Beeping was the first thing Harry heard when he came back to. He couldn't remember much of what had happened before he'd blacked out. He remembered something about shouting at the Dursleys, a lot of pain, seeing a girl his age looking worried at him and that was it.

He had no idea what had actually happened, as he groaned and opened his eyes, being confused at the beeping and even more confused as he realized that he wasn't on the floor but on an actual bed.

But the Durlsey's would never give him a bed! What was going on? And why was the blurry room around him so white? A small gasp caught his attention and he looked over to where some kind of blurry brownish shape was standing.

A high pitched girls voice reached his ears. "Oh dear, you're finally awake! Um, hang on! Here, let me get your glasses."

A girl? Wait was it the girl? The one he remembered from right before he blacked out? Vaguely, he registered them holding something out and he took it, realizing it was his glasses he quickly put them on.

He blinked in surprise realizing there was tape around the middle he had put on. His eyes moved to the girl who was looking at him with a small look of apprehension as she hummed.

"I hope you don't mind but they were broken when we found you so I wanted them to be fixed for you waking up…" The girl, who was wearing blue jeans, a white shirt and a little pink cardigan, explained with a small tint of red to her cheeks. The raven haired boy just blinked in shock as his jaw dropped slightly. "I hope you don't mind?"

"N-No, not at all." He quickly assured, though he eyed her warily in shock. No one had ever cared about him or his glasses before. Did she want something from him? But why wouldn't she just beat It out of him if she wanted something?

"I'm Hermione Granger." She introduced herself, holding out her hand before suddenly flinching and pulling it back before he could shake it, not that he knew to anyways. "Oh uh, right. I forgot, the doctor said you had a lot of fractures so maybe shaking hands isn't the best idea. What's your name?"

Forgetting his confusion over what a fracture was, he hesitantly introduced himself. "Harry Potter."

"It's nice to meet you." She said simply, letting out a small sigh that sounded relieve. "I was ever so thankful to see you wake up just now, you really gave us a fright."

"W-what happened?" He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, you see. But what I do know is I spotted you while me and my parents were on our way home from a doctor's appointment of our own, you were all bruised and bleeding so I ran over and when my parents saw you they quickly called an ambulance and we've been checking in since. We managed to convince the doctors to let us stay since no one has been able to find any phone numbers or addresses for your parents." Hermione explained, frighteningly fast. Harry worried for a moment she may have used up all the air she had as she fiddled with a button on her cardigan nervously. "So I'm glad you're okay, although I should go let the doctor know now. They said to let them know as soon as you woke up!"

"R-Right." Harry blinked owlishly.

"I hope we can get your parents here now." Hermione sighed and Harry looked away sad.

"My parents are dead." He said bluntly, making the girl freeze before her hand went to her mouth.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize- I didn't mean to…. Sorry." She said flustered, only for the boy to shrug.

"It's not your fault. They've been gone since before I know them." Harry said, with a sad sigh. Hermione reached the door. "I live with my aunt and uncle."

"Well, I'm sure your aunt and uncle with will be happy to hear your okay-"

Harry immediately shook his head, not even registering when his breathing turned more ragged, even if it was only a slight change. "No they won't."

"But they most care about you?" She asked as her frown deepened. Harry felt the urge to laugh.

"They'll be mad I got help." He answered honestly. He met Hermione's eyes and she looked sad, before she opened the door.

"I'll get the doctor…" She said in a very quiet voice, walking off. Harry lied down with a groan.

Way to go, Potter, you just scared off the first person to be nice to you in god knows how long. He could have kicked himself.

He didn't have long with his mental self-berating however before a doctor arrived, flipping through a clipboard and smiling softly. Harry didn't take in much of his features but he noticed the man had a very chiselled jaw and striking blue eyes.

"Hello, mister Potter is it?" The doctor asked and Harry nodded. He smiled. "Good to finally have a name to put to the face. I'm doctor Jacob Johnson. Tell me, do you know where you are?"

"A hospital?" The child guessed, vaguely recognizing the room to look somewhat similar to room's he'd occasionally seen on his aunt Petunia's TV programme that involved doctor's a lot.

"Right you are. You were brought in because of the fact that you had passed out in the middle of an alley alone, with several fractures, a distressingly high amount of contusions and even a few lacerations."

Harry stared blankly at the doctor, who looked back before suddenly gaining a sheepish look. "What's that mean?"

Then he went wide eyed and flinched, looking away. He'd asked a question! Oh no, oh no…. now he was going to get yelled at and thrown out and-

He missed the narrowing eyes of concern on doctor Johnson as he spoke up.

"Oh right, sorry, I normally deal with older patients. In simpler terms, you had a lot of bruises and a few cuts. Fractures means your bones have broken. Fortunately, its mainly just Greenstick and Transverse fractures which are easy enough to heal, though we'll have to keep you in the hospital for the week." Doctor Johnson explained and Harry let out a small 'Oh', as he gulped. "Now, can you tell me how to contact your aunt and uncle so I can let them know you're here?"

Harry looked up with worried eyes and before he knew it he was violently shaking his head. The doctor frowned.

"Please? I need to let them now so they can pick you up at the end of the week. I'm sure there worried, right?" he asked, however there was an edge of suspicion in his voice. Harry looked away. He couldn't believe he was defying an adult though, he flinched in fear at the thought and the doctor let out a heavy sigh. "Mister Potter, I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me so I can do my job. Alright?"

Harry gulped and looked up, meeting the man's sympathetic gaze. The Dursley's had beaten it into him to never talk about them while he was out and about but… didn't uncle Vernon also get really mad when things got in the way of his job? He'd get mad if Harry got in other people's way as well, Harry was sure so…

"Can you tell me the truth?" The doctor asked and Harry hesitantly nodded. "Do you know how you got injured."

Harry paused before swallowing and nodding. A distressed sigh escaped doctor Johnson again.

"Was it someone you know who hurt you?"

"…Y-Yes."

"Was it someone in your family?"

"Yes."

"…Mister Potter, is the reason you are in my care right now because your aunt and/or uncle were the ones to injure you to such a degree that you needed medical attention." The doctor asked one more time and Harry hesitated again one last time before finally nodding and confirming it, not daring to look at the doctor's face which had turned angry. Had he done something wrong?! "Right, that is quite… disturbing. I will hold off on calling them today then, but I'm afraid I still need their names. Please."

Harry sighed. He knew he wouldn't be so lucky as to get away from his tormentors that easily. "Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley."

"Do you know your address?"

"Four Privet Drive, I think." Harry offered up and the blue eyed man nodded, writing it down.

"Well then, thank you mister Potter. I'd recommend trying to get some more rest for now. You're injuries will heal mostly naturally while you're here, we just need you to rest up. I think you'll be here most of the week." The doctor informed and Harry nodded before laying down with a sigh. "Would you like me to get you a book?"

Harry looked up at the man confused. "A book?"

"If you want, we have plenty spare to keep you entertained."

"Y-Yes please!" The green eyed child nodded eagerly, causing the doctors face briefly soften as he smiled.

"I'll find the best book we have then." He promised as he walked off, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts for the moment as he laid back down. He vaguely registered the sound of people walking by his door and… was that Hermione's voice.

"Hermione, don't be ridiculous." An older woman said and Harry thought he very slightly recognized the voice. "I'm sure he already has family."

"But he genuinely thought they would be mad he got help, mum…" Hermione's voice was quiet but it sounded really upset. "And you saw how he was… I think…"

"Oh." A male voice spoke up, but it was far softer than most of the male voices Harry knew. It sounded like it belonged to a man who uncle Vernon would probably hate, yet Harry didn't dare look to check. He sounded worried. "That… That could be an issue."

"Well, I mean surely a caretaker wouldn't… Although.." The older woman sounded equally distressed. "…You shouldn't be thinking about this kind of thing Hermione."

"But mum!"

"I'm not saying to ignore it, I just… We'll talk about this in private, alright?" She offered and Hermione sullenly agreed. "I'll buy you a book on the way home from the gift shop in the meantime, okay?"

"Okay…"

"Harold… Let the doctor know we want to be able to still visit over the week." The older woman said and there was an affirmation from the male voice who must have been Harold Granger, if the voices were Hermione's parents.

"Got it, honey. I'll go look for him. We'll figure out what to do from there, okay?"

"Yes dear, thank you."

With that, the voices trailed off too far for Harry to hear them, leaving him to just hum and turn in his bed. What was that about?

Unbeknownst to Harry, he wasn't alone in the room, as in the corner sat a small bundle of pink energy no one had noticed. Now that it had seen to it that its charge was safe though, the love magic knew it was needed somewhere else more for more pressing matters now that Harry was safe.


Albus Dumbledore hadn't changed much since the day he'd sent Harry off to live with his relatives. He'd grown wiser in tiny increments perhaps, though he'd had no major changes to his life since Voldemort's defeat.

One positive change that had occurred was that Albus was simply happier. Not that he wasn't worried to a degree, he knew what must didn't, that Voldemort was still somewhere out there, just bidding his time.

But for the moment, he was defeated, Harry was safe with the love magic and the blood wards and his students were thriving in every house. Aside from the Defence Against the Dark Art's teaching position, all of Hogwart's staff was filled up with regulars now who were sticking around more than likely for a long time and he even had a cosy position at the ministry. He may not have been fond of it, but it was nice to know he had it for when he might ever need it.

Indeed, all was well and good as he reviewed a letter from new school governor Lucius Malfoy regarding a potential required lesson plan that Dumbledore was naturally going to shoot down for being too anti-muggleborn.

yes, all was well and good, so the last thing he expected was for a piercing scream of rage to suddenly erupt in his office.

"ALBUS WULFRIC PERCIVAL BRIAN DUMBLEDORE!" An all too familiar voice screamed angrily and his eyes immediately shot up to see a pink mass in the vague shape of woman floating there. The wards hadn't even alerted him.

That was concerning. Still, Albus retrained a neutral face knowing he would come face to face with the magic again someday, though internally he considered that he hadn't expected it so soon.

"Ah, Lady Love." He said calmly, standing up and walking around the desk. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Is Harry alright?"

"'Is Harry alright?!'" She shouted angrily, storming up to him with an impressive amount of intimidation for what was essentially in Albus's eyes just thick pink smoke and light. "No, he is absolutely not alright! And it's in part your fault!"

Albus paused at that as dread ran up his spine. What had happened to Harry? "I'm afraid I don't understand. What have I done that has endangered Harry? The last interaction I had with him was leaving him with his relatives."

"Precisely!" The manifestation of magic shouted, glaring into Albus's eyes which were lacking the twinkle most knew him to have at the moment. "I told you to ensure his safety and care!"

"And I thought that is what I had done?" Albus shot back questioningly, raising a brow. "Perhaps the Dursley's were not the best family but they had the blood wards, Lily's protection-"

"I WAS LILY'S PROTECTION!" Lady roared into the man's face, dissolving into a cloud of pure magic that seemed far more intimidating then her previous form and that was certainly impressive. "THE BLOOD WARDS WERE FOR PETUNIA DURSLEY, NOT HARRY POTTER!"

Dumbledore gulped. "But that… I had though… I mean I thought he would be safest there. Surely that Is understandable? I admit perhaps it might not have been the most loving environment according to Arabella Figg but he was safe-"

"SEVEN FRACTURES! THREE LACERATIONS NEAR VITAL ARTERIES! CONTUSIONS UPON CONTUSIONS!" Lady screamed indignantly, the pink cloud going dark and swirling around Albus violently, who went wide eyed. "THESE ARE NOT THE INJURIES OF SOMEONE WHO IS SAFE!"

"I…. I did not-"

"EVEN BEYOND THAT! NO LOVE?! THAT IS NEVER A SAFE ENVIROMENT TO GROW UP IN!" Lady Love snarled violently. "YOU HAD ONE JOB ALBUS DUMBLEDORE AND YOU FAILED IT! IT TOOK ME YEARS TO GET INTO A SITUATION WHERE I COULD SAVE HIM FROM THOSE MONSTERS!"

"Save him?" Albus asked, thoroughly confused now until it hit him. "You do not meant you removed him?!"

"Of course I removed him! He was never safe under those wards in the way you seem to think he was! I. AM. HIS. PROTECTION. And so long as I am the one protecting him I will not permit you to put his safety at risk like that again!"

"But-"

"No! No more! You have caused enough problems." Lady decided, taking form as a woman once more, yet there were more noticeable human elements appearing this time. Piercing green eyes stared Albus down, one's he recognized that for the first time in a great many years made him feel small again. "He has spoken, and it has already been decided. I have set the events into motion for Harry Potter to become a part of the Granger family."

Albus was silent as he took that in.

"They are a family of muggles and their daughter is a muggleborn just waiting to find out about her own magic inheritance, so there is no issue with magic being discovered. So long as you deal with the issue in a way that is not as troublesome as the last time you were given a job to do!" Lady explained sharply. Clearly, she did not have a high opinion of the old wizard. "Ward their house, explain magic, perhaps explain Harry might have some unique elements to him when they take him in and that is it. Hermione Granger herself I leave up to you to decide what to do with."

"I… understand that this is what you wish for Harry and I suppose I must consider it as you were the one Lily appointed it but surely the blood wards still provide a level of protection no wards on the granger house will-" Albus didn't get a chance to finish before pinks smoke suddenly forced its way inside him and he felt so many intense emotions at once he'd not expected.

He saw the muggles, he saw the pain, the fear. The desire to escape. The lack of love. The anguish. He saw it.

He felt it.

He hated it and his heart began to beat rapidly as he realized he was partially responsible for it. He stumbled back as it all faded away and hit his desk, shaking his head as he mumbled. "Oh no… no…. Harry, my boy… what have I done?"

"Something I will not forgive you for, Albus Dumbledore." Lady Love promised. "But you may yet redeem yourself, so fix this!"

And without a noise the smoke all dissipated away, to leave Albus stewing in silent horror as he realized what he had really done. It wasn't until a long time later he finally found the strength to cast a silent spell and check on Harry Potter, an image forming in front of him in the air, relieved to see he was safe in a muggle hospital reading some children's novel called 'The Cunning Cub and The Daring Snake' that he seemed enraptured in. Were there not a far more serious matter on his mind, Albus may have spared a chuckle for the title of the book being precisely the opposite of how Hogwart's 'Snakes' and 'Lions' acted.

But for the moment, he could merely sigh in relief at the realization Harry was alive and for the moment safe. Curious, he moved on and found young Hermione Granger, finding her going through the books in the hospital gift shop trying to pick one out. Albus wondered if it was coincidence the one she picked up happened to be the same one Harry was currently reading.

He also had to admit he was impressed with the muggleborn girl. He wasn't sure what he was expecting but her magical signature spoke of someone decently powerful, and that was just as a child. Once this was all sorted out, he'd be eager to see how miss Granger would grow once she came to Hogwarts.

With that settled, he sighed and waved the image away before casting another spell, a silvery ethereal phoenix shot out his wand and perched before him. Albus nodded at it gravely. "Severus, Minerva, I require you in my office urgently. Please do not delay on coming once you receive this message."

With that, the Phoenix then took flight and disappeared through the walls, taking his message away. It was barely five minutes later when the fireplace had flared green and out had stepped a man in a dark robe with long black greasy hair and crooked nose, his face bearing a look of confusion and irritation. "Headmaster?"

"Severus." Albus nodded his head towards Severus Snape, just in time for the door to open up and an older woman who was quite tall and severe-looking, her hair in a bun at the back of her head marched in with purpose, her eyes twinkling with worry. "And hello Minerva. Good, no need for delay then."

"Albus?" The woman, Minerva Mcgonagall asked worried, and the older wizard merely gestured for her to be patient.

"The subject I brought you in for regards young Harry Potter." Albus explained and Minerva narrowed her eyes a tad yet gave no other indication to her thoughts. Snape meanwhile openly sneered.

"And what can be so urgent about a pampered brat?" He asked snidely. Albus gave him a short glare while Minerva turned to him.

"Severus! You don't even know who he was left with!" She scolded, only for Severus to glower back.

"No but I know exactly how he'll be. Just like his father I bet and spoiled rot-"

"That's enough." Albus demanded, cutting the man off and waving a hand, a section of his office turning around to reveal a pensive. "That is not even remotely amusing nor anywhere near the truth, Severus."

The black haired man raised a brow but remained quiet as he watched the headmaster extract a memory. He then waved both forward. "I fear I did not heed Minerva's warning when I should have when she told me that the ones I had chosen for Harry were the worst sort of muggles."

Snape sneered again but stayed quiet, despite clearly thinking snide thoughts in his head. Minerva however looked immensely concerned. Albus just sighed and gestured for them to both dive in. "I warn you, this will not be pleasant to witness."

And then they were gone, and Albus had to wait. He had told them both about the Lady Of Love eventually, that much they would know about. It was the other stuff that worried him.

Soon enough both pulled out and he just accepted it when he got a semi-harsh slap from Minerva who was shouting angrily at him about how he should have listened to her, how this was on him and how he had to fix it.

Albus agreed on all accounts of course but stayed quiet through it, especially as his gaze shifted over to Severus Snape. The younger man looked… troubled for lack of a better word.

Likely he was going through a crisis of emotions at what he had just saw, until finally he stood up robotically. "I need… time to process this."

"And you will have it." Albus assured, cutting Minerva off mid-rant and causing her to glower at him. He gave her an apologetic look before sighing heavily. "For now, we must ensure Harry's safety and that the Grangers fit that bill, as well as prepare for warding their house and such. Minerva, I would like you to observe the Grangers for a week and confirm if they are suitable guardians. Severus, I would like you to help me with warding when they are out of their house, as you will know the most likely spells and potions potential followers of Voldemort still lurking about might use."

"And you Albus?"

"I will keep an eye on Harry for the week while I prepare to explain magic to the Grangers and figure out how to go about it, as well as seeing If I can discern just what Lady Love meant by unique elements regarding Harry. Aside from that, I will ensure the Dursley's understand the transgression they have made." Albus said firmly, the twinkle in his eye slowly returning. "Also, Minerva, please bring me all the documents about miss Granger for Hogwarts. I have a feeling I will need them.


The next day, Albus watched Harry from within his office, keeping an eye on the boy when he noticed something interesting. With a quick wave of his wand, audio appeared alongside the image before him as Hermione Granger stepped in. There were some brief pleasantries between the parents of Hermione and Harry himself, as they introduced themselves as Joan Granger and Harold Granger.

After that the mother had sat mostly silent in the corner with a smile as she watched and the man had taken off to go deal with some business call.

"Oh, hello." Harry said slightly hesitantly as he looked up. Hermione blushed a tad and waved.

"Hello, are you feeling any better Harry?" She asked and he nodded eagerly.

"Yeah. The doctors said I really surprised them. Apparently I healed way faster than they expected." Harry told her, making Albus lean in curiously, had his magic kicked in around the muggles then?

Either way, Hermione hummed curious. "Odd, I thought that it would have taken a few days if you were in for the whole week…. I'm glad to hear you're okay then."

There was an awkward pose after that as the girl looked around as if trying to figure out what to say, before her eyes lit up as she spotted the book on his bedside table. "Oh, are you reading that as well?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Doctor Johnson gave it me." Harry explained and the bushy haired girl smiled brightly.

"Oh I picked it up on my way out yesterday! I read it for quite a while! I got halfway through chapter three right after they meet the- Oh, uh, right you may not have got that far."

Harry smiled softly, and there seemed to be something in him that was relaxing. "I got to chapter four."

"Oh, that's good to hear. Well I'm at where the Snake and the Lion met the really rude weasel, i'm not sure I much like him as a character, it's a really enjoyable book though!" Hermione smiled wide, finally taking a breath after her fast speech. After another moment's awkward silence, Harry looked up.

"Are you staying for long?" He asked, confused.

"Well, I don't have anything else to do and I just, really wanted to be sure you were alright." The girl explained shyly and Harry looked as if he'd just seen a unicorn for the first time, before he shyly reached for his book.

"Do you um… want to read it together then?" He asked quietly and the girl's eyes lit up as she nodded, looking for a chair. When she couldn't find one she pouted and pointed out as much and Harry scooted aside. "Well there's way to much room on the bed anyways and we can both see it that way so…"

Hermione immediately rushed over to join him with an excited happy smile and they got into it, having a small argument, if it could even be called that, of who would read until they settled on taking turns, going through three of the chapters together.

All the while the two laughed together, doing voices and being enraptured in each other's storytelling. Harry even made a childish remark about the lion that meant nothing to Albus but made the girl beside him howl with laughter, which in turn caused him to smile happily,

And it was at that moment Albus slowly began to realize what Lady Love had seen in Hermione.

Perhaps, just perhaps, this really was the best possible thing for Harry then.