Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or the rest of J K Rowling's characters.
Chapter 8; Resume the Fight
In the clearing stood Harry, Ron, Terry Chang, Jason Bones, Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas and Draco Malfoy who lead the group along with Harry. Every boy had his wand drawn. Harry and Ron rushed over to Hermione and untied her from her bindings. Ron was repulsed by the blood but ignored it; they had to get her to the ground.
Hermione's skin stuck where her blood touched the cold metal of the bindings. She hadn't come around yet, which wasn't surprising, considering how much blood she had lost and she had been hanging suspended.
There was worry written all over Harry and Ron's faces. "Do you think we hit her with the spells Harry?"
Harry frowned. "No, I think she's passed out. Where's her wand?"
Terry walked over and knelt down to check on Hermione, the rest of them soon came over. "They're all unconscious. Julie said that Hermione left her wand on top of her schoolwork, in her room."
"She should have taken it with her!" Ron was angry but he didn't know who to be angry at. He couldn't be angry at Hermione, she had nearly been killed and even if he did shout at her now, she wouldn't hear him. Everyone else had just helped save her.
Malfoy spoke and it shocked everyone. He was distracted and kept looking around. "Hurry up, let's get her out of here before more Death Eaters arrive or even Voldemort."
At these words, a spark of fear lit everyone's eyes except for Harry and Draco's. They couldn't be scared of him; he had put them through too much pain to scare them. They just hated him beyond belief.
Harry nodded. Ron stood up but he stopped midway. "How do we get her back? She's unconscious and she really needs medical help. Has anyone ever tried to apperate someone other than themselves?"
All of them were now off age and could apperate whenever they wanted to. Although they couldn't apperate to Hogwarts, they could still apperate to Hogsmead and then call for help.
Every boy just stared; they had never faced this dilemma before. What could they do? They and Hermione were running out of time. Her breathing was getting shallower and the bleeding wasn't stopping.
Draco knelt down beside Hermione, got out a handkerchief and tore it in half. He wrapped each bit around her wrists and said. "Look we, have to try and fast. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but these aren't the only Death Eaters around, more will come and I assure you, we do not want to be around here when they do. I also do not know how long a stunning spell lasts."
Harry nodded. He hated to have to agree with Malfoy, but he had just showed then where to find Hermione and helped save her. He looked at Ron and said "Grab her hand; we'll try apperating with her. We do have to at least try."
Ron complied and took hold of her hand while Harry took hold of the other. They got their wands ready and tried to apperate. It didn't work. Everyone (except Malfoy) started to panic. They couldn't just leave her here, they had come all this way and there wasn't a chance in hell that they would walk away.
"I have an idea" Draco began "On the count of three, you apperate yourselves and I'll use the spell to apperate her alone. Hopefully it'll work. If I don't actually go myself."
Harry frowned, "But don't you have to be thinking of the place you want to apperate?"
Draco was growing inpatient and that is never a good sign. "Well you two, think hard enough for the three of you and just pray to god that it works because the Death Eaters have just arrived!"
He wasn't wrong, popping noises sounded from everywhere.
Harry, Ron and Draco nodded once, mouthed one…two…three and apperated. It worked Harry, Ron and Hermione apperated to Hogsmead and went into the only place that was open, The Three Broomsticks. Thankfully, it was empty and only Madam Rosmerta was there, polishing that tankards. When she saw them, she gasped, set the tankard on the bar and hurried over to them.
"What happened? Dear god."
Harry spoke hurriedly "We need you to get her help. Call Professor Dumbledore please Madam Rosmerta. We have to get back, no time to explain."
They quickly left the way they had come and apperated to the clearing. "Please don't let anyone be dead" Ron chanted. Harry felt like hitting him, it was really annoying.
* * * * *
Malfoy, Dean and Jason, being the strongest, were trying to hold the Death Eaters back. Seamus and Terry were doing their fair share, but if they had been alone, they would have had a lot of trouble. They were doing pretty well but the number of Death Eaters they were now facing were a lot more than the one's they had stunned to get to Hermione.
Just then, Harry and Ron apperated into the clearing.
"You came back?" Dean gasped. "Why?"
"Well of course we did. We wouldn't leave you out here."
Having Harry and Ron there added to the strength. Ron was Keeper and very strong. They hurled curses every which way. Harry shouted over his shoulder.
"Seamus, Terry, apperate! Now!"
Seamus shook his head; he had no intention of leaving them here. "We're staying here, you might need us."
"Or you could just get out now!" Malfoy shouted while throwing a stunning spell at three Death Eaters and ducking one sent his way. "The more people that get out of here, the better. NOW GO!"
They left, but reluctantly. Ron guessed that you never really knew the power a Malfoy had until you got him angry. And Malfoy was definitely angry.
Just with the help of Harry and Ron, they had managed to stun and seriously harm quite a few Death Eaters. Ron wondered how much trouble Malfoy would be in when his father found out that he was fighting the dark side with his enemies. There is no possible way that he was going to be pleased. He actually felt sorry for Malfoy. He never thought he'd see that day.
Ron called over his shoulder "Go Dean, and you Jason."
They nodded, not wanting to be shouted at too and left with a pop. Now the only ones left were Harry, Ron and Malfoy, facing eight very angry Death Eaters. Harry, Ron and Malfoy held out their wands and moved closer together with the Death Eaters advancing on them. Harry mumbled "Let's see how clever Death Eaters really are."
All three of them were very tall, practically the same height as the tallest Death Eater so size wasn't an issue. Unlike the Death Eaters, they were not afraid.
Malfoy whispered to Ron and Harry, "Do the mirror charm" as he saw the spells come blasting out of their wands. They didn't say a thing but did the charm. It worked. The spell backfired and headed straight back to the wizards which had throw them, knocking all of them out and giving the three of them enough time to get back to Hogsmead.
* * * * *
Harry, Ron and Malfoy entered the Three Broomsticks to find it heaving with people. Hermione lay on a bed in the middle of the pub. Madame Rosmerta was sitting at a table, as were the other four boys. Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were standing over Hermione. At the sound of them entering the pub, everyone turned to look at them.
They were dishevelled and tired.
"Why haven't you taken her back up to the school and into the hospital?" Ron asked.
Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "It is too risky to take her up to the hospital wing right now. It is too risky to move her at all. I'll need to get some blood back into her system before I can do that or she won't be able to hold out."
"How did you find her?" Professor McGonagall asked shakily.
"That can wait Minerva. I believe that they also need to go to the hospital wing. You have some nasty cuts I can see." Dumbledore said.
Ron shrugged "They're nothing life threatening. I'm more worried about Hermione. Will she be okay?"
Madam Pomfrey looked affronted "Of course she'll be okay. She'll be better than ok. I am the best medical practitioner to ever grace this Earth remember?" She looked completely serious. Ron, Dumbledore and they boys sitting at the table behind her had to hide a laugh.
Harry saw for the first time, that Hermione was having blood pumped back into her body by an unusual looking machine. He could even begin to describe it. The blood was being returned to her body by a needle that went into her upper arm but while it was being returned, it was also mending her wounds.
Albus Dumbledore looked at Harry's face and read it perfectly. "Harry, even if the blood is being put back into her body and the wounds healing, her body still needs time to adjust to the trauma it has been through. She might not wake up for quite a few hours. It could take 2 days at the most." He looked around at all of them. "But there is nothing to be worried about. She will be perfectly fine."
Malfoy was sure that she would be fine physically, but what about mentally. There was no doubt in his mind that she had been tortured, just as he had. Not by his father. His father didn't care about him but he had never hurt his son. Malfoy had been tortured by the initiation which wanted to turn him into a Death Eater. He refused point blank. He didn't even have the scars to prove it, they made sure of that.
Lucius would leave his son at the hideout and the high ranking (though lower than Lucius) would do the harm to him. They were allowed. Lucius would rather stand back and sneer.
"Right," Madam Pomfrey called. "I think it is safe enough to take her back into school now."
Dumbledore stood up, placed a hand in the bed and said a simple incantation, they both disappeared. Ron scowled like the devil. "That would have been so much easier. We have to get him to teach us that."
"You learn that next term Mr Weasley" McGonagall told him offhandedly which made Ron scowl even more.
Everyone turned to thank Madam Rosmerta who happily gave the boys free bottles of Butterbeer to drink on their way back to the castle. They thanked her again and left, taking the long way back to that castle. They didn't dare as if they could apperate there. McGonagall's moods changed as often as the direction the wind blew.
* * * * *
Hermione opened her eyes and screamed. She was blind!
She heard someone rushing to her side and flicking the light at her bedside on; suddenly she could see and felt extremely foolish for screaming so loud. She blinked and a few thoughts struck her, this wasn't her bedroom, that wasn't her light and this place felt extremely familiar. Then realisation dawned. This place felt so familiar because she had been here god-knows-how-many-times in the past seven years. The hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey stood at her side grinning wickedly. "I told them that you'd be right as rain. How are you feeling dear?"
"Fine, can I go to my dormitory now?" She wanted to sleep in her own bed.
Madam Pomfrey just laughed "Certainly no dear. You must wait until it is morning. I told them that I was a brilliant nurse."
Hermione was puzzled, had the matron gone mad? "What am I doing here?"
"Oh you were rescued a few days ago by the boys and we bought you here. I'm brilliant I tell you."
Hermione was beginning to get scared of Madam Pomfrey. She looked the same. But then the memory of what had happened invaded the terrified girl's fears that she was in a badly comedic nightmare.
She remembered the kidnap and the torture and the pain. She cursed so loudly and so vehemently that she was sure the nurse would go straight to Dumbledore and insist the Hermione be expelled but Madam Pomfrey did nothing, just carried in smiling. Hermione rolled her eyes. Looking at her wrists, she saw no cuts and no scars. She looked up again puzzled.
"Oh don't worry dear, I mended the cuts, isn't it perfect?"
"Brilliant, can I leave now, for my own sanity?"
Madam Pomfrey shook it off. "Just get some rest now and I will check on you in the morning. I'm sure that you'll be fine for the night. How's your head?"
"Fine, I don't feel any pain." The fact that she didn't, shocked her.
"Good, well sleep than and I will inform Mr's Potter, Malfoy, Weasley, Chang, Thomas, Finnegan and Bones that you have come around. I am sure that Professors Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall would like to know too. And possibly Madam Rosmerta.
Hermione's head was spinning. Did she just say Mr Malfoy? And Professor Snape? And Madam Rosmerta?! She just decided that Madam Pomfrey must be off her rocker. Smiling sweetly, she laid he head gently on her pillow and prayed for sleep to come extremely quickly.
* * * * *
It's finished. Sorry about the delay but I had exams. This was a bad time for me to start writing a story. I will carry on though.
Review please and please no flames. :)
Dina
P.S. Thank you for all the reviews that I have had so far. I love them all.
