Hermione sat down in a chair next to Harry's bed in St. Mungo's. It wasn't
a magical injury, but they took him in anyway.
It was three weeks since Sirius' funeral, and Harry still hadn't woken up since that night. His friends decided that they would have his birthday celebration a week after he wakes up, if he stays up.
Hermione was in his room alone, stroking his hair, and looking at his face. "Harry, I don't know if you can here me, but you mean everything to me." And she let silent tears roll down her face. Harry's eyes fluttered, and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. But apparently, he just had a bad dream, because he didn't wake up. 10 minuets later, Ginny came in to say that it was almost closing time for visitors, and that they had to get out of the hospital.
"Hermione, really, the Healers said he'd be okay." Ginny comforted her friend, and led her out of the doors back to Wizard Apartments that they were all living at.
"Hermione, you're a mess!" Seamus explained, and she ran into his arms. "Hermione, we've told you enough times; Harry will be fine. No need to worry. The Healers are taking the best care of him." He said, and kissed the top of her head. "Go lay down in my bed. You can sleep there. And don't worry, I'm not trying to take the place of Harry, I'm just being a friend." Seamus pushed her towards the bedroom, and she laid down, silently crying.
"I can't believe how hard she's taking it." Fred said, as Cho and Ginny both stared at him, angrily. "What? Okay, yeah he's my friend, but I'm not taking it so hard!" Ginny rolled her eyes and Cho scoffed. "Do you want me to say I really loved Harry and can't wait until he gets back?" Fred yelled, and Malfoy coughed on his butterbeer. Ron snickered.
"No, but you could care about him a little more," Ginny sighed, and Fred laughed. "It's not like you hated him."
"How did you find out?" Fred said in a scared voice, as though Ginny just found out his deepest, darkest secret.
"Shut up!" Ginny said, throwing a pillow at him, as all the boys erupted with laughter.
"Aw, look George, Ginny-Winny likes Harry-Warry." Fred said, and George tried to put on a straight face.
"Are she going to cry like Hermione did?" George asked his twin, and they both blew up with laughter over him again. Seamus stopped laughing.
"Come on, guys. Leave her alone." Seamus said, sitting down next to Ginny.
"Awww!" George, Fred, Ron, and Malfoy said, as Seamus' ears became a dark red from blushing.
"Cut it out, it's not like I like her or anything!" Seamus laughed, because Fred and George had faces like a sad puppy on.
"Yeah, come on, we really better quit or Ginny will hex us." Ron said, and he walked over to the window.
"But she's underage. She can't," Fred said, but Ron just smiled.
"Seamus isn't, and he's on her side."
Fred and George stopped laughing. Ron laughed, covering it up with a cough.
None of them talked much after that, so Ron went in to where Hermione was lying down, and he sat next to her.
"Hermione, I'm sorry." He said, brushing her wet hair out of her eyes.
"I love him, Ron. I don't want him to die." Hermione whispered, hugging Ron. Ron let her lay against him, and she didn't move.
"Just because he might die soon, doesn't mean you have to stop loving him." Ron said, and Hermione looked up at him, and new tears came to her eyes. Ron gave her a Kleenex.
"Ron, I just..."
"I know, Mione."
Hermione sat with Ron at the bed in St. Mungo's again, and Hermione was whispering into Harry's ear about what all of them were doing , as Ron sat looking out the window.
"Harry, I love you so much. Just... Hang on. You'll be fine." She said, and she laid her head on his chest, and fell asleep that way.
3 hours later, Ron woke Hermione up, and she smiled. The first time since Harry went unconscious. Ron smiled a sad smile and his face clearly saying, "We have to go." Hermione kissed Harry, and left, Hermione slightly happier than usual.
The next day, when everyone was eating lunch, except for Hermione, someone knocked at the door. Ron got up and answered it.
"Hel--," Ron started, but the Healer interrupted him. The Healer smiled. "Anyone who is friend, family, or in a relationship with Harry Potter, might want to come with me."
Hermione jumped up, and ran to the door. "I'll go." After that, the room was full of I'll go, and No, I'll go, until Ron said, "Why don't we all go?"
"Okay," they all replied and, apparated to St. Mungo's.
"We're here to see Harry Potter," Hermione said, and the secretary looked at her.
"Basement floor, wing 6, room 3. Do not apparate there." She said and returned to the phone. Hermione nodded thanks, and then practically flew down the stairs to Harry's room.
"Harry!" she yelled when she saw him sitting up in his bed. Harry flinched at the noise, but let Hermione hug him anyway. "Harry," she said, and kissed him. "Harry, I was so worried!"
"Come on, we'd better leave these two alone." Ron said, and ushered the others up the staircase to get tea.
"I know, Mione. I missed you. I dreamt about you." Harry said, wiping happy tears from her eyes. "I couldn't wait to see you when I woke up."
"Harry," she said, and hugged him again. "When do you get to come back to the apartment?"
Harry smiled sadly. "A...m...m...month."
"What?" Hermione said, certain she misunderstood him.
"A month. I know it's a long time but..."
"It's okay, Harry. I'm just glad you're okay." She said, crushing her lips in to Harry's. Harry, surprised but happy, returned it.
Later, when the others came back, the two were comfortably talking to each other.
"Oi! Potter! If you took your eyes of Granger you might notice someone else who wants to see you!" Malfoy yelled, but laughed.
"A ghost? Damn it, I told the secretary specifically NO—Sirius!" Harry yelled, seeing his godfather again. "I thought—,"
"Shh." Sirius told Harry, and the others left off again, but Hermione didn't want to.
"Oh all right! I'll go! I'll come back to see you before we leave!" She kissed him, and then, stubbornly, left with the others.
"Sirius, I can't live. It feels like theres nothing to live for anymore." Harry said.
"I know, Harry. I had to die though. Lily and James would've killed me if they were alive and I was supposed to save you, and you ended up dying." Sirius explained, but Harry thought different.
"At least I would've been with you, the only real family that I have left that I claim." Harry said, and set his head in his hands carefully.
"Harry, you can't escape the inevitable. It's always going to be there, waiting for you, watching for your reaction. Hating for you and caring for you. That's why I died. It was inevitable. There was nothing you, me, Ron, Hermione, or anyone else could do. Not even Dumbledore." Sirius told Harry and he just scoffed.
"Dumbledore wasn't even dealing with you. He was off fighting—oh." Harry said, and Sirius nodded.
"Inevitable. It couldn't be stopped. Either way, I still would've died."
"What do you mean, either way?"
"Even if you hadn't seen the vision that I was being tortured."
"No...No you wouldn't've. It would've been avoided. If I had just learned Occlumency--,"
"Harry!" Sirius yelled. "You can't avoid it! I would've died anyway. It was meant to be. And there's nothing you could've done to stop it."
Harry muttered a quiet, "I know," and Sirius looked a little more pleased.
"Good. I have to go now, Lily and James want to talk to me."
"Sirius wait!" Harry yelled after him, and he turned around. "If you're a ghost, and my parents aren't how can you talk to them?"
Sirius just laughed. "You'll soon find out, Harry. You'll soon find out...
It was three weeks since Sirius' funeral, and Harry still hadn't woken up since that night. His friends decided that they would have his birthday celebration a week after he wakes up, if he stays up.
Hermione was in his room alone, stroking his hair, and looking at his face. "Harry, I don't know if you can here me, but you mean everything to me." And she let silent tears roll down her face. Harry's eyes fluttered, and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. But apparently, he just had a bad dream, because he didn't wake up. 10 minuets later, Ginny came in to say that it was almost closing time for visitors, and that they had to get out of the hospital.
"Hermione, really, the Healers said he'd be okay." Ginny comforted her friend, and led her out of the doors back to Wizard Apartments that they were all living at.
"Hermione, you're a mess!" Seamus explained, and she ran into his arms. "Hermione, we've told you enough times; Harry will be fine. No need to worry. The Healers are taking the best care of him." He said, and kissed the top of her head. "Go lay down in my bed. You can sleep there. And don't worry, I'm not trying to take the place of Harry, I'm just being a friend." Seamus pushed her towards the bedroom, and she laid down, silently crying.
"I can't believe how hard she's taking it." Fred said, as Cho and Ginny both stared at him, angrily. "What? Okay, yeah he's my friend, but I'm not taking it so hard!" Ginny rolled her eyes and Cho scoffed. "Do you want me to say I really loved Harry and can't wait until he gets back?" Fred yelled, and Malfoy coughed on his butterbeer. Ron snickered.
"No, but you could care about him a little more," Ginny sighed, and Fred laughed. "It's not like you hated him."
"How did you find out?" Fred said in a scared voice, as though Ginny just found out his deepest, darkest secret.
"Shut up!" Ginny said, throwing a pillow at him, as all the boys erupted with laughter.
"Aw, look George, Ginny-Winny likes Harry-Warry." Fred said, and George tried to put on a straight face.
"Are she going to cry like Hermione did?" George asked his twin, and they both blew up with laughter over him again. Seamus stopped laughing.
"Come on, guys. Leave her alone." Seamus said, sitting down next to Ginny.
"Awww!" George, Fred, Ron, and Malfoy said, as Seamus' ears became a dark red from blushing.
"Cut it out, it's not like I like her or anything!" Seamus laughed, because Fred and George had faces like a sad puppy on.
"Yeah, come on, we really better quit or Ginny will hex us." Ron said, and he walked over to the window.
"But she's underage. She can't," Fred said, but Ron just smiled.
"Seamus isn't, and he's on her side."
Fred and George stopped laughing. Ron laughed, covering it up with a cough.
None of them talked much after that, so Ron went in to where Hermione was lying down, and he sat next to her.
"Hermione, I'm sorry." He said, brushing her wet hair out of her eyes.
"I love him, Ron. I don't want him to die." Hermione whispered, hugging Ron. Ron let her lay against him, and she didn't move.
"Just because he might die soon, doesn't mean you have to stop loving him." Ron said, and Hermione looked up at him, and new tears came to her eyes. Ron gave her a Kleenex.
"Ron, I just..."
"I know, Mione."
Hermione sat with Ron at the bed in St. Mungo's again, and Hermione was whispering into Harry's ear about what all of them were doing , as Ron sat looking out the window.
"Harry, I love you so much. Just... Hang on. You'll be fine." She said, and she laid her head on his chest, and fell asleep that way.
3 hours later, Ron woke Hermione up, and she smiled. The first time since Harry went unconscious. Ron smiled a sad smile and his face clearly saying, "We have to go." Hermione kissed Harry, and left, Hermione slightly happier than usual.
The next day, when everyone was eating lunch, except for Hermione, someone knocked at the door. Ron got up and answered it.
"Hel--," Ron started, but the Healer interrupted him. The Healer smiled. "Anyone who is friend, family, or in a relationship with Harry Potter, might want to come with me."
Hermione jumped up, and ran to the door. "I'll go." After that, the room was full of I'll go, and No, I'll go, until Ron said, "Why don't we all go?"
"Okay," they all replied and, apparated to St. Mungo's.
"We're here to see Harry Potter," Hermione said, and the secretary looked at her.
"Basement floor, wing 6, room 3. Do not apparate there." She said and returned to the phone. Hermione nodded thanks, and then practically flew down the stairs to Harry's room.
"Harry!" she yelled when she saw him sitting up in his bed. Harry flinched at the noise, but let Hermione hug him anyway. "Harry," she said, and kissed him. "Harry, I was so worried!"
"Come on, we'd better leave these two alone." Ron said, and ushered the others up the staircase to get tea.
"I know, Mione. I missed you. I dreamt about you." Harry said, wiping happy tears from her eyes. "I couldn't wait to see you when I woke up."
"Harry," she said, and hugged him again. "When do you get to come back to the apartment?"
Harry smiled sadly. "A...m...m...month."
"What?" Hermione said, certain she misunderstood him.
"A month. I know it's a long time but..."
"It's okay, Harry. I'm just glad you're okay." She said, crushing her lips in to Harry's. Harry, surprised but happy, returned it.
Later, when the others came back, the two were comfortably talking to each other.
"Oi! Potter! If you took your eyes of Granger you might notice someone else who wants to see you!" Malfoy yelled, but laughed.
"A ghost? Damn it, I told the secretary specifically NO—Sirius!" Harry yelled, seeing his godfather again. "I thought—,"
"Shh." Sirius told Harry, and the others left off again, but Hermione didn't want to.
"Oh all right! I'll go! I'll come back to see you before we leave!" She kissed him, and then, stubbornly, left with the others.
"Sirius, I can't live. It feels like theres nothing to live for anymore." Harry said.
"I know, Harry. I had to die though. Lily and James would've killed me if they were alive and I was supposed to save you, and you ended up dying." Sirius explained, but Harry thought different.
"At least I would've been with you, the only real family that I have left that I claim." Harry said, and set his head in his hands carefully.
"Harry, you can't escape the inevitable. It's always going to be there, waiting for you, watching for your reaction. Hating for you and caring for you. That's why I died. It was inevitable. There was nothing you, me, Ron, Hermione, or anyone else could do. Not even Dumbledore." Sirius told Harry and he just scoffed.
"Dumbledore wasn't even dealing with you. He was off fighting—oh." Harry said, and Sirius nodded.
"Inevitable. It couldn't be stopped. Either way, I still would've died."
"What do you mean, either way?"
"Even if you hadn't seen the vision that I was being tortured."
"No...No you wouldn't've. It would've been avoided. If I had just learned Occlumency--,"
"Harry!" Sirius yelled. "You can't avoid it! I would've died anyway. It was meant to be. And there's nothing you could've done to stop it."
Harry muttered a quiet, "I know," and Sirius looked a little more pleased.
"Good. I have to go now, Lily and James want to talk to me."
"Sirius wait!" Harry yelled after him, and he turned around. "If you're a ghost, and my parents aren't how can you talk to them?"
Sirius just laughed. "You'll soon find out, Harry. You'll soon find out...