Title: Out of Your Mind
Chapter Title: Bad News
Ratings: M
Reasons for rating: Just to be safe
Word Count: 3,267
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything.
Author's Note: This chapter is from Harry's Point of View.
XOXOXOXOXO
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were making their way to Gringott's Bank in Diagon Alley, when all hell broke loose. Death Eaters were Apparrating all over the place.
Harry instinctively stepped in front of his mates, using himself as a human shield, as the Death Eater in front of him started shooting spells at him.
Harry deflected it, and shot one back. They were locked in a duel, as he lost sight of his mates.
The Death Eater was fast, but Harry was faster. He disabled his attacker, then turned around, trying to spot his mates.
He saw Hermione in the distance dueling. From where he was standing he could tell she was tiring. A curse hit her arm, and Harry cried out to her, "Hermione!"
She didn't turn around, and he didn't have time to react as another Death Eater came at him.
As he shot a curse at his attacker, he heard Ron call out to Hermione as well. His mates were nearby, and yet, he couldn't help them. That knowledge had him quickly disabling his attacker.
He started forward again, and this time he saw Ron was in trouble. He came to his rescue as the two of them started dueling the Death Eater.
As they took out their opponent, they looked around, and saw Hermione frozen on the ground with a Death Eater leaning over her!
They watched as he picked her still body up and under his arm like she weighed nothing.
"HERMIONE, NO!" He and Ron shouted at the same time as they ran toward her. He knew they weren't close enough, and he was right. They Disapparated before they could reach her.
Reeling in shock, more Death Eaters came at them, and both he and Ron took their loss out on them. They battled two Death Eaters at a time.
Harry was furious, and dueled harder than ever. He did feel some relief when he saw more help Apparating. The Death Eaters were now being outnumbered, and were retreating.
One curse left a gash on Harry's thigh, as another hit Ron in the chest. As he fell, Harry yelled out in fear. He wanted badly to kneel by his mate and see if he was ok, but knew he couldn't do that just yet.
"Ronald!"
Harry knew that shriek was coming from Ron's mum, so he put all his energy into the two Death Eaters who were still attacking him.
Help came when Mrs. Weasley joined Harry in his duel, leaving him with only one Death Eater.
"Your mine, Potter!" The Death Eater growled as he shot a curse at Harry, who wasn't quick enough to duck, and the spell hit him in his left shoulder.
He grunted in pain, but didn't answer. Instead he shot a curse back, and the Death Eater fell.
Panting, he fell to his knees beside Ron, and checked to see if he was still breathing, which he was. Thank, Merlin! But oh, Hermione!
Harry was fighting with his emotions when Molly knelt beside him. "he's alright," Molly said.
Harry didn't say anything. He wouldn't believe it until Ron was up and moving again.
"Let's get out of here. Help me pick up Ron." Molly said as she stood up, and the two of them picked up Ron.
"Hold onto me," Molly said just before she Disapparated with Harry holding up Ron.
The three of them staggered under Ron's weight, as Harry fell, with Ron on top of him. As he grunted in pain, he could hear the front door open and someone crying out before running to him.
"Everyone alright?" Ginny asked as she leaned over the two on the ground.
"M'fine. Get 'em off me," Harry grunted.
With Ginny's help as well as Molly's, they got Ron off of Harry. Molly used magic to levitate Ron into the house, while Ginny stayed outside.
They were both sitting on the ground, as Harry fought to get his breath back.
"Where is everyone?" Harry asked.
"Dad and Bill are still in Diagon Alley, and Fred and George are still at their shop. Where's Hermione?" Ginny said.
Harry looked at her, and she gasped from the look of pain on his face.
"She was taken," he said with emotion laced throughout his voice.
Ginny gasped as she covered her mouth, and tears sprang to her eyes. She jumped up with a sob, and ran into the house yelling for her mum.
Harry hung his head as he ground the heel of his hands into his eyes. He was at a loss, and didn't know what to do. His two reasons for being, were just taken from him in one fight.
Moving the heels of his hands back and forth across his eyes, he steeled himself mentally. He got up and slowly walked back into the house to see how Ron was doing.
When he reached Molly, she said, "he's still unconscious, but he'll be alright. He just needs his rest. What about you? Oh dear, your bleeding!"
She fussed over him, as she healed his wounds. When she was done, she gently said, "Ginny's told me about Hermione."
Instantly, tears came to his eyes, and he fought against his emotions. Though it didn't help when Molly wrapped her arms around him, and squeezed him gently.
He allowed himself a brief moment of comfort, before backing out of her arms. He was just clearing his eyes, when the door opened, and Mr. Weasley and Bill walked in, each with cuts as well.
"Oh, thank Merlin your alright!" Molly cried out as she embraced her husband and son in one hug, squishing them.
"What about Fred and George?" Molly asked as she pulled back.
"Their fine. They stayed behind to help," Bill said.
Harry used that distraction to get himself under control. It wouldn't do anyone good if he got emotional.
"Where's Ginny, Ron and Hermione?" Arthur asked as he looked around the room.
"Ron's in the sitting room. He was cursed, but he's alright; he's just resting. Ginny's in her room crying…" Molly trailed off as her voice became thick with emotion, before she burst into tears. "Hermione's been captured!" She sobbed before wrapping her arms around her husband.
Harry couldn't stand it any longer, and made his way upstairs, where he laid down on his cot in Ron's room.
He couldn't help but feel that this was all his fault. He should have been able to protect them better. After all, it was him the Death Eaters were after. Though why they would strike in the middle of the day was beyond him, the reasoning didn't really matter.
Hermione was kidnapped, and the worst case scenario's were running through his head. He just knew Voldemort would be torturing her.
Just as he was having this thought, his scar started to burn. Closing his eyes, he saw he was in a room with Hermione sitting directly across from him. Cold fury washed over him.
"what's this? It looks like we have a treat here. Seems we have a Mudblood as a guest," Harry said.
Bellatrix cackled as the others talked in excitement.
"After I clean her memory from her, she's yours to play with, Bella," Harry said.
Hermione's scream was cut off as he dug into her mind, until nothing was left, and she was unconscious.
Harry woke with a start, as Hermione's screams rang through his system. He was panting, and sweating, and he felt weak as he hunched over, trying to control his breathing.
"Harry are you okay?"
He looked up and saw Ginny was sitting on the end of his cot. Before he could answer, he felt the bile shoot up his throat. Next thing he knew, he was spewing into the garbage bin Ginny held in front of him as she rubbed his back soothingly.
When he was finished, his cheeks were streaked with tears, and he still felt faint. Ginny put down the bin and said, "lay back down, I'll get mum."
As she was about to leave, Harry grabbed her wrist with his clammy hand. When she turned around he said hoarsely, "get your dad, too."
When she left, Harry fell into a clammy, sweaty, state; almost as if he had a fever. He didn't know how much time passed, but eventually he felt something cool against his forehead, and someone gently rubbing his head.
"It's alright Harry, your safe," Molly said in a soothing voice.
Harry opened his eyes, and saw Molly leaning over him, with Arthur, Bill, and Ginny hovering in the background.
"Alright, Harry?" Bill asked in concern.
Molly helped him sit up, as he sat shaking.
"Are you ill?" Arthur asked.
"I had a vision," Harry croaked.
He saw the others exchange looks. "Tell us," Arthur said.
"It's Hermione," was all he could say.
"What did he do to her?" Bill asked with fury lacing his voice.
"He, Voldemort, wiped her mind clean," Harry's voice wobbled as he explained.
Gasps were heard all around the room as Molly and Ginny started crying.
"But no one survives a mind wipe!" Bill cried out in shock, as his father shot him a warning look.
"I'm sure she'll be okay. Thank you Harry for telling me this. I must get back to the Ministry and see what I can do to help her," Arthur said.
"I'll go with you," Bill said as the two of them left the room.
"Harry, why don't you get some rest," Molly said as she stood up. She took Ginny by the shoulder, and the two of them left him to his own thoughts again.
He didn't think he would ever sleep again, but he must have been exhausted, because he passed out.
XOXOXOXOXO
Harry woke with a start to see Ginny was leaning on the cot again.
"Time's it?" He asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then reached and put his glasses on.
"Time for dinner," she said softly.
Harry's stomach rumbled, and Ginny tried to suppress a smile, causing a half smile.
She got up, and he followed her. When they got to the dinner table, they saw Ron was sitting there, waiting for them.
Harry smiled, and Ron smiled back. Just as quickly both smiles fell from their faces. "Mum's told me about Hermione," Ron said sadly.
Harry sat down heavily, and stared at the food on his plate, at a loss for words.
Dinner was quiet that night. After they finished eating, they didn't know what to do with themselves. Not wanting to be alone, they all gathered in the sitting room.
An hour passed, before Arthur and Bill arrived home. They walked into the room, and by the looks on their faces, they knew it couldn't be good.
Molly hopped up and ran to her husband. "What is it?" she cried out. "What's happened?"
Arthur's face was riddled with such sorrow, that Harry had a hard time looking at him. A face like that had him assuming the worst.
"We tracked Hermione," Bill said.
"You found her!" Ginny cried out in shock.
"We found her at her flat with her parents. How she got there, is anyone's guess," Arthur said.
"If you found her, why isn't she here?" Ron demanded.
Arthur swallowed, as a queasy look came over his features.
"It took a lot of convincing, but we managed to go to her flat while the Ministry wiped the Muggle's minds. We found her parents…" Bill trailed off as he got the same expression as his father.
"Spit it out!" Ginny cried out.
"Vampires," Bill said weakly.
Everyone gasped.
"They killed her parents. It was the worst thing I've ever seen," Arthur trailed off as his wife clung to him, sobbing.
"And Hermione?" Ron croaked out.
"She survived," Bill said. "She was taken to some kind of Muggle hos… what's that word, Harry?"
"Hospital?" Harry guessed.
"Right. They won't let us see her until tomorrow," Bill finished.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief, as well as the others. Though the news was devastating, he was just grateful she was still alive. She was a lot braver than he ever gave her credit for, to survive an attack by both Voldemort and Vampires.
The room fell silent as they absorbed that last bit of news. Molly wiped her eyes before saying, "alright you lot, off to bed. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."
Harry and Ron went up to Ron's room, where they lay awake all night, drifting in and out of nightmares.
XOXOXOXOXO
At dawn the next morning when Harry and Ron went down to the kitchen, they saw they weren't the only one's up early. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley along with Bill, Fred, George, and Ginny were already sitting at the table. All of them in a state of exhaustion and wrinkly clothes.
"Morning," Molly said as she got up and poured tea for Harry and Ron who were just sitting down.
"Anymore news?" Harry asked.
"Visiting hours start at 8, we'll be able to see her then," Molly said as she sat back down.
XOXOXOXOXO
Looking back, Harry had no idea how he got through the last two hours. All he knew was that he was grateful they were finally going to see Hermione.
They had to take public transportation, and that killed a lot of time. They were all in the reception room, waiting to see Hermione.
After what felt like ages, a male nurse came out to talk to them.
"Hello, my name is John. I'll be taking you to see Hermione Granger," He said as he shook Molly and Arthur's hands.
They followed him through the building, and over to a door. When they stopped, John turned to them and said, "I know this will come as a shock to you, so I'll give you some advanced warning. Hermione came to us last night in bad shape. She lost a lot of blood, and she didn't seem to be coping well. She just kept on mumbling. For her protection as well as everyone else's, we've placed her in this special room. For now, it's just a precaution until we know more about her."
John stepped back, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stepped forward. When they gazed through the small window, they gasped.
"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur demanded.
"What is it dad?" Ron asked as he tried peeking around his parents.
They stepped back, and Harry and Ron took their places. Harry understood why they had gasped. The only time he had ever seen something like this, was on the telly.
Hermione was in a small room covered in padding. She was sitting crossed legged in the middle of the room with a white jacket on, that tied her hands behind her back.
She had white gauze wrapped around her neck, and her face was pasty, while her hair hung limply down her shoulders.
"What is that jacket around her for?" Arthur demanded again.
Harry stepped back, as Ginny and the twins fought to take his side. Before John could answer, he grabbed Arthur's arm and said, "come over here, please."
Molly followed them until they were separated from everyone.
"I don't understand what's happening to her," Molly said in concern.
"How do I explain this. Ok, this is a place where sick Muggles go, but not for illness. This place would be like the wing in St. Mungo's where they keep those with Spell Damage. Like the Longbottoms, those who are suffering mentally," Harry explained.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley now understood.
"But what's that jacket for? And why's the room padded?" Arthur asked again.
"It's so she doesn't harm herself or those around her," Harry explained.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked aghast.
"I think what you need to be asking John is if Hermione remembers anything, if her memories been affected, and when she can leave," Harry said gently because he knew they didn't understand the Muggle world.
"Good idea," Arthur said. He walked over to John, and they started whispering.
Harry and Molly walked back over to the rest of the Weasley's, who were looking upset. When Harry got close enough to them and Molly joined her husband, Harry repeated what he's just said. They had the same reactions as their parents, which Harry felt as well.
Never in his life would he ever think Hermione would end up in a mental institution! His mind flashed back to the Longbottoms, and he shivered. If Hermione was now like them… He couldn't even finish the thought. Part of him thought the Longbottoms might be better off dead than in the mental state they were in, but he would never admit it out loud.
And what was he thinking! Would he rather Hermione dead, than brain dead? What would life be like without Hermione around?
Tears came to his eyes again. He turned his head, and walked to a water fountain. He took long sips as he fought with his emotions. Hermione's not dead, and she's not going anywhere! She's fine. We'll have her back to the Weasley's any minute now, and things can return to normal. He lied to himself.
Ginny walked over. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly.
He straightened, and wiped the water from his mouth. "fine," he mumbled.
"I may not understand things Muggle, or what's really going on here, but from your reaction, it must be bad," Ginny said.
He wanted to lie to her and tell her everything was fine. But if he couldn't believe his own lies, than why would she? All he could do was nod, because his throat closed up on him.
Ginny's eyes watered as her bottom lip trembled. "She's going to be ok isn't she?" her voice wavered.
Harry couldn't face all this emotion, so he turned his back on her. Ginny let out a sob as she went to her mother.
He took a few deep breaths, before he followed. He got there in time for Arthur and Molly to face their children.
Arthur motioned them to the side so he could talk to them more privately. "I've just talked to John. He said they ran tests, whatever that means, and everything looks normal. However these tests don't monitor her thoughts. She's not brain dead, but she doesn't remember much. They want her to stay a few more days to see just what she can and can't remember."
"She's staying?" Ron asked in disbelief. "Here?" His voice rose on that word.
"There's more," Molly said. "Because her parent's can no longer release her, nothing legal can be done until they reach her Godmother, who lives in the States."
Everyone was speechless.
"What does this mean?" Ginny cried out.
Molly sighed. "It means we are not her guardians. Her Godmother is now. We don't even know if her Godmother knows she's a witch or not."
Everyone's jaw dropped. "But, but, Hogwarts!" Ron spluttered.
"Assuming Hermione is fit to leave here, it'll be up to the Godmother on whether or not she'll go back to Hogwarts," Arthur said sadly.
Ginny started to cry harder as everyone else felt devastated. The thought of Hermione not returning to Hogwarts was as foreign to him as anything Muggle was foreign to the Weasley's.
"Come now children, we'll come back tomorrow. There isn't much more we can do today," Molly said as she ushered everyone along.
Harry felt lost as he followed the Weasley's out the door, and away from Hermione, hopefully not for the last time.