Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything in relation to J.K. Rowling's books!
A/N: This chapter took a lot more planning and reediting than I originally thought b/c of the events that occur in this chapter. This whole story is a bit complicated for it was originally all planned out, put the order of events was not yet produced. It took a long time b/c I tried to put in some events that wouldn't give away the ending, and that took a while. I'm filling in the gaps of the story that I planned out in the beginning of February- taking and adding essential facts and events, as well as adding in romance events that occur, for this story was originally planned to be a romance/ adventure/original/angst type of story. Believe it or not, but I got some of my ideas from a song that I came across as I was raking for ideas for the base idea. The song was by Linkin Park in their recent CD Meteora and the song is "Breaking the Habit." I suddenly started to put ideas together as I listened and watched the music video over and over again. If you read the lyrics and then read this story, you can see where they sort of tie in and mingle. I know that's a little out there, but I was open to fresh and new ideas to start off with. I'm already planning another story and you should, if your interested, look forward to it sometime in late July/ early August and it will be romance based one with Harry and Hermione for sure, but I'm not saying that it will only be her and Harry. It might be set into the trio's seventh and last year at Hogwarts or it might be set in later times depending on the suggestions I get from reviews when my e-mail is working. And for anyone who have noticed, my pen name was changed to XHermione's Ink StainX. But... enough of my ramblings, enjoy!
Chapter 7: After the Pain
Harry's head swam along with the unsettling and less abating throbbing in his temples as his ears hummed with whispers around him. His eyes burned and watered as he tried to open them and his throat felt like he'd swallowed dry apple peels. The candlelight-though it flickered dully- stung and bit at his eyelids, which in return gained him a searing throb. Where was he? He tried to shut out the hushed whispers around him as he recalled the pain he came across in Flourish and Blotts and his whole head gave a nasty throb and he groaned in annoyance.
"Harry?" he heard Hermione gasp.
"Are you alright, Harry?" he heard Ron ask him flatly, "I'll get Mum..." he heard a chair move as he got up, footsteps, the creaky opening and closing of a door, and more footsteps descending down some groaning stairs until he heard them no more.
"Ron?... Hermione?" he groped the smooth surface of a table next to him in search for his glasses, when they were they placed into his hand hastily. "Hermione..." he croaked as his glasses focused around his watering eyes, and by Hermione's studious gaze upon him, he guessed he had looked better in the past. He looked around at the wooden framed fire place, polished desk and chairs, lace curtains, and extra bed next to him the one he was lying in, and tried to place where exactly he was. "Hermione,"-she came out of her trance- "where are we?"
"The Leaky Cauldron," she stated simply and seemed to become very interested in the wood-paneling floor, "Mrs. Weasley and Ron helped bring you here after you-" but she didn't get to finish for there were thundering footsteps and the door swung open, revealing Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Ron in the thresh hold. Ron and Ginny peaked over Mrs. Weasley's stout figure and Ginny grinned weakly at him. Hermione flung herself out of Mrs. Weasley's hurried pace toward Harry's bedside and gave Harry a last glance and smiled awkwardly at him before leaving. Harry could have sworn he'd seen her flick a tear angrily away, but thought to talk to her later.
"Harry, dear," she squeaked," how are you feeling?" Harry thought a moment about the throbbing in his temples and the whistling in his ears which made his head give another throb.
"Miserable," he groaned as Mrs. Weasley patted his arm comfortably.
"I think," she turned to Ginny and Ron still patting his arm, "that all Harry needs, is some sleep." she turned back to Harry and smiled at him. She took a damp cloth and stroked his forehead with it, as if he were ill and brushed away the now damp hair away from his face, as though trying to observe his scar, and rubbing it gently. She patted his arm one last time and turned on her heel, "C'mon you lot... Time to turn in." She hurriedly ushered Ginny out of the room, leaving Ron and Harry to glare at one another. Mrs. Weasley told them that what Harry needed was sleep, but he didn't want to sleep, not with the nightmares he got about the Department of Mysteries; Ron and Hermione always ending in the same fate over and over again because he had to "save" Sirius. He always ended up waking in a cold sweat and panting as though he had actually relived the whole thing in his sleep. Ron coughed awkwardly across the room as he made to shut the door that stood ajar.
"Are you feeling alright, mate?" he asked rather nervously. Harry suddenly felt anger boil inside him, he was yet again uninformed about what was going on, and everyone was acting as though he were going to attack them at any given time.
"No," he said rather venomously, now craning himself up with his elbows against the bed and sitting up, ignoring the sudden throb in his left temple. Ron gave him a look of bewilderment and sighed.
"Sorry," he looked down at his feet, "I guess I don't really know what to say. I don't think Hermione can't really stay in the same room with you without crying... She's been in a right state since we got back from Flourish and Blotts." He looked up timidly and Harry felt ashamed of himself.
"Sorry," he stared at the flame on the candle burn and flicker as he breathed on it, "look, I just want to know what happened..." he looked back at Ron who looked as though he had sprouted a few more heads.
"You don't remember?" he said incredulously. Of course he didn't remember, he never did remember anything after he fainted, which seemed to happen daily lately.
"No," he answered blankly.
"Well, from what Hermione told me, you fell to the ground and acted as though you were having a fit or something, like you do when you're near a dementor, but there were none." he looked up at Harry as though asking if he should continue and decided for him, "She said you then started screaming and yelling and saying that your scar was reopening, but it was fine when we found you and Hermione." This made Harry's head swim and he started to put these events in order as he did recall thinking his scar was being opened before he past out, "Then, Hermione said you started laughing, she said that it didn't sound like you..." Harry didn't remember this part at all, neither did he expect to discover that he laughed when he thought that he was going to die right there in Flourish and Blotts because of the pain in his scar.
"I did what?" he sprang up and shoved aside the sudden shudder he gave from the pain in his brain, "Are you sure I-I laughed?" he looked at him and felt his eyes bulging. Ron nodded and took a step back and observed Harry against the wall. "But, why?"
"Dunno," Ron stared at him, "You should probably thank Hermione... She wouldn't leave you... She cried the whole time you were-erm- asleep. I figure that's why she was here when you awoke. She wouldn't tell me, maybe you should ask her. " Ron added as he shrugged and headed to the trunk that was at the foot of the surplus bed and opened it, "Oh yeah, Mum and I brought your stuff here,"-he pointed at the foot of the bed he was sitting in to his trunk- "Everybody went back to the Burrow by Floo Powder to get their things. We weren't sure when you were going to come to, so we gathered all our things; we go to Hogwarts tomorrow, remember?" he looked at the bewildered look on Harry's face and stared at him. Harry felt a churning in his chest as he realized he was returning to Hogwarts tomorrow for the sixth time. He felt a little more enthusiastic to turn in suddenly and went to change to his pajamas too. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed Hedwig on the polished desk asleep, but he shrugged that off and shuffled around his trunk for his pajamas.
They dressed quickly and settled in their beds and Harry leaned over to the candle next to him and blew it out.
"Harry?" he heard Ron shift around in his bed so that he was resting on his stomach, "Do you think those letters were all rubbish... Like Hermione?" Harry thought about this for a moment and considered telling Ron not to worry about it, but now he just wasn't sure. He felt different, almost weak. His scar had never hurt like it did in Flourish and Blotts, nor had his whole body felt like it was being attacked, and never had he started laughing when his scar hurt.
"Yeah, it's a load of rubbish.... Never you mind, alright?" Harry turned his head in Ron's direction, "You let me worry about it." Harry grinned at Ron reassuringly. Even if he hadn't seen him grin at him, Ron rolled over in his bed and pulled the covers to his chin.
"'Night," he mumbled. Harry took off his glasses and placed them on the bedside table and settled in himself.
"'Night," he said back. Thing was, he had never felt more unsettling. He had thought about again and again why his whole body reacted like that, when it never felt like that before. Was it because Voldemort was getting stronger? He let his thoughts become more and more random as he felt his body relax and fall into sleep, but not before he got the last glimpse of Hermione crying beside him in Flourish and Blotts.
A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! The next chapter is mainly about their arrival at Platform 9 and 3/4, but it won't be as dragged on as these first few chapters. The next couple of chapters are in progress and should be out in the next two to three days...
A/N: This chapter took a lot more planning and reediting than I originally thought b/c of the events that occur in this chapter. This whole story is a bit complicated for it was originally all planned out, put the order of events was not yet produced. It took a long time b/c I tried to put in some events that wouldn't give away the ending, and that took a while. I'm filling in the gaps of the story that I planned out in the beginning of February- taking and adding essential facts and events, as well as adding in romance events that occur, for this story was originally planned to be a romance/ adventure/original/angst type of story. Believe it or not, but I got some of my ideas from a song that I came across as I was raking for ideas for the base idea. The song was by Linkin Park in their recent CD Meteora and the song is "Breaking the Habit." I suddenly started to put ideas together as I listened and watched the music video over and over again. If you read the lyrics and then read this story, you can see where they sort of tie in and mingle. I know that's a little out there, but I was open to fresh and new ideas to start off with. I'm already planning another story and you should, if your interested, look forward to it sometime in late July/ early August and it will be romance based one with Harry and Hermione for sure, but I'm not saying that it will only be her and Harry. It might be set into the trio's seventh and last year at Hogwarts or it might be set in later times depending on the suggestions I get from reviews when my e-mail is working. And for anyone who have noticed, my pen name was changed to XHermione's Ink StainX. But... enough of my ramblings, enjoy!
Chapter 7: After the Pain
Harry's head swam along with the unsettling and less abating throbbing in his temples as his ears hummed with whispers around him. His eyes burned and watered as he tried to open them and his throat felt like he'd swallowed dry apple peels. The candlelight-though it flickered dully- stung and bit at his eyelids, which in return gained him a searing throb. Where was he? He tried to shut out the hushed whispers around him as he recalled the pain he came across in Flourish and Blotts and his whole head gave a nasty throb and he groaned in annoyance.
"Harry?" he heard Hermione gasp.
"Are you alright, Harry?" he heard Ron ask him flatly, "I'll get Mum..." he heard a chair move as he got up, footsteps, the creaky opening and closing of a door, and more footsteps descending down some groaning stairs until he heard them no more.
"Ron?... Hermione?" he groped the smooth surface of a table next to him in search for his glasses, when they were they placed into his hand hastily. "Hermione..." he croaked as his glasses focused around his watering eyes, and by Hermione's studious gaze upon him, he guessed he had looked better in the past. He looked around at the wooden framed fire place, polished desk and chairs, lace curtains, and extra bed next to him the one he was lying in, and tried to place where exactly he was. "Hermione,"-she came out of her trance- "where are we?"
"The Leaky Cauldron," she stated simply and seemed to become very interested in the wood-paneling floor, "Mrs. Weasley and Ron helped bring you here after you-" but she didn't get to finish for there were thundering footsteps and the door swung open, revealing Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Ron in the thresh hold. Ron and Ginny peaked over Mrs. Weasley's stout figure and Ginny grinned weakly at him. Hermione flung herself out of Mrs. Weasley's hurried pace toward Harry's bedside and gave Harry a last glance and smiled awkwardly at him before leaving. Harry could have sworn he'd seen her flick a tear angrily away, but thought to talk to her later.
"Harry, dear," she squeaked," how are you feeling?" Harry thought a moment about the throbbing in his temples and the whistling in his ears which made his head give another throb.
"Miserable," he groaned as Mrs. Weasley patted his arm comfortably.
"I think," she turned to Ginny and Ron still patting his arm, "that all Harry needs, is some sleep." she turned back to Harry and smiled at him. She took a damp cloth and stroked his forehead with it, as if he were ill and brushed away the now damp hair away from his face, as though trying to observe his scar, and rubbing it gently. She patted his arm one last time and turned on her heel, "C'mon you lot... Time to turn in." She hurriedly ushered Ginny out of the room, leaving Ron and Harry to glare at one another. Mrs. Weasley told them that what Harry needed was sleep, but he didn't want to sleep, not with the nightmares he got about the Department of Mysteries; Ron and Hermione always ending in the same fate over and over again because he had to "save" Sirius. He always ended up waking in a cold sweat and panting as though he had actually relived the whole thing in his sleep. Ron coughed awkwardly across the room as he made to shut the door that stood ajar.
"Are you feeling alright, mate?" he asked rather nervously. Harry suddenly felt anger boil inside him, he was yet again uninformed about what was going on, and everyone was acting as though he were going to attack them at any given time.
"No," he said rather venomously, now craning himself up with his elbows against the bed and sitting up, ignoring the sudden throb in his left temple. Ron gave him a look of bewilderment and sighed.
"Sorry," he looked down at his feet, "I guess I don't really know what to say. I don't think Hermione can't really stay in the same room with you without crying... She's been in a right state since we got back from Flourish and Blotts." He looked up timidly and Harry felt ashamed of himself.
"Sorry," he stared at the flame on the candle burn and flicker as he breathed on it, "look, I just want to know what happened..." he looked back at Ron who looked as though he had sprouted a few more heads.
"You don't remember?" he said incredulously. Of course he didn't remember, he never did remember anything after he fainted, which seemed to happen daily lately.
"No," he answered blankly.
"Well, from what Hermione told me, you fell to the ground and acted as though you were having a fit or something, like you do when you're near a dementor, but there were none." he looked up at Harry as though asking if he should continue and decided for him, "She said you then started screaming and yelling and saying that your scar was reopening, but it was fine when we found you and Hermione." This made Harry's head swim and he started to put these events in order as he did recall thinking his scar was being opened before he past out, "Then, Hermione said you started laughing, she said that it didn't sound like you..." Harry didn't remember this part at all, neither did he expect to discover that he laughed when he thought that he was going to die right there in Flourish and Blotts because of the pain in his scar.
"I did what?" he sprang up and shoved aside the sudden shudder he gave from the pain in his brain, "Are you sure I-I laughed?" he looked at him and felt his eyes bulging. Ron nodded and took a step back and observed Harry against the wall. "But, why?"
"Dunno," Ron stared at him, "You should probably thank Hermione... She wouldn't leave you... She cried the whole time you were-erm- asleep. I figure that's why she was here when you awoke. She wouldn't tell me, maybe you should ask her. " Ron added as he shrugged and headed to the trunk that was at the foot of the surplus bed and opened it, "Oh yeah, Mum and I brought your stuff here,"-he pointed at the foot of the bed he was sitting in to his trunk- "Everybody went back to the Burrow by Floo Powder to get their things. We weren't sure when you were going to come to, so we gathered all our things; we go to Hogwarts tomorrow, remember?" he looked at the bewildered look on Harry's face and stared at him. Harry felt a churning in his chest as he realized he was returning to Hogwarts tomorrow for the sixth time. He felt a little more enthusiastic to turn in suddenly and went to change to his pajamas too. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed Hedwig on the polished desk asleep, but he shrugged that off and shuffled around his trunk for his pajamas.
They dressed quickly and settled in their beds and Harry leaned over to the candle next to him and blew it out.
"Harry?" he heard Ron shift around in his bed so that he was resting on his stomach, "Do you think those letters were all rubbish... Like Hermione?" Harry thought about this for a moment and considered telling Ron not to worry about it, but now he just wasn't sure. He felt different, almost weak. His scar had never hurt like it did in Flourish and Blotts, nor had his whole body felt like it was being attacked, and never had he started laughing when his scar hurt.
"Yeah, it's a load of rubbish.... Never you mind, alright?" Harry turned his head in Ron's direction, "You let me worry about it." Harry grinned at Ron reassuringly. Even if he hadn't seen him grin at him, Ron rolled over in his bed and pulled the covers to his chin.
"'Night," he mumbled. Harry took off his glasses and placed them on the bedside table and settled in himself.
"'Night," he said back. Thing was, he had never felt more unsettling. He had thought about again and again why his whole body reacted like that, when it never felt like that before. Was it because Voldemort was getting stronger? He let his thoughts become more and more random as he felt his body relax and fall into sleep, but not before he got the last glimpse of Hermione crying beside him in Flourish and Blotts.
A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! The next chapter is mainly about their arrival at Platform 9 and 3/4, but it won't be as dragged on as these first few chapters. The next couple of chapters are in progress and should be out in the next two to three days...