Title: Never Let Me Go
Couple: Hermione/Sirius
Rating: M, for later chapters.
Disclaimer: Really, I wish I did, but I don't own anything related to Harry Potter. The wonderful and amazing JK Rowling owns it all.
Chapter Two
The whimper left her mouth before she could really process the pain that racked her body. Well, not pain exactly. A soreness stretched over her from head to toe, every muscle hummed in protest, begging her to remain still. Hermione easily acquiesced to their request. A subtle sigh left her mouth as she let her body sink into the warmth of the soft sheets...
Wait, what? Her eyes snapped open and against her bodies pleas, she sat up. Wide-eyed and tense, she tried looking for her wand, but all that was on the side table was a goblet of water and an empty potion bottle. Before she could be consumed with fear a since of familiarity at her surroundings eased the tension that coiled within.
She was no stranger to the hospital wing at Hogwarts and while she didn't lay back down, her muscles relaxed and left her with a grimace. Hogwarts... If she was here did that mean- Had it all been a dream? Dumbledore? Godric's Hollow? Voldemort and James Potter? She wished it had been, but at the same time she didn't. Because what if Dumbledore – dream or no dream – had been right, and Voldemort won the war?
If that were the case, Madam Pomfrey would surely have had her hands full, and the lack of patients and empty beds said otherwise. Also, Hermione doubted her heath would matter if Voldemort won. She would most likely be thrown into Azkaban or killed on sight because of her deep rooted friendship with Harry Potter and muggle-born status.
"Oh good. You're finally awake, Miss...," Hermione's head snapped to the sight of Albus Dumbledore sitting cozily in a plush chair beside her bed. Definitely alive and looking a hair younger than she'd ever seen him. So, it wasn't a dream after all. Unless, she was dreaming now.
Not feeling like her body would appreciate a pinch, she decided that the smiling, twinkly-eyed Headmaster was indeed not a dream. And in fact, very much alive.
Realizing he was waiting for her name, Hermione pulled out of her thoughts. "Hermione Granger, Professor."
"You know who I am," it wasn't a question, however, Hermione nodded anyway. "And, yet, I know nothing about you, Miss Granger. Except for your name and that you faced one of the most powerful Dark Wizards and not only lived to tell the tale, but defeated him in the very same night. Would you care to explain?"
Hermione opened her mouth and for a moment didn't know what to say. To tell or not to tell? The was the proverbial question, was it not? And both followed into two very unknown outcomes. She couldn't imagine the likelihood of either without deep thought and concentration and Dumbledore was currently looking at her with something akin to determination and patience.
One look at the wizard and she knew what she would do. Whether or not it was the right thing, she couldn't say. Hermione was sent back to change things and while she would love to pick through each possible conclusion and dissect all the twists and turns until she had a wise decision placed in front of her, she knew that she would be over-thinking it. She could just imagine what Harry and Ron would say to that...
Everything spilled out, she didn't give him time to think or a moment to interrupt. Because once she was done telling one story, she was onto something else. Her friendship with Harry Potter. Her years and adventures at Hogwarts. The return of Voldemort. The hunt for horcruxes and the battle she disappeared from.
She didn't hesitate to tell him every single detail that led up to her appearance. He was Albus Dumbledore, after all. She trusted him.
Her eyes felt heavy and her body still ached when she was done. At one point she had started to cry, the memory of her parents tugged on her heart especially. Hermione was not naïve. There was no way to return home, at least not to the one she knew of. She wanted to sleep, wanted to dream of all the faces she would never see again.
Dumbledore kept his face guarded, but she could see he believed her and that was a small relief. The way she had babbled, she wouldn't have been surprised if he suggested admitting her to St. Mungo's.
"To say you've been through a lot is an understatement, Miss Granger," he said with a warm smile, as he patted her hand. "I think it would be best to let you sleep and tomorrow you may give me a list of those Horcruxes."
"Of course, Professor," was all she could say and she watched him leave, before settling back against the soft pillows and sheets. It didn't take long for sleep to find her.
/-/-/-/
"She should go to Azkaban."
"What? She defeated You-Know-Who!"
"She used an Unforgivable."
"She's just a girl, Alastor!"
"Silence!" Albus Dumbledore's voice under the Sonorus charm made everyone in the room cringe, but he looked at the woman in front of him expectantly as he canceled the spell. "Madam Minister?"
Millicent Bagnold had been a dear friend of Dumbledore for many years, she was quite younger than him (a good fifty years, actually), but they were two peas in a pod. From their absolute trust in people down to their odd fascination with Sherbert Lemons. However, she was a Slytherin and he was a Gryffindor. No matter their interests, there were also many arguments. It was an unexpected friendship, if there ever was one.
"He is right," she sighed, gesturing towards Alastor Moody. "She might have defeated Tom, but she used an Unforgivable... However," Millicent glared at the black haired, young man who dared try to interrupt her, watching him until his mouth promptly shut and he crossed his arms. His friend patting his back. "I think, she might be an exception and don't even think about it Alastor," she said, catching the Auror with his mouth ready to argue. "She used a dark curse, but that shouldn't define her. Not to mention, her face will be plastered all over the Prophet now that Riddle is gone. The public will be treating her like a queen, and if we lock her up for it, the Ministry will be a target for retaliation."
"And about her situation?" Dumbledore asked, touching his fingertips together as he leaned over his desk.
"No one outside of the Order can know about her being a time traveler," Millicent shook her head, getting many similar agreements. "We've all seen the memory," she looked to the pensieve offhandedly. "And with the Veritaserum in her veins, we can't roll our eyes and admit her to St. Mungo's. Trying to send her back isn't a possibility either."
"Why not?" the dark haired, young man asked.
"While we've established the magic for going back in time, we've, yet, to grasp going forward, Mr. Black," Millicent smiled at him and his friend. Both boys looked a right mess. Of course, they lost two of their friends that night. One to death and the other to a life sentence in prison. "Not to mention she's upset the timeline. We've no idea what we would be sending her back to."
"And we can rule out Azkaban, right, Madam Minister?" Molly Weasley's question made Alastor scowl, but Millicent nodded.
"Yes, that would be too cruel. I don't fancy myself being the type to chuck an innocent girl into Azkaban when she's just come from a war and defeated Voldemort," the cringes at the name went unnoticed. "Even if she used an Unforgivable to do so, Alastor, yes," Millicent gave the Auror a look and the man huffed.
"I think it's safe to say," Dumbledore began. "That Miss Granger, if anything, needs help adjusting to this time. She'll need friends with the days ahead. She might have made many people happy, but Voldemort has followers and they will be angry."
"She'll need protection, then," said Arthur Weasley.
"And a place to stay," his wife added.
"Normally, I would ask the two of you for that responsibility," Dumbledore admitted with a smile. "But, with the addition of young Miss Weasley, I believe you have your hands full." Both redheads gave a nod.
"Why can't she stay at Hogwarts, Albus?" asked Minerva. "Going from the memory, she hasn't finished her N.E.W.T.s."
It was a very good suggestion, but Dumbledore shook his head. "I have a feeling Miss Granger might have had her share of the school."
"But, what of her N.E.W.T.s? If she is to adapt to this time, she can't possibly get an acceptable job without them."
"She might not want to be at Hogwart's, Minerva. That doesn't mean she can't study or take the exam." The Headmaster smiled kindly at his Transfiguration Teacher.
It was five minutes later when the room went silent that Remus Lupin spoke up. "Sirius has an extra bedroom."
The man in question looked to his friend in surprise, but for once didn't say anything. However, that didn't stop everyone else. Alastor grumbled something in the corner that made Kingsley snort, but the scene went unnoticed.
"Isn't that a tad inappropriate?" Molly's eyes were wide and she couldn't hide her skepticism.
"Really, Molly?" Emmaline rolled her eyes. "It's the eighties."
The Weasley matriarch looked to the younger witch sharply. "It's one thing to live with one man, it is a completely different story to live with two. The papers will already have a field day with the defeat of You-Know-Who. Just think what that dreadful Rita Skeeter will say if she found out Miss Granger was living with the two of them!" She gestured to Remus and Sirius.
"Is it because I'm a werewolf?" Remus frowned.
"Of course not!" Molly exclaimed, looking truly horrified at the accusation while shaking her head. "I didn't mean it that way, dear. Not at all."
"I think what Molly was trying to say, Remus..." Dumbledore stepped in, before things could get out of hand. "Is that it could bring bad publicity. While such things have been overseen in the Muggle world, the Wizarding world is still coming to terms with such things. However," he sighed and popped a sherbert lemon into his mouth, then offered one to Millicent. "Concerning her safety, it might be for the best. Miss Granger doesn't strike me as the type of woman to choose vanity over security. Of course, we won't know until tomorrow."
After that the room fell to silence and the meeting came to a close.
/-/-/-/
Hermione handed Dumbledore the slip of parchment she had asked Madam Pomfrey for. "Those are all the Horcruxes and their possible locations," she told him, as she leaned back against the mound of pillows behind her. While she watched Dumbledore read the list, she kept an astute eye on the medi-witch out of her peripheral.
The woman had constantly been on her. Shoving potions down her mouth and making sure she didn't get out of bed. Hermione couldn't visit the loo without being followed or asked where she was going. And now Madam Pomfrey was watching the two of them like a hawk. And really, she couldn't blame the woman.
Hermione had seen herself in the mirror, the blood loss had definitely taken it's toll on her with the striking, sickly pallor she'd adopted. The laceration to her side was easy enough to heal, however the Blood-Replenishing potion was working unusually slow.
"I'm hoping once I'm up to par, I could help find them sir." Back to the matter at hand.
Dumbledore looked at her and gave a small chuckle. "Oh, I don't think that would be fair, Miss Granger," he shook his head. "You've already been on the hunt for them. There's no need to do it a second time around," he said, and vanished the piece of paper with a flick of his wand. "Plus, I had thought you would want a bit of a rest after all you've been through. Maybe study for your N.E.W.T.s, perhaps?"
Hermione was rather surprised at his refusal for help. She opened her mouth to argue, but then promptly closed it. For so long she had stood beside Harry, following him on his every whim. And while she wouldn't have changed one single thing, she agreed with Dumbledore completely. For once, she did want to rest and finishing her N.E.W.T.s sounded lovely.
Taking Hermione's silence as an agreement, Dumbledore clapped his hands together and smiled. "Wonderful. Now, the Order and I have come across a few ideas for accommodations..."
TBC.
A/N: A big thanks to those who reviewed, Favorited, and or alerted. Really was a boost to get the second chapter out. I only hope that you like this installment and aren't put out at the lack of Hermione/Sirius. Sirius was in it, though! Not a lot, but he had a cameo! There will definitely be interaction between the two in the next chapter. But, this chapter needed to happen to explain a few things, before the story could continue. Hope you all enjoyed and thank you once again!