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Third times a charm
"Feeling better?" Hermione's soft question woke Ron from his awkward doze in the chair, and he lay still for a moment, thinking about where he was and whose hand was wrapped in his hair.
"Yeah," Harry's roughened voice sounded painful, and Hermione eased that discomfort with a glass of conjured water and a straw. When the green-eyed man spoke again his voice was clearer, though still soft, "I don't think I'll want any fancy food for a while though."
Hermione chuckled and fussed a little on her side of the bed. Ron used the small disturbance to wake fully and lifted his head cautiously, trying not to pull his hair or dislodge Harry's hand. The red head was being greedy, he knew, but this simple touch was a great source of comfort to him.
"Hey there," Ron smiled sleepily, "Ready to go home?"
"Can I?" Harry asked eagerly, and Ron nodded, getting up as Harry let go and stretching carefully, easing the kinks out. They'd let the Muggles in once Snape's deadline had passed, and the doctors had said that Harry was recovering remarkably and could go home as soon as he woke and satisfied their concerns.
"The doctors said that if you could meet their requirements you could go home when you woke," Hermione told her friend, "You'll be on a bland diet for a while, and Snape may want another look at you."
"I thought I dreamed that," Harry's voice sounded bewildered, "He really came? How hard did you have to hex him?"
"He didn't know it was you," Hermione admitted, "And he'd promised not to talk."
Harry nodded, relaxing back into his pillows and letting Hermione summon the doctor. Ron reflected that the messy haired man was taking Snape's sudden excursion into his life rather well. It might be a different story once Harry woke up properly, but for now Ron would take what he could get.
After an hour of poking and prodding, Harry was released to go home, on the understanding that an adult would supervise him for the next three days. Harry was relieved at that, and went happily, dressed in clothes that Hermione had cleaned with a very strong charm to remove both the stains and the odour. She'd also changed their colours so the doctors didn't realise what they'd done and that their patient was wearing clothes that had been stained with emesis only hours ago.
As they walked down the corridor to the hospitals reception area, Ron realised that a lot of the university students and teachers were present. At the sight of Harry people got up and moved forward, asking how he was, and if he felt ok. This evidence that Harry had a real place in this world warmed Ron's heart, and Hermione's smile could only have gotten wider if they'd moved her ears back.
"Professor? Someone dropped this off for you," one of the female students pointed to a box on a low table in the reception area and Harry frowned, walking over to it cautiously with Ron at his side. The former Wizard had kept firm hold of Ron's hand ever since he'd gotten dressed, and Ron was more than happy to indulge his lover.
The box was medium sized and white, like something a delivery would come in. The lid was not fastened and there was no card. Ron had a funny feeling as Harry reached out and flipped the lid off. The student that had pointed the box out screamed at the sight of the flashing red numbers that were counting down from ten to zero, and Ron gasped in shock even as he flicked his wrist to call his wand forth.
"A bomb!" someone shouted and there was instant panic. Even as Ron raised his wand to banish the box - and out of the corner of his eye he could see Hermione doing the same thing - there was a huge surge of magic from somewhere in the panicking crowd around them.
The timer hit zero, and there was a shudder. Nothing happened, though the box became a little scorched and one side vaporised completely. Ron cast a few spells and immediately understood what had happened even as Harry gasped in shock and staggered in place. The rogue had once more been present and had neutralised the explosion by simply vanishing it. This was an indication of the magical strength of their quarry, and perhaps of their skills as well. It took great accuracy and power to catch the expanding nimbus of an explosion and dissipate the energy so the people and objects surrounding it were safe.
Ron slung an arm around Harry and half carried him to a chair while Hermione made sure that the bomb was completely safe. The redhead nodded when Hermione signalled all clear, and looked around the now deserted reception. They were definitely looking for someone from the university crowd, and he hoped that the Muggle authorities would be able to help them narrow the list down again.
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