Chapter 4
It wasn't until three days later that Madam Pomfrey finally released Hermione into the care of Sirius and Harry. She gave the two wizards strict instructions to keep Hermione on bed rest for the next five to ten days. She had only released the teen witch when she was vehemently reassured that she would be staying with Sirius throughout her summer holiday and not with her muggle parents who had no idea as to how to take care of someone in Hermione's condition. It will take a long and painful time to be completely healed, and even then there may be lasting consequences.
*Knock, knock.* Hermione sat up in her bed when the door opened. "Mione, you awake?" He stuck his head inside the threshold and saw that the witch was indeed awake and sitting up. "Oh good, you are." They smiled at each other. Harry walked in and gingerly sat right next to his best friend. "I'm fine, Harry. Truly, just a little sore. But that's not the reason you came in here." Hermione said while laughing softly.
"Why am I not surprised that you knew that," Harry laughed. "But, seriously, I'm glad you're feeling better." He said while putting an arm around his best friend. He gave her a kiss to the crown of her head. Despite their obviously close brother/sister relationship, there were a few people that were immensely jealous and angry. Not that it really mattered anyway, since they both played for the other team—so to speak. A select few knew of their sexual orientations, and the Weasleys weren't any of them, especially Ron, Ginny, and Molly. They always had this jealous air about them, especially when they saw intimate moments like this one between Harry and Hermione. But that didn't matter to the two; they loved themselves, each other, and had Sirius right beside them.
"So, Hermione, I came up here to ask you if you wanted to stretch your legs and get out of the house. Sirius said that you need to get up and moving, you don't want your muscles to become too tight and permanent, hindering your mobility. We were wondering if you wanted to go to Diagon Alley to do some shopping."
"Yes! Please! I'm starting to go mad in here! I also need to get some more books, so I don't go crazy in here. I love you both, but I need my reading time." She said excitedly.
Laughing, Harry hugged his friend closer, "of course, you wouldn't be you if you didn't have your books." This earned him a laugh from the witch. "Alright, why don't you get up and get ready. Sirius said that we will leave once you are ready." And with that, Harry got up and left the room.
Sighing, she got up slowly and went about her typical hygienic routine. After completing that, she opted to wear a loosely fitted plain white V-neck t-shirt with a dark gray blazer that were rolled up to her biceps. She matched top with a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a pair of black aldo kaia lace up wedge sneakers. And finished her look with styling her hair in loose curls that was parted on the left side of her head. Satisfied with her look, she grabbed her black envelop clutch and walked down to the kitchen, knowing Harry and Sirius would be there waiting for her. She walked through the door and was met with two beaming wizards. "Hey, you two." She greeted, smiling.
Sirius stood up and walked over to Hermione. He gently pulled her into a warm hug, "I am so glad to see you up and moving around." He held her for a second and then let her go. He held her at arms-length and had a look of relief on his face.
"Well, it's good to finally to be able to go outside."
Sirius laughed, "well then, let's get going then. We'll floo to Diagon Alley, you're not healthy enough to apparate just yet." And with that, they left to go to Diagon Alley.
"Hermione, do not worry about paying for anything; I'm paying for everything." Sirius told the witch as they walk through the threshold of Gringotts.
"Sirius, you don't have to, besides, I have a vault with enough galleons."
"Nonsense, it would be my pleasure. And what of this vault you got?"
"My parents set up this vault for me before my first year. They wanted to make sure I was covered throughout my entire time at Hogwarts and then some." Hermione said with a shrug. "And I also need to make a withdrawal anyway. So, regardless, I need to go to my vault."
"Alright then, let's go make our withdrawals."
Once they talked to the goblin Ragnok, he took them down to their respective vaults. "Vault 216," Ragnok announced. Sirius, Hermione, and Harry stepped out of the cart with the goblin towing behind them. "Lamp please," he gestured towards Harry, who grabbed it. The goblin then looked to Hermione, "key please." Once given the key, Ragnok opened the vault for Hermione, allowing her to step inside. Harry and Sirius observed from the entrance. They were amazed at the mountain of galleons taking up the back half of Hermione's vault. It wasn't that they were surprised to see that much galleons, but rather, it was the fact that she had a vault in the first place and that it was almost full. Most muggleborns don't have vaults; they typically just exchange their money and then go on their merry way. They knew Hermione's parents were wealthy, but they didn't know how much. To think that this was only a small amount to the Grangers.
Inside, Hermione opened her clutch, which she had placed an undetectable extension charm on. She loaded it with 500 galleons, 200 sickles, and 200 knots. "That should do it." Closing her clutch, she turned to go back to the two wizards. "That should be enough to cover me for the summer and the school year." She had said to herself more than to Sirius and Harry. Shaking out of their shock, Sirius stepped out of the way to let her walk out of the vault. Once they were on the cart, they quickly made their way to Sirius' vault. He grabbed twice the amount that Hermione took out. Then, after Sirius' withdrawal, the next thing they knew, they were already standing in front of Ragnok's desk. The goblin made quick work with recording the amounts taken from each vault, and then let be on their way.
Shortly before this shopping excursion, the Order was able to get the Ministry to fully pardon Sirius of all crimes when they realized that Sirius didn't kill Pettigrew, who was in fact still alive. And that it was Pettigrew, not Sirius who sold the Potters out to the Dark Lord. So, this allowed for Sirius to walk around freely in the public. It also helped his case by aiding in the attack against the death eaters and Voldemort.
Since he was pardoned, Sirius and the two teens were able to have splendid time shopping. Sirius bought himself and the teens new robes, they went to Fred and George's new joke shop, got some ice cream, potions ingredients for future healing potions that both wizards believed she would need. However, that quickly changed after they entered Flourish & Blotts. While Harry and Sirius were looking for books on Quidditch, Hermione was up on the second floor. She was looking for books on wandless and nonverbal magic, as well as books on legilimency and occulmency. That was when the Death Eaters arrived.
There was an eerie silence that permeated the atmosphere of the bookshop. However, Hermione didn't notice, for she was too absorbed into looking through the bookshelves. But soon she was snapped out of her book hunt when she heard a pop go off behind her. With a book in hand, Hermione turned around to only find herself staring directly into the onyx eyes of the witch she had talked to in the atrium of the Department of Mysteries. Yelping out, she dropped the book she was holding and began walking back down the aisle to get as much space between herself and the dark witch as possible. Bellatrix merely smirked at her and looked down to the book that was lying haphazardly on the floor before her. She picked it up and read the title. With a raised eyebrow, she looked back up to the slightly, trembling witch. "Occulmency, huh. Hoping to keep a certain someone out of your head?" She received a hesitant nod from Hermione. "And who might that be? Me, perhaps?" Bellatrix asked coyly, knowing it wasn't her. "Or perhaps it would be a certain meddlesome and nosy Headmaster?" Her smirk widened when the teen witch froze; it was the Headmaster and the Order she wanted to keep out. "You don't want them to find out about our little chat, do you?" Again, she received another tentative nod from the girl.
Finally finding her voice, Hermione spoke up. "What do you want from me?"
Instead of answering, she asked a question. "Have you figured it out yet?"
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about or how you know me. I don't know you! But also, I don't know why do you seem so fucking familiar! Why is thi—" Before she could finish her sentence, she groaned from the sudden spike in her pain that erupted in her abdomen. She quickly wrapped her arm around her torso, hoping to stop the pain.
Hermione didn't realize two wizards appeared behind her until Bellatrix spoke up one more time. "You really shouldn't have brought her outside, cousin. It was very unwise. I mean look at her; she's barely managing to keep herself standing." She was taunting the wizard, but through the pain, Hermione could see the anger that flooded the dark witch's onyx eyes. She turned her gaze back to the groaning teen, looking her directly in the girl's eyes, "as for this chat, I have to go now, little witch. Until next time, my dear." And with that, Bellatrix disapparated with a soft pop.
After she left, the pain became too much for the witch. She looked down at her t-shirt covered wound and found it turning red. She looked up at the spot the dark witch was just at moments ago, and fell back into Harry's arms, passing out from the pain.
