Walking
through the doors of 12 Grimuald place, Hermione and Sirius had never
looked more of a state. Hermione had a huge gash in her right leg,
staining her calf's red. Sirius was firmly holding her arms over his
head, helping her to limp inside. He himself was sporting a black eye
and what looked like a severely broken arm. They were both covered in
bruises and cuts from top to toe, their clothes ripped and
blood-stained.
Harry and Ron both rushed to the door at the sound
of it opening. In amazement they stared, Harry barely believing his
eyes as his godfather stood barely five feet in front of him. The
silence echoed through them like a drum beat. The heavy seconds
crawled by like decades. Surrealism surrounded them all; Harry had
been waiting for this moment ever since Hermione's departure, and now
he was moments away from his godfather. He could take four simple
steps and reach out and touch him.
Sirius's face was full of
exhaustion, his actions seemed to take forever, he leant on, and then
slid down the hallway wall, bringing Hermione down with him. Her
seemingly lifeless body slumped down with Sirius'.
Ron was the
first to move; he ran over to them, crouched to their level and tried
to speak,
"Hermione? Hermione!" He cried, shaking her
shoulder in desperation. She stirred, looked at Ron but said nothing,
then turned to Sirius,
He turned his head painfully toward her
but spoke with compassion,
"It's ok Hermione, its all alright
now." There was something about his voice that was incredibly
soothing to the ear.
Ron jumped up,
"I'll phone
'Mungo's'!" He said, more to himself than anyone else, and
rushed into the kitchen.
Harry was still staring at Sirius, having
not moved from the spot he was glued to.
He shook his head, not
daring to believe the truth. He did not blink in fear of blinking
them away, he stared, his eyes watering, unable to do anything. His
mind was not functioning, he seemed disabled to put one foot in front
of the other and walk over to them.
Suddenly, the figure of
Dumbledore apparated from nowhere holding a glowing pumpkin. Standing
in front of Harry he spoke,
"This is no time for your first
reconciliation Harry. They are delirious, they need rest. You must
wait just one moment longer to see your godfather."
With this
he turned to the couple of battered people, placed one of each of
their hands onto the pumpkin, and disappeared with the portkey into
the unknown.
