Harry watched helplessly as Hermione's body violently convulsed on the floor of the library. He tried to talk to her and get her to look at him but her eyes were scrunched tight shut in an attempt to block out the pain. Harry got his arms around her and held her as best as he could waiting for the attack to stop. Sometimes they were very short. Other times, Harry felt as if they would never end. This was proving to be a particularly agonizing wait. He worried about her breathing which had turned into raspy gasps after periods of holding it. Finally he felt her body sag and grow still. He saw her face relax and saw her chest exhale the breath she had been holding. A soft moan escaped her lips as she turned her head towards him. "Shhh, it's alright. Don't move," Harry said softly. She hadn't opened her eyes yet. Harry called for Biddy who promptly brought the needed potions. Harry carefully tipped them one by one into his wife's mouth. He almost spilled one as an aftershock caused Hermione's body to quake. He was pleased to see that she swallowed the potions with ease. Harry cradled her in his arms for a few more seconds waiting for the potions to relieve some of her agony and for her to fully awake. Finally, his eyes made contact with hers. They were not the same eyes that he had married. Instead of being rich pools of gold and brown that sparkled with joy and laughter, the eyes he now looked into were murky, dull, and spoke of too much pain and fear. "Thank you." Harry felt an ache in his chest as her tired words reach him. He bent and kissed her lightly on the forehead before picking her up and carrying her to their bedroom where he gently placed her on the soft mattress. "Better?" He asked as he pushed a strand of hair away from her slightly warm face.

"Yes. I am a bit thirsty though," Hermione confessed. Within seconds a glass of water was in her hand and she drank greedily from it before leaning back against the pillows. "I'll be fine now. Biddy will check in on me. I think I might just rest for a while. My limbs feel a bit like jelly."

"If you think I'm just going to go back to work after-"

"Harry, you know perfectly well that there is nothing you can do for me while I sleep. The pain is nearly subsided and it's highly unlikely I will have another attack today. You must go back to work. I don't want you to fall further behind."

Harry took some comfort in the fact that her voice sounded strong and she was being stubborn. He didn't' like to leave her though. He stood and walked to the window frowning and sighed. Before he could speak he heard her whisper, "Please." That caught his attention and he looked with concern toward her. He saw the moisture in her eyes and was immediately by her side, his fingers wrapped around her hand. She avoided his eyes and said softly, "Please, go. I can't stand the thought that I am holding you back. That I…you need to go. I'll be fine. I promise."

Harry wrapped her in a loving embrace before lifting her chin to look at her properly. "You are not holding me back. You are holding me together. If it means that much to you I'll go finish the day's work. But when I return I expect to be allowed to hold you and care for you in whatever way I see fit."

Hermione gave him a small smile, "I look forward to it." She felt his lips capture hers.

"I'll see you in a few hours. Rest well, my love," Harry said as he excited the room. She gave him a reassuring smile and a nod.

Hermione let herself sink further into the pillows. Her body felt weak but heavy . Their hope that the attacks would be slow in coming had proven to be horribly misplaced. It had been only a week and a half since they had first discovered that Harry's touch no longer held any power to end her episodes. During that time she had endured five attacks. They ranged in duration. She wasn't sure if the pain was increasing slowly or if her ability to handle it was simply declining as her magical core declined. She had not mentioned this to Harry. She didn't want to cause him more anxiety over her condition. She worried though that she may not be able to contain her screams for much longer. Her core had gone from 90% to 65% in a very short amount of time. Hermione sighed in frustration over the entire ordeal. They needed answers and they didn't know where to get them. The one man that had any was the very cause of all of it. Hermione's head began to ache. She had wondered when the headaches would return. She didn't want to alarm Biddy by asking for yet another potion. Summoning her energy she slowly got out of bed and crossed to the window. Her body was slow to obey her and she felt her legs quake under her. She leaned against the wall for support. The afternoon sun was coming in and she squinted and shielded her eyes from the light as she pulled the drapes closed. The room darkened considerably and she slowly made her way back to the bed where she settled in and closed her eyes. She wished Harry was there to hold her but she also knew that she had done the right thing in sending him back to work. She was beginning to feel like a burden to him. That was not what a wife should be. Trying to shake her mind from its gloom and relieve the pain building in her head, she closed her eyes and grabbing Harry's pillow, breathed in his scent. She soon fell into a restful sleep.

"You came back!" Ron said with surprise.

"She practically kicked me out," Harry replied with a small smile.

"Well, at least she is still being stubborn. That is kind of a relief," Ron commented.

"I suppose so," Harry said as he shuffled papers around his desk.

"How is she?" Ron asked. "I mean how bad was it?"

Harry sighed as he looked at his friend. "It was…long. It took her a little while to come out of it afterwards. She's getting weaker. I don't know what to do."

Ron saw the clear concern in Harry's eyes. "Hang in there mate. We'll come up with something. From what I hear they are planning a raid with in the month that they hope will result in Benton's capture."

"I sure hope so," Harry said darkly. "Any word if they are going to invite me along?"

Ron scoffed, "I doubt it mate. I think you're too personally invested for their liking."

"That's exactly why I should go!" Harry said. "I want nothing more than a chance to hex that-

"That's exactly why you shouldn't go," Ron interrupted. "They worry about you being rash and letting your emotions determine your actions. You know just as well as I do that having a hot head in the group is never a wise move. It's an unpredictable factor."

Harry sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. He knew Ron was right. But the need to act was eating him alive. "Well, once they get him they will be hard pressed to keep me away."

"I believe it," Ron said with a wicked grin. "I don't blame you."

Neville heard the fireplace in his living room roar to life as Luna stepped through the Floo. He smiled at her and quickly gathered her in his arms. When he drew back and looked at her properly his smile faded. She looked rather pale and her eyes were not the usual calm he had grown accustom to. "Luna, what's wrong?"

Luna took a deep breath and shook her head sadly. In her soft voice she said, "I found something today. As I was looking for something to help Harry and Hermione. I missed it the last time because we thought…but when I went back to it today it…well, it changes everything."

Neville watched as Luna's eyes pooled with tears and she pulled a small stack of papers from her satchel and handed them to him. He quickly took them and began scanning the words. At first he wasn't sure what he was looking for. As he continued he gasped as his brain caught up with him. He continued to scan the paper before him and slowly sank onto the couch. Setting the papers aside he let his head fall into his hands. He felt the couch dip as Luna sat beside him and ran her fingers into his hair. "I don't believe this."

"We never suspected this. It just didn't occur to us. But I think those papers make it quite clear. It all seems to fit."

"This is all my fault," Neville said.

"No it isn't," Luna said calmly. "Harry loves her. He would have married her regardless of your advice."

"But I pushed him into it," Neville said.

Once again Luna's calming voice said, "No you didn't. You presented an option that seemed quite logical at the time given what we knew. This is not your fault. The only one at fault is Atticus Benton."

Neville looked up to see Lunas eyes a bit wet with emotion but firm with resolve. He squeezed her hand. "They need to know."

"I know."

"How are we going to…" Neville felt the weight of the news they had to share.

"My mum used to say that if you have something important to say it is best said sooner rather than later. A truth, even a hard one, if spoken with love is far better than to not speak at all."

Neville took her face in his hands and kissed her gently. "What would I do without you?"

Luna smiled serenely and said, "Well, for one, I doubt your flat would be so clean."

Neville chuckled at that and then rose from the couch. "I'll send an owl to Harry and see if he is free tonight or tomorrow evening."

Luna nodded. "At least it's some answers."

"Yes, I just wish they were good ones." Neville replied.

Sorry for the delay! Happy Valentines day! Hope you enjoy. Please leave me a comment. This chapter did not come easily. I hope it came together alright. Gave you a little cliffy. I'll try not to make you wait too long for the next chapter! Thanks for reading!