Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Well. I must say it's been a while and I'm so sorry for the delays! I was on a Hobbit kick for a few weeks, then I was on vacation, and then I started another Harry Potter story. However, after yesterday's chapter for Christmas in the Highlands, I had the urge to work on this and voila! Things just came together beautifully. I really hope you enjoy this chapter!
Harry wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not and he rubbed his eyes.
"What?" he asked.
"I want to sneak into St. Mungo's." Hermione replied, handing Harry his glasses. He put them on and stared at her intently before breaking the silence.
"Are you mad?" Harry exclaimed. "We can't go there! Ron and I are too sick to travel and even if we could, Polyjuice Potion won't hide the fact we're ill. We'd likely get admitted and for all we know, St. Mungo's has been infiltrated with Death Eaters, just like the Ministry. As soon as they figure out who I am, they'll call you-know-who. I can just picture him walking onto the ward with a smug smile on his face. I won't face him that way, Hermione."
"Harry," Hermione said. "Calm down."
Harry ignored her and continued.
"We're supposed to be in hiding and you're suggesting we go to one of the most dangerous places to go."
It was painfully ironic, Harry realized, as a hospital was also the place they needed to go to the most.
"Harry," Hermione said evenly. "I didn't suggest we go. I said I was going to go."
Harry's mind went blank for a minute before he firmly answered,
"No. It's too dangerous."
"And I suppose jumping into a frozen pond in the middle of winter to get the sword of Gryffindor was completely without risk. Harry, nothing we're doing is safe."
"I won't let you."
"You won't let me?" Hermione's voice was shrill.
"No." Harry said as firmly as he could muster. "It's way too dangerous and I can't let anything happen to you. Ron would agree with me."
"Of course he would." Hermione spat. "I wasn't asking your permission, Harry."
"Hermione, please. Be sensible."
"I am being sensible! We're stuck here because you two were brilliant enough to jump into that pond and now you're ill. The sensible thing would be to get potions so you get better and we can get on with finding Horcruxes!"
"What if you get caught? You're on lists, Hermione. You're practically Undesirable Number Two!"
Ron groaned from across the tent and Harry lowered his voice.
"It's too dangerous. Ron and I will get better eventually without the potions."
Hermione frowned.
"Are you listening to yourself? You know what Ron's condition is and you're not much better. You need potions."
Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. He had a headache.
"Nothing I say will change your mind?"
"No." Hermione answered. "I've thought this through, Harry. I'm not going to waltz in there as I am, I'll be disguised. I won't do anything fancy, either. Just get the potions and come back."
Harry sighed again, lying down. The conversation had worn him out.
"Do you want me to tell you what I was thinking or do you want to go back to sleep?"
A trace of compassion had entered Hermione's voice.
"Tell me." Harry said. "And I'll try to stay awake."
"Alright." Hermione said, sitting back in her chair. "The first step is to make sure I can get in without being recognized. Polyjuice Potion is by far the best chance I've got so I'll do what we did when we snuck into the Ministry. I'll apparate into London, a few blocks away from Purge and Dowse, Ltd., and I'll wait for someone to come out. I'll follow them and then stun them so I can use their hair."
"What if they're a Death Eater?"
"Hopefully I'll see someone I know," she said. "And if I don't, I'll follow them long enough to gauge if they're good or not. Anyways, it doesn't matter too much. You went into the Ministry as Runcorn."
"True," Harry conceded. "Alright, go on."
"Once I've transformed, I'll go the store and talk to the mannequin which will get me inside. I'll pretend to be a visitor but once I'm past the Welcome Witch, I'll go to the loo and put on the invisibility cloak."
Harry nodded his approval.
"From there, all I need to do is follow one of the healers into their storeroom and take what I need. I'll go back to the loo, take off the cloak, and leave as though I've just spent an hour visiting."
Harry was silent. It wasn't a bad plan but it still made him nervous.
"How are you going to find us again?"
"When you and Ron went to the pond, were you able to see the tent when you came back?"
"Yeah."
"So then I should be able to as well." Hermione answered. "I know we're in the Forest of Dean and that should be enough."
Again Harry was silent, trying to find a flaw in the plan but nothing was coming to him.
"When do you want to leave?" he asked and Hermione beamed. She would have gone without his approval, of course, but it was much better knowing he was alright with what she was going to do.
"Tomorrow morning. It's getting late now which means visiting hours are likely over at St. Mungo's anyways. Go to sleep, Harry," Hermione said, standing up.
"I'll be here if you need me."
Harry's eyes slid closed without him initiating the process. It didn't take him very long to fall asleep and Hermione began preparing for the trip. She didn't want to take her beaded bag, as it contained everything they needed to survive. If something went wrong, Harry and Ron would need it more than she would. Instead, she emptied Ron's rucksack and did a few complicated spells to transfigure it into a small handbag that contained a small, near invisible pocket that had been undetectably extended. There she could put the potions, her clothes, the cloak, and anything else she didn't want anyone to find. If she was searched on her way in or out, her secret wouldn't be revealed.
After a late night cup of tea, Hermione checked on Harry and Ron, placed a compress on each brow, and crawled into bed. She hoped for a quiet night – Harry and Ron needed the sleep and so did she.
The night hadn't been as peaceful as she'd hoped and Hermione was up before dawn. She woke up with Ron and again with Harry but had managed to get about three hours sleep before the howling wind and pounding sleet permanently ended her slumber. For a while, she lay in her bunk listening to Ron and Harry's congested breathing and thinking about the plan. She hoped it wasn't snowing in London but she had no way of finding out short of apparating there. Hermione mentally went through each step she had to do. A lot was riding on this going well – the health of her friends, for one thing – but even more was riding on it not going badly. As long as she managed to get back alive, the potions were secondary.
Hermione got out of bed just as the sky was beginning to lighten. She ate a meagre breakfast and checked over her bag once more. There wasn't much in it as she planned to steal the contents of the bag belonging to the unfortunate witch she stunned. The cloak was tucked neatly into the hidden compartment and Hermione knew that it was time.
She went to Ron's bunk and sat on the edge of the mattress. Ron was snoring and Hermione brushed his hair back from his forehead before leaning down and kissing it gently. She straightened the blankets after she stood and went to Harry's bed. Harry, who was awake and had seen the encounter, quickly turned his head to avoid the awkward moment. Hermione approached and Harry pretended to notice her for the first time. He didn't smile as she sat on the chair still next to his bunk.
"Be careful."
"I'm always careful."
"I know you are but our plans never work out the way we anticipate. Promise you'll come back the minute something goes wrong."
"I'll use good judgement," Hermione said and Harry noticed she hadn't actually promised. He shifted uncomfortably.
"Are you going to be alright?"
Harry nodded.
"How's Ron?"
Hermione glanced over at the other bed.
"He's doing okay, I think. He's been sleeping since about two, which is an improvement over yesterday."
She looked worried and Harry felt the odd sensation he'd felt when Hermione had been talking to their unconscious friend. He knew Hermione was worried about him too but there was a distinct look in her eyes when she talked about Ron's wellbeing. It made Harry long for Ginny, who would undoubtedly have the same look in her eyes while talking about him.
"I'll keep an eye on him." Harry promised. "You should go before it gets too late."
Hermione nodded and stood again.
"I'll … I'll see you later, then."
Harry nodded.
"Right."
"I've left the beaded bag on the table with everything in it and I've got Ron's rucksack. His things are on the table."
"Okay."
"If I don't come back …"
"You will." Harry interrupted. "Go."
Hermione hesitated but gave a firm nod before buttoning up her coat and pulling on her mittens.
"See you later."
"See you." Harry echoed, shivering as Hermione undid the tent flap. She stepped outside and he heard the distinct pop that signalled her departure and glanced at Ron, telling himself she was going to be okay.
Hermione appeared near the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park. She immediately noticed it was snowing quite heavily for London but it was nothing like the snow in the Forest of Dean. Still, she quickly took the invisibility cloak out and wrapped it tightly around herself before setting towards Purge and Dowse, Ltd. When she was a block away from the entrance, Hermione found an alley to hide in and watched the dummy in the store's window. As witches and wizards came out, Hermione studied each of them, trying to decide if they would make a suitable disguise. She couldn't believe her luck when Hannah Abbott came out of the door, glancing over her shoulder.
Moving silently and quickly, Hermione followed Hannah down the road and was trying to figure out the best way to stun her when Hannah stopped suddenly and turned around. She stared straight through Hermione and her eyes narrowed. After a moment, she continued walking but after ten paces stopped again. She spun around and Hermione jumped, despite knowing Hannah couldn't see her.
"Ernie!" she exclaimed angrily and Hermione looked over her shoulder to see Ernie MacMillan sheepishly duck out from a doorway.
"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" she hissed and Hermione stepped out of the way, eyes darting back and forth between them.
"Making sure you're alright," Ernie replied. "It's not safe for you to be walking by yourself."
Hannah looked indignant.
"I'm fine."
"Hannah, you're a half-blood witch."
"I know I am but I was cleared. They've ordered me to attend Hogwarts so surely they're not going to ambush me on the streets of London!"
"You don't know that!" Ernie exclaimed and glanced over as he saw people at a bus stop staring at him. He pulled her into a narrow alley, away from prying eyes. Hermione followed them.
"Look, I know the Ministry said to attend Hogwarts but wandering around London by yourself is not safe! What if a Death Eater decides to take matters into their own hands? They are plenty of them who think that half-bloods shouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts."
"So? If they wanted to do me in, having you around would hardly stop them."
"It can't hurt," Ernie insisted. "Given my blood status."
Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. She desperately wanted to show herself and ask questions but she knew that if there was any opportune moment to stun Hannah, this was it. She pulled out her wand, still under the cloak, and aimed it at Ernie.
"Stupify!" she thought, grateful to have mastered non-verbal spells. Ernie crumpled to the ground and before Hannah could kneel next to him or even cry out, she was hit with the same curse.
It was difficult to manage the pair of them while still under the cloak but Hermione moved them down the alleyway, looking for the best place to hide them. She wanted to leave them somewhere warm, given the fact it was still snowing, but she couldn't see anywhere suitable. Finally, despite her best efforts, Hermione dragged her friends behind a skip.
"I'm really sorry," she murmured, plucking a few blonde hairs from Hannah's head. "I'll come back for you, I promise."
Hermione glanced over her shoulder before taking the cloak off and stowing it in her handbag. She pulled out the small flask of potion and added Hannah's hairs which made the potion fizzle and turn pink. Without hesitation, Hermione drank the potion and underwent the painful transformation. When she stood from behind the skip, she found that her clothes still fit which saved her the trouble of leaving Hannah half-naked in the alley. The only thing she did was take Hannah's purse from her handbag and stuck it in her own, along with Hannah's wand. She debated taking Ernie's wand but left it with him in case they woke up.
Hermione went over a mental checklist before squaring her shoulders and leaving the alley. She quickly walked back to St. Mungo's entrance and spoke to the mannequin who welcomed her to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. She stepped over the threshold and found herself not in a shabby warehouse but in a modern hospital. The Welcome Witch smiled at her and Hermione smiled back.
"May I help you?"
"I'm just visiting."
"May I have your name for the register?"
Hermione froze. Hannah had already registered once today but she couldn't pretend to be someone else while disguised as Hannah – it would become too confusing.
"Hannah Abbott," Hermione answered. The witch scanned her list and glanced up at Hermione looking confused.
"I know I was just here but I … forgot something." Hermione said lamely. "I'll only be a few minutes."
Much to her relief, the witch smiled and waved her past. Hermione didn't waste any time and found the bathroom on the main floor. She locked a cubicle and pulled the cloak out of her bag, draping it over herself before unlocking the door and after waiting for a witch to come through the door, exited the toilet.
Standing in the main hall, Hermione decided her best chance was to go to the second floor – Magical Bugs and Diseases. Sneaking onto a lift was a bit trickier and after riding it up and down four times, someone finally stopped on the second floor and Hermione barely managed to get off the lift before the doors slid closed again.
The ward was crowded and Hermione had a difficult time dodging out of the way of people. She ran into one angry looking wizard who stopped and stared through her. He took a few steps forward and Hermione slowly backed against the wall between two beds.
"Sir!" A healer exclaimed. "Sir, he's highly contagious!"
The wizard stopped and glanced at the bed where a man was covered in dragon pox. Hermione was more grateful to be saved from the wizard than worried about being exposed. The wizard gave one last, long stare at the wall and backed away. Hermione took a shaky breath when the wizard left the ward and tried to focus on what she needed to do. She had to find their storeroom but had no idea where it was or even how to look for it.
"Daisy," a voice said and Hermione saw one of the healers addressing another. "Mr. Flysp needs his next potion."
The witch she assumed was Daisy nodded and rose from the desk. Hermione moved quickly and followed the witch out of the ward and down a corridor. She stopped at a large door and pulled out her wand, muttering an incantation and the door swung open. Hermione quickly realized the storeroom was quite small and it would require careful steps to get in without being felt. Daisy stepped into the small room and Hermione stepped in after her. The healer selected a purple potion from a shelf and turned. Simultaneously, Hermione turned and the two witches switched places in the cupboard. Daisy swung the door shut and Hermione heard the locks engage and she began to panic. She was locked in the storeroom cupboard.
"Okay," Hermione said to herself. "Don't panic. First get what we need and then find a way out."
Not panicking was easier said than done but Hermione pulled out her wand.
"Lumos," she muttered and the tip of her wand ignited. Hermione gathered various potions for fever, vomiting, pain, sleeping draughts, and anything else that looked like it might be helpful. She carefully stowed them in her bag's secret compartment before turning her full attention to her escape plan.
The idea of waiting for another healer to come to the cupboard was unappealing. Hermione didn't know how long it would be for another patient to need a potion and she couldn't risk the Polyjuice Potion wearing off. She could bombard the door but it was likely similar to the doors at Gringotts and was made to withstand that sort of spell.
Hermione glanced around, taking in every dimension of the small room. There wasn't a ventilation vent which was probably just as well. Hermione couldn't very well crawl through the vents and appear somewhere else in the hospital without raising suspicions.
"Alohomora!" Hermione said, pointing her wand at the door but not surprisingly, the door didn't budge. Hermione couldn't help but panic slightly and she looked frantically through her handbag for anything that could prove useful. She found Hannah's D.A. coin but even if she sent a message, it would take hours for someone to let her out and that was assuming anyone from the D.A. could even come.
Hermione wondered if she could apparate and wasn't really surprised when she couldn't. Despite this, apparition gave her an idea but it was mad. However, it was the only thing she could think of. Pulling out her wand, Hermione selected an empty flask from a shelf and recited tricky incantations that were far beyond her level. She'd read about how to make Portkeys in a book but she'd never done one. Still, it was her only hope to escape the cupboard soon.
Hermione finished the magic and stared at the flask. She'd made the Portkey active for exactly noon and her watched showed eleven fifty-five. It was the longest four minutes Hermione had ever experienced but the flask began to glow at eleven fifty-nine and Hermione grabbed onto it tightly, hoping she had done the spells right.
She felt the sensation in her stomach and soon she was spinning through the air. She'd thought about making the Portkey take her back the alley but realized it was likely prohibited to travel in and out of the hospital in that manner so she'd settled for the main floor toilet. Hermione stumbled onto the bathroom floor and the cloak fell off of her. There was a witch at one of the sinks touching up her lipstick and she looked shocked when Hermione appeared.
"Are you alright, dear?"
Hermione recognized Neville's grandmother and relief swept over her. She stood, picking up her cloak and quickly stuffing it into her bag.
"Oh, yes," she said. "Vanishing Sickness, I'm afraid."
Neville's grandmother clucked her tongue.
"Do you need any help back to your ward?"
"No," Hermione said quickly. "The healers think it's beneficial to get some exercise. I was going for a walk and had a spell. I'll be fine, Mrs. Longbottom."
Hermione started to leave but Mrs. Longbottom spoke to her almost indignantly.
"How do you know my name? Do I know you?"
"Uh …" Hermione said. "I know Neville."
"Are you in Gryffindor?"
"Ye – no. Hufflepuff."
"Neville hasn't mentioned you before. He only talks about his Gryffindor friends."
"We have Herbology together. He's really good at it."
Mrs. Longbottom's face swelled with pride.
"Yes, he is. Well, I hope you get better soon …" She waited for Hermione to share her name.
"Hannah. Hannah Abbott."
Mrs. Longbottom smiled.
"I hope you get better soon, Hannah. I'll tell Neville I saw you. If you are one of his friends, I'm sure he's wondering how you're doing."
"Thank you." Hermione said quickly, making her exit as quickly as she could. She could feel the effects of the Polyjuice Potion wearing off and she hurried out to the lobby.
"Thank you!" she called over her shoulder to the Welcome Witch. The witch called something in response but Hermione didn't stop to listen. She bolted outside the doors and ran the length of the street before ducking into a store entrance to pull the cloak back on.
Her heart was pounding and her palms were sweaty but Hermione was proud of her accomplishment. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, Hermione checked to make sure she still had her bag before walking back to the alley. Ernie and Hannah were still sleeping and Hermione replaced Hannah's purse and wand before lifting the curse. She longed to talk to them and explain what had happened but instead, she walked away as they were waking up. She heard their frightened exclamations but didn't turn around. With her head down, Hermione walked back to the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park and disapparated to the Forest of Dean.
When she appeared in the forest, Hermione decided not to take off the cloak for good measure. She walked determinedly to where she knew the tent was pitched but her heart sank when she crested the last hill and saw nothing but snow, trees, and a semi-frozen river.
"Harry?" she called out timidly. "Ron?"
There was no answer and the snow continued to blow in her face as she walked to where the tent flap should be. She couldn't see anything but snow and Hermione, despite her success, sank against the same tree she'd been leaning on only a few days earlier and burst into tears.
She'd lost her best friends.
Your reviews and comments are highly appreciated and I'll do my best to update this soon! Thanks =)