Hi! More chapters! I really hope you like it. I worked solidly for the past two days on this one. I hope it's okay.

Please enjoy.

Walking Free

Healing

'Harry, can you hear me?' Hermione cried, placing a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. 'Ron, he's been splinched, it's his leg…' She almost screeched, distressed at the state of her unresponsive friend. The pool of blood around Harry's twisting form grew sickeningly quickly, leaving Harry and now Hermione in a bloody mess. Unzipping his jacket Hermione cursed as she realised that his chest was also damaged. 'Shhh, Harry. It's ok, Harry. It's ok.' She whispered to him, placing her cool hand on his forehead in an attempt to soothe him as he moaned in agony. 'Ron, do something! He's losing so much blood. I haven't got any potions with me!' She called out desperately as a wave of panic hit her.

The redhead dropped down to the floor by her side, ready to help in any way he could; however, Draco remained standing, his face suddenly pale at the sight of the man below him.

'Damn it, you better live you bloody twat.' Draco growled, slowly lowering himself to the ground.

'Why do you care so much? What interest do you have in Harry?' Ron asked, not understanding Draco's motive for Harry being healed.

'I need him to protect me, that's why.' Draco shouted in response. 'Isn't that obvious? I don't really give a shit what happens to him once this whole war is over; I just need to him to keep his stupid self out of trouble to keep me safe. D'you really think I give a crap about him? You've got to be j-'

'Why you little-!' Ron grabbed the blonde and shoved him against the wall. 'You are a horrible, disgusting, shitty little prick. How dare you use Harry like that! He's got enough to worry about without you demanding his help, of which you certainly don't deserve.'

'Stop it, both of you! Please, he needs help!' Hermione cried out, her hands shaking as she tried to stop the blood from pumping out of the wound. 'Ron, I need some essence of dittany but I haven't got any with me.'

'H-Harry might have some in the house. I'll go look.' Ron squeezed Hermione's shoulder with a quivering hand before sprinting down to the kitchen.

'I'll help.' Draco was about to stand but Hermione pulled him back down. 'No, I need you to help me stop the bleeding. Here, hold you hand over this cut. Okay, how good are you at healing charms?'

'Why are you asking me? I thought you were supposed to be the brains of Britain!' Draco hissed.

'Of course I know them!' Hermione scolded, 'But I'm going to need your help. D'you know 'Vulnera Sanentur'? It heals shallow and deeps wounds but-'

'I know what it is!'

'Okay, we'll have to do it at least three times. That way it shouldn't leave a scar.'

'But the dittany will make sure of that.' Draco huffed, recoiling in disgust as blood drenched his hands.

'Yeah but I have no idea if we have any. Ron? Did you find any?'

The red head pounded up the stairs, his cheeks flushed with worry. 'Sorry, Mione, I can't find any.'

'Err…oh, okay, go home and bring my bag.' Hermione replied after thought. 'It should be on my bedside table.

Ron nodded and grabbed his coat. 'You sure you'll be okay?'

'Yes, we'll be fine, now go!'

'This is so gross.' Draco moaned under his breath.

Harry's chest heaved as his eyes rolled back in agony. Hermione stroked his cheek soothingly as she reached for her wand. 'Come on, Harry, it's going to be okay. Draco, you ready?'

Either the blonde let the use of his first name slide, or he was too anxious to notice, Hermione didn't know but she could tell he was unsure as he steadied his wand. 'Let's do this already.'

They instinctively, on the count of three, began the spell with the correct wand movements, allowing the tip of the wand to pass over the entire wounded area.

'Vulnera Sanentur.' they chanted three times. The first time caused the blood to ease back into the wounds clotting the blood flow. The second time made the cuts heal themselves, the skin knitting itself back together. The time and final time was to remove the body of the most visible scar that the wound would leave if lest unhealed. However, it would still leave a visible trace of the splinch. Hermione wished Ron would hurry back, preying that he hadn't splinched himself in his worry.

As if he could hear her thoughts, Ron thundered through the doorway just as they finished the last chant. Hermione grabbed the bag and emptied the contents onto the floor. After a moment of frantic searching she found what she was looking for, a small vial filled with lightly blue tinted liquid. Ripping the cork out of the top the brunet set about applying the essence over the fading scars.

Looking down at his hands and almost the entirety of Hermione's body, Draco used a basic cleaning spell to remove the drying blood. He couldn't say he had enjoyed the experience but it certainly gave him a sense of pride, knowing that he had helped to save someone's life. Not that he would even admit to finding such frivolous activities satisfying.

'Well done, honey.' Ron whispered, helping his girlfriend to her feet. 'You okay?'

'Yeah,' she replied, a little shaken. 'now we just need to get him to bed.'

Dabbing a wet cloth over Harry's sweating brow, Ron pulled the duvet over the man's chest, tucking it in slightly under his arms.

'D'you think he'll be okay?' Ron asked hesitantly. 'I'm a little worried he's pushing himself too far. I mean, you can tell he's exhausted.'

'That must be why he splinched himself. He was tired and couldn't concentrate on where it was he wanted to apparate to. That must have been why he was splinched so badly.'

'Better make sure he stays in bed for a couple of days.' Ron suggested with a sigh, running his hand through his disheveled hair.

'Well, I agree with you on that one but he really need proper medical care. We need to have a healer check him over.' Hermione handed Ron the cloth as she went to the door. 'I'm gonna fire-call Poppy Pomfrey; maybe she'll have time to come see him this evening.'

Hermione went into the nearest room with a fireplace; a simple sitting room with little furniture, most of which was moth eaten and fallen apart. Kneeling on the floor by the fireplace she raised her wand and pointed it at the wood resting on the grate.

'Incendio.' The logs quickly flickered and spat as they set alight, casting a warm glow over Hermione's face. To her left she found a pot of Floo Powder which she sprinkled over the flames before rolling Hogwarts' address and Madam Pomfrey's name off her tongue. As soon as the flames sparked into an electric green, she knelt forward, lowering her face into the fire. Hermione waited a while for Poppy to reach the fireplace in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, trying to ignore the disconcerting sensation of her head floating somewhere between Grimmauld place and Hogwarts while the rest of her body was planted firmly on the floor. It wasn't long before Poppy appeared before her, her face flustered and tinged pink.

'Miss Granger? I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?' the elderly woman asked warmly.

'It's good to see you again Madam Pomfrey. I'm sorry for asking this as I'm sure you're very busy but I was hoping you could come over to Grimmauld place sometime today to check on Harry. He splinched himself quite badly earlier and I've done my best,' she hastened, 'but it would really set me at ease if you would have a look at him, just to make sure he's okay.'

Madam Pomfrey nodded once, taking everything in. 'I'm not sure I'll be able to see him tonight dear. Almost half the first years' have come down with a horrible case of the flu and I have one too many broken bones to attend to. However, by tomorrow morning I should have some time to visit. Now, did you use essence of dittany on the wounds?' she asked, a slender eyebrow raised.

Hermione nodded quickly. 'I didn't have any at first so I had to use a healing charm but I managed to get some from home and it seemed to work. He's resting now and his wounds have all healed but I think he may have a fever.'

'Alright, dear. I'll pop over first thing in the morning, around nine.'

'Thank you.' Hermione smiled once as she pulled away from the fire.

Ron stumbled down the stairs with heavy legs, his head spinning with the need to sleep. On entering the kitchen he noticed Malfoy sat at the table, hunched over a glass of red wine. His head was resting in a fisted hand, silvery, blonde hair spiking between his fingers.

'Mind if I join you?' Ron asked in a tired, husky voice, ungracefully dragging a chair out from under the table.

Malfoy shrugged his shoulders as he slid the wine bottle across the wooden surface. Grabbing a glass from a cabinet above the sink, Ron uncorked the wine. After filling his own glass, the redhead topped up Malfoy's which he had already drained twice.

'So…' Malfoy started, inhaling deeply.

'So…'

'What, you're not going to yell at me? Rant about how much of a prick I am or how I don't deserve Harry's help, because you seemed pretty intent in killing me earlier.'

'Yeah well.' Ron mumbled, cradling his glass. 'You're still an arse and you've used Harry, not caring about what he needs or how ill he's gotten. You should have looked out for him.'

'He's a big boy, I'm sure he can look after himself.' Draco huffed.

'I could say the same to you.' Ron retorted over the rim of his drink.

'Touché.'

Ron watched the blonde as he swilled his wine and took a large gulp. 'One question. Why here? I mean, why Harry?'

'He can protect me.' he said again.

'Well, he's not exactly the best choice for protection is he?'

Malfoy looked up at him briefly with slanted eyes, unsure he wanted to hear what it was the redhead was about to say. 'And why is that?' he slurred.

'Alright, I'm guessing you're hiding from You Know Who,' Ron began.

'No shit…'

'And he's after Harry. So in my opinion, staying with Harry for protection against the man who's trying to kill him doesn't sound like a very good idea to me.'

'I never knew you were articulate enough to be able to string so many words together to form a sentence. I grew up thinking you were simple.' Malfoy said sarcastically, half expecting the other man not to understand his tone.

'Look, all I'm saying is, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be here; with Harry. He's got too much to deal with at the moment without having to worry about keeping you safe.'

'That may be the case,' the blonde murmured, filling his glass for the fourth time that night. 'but he owes me.'

'Oh, and just how does he owe you? Especially after all the mistreatment he received from you in school. Whatever it was you did for him to be indebted to you, I don't think it's worth risking his health.'

'He would have been a lot worse off if I hadn't helped him.' Malfoy drawled. 'What I did for him was pretty much life saving so I think him protecting me is the least he can do.'

'What are you on about?'

'He hasn't told then. Well, I can't say I'm surprised, he always did like to appear the star of show.'

Ron frowned, partly from confusion but mainly from annoyance. 'I thought you were past all that stupid jealousy?'

'Hmm, trust me, Weasley; I am certainly not jealous of Potter.' With a small laugh the blonde stood from his seat, the legs of the chair scraping the stone floor, and carried the almost empty bottle out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

'Hey, Malfoy, what did you do?'

'Why don't you ask Potty.' he called, his voice floating down the stairs.

Tonks groaned as she rubbed soothing circles over her protruding belly. Despite only being five months along in her pregnancy she had already adopted an uncomfortable backache which reduced her ability to sleep through the night without Remus massaging her spine into the early hours of the morning. She sighed deeply as her tired eyelids drooped and her chest heaved. As she began to drift into a light sleep Tonks was jolted awake by a warm hand snaking around her waist and over her bump. Letting out a breathy smile she tried to roll onto her back, her husband helping her settle onto her back.

'Hello.' she whispered.

'Hi.' Remus replied, leaning down to claim her lips in a kiss. 'How are you feeling? Tired?'

'Mmm…'

'D'you want breakfast? I can make scrambled eggs and bacon.'

Tonks gazed up at her husband's chiseled, unshaven chin. Reaching up she cupped his face, the bristles catching slightly on her palm. 'With sausages?'

Chuckling the werewolf kissed her forehead with a smile. 'With sausages.'

After another few minutes of kisses and soft touches Remus finally clambered out of bed to have a shower. Once he was cleaned and dressed the brunette made his way to his son's room next door to their own. Teddy was lying on his front, fast asleep, his arms and legs tucked neatly under his little chest. Remus had no idea how the child could possibly find this position comfortable but it seemed to work. Approaching the crib, Remus lowered himself so he could gently wake his son. He ran his fingers through the soft hair, grinning widely as it flashed green as he stirred.

'Teddy, wakey-wakey. Come on little feller, daddy's gonna get you some breakfast.' The child moaned quietly before pushing himself up into a sitting position. He greeted his father with a dopey smile as he yawned, revealing small, pearly white teeth. Remus bundled the two year old into his arms and bounced him on his hip.

Once in the kitchen Remus placed Teddy in his high-chair and set about preparing the breakfast. He didn't notice that Tonks had joined him until she held a letter in front of his face. Remus pulled back to get a better look but Tonks had already whisked it away.

'What-'

'A friend of mine wants us to go to dinner with her tomorrow night.' She sighed.

'And that's a problem because…?'

'Because, we don't have anyone to babysit Teddy.' Tonks sat at the table with the bowl of porridge Remus had made and began feeding it to the toddler. 'Mum can't do it 'cause she's meeting up with some friends from school. Damn, I wish Harry were still here.' she mumbled whilst rubbing her stomach again, her top seeming tighter than it was the day before.

Grinding his teeth, Remus placed two plates on the table along with cutlery and orange juice. 'I guess we can't go then.'

'But Remus!' Tonks replied, practically emptying the bottle of ketchup onto her plate. 'I haven't seen Daisy in months! I really wanna see her again.'

'Well, unless you can find a babysitter by tomorrow, there's not much I can do.'

The small family sat in silence as they ate; the only noise came from Teddy who cried gently when Tonks, while not paying attention, accidentally shoved the spoon into his cheek. 'I still can't believe we haven't found him yet.' she grumbled while cleaning the child's face.

'I told you before, Nora, I looked everywhere. I can't find him. I even checked that flat he was living in when he escaped Azkaban. Trust me, if there's any chance he'd be there, I've checked.'

'Have you been to Grimmauld Place? He could always be there.'

Remus shook his head as he swallowed another mouthful. 'He wouldn't stay there, too many memories of…Sirius.'

'Remus!' Tonks shouted, standing from her seat.

'What?' he asked with wide, golden eyes.

'You- you idiot!' grabbing the nearest thing to her she threw Teddy's plastic bowl at the man's head before rushing out into the hall.

'I just washed this shirt!' Remus cried out as cold porridge drizzled down his sleeve.

'Well hurry up and get a clean one on.' Tonks picked up Teddy and placed him on the floor as she went to get his shoes. 'Come with mummy.'

'Where are we going?' Remus asked although he was sure he already knew. 'Nora, I really don't think he'll be there-'

'But he might!'

Rolling his eyes, Remus followed his wife and son into the hallway and pulled on his coat. 'Really Nymphadora. This is silly-'

'Let's go Teddy, let's go see Uncle Harry!' Tonks clapped her hands, causing Teddy to jump up and down with glee. His hair flashed orange with excitement.

'Don't over excitement him! We don't even know if he's there.' Remus scolded, frowning.

Once they were all ready, Tonks dragged Remus out the front door, only remembering Teddy after she'd locked the front door. As soon as he was sat on her hip, she linked arms with Remus and apparated the three of them onto the road in front of number twelve Grimmauld Place.

'Really, he can't be here; it would have been too hard on him.' Remus insisted again, straightening his shirt and hair as apparating with his wife always seemed much more chaotic than with anyone else.

'Then why is there a light on in that window?' Tonks laughed at her husband's expression of disbelief. She hurried up the steps and tapped on the door. She waited a moment, taking Remus' hand when he stood beside her, until the door opened and Hermione greeted them.

'Tonks, Remus?' she asked in surprise. 'Um, we weren't expecting you but please, come in.' She stepped aside to let them pass, shutting the door behind them.

'We were looking for Harry.' Remus spoke up, still amazed that he had been wrong. 'Is he here?'

Hermione explained how Harry had splinched himself and that Madam Pomfrey was supposed to be coming to see him that morning. When Remus asked where Malfoy was, Hermione had to admit that she hadn't seen him since last night and was pretty sure that he was recovering from a bad hangover.

'Do you want to go see him?' The couple followed her up the stairs to his room where she stopped outside the door. 'He'll probably still be asleep but he needs to be awake for Poppy in a bit so you can try waking him, see how he feels.'

Hermione offered to take Teddy which Tonks appreciated as the boy had become restless and had begun to wail and whimper.

Remus walked to the side of Harry's bed and squeezed his shoulder, glad to see the young man again. Tonks ran a hand over Harry's arm, gently calling his name as he stirred in his sleep.

'Hermione?' he asked, dazed.

'Wotcher Harry, it's Tonks and Remus. Time to wake up, sunnyboy.'

Harry rubbed his eyes with his fist while sitting up against the headboard. 'Hey. What are you guy's doing here?'

'We've been looking for you for a while now.' Remus admitted, 'But um…we didn't think to come here…I thought it would have brought back to many memories of…you know…'

'Sirius?' Harry asked quietly, biting his bottom lip when Remus nodded sadly.

'Otherwise we would have looked for you here.' Tonks added, rubbing her belly.

'You should sit down.' Harry said, seeing she was uncomfortable. Remus agreed and pulled up the arm chair from the other side of the room, insisting that she sit and rest.

'We were really worried about you.' she said quietly. 'And, I'm kinda sorry about what I said. Before you left. It was unkind and stupid. I was just upset and hormonal.' she said while patting her bump with a toothy grin.

Harry smiled softly, taking her hand. 'I'm sorry too. I didn't realise how rude I was being. I didn't treat the situation with the sensitivity it warranted.'

Remus flushed with guilt, feeling like a silly school boy who had done something bad in a lesson and had to apologize to the teacher. 'I have to agree slightly that I was a little taken aback when you suddenly…came out with the suggestion but I can see now that I did not behave like an adult. I was very immature and to bring up Sirius like that was awful of me, horrific. I have regretted what I said ever since in happened.' He put a hand on Harry face and tried to smile reassuringly. 'His death was not your fault, not one bit. You know that right?'

'Yes.' Harry whispered, rolling his lip between his teeth.

'But there's something else on my mind.' Remus said, becoming more serious. 'What on earth were you thinking of, apparating like that? You could have died. You don't know how to apparate properly yet. You shouldn't have done it.'

Harry couldn't help but laugh. He should have seen it coming. Remus was constantly on his case about something and he was grateful for it really, he just wished the man wouldn't worry so much.

'Harry, please take me seriously. I'm only looking out for you and I don't want you to-'

'Oh Remus.' Tonks sighed, rolling her eyes at her ever worrisome husband. 'Let him rest before you talk his ear off. You nag too much, you realise that?'

'What? You can hardly speak. You talk non stop, usually about something ridiculous or made up.'

When his wife's eyes lowered with hormonal tears he all but slapped his face into his hand. Despite his fear about the health of the baby, he couldn't wait for it to arrive so Tonks' terrible mood swings would end.

A knock at the door alerted them to someone outside the room. Hermione popped her head round the door, smiling apologetically. 'Madam Pomfrey is here.'

Another chapter! Yay!

Only one review last time... :(

Caelhir- Thank you! I'm so happy! Your review completely makes up for the fact that I only had one. I'm pleased that my writing is getting better and that it's easy to read. Happy, happy, happy! Please review again! :) I hope the begining scene is dramatic enough. I'm not very good at the dramatic parts.

If anyone else wants to review and they have any advice about a chapter, please review that chapter and let me know if there is anything I could improve on. Thank you! I look forward to any reviews. Let me know what you think.