Disclaimer: No, unfortunately I am not J.K. Rowling. If I was…well I would have a real big mansion or something, but I don't so pooh.
A/N: Happy days! I finally wrote this! Oh by the way, italics, mean thoughts. Just so ya know. If you like it please review!
Dong!
The chiming of the clock broke the morning silence and heralded the coming of seven o' clock.
"Already?" Harry mumbled sitting up in bed and putting on his glasses.
"Not yet," Harry heard Ron mumble from the bed next to his.
"Harry got out of bed reluctant to leave the coziness of his covers. He quickly changed into his uniform. He didn't bother with tightening his tie. Instead he let it hand loose, and he left the top three buttons of his shirt unbuttoned.
He knew that at breakfast Hermione would make him fix it so he didn't look 'scruffy'. At this though he smiled to himself and walked into the common room and a few seconds later Ron joined him.
"Stupid clock," Ron said with a yawn. "It's not time to get up yet."
"If you had your way we'd all sleep in till noon," Harry said.
"Exactly," Ron said. "Now let's go get something to eat."
The two boys headed down to the Great Hall hungrily. As soon as they got there Hermione greeted them.
"Good morning Harry," she said cheerfully. "You too Ron."
"Hi Hermione," Harry said sitting down at the Gryffindor table.
"I'm starved," Ron said taking a seat next to him.
"When aren't you?" Hermione said sitting right across from Harry.
"Grna hsahna," Ron said through a mouthful of food.
"Now that's disgusting," Hermione said rolling her eyes and pulling out a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Anything interesting in there?" Harry asked her.
"Nothing so far. Wait a minute," Hermione replied skipping down through some ads. "Mysterious Illness Strikes Certain Members of the Wizarding Community."
"That's weird," Ron said to no one in particular.
"They don't know what's causing it or how to cure it," Hermione said folding the paper up.
"Is it deadly?" Harry asked. "I mean has it killed anyone?"
"It said that people who contracted it usually died in about ten days," Hermione continued. "From that I assume that some have died, but it doesn't really say."
"We'll we're safe here," Ron said leaning back in his chair.
"Why?" Harry asked.
"Hogwarts has a block sort of thing against certain viruses," Hermione said before Ron could answer. "Think about it Harry. Have you ever seen anyone get really sick with something here?"
"No," Harry said.
"Besides it said this illness or whatever isn't contagious," Hermione said. "It just seems to pick people at random."
"Now that's kinda creepy," Ron said.
"That it is," Harry agreed.
Then the bell rang signaling to head to class. The three got up to go. As Harry was about to leave he noticed Hermione struggling with her bag.
"Here let me help," he said taking it from her and swinging it around his shoulder.
"Harry that's not necessary you know," Hermione said smiling. "It just seems heavier than normal."
"That's cause you stuff every book known to man in it," Ron laughed. "Plus whatever else you've got hidden in there."
"Shut it," Hermione said hitting Ron on the back of the head.
"Just being honest," Ron said.
They finally arrived at Hermione's classroom and Harry handed her the bag. For some reason when he did he got a bad feeling in his gut. And Harry Potter was one to trust that feeling.
"Thanks Harry," Hermione said.
Just as she was about to head into her classroom Harry caught her by the arm. She turned and waited for him to say something.
"Oh Hermione," he started. "Just take care of yourself okay?"
"Of course I will Harry," she said watching him making sure he was okay. "Oh by the way, fix your shirt."
"All right," he said. "See ya later!"
She nodded and walked in the classroom. Harry ran to catch up with Ron who had began to walk off.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked.
"I don't know," Harry said. "I just had this bad feeling."
"One of those eh?" Ron said. "Just try not to think about it."
But Harry did think about it. Through each and every one of his classes he wondered what the feeling meant.
"So children we must assume the impossible," Professor Trelawny said. "Without doing that you will not see what is but to be seen."
"Crazy old bat," Ron whispered to Harry.
"No let us take a look at your tea leaves," she said sweeping across the room. "We have done this before, but now to get the full answer you desire you must look within yourself. Would anyone like to volunteer their cup?"
Several hands went up, but Trelawny ignored them.
"Harry, let us see what is in your cup," she said.
"Okay," Harry said with a shrug.
"Hmmm. Yes," she said gazing into the cup. "I see that you will receive some bad news. I also see hardships beyond imagination."
Thankfully the bell rang before she could get any farther. Everyone filed out of the classroom talking amongst themselves.
"Hardships Harry hardships!" Ron said. "Imagine finding hardships in your cup. What a big surprise that is."
"Yeah. I just hope she isn't right," Harry said.
"You're still thinking of that bad feeling aren't you?" Ron said. "Harry it was just a feeling. Everything will be all right. You'll see."
"I know," Harry said. Ron always knew how to make him feel better.
"Now I hope you don't mind, but I coming with you to Quidditch practice," Ron said glancing around. "Do you think Wood will mind?"
"That depends," Harry said with a smile. "What class?"
"History of Magic," Ron said. "The professor won't even know I'm gone."
"All right," Harry replied. "Wood won't mind. He skipped that class plenty of times."
"Then it's settled," Ron said.
Harry nodded and they headed out to the Quidditch pitch. Wood ran up and greeted them both.
"Hey Harry," he said. "Ron! It's a good thing you came! We need one more player."
"Sweet," Ron said.
"Well go get suited up and I'll be waiting for the both of you," Wood said with a grin. "There should be a spare uniform for you Ron."
Ron and Harry took off towards the dressing rooms. They quickly got ready and grabbed their brooms.
"He didn't even care I wasn't in class!" Ron said happily.
"I told you," Harry said. "Wood's a cool guy."
Ron nodded and practice began. First they started with simple warm-up routines and then they worked on plays. After they worked out strategies for all of the teams.
"When we play against Ravenclaw we know that their strong point is their defense," Wood started.
"Wood I need to borrow Harry," Professor McGonagall said having walked up on the team. "Also Ron."
"Okay," Wood said with a shrug.
"Come with me boys," McGonagall said turning on her heel and heading to this castle. "Normally I'd be mad that you're sluffing another class, but I'm actually glad you're here Ron. I need to talk to you both."
"What about Professor?" Harry asked the bad feeling returning to him.
"Well," she paused. "You boys have heard about this sickness or whatever you want to call it haven't you?"
"Yes professor," Ron said.
"What does it have to do with us though?" Harry asked softly.
Professor McGonagall didn't say anything for a while, but just walked on in silence. Finally in front of the hospital wing door she whirled around to face them.
"I could lie to you boys, but that would only make it harder," she said sadness and worry showing up on her face. "I suppose I'll come out and say it. We believe that your friend, Hermione, has contracted the disease."
"No," Harry said the color draining from his face. Please don't let it be her, he wished to himself. Not my Hermione.
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered.
"I need to see her," Harry said his voice quivering a bit.
"Right this way," McGonagall said opening the doors to the room.
Harry walked slowly in with Ron not far behind him. At first he stared at the ground hoping that this was a nightmare and that he'd just wake up. Kind of ironic that Trelawny had been right all along. Finally he looked up and saw Hermione sitting on the edge of one of the perfectly white beds. For a moment he remembered his second year. When the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets had paralyzed Hermione. He had come here too late day in the exact same fashion. That same day he had also had the bad feeling in his gut.
"Hermione," he said simply going over to her.
"I'm all right Harry," she said grabbing his hand. "They think I have that illness, but I don't. I can't."
"Please don't say that," Harry said trying desperately not to cry.
"Hermione I…" Ron said coming over to the bed and standing next to Harry. "I just don't understand."
"I told you I'm fine," Hermione said standing to demonstrate. "Watch."
She took a few steps and stopped her eyes closed as if it took all of her will just to put one foot in front of the other. She tried taking another step and fell backwards into Harry.
"Guess I'm not so fine after all," she said forcing a laugh.
Then Harry saw Dumbledore heading into a side room right off the infirmary.
"I'll be right back," he said and followed after Dumbledore. He stopped just outside the closed door where he couldn't be seen and listening to the voices inside.
"Albus I don't know what you want to do," a voice that Harry recognized as the Minster of Magic Cornelius Fudge's. "I know you want to save Miss Granger's life and so do I, but I just don't know what to do."
"I'm not sure either Cornelius," Harry heard Dumbledore say.
"This disease if you will seems to be striking the majority of mixed blood wizards," Fudge went on. "It's no surprise that Miss Granger has fallen prey."
"Mudbloods," said an icy cold voice from the corner of the room.
"Lucius I must ask you as I have before to hold your tongue of that word," Dumbledore said angrily. "So long as you're in my office I will not tolerate it."
At this Harry silently cheered for Dumbledore. At least someone was finally putting Lucius Malfoy in his place.
"We don't even have a cure Albus," Fudge said in a whiny tone.
"There might be one," Dumbledore contradicted.
"Might being the keyword there. We don't know if it'll work," Fudge said. "Besides trying to get the ingredients for this potion would be a suicide mission."
"How so?" Dumbledore asked.
"Dragon Fang, Mermaid Scale, Unicorn Hair, and that's just the start of it." Fudge said. "There are six key ingredients to the cure and each one must be fresh. It would be a quest of sorts to get this stuff."
Finally Harry could contain himself no longer. He wasn't about to stand by and let his best friend die.
"I'll go," he said bursting into the room.
As he did both Malfoy and Fudge looked surprised, but Dumbledore seemed as though he had expected this all along.
"You can't go!" Fudge stuttered. "Certainly not a mere boy of fifteen."
"Why not?" Harry demanded. "She's my friend and I would go anywhere for her!"
"No grown wizard will try this stunt. Not even the ones as loony and crazy as Mad Eye Moody. Why do you think that is?" Fudge said getting in Harry's face. "Because it's a death wish!"
"Maybe that is because we do not need a grown man to do this task. You see Cornelius children, though by no means is Harry a child, do not experience the same fear that we do. They understand love better," Dumbledore said wisely. "Thus a boy like Harry with love in his heart can have the courage of a lion and the strength of a bear. Who better to go?"
"I still don't agree," Fudge muttered.
"What do you think Lucius?" Dumbledore asked the blonde man watching this event from the side.
"I say we let him go," Malfoy said icily watching Harry. "I think it might just prove to be quite interesting.
"Then it is settled," Dumbledore said before Fudge could protest again. "Harry you must go immediately. You haven't a moment to lose. Meet me here at one o'clock and not a minute later."