When Harry returned home later that evening he found Hermione right where he had left her. He took note that the drapes had been drawn and frowned. Were her headaches back? Biddy soon popped into the room with the cup of tea that Harry had requested. He took the opportunity to ask, "Biddy did Hermione ask for a pain potion for a headache this afternoon?"

The little elf looked slightly confused and said, "No Sir. She has been sleeping."

Harry nodded and gave the elf a small smile. "Thank you Biddy." He watched as Biddy bowed to him and made her exit.

Harry's attention returned to his wife. He could see the dark circles under her eyes even as she slept. He didn't want to wake her but he knew that if she missed out on the coming conversation which Neville and Luna had requested to have with them she would be furious. Harry sat down on the edge of the bed and gently pushed back one of her unruly curls. "Hey, sleepy head. I need you to wake up for me." He gently shook her shoulder and saw her begin to stir. When her eyes finally opened he waited for them to focus on him before he said, "I'm sorry to wake you my dear, but Neville messaged me while I was at the Ministry and he and Luna have some news they need to share with us. It sounded urgent. Perhaps Luna has found some information for us."

Hermione rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she sat up. Her head still ached but not as acutely as before. "That could be promising!"

"I hope so," Harry said. He got up so Hermione could remove herself from the sheets. As he watched her stand he was all too aware that her legs seemed to wobble a bit underneath her. He quickly moved to her side and took her arm. "How are you feeling? I had Biddy bring you up some tea."

Hermione gave him a warm smile and said softly, "I am alright. My legs are just a bit stiff. Nothing a little walking around the house won't solve." She saw him smile but could see the worry in his eyes. She took a sip of the tea and continued, "Are they coming here then? What time? I should freshen up."

Harry shook himself from his thoughts as he focused on her questions. "They will be here in half an hour. You look perfectly acceptable by the way."

Hermione gave him a light chuckle. "I doubt my hair would agree with you! I will just attempt to tame it a bit."

Harry wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. "I rather like it wild." He gave her a wicked grin and proceeded to kiss her soundly. When at last they parted he noted that Hermione's coloring had improved.

"What would our friends think of me if I came down the stairs with hair like this?" Hermione joked.

Harry rose to the occasion by replying swiftly, "Well, I imagine they might conclude that we had enjoyed each other's company the way married couples are wont to do!"

"Oh! You!" Hermione picked up a pillow and threw it at him. Harry laughed at her scandalized expression.

"Perhaps later then?" He teased.

Hermione threw a second pillow at him and said smiling, "If you're lucky! Now go on. I'll be down in 10 minutes." Harry kissed her again and left her to her own devices. She quickly tried to tame her curls. It was a bit trickier without being able to do magic. When at last she was pleased with the messy bun atop her head she headed down stairs. She was more than curious about what Neville and Luna had to say. She also had to admit she was a bit nervous. There was no telling if it would be good news or bad. She desperately hoped it was good news. She had been feeling increasingly distressed. She tried not to show it but she was scared and tired of it all. The pain was wearing on her.

Hermione warmly embraced Luna as she stepped through the fireplace in the study. She embraced Neville soon after and led them to the sitting area where tea and some finger foods were waiting for them. Hermione bit her lip in anticipation of what they had to say. She was not pleased to find Neville's face a bit drawn. After the initial pleasantries, Harry, who sat on the edge of the couch next to Hermione asked, "So, what brings you here?"

Neville wrung his hands a bit and Hermione's insides turned cold. He replied in a somewhat stumbling fashion, "Well, we came with some news for you. That is, Luna found something in her search for information that fits your situation."

Luna's soft ethereal voice chimed in, "Yes, I had over looked it before."

"Well, we didn't initially think it applied to you but… that is to say…we were so sure that…" Neville was finding it hard to come up with the words he needed. He had no desire to share with them what they had found. He knew it would only cause more sorrow.

"I don't understand," Hermione said quietly.

Luna replied, "What Neville and I are trying to say is that we missed the information the first time I looked because we assumed you two were bound."

Harry saw Hermione's eye brows draw together and he asked the question he knew she was thinking. "We are bound. Aren't we? I thought that part was pretty clear. I mean that was the only part we were sure about." He felt Hermione slip her hand into his and hold it tightly. He retuned her squeeze and glanced at her. She was looking straight ahead, biting her lip nervously.

Luna continued, "We thought so, but when Harry's touch stopped working after you got married, I did some more digging and went back. If you were bonded to one another it didn't make sense that your touch would suddenly stop affecting the attacks. Especially since being married would strengthen the bond not weaken it."

Harry felt Hermione shift beside him as she moved toward the edge of the couch and sit up straighter. She said, "Wait, so are you saying Harry and I are not bonded?"

"Well, you are bound by marriage but not by the curse like we had originally thought," Neville said with a sad voice.

"So, what does this mean? I am still confused what makes you think that? I mean why would my touch have worked at all if we weren't bonded?" Harry replied as he met the uncertain eyes of his wife.

"What I found would suggest that you two were connected but not in the way we had all assumed." Luna looked saddened and looked to Neville for help.

"It would seem that Hermione is…that she…she is bound to someone but… well, it isn't you," Neville stated.

"What? Who?" Hermione burst out. In the back of her head she knew the logical answer but she was refusing to accept it.

Luna sighed and said softly, "It would appear that the bond is in fact between Hermione and Atticus Benton."

Silence fell across the room. Hermione finally shook her head slowly, "No. No, this can't be. I don't…how could…."

"This doesn't make sense," Harry said with a slightly panicked voice.

"Here." Luna pulled from her bag a small grouping of papers. "I made copies of what I found, knowing you would want to read them yourself."

Hermione shakily took the papers and began to scan through them. When she was done she quietly handed them to Harry who had watched Hermione's face pale. He took the papers from her and saw her silently stand and make her way to the window. She turned so her back was to them. Harry quickly read the information handed him and felt his stomach drop. Looking up at his two friends he asked, "Are you sure?"

"It seems to fit perfectly. I am so sorry," Luna said.

"So, let me get this straight," Harry said. "Atticus bound himself to Hermione but made me the…what is it called?" Harry looked down through the papers and said, "Um, the Mediator?"

"Yes," Neville replied. "In some cases, such as slave bonds or unwilling marriage bonds, a Mediator was also tied to the bond as a way to moderate the amount of force or pain the 'Master' of the bond could use on those he was bound to should they disobey him or do anything he didn't approve of. The Mediator provided a form of reprieve from punishment so to speak. It was a way to ensure a small degree of safety for those bound without their consent. The Mediator made sure the Master didn't get too out of hand with his…punishments."

Harry shook his head trying to understand this new information. "So, Atticus is in control of the attacks as we thought, but because I am the Mediator my touch was able to stop them?" Luna and Neville nodded in the affirmative. Harry looked back at Hermione who had been silent. Her back was still to them, her gaze on the window. Harry asked, "But when I saw Atticus he was going on about us being together for a long time and how we were doomed to be stuck with one another. He was amused when I had told him we were not a couple. Why would he do that if he was the one bound to Hermione?"

Harry jumped slightly as Hermione's voice cut in hard and fast.

"Because he was playing us! He wanted this! This is what he wanted all along! He wanted us to think we were bonded. He wanted us to think we needed to be together! And we fell for it! He's probably somewhere laughing about all this!" Hermione was shaking with anger and disgust. Her eyes were red and her cheeks wet. "Harry, it's because we got married that your touch no longer works! This is exactly what he was hoping would happen!"

Harry stood and moved toward her. His heart broke seeing her so upset. He reached out to her but she turned back to the window. He took comfort that she at least didn't shrug off his hand from her shoulder. "Is that true?" Harry turned to Luna for the answer.

She nodded sadly. "You will find if you keep reading that the conditions of the Mediator are strictly set in place. The person must be a nonrelative to both of the persons bonded. When you got married you broke that condition and thus the power to mediate, or be able to step in was taken away."

Silence once again filled the room. Harry felt Hermione's shoulder quake under his hand with her choked back sob. Without looking at him she pulled away and said softly, "I'm sorry… I can't…I need a moment."

"Hermione?" Harry watched her swiftly leave the room, her face tear stained and her shoulders quaking. He longed to run after her but knew she needed a moment alone and he couldn't leave his friends standing awkwardly in the study.

"Harry, I am so sorry. This is my fault. If I hadn't encouraged you to…" Neville stood and made his way to Harry as he spoke.

"No. No, this isn't' your fault Neville." Harry reassured his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I would have married her with or without you encouraging me to do so. It was just a matter of time." Harry suddenly felt very tired and worn. "I can't believe…this is all so…" Harry didn't even have words for it. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

"It's bloody messed up mate," Neville said. "I am so sorry. We thought you should know though."

"Yes. Yes, of course. At least we understand fully what this is now," Harry conceded.

"We will go. You two need time to process this. Please contact us if we can help," Luna said standing. She made her way to Harry and embraced him. "Tell Hermione, we love her. We are here for you guys. You are not alone."

Harry gave her a small smile. "Thank you Luna. Thank you for looking into this and for-" he was cut short when he heard a muffled but shrill sound. His chest burned as the pendant grew hot against his skin. Harry swiftly ran from the study. He wasn't entirely sure which direction to go but headed for the stairs. His guess proved correct as another scream rent the air from above. The sound made Harry's blood run cold. He had not heard her scream like that since Malfoy Manor. Harry was only semi aware of the pounding footsteps of his friends behind him. Harry raced to his and Hermione's bedroom and quickly threw open the door. Hermione was on the bed stiff and arched as her muscles quaked. "Hermione! I'm here. I'm here." Harry tried to comfort her but knew there was little he could do but wait. He watched helplessly as she clenched her jaw and held her breath. He willed her to breath and she suddenly gasped roughly as her body went limp.

"Is she…" Neville began to ask but his words dropped away in the wake of the horror he had just witnessed.

Harry looked to Neville and saw his friends face looked so pale he feared he might pass out. He was grateful when Luna moved forward and guided Neville to a nearby chair. Harry responded, "She's breathing but she isn't waking up."

"Is that normal?" Luna made her way to the bed.

"Sometimes. It happens when her levels are low and she hasn't had time to recover from the last attack," Harry admitted. He held Hermione close. His worry for her made his stomach churn unpleasantly.

"When was her last attack?" Neville asked from his chair.

Harry sighed heavily, "This morning."

"What? Two in one day?" Neville couldn't believe it.

Harry nodded, "It's never happened before." He blinked to push back the tears that burned his eyes.

Neville could see clearly Harry's intense worry.

Luna reached out to take Hermione's limp hand. "Is she always this warm?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I mean she does tend to get a slight fever after an attack but I fear it's worse this time." He didn't know what to do. There was no telling the toll two attacks in one day would have.

"I'll Floo Madam Pomfrey," Neville said as he stood up. Harry nodded gratefully.

Suddenly Biddy appeared in a frantic state. "Biddy is hearing Miss screaming! Is Miss going to be alright? I is bringing all the potions!"

"Thank you Biddy." Harry clutched Hermione as her body quaked in his arms. Harry turned to Luna, "Can you help me give them to her? The aftershock one first."

"Of course," Luna said as she moved into action.

Within a couple short minutes the potions were gently administered. Harry breathed a sigh of relief that Hermione swallowed them without incident. But his worry was far from abated. Soon Neville returned with Madam Pomfrey behind him. Harry quickly told her what had transpired and the mediwitch took several minutes accessing her patient. The three friends stood by anxiously awaiting a report.

Harry's eyes never left Hermione as he watched Madam Pomfrey preform her scans. At last the nurse looked at him. His stomach clenched as he saw the sadness in her eyes. Her voice was soft but direct. "From what I can tell, she is going to be alright. Although, that is a relative term. She will wake up I am sure, though it may take several hours or even a full day. The two attacks being so close together have taken a great toll on her. I regret to say that her core levels have dropped to 50%."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Neville asked.

The mediwitch turned her attention to him and was about to reply when Harry interrupted her. "What can we expect?" Madam Pomfrey new his clipped tone was not directed toward her but more toward the disturbing situation he found himself dealing with. She also knew that Harry already knew there was nothing to be done but try to ease her pain and give her rest. Sighing heavily she responded, "I would not be surprised if she tired easily of course. Her headaches are sure to come back if they haven't already and may be more frequent and more severe. As before, she may also experience some memory slips."

Harry nodded slightly and solemnly asked, "And the fever?" He flexed his hands when he realized he had been clenching them tightly.

"It's higher but not alarmingly so. It does concern me though that the fever reducer doesn't seem to have much effect. Should she continue to have attacks it is likely the fever may increase. We will have to watch it carefully. If need be we may need to resort to other methods in order to bring it down."

Harry took all this information with a slight nod. His chest felt tight with worry. His eyes scanned his wife's prone body. She was beautiful, and yet he could detect the signs of her failing health and it filled him with rage as well as great fear. He was drawn out of his dark thoughts as Neville said, "Do you want us to stay with you?"

Harry had almost forgotten they were there. He gave them a grateful smile. "No, it's alright. You've done so much for us already. There isn't much to do but let her sleep and wait for her to wake. Thank you for coming this evening."

"Harry, we are so sorry. Please keep us posted," Luna said giving him a hug.

"Yeah, if you need anything at all please tell us," Neville said shaking his hand.

Harry nodded, "I will. Thank you."

"We will let ourselves out. Try to get some rest," Neville said as he guided Luna out the door.

Madam Pomfrey piped up, "Indeed! You need your rest Mr. Potter. Sitting up all night staring at her will not help. She needs you to be strong. I suggest you take care of yourself."

Harry gave her a kind smile, "I will do that."

"See you do. I am of course at your disposal at any time. I will check back in with you in a couple of days unless you need me sooner."

"I appreciate that," Harry replied sincerely.

There was a bit of silence as the nurse gathered her things. Then she said quietly, "You remember what I said about her levels reaching 35%?"

Harry was reminded that the mediwitch had suggested Hermione be admitted to St. Mungos should her levels drop that low. She was moving ever closer to that after today's double attack. Harry simply nodded.

"I hope she gets a break. I hope you both do." The nurse gave him one last sad smile before taking her leave.

Harry, suddenly felt very alone. The only sound in the room was Hermione's slow breathing. He took his clothes off and got into his pajamas. He was soon in bed, gently snuggled up next to his wife. He took a deep breath, letting he smell of her hair fill his senses. She always smelled so good. He immediately felt himself relax a little. He stroked her cheek and kissed it lightly. He didn't expect her to respond, but was disappointed all the same when she didn't. Her sleep was deep and healing. He whispered, "I love you Hermione." His eyes filled with tears unbidden and he tried to blink them away. His heart felt heavy. He tried not to think about what might happen if they were unable to break the bond. The bond. His wife was bonded to another man. The enemy in fact. His anger flared at the thought. When Hermione woke they would need to discuss it. He knew she needed time to process but he also knew she would need reassuring. It was not a conversation he looked forward to but it was one that he knew was vital to their relationship. He had been surprised by the way she had pulled away from him before removing herself from the study. Harry hoped she wouldn't continue to push him away. His mind turned to the information that Luna and Neville had shared just an hour or so earlier. It was sadly ironic that in loving her, and trying to use that love to save her, it proved to be the thing that had caused her more pain. He felt responsible. He knew it was irrational. Yet, the blame sat heavy in his chest all the same. He envied those people with normal lives. Harry had hoped that after the war he could count on his life being more normal than it had ever been. Normal people fell in love, got married, and lived a life free of curses, and fame, and fear of losing each other. Here he was, once again, on the edge of losing yet another person he loved. The thought once again made his eyes water. This time he let the tears roll down his cheeks. Sometime later he found peace in the bliss of sleep.

I must apologize for the delay. Baby boy decided to arrive a month early and had to stay in the NICU for a couple weeks. He is gratefully home now but on oxygen for a month or more. It has been a whirl wind of adjustments for our family. I have been too busy or exhausted to write. However, I found a few quiet moments to pump this chapter out for you! Please let me know what you think! Reviews will motivate me to continue.