"This...this can't be true..." Ron spoke through the tears that ran down his face. Nearly two weeks had passed since their escapades at the ministry. His arm had been wrapped and put into a sling as the salves and potions worked on repairing the muscle.
It had been a near life taking experience when Harry had gone to the burrow to seek help. Having left Ron in the forest, he'd barely made it out alive. His family had been relocated after the attack. Harry had somehow managed to appear right in the thick of it and was lost in the chaos.
Remus, who had spotted him nearly instantly had followed him back to the woods where he'd miraculously been able to save his arm. The elder had begged for them to return to the safe house but Harry had outright refused. Saying that they'd come too far to give up now. So they had stayed, hidden away, to lick at their wounds.
Harry gave his best friend a small glance from beside the kettle. He'd had this exact conversation with him every day since he'd shown him the file. His heart had been at his feet ever since he'd taken a look for himself; and despite the prayer he'd sent up to give him strength to believe it wasn't true, his heart was steadily losing hope.
Ron sniffled wiping away the last of the tears that had long since stained the paper within. Though it wasn't the words his focus had locked in on. It was the photos. Three in total taped to the inside of a page that had been included behind her certificate of death.
The first showed her simply walking down the street her house sat on, her back to the lens. Her walk was strong, tall and confident. It made his heart ache to think he'd never see that purpose filled stride ever again.
The second was of her parents, laying dead on the floor of their kitchen, their eyes wide and filled with fear as they laid in a growing pool of blood. The report had listed their cause of death as a muggle crime but Ron was no fool. There was no way Hermione would have died to some muggle burglar. No, he could smell Voldemort all over it.
The third picture had undone any logical thinking he had ever possessed. It had been taken by a different camera, the image black and white though still moving. He was sure it was the proof that the snatchers had used to collect their bounty in lieu of taking her actual body with them to the ministry. A secret snapshot of her life.
The image repeating inside showed just her shoulders and head. A hand coming into the frame to pull the heavy mass back. Hermione's face was coated in blood, nearly unrecognizable with the amount that oozed down over her features. Her eyes were closed but Ron was sure he'd seen her lips moving, speaking—to him.
It was an image that would never leave his mind.
"I can feel her...in my heart...I know she's alive...she...she wouldn't have died this way..."
Harry pursed his lips but had nothing to say. His eyes turning towards the fire as he tried to think of any possible way of winning this war. He couldn't even begin to think about the reality that was so heavily pressing down on him. He had thought he'd lost her once already, in the Department of Mysteries. Her body collapsing against his own, the fear, the cold dread of having led his friend to their death. This was not a game. This was real.
oOOo
Severus shifted some paperwork aside, stifling a soft groan at the mundane routine. The requests for extended detentions had increased nearly exponentially over the time that had passed and it was taking everything inside him to keep the children from being subjugated to meaningless torture.
The twins had been discreet thus far but it had been noticed. So much so that he couldn't in good conscience keep Misty from the hospital wing. Though she had delivered on finding a book on helping Miss Granger's mental state the results had been less than spectacular. She was still very much attached to his person, something to which he was just starting to accept though she had begun to communicate just a little bit more when it came to her basic needs.
Misty had also been able to find a book with spells and potions designed to fix all manner of ailments of the eyes. It had been the break he'd needed. The daily fights to put in the potion he was currently using had started to become more violent. The pain that the potion caused was a necessary evil but it hadn't stopped Miss Granger from fighting against him.
A soft noise from under his desk caused him to lean back, lunch was growing closer and he was sure the girl had gathered enough sense of time to tell. A gentle shift of his legs turned his body down so that he could better see into the enlarged space.
Since Misty had returned to the hospital wing Severus had taken to keeping Hermione with him whenever possible. She had been more than accommodating to the circumstances and rules for being beside him and had yet to cause either of them any trouble.
The space under his desk had been enlarged to allow her to sit up or lay down. A shield spell protected any sound from coming out to anyone who was on the other side of the desk. A rather crafty spell; it drew a line through the room, creating a false image that could be manipulated by the caster. He'd been led to it on his search for other things but had found it an invaluable addition to his arsenal.
He'd already tested it once—quite accidentally—when he'd forgotten that she had been there after a long tiring day. It had been a visit from Amycus informing him that Miss Lovegood had been escorted onto the grounds. It had only been a day before the witch had found herself in the hospital wing, having collapsed in the middle of the hallway with no apparent cause.
Though Severus was quite sure who was to blame, there had been absolutely nothing he could do about finding the culprit. What he had managed to do was create a position allowing the witch to assist in the hospital wing as a sort of 'punishment' for creating a scene. Poppy had easily understood the situation and he was sure he'd gained at least some points with her.
"Are you hungry?"
"Mmm." Hermione shifted her body away from a small wooden box puzzle she'd been busying herself with.
It was difficult to try to solve without her vision but it gave her something to do. She had been so elated when he'd told her that she could stay with him. Her anxiety had slowly started to drop to completely manageable levels. Though she was still very jumpy, her constant fears that rampaged through her mind had gone quiet.
"What do you want to eat?" He'd slowly been giving her more and more control over things that could be controlled.
Hermione waffled her head before resting it down onto his knee. Something she'd taken to doing since coming to stay under his desk. She wasn't always there but she did prefer to rest there. Feeling his leg resting against her back had kept the nightmares away. During the times where she'd become restless, he would let her wander his rooms. She'd become more confident on her feet with the passing of time and felt less afraid about walking about.
"Can...I have...grilled cheese?" She scratched softly near her temple under the band that kept her eye's cool throughout the day. She could feel her body gaining more weight, more muscle. Their daily routines had made sure of that.
Wake up, medicine, repeating whatever he had for her to say, eat, workout her arms and legs, rest, wake up, more medicine, eat, wander, answer his questions, eat bathe, go to bed. Sometimes their routine would be disrupted and he would leave her with explicit instructions on what to do while he was away. Though his absence still worried her, she was no longer confined to the silent space. The natural sounds of the world around her were enough for her to focus on when she found herself alone.
"And?" Her weight gain had been slow, but apparent. Since giving her the choice to choose her dinner he had noticed that she would be very hesitant to choose something that would keep her full through the night. Now, he was giving her the choice for lunch so that maybe she would learn that she needed to eat more.
"Tomato soup?"
"And?"
Hermione let out a soft whine hiding her face down into his thigh like an ardent child. She couldn't think of anything else. Her body hadn't felt hungry in so long, at least not to the point where she wanted to eat her own fingers and it left her at a loss of what she should eat and what was an acceptable amount.
"One more thing, Miss Granger. What about a dessert?"
"Can I have a snickerdoodle?"
"A?"
"A couple?"
"Better." Severus let out a slow sigh, running his hand down his face. It was more than what he'd gotten out of her in the last few days.
Hermione smiled ever just so and slowly crawled her way up from under the desk. The time that had passed felt like one long day but she could feel the darkness in her mind starting to lift. Small moments when she'd be resting or working on one of the puzzles he gave her would bring forth small snippets of her life before it had turned upside down. Images, fully colored and filled with muddled voices would appear through a dark tunneled haze, though sometimes heavily distorted, they would give her small clues about who she truly was.
The words she was told to repeat were starting to cement themselves as well; though the fear she had become so acquainted with would often push them aside it was gradually becoming weaker. She could almost say she enjoyed her present life even though she knew it was missing so many pieces. Her curiosity to find them was beginning to return as well and every time she'd had the strength to ask a new question he had provided her with an answer.
When she'd made it up to her knees Severus called the stuffed cat from the cushions and pressed it gently to her chest. It was never far from where she was but she didn't cling to it as much as she used to. It had become a sort of sign for her to know that he needed to leave her side but that she was never alone.
"Can you make your way to my rooms alone? I need to retrieve the new potion for your eyes."
"I think so..." Hermione didn't come to her feet. It was much too difficult to navigate without being able to use her hands to guide her.
"If you find yourself turned around, wait and I shall find you." Severus came to his feet careful not to step on her.
"Okay." Hermione gave him another faint smile before shifting her weight. She'd memorized the feeling of the stone and had steadily been able to discern the path to his rooms. It had taken some trial and error but she had managed very well, given the circumstances.
Severus watched her crawl away for only long enough to ensure that she was capable before crossing over the glamour shield towards the small laboratory that sat just off of the main office. As he closed the door his scowl turned to the recently filled frame behind his research desk.
"You're doing very well with her."
"This plan of yours better work."
oOo
"Hey, Luna. What are you doing?"
"Hey, Neville." Luna smiled gently, shifting slightly on the small mound of grass that she had come to find her comfort in, "I'm looking for the Angel."
"Angel?" Neville's face scrunched a little as he came to sit down beside her. Ever since her return she'd become increasingly more distant with everyone. He'd nearly lost his heart when he'd turned the corner and found her sprawled face down with her school books scattered on the ground in front of her as if she'd collapsed mid-walk.
He'd just managed to get to her side when classes began to let out. His panic causing other students to become agitated. Thankfully, Ginny had pushed her way through before either of the Carrows had made it to the center of the crowd and yelled at him to pick her up and rush her to the hospital wing.
"Yeah, sometimes I see her... there." Luna pointed up towards the high headmaster's tower where from their vantage just the smallest of lights could be seen through the glare of the overcast sky on the windows.
Neville followed her pointed finger but only strained his eyes trying to see whatever vision or optical illusion she must have been seeing. He kept his opinion to himself however but looked down when he felt her nudge her glasses into his chest.
"Third window from the gargoyle." Luna's tone was light, lighter than it had been in the days following her recovery in the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey had officially diagnosed her with dehydration but her ailment was much more severe. Thankfully, she had had all the necessary potions to have her back on her feet in one day's time, though she did routinely make her way back to receive supplement potions during her 'punishment'.
Neville gave her a kind smile before slipping the frames up over his eyes. He tilted his head back trying to adjust to the zoomed in vision. It took him some time but eventually, he managed to look at the window she had described. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he lingered over the window not really expecting to see much of anything when—the unexplainable happened.
The sheer curtain that gave the window is deceptive reflective properties moved and he saw what couldn't possibly be true. A girl—woman?—came into partial view. Their head was bowed, their dark hair shining against the light that filtered through. It was like seeing a ghost. The thick glass and glare from the sun overhead distorting almost all discernable features.
What he could see looked to be a female form, curled up in the alcove with her head resting against the glass. Her head was turned away into the room and her back was arched over her knees. When the sun cut through some of the heavy clouds he finally understood why Luna called her an angel.
Before he could express his astonishment the sound of pounding feet turned both of their heads, "Guys, you'll never believe what I found in the ROR!"
Ginny huffed softly as she came down beside them, obviously out of breath. She gave them both a barely restrained look of awe and excitement as she pulled a small powder blue journal from her pocket.
"You know how we're—you know— today?"
Neville and Luna both glanced at each other before nodding their heads and they both leaned forward to look at the book she was presently flipping through.
"So I went to the ROR, to I don't know—get ready for it and this appeared when I went in!"
Neville tried to understand her excitement but was having trouble following her rushed logic, "What is this?"
"Looks like a journal," Luna replied softly, also trying to follow along.
"It's not just any journal." Ginny grinned when she got to the proper page, holding it wide for them to see.
"Is that-?"
"It is."
"How do we know we can trust this?"
Ginny grinned and turned the book over showing the neatly scripted engraving on the bottom border. She waited for them to recognize the lettering before closing the book, "How many people do you know, on this mission with those initials?"
"This is big Ginny." Neville could hardly keep his eyes in his head they were so wide, "We've got to get it to them."
"I know." Ginny moved in closer, glancing around to make sure they were alone, "I'm going to meet up with them today in Hogsmeade..."
"Ginny that's dangerous!" Neville clapped his hand over his mouth, fearfully looking about before lowering his voice to a whisper, "You could get killed...or worse..."
"I know...but I have to see him, make sure he's okay...maybe they've...you know?"
Luna lowered her eyes down to her feet. She hadn't spoken a word to anyone about having been captured by snatchers nor anything she had seen during her imprisonment. Her nightmares were filled with so many obscene images that it was hard for her to discern what was real and what was just her mind trying to cope.
The one thing, however, that seemed to stand out as a constant was the sight of what she was sure were Hermione's last breaths. The sound and smell that came with the memory. While death had never been something to frighten her, the process of watching someone die slowly and in agony had struck a chord somewhere deep inside the blonde. It wasn't like when her mother died. It wasn't even close.
"Luna?"
"Mm?" The blonde shook her head to clear it giving a broken smile to Neville who was now stood and offering out his hand. She took it kindly and came to her feet before turning her head back towards the high tower one more time. Heaven help them all.
oOo
Hermione sighed contently rolling her head against the cool glass. The warmth from the sun was a welcome feeling. While she didn't miss being outside all the time, being inside had definitely made her long for the fresh smell clean air. The rooms she was allowed in weren't unpleasant in smell but the air was definitely stagnant.
"Enjoying the day, Miss Granger?"
Hermione jolted to the new yet oddly familiar voice. He sounded old, yet kind with just a hint of an edge to his tone. Her face scrunched tightly as she swallowed her head turning towards the far corner from where the voice had come. Confused that she hadn't heard any footsteps or the soft creak of the door, she wondered if the man had already been in the room when she'd entered. The thought brought her no comfort as The Medicine Man had not warned her of another's presence.
"Do not be frightened, I am merely a painting. Nothing more." Dumbledore smiled sadly. His blue eyes deep with regret.
"Paintings should be seen and not heard." Severus' sharp voice cut through the tension in the room. His dark eyes burning with anger that had they had any magical properties would have surely lit the frame on fire.
Hermione pushed herself from the window seal with speed that shouldn't have even been possible, tripping slightly on the rug she reached her hands out in front of her only to be caught from her fall around her chest by an arm. A low whine left her throat as she scrambled upright, her arms going around his neck.
"It's alright, I'm here." Severus was just thankful she'd nearly fallen on his good side as she surely would have toppled them both. He gave her a small squeeze before pulling her back to free his trapped arm that held a small surgical kit and the new potion that had just finished distilling.
His conversation with Albus in the potions lab had been unusually cordial making him suspicious when he'd left his frame. He'd left the empty frame in his room for emergencies and had thought Albus had been unaware he'd replaced it after having removed it when he'd first moved in. It would appear, however, that the man was as meddlesome as ever.
"I've got your potion... But this time, I'm going to put you into a deep sleep." Severus tilted her head up towards his face his concentrated brow growing deeper when she obviously tried to open her eyes to look at him but was unable to do so. Her skin also felt uncharacteristically warm to the touch.
"Miss Granger, do you feel alright?"
"Mm..." Hermione nodded her head weakly, her sudden movement had left some of her organs behind and her head was spinning in large loops. Her arms left his neck but kept a tight hold on what she could grab of his jacket unaware that her face was steadily turning green.
"Let's lie you down." Severus took her arm tightly and turned her in the proper direction. They walked slowly but mindfully. It was a great relief that she hadn't thrown up all over him but he could tell she was thinking about it. As he dropped her somewhat heavily onto the bed he moved to set down his tools while she laid back.
Hermione relaxed down onto the familiar bed, his scent filling her mind and calming her heart. The world had stopped spinning as well, easing the unrest in her stomach. There was a moment of heavy silence between them before her brain ticked, "Where... where am I?"
Severus paused, it was the first time she had ever asked such a self-aware question. Though he was certain she hadn't meant what bed she was lying on he felt a bit apprehensive about answering her question as it was meant to be answered.
"Right now, all that matters is that you're safe." Severus pursed his lips tightly bringing the dropper filled with Draught of Living Death closer. Too much and he could very well end everything right there.
The thought had great merit. The journal he'd found was more than what he could have ever hoped. It was the leg up he needed. It would help him play chess master and with his plan already rolling there was nothing more for him to do was to sit back and watch the pieces fall. Of course, he'd never have found it without caring for the girl. Part of him held responsibility for that. An honor bound feeling to see her return to health a remittance. Though in the end. Did either of them matter?
"I'm sorry..."