The Vigil
After McGollangal escorted Hermione and Ron back to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione had locked herself in the 6th year girls' dormitory and wouldn't even let Parvati or Lavender into their room. Ron had taken to staring at the fire not talking to anyone, but eating anything his sister brought to him mechanically.
The hours passed by with loud complaints by Lavender and Parvati echoing across the common room no matter where they were or how loud everyone else was. Ron continued to look into the fire while his friends worried about him, trying to get him to snap out of his stupor.
Finally around 9:00pm Hermione came storming out of the girls' dormitory and out of the portrait, Ron following her as soon as he realized she had left.
They both marched through the hospital wing entrance at roughly the same time to see a startled Madame Pomfrey looking at them. "What are you two doing in here? You are supposed to be in your common room."
"I'm not leaving, I want to be here when Harry wakes up," Hermione said sitting down on a chair next to Harry's bed.
"But we have no idea when that will be," Pomfrey said coming over to help her out of the door.
Ron sat down beside Hermione and said, "It doesn't matter; we'll just wait here."
"It could be days Mr. Weasley," Pomfrey said softly.
"It doesn't matter," Hermione said firmly. "We'd just be moping around the common room doing the exact same thing. At least we'll be here when he wakes up."
"He may not want you here when he wakes up," Pomfrey said gently. "People who do this sort of thing usually don't want their friends around when they wake up."
"So?" Ron said. "We'll be here whether he likes it or not. The stupid git."
Pomfrey opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Remus coming into the room announcing: "I ate."
She looked at the clock and demanded, "How did you eat already? I only got you out of here fifteen minutes ago!"
"I ate my sandwich while coming back up here. You never said I had to sit down to eat," Remus replied. He turned to look at Harry and was surprised to see Hermione and Ron sitting by his bed. "What are you two doing here? Aren't you supposed to be up in Gryffindor Tower?"
"We want to be here when he wakes up," Hermione said.
"Everyone kept bugging us about what was wrong up there," Ron added.
Remus nodded and said, "No one knows then?"
"No," Hermione said. "I didn't speak to anyone. I locked myself in the dormitory and wouldn't let anyone in."
"I didn't say anything to anyone either," Ron said. "Not even Ginny."
"So only the teachers and you two know," Remus mused.
"Did you tell Hagrid?" Hermione asked.
"No, we decided not to tell him until Harry wakes up," Remus sighed. "We don't want the Hospital Wing to be filled with letters requesting interviews, curses, and charms. He's bound to tell someone at the pub. You know how he is."
"Yeah," Ron said ruefully. "We get a ton of information out of him when he is sober, let alone when he's drunk."
They sat in silence after that for a few hours until Madam Pomfrey came over to them, "Get to bed all of you! Its midnight! You two, go to your dormitories, and Remus, you go to your rooms."
"No," they all said together.
"We already told you Madame Pomfrey," Hermione said. "We are staying here until Harry wakes up."
"I already let James and Sirius down," Remus said quietly. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pomfrey threw her arms up in frustration, "Fine! At least take a cot in here and go to sleep!"
"No," Hermione said. "You won't wake us if Harry wakes up."
"I'll wake you up," Pomfrey promised.
"You might wake up Re-Professor Lupin, but not Hermione or me," Ron said.
Madame Pomfrey took several deep breaths with her eyes closed. "Fine," she said with a strained calm. "Take shifts throughout out the night. See if I care if you make yourselves sick with this vigil."
"Alright, Ron take the first shift, wake me up at 2:40, I'll take the middle shift, and wake Hermione up at 5:20. Is that alright with you Madam Pomfrey?" Remus asked.
"Yes, yes, fine," Pomfrey sighed going back to her own bed just outside the Hospital Wing so she could hear anything going on in it.
Ron and Hermione stayed in the Hospital Wing constantly for the next two weeks regardless of the tactics of trying to get them out of there. Harry was moved to a private room, used only when people had to stay there for an extended amount of time; Hermione and Ron followed him. This caused all three of them to drop off of the student's radar. Dobby brought food up to them, they slept and studied, and were tutored in all of their classes by Remus, who spent all of his time outside of classes in the Hospital Wing as well. Remus also filled them in on the reasons that were given as to why they and Harry had seemingly disappeared from the school. The rumors included being kidnapped by Death eaters, being put in Azkaban, or, Remus's favorite, were in hiding in the Himalayas being taught some sort of ancient magic to protect them from Voldemort's wrath as Harry was number one on Voldemort's hit list, and his two best friends were easy targets for the Dark Lord who wants to make Harry suffer.
They kept the same schedule as they had that first night. Remus walked over to Hermione's bed and gently shook her awake, "Hermione, its your shift."
Hermione stretched and yawned, "I knew I shouldn't have stayed up finishing that essay for Snape. It isn't due until Friday."
"You don't have a sympathetic ear here," Remus grinned. "I told you to get to bed."
"Yeah well, so did Madame Pomfrey, but do I listen to her?" Hermione replied grabbing her clothes and going into the bathroom to take a quick shower. She came out of the bathroom dressed and her wet hair in a ponytail. She sat beside Harry and cringed at the sight of his wrists. Less blood was seeping through the bandages now, but the slits still weren't clotted so Pomfrey couldn't heal them yet. Hermione sighed, "What were you thinking Harry?"
Harry twitched slightly. Hermione held her breath for a few seconds when Harry opened his eyes and said, "Damn, I have to get better at Occlumency."
After McGollangal escorted Hermione and Ron back to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione had locked herself in the 6th year girls' dormitory and wouldn't even let Parvati or Lavender into their room. Ron had taken to staring at the fire not talking to anyone, but eating anything his sister brought to him mechanically.
The hours passed by with loud complaints by Lavender and Parvati echoing across the common room no matter where they were or how loud everyone else was. Ron continued to look into the fire while his friends worried about him, trying to get him to snap out of his stupor.
Finally around 9:00pm Hermione came storming out of the girls' dormitory and out of the portrait, Ron following her as soon as he realized she had left.
They both marched through the hospital wing entrance at roughly the same time to see a startled Madame Pomfrey looking at them. "What are you two doing in here? You are supposed to be in your common room."
"I'm not leaving, I want to be here when Harry wakes up," Hermione said sitting down on a chair next to Harry's bed.
"But we have no idea when that will be," Pomfrey said coming over to help her out of the door.
Ron sat down beside Hermione and said, "It doesn't matter; we'll just wait here."
"It could be days Mr. Weasley," Pomfrey said softly.
"It doesn't matter," Hermione said firmly. "We'd just be moping around the common room doing the exact same thing. At least we'll be here when he wakes up."
"He may not want you here when he wakes up," Pomfrey said gently. "People who do this sort of thing usually don't want their friends around when they wake up."
"So?" Ron said. "We'll be here whether he likes it or not. The stupid git."
Pomfrey opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Remus coming into the room announcing: "I ate."
She looked at the clock and demanded, "How did you eat already? I only got you out of here fifteen minutes ago!"
"I ate my sandwich while coming back up here. You never said I had to sit down to eat," Remus replied. He turned to look at Harry and was surprised to see Hermione and Ron sitting by his bed. "What are you two doing here? Aren't you supposed to be up in Gryffindor Tower?"
"We want to be here when he wakes up," Hermione said.
"Everyone kept bugging us about what was wrong up there," Ron added.
Remus nodded and said, "No one knows then?"
"No," Hermione said. "I didn't speak to anyone. I locked myself in the dormitory and wouldn't let anyone in."
"I didn't say anything to anyone either," Ron said. "Not even Ginny."
"So only the teachers and you two know," Remus mused.
"Did you tell Hagrid?" Hermione asked.
"No, we decided not to tell him until Harry wakes up," Remus sighed. "We don't want the Hospital Wing to be filled with letters requesting interviews, curses, and charms. He's bound to tell someone at the pub. You know how he is."
"Yeah," Ron said ruefully. "We get a ton of information out of him when he is sober, let alone when he's drunk."
They sat in silence after that for a few hours until Madam Pomfrey came over to them, "Get to bed all of you! Its midnight! You two, go to your dormitories, and Remus, you go to your rooms."
"No," they all said together.
"We already told you Madame Pomfrey," Hermione said. "We are staying here until Harry wakes up."
"I already let James and Sirius down," Remus said quietly. "I'm not going anywhere."
Pomfrey threw her arms up in frustration, "Fine! At least take a cot in here and go to sleep!"
"No," Hermione said. "You won't wake us if Harry wakes up."
"I'll wake you up," Pomfrey promised.
"You might wake up Re-Professor Lupin, but not Hermione or me," Ron said.
Madame Pomfrey took several deep breaths with her eyes closed. "Fine," she said with a strained calm. "Take shifts throughout out the night. See if I care if you make yourselves sick with this vigil."
"Alright, Ron take the first shift, wake me up at 2:40, I'll take the middle shift, and wake Hermione up at 5:20. Is that alright with you Madam Pomfrey?" Remus asked.
"Yes, yes, fine," Pomfrey sighed going back to her own bed just outside the Hospital Wing so she could hear anything going on in it.
Ron and Hermione stayed in the Hospital Wing constantly for the next two weeks regardless of the tactics of trying to get them out of there. Harry was moved to a private room, used only when people had to stay there for an extended amount of time; Hermione and Ron followed him. This caused all three of them to drop off of the student's radar. Dobby brought food up to them, they slept and studied, and were tutored in all of their classes by Remus, who spent all of his time outside of classes in the Hospital Wing as well. Remus also filled them in on the reasons that were given as to why they and Harry had seemingly disappeared from the school. The rumors included being kidnapped by Death eaters, being put in Azkaban, or, Remus's favorite, were in hiding in the Himalayas being taught some sort of ancient magic to protect them from Voldemort's wrath as Harry was number one on Voldemort's hit list, and his two best friends were easy targets for the Dark Lord who wants to make Harry suffer.
They kept the same schedule as they had that first night. Remus walked over to Hermione's bed and gently shook her awake, "Hermione, its your shift."
Hermione stretched and yawned, "I knew I shouldn't have stayed up finishing that essay for Snape. It isn't due until Friday."
"You don't have a sympathetic ear here," Remus grinned. "I told you to get to bed."
"Yeah well, so did Madame Pomfrey, but do I listen to her?" Hermione replied grabbing her clothes and going into the bathroom to take a quick shower. She came out of the bathroom dressed and her wet hair in a ponytail. She sat beside Harry and cringed at the sight of his wrists. Less blood was seeping through the bandages now, but the slits still weren't clotted so Pomfrey couldn't heal them yet. Hermione sighed, "What were you thinking Harry?"
Harry twitched slightly. Hermione held her breath for a few seconds when Harry opened his eyes and said, "Damn, I have to get better at Occlumency."