Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Potterverse, They are © JKR.

A/N: I just watched the trailer for the POA movie! It was AWESOME! Trust me, go to the-leaky-cauldron.com and see it. It rocks! The Snape Boggart is THE BEST part! Okay, on with the show. . .

DOUBLE TROUBLE

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

"Are you certain?" Dumbledore stared at Snape with a mixture of sadness and weariness. "Does she know?"

"Yes, Albus, I'm certain, and no. . . I don't believe the girl knows."

***

Hermione stepped quietly into the Infirmary, her hand clutching her recently made potion. She caught sight of her cousins huddled about a bed, and listened for a moment to their hushed voices as they all regaled Elizabeth with questions. She stole quietly up to the little group, nudging her way past Raya to see Charlie cuddling Elizabeth, murmuring quietly in her ear, unshed tears in his eyes, a bright smile plastered on his face as he tightened his arms about her.

"Uh. . .Beth." Hermione said gently, causing the girl's attention to focus on her. "I-I think I have a cure for your. . . magical predicament."

Elizabeth perked up, stifling a yawn as she beckoned Hermione closer. Upon inspection, she looked horrid, her skin a ghostly white with dark bruise- like circles about her eyes, and fading bruises on her body. She rested against Charlie gingerly, and he held her in a loose grip, as if he was afraid of hurting her. Healing cuts adorned her arms in painful lacy patterns, but that wasn't what worried Hermione, it was the strange weariness in her eyes. Her eyes didn't look tired, they looked haunted, as if staring at something painful. She moved sluggishly, as if her muscles protested to the slightest twitch, which resulted in her body wincing, as if she had been hit. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered the effects of the Cruciatus curse, ticking them off one by one, knowing that her cousin had probably suffered the worst painful torture, and still had her mind intact, a feat that was surprising considering most of the ill effects of the curse.

"You. . .have something?" Elizabeth's voice was thick and muffled, as if she were speaking through a tube. Hermione notice Charlie stiffen slightly, drawing Elizabeth even closer to him, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Yes. . . it's a basic Health Restorus potion with an infusion of belladonna and Dragon Scales. . ."

"Which would make a powerful drawing agent." Raya finished quietly, "Thus forcing her magic to break loose from it's shell."

"Exactly." Hermione stared at her cousin. "It might be painful."

"'S okay. Give it. . .here." Elizabeth held a trembling hand out and Hermione hastened to unstopper the bottle, then handed it over.

"Charlie, you might want to get up." Hermione warned, "It may get violent."

"I'll be fine." Charlie's words were laced with a deeper meaning that all but screamed, 'I refuse to leave her.'

"Okay."

Elizabeth downed the contents, her face contorting slightly. "Very. . .minty." She remarked, reaching out to hand the bottle to Hermione, and suddenly her grip tightened, her body seizing up, and her fingers wound about the fragile glass, splintering it, grinding the pieces into her hand unwittingly. A low keening moan filled the Infirmary as Elizabeth writhed within Charlie's iron embrace, her eyes rolling back into her skull, and her teeth clamping down on her tongue, causing blood to flow freely from her mouth.

Hermione forcibly pulled her other three cousins away from the bed when Elizabeth began flailing and thrashing, her fists striking anything within hitting distance. "C'mon, get back!"

Suddenly, the moan turned into a high pitched wail as she arched her back, clawing at the sheets, momentarily reminding Hermione of a movie she had once seen. . . The Exorcist, it was called. Bright green flames burst about Elizabeth's pale body, but her thrashing only increased. Hermione rushed forward, thinking that she was having a reaction against the potion, but she was thrown backwards into another bed, and though Charlie had a tight grip on Elizabeth, he too was thrown from her, striking his head against the wall with a sickening thud. Hermione watched in horror as the magic about Elizabeth began to pulse and flicker about her abdomen, swirling into a tornado-like vortex.

"What's happening?" Skylar breathed, the other Elementals pulling their magic about the like shields to buffer against the onslaught.

The tip of the vortex touched her stomach, as if probing something, then the magic turned a sickly shade of crimson that reminded Hermione appallingly of blood. Elizabeth let forth an ear piercing wail slightly reminiscent of a wounded animal, or a grieving person. Her hands were fisted in the sheets as her back arched. The magic seemed to be sucking something from her body, the crimson growing darker and darker with every passing second.

A pulsing mass of red was now hovering above Elizabeth's body, encased in the green. Hermione surmised it must have been some form of very dangerous magic for her own Element to be working to rid her body of it. Hermione watched as Elizabeth sagged against the bed with an audible sigh of relief, even as her magic began compressing the strange red thing smaller and smaller until it was no bigger than Hermione's thumbnail. Hermione couldn't resist, she walked cautiously toward her cousin, reaching her hand out to capture the little mass of red, amazed that it was actually solid as it fell into her outstretched palm.

A gentle, almost cooing sound was emitted as Elizabeth's magic surrounded her in it's protecting glow, flickering and playing across her healthier seeming skin, soothing bruises and closing up cuts, working across her injured hand, and lulling the girl into a catatonic state of sleep borne of pure exhaustion.

"What in the HELL was THAT?!" Danielle exclaimed, lowering her shield, and casting a worried glance at her sister.

"THAT was a potion doing its job." Hermione replied matter-of-factly, still gazing in fascination at the little ruby lying on her palm. "I should take this to Dumbledore, I think." She mumbled.

"Yes, indeed." Dumbledore entered the Infirmary, Snape in tow. "So, how fares our little wanderer?" He asked brightly, seemingly oblivious to the slight ruins of the Hospital Ward, or the fact that Charlie was laying on the floor out cold. Both facts Madame Pomfrey immediately noticed, and she set to work immediately, overcoming her slight shock. She had entered the room when she had heard the moan.

"I think. . .that she's sleeping, sir." Danielle replied, placing a hand on her sisters cool forehead, ignoring the tingle that she got from being in contact with another's magic.

"I'm sure she'll sleep much better thanks to Miss Granger's belladonna potion." Dumbledore replied. "It seems your sister here uncovered a major plot involving you five." He indicated Hermione and the Quads, one of whom was assisting Madame Pomfrey with reviving poor Charlie. "It has come to my attention that your sister was the first of you to be 'Infected' with Voldemort's essence, which would have, in time, impregnated her. In fact, what Miss Granger here is intently studying is the 'Virus' he had infected Miss Trenton with." Hermione nearly dropped the little ruby, startled and feeling more than a little ill.

"Did he. . .did he. . . rape her, sir?" Skylar asked, her face green.

"No, it was more like a virus, he sort of invaded her system with his essence magically, forcing his little 'Virus' into her, infecting her."

"So. . . she's okay then?"

"Yes, apparently, she has no memory of the occasion because he used the Cruciatus on her so much it had quite effectively knocked her out. Thanks to Miss Granger's potion, her Elemental magic was able to block the virus, thus negating its effects and then draw the harmful magic from her system in a painful but very effective way. Now, Miss Granger, if you will. . ." Hermione strode over to the Headmaster, her eyes never leaving the little ruby, and dropped the rogue magic/rock into his palm, a nasty feeling of being contaminated causing her to shiver with disgust.

Madame Pomfrey turned from her tucking in of Charlie, "Now, if you please, I've my patients to attend to." She was slightly waspish, badgering at them, herding them away from the peaceful Elizabeth and recovering Charlie and out into the cool corridor.

Raya stifled a yawn, her body slumping with weariness. "C'mon guys, we need to be getting to bed, we still have to help teach classes tomorrow." Hermione nodded, watching them go, feeling a bit on the exhausted side herself.

"I'm turning in too." She called. "Oh, wait!" Hermione caught up with them, "We didn't get to have our little session yesterday, so, what day would you like to help me control my volatile power?"

"How about Wednesday evenings?" Skylar suggested, rubbing her eye sleepily.

"That's fine." Hermione mumbled. "See a couple of you all tomorrow." She replied, "G'night."

"G'night Mione." The three chorused, turning to walk to their rooms.

Hermione ambled her way up to Gryffindor Tower, managing not to get caught after hours, even though she was certain that Dumbledore would have overridden a detention given.

"Chocolate Frogs." She mumbled to the portrait, shaking her head. She was going to have to stop letting Ron pick the passwords. The portrait swung open, and Hermione stumbled in, only to stop dead, her heart stopping.

***

George sighed, scuffing his foot over the warm red carpet of the common room. He was bored, but there was no way in hell he was going to let Hermione come back to an empty common room. He knew his girlfriend would need to unload before she went to bed, or the girl would never sleep.

"Hello." A gentle voice broke his musings and he glanced up to see a very scary looking fifth year girl in nothing but a robe, and a very scanty one at that, almost leaving nothing to the imagination.

"Uh. . ." He started, fishing for the girl's name, "Rebecca. . . do you NEED something?" He didn't particularly like the girl, knowing that she was a gossip, and worse yet, talked about Hermione in a particularly non- flattering way.

"Not really." She breathed, sauntering purposefully over to George, a lazy smile that screamed ill intent stretching across her not so pretty face. "But. . . is there something you need?"

"Nothing I want from you." He stated coldly, sliding down the couch, trying to keep away from the girl, but she wasn't having any of it.

"Oh come on. Don't you wanna play?" She pouted, batting her weird colorless eyes at him in a way she must have thought fetching.

"I don't think so. I'm sort of waiting for my girlfriend."

"Only sort of? What has Granger got that I don't?" She snarled.

*Better teeth. . . * His mind answered automatically. "My HEART!"

The girl laughed mockingly, "Oh, poor baby, she's got your heart." The girl leaned closer to George and he nearly gagged, her breath was atrocious. Then she did the unthinkable. She KISSED him! He struggled, trying to get away, even as her tongue sought entrance. He heard a strangled gasp as he shoved the girl away.

Hermione stood in front of him, a look of horror on her face. The girl just laughed, plopping down on the couch beside him. "I can explain. . ." George began, glaring at Rebecca.

"Don't bother." Hermione ran from the room, tears streaming down her face.

***

A/N: Well, there ends chappie thirty-three. All's not well in Paradise I suppose. But when is it ever? Oh well, don't forget to RR.

Love,

~Me~