"It's not worked Professor. What do you suggest now that we've exhausted all of our options?"
"It has to be a pensieve. I will have to siphon off some of his memories to try and help him deal with it better. Anything to get him out of this state."
Hermione weakly walked through the doors to join them from outside the infirmary to Ginny's obvious displeasure.
"I told you..." she started on Hermione
"Needed.. to see him.. I'm sor-r-ry.."
Hermione's voice was a weak shadow of what it normally was, in fact she looked like she was fading away in body as well. No colour, no expression, she looked dead inside. It was so pathetic, it made Ginny shout at herself for raising her voice in the first place. Ginny saw her words make Hermione flinch and jumped up to catch her by her shoulder as Hermione tried to slowly leave the room dejected.
"Oh Herm," Ginny said, emotion in her voice, "Come here, we'll go in to see him together."
Ginny looked at Timmins quickly and nodded towards the door with a stern look. He jumped up moving people aside and opened the doors with authority into the main infirmary walking towards Harry's bed.
Poppy Pomfrey walked up to him sternly but was shocked by the look in his eyes and was shocked into silence by the way he simply but forcefully held up his hand and pointed sternly back over his shoulder to Ginny and a frail Hermione.
Hermione sat heavily down in a chair pulled up to his bed as Emma Granger appeared behind her and put a warm reassuring hand on her shoulder and nodded her encouragement.
Hermione didn't say anything to her mother, merely putting her hand on top of hers.
"Harry?.." she pleaded with her hand as close to the blue shimmering spherical shield that seemed to separate Harry from the world protecting him in a bubbled coccoon.
"I can't eat, I can't sleep.. I don't know what to do.. It wasn't me in that room. you have to believe that. I would never knowingly hurt you or cause you pain.. I'm so sorry.."
Hermione lost whatever energy she had and collapsed her head into her arms, sobbing quietly.
"Potter?" Timmins said loudly, people turning to look at him having never really heard him speak to Harry in the infirmary before.
"She's hurting Harry, a lot of people are hurting. It's not because of you but because we all care. Very much. My Ginny's hurting as well Harry, she hides it well, but I know.. Not happy Harry.."
He looked at Harry and knew what he needed to say, probably the one reason that would bring himself round if he was in that state. Timmins took on a look of grim determination.
"HARRY! NO MORE GAMES OR SOFT ARSE TALK! HERMIONE'S HURTING, WE'RE HURTING ARE YOU GOING TO LET HER KEEP HURTING? I THOUGHT YOU LOVED HER HARRY! THAT'S WHAT YOU TOLD ME, YOU A LIAR NOW?"
More than a few gasps came forth listening to Timmins on what seemed to be a tirade.
"SUCK IT UP LION OF GRYFFINDOR! GET UP AND DOMINATE THAT ROOM. TIME TO MAKE A MOVE HARRY! YOU GONNA VEGETATE FEELING BLOODY SORRY FOR YOURSELF? I'LL KEDAVRA YOUR ARSE RATHER THAN LET VOLDEMORT WIN THIS WAY! GET THE HELL UP, HERMIONE'S HURTING YOU CARELESS BASTARD!"
Without so much as a word or a groan, Harry shot straight up in bed the blue shield falling away and dispersing without a sound on the bed
"No one hurts My Hermione!" he growled loudly not seemingly seeing anyone in the room as he leapt off the bed changing in the air to land with a great thud on four huge paws on the infirmary floor.
Everyone in the room was shocked senseless as the most deafening roar almost physically pushed them back from the greater lion's massive upturned teetch barring muzzle. Albus was on his feet reaching out a hand to try and touch the great lion. The others saw the greater lion and were shocked at how big and powerful it looked, even standing still. The deep marune and gold streaks through the huge mane were visible before it took off hurtling through the doors and leaping over Colin Creevey who immediately cursed himself for not having his camera with him.
Ginny was the first one to regain her powers of speech as she kissed Timmins passionately but quickly and dragged the gobsmacked almost paralysed beater towards the tower following Hermione who was almost as quick as Harry with a determined look on her face and her wand out.
"The Lion of Gryffindor!" Albus whispered still not able to move, dumbstruck.
Hermione ran and ran as fast as she could go, hearing detonations ahead of her. Only when she reached the jagged still steaming hole in the wall did she remember that you should only be able to apparate into the Tower.
Well, she thought, that hardly matters now!
She peeked around the hole in the wall waving her hand to get some of the smoke cleared. With her first step into the Tower she saw the devastation of the last few minutes as huge chunks were gone from the wall with blackened scorch marks around them. Furniture blasted into pieces like kindling. A growl. A low territorial this is my prey don't even think about trying to take it off me kind of growl. She walked very very carefully forward towards the growl.
Hermione walked around the wall and saw the massive outline of the greater lion's back and the swishing tail almost as long as she was. The eyes stopped her dead. She looked into those incredible green cats eyes with the usual dark vertical slit trimmed in gold. It seemed a while until she realised that he was growling at whatever he held in his jaw, but also at her so that she didn't try and take it off him.
She looked at the black inky shadow shaped like some sort of person, pinned to the ground by a huge paw full of dagger like claws and a jaw wrapped around its neck if it had one.
"The room yields," came the deep voice seemingly out of the walls. The inky shadow vanished in a blink, shocking the lion as his jaws snapped shut.
Ron ran in out of breathe and leapt back crashing into Luna landing them both on the floor
"HOLY MERLIN'S CAT!"
Timmins walked in front of Ron, Luna and Ginny his fifteen inch dragon heart string ash wand covering them all as Hermione looked at the great lion circling her. Then she realised Harry was walking around her but looking at the room with distrusting eyes, still very tense.
"RROROROAOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" the roar was loud enough for everyone to have to clamp their hands around their heads to not go deaf.
"There is no need for that Master Potter." the room sounded like an elder father. "I have already yielded to you. You need to acknowledge my surrender."
The big lion looked around sceptically and snorted.
"You are now the Master of the Tower of Sorcery. Welcome. I am at your service."
The lion sniffed the air as if suddenly realising a familiar scent and looked deeply at Hermione not bothering with the room now. He padded up to her and seemed to grin looking at her almost eye to eye.
Harry in his animal form, as the Lion of Gryffindor, was a 500 pound greater lion with a huge mane sporting the marunes and gold of Gryffindor house, a muscled body with four paws bigger than a dinner plate with razor sharp claws to match.
It was the last part of this that Ronald Weasley was focusing on having picked up Luna and now was holding her in front of him still gawking at the beast.
"I'm.. We're.. She's bloody lunch!" He squeaked, Luna smacked him on his arm without thought.
Hermione just stared longingly at those green eyes, and saw the great cat grinning closer to her until he nudged her slightly with his head.
"Oh Harry!" she breathed, delightedly throwing her arms around his head and burying herself in his mane. She ruffled his big ears and rubbed the flat of his head as he let out a great purr.
"He's purring!" Timmins said cracking up with a mixture of laughter and relief, as the others were rolling on the floor laughing.