
"I dunno. So, how are you?" Nora frowned suspiciously at him.
"Fine."
"Good. Good."
"What do you want?"
"To give you your water," said Ron proudly, handing Nora a cup of water. She took it and carefully took a few sips before handing it back to Ron, who held onto it for her.
"So..." said Nora, not really knowing what to say, especially when Ron kept looking at her in that strange way. It almost seemed as if tears were forming in his eyes. Tears of pride. Which was weird, because what on earth had she done lately, except lie in this stupid bed and complain? Maybe they were tears of sadness, because she and the others had gotten hurt? But, no. He wouldn't be smiling like that.
"You know, I wonder if Harry will ever wake up," said Ron thoughtfully, handing Nora her cup of water when she asked for it again.
"Of course he will," she said consolingly before taking another few sips and handing the cup back to Ron yet again. Her mind had already been completely taken off of Ron's weird acting. "Of course he will. You know Harry. He always pulls himself through."
"Yeah, but there's a first time for everything. What if he doesn't this time? I'd lose my best friend," Ron stated somberly.
"At least you'd still have us. I mean, there are many people out there who don't even have one best friend, let alone three," Nora told him.
"Oh yeah? Name one."
"Professor Lupin."
"Oh. I forgot about him... name another one."
"Snape, probably," said Nora thoughtfully, and before Ron could even issue another sound she added," Trelawny, Pansy Parkinson and there's this really lonely first year Ravenclaw who was always walking alone... and of course there are hundreds more out there who I don't know."
"But Snape's a git, of course he wouldn't have any friends, and Trelawny's an old fraud, no one with free will would go near her and Pansy's just a big stupid cow who deserves no friends."
"If you had to chose, who would you rather be friends with: Snape, Trelawny or Parkinson?" asked Nora, smiling evilly.
"That lonely first year Ravenclaw."
"She's not a option."
"Then I refuse to answer."
"Killjoy."
"Well, who would you rather be friends with, then?" asked Ron interestedly.
"If I had to choose... Trelawny." Ron gaped at her. "Well, she's the only one who isn't a Slytherin," explained Nora shrugging.
"Ouch," said Draco from beside her, a hand over his heart.
"You're an exception," Nora told him, smiling. She then turned back to Ron. "I mean, seriously, Trelawny is way better than Snape or Parkinson." He shrugged, knowing Nora was pretty much right.
"Ron!" called Hermione. "I want company," she added pouting. Ron sighed and turned around to talk to his other friend.
"So, what did you and Hermione talk about?" Nora asked Draco interestedly. He shrugged.
"Nothing much."
"Liar."
"All right, we were talking about you and made a plan to spread all sorts of nasty rumors," he told her sarcastically, to get her off his back.
"Fine, don't tell me then," Nora told him, feeling a little sad and confused as to why he wouldn't just tell her.
"I love you," Draco said, seeing the slight pain in Nora's eyes and trying to make her feel better.
"Prove it," she said, grinning playfully.
"Well, I would, but I don't think you're in any state to do what I have in my mind," said Draco seriously. Nora smiled, her confusion long forgotten.
"Well, then, you'll just have to find something else," she said.
We move on to Hermione and Ron, who were busy discussing what Hermione and Draco had discussed moments before, because Draco and Nora were now involved in some very heavy, but yet careful, since some movement still hurt, snogging.
"So you did help him, then?" whispered Ron. Hermione nodded.
"Yeah. I gave him a location of where to do it and when."
"Well?" demanded Ron, just dying to know.
"I'm not telling right now, in case she hears. Besides, they'll tell you what happened after he's done it, ok?"
"Yeah, all right. What time is it?" Hermione looked at him, frowning. "Oh right, you can't move." Ron walked around Hermione's bed and picked up the watch that lay on her nightstand. "It's 7 o'clock," he said as he lay the watch down again.
"He's asking her a bit before 11," whispered Hermione, after having made sure Nora would not be able to hear. "You're going to have to help Draco set it up, all right?" Ron nodded eagerly.
~*~*~*~
"Could you guys get me some more water?" asked Hermione. Ron and Draco nodded.
"But there's still water left in the pitchers," Nora told her.
"That's warm. I want ice water," said Hermione dismissively. Ron and Draco left the room in search of more water and Hermione closed her eyes and rested, leaving Nora looking at her a little befuddled; her friends were acting rather strange today, to say the least.
~*~*~*~
Ron and Draco came back a little while later, each carrying a pitcher of ice water again.
"What took you so long?" asked Nora.
"Well, we were just making sure we had everything this time, because we didn't want to have to go back again," explained Ron, as he and Draco sat the pitchers down.
"I have a surprise for you," Draco told Nora, butterflies in his stomach. "I asked the Healer on duty if I was allowed to take you for a walk and she agreed."
"But I can't walk..." argued Nora, becoming more and more confused.
"That's all right. I'll carry you."
"But..."
"Oh, quit arguing. At least you get to leave your bed," snapped Hermione. Nora thought this over and then nodded.
"All right. But do be careful, ok?" she asked Draco rather weakly. He nodded.
"Of course I will," he assured her before carefully putting his hands underneath her, then cautiously lifting her in the air and then gently holding her close to him. Ron walked over and delicately put Nora's arms around Draco's neck, so she had something to hold on to.
"Good luck," said Ron, sitting down in a chair beside Hermione's bed.
"Thanks," said Draco, before slowly walking out of the room.
"What?" asked Nora.
"Well, he probably meant that he hoped you wouldn't get hurt while I carry you," said Draco shrugging.
"Oh. You know, we could have gotten a wheelchair for me or something."
"I doubt they have those here. Besides, wheelchairs can't go down stairs," replied Draco, carefully taking one step down at a time, focusing hard on not trying to hurt Nora.
"Yeah... and of course they don't have any elevators here, either," she said, looking around as much as her wounded chest allowed her. "So, where are we going?"
"The courtyard," replied Draco, beginning descending another set of stairs. "Damn, why did they have to put us on the 5th floor?" he grumbled.
"St. Mungo's has a courtyard?" asked Nora.
"Yeah... there aren't many people around, are there?" asked Draco, hoping she wouldn't ask why he was taking her to the courtyard.
"I guess. Usually there are more people out in the halls, aren't there?"
"Well, it's already 10:30, so most are probably ready to go to sleep."
"A bit early, don't you think?"
"Well, it's not like they have anything else to do," replied Draco, descending down the last staircase.
"Maybe I should walk on my own? I probably can already," Nora told him, seeing how much energy Draco was putting in trying to not hurt her.
"Oh no you don't. If you fall you'll injure yourself even more and we'll be farther from home than before," he said, holding on to her more tightly, as if afraid she'd jump out of his arms and try to walk anyway. They finally reached the hall that led to the courtyard.
"Thanks," said both Nora and Draco when one of the other patients in the hospital held the door to the courtyard open for them.
"Your welcome, kids," the old man said gruffly and then closed the door behind them.
"Oh, the sky's beautiful tonight," murmured Nora, looking up. It was completely cloudless and the stars twinkled brightly above them. Draco walked down a couple of paths, took a few turns and finally arrived at the place he and Ron had quickly set up. Nora only noticed her surroundings when Draco was carefully laying her down on a blanket, lain out on the grass.
"Merlin, you're heavy," he muttered, lying down beside Nora and wrapping his arms around her.
"Yes, I try to get really fat so I can watch you struggle as you try to carry me over the threshold on our wedding day," she told him, smiling sweetly. Draco's heart skipped a beat when she said 'wedding'. He wondered why this was so incredibly hard to do. "So, what's this?" Nora asked, becoming more serious. "I thought we were only going for a walk?"
"Er... we were... erm... but..." muttered Draco. 'All right, speech..." he thought frantically. 'Speech... the speech you idiot!' "Well, I thought we'd just lay and watch the stars for a bit as well," he replied.
"Oooh, very thoughtful," murmured Nora.
"Right, so..." but Draco got caught in his own words and he went silent.
"What's wrong?" asked Nora, sensing his nervousness.
"Nothing, nothing... remember about 6 months ago, when we were in Australia? The sky was just as beautiful and clear as tonight," Draco told her. Nora nodded, smiling. "I already knew a long time before, that I loved you, but you found out on that gorgeous night, under the star filled sky." Nora wondered where this whole speech was going, but in the back of her mind she knew not to interrupt him, so she just listened while gazing into his lovely eyes. "Now that I've been with you for this long already, I can't picture my life without your presence or your love and there is no one else I'd want as the mother of my children than you. Which is why I ask you: will you marry me?" Draco took out a silver ring from his pocket and held it out for Nora, who pretty much just gaped at him and the ring he was trying to give her.
"But..." she spluttered, completely at a loss for words.
"I didn't have time to buy you a ring, with Voldemort on the loose, so Hermione lent me hers until I do have one," he said. Only then did Nora see 'Terry (heart) Hermione' engraved in the ring.
"But Hermione has other rings, why'd she give this one?" she asked.
"Well, she said that if I used this, it'd have another special meaning," Draco explained. "So, will you marry me?" he then asked nervously, since she had still not given her answer. Nora gazed into his icy gray eyes, treasuring this moment, before closing her eyes and smiling.
"Of course," she told him, opening her eyes again, from which tears were trying to escape. Draco put the ring on her left ring finger and after that a careful, yet passionate, snogging session began, which did not stop, like in Australia, when bells announced loudly that it was 11 o'clock.
~*~*~*~
"And?" asked Ron eagerly when Draco and Nora entered the room and Nora was carefully put back in bed. "Well?" he demanded again, practically jumping up and down in eagerness.
"It went well," said Draco, grinning.
"I said 'yes'," added Nora, smiling lovingly at Draco.
"Oh, good for you!" said Hermione, beaming at the two.
"Excellent!" exclaimed Ron. But there was one person not able to celebrate and they all looked sadly at Harry, who lay calmly in his bed, not knowing about anything that went on anymore.
A/N: Wheeee! Another chapter finished! And it's 20 pages as well, so I certainly made this longer than it was before, though I know the proposal was a bit sappy and clichéd. Anyway, the next chapter's subject will be poor Harry in his coma.
Dumbeldave – Yay, glad you liked it, I was kind of worried that it was a bit... not interesting. But you liked it, so I'm happy. Hope you liked this chapter as well. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Athenakitty – Haha, no your questions aren't that bad, I just don't really know how to reply to them. But, yes, Voldie is very upset and, thankfully, very, very dead. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Kalieres – Well, Dumbledore didn't kill Kreacher, let's just say he had someone else do it, but it really isn't out of character, I mean, the house- elf had nearly gotten Harry and his friends killed.
As to why they don't take a portkey to Australia, is because this way the wizards and witches learn how to get along with Muggle transportation. It's just how to learn to live in the outside world.
And as for the lyrics, I know I must be very annoying, but I just can't restrain myself. When I re-edit the story when I've completed it, I'll try to take the lyrics out and rid the chapters of annoying author's notes.
Thanks for the helpful suggestions! And thanks for reading and reviewing!