AUTHOR'S NOTES: So while I wanted to include Harry's birthday party in this chapter, I opted instead to bring one of my favorite 'Judging Amy' characters into the story. Vincent had left Connecticut for San Francisco, California after eloping with his girlfriend, Carol who had received a job offer out there. However, there were some complications with this and I did use the reason the couple split up on the show.
Also, I'm actually working on an original novel, and I'm having some difficulty getting that going so if you don't see updates that often, that's why. Also I started another HP fic because my brain can't focus on jack squat.
Chapter 5
July 29th
After his 3rd year—when Petunia Dursley had finally taken him to a hospital for his legs—Harry had found trying to walk with one leg ridiculously awkward. With his right leg in a full length cast after extensive reparative surgery, Harry stumbled around more than usual and going up and down stairs was practically impossible.
Harry missed those days.
In the physical therapy room at St. Michael's Hospital, one of the therapists worked with Harry on arm strengthening—something Harry kept insisting that he didn't really need—and another worked on helping Harry exercise his remaining leg.
The main problem stemmed from the fact that—although the ankle and knee joints of his left leg had been replaced—Harry was having problems walking, namely keeping his balance on the parallel exercise bars or with the forearm crutches he'd used for so long.
"Come on, Harry," Lawson Davis—the therapist working on Harry's leg—said after another round of stretches. "Let's get you braced up again and we'll hit the bars one more time."
Harry sighed resignedly as he sat up from where he'd been lying on the exercise table and carefully secured the knee and ankle braces around his left leg before carefully moving so that the limb was over the edge of the table.
Eying the wheelchair he'd been using primarily with an almost wistful expression, Harry frowned slightly as Lawson handed him the crutches.
Slipping his arms through the rings at the top of the crutches, Harry grabbed the handles and slowly pushed himself up, wobbling for a moment before regaining his balance a bit. With Lawson's guidance, he inched his way towards the bars, stopping to take a small breather before setting the crutches aside and gripping the bars.
"One step at a time, Harry," Lawson reminded the teenager, smirking slightly as Harry shot him a look.
Their first session—when Lawson had tried to get Harry standing with the crutches—Harry had angrily snapped, "Well, let's break one of your legs and cut off the other, and then you can tell me how easy it is!"
Instead of getting upset at Harry's outburst, Lawson pulled up the legs of his track pants exposing a metal prosthetic left leg and a series of surgical scars on the right leg. Harry looked at the therapist's legs and then at the man's face. "Motorcycle accident," Lawson explained. "And you're right. It's not easy. It's going to be a lot of hard work, a lot of pain, and you're probably gonna want to give up about a thousand times."
Sitting in the wheelchair, Harry honestly wondered if not walking would just be the easier way to live. He'd gone with amputation to avoid prolonged pain, hadn't he? Because losing his leg would be easier?
As he slowly but steadily—sort of—made his way down the bars, Harry pulled himself back to the present, wondering if he'd made the right choice.
At the end, Harry stopped, afraid if he loosened his grip even the slightest bit that he'd fall over. His left leg was starting to throb harder and if he didn't sit down for just a moment, he wouldn't be able to hide how much pain he was it. Then he'd have to deal with everyone getting him to take the painkillers and work on his exercises more…
Lawson brought Harry's wheelchair over and helped Harry lower himself into it, making sure the teenager was comfortable before cutting him loose for the day. "Same time, tomorrow?" Lawson said with a grin.
Harry nodded, vaguely, as he started to wheel himself over to the doors, stopping as a teenage girl came in, followed by her older sister. "Hey, Cass," Harry said with a smile.
Cassandra Brower leaned on a pair of forearm crutches, but she gave Harry a cheerful smile as she raised her hand to the trach tube in her throat. "Hi, Harry. How are you doing?" Her voice was guttural and not very loud, but she always seemed to sound friendly.
Harry had met her in a support group for kids and teenagers who had been violently abused. Cassandra's father had beaten and strangled her multiple times as a child, causing permanent damage to her trachea. When she was 9, her father had thrown her down a flight of stairs, breaking her back in 3 places. Cassandra had said in group that the doctors had told her repeatedly that she was lucky not to have been paralyzed permanently.
As it was, she'd spent over 3 years paralyzed from the chest down before gradually regaining the use of her body. Cassandra had only regained the use of her legs 6 months ago, but her doctors and physical therapists had been amazed at her progress.
As Cassandra started to head over to Lawson, Harry wheeled about and asked, "Hey, Cass?"
She turned around, looking at Harry curiously. "Yeah?"
"Would you like to come to my birthday party the day after tomorrow?" Harry asked, hoping she'd say yes.
Nodding, Cassandra grinned as she replied, "Sure. Sounds like fun."
"Great," Harry said with a smile as he felt his mood lift a bit. "See you then."
"See you," she said, turning away once more.
Turning towards the doors, Harry gave a start when he saw Jillian standing there, grinning at him. "She seems nice," Jillian said, glancing over at Cassandra who was sitting down on the table that Harry had occupied not long ago.
"Let's go," Harry muttered, blushing a bit.
Heading towards the parking lot, Jillian asked, "Do you like her?"
Harry stopped on the sidewalk and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, yeah, but… I don't know… Would that be weird if I asked her out? I mean, I asked her to come to my birthday party, but…"
"But what?" Jillian queried, curious.
Harry took a deep breath and tried to think of the best way to explain how he felt. "I've never dated anyone before," he admitted. "The Yule Ball at school last year didn't really count because Ginny Weasley asked one of her friends for me since most of the other girls wouldn't give me the time of day." Looking down at the wheelchair he sat in, he added, somewhat darkly, "Plus… Cass has been hell-bent on walking on her own again…and sometimes I couldn't care less if I ever do."
Once the two were in the car, Harry started to regret what he'd said as Jillian became unusually quiet. Looking out the window, Harry frowned when they passed the turn to head back to the house. "Where are we going?" Harry asked, confused. "I thought h-home was back the other way."
Knowing Harry still had trouble calling his new residence 'home', Jillian ignored the slight stutter in Harry's voice as she explained. "We're picking up a special surprise for Maxine on the way."
After passing a sign, Harry's curiosity was piqued. "The surprise is at the airport?"
Jillian nodded. "Maxine's other son, Vincent, is flying in from California," she replied, glancing over at Harry. "You'll like him, Harry. He's very introspective."
Arriving at the airport, Jillian helped Harry out of the car and into the wheelchair again and they headed towards the giant screens that posted the arriving flights.
As Harry looked at the screen, he glanced at the short list of international flights. There was a flight from London that had arrived just 15 minutes ago and another flight from France later in the evening.
"Gate number, 6," Jillian said, looking at the screen as well. Leading the way, she and Harry headed across the airport towards the gate, waiting by the rows of chairs as people started exiting the plane.
Vincent Gray was fairly easy to spot, in Harry's opinion. He could see the family resemblance to Amy, Peter, and Kyle.
After greeting Jillian warmly, Vincent turned to Harry, smiling. "You must be Harry Potter," he said, holding out a hand. "Peter went on and on about you when we talked on the phone."
Harry shook the man's hand and gave him a smile. "Nice to meet you," he said, politely.
"Why don't you guys go grab a bite at the café upstairs," Jillian said after a moment. "—and I'll head over to baggage claim and get Vincent's things?"
Vincent seemed surprised by the offer, but shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Harry? That's okay with you?"
Equally surprised, Harry nodded and followed Vincent to the elevator as Jillian headed in the opposite direction.
"So how are you liking being part of our family?" the older man asked as the elevator doors closed and they headed to the second floor.
Unsure of how to reply, Harry shrugged. "I really like it, don't get me wrong," he replied. "Everyone's been wonderful. I'm just still getting used to it, I guess."
Looking at the teenager's wheelchair, Vincent couldn't help but notice that Harry seemed almost comfortable in it. Cautiously, he asked, "What about your recovery? How are you doing with all the physical therapy stuff?"
Shifting a bit in the wheelchair, Harry shrugged again. "Part of me knows I should be working harder at walking again," he admitted.
"And the other part?" Vincent wanted to know, although he somewhat suspected.
Looking at his left leg and what remained of his right, Harry sighed. "Walking was so hard for me for years. I was in pain almost all the time. Part of me… Part of me doesn't care about being able to walk. I mean, getting around in the wheelchair isn't easy—don't get me wrong—but it's a hell of a lot less painful than learning how to walk again."
Arriving at the café, Harry and Vincent placed their orders and Harry found a table while Vincent waited for their food. Looking around at the people milling about, Harry tried to ignore it when strangers kept looking in his direction.
"Oh, I'm sorry!"
Harry looked up sharply as someone bumped into his table and his jaw dropped as he saw who the young woman was. "Hermione?!"
Hermione had her hair pulled back in a braid and she wore a light jacket, blue jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt that read 'I am NOT antisocial. I just prefer books over people'.
But what drew Harry's attention the most were the shades she wore and the fact that she was holding the harness of a seeing-eye dog.
"Harry!" Hermione said, putting out a hand and feeling for where her best friend was. "Uh…"
Harry took her hand and helped her towards a chair, still staring, dumbstruck. What had happened, he wondered, that Hermione was now blind? "What… What happened?" Harry stammered as Hermione's guide dog lay down between the two teenagers. Looking up again as Vincent came back with two trays, Harry gestured to his best friend. "Er, Vincent, this is one of my best friends, Hermione Granger."
Hermione gave a shy wave as she rubbed the dog's neck. "Hello."
"It's nice to meet you, Hermione," Vincent replied as he sat down, passing Harry's lunch over to him. "Did you want something? I can—"
"Oh, I-I'm okay, really," Hermione replied, nervously.
But Harry wasn't about to change the subject and he again asked what had happened.
x
"We'll need a proper cover story," Molly Weasley said to everyone assembled.
It was two days after Hermione had voiced her plan to visit Harry with Sirius and so far, charming the glasses and blindfold had been the easy parts.
The first obstacle was to come up with a good story to explain what had happened, especially to any nosy flight attendants or customs agents.
"And what about Harry?" Ron asked, thinking of how dogged his best friend could be at times. "You know he's not going to let Hermione off the hook about the whole thing. Besides," he added, looking at his other best friend. "You'd have to keep up the charade the whole time you were there."
Hermione had to admit that Ron had raised an excellent point, one which hadn't really occurred to her until now. As easy as everyone was trying to make things for her, Hermione was still faced with the challenge of not being able to see for an extended period of time.
"I think the first question to answer," Remus Lupin said, thoughtfully. "—is 'How long has Hermione been blind?'. Is this a recent affliction, or something she's had a sufficient amount of time to deal with?"
Everyone turned to Hermione, wondering about how she wanted to proceed. At first, Hermione hated being put on the spot, but as she thought about it, she knew the others merely wanted to know how much effort she was willing to put into this ruse. Pretending to be blind for a longer period of time would require her being able to navigate with only some difficulty as well as being able to adequately read Braille. And yet, if she pretended that the disability was fairly recent, it might draw suspicion as to why she was traveling alone so soon after losing her sight.
The only way to go was the middle ground—saying that the trip was prearranged, perhaps, and Hermione could say that she'd refused to cancel the trip just because she couldn't see.
As planning and preparations continued, Ron looked at Hermione, curiously. "So…? What are you going to tell Harry?"
x
"Mum, Dad, and I were heading home from King's Cross Station at the end of last term," Hermione explained as she pulled the shades off. "A drunk driver plowed into us."
Molly, Fred, and George had used some glamour charms to make Hermione's eyes look bad enough to be convincing, making it look as through the young woman had lost her right eye and been permanently scarred across the left. By the sound of Harry's horrified gasp, Hermione figured he believed her.
"Are your parents okay?" Vincent wanted to know, shocked that this young woman had flown out all this way after such a terrible ordeal.
Hermione nodded, putting the shades back on. "They'll be alright. Mum and Dad just had some cuts and bruises. Nothing too serious."
Harry still couldn't believe that his best friend had lost her sight and as he and Vincent finished eating, he found that there was still one more surprise as Jillian joined them.
"Oh, good, you found them," Jillian said to Hermione, putting a hand on the teenager's arm. "Your parents were afraid you'd get lost here."
"Wait, you knew about this?" Harry asked, jaw dropping as he turned towards her. "Did you know about…?"
"Well, not about Hermione being blind," Jillian explained, quickly. "Her parents had said that she might need some help getting around the airport and I thought maybe she had a physical disability like you." Seeing Harry's sudden, stony expression, she knew she'd hurt Harry's feelings and tried to backtrack. "I-I didn't mean…"
"It's fine," Harry said in a clipped tone as he took Hermione's suitcase and set it on his lap, wincing as the luggage hit the end of his stump.
In the form of a husky-golden retriever mix, Sirius couldn't help giving a small whine as he saw his godson's face. Feeling Hermione give him a reassuring pat, he nosed her hand before getting to his feet, watching Hermione stand as well.
Once Hermione was holding onto his harness, Sirius followed the others towards the elevator and then out to Jillian's car.
xxxxx
Back in England, Hermione had spent almost a month practicing her 'blind' act by trying to navigate Sirius's house with a normal blindfold covering her eyes. When she woke up, she'd cover her eyes before getting dressed and heading downstairs. She also went on walks with Ron and Ginny up and down the street, using a blind cane.
Hermione had even picked up a few books on Braille at the library, studying them at night, just so she could passably understand the lettering.
The morning of her flight to the Unites States, Hermione tried not to feel nervous as Molly Weasley handed her the magical blindfold and dark shades. "Are you still sure you want to do this, dear?" Molly asked as Sirius came downstairs, carrying Hermione's suitcase and carry-on bag.
Hermione nodded, feeling in her jacket pocket for her passport, plane ticket, wallet, and the folded blind cane. Understanding that this would be the last time she would be able to see for over a month, she double checked that she had everything before donning the blindfold and shades. "Professor Lupin is taking Sirius and me to the airport, right?"
Molly nodded before remembering that Hermione couldn't see her. "Yes, dear. He'll be here in a few minutes." Turning to Sirius, she asked, "You have extra vials of that potion, just in case?"
Sirius nodded as he set the luggage down and handed a dog harness to Molly. "I believe I'm going to be a husky-golden retriever mix for this trip," he replied, stretching for a second before changing into his animagus form. Standing still so that Molly could put the harness on him, Sirius nosed Hermione's hand reassuringly.
Hearing someone knocking softly on the door, Molly finished with the harness before straightening up and opening the door, giving Remus Lupin a warm smile. Turning to Hermione, she said, "It's time, dear."
Hermione gave Molly a hug while Remus grabbed the bags and took them down to an old station wagon parked on the street. Turning back towards the disguised townhouse, he saw Hermione coming down the stairs, holding onto Sirius's harness.
Once on their way to the airport, Remus explained what would happen when they arrived. "I'll walk with you to the security gate, but after that you'll be mostly on your own," he warned. "Did you want me to ask one of the flight attendants to escort you to the gate?"
Although Hermione's stubborn, independent nature made her want to go it alone, her logical, sensible side took over and she nodded. "I think that would be best," she agreed.
Arriving at the airport, Remus parked the station wagon and got out, grabbing Hermione's bags out of the back before leading the way inside and to the check in and baggage counter.
As she handed the ticket to the attendant at the counter, Hermione could feel the person staring at her.
"Are you traveling alone?" the woman asked, warily, as she looked from Hermione to Remus and then to Sirius.
"Yes, I am," Hermione replied. "My parents had already made the flight reservations when I lost my sight earlier this summer." Wondering if the attendant was about to decline the ticket, she added, "I'm visiting my best friend who's been in hospital for the past month."
"Oh, bless you, child," the woman said, as she checked Hermione in and took case of the large suitcase. Putting a hand on Hermione's as she handed the flight pass and passport back, the attendant went on, "Your friend is very blessed to have someone like you in their life."
Hermione thanked her and headed away from the counter, feeling Sirius lead her to the right after getting past the counter. After a while, she heard various beeping and buzzing noises and knew that they'd arrived at the security gate. Getting in line, Hermione gave Sirius a reassuring pat before withdrawing the documentation Dumbledore had provided for the animagus as an official service animal.
"Miss, I need you to place all personal items in the basket on the conveyor belt."
Hermione did so as she heard Remus talking to one of the security agents who paged a flight attendant. Once she was through security and took hold of Sirius's harness again, she felt someone gently take her arm and lead her aside. "Hermione, it's me," Lupin said, kindly. "I'm leaving you, alright? One of the attendants will be here in a moment to take you to the gate."
Hermione nodded, giving him a hug. "See you in about a month," she said before letting go and going back to Sirius who led her over to a group of chairs nearby. Taking a seat and setting her carry-on bag down close by, Hermione tried to remain calm but she was starting to feel a sense of anxiety as all the noises around her seemed to get louder.
"Hermione Granger?"
"Yes?" Hermione said as she stood quickly.
"I'm Henry Sherman," an older man said as he gently took Hermione's elbow. "If you'll just come over this way, miss." Once the young woman had her bag and purse, Henry led Hermione over to a golf cart and helped her on, making sure the guide dog was sitting down before getting behind the wheel and heading towards the flight gates. "Where are you going, honey?"
"Hartford, Connecticut," Hermione replied. "My best friend has been in hospital for nearly a month now."
"Is he sick or something?" Henry asked before inquiring which gate they needed to go to.
After saying the gate number, Hermione explained, "He had a serious leg injury. He says he's doing alright but…"
Glancing briefly at his passenger, Henry pondered his next query before finally asking, "What about you?" When Hermione looked puzzled, he went on. "When did you lose your sight?"
"Just after the start of my summer holiday," Hermione replied. "My parents didn't want me to go on this trip alone, but I insisted. The ticket was paid for already."
When the cart eventually came to a stop, Hermione heard Henry get off and walk around to her side, helping her out and handing her her bags and making sure Sirius was nearby. "Good luck, Miss Granger. Is someone going to be waiting for you in the U.S.?"
"Yes, sir," Hermione replied, nodding. After thanking the attendant, she took hold of Sirius's harness once again and the two went over to a bank of chairs to wait for their flight to be called.
xxxxxx
At Maxine Gray's house, Harry, Hermione, Sirius, Vincent, and Jillian arrived to a bustle of activity and noise.
Peter and Lauren were in the kitchen with Jared Duff and the trio was laughing about something as they rolled meatballs while Kyle and Amy were arguing over the amount of garlic in the tomato sauce while Maxine was sitting at the counter, sipping a cup of hot tea and chatting with Sean Potter. Looking up, she set the cup down and went straight over to Vincent who grinned happily. "Oh, my word! Vincent!"
Amy and Peter looked up as well, both going over to hug their brother. "Wh—What are you doing here?" Amy asked, looking confused and concerned. "I-Is Carol okay?"
"Uh…" Vincent looked from Lauren to Harry and Hermione and then back to Amy. "I'll tell you all about it later. Let's just say… things didn't work out."
"She's okay, though, right?" Peter asked, wondering if Vincent's wife had succumbed to her illness.
Deciding to give the briefest—and most succinct explanation possible—Vincent shrugged as he set his bags down just outside the kitchen. "Carol and her oncologist are doing fine," he replied.
"Oh, Vincent," Amy said, sadly. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry."
"Yeah," Vincent said, somewhat dejectedly. "Me too."
"Uncle Vincent, do you want to help us roll meatballs?" Lauren asked, seemingly oblivious to the emotional cloud threatening to descend on the room.
Smiling as he realized how much he'd missed his family, Vincent smiled and went over to join his niece. "I would like nothing more than to roll meatballs," he said, shedding his jacket and draping it over a chair before joining Lauren, and Jared.
"Okay, we need a tie breaker over here," Kyle said to the room at large. "I say there's too much garlic in the sauce and Amy says there's not enough."
After a few moments, Hermione raised a hand, tentatively. "I'll taste it."
Jillian led Hermione over to the stove before pulling out two loaves of sliced Italian bread, butter, dried herbs, garlic powder, and shredded mozzarella. "Harry, you're on garlic bread duty. I'll make up a big salad."
Harry nodded, taking the butter knife Jillian handed him and getting to work.
When the meatballs were all done and baked off in the oven, Kyle put them all in the slowly simmering sauce and while he, Jillian, Vincent, and Lauren worked on cleaning up the kitchen, Maxine, Amy, Peter, and Jared went into the living room with Harry and Hermione.
Maxine gave Harry a grandmotherly smile as she looked from Harry to Hermione's guide dog and back again. "So, Harry… How are you enjoying your early birthday presents?"
"Wait, you…? You knew about Hermione coming as well?" Harry said, surprised. After a moment or two, he asked, "Wait, you said presents? If Hermione is one of them, then what's the second?"
"Sirius," Hermione replied, patting the dog. "Although he's going by 'Orion' for the time being."
Harry looked at his godfather who wagged his tail enthusiastically. Looking from Sirius to Hermione, he tried to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes. "You guys came all the way here just for my birthday?"
Sirius cocked his head to the side before nodding once. Hermione smiled, brightly. "You sounded a bit down in your last letter. I thought you could use some cheering up."
As happy as Harry was, he also felt a huge stab of guilt as he looked down at his braced leg. Hermione had been willing to fly from London to Connecticut alone, even though she had lost her sight, and Harry had been complaining about leg pain.
He would eventually get better. Hermione wouldn't.
With time and effort, Harry could one day walk down the street without any hindrance. But his best friend would never have that luxury again.
x
When dinner was ready, the whole Gray family—alone with Harry, Hermione, and Sean Potter—gathered around the large dining room table, taking their seats as they chatted about this and that.
"I really can't tell you guys how much I missed this," Vincent said as he took a piece of Harry's cheesy garlic bread before exchanging the plate for the salad.
When everyone had full plates, Kyle raised his water glass and looked at his aunt with a cheeky grin on his face. "I would like to propose a toast to Aunt Max because I'm sure that with all of us around at the same time, her patience and sanity will be constantly tested."
"Yeah, that reminds me," Amy said, looking at her brother with a critical eye. "Where are you staying now that you're back?"
"I-I can sleep on the couch," Hermione offered. "I don't mind."
"You sure?" Vincent asked, feeling guilty about taking his old bedroom back when Hermione was staying in the house as well.
When Hermione insisted, Maxine smiled at the teenager, even though Hermione couldn't see her. "I'll bring down a pillow and a couple blankets for you after dinner."
"Thank you, Mrs. Gray," Hermione replied, smiling. Turning her attention to Harry who was seated next to her, she asked, "How is your physical therapy going? I mean… with the wheelchair I was wondering if there were some complications or something."
Harry bowed his head, not wanting to admit the truth. But when Jillian prompted him, he looked up, letting out a deep sigh. "You know the past 3 years or so have been really hard for me. I-I was always in pain when I was walking." Tapping the wheelchair a few times, he added, pensively, "It's… It's not so bad being in this thing."
Expecting lectures from everyone about why he shouldn't say such things and he should be working as hard as possible to get used to walking with the leg brace and eventual prosthetic, Harry was surprised when Amy spoke up.
"Harry, none of us can possibly understand what you've been through. We've seen how hard all this has been for you, but… You've been in a lot of pain." Looking at the rest of her family before turning her attention back to Harry, Amy added, "Things haven't been easy for you in the past. And although I think you're looking at this the wrong way… if you feel this is the break you need for the time being… then okay."
Jillian and Peter exchanged looks, neither one happy with the fact that Amy practically condoned Harry's desire to stay in the wheelchair. The problem was that it would be easy to exert their authority over Harry and make him do the physical therapy. The downside to that notion was that Harry might start becoming more withdrawn as he'd fear negative repercussions for not working hard enough.
"You ever try yoga?" Vincent chimed in, thoughtfully. When Harry looked puzzled, the older man explained. "Might help with strengthening your leg while not being as high impact."
"I go to this yoga studio every Tuesday and Friday," Jillian piped up, thoughtfully. "Why don't you and I go check it out tomorrow, Harry?"
Harry wasn't sure what to expect and feeling like the Grays were excepting how he felt about his physical situation, he nodded. "Yeah, okay. Why not?"
xxx
Although the living room couch was comfortable enough, that night Hermione found herself unable to sleep and being careful not to wake Sirius who was curled up on the floor nearby.
Making her way to the kitchen for something to drink, Hermione was startled when she heard Maxine asked, "Can I get you something, Hermione?"
"I couldn't sleep," Hermione said as she stopped at the kitchen counter. "I was just going to get something to drink."
After Maxine guided her to a barstool, Hermione sat while listening to the older woman clattering about. "Care to share what was keeping you awake?" Maxine asked, curiously.
Hermione shook her head, not wanting to reveal her secret since she didn't know how good Maxine Gray was at keeping a confidence. "I-It's complicated," she said, simply.
"I have a case I'm testifying in tomorrow," Maxine explained. "There's a young girl in DCF custody that has been shuffled between one abusive foster home to another. Her mother is a recovering alcoholic and living out of her car. I have to tell the judge whether it would be safer for this girl to be homeless… or placed with yet another family that might hurt her."
After accepting a mug of hot chocolate, Hermione took a sip and decided that she should at least tell Maxine what was going on, especially if she was going to be staying at the older woman's house for the next month. Setting the mug down, Hermione took a deep breath and said, "I'm not… I'm not actually blind. It's complicated, but it was the easiest way to get Sirius here."
"You're pretending to have a major disability to get Harry's godfather into the United States?" Maxine said, shocked by the teenager's declaration. After a moment, she asked, "Why wouldn't you bring someone with you or have Sirius disguise himself as someone else?"
Hermione gave a quiet chuckle at the questions and shrugged. "Polyjuice potion was too risky and any magical travel overseas would have revealed any charms," she replied. "That left muggle transportation and I had a passport. Since Sirius is an unregistered animagus, it was the easiest way to get him over here. And I figured if I was traveling alone, airport security would be less likely to confiscate a service animal."
There was a silence and Hermione began to wonder if she'd made the right decision in telling Maxine the truth. But before she could say anything, Maxine pulled her into a hug and there was an emotional catch in the woman's voice as she said, "Harry is… very lucky to have a friend as wonderful as you."
Hermione smiled as she hugged Maxine back. "You won't tell anyone, will you? You'll keep this just between us?"
"My lips are sealed," Maxine promised as she pulled away.