A dreamless sleep draught it was not. Harry had horrible nightmares,
visions of Hermione screaming and flashes of green light, only to be
interrupted with images of the Department of Mysteries and Sirius. Harry
awoke in the early hours of the morning to find Ron pacing. Mrs. Weasley
was still sound asleep.
"Did you sleep okay, Ron?" asked Harry. However, he knew the answer.
Ron shook his head. "Nightmares all night. You?"
"Same here." sighed Harry. "Want to go get some tea?"
"Sure. Best to let mum get some sleep." Ron agreed.
The two normally talkative friends couldn't say anything, let alone look at each other as they walked to the Tearoom and Hospital Shop. They sat at a small table by the window. Street lights were beginning to go out as the sun rose over the shops of London. Ron's hands trembled as he sipped his earl gray tea.
"Harry? There's something I think I should tell you." Ron said suddenly. "Hermione and I well...we're sort of going out. Have been for a bit now. Hermione wanted to tell you of course, but I thought with Sirius and all...I don't know what I was thinking..." Ron clenched his fist and slammed it on the table. "Goddamn, death eaters!"
Ron was coming clean. Harry thought, "Should I tell him about the prophecy?" If there was ever a time, now could possibly be it. Seeing the pain over Hermione in Ron's eyes was the only thing that kept Harry's mouth shut.
"I don't know what I'll do without her." Ron's voice cracked slightly.
Harry smiled, "If it weren't for her, the two of us probably would have died in that devil's snare first year."
Ron looked into Harry's eyes and laughed with him. "Forget that, what about all the homework she's helped us with."
The boys sat there for the longest time, sharing memories of their past five years together. It wasn't until sunlight started pouring through the windows that they left the table and proceeded to the waiting room. Harry carried a small flower bouquet and Ron was balancing a cup of tea for his mother. They walked through the doors of the spell damage ward and found Mrs. Weasley sitting in her chair crying very hard. Ron immediately dropped the tea cup on to the floor where it shattered in a thousand pieces.
"Mum?" Ron asked fearfully.
Harry closed his eyes, his lower lip trembling, bracing for the worst that was sure to come. Mrs. Weasley jumped up and threw her arms around her youngest son.
"She's awake...she's going to be all right!" Mrs. Weasley smiled through her tears.
Harry stumbled over to the nearest chair feeling extremely light headed. It was as if he was able to finally breathe for the first time in hours.
Ron broke free from his mother's vice grip and sat next to Harry who was staring at the floor his hands still wrenched around the bouquet. In near unison, they both wiped their faces on their sleeves. Ron withdrew his wand from his belt and pointed it at the broken teacup. "Reparo."
"The healer said that we should be able to see her later today. The two of you look so peaky! We should go back to Grimmauld Place, get some food and have a rest." Mrs. Weasley interjected.
Both Harry and Ron shouted at her. "No!"
"Come on boys. You'll feel better and you're of no use to Hermione at the moment. Sitting here worrying isn't going to get her out of here any faster." Mrs. Weasley smiled.
Harry and Ron looked at each other, defeated. Begrudgingly they made their way out of the waiting area. Before they could get too far, Harry made a quick dash back to the welcome witch's desk. "Could you see that Hermione Granger gets these?" He handed the flowers over. "Of course, Mr. Potter! You have a nice day now." The witch seemed a bit too cheerful for such an early hour of the morning.
"We're going to have to take the Knight Bus." Mrs. Weasley said.
Ron rolled his eyes and winced as they walked through the plate glass window and on to the street. There were no muggles in sight when Harry raised his wand out into the street. Within seconds, Harry Ron and Mrs. Weasley were forced to jump backward as Ernie pulled the bus directly on to the curb.
"Welcome to the Kni..."
"'lo Stan." said Harry.
"ooh 'Ere – it's – 'Arry!" Stan held out his hand to help Mrs. Weasley on the bus. "Right this way ma'am."
Harry pulled two galleons out of his pocket before Mrs. Weasley could protest. "I've got it." he said.
"Lemme guess – Diagon Alley?" Stan asked.
"No. Grimmauld Square." Ron said.
"Okay – Ern ! Grimmauld square! We'll 'ave you there in a jiff, we will."
Before Stan could even finish speaking, the purple triple-decker sped off; zigzagging around muggles on their way to work and leaping out of the way of post boxes. Thankfully, it was a very short trip and their stomachs were empty. The three of them quickly got off the bus and proceeded to walk down the street towards number twelve. As they approached the walk, numbers eleven and thirteen squeezed aside to accommodate the entrance to number twelve. As soon as they closed the door behind them, Tonks and Lupin rushed in from the kitchen. It was obvious that neither of them had slept at all that night.
"Did you sleep okay, Ron?" asked Harry. However, he knew the answer.
Ron shook his head. "Nightmares all night. You?"
"Same here." sighed Harry. "Want to go get some tea?"
"Sure. Best to let mum get some sleep." Ron agreed.
The two normally talkative friends couldn't say anything, let alone look at each other as they walked to the Tearoom and Hospital Shop. They sat at a small table by the window. Street lights were beginning to go out as the sun rose over the shops of London. Ron's hands trembled as he sipped his earl gray tea.
"Harry? There's something I think I should tell you." Ron said suddenly. "Hermione and I well...we're sort of going out. Have been for a bit now. Hermione wanted to tell you of course, but I thought with Sirius and all...I don't know what I was thinking..." Ron clenched his fist and slammed it on the table. "Goddamn, death eaters!"
Ron was coming clean. Harry thought, "Should I tell him about the prophecy?" If there was ever a time, now could possibly be it. Seeing the pain over Hermione in Ron's eyes was the only thing that kept Harry's mouth shut.
"I don't know what I'll do without her." Ron's voice cracked slightly.
Harry smiled, "If it weren't for her, the two of us probably would have died in that devil's snare first year."
Ron looked into Harry's eyes and laughed with him. "Forget that, what about all the homework she's helped us with."
The boys sat there for the longest time, sharing memories of their past five years together. It wasn't until sunlight started pouring through the windows that they left the table and proceeded to the waiting room. Harry carried a small flower bouquet and Ron was balancing a cup of tea for his mother. They walked through the doors of the spell damage ward and found Mrs. Weasley sitting in her chair crying very hard. Ron immediately dropped the tea cup on to the floor where it shattered in a thousand pieces.
"Mum?" Ron asked fearfully.
Harry closed his eyes, his lower lip trembling, bracing for the worst that was sure to come. Mrs. Weasley jumped up and threw her arms around her youngest son.
"She's awake...she's going to be all right!" Mrs. Weasley smiled through her tears.
Harry stumbled over to the nearest chair feeling extremely light headed. It was as if he was able to finally breathe for the first time in hours.
Ron broke free from his mother's vice grip and sat next to Harry who was staring at the floor his hands still wrenched around the bouquet. In near unison, they both wiped their faces on their sleeves. Ron withdrew his wand from his belt and pointed it at the broken teacup. "Reparo."
"The healer said that we should be able to see her later today. The two of you look so peaky! We should go back to Grimmauld Place, get some food and have a rest." Mrs. Weasley interjected.
Both Harry and Ron shouted at her. "No!"
"Come on boys. You'll feel better and you're of no use to Hermione at the moment. Sitting here worrying isn't going to get her out of here any faster." Mrs. Weasley smiled.
Harry and Ron looked at each other, defeated. Begrudgingly they made their way out of the waiting area. Before they could get too far, Harry made a quick dash back to the welcome witch's desk. "Could you see that Hermione Granger gets these?" He handed the flowers over. "Of course, Mr. Potter! You have a nice day now." The witch seemed a bit too cheerful for such an early hour of the morning.
"We're going to have to take the Knight Bus." Mrs. Weasley said.
Ron rolled his eyes and winced as they walked through the plate glass window and on to the street. There were no muggles in sight when Harry raised his wand out into the street. Within seconds, Harry Ron and Mrs. Weasley were forced to jump backward as Ernie pulled the bus directly on to the curb.
"Welcome to the Kni..."
"'lo Stan." said Harry.
"ooh 'Ere – it's – 'Arry!" Stan held out his hand to help Mrs. Weasley on the bus. "Right this way ma'am."
Harry pulled two galleons out of his pocket before Mrs. Weasley could protest. "I've got it." he said.
"Lemme guess – Diagon Alley?" Stan asked.
"No. Grimmauld Square." Ron said.
"Okay – Ern ! Grimmauld square! We'll 'ave you there in a jiff, we will."
Before Stan could even finish speaking, the purple triple-decker sped off; zigzagging around muggles on their way to work and leaping out of the way of post boxes. Thankfully, it was a very short trip and their stomachs were empty. The three of them quickly got off the bus and proceeded to walk down the street towards number twelve. As they approached the walk, numbers eleven and thirteen squeezed aside to accommodate the entrance to number twelve. As soon as they closed the door behind them, Tonks and Lupin rushed in from the kitchen. It was obvious that neither of them had slept at all that night.
