Author - Chibi / Warlordess
Disclaimer - I don't own JK Rowling's masterpiece, Harry Potter. All of the credit and my obsessiveness is thanks to her. No. . . Really. . .!
Notes - I just wanna let the readers know that this fic takes place during the trio's sixth year. Yea.
Summary - When one of Malfoy's and Harry's rows gets out of hand, Hermione ends up injured. Harry, once known as "The Boy Who Lived" is now "The Boy Who Saw" as he offers to be Hermione's eyes. But can he manage his schoolwork, his Quidditch training, and keep his friend from running into everything at the same time? A Harmony fic.
OoOoO
Harry Potter - Blind
Chapter Two
OoOoO
The next day, Hermione awoke in her poster bed with the vibrant red hangings open (well, she couldn't see that they were red, but she was perceptive enough to have noticed over the years). She normally left them shut because the sun always forced her up before she was ready but since Ginny had been the one to help her into her pajama's the night before, she supposed that the girl hadn't known how she liked to sleep. In any case, she shouldn't be picky.
Maybe I'll end up opening my eyes and seeing the dormitory. . . Hermione thought hopefully, That's right. . . There's a slight chance that I'll have my sight back by now. Or maybe it was all just a dream and I just forgot to close my hangings last night.
It was a very broad, couragious thought to come up with, but Hermione couldn't help but be hopeful at this point. She remembered how yesterday had ended. Because she had been so eager to return to her classes, Madam Pomfrey had suggested that she take the rest of the day off and rest in the Hospital Wing until suppertime, when Harry and Ron would come back and help her downstairs.
Though the girl had objected, Harry, obviously feeling ill with guilt, had forced her back onto the bed she was sitting on and told her that there was no way he would let her leave the place until that night. When he and Ron had returned later that evening, they were accompanied by Ginny, who was to be Hermione's aid for things such as dressing herself and using the loo.
Ron had been nice enough to cut up her salisbury steak, which had undoubtedly convinced her of her helplessness and, after losing her appetite, the group had ushered her back up to the Gryffindor Tower, where she requested that Harry and Ron read her the notes they'd recieved from the classes they shared together, and the lesson plans that she'd missed.
"Well, you see, because we almost always rely on you for note-taking, we didn't really do that well on our own. . ." Ron stated sheepishly as Ginny attempted to read his handwriting. Finally, the girl gave up and handed the pages to Harry with an exasperated sigh, who'd had enough experience with Ron's scrawl over the summer.
Needless to say, it was a very disappointing turning in that night.
Something that real could never be a dream. . . Hermione thought listlessly, her eyes still closed, . . .But that doesn't mean that I can't see, necessarily. . .
And with that thought, she opened her eyes and saw. . . Absolutely nothing. Irritated, she slammed her fists into her pillow and rose from her position in bed to get up for the day. She crept blindly around the dormitory for her trunk so that she could find some day clothes and accidentally ended up falling over it in her haste. The door to the common room opened up and she heard Ginny sigh from behind her.
"You couldn't wait. . . ? It's the weekend, after all." The younger girl helped her up and assisted her into her sitting place casually in bed before opening the trunk and finding a suitable shirt and pants for her to dress in, "Okay, lift your arms, and. . ." Ginny searched again and found a bra, then helped lift the straps over Hermione's shoulders. The Prefect couldn't help but feel embarrassed around the youngest Weasley, ". . .Oh, please, like I don't see the same thing when I wake up in the morning." She joked blandly, poking the sixth year in the shoulder. Hermione was able to pluck the hooks together on her own and Ginny unfolded the shirt and lifted it over her friends' bushy head, fluffing her hair afterwards, "We'll shower you tonight, alright?" She offered as Hermione hopped around on one foot, attempting to pull on her pants on her own.
"Yea, that's - brilliant!" She grunted, finally succeeding, only to fall backwards into her bed again, "What time is it, anyway?"
"Around nine. Harry's waiting for you down in the common room. Ron went ahead to breakfast." Ginny replied, placing a hand on the older one's shoulder and helping her towards her side table, where she kept her brush. Hermione combed through her hair and then set the hairbrush down again, holding out her hand for Ginny expectantly, who took it and led her through the door onto the staircase leading to the main room of the Gryffindor House.
"Is he still feeling obscenely guilty about all of this?" Hermione asked monotonously and Ginny gave a small laugh.
"Probably, but why shouldn't he? I mean," she could tell that Hermione felt uneasy about Harry's having to do with her condition, "not to be rude, but he was the one who allowed Malfoy to egg him on. He should know better, shouldn't he?"
"He was only trying to defend me!" Hermione stated, with a slight shriek, "Oh, I can't believe him. I swear, if he apologizes to me one more time, I might hit him over the head with his own Firebolt. . . !"
"So long as you don't bruise the broomstick." A new voice replied and Hermione recognized it as Harry's. She was gracious enough to turn a bit red, but other than that, she did nothing to acknowledge that she'd heard him.
"Well, Hermione, do you want me to leave you here, or do you want me to accompany you two down to the Great Hall? I was going to just grab my bag so that I could get to the library after breakfast." Ginny explained.
"I don't mind." Harry stated, taking Hermione by the arm, "So long as you don't join her in beating 'The Boy Who Lived' completely senseless." Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and blew a raspberry.
"You deserve it. And don't you apologize! Not again!" She raised her voice, knowing Harry well enough to understand when he was going to open his mouth to do just that, "That's why you deserve it. It's not your fault, alright? I'm going to get better, so as long as I can keep up with my lessons, I don't really mind. . ." Her tone diminished into a prolonged silence.
"You don't mind not being able to see the Professors, or Ron, or me, or your books, or anything else?"
"I was trying to look on the bright side. Do you want me to hurt you or something?"
"It might make me feel a bit less responsible."
"Okay; fine." Harry shut his eyes and awaited her onslaught but all she did was continue speaking, "Harry James Potter--"
Oh, she said 'James'. . . Now I'm in for it. Harry thought.
"--You're 100 responsible for me being like this. It's your fault completely that I can't see a bloody thing. I'd blame you. . . But that's just not true. What is, is that you should know not to let Malfoy get to you. You're so much better than him. Just because you attempted to defend yourself when he shot a hex at you, and just because the shielding spell didn't rebound the hex to the best of its ability, does not make this all to blame on you. So deal with it." Hermione stated, "Now let's get some breakfast. I'm starving."
"That's only because you didn't eat dinner last night. And don't say that it's because we were babying you. . . !" Ginny replied, returning with her bag, "We were helping you. There's a difference. When we start speaking in toddler-tongues and playing 'Choo-Choo Train' with your fork, then you have a right to get all fussy about it."
". . .Fine. Just don't resort to helping me so much. I think I know where to put my fork. And, for once, I'm not planning up Malfoy's nose." Hermione laughed. Harry and Ginny joined in as they passed the other students in the halls.
"That's funny; Ron was working on that last night."
"Well, I hope that you were able to tell him to do otherwise." Hermione replied, suddenly quite serious.
"Er. . . No, but McGonagall was when she pulled him away as he was sneaking up on him." Harry replied sheepishly, "To be honest, I was thinking of making a bit of trouble for the git as well, but, well, at that point, you decided to want to go back to Gryffindor Tower, so. . ."
"Hmm." Hermione pursed her lips tightly as they rounded a corner and ended up at the top of the marble staircase yet again, "You're very lucky that I can't see a thing, otherwise I might end up doing something regrettable to you. And Ron." She added as an afterthought, "In any case--"
"--Wait, Hermione, watch your step!" So caught up in the conversation, Harry'd forgotten to warn her about the staircase, only he was too late. She'd already placed one foot out in front of her, off of the level ground, and his shout had only distracted her more. She felt herself falling forward and she squeaked in a terrified way, putting her arms out in front of her as if it'd help, but the next thing she knew, someone grabbed her around her waist and slowly and carefully hauled her backwards.
"Oh, my. . . Harry, I can't believe you almost let me - wait. . ." Hermione halted, catching her breath for a moment and wondering aloud, "Whose got hold of me?"
"Oh; that would be me." Harry replied, letting go of her, "Sorry, but you were the one in mid-conversation, if you don't mind my saying."
"Are you alright, Hermione?" Ginny asked as she knelt down in front of the girl, "That looked pretty awful. . ."
Hermione had somehow forgotten that Ginny was with them.
"I-I'm fine; really. I just wish that I could see. . ." For the first time since the incident, Hermione was fully aware of her handicap. Never before had she felt so worthless to everyone, including herself. The only thing that kept her from breaking out into sobs was the fact that she would indeed get better, even if not immediately.
"It is bloody depressing. . ." Harry replied, uncomfortably aware of the fact that it was his fault, even if Hermione wouldn't say so to him, "But I promise you that I'll help you through this. I'll do anything that I can. I-I'll get you your meals everyday, I'll read you your books, I'll do your schoolwork--"
"--And that's where I draw the line." Hermione stated in a slightly sour way, "It's difficult. . . And I know that it's only temporary. . . But it's difficult none-the-less. . . I hope that Malfoy got what was coming to him. . . Did you ever learn if he was punished for the casting?" She asked the two.
"Well, he managed to convince Snape that he was aiming for some anonymous beast he saw in the Forbidden Forest from his place--" Ginny started.
"--Not that he had to work very hard to do so." Harry continued bitterly, "But we think that Professor Dumbledore offered some sort of consolation detention or whatnot. We're not sure, but on our way down to the Great Hall for supper last night, he came striding upstairs from Snape's office, and Malfoy was with him. He didn't look exactly cheery."
"How come no one told me?" Hermione sounded extremely put out, as Ginny and Harry both pulled her to her feet and,. very slowly, they managed to help her down the stairs.
"I suppose it's because, well. . . Don't take this the wrong way, but we're not used to having to tell you everything that's right visible to the average person. We're new at this too." Ginny attempted to say offhandedly, but she knew that she sounded a bit cold.
The group of three made it into the breakfast hall without another word, but were stopped short by a sudden loud volley of catcalling and jeering from the table closest to them.
"Prats. . ." Harry muttered mutinously, glaring at them all. For some reason, his eyes wandered to the other tables as well, all of which had gone very quiet upon their entry, minus the Gryffindor table, and then his eyes landed on Hermione, whose brow was screwed up as though trying to make out what was going on as clearly as she could, "Er. . . Let's move on before the food is cleared away."
"Wait; you can tell me what they're saying, or doing. . . It's not like I'm going to overreact or something." Hermione said, and in an effort to lead the way to the House table while in mid discussion, she ended up running into Hagrid, who was just entering the hall. The impact sent her sailing backwards and Harry and Ginny rushed forward again to retrieve her, "Oh; I'm sorry, er--"
"--Hermione, yeh shouldn' be walkin' along on yer own. Harry, yeh'd do right teh keep a better eye on yer friend." Hagrid said, standing to the side as a few more young stragglers came rushing through the main doors, "Anyway, how's yer sight? Any better?" He continued to speak.
"If you couldn't tell, no. . ." Hermione sighed despondently, "But I am getting along, obviously." The calls and jeering from the Slytherin table got louder again after word had passed of her bumping into the large Professor, "Honestly, what are they saying?" She huffed at Harry.
"Oh, er. . ." He looked around just in time for Malfoy to get up from his place and do a fake run, smacking into the wall. When he turned back to the table, full of laughing comrades, he had an idiotic expression on his face, like that of a witless being not in their right mind, "Oh, get over it already, you git!" He yelled, not able to stop himself. When he turned back to face Hermione, he attempted to keep up the charade, "It's nothing; really."
"Oh, well that shout wasn't suspicious at all." Hermione rolled her eyes, "Anyway, can we get to the table now? I really am hungry. Bye, Hagrid!" She called after they'd started their treck across the large room, attempting to turn and wave at him, only she ended up in the direction of the Ravenclaw table at the other end of the hall. Harry looked over just in time to spot Cho staring at them, only right as their eyes met, she turned back around and started talking with her D.A. friend from last year, Marietta Edgecomb.
Not feeling the slightest twitter, he faced the opposite way and he and Ginny sat Hermione as comfortably at the table as possible, waiting for her to swing her legs over the bench before joining her. After taking their places, they both started pouring things into her bowl and on her plate. Some toast loaded with marmalade, some cream of wheat. . . When Hermione started eating, she ended up holding her spoon upside down, and so Harry, not wanting to crowd her, simply turned it the right way and made sure that her plate was right in front of her, and in her reach.
Breakfast was pretty uneventful besides the latter, and so the group, this time accompanied by Ron, began leading their way back out of the hall and into the main corridor leading up to the tower. Upon reaching the doors, they ran into Cho and her friend who, though still featuring a slight discoloration from the onslaught of Hermione's hexing the year before, seemed rather pleased. Harry attempted to avoid staring at Cho, as they'd done at the end of the year before, but she silently grabbed his wrist and, when he looked at her face, her eyes pleaded with him to stay behind.
"You lot go on; I'll only be a moment." He said, hoping that Ron wouldn't tell Hermione about who he was with. For some reason, it seemed inappropriate that he'd consider a conversation with Cho Chang more important than getting her back into the Gryffindor common room. Once they had left him behind, he turned back to his ex-girlfriend, "What is it?" His tone was less than appreciative towards their meeting.
For once, Cho didn't look as though she were desperately close to tears. To the contrary, she seemed to be holding back the urge to smile kindly at him, as though expecting that he wouldn't agree with it.
"We both. . ." And at this point, Marietta joined the small queue, ". . .Just wanted to say that we're sorry for last year; really. And we hope that Hermione gets better. I don't like leaving things undone. The last time I did that. . . He ended up never returning." Now her eyes were starting to water, but she seemed to be forcing the sobs back, "If you two need anything, I'm willing to help. Maybe I can keep Hermione caught up with her studies since I'm in Ravenclaw. . ."
Part of Harry was more than willing to accept the assistance, knowing quite well how much Hermione loved to study, but another part of him still wasn't ready to let Cho have anything to do with his life, especially when it centered around the very friend that, just last year, she wasted no time in bawling over everytime they were together.
"That's alright." Harry said, "I think I can handle it. But I'll be sure to keep your offer in mind, thanks." And, with that, he continued following after Ron, Ginny, and Hermione.
OoOoO
Notes - WooT! I've finished chapter two! Believe it or not, it was finished the same day as chapter one, but I wanted to space the continuity of this fic out evenly, thus the wait. Don't worry; you'll be getting a ton more Harmony moments soon. I've already discussed a major point with a few friends and they were squealing, it's safe to say. So I think you'll appreciate what I post within the next couple of chapters. So, thanks for reading, and I hope to receive a mighty few reviews. Cause I know you love me.
. . .You do love me, right. . . ?
Oh, yes, wait. . . In a review someone sent me for the first chapter, they claimed that I'd spelt "Hermione" as "Harmony" in the summary. Let me tell you that I was never trying to spell Hermione's name. Harmony is a name for the H/Hr ship. Har – for "Harry" and mony – for Hermione. Yea. Just so you know. Lol.
