Paul stared at the wizards practically swarming the collapsed house. Even being across the street hadn't saved him from being blasted off the roof. Which was unfortunate because if he hadn't been sure before that the ailing boy was Daniel he sure as hell knew it now.

Fuck.

He'd missed his chance to grab him, being dazed as he was sitting in the rubble of the room he'd careened into. As soon as he was back in his right mind he'd flown back to the house just in time to hear that annoyingly loud crack of wizardry teleportation. Daniel and the two wizards that had him were gone. Luckily, their smell was not. Especially the bushy haired female that had bled all over the entrance hall.

Unfortunately, again, he was not the best tracker of the group. That honor going to Marko and his weirdly sensitive nose. And with how the wizards were muddling the scent with their own as they combed the entire house, it would be up to Paul to track down the teens.

Man, Dwayne was gonna tear his hide to strips about the missed opportunity. Not that Paul didn't already feel awful. They'd been looking for their little dude for ten years. He had already grown and would continue to grow older without them. That could not stand. This was the closest they'd been in a long time and vampires were nothing if not possessive especially over their own.

He sighed through his nose, his orange eyes glaring at the anthill below before turning and flying off to rejoin his brothers.

George stared down at the bed in disbelief. Hermione looked… absolutely horrific from the waist down. There were shards of wood sticking out from her skin like a rose's thorns and her ankle… it laid entirely flat against the bed like it had been ripped away from the rest of her leg and the only thing keeping it there was her flesh. And above that was a pure white bone sticking straight out of her shin.

This was bad. This was bad on another level of wholesomely bad. Hermione was the Healer of the group. He knew some things, more based in potions than anything but this was beyond even George's level of competence. Hermione should have been the one to tackle such injuries but instead she was the one who suffered them.

George bit his lip, clenching his twin's fist between his own fingers, seeking comfort.

Ginny huffed, in the doorway, attracting everyone's attention. Ron looked up from his unconscious girlfriend and Fred and George glanced over. Harry was situated on her back, his head hanging over shoulder and arms draped in front of her. Her arms were clearly spasming and sweat was trickling down her brow but she looked determined enough to get him in the room.

"This guy… didn't he used to be lighter? I mean, I'm glad he's apparently gaining weight but Merlin did he get heavy," she grunted. Hiking her arms up again so Harry's thighs sat above her hips.

"Put him in the bathroom, Gin," Ron muttered glancing back down at Hermione. George pursed his lips at the tortured expression on his younger brother's face. The twins did love to torment him every now and then but Ron was still family, their little brother, and seeing him hurting like this was absolutely wretched.

"What? Wouldn't he better if he was where we can see him?"

Ginny kicked the door closed behind her and stepped towards the bathroom door despite her words.

Ron just smiled grimly. "You didn't see him, Gin. You don't want to see him if he wakes up. At least if he's in there, there's no windows and we know he's safe."

"What exactly do you mean," Fred asked, his feet shifting. George shifted to match him. He'd like to know too. He was already running through a list of what he'd need to at least get Hermione stable, the stasis charm would only help until it ended, so it would be best to know if he needed anything for their patron as well.

"You remember how you mentioned Vampires? There was blood on the wall and that bloody berk licked it. I don't even know what happened. One minute he's stumbling, almost sicking up every second, the next he's stalking forward like a werewolf about to pounce. Then the blood. Then the house bloody well exploded." He gestured to Hermione. "She saved all of us even looking like this. Knocked Harry out as soon as we landed in that alley and told me to get you guys before placing a stasis charm on herself. Didn't even know that was possible."

The redhead's grim smile turned a little fond.

"You said you could help her, right George?"

He bit his lip, accepting the comforting squeeze of his twin's hand. "I should be able to at least get her out of the danger zone. I'm no healer but I know of a few potions I have already and Fred can help speed the process."

"I know a few minor spells. Sort of need them when you're experimenting."

Ron slumped, obviously relieved.

"Hey guys can you grab the-" Ginny cut herself of with a loud yelp, startling everyone. George about faced so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash.

Harry's arm had slipped and he was leaning precariously, looking about to fall and drag Ginny with him. Ginny's arms were twitching now under the weight and she looked barely balanced.

"Well, don't just stare! Help me out," she growled.

Fred started forward towards the bathroom door and George strode over to help with their unconscious friend. His legs wobbled just a bit, though he'd never admit it, at the rush of fear and energy that filled him. Ron mentioning Harry licking Vampire blood was not helping his twitchy alertness. And that the brunette was on his little sister's back, his nose almost buried in her shoulder. Yea. That was a scare he didn't want again. He loved Harry like the little adopted brother he was but he wasn't about to let Ginny be mauled.

With all three of them working together, Harry was settled into the tub head leaning against the tiles. He'd have quite the crick in his neck but would otherwise be fine.

Now Gred could focus, with Forge, on supplies from their shop. This would even make their lie about visiting more credible, at least.

Hermione woke slowly. In moments of light and voices between the dark warmth pulling her down. Finally, her eyelids cooperated, ungluing and opening enough she could squint against the small bit of light that invaded the room. The bed was soft beneath her, the pillows firmer than she was used to but good support.

Then the pain hit her. More of an ache really. Much less than she was expecting which was nice.

"Hermione?"

She turned her head blearily gazing at long red hair.

"Ginny?"

"Yea. Ron's here too but he's asleep. Fred and George are back at their shop again to waylay any curious Order members. They helped fix up what they could earlier."

Hermione was always an easy riser so this grogginess was very strange and frustrating. She'd only gotten about half of what the youngest Weasley was saying.

"What?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm, uh, a bit tired too. Could collapse right here really but Ron's gotta get at least 'nother hour. He only just fell asleep a bit ago. Um, sorry. Hang on. I think they have some breakfast for free downstairs. I'll grab you something. Sit tight."

Then the whirlwind was gone and she was given her own time to think and wake up. For a minute or two she just laid there staring at the ceiling, mind blank. Much slower than she'd like, events from last night started trickling in. The escape, the explosion, the apparating. Her injuries.

With a grunt, and figuring out motor functions again, Hermione was able to scoot back a bit and sit up. She ran an assessing eye over herself after pulling off the blankets. Her legs were bandaged all the way up, one sitting strangely, as if flat. She tried to move it. Nothing happened. Oh… the bones had probably been damaged enough to vanish them. Had she been given Skele-Gro? It was supposed to be extremely painful and she didn't feel that bad.

The witch pulled the blanket back, swallowing harshly.

To avoid nasty unappealing thoughts, she carefully twisted to right the pillows behind her so they would help support her sitting up. Already her lower back was aching from the effort alone.

The door opened and Ginny walked in, carefully balancing two plates of food on one arm and two cups in one hand.

She offered a cup to Hermione, which the brunette carefully took, before setting the rest on the desk. The smell of coffee wafted from the white paper cup and Hermione couldn't help but savor it. It wasn't strong but it would be enough to hopefully kickstart the rest of her brain into action.

"Fred and George said it would be safe to drink coffee after a few hours. It's been… a couple hours past that."

"What time is it," she asked, carefully taking a sip. Perfectly hot.

"Around eleven in the afternoon."

"Can you tell me what happened? Last night?"

Ginny nodded. "Only if you tell me what you remember from last night. Ron was sort of gruff and short about it."

"Deal," Hermione smirked.

She took time to savor the coffee and the smaller plate that Ginny brought, filled with fruits and a few sausage patties, while listening to the girl that sat beside her.

"Well, Ron came into the hotel, had an attendant get me since they wouldn't let him up, and then stormed out as soon as I saw him. He led me to the alley where Harry was out cold against the wall and you were just lying there prone and bleeding. It… wasn't a pretty sight, Mione, even if you were already under your stasis charm. Good work by the way. If it was any less stable it might have shattered when we moved you and then you might not have… well."

Hermione winced into her cup. It had been a risk but she had already cast the magic. She didn't need Ron exposing his signature as well. And there were no muggles around that should have alerted the Ministry or anything.

"Thanks."

"Mhmm. Anyway, Ron practically ran back here with you. He left me with Harry and a warning about not letting him wake up. So, I put him on my back and marched. Got here, put him in the tub for everyone's safety."

"Everyone's?"

Hermione vaguely remembered her friend jumping for her but that was about it. The events, while clear in some places, were extremely blurry in others.

"Yea. Ron said the dingus licked some blood off the wall and there was a high chance it was a Vampire's. He had the look of a changeling going on and I'm pretty inclined to agree with him. After Fred and George grabbed some potions and fixed you up best they could, Harry started banging on the door and growling about how hungry he was. George had to magically lock the door since it normally locks from the inside. Right scary that bloody was. Almost got in trouble with the staff for that, too. Fred's got a silver tongue when he wants and George was able to hustle the poor man out before he even realized what happened. We didn't want him to come into the room and see you. Harry had stopped by then, too, so no one came back but we were warned that we would be escorted out if it happened again."

"Sounds… eventful."

"Yea. Hermione? Are you okay?"

The witch blinked. Why would Ginny ask that unless she seemed not okay?

"I, um, yes? I ache but nothing too bad. I was expecting much worse actually."

"I'm not talking about physically. You had a house dropped on you and almost got attacked by Harry."

"Oh." She was trying really hard not to think about that actually. Her mind could be put to better use figuring out what they could be doing in the future. "I'll be fine, Gin. Thank you. Right now I'm more worried about my magic use. And the twins'."

The redhead snorted. "If they really were able to track you I think it would have been done by now. It's been a long time and while the Ministry is stupid, they can work really fast when they want. The Order would have descended upon us like a hungry pack of doxies."

Something in her eased at that but she still wasn't convinced.

"Well, just in case."

Ginny stared. Hard. Her brown eyes were practically lit with an inner fire.

"Hermione you are wonderful and amazing. Take a moment for yourself. You're hurt. We get that. You don't need to be planning every contingency from here to Australia right now. In fact, I'd rather you wouldn't."

Her lips pursed, fingers clenching around her cup. "We don't have time-"

"Yes," the Weaslette cut in. "We do. We really do. Now you. Focus on yourself and your healing. You've had Skele-Gro which should be finished in the next few hours. So go back to sleep."

"You have terrible bedside manners."

"Like you're any better," she snorted again. "Besides I'm not the healer crucial to this little runaway group."

"I'm not a Healer," Hermione protested. She'd need an actual licence and studying books was not near enough to qualify her for the task of taking actual people.

"Who knows the most spells and can actually put them into practice?"

"But-"

"Because Harry certainly can't. Anything other than Episkey and whatever he is working on explodes."

"Ginny-"

"Ron definitely doesn't. I love him but he's as dense a rock."

"Now that's-

"I definitely can't. I'm more offensively trained. I know jack all about healing and even if I could learn we need that information now."

"Will you-"

"Fred and George are passable enough to keep themselves from the hospital wing. Everything else has to heal naturally. So-"

Hermione let out an exasperated, "Ugh!"

"My precious lovely dearest friend. We need you! So go back to sleep!"

She did go back to sleep with a full belly and a slight smile on her face.

Ron woke with a grumble, his neck lancing pain down his back as he shifted.

"Ron?"

He looked up blinking away the sleep. Hermione was still sleeping soundly on the bed and Ginny had a plate in her hand with a few pastries and biscuits.

"I've got some food from this morning for you."

"What time is it?"

"Mm, around 4 in the afternoon."

Ron straight up in shock. "What!? Why'd you let me sleep so long?"

Her expression turned sheepish and the plate was lowered onto the bed in front of him. She sat herself down on the bed being careful to not jostle the sleeping witch. "Weeeeell," she started, "I meant to wake you up a few hours after you fell asleep but then Hermione woke up-" Ron twitched. She hadn't woken him up, why? "-and I got distracted. Then I sort of… fell asleep on the floor. I only woke up a few minutes earlier."

The ginger had to try very hard not to strangle his sister. "You know it's called a watch rotation for a reason?"

Her expression fell at his strained voice. "I know and I'm sorry. It's just… You were so tired and so was I and Hermione really needs rest right now. I figured… where would be the harm?"

Ron swallowed. His throat was still tight and somewhat raspy but it was much better than last night, at least. The sleep did help and they all needed it but what she did could have put them all at risk. What if something had happened and they weren't awake enough to protect themselves?

"Ginny. I love you but this time you were the moron. I don't think you quite understand the danger-"

"Of course I do!"

"You don't," he roared, shooting up into an aggressive standing position. She quailed, eyes wide with unshed tears. "You don't," he continued much quieter. He glanced at Hermione but she hadn't even stirred. "I'm sorry Gin but the closest you ever came to the fighting was the Ministry and even then you weren't in the midst of it. The Death Eaters are merciless. The Order… they've got good hearts but Merlin if they aren't too good. Harry was right. You can't win without sacrifice and that's just what they're trying to do. Their no kill policy has wiped out over half of the members already."

"What?" She looked startled.

"It's not that hard to figure out. I did some digging into the last war to see if I could learn some old DE tactics to help us. Not one Order member made a kill but so many of them died in the process. And look what good it did them. The war is starting all over again with players that should have been wiped from the board."

"Ron, I-"

"Even still, their methods of imprisonment aren't to be underestimated. If they find us, we're screwed unless we fight back. And then there's this Vampire rubbish. They can only come out at night but what if Harry had woken? We know halflings can live in the sun. You put all of us in danger," he hiccupped with sagging shoulders.

He hadn't meant to start crying during his tirade but dammit his friends and family meant the world to him. He needed her to understand what was at stake.

"I'm sorry," she said with pursed lips. "I… I just wanted us to all be able to rest. I thought…"

"You're fine, Ginny."

Both of them jumped and turned to the brunette. She still had her eyes closed but her lips parted again to speak. "Ron stop being mean to your sister. She was just trying to take care of us."

"Mione-"

"No." Her eyes flashed opened wearily. "I understand you're worried and she understands she made a mistake. Please don't turn this into a big mess."

The red head deflated, sinking back down onto the uncomfortable desk chair.

"Sorry Gin."

"Nah. I'm sorry. Won't happen again, I swear it."

He gave her a small smile before turning to his girl. "How are you feeling?"

"Still groggy but much better than earlier. The food probably helped me digest the potions easier. Thanks for that Gin. But what we really need to worry about now is what we're going to do next. Staying here isn't recommended."

Ginny shifted further onto the bed crossing her legs under her. "But didn't you recommend this place because it was out of the way?"

Hermione nodded. "I did. But… Just in case, it's better to move. There was magic cast here and just because no one has showed up yet doesn't mean they wont. Then there's the risk of the vampires tracking me."

"Do you really think that'll happen," Ron questioned softly. His brow was lined with worry and his teeth found purchase in his bottom lip.

"No, not really. There was a lot of blood left at the house, though, Ron. It could just be a coincidence that vampires went after the Dursleys but I highly doubt it. No one else in the neighborhood was touched. And… the blood on the wall worries me. If it was human it would make sense but it wasn't. I think it might have been left there deliberately. It also looked like someone took a cup and splashed it on the wall." She paused her face warming. "Not that I would know what actual blood splatter looks like-"

"Did you actually notice that," Ginny asked disbelievingly at the same time Ron chuckled, "That's my girl. Always noticing the details even with our lives at stake."

Hermione spluttered and Ron couldn't help but feel the warmth in his heart flare. He'd been beyond worried at Privet Dr. when he'd found her and seeing her, not quite up but, back to her regular self was extremely heartening. More than heartening. It was as if his entire soul was lighter, freer, and happier. Relief lifted the burden from his shoulders.

"Okay but we really need to focus," she sniffed indignantly.

"Course we do," Ron said with a dopey smile while Ginny laughed heartily.

"Now the question is do we stay for one more night or do we try to go somewhere else today?"

Ron mulled it over for a second. "What are the pros and cons you've thought of?"

"Well… a lot. But the major cons are, if we stay there is a higher chance of being caught here. If we go… there's a higher chance of running into the vampires if we're not able to get somewhere before dark."

"Well fuck."

"Ginny!"

AN: And Harry is still out of commission but at least you got to see one of the Lost Boys! They're on the trail now!