"We understand what you are asking of us, Professor Dumbledore. We will need time to think about this." Dan Granger said with a questioning look at his wife. Emma nodded silently.
"Please make your selves comfortable in the guest wing. I will come and get you for dinner." Minerva said with a strained smile, her voice tired and soft.
"You did send someone to get Hermione?" Emma asked turning to go out of the study.
"Yes, she should be arriving any minute. I will send her to you."
The oaken door closed after they left. Fawkes cooed a sad little note, while Minerva petted him, waiting hesitantly for Albus to say what she thought he was going to say.
"I will need to tell him everything."
"Albus! You can't.. he.. he isn't ready!" Minerva span round her hands on the edge of the desk leaning towards him, his back to her still.
Albus sighed, a deep long sigh,
"I watched him die today, Minerva. My little Harry.. he nearly died in my arms while nothing I did had the slightest effect. After all these years of trying to protect him after that terrible night." He turned and sat heavily into his chair. His face was distraught and the single tear that streaked into his silver beard said more to Minerva than anything he could have done.
"They will get him eventually, just like they hunted his father. He tried to protect Lilly and Harry. Look at the amount of protection they had! Voldemort still got them." He spat the name like the taste of a vomit drop.
"James wouldn't listen. Wouldn't take the final step. From what I saw today, I think it is happening to Harry all by itself. He is changing Minerva."
Minerva had her hand over her mouth her look of utter disbelief painted all over her face.
Hermione and Tonks stepped out of the fireplace into the office of Professor Dumbledore. The look on Tonks face was serious and sad at the same time, and Hermione's worry was etched into her face.
"What happened? I've got a right to know! You said he was hurt? How?" Hermione's seventh time of asking and Tonks wasn't giving anything up.
"Look I told you, I don't know anymore!" Tonks fended her off again, "Professor, has there been any change?" They both looked at Dumbledore for the answers he always had.
"There has been no change. I think you had better come with me, Hermione." Albus walked slowly out of the study with his arm around her.
"Harry was seriously injured when an attempt on his life was made earlier today at Privet Drive. We have tried to heal him, but something is resisting our attempts. Your parents have had to care for him."
"My parents are here?" She asked climbing the last few stairs, with Tonks right behind them, keeping up with their hurried pace.
"Hermione, you must prepare yourself. Harry is badly injured, you must.." Albus waived the auror's guarding the door to let her through.
Hermione's composure broke and she bolted up the last few steps into the Infirmary, hot tears threatening to spill, brimming in her eyes. She dashed them angrily as she ran over to the only occupied bed with all sorts of equipment surrounding it. She didn't even recognise Harry from a few metres away.
"Harry. HARRY!" she screamed as she was caught by Poppy.
"Miss Granger, you musn't.."
"Get off me!" she spat, her focus still on Harry as she dragged Poppy with her the last few steps. Emma sprung from her chair to grab onto her daughter.
"Harry! Oh Merlin!"
Hermione looked at his face, the only thing recognisable under all the bandages and casts. It looked terrible. His face had multiple nasty purple bruises and stains of ointment covering cuts and contusions. His left eye was completely closed with a couple of inches of stitches above the horrible swelling. Every precious feature of his face that was a permanent memory of hers, was broken, bruised and battered. Every little detail seemed to take more of her anger away leaving her tears to fall, and her energy sapped.
"Harry Potter! Don't you dare.. WAKE UP NOW!.. don't you.. leave me!"
Emma caught her as Hermione broke down and would have fallen onto the floor had she not caught hold of her. Emma's tears began to fall as well, more for the broken sobs of desperation that racked her daughter's frame.
"It's okay baby, get it out." Emma stroked her hair as Hermione cried her heart out against her with muffled sobs.
"Don't leave me.. Harry.. please" the desperation in her voice hurt everyone who heard her.
"He's stable. We are both looking after him. Your dad hasn't left his side."
Hermione peaked at her dad, sitting beside Harry's bed. He gave her a quick smile and she saw that he hadn't been to sleep for days and looked awful, unshaven and very very tired.
"Thanks..sniff Dad."
"He's alright darling. He'll be okay." Hermione caught the tone of his voice knowing that he was saying what he could to console her, more than he believed it was true, and burst into more tears.
"Take this dear." Poppy gave Hermione a sweet smelling pink liquid to take. Then motioned for Emma to bring her to the next bed. In seconds Hermione was asleep.
"She has grown close to Harry, very close. The shock will wear off, after a little sleep." Poppy smoothed her hair as she pulled a cover over her. Emma smiled at her in thanks, looking from Harry back to Hermione.
Dan stood as he spoke to Albus,
"I don't know how he's alive, Albus. He's taken one hell of a beating, but some of those injuries are not new."
"What are you saying?" He didn't like the sound of this. At all.
"He has been beaten over a period of months. It's systematic." Dan shook his head, pinching his nose. He couldn't believe this could happen either.
The look on Dumbledore's face was murderous, as he put his arm aorund Minerva whose face was deathly pale.
Students were beginning to come back to Hogwarts a few days later. The rumour mill was in fine swing, verging between 'Harry is dead' and 'Potter is dying' to 'Voldemort nearly killed Harry'.
A few days later Ginny and Ron had arrived with a group of Gryffindor's hoping to see Harry for themselves. They were told to wait in the waiting rooms to the Infirmary by Dan Granger who was personally caring for Harry. He told them in no uncertain terms that they could endanger Harry's health by coming in. So they waited. And waited.
Everyone was in awe and a little bit frightened by the auror's round the school. They were in black armor and cloaks, their faces very grim. No one got in their way. Especially Tonks and Raffles, who were guarding the door to the Infirmary with bloody murder on their faces.
"Have you seen Hermione?" Ginny asked Ron
Ron just shook his head as he paced moodily. He had to see if Harry was alright, damnit! Why the hell couldn't they just understand that?
"Damnit Ron, you're going to wear a hole in the floor!" Tim Timmins shouted at his Gryffindor Quidditch team mate. Ron was gripping the front of his shirt in an instant,
"So bloody what! My best friend is in there, its more serious than ever. He might.. Arrgh! Whatever!" he shoved Timmins against the wall in frustration.
"Seems like You-Know-Who thought that what magic couldn't do he would hire some thugs to do." Ginny said softly. Timmins just held up his hands to Ron, saying he understood and he didn't much like this either without the need for words, as the doors banged open.
"Get Dumbledore, he's coding again!" shouted Dan at the top of his voice, Hermione blocked the view as she ran out into Ginny's and Luna's arms.
"Whats happened! Whats going on? Hermione?" nearly everyone's questions were over each other in the ensuing chaos of the waiting rooms.
Ron got a glimpse of Dumbledore shooting spell after spell into Harry's chest, Emma performing compressions on his chest, until the door closed once more. He put his hands on the doors like he could push them open but just stood there. A great big lump in his throat and he couldn't push it away.
"Hang in there, mate." He choked, not wanting the others to see the tears welling up,
"Hang in there, for Merlin's sake.." Luna's arms came around his shoulders as her head rested on his shoulders. His tears falling silently on to the floor.
"Ginny, he's.. I don't know whats going to happen.. I can't look.." Hermione was bawling her eyes out, held by Ginny who hadn't ever seen her like this.
"Its okay, Hermione.. I'm sure he'll pull through.."
"You don't know that.. No one does!.. I never told him!" she shouted.
"That you loved him." said Ginny sadly, knowing what she was about to say. Hermione's tear stained face came up sharply to look her in the eyes.
"How did you.." Hermione's voice was deathly quiet as everyone stopped speaking.
"Everyone knows Hermione, you two just have that look whenever you're round each other. You were made for each other." Ron nodded his face, and couldn't even get out the words as they all hugged each other in a group hug. A group prayer.
/ I love you Harry. Do you hear that/ Hermione screamed in her mind. / You can't go, I won't let you. We haven't had our time yet! Do you hear me, I LOVE YOU/
/ Hermione/ the thought was so weak, she turned her head thinking that someone had said something, Ginny looked at her strangely, her head suddenly tilted to one side to hear better.
/ you.. love me/ it was so weak, but it was there!
"HARRY?" she shouted in disbelief, bolting towards the door, Ron was ahead of her pushing the doors open powerfully, Raffles and Tonks at their sides.
Albus was still hovering over Harry as they stopped at his bedside,
"Harry! Say it again!" Hermione shouted at him with hope on her face
"Albus!" Dan said getting up, his eyes never having left Harry, seeing the rapid healing taking place, the monitors beeping beserkly and a golden glow spreading over Harry.
"I see it. Stand back!" the command was instantaneous, everyone obeyed. Harry glowed getting brighter, rising off the bed. His bandages falling away, his bruises diminishing. He looked like a rag doll pulled up by his chest, all the sheets falling away leaving Harry suspended off the bed in his boxers.
He floated back down to the bed, coughing a little. Everyone was too shocked to say a word. The light surrounding him dissipated, he moved his hand weakly feeling the sheets under him.
"H-Her-Hermione?" came the weak croak, as his eyes struggled to open. She bolted to his side putting her cheek to his cheek, touching him with quick reassuring touches all over, not believing he was even real.
The scent of peaches answered his question before the sound of soft tears came to him.
"Hermione.." It was a statement of fact. She was here. It would be alright. Sleep. He could sleep knowing she was here. With him.
"feel.. awful.." he croaked, surrendering himself to sleep.
Dan was the first to laugh, Emma crushed him in a hug, crying and laughing at the same time.
"You scared us you bloody pillock!" Timmins roared laughing with relief. Soon there was nothing but relief and laughter in the infirmary. Ginny jumped into Timmins' arms, locking her hands around his neck as he spun her round, whooping with joy.
Ron swept Luna up into his arms and kissed her without a second thought. The surprise on Luna's face registered for an instant before she kissed him back. The cheers and laughter went on for a while.
Albus hugged Minerva closely as he watched Hermione now fast asleep next to Harry, her arm draped possessively over him, and from where he was standing, it didn't seem like Harry minded at all.