Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter...Unless owning some fan based merchandise counts - That stuff is ALL mine!

A.N : quick note to say that this chapter has changed quite a bit and it now takes place roughly 2 weeks into the start of term of OOTP. Warning an OC Ron and Dumbledore. I tried to make Hermione as true to character as possible, but again this does not follow the same story line as OOTP, so bare with me...Bigger A.N at the end too, but anyway, Happy readings.

Chapter 2:

The Gargoyle's Surprise

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

The words barely reached Harry's ears, not least because his left one was filled with blood.

His knuckles were sore, his arms and knees ached, his head throbbed like he'd been hit by a truck, and his vision dimmed with every pound from his skull, threatening to subdue him into closing his eyes and giving up.

He spat a clot of blood onto the stone floor that had collected in the back of his throat. He was certain that Goyle was feeling just as bad as he was.

The ape of a teenager, slumped onto his knee, crimson blood dripped from both nostrils and the purple tinge surrounding his swollen lip, told Harry his left hook had done some serious damage. Panting hard, Goyle wiped his nose on his shirt, painting it red, and placed both hands on the ground and looked up menacingly, at Harry.

For a split second Harry found it funny. Goyle looked just like a silverback gorilla, standing proudly on its arms and legs. But then he realized why it wasn't funny.

Goyle sprung forwards, propelling himself upright with his bulging legs, like a rugby player performing a drill. He collided with Harry with such force that he lost his footing and he fell hard onto his back, Goyle's full weight holding him down. With his left arm squashed beneath Goyle's right leg, Harry went to move his right arm but suddenly his fingers burned and there was a horrible crunching sensation that made Harry's stomach twist. He let out a yell of agony and tried to pull his hand away, but found it pinned to the floor.

Looking at it through cloudy vision, his left eye had closed altogether now, and what was left of his right one was blurred from a broken lens in his glasses. However, he could still make out the unmistakable white blonde hair, green robes and steely grey eyes, smirking down at him. Draco was standing in his hand.

"Where are your friends Potter?" Malfoy asked, over the still chanting crowd of students. Harry felt like he could have answered this with 'prefect duty' and 'quidditch practice.' But that would have been a lie.

"You know, I don't think they're here Potter." Malfoy grinned, as he looked into the crowd with fake concern that soon twisted into an evil smile. "Not even mummy can save you this time!" He threatened through gritted teeth.

Harry attempted to wriggle free as Malfoy gave a mirthless laugh, and Harry spotted him nod his head at Goyle who had clearly been waiting for the command.

He drew his pudgy hand back and Harry screwed his face up, not daring to look at the blow he was certain would finish him off.

THWACK!

The punch felt like an iron club and Harry heard his eye socket crack. Merlin it hurt. Harry squinted up, and saw the blurred outline of Goyle raising his bloody fist for another punch.

'Oh shit!' He thought as he shut his eyes tight again.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALLES! Yelled a recognizable voice from amongst the crowd.

Harry felt Goyle stiffen, and Draco's foot released his hand. Looking up he saw Goyle's fist, frozen in midair, no more than three inches away from his nose. The crowd had stopped chanting now and footsteps were already hurrying off in several directions.

Harry shifted under the pale blue Goyle that look like he had frostbite, and pushed him off.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" The woman's voice yelled again.

'Shit!' Harry's stomach flipped. He would rather have faced the beating of his life from every Slytherin in school, than turn and face McGonagall.

Her arms folded, her pert lips were no more than a thin line and her eyes were fixed on Draco with such venom, that Harry thought he had been petrified. But then her eyes fell on him, and her expression fell from anger to shock.

"P-Potter..." Harry wiped his nose, attempting to cover up some of the blood. The last thing he needed was for McGonagall to feel sorry for him and make a fuss. "Did- did you do this Malfoy!" She pointed at Harry, swiftly approaching him. But Draco didn't answer.

She knelt down beside harry, he noticed she kept raising her hands close to every wound but she would hesitate, and then spot a new cut or bruise and her hands would move to that one instead. It was like she was frightened to touch him. "Oh, Potter, what have you got yourself into?" She whispered, but Harry knew it wasn't really a question.

"SNAPES OFFCIE. NOW!" McGonagall spat at Malfoy, who didn't need any encouragement, and he sprinted off down the now deserted corridor.

"You need the hospital wing Potter. Can you stand?" She asked him, her voice returning to its usual stern tone.

"Honestly professor, its not that - bad." He coughed, specks lf red flying from his lips. But even as he attempted to stand, his head felt like someone had let a firework off inside his skull and his vision darkened, and he slumped back down.

"I'll take that as a no." McGonagall tutted.

The next thing Harry remembered was the feeling of something warm encasing his entire body and the feeling of being light as a feather and just sinking deeper and deeper into complete relaxation. His head rested on a soft pillow and his fingers twitched under the comfort of the warm duvet. The faint smell of lavender and…. Pumpkin Cough syrup, reached his nostrils and Harry realized he must be in the hospital wing. A thought confirmed when he heard the all too familiar sound of Madame Pomfrey's heels clicking briskly towards him.

He didn't move. He remained resolutely still; trying not to give away any sign that he had woken up – he was too busy enjoying the coziness, no, the safety the bed gave him.

"Is he alright?" A familiar female voice croaked, and Harry stiffened. He hadn't realized someone had been beside him, and quickly the comforting warmth of the bed began to ebb away, replaced by a hot sweat as his body began to become fully awake.

"Ask him yourself Miss Granger. I've just been alerted by my healing sensors that Mister Potter there, has woken up." Harry felt their eyes bare down on him. "Isn't that right, Potter." The matriarch's stern but slightly amused voice, made Harry wish the pillow would swallow him hole.

Harry raised a surprisingly stiff left arm that creaked like a rusty door. "Hellmmm…" Was the best version of a hello he managed to breath out.

"Oh Harry..." He heard Hermione gasp beside him, before feeling her practically leap onto his chest and hug him tight. In surprise, his eyes flew open, thankful that her bushy brown hair blocked the majority of light. He could feel her shaking body as she clung to him, and he realized, she was crying. He raised his arms as best he could to wrap around her, trying to make her feel as safe as he did.

"That's enough now Miss Granger. Mister Potter has been through quite an ordeal," Hermione slunk back into the seat next to the bed, nodding and smiling to Madame Pomfrey. Before she sniffed loudly and took in several deep breaths. "There are some tissues in my office, if you'd prefer them to your sleeve my dear." She said, not bothering to look up from her clipboard.

Hermione smiled again, and took the hint, quickly vanishing behind the blue curtain the Medi-witch pulled around the bed.

"Now Potter, don't talk." Harry closed his mouth- he had a lot of questions suddenly. "I will explain everything from a medical perspective first and then if you still have any questions relating to your health you can ask me then. The rest," She cast him a serious, but none-the-less kind look," I'm sure Miss Granger will be more than willing to fill you in. Do we understand?"

"Yes..." He nodded, his voice husky from such little use.

"Good!" She made a large tick notion on her clipboard. "First things first; your injuries upon arrival were as follows. Two broken ribs, dislocated right shoulder, crushed cartilage in both your left ankle and between two spinal vertebrae on your lower back, a broken nose, shattered left eye socket, one perforated eardrum in you left ear, and finally a cracked skull cranial. All in all Mr. Potter, you had similar if not worse injuries, than someone who got hit by a Muggle car. You are very lucky to be alive." She gave him a look that had he presumed was pity, and there was a pause as she began checking his pulse. Her cold fingers clutching his wrist, as she counted it against her watch.

"Seems fine there," she said, as she ticked her notes again. "Now, I can mend bones in a heart beat, so your; ribs, nose, eye socket and skull, were healed in less than half an hour. A double dose of Cart-Replens was enough to heal both your spinal vertebrae and ankle." She moved down to the end of Harry's bed and lifted the duvet off his feet. The sudden coldness made his toes flinch, but the Matriarch lifted his left foot in the air and began to rotate the joint- Up-Down-Left-Right, before giving a satisfactory nod and making another tick on her clip-board, not bothering to cover Harry's feet back up.

"How-" Harry swallowed, surprised by the gruffness of his voice. "How long was I out?"

"Six days." She pulled out a small torch from her pocket, "Cracked skulls can be fixed, but it's the brain that's the hardest to heal." She added, opening Harry's eyes wide and flashing the torch into both, leaving him temporarily blinded by yellow streaks. "All seems fine there however. Good pupil response, I'd say you were out of the danger zone, but I think you should still stay here for observation for another night." She ticked her clipboard for the final time, gave him a quick smile and pulled back the curtain with a flick of her wand. Revealing an anxious looking Hermione behind it, a scrunched tissue in her hand.

"You can come in now Miss Granger, I'm sure Potter has lots of questions he'd like you to answer." The Medi-witch said, not bothering to wait and see if Harry did have any questions for her – he didn't – and she returned to her office once again.

For a moment Harry just starred at Hermione, and vice-versa, and then Harry spotted the glistening of threatening tears in his friend's eyes, and his heart melted a little. He outstretched his hand towards her and gave her, what he hoped, was a smile that said, 'I'm not angry with you.'

"Oh Harry…" Hermione half laughed half cried, as she rushed forwards and hugged him again. "I'm so sorry!" She wept.

"S'ok..." He raised his stiff arms and hugged her back.

"No, no its not Harry," She shifted out of the hug so she was perched upright on the edge of the bed. "I've been so horrible to you recently, and if I'd just…. just…. Oh Merlin! Harry I've been a terrible friend to you recently!"

"I don't think ignoring someone constitutes terrible Hermione." He pushed himself up so he was level with her. "I mean it's not like you hexed me in the hallways, or locked me out of the boys dormitory, or shouted threats at me like everyone else has."

"No but I didn't condone that behavior either." She sniffed, "I mean I…. I wanted to say something to you, but, but…" She began to rip her tissue into small pieces.

"You're with Ron," Harry sighed.

"Was." She corrected sharply, "I was with Ron."

"Oh…Right…" Harry tried to hide his surprised smile with a cough. "So erm…Trouble in paradise is it?"

"Stop smirking Harry!" She smiled, "I know you're secretly pleased."

Harry couldn't help but smile at her, earning him playful smack on the arm.

"Oiy! I'd like to keep my arm on my body." He joked, gently rubbing his arm and pretending it had gone limp.

"Would you like me to call Madame Pomfrey over?" She said with sarcastic sympathy.

"Oh would you look at that," Harry's arm sprang back into life, "All Better!"

For a moment the pair just giggled, before Hermione sighed deeply and looked into Harry's green eyes and said, "I've missed you Harry."

Harry felt like a small weight had just lifted from his shoulders. For weeks, after their return to Hogwarts, he had been isolated, tormented, and most recently, beaten up by his fellow classmates, and why? Because the Profit called him a liar. Because a jealous Ron had run straight to the reporters and told them that Harry had merely been tricked by the enchantments of the Maze in the Tri-wizard Tournament. That the Cup was a portkey, but it was only a portkey out of the maze, (Confirmed by one of the Tournament Regulators.) In a separate Article, it stated Cedric Digory had died from the Constrictus curse, after a post-mortem revealed heavy internal bleeding. So even if Cedric had survived Voldemort, the damage from the Maze roots had done enough, and he would have died anyway. With no Comment from Dumbledore on the matter, meant his classmates had estranged Harry even more so. All of them choosing to believe he was an unstable, deluded and an attention seeking child, that should be treated no better, if not worse – than a common leach.

Harry hated it all. He thought he could have handled the whole school hating him, if his best friends had stayed by his side, and believed him. Instead, a begrudging and bitter Ron had chosen to believe the masses. Hermione had shown her support in some ways, by smiling at him if they crossed paths. However, her newly found relationship with Ron, soon squashed any communication between the two of them, and Harry was made to feel totally alone. Yet now, Hermione had managed to say possibly, the most perfect few words, and everything that had happened, seemed to feel a little more like a memory Harry wanted to wash away.

"I've missed you too." He smiled, his eyes stinging a little. Hermione seemed to burst and she flung her arms around him again, but this time Harry rolled backwards, so they were both lying down on the hospital bed. "Can you stay with me tonight?" He asked into her mane of hair, the sweetness of her perfume, reminded him of daffodils, and he felt an odd sense of tranquility creep over him.

"You know Pomfrey will never allow that Harry." Hermione breathed into his shoulder.

"I know, but just till visiting hours are over." Hermione went to pull away, but Harry tightened his hold, afraid if he let go, she wouldn't really be there and this would be nothing more than a broken skull delusion. "Please."

"I'm not going anywhere Harry!" She laughed, "I just want to get my legs on the bed with you. C'mon, move over."

"Oh right," Harry released her and shunted his body over, so Hermione could lie on the bed without fear of rolling off the edge. "Better?"

"Better." She smiled, her hazel eyes gleamed at him as she took his hand and held it to her chest, and Harry noted how much warmth she gave him, not just from her body temperature, but just by being with him. "I can only stay until visiting hours are over though, ok?" She warned, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I know." He nodded. "So… Are you going to tell me why you and Ron aren't going to have lots of tiny red-headed babies?"

"Ohh don't say that," She cringed burying her face behind their hands, "that's just an awful thought!"

"Which part, the many babies or the way you make the babies?" He teased.

"Great Merlin that's an image I didn't want…Ewww!" She squealed, and Harry laughed as he felt Hermione wiggle her feet, as if trying to shake the mental picture away.

"Seriously now," He couldn't help but smile as he pulled their hands away from Hermione's face, revealing her embarrassed pink cheeks, "Why'd you break up. You two were perfect for each other."

She gave him a look that just screamed, 'really Harry? Really?'

"Well…Almost perfect."

"It was actually right after the fight between you and Goyle. Ron and I were walking back to the Common Room when McGonagall literally came barging through, shouting for everyone to get out of the way with you floating behind her, looking like you died." Harry's stomach stiffened in humiliation – he must've looked a sight being floated behind McGonagall to the hospital wing. "Anyway, I thought you had died and wanted to go after you, but Ron just lost it- I mean I always knew he was a little…. Possessive, but he just started yelling at me."

"What did he say?" Harry said, trying to make himself sound more concerned than hostile towards what he was already presuming Ron had said.

"Well you can probably guess Harry," She moaned, "He just said I was obviously cheating on him, with you, because I was refusing to take our relationship to the next level. And that… You were nothing more than a psychotic head-case that deserved what he got." She finished, biting her bottom lip as she watched him carefully. She had noticed how his hand had slowly squeezed tighter around her hand as she spoke.

"So…" He tried to sound indifferent, "What did you say after that?" It wasn't convincing.

"I told him to get stuffed!" She snapped, relaxing as Harry's grip did the same. "It just sort of hit me. I didn't want to be with him and that every time I had tried to talk to you, even just look at you, he would always start criticizing you, calling you a liar and sorts. It was just horrible, and not just his attitude towards you either. The whole relationship – everything - Just horrible... He snogged like a gawping fish too!" She gave an exaggerated shiver.

Harry couldn't help but let a broad smile spread across his face, as he looked into Hermione's honest eyes. Despite the bubbling of revulsion towards Ron, he couldn't help but let the feeling be washed away by waves of contentment to finally have someone talk to him. To acknowledge him.

"What?" Hermione asked, unsure of why Harry was looking at her in such a way.

"Nothing," He shook his head, still smiling, "It's just nice to have my friend back."

Hermione pulled his arm back to her chest and hugged it tight, "I'm so sorry Harry. I wanted to talk to you, everyday, but…People were telling me you'd hate me and, after a while I just started to believe them…"

"Visiting hours finish in five minutes you two!" Madame Pomfrey called from inside her office, making both Harry and Hermione jump.

"Great Merlin, I thought she was going to tell us off then!" Harry breathed. "That's just what I need, Pomfrey threatening to stick her thermometer where the sun don't shine." He whispered, and he and Hermione buried their laughter into the pillow.

"I should get going though." Hermione finally said, with a sigh. "Its only ten minutes until curfew."

As she got up to leave, Harry clutched her hand a little more in an effort to stop her. "Promise you'll come back tomorrow?" He couldn't hide the worry in his voice.

"I'll be back first thing in the morning, I promise." And with that, she kissed the top of his head, said her good nights to the Medi-witch, and disappeared into the castle.

Hermione kept to her word, and the following morning, Harry woke up to find his friend, carrying a tray ladled with a full English breakfast.

"Wow Hermione!" he gawped, taking in the sight of; toast, two sausages, a small mound of bacon, two fried tomatoes, half a plate of scrambled egg, a stack of pancakes oozing in golden syrup, a glass of orange juice and a bowl of porridge. "Is this all for me, or is there an army you plan to feed as well?"

"Well I didn't know what you fancied, so I just got you a bit of everything." She Laughed.

Harry didn't mind, his stomach growled in hunger, after all he had been knocked out for nearly a week, and one mug of Calm-Me-Cuppa-Soup did not constitute a good supper last night. However, he was just about to take his first bite of bacon, when Madame Pomfrey strode over and began giving them both a lecture on the amount of saturated fats in a single sausage. So Harry had to make do with toast, while Hermione had to leave for her Ancient ruins class, but swore that she would meet Harry in the library before lunch.

"Right potter," Madame Pomfrey scanned him over with her wand several hours later. "I think you're about as healthy as I can get you. You're free to leave."

Just as Harry was about to walk through the doors out of the infirmary, a Phoenix Patronus swooped over him, making him duck, and landed on the bed beside him.

"Harry, I trust you are now fully recovered. Could you please join me in my office before returning to your usual activities." Dumbledore's authoritive voice spoke through the birds hooked beak. "We have several recent incidents to discuss. Also, I my favourite cereal is Coco-Pops." And before Harry could even respond, the phoenix spread its wings, and evaporated into a thin mist.

"Great. Just great." Harry grumbled through gritted teeth, and he turned left out of the infirmary and began his way towards the Headmasters office.

As he climbed the stairs to the tower, Harry began to ponder on the questions Dumbledore may ask him. Would he ask about the fight between him and Goyle? Would he know about how much the school body had turned against him? Would he believe him or just choose to believe the Profit like everyone else? Even worse, would he ignore everything and choose to be in the grey area, rather than pick a side? Was he about to be expelled? Harry's heart beat a little faster as he approached the golden Gargoyle. His final question filled him with dread.

"Coco-Pops." He spoke to the statue. Immediately its pallor eyes glistened and blinked into life. The creature shook its heavy head while it took a low bow, and stepped aside, revealing a stone staircase that began spiraling upwards from the ground.

As he stepped up and began his assent, the Gargoyle did something Harry never thought it could – mainly because it had never done so before. It muttered a poem;

"A troubled destiny we see's ahead,

For boys and girls, he wants them dead,

You wonders what your fate will find,

But take a leap and look behind."

Its voice was thick with clicks and hisses which only made it harder to understand but he could just about hear the rest of the poem as he paused halfway up the stairs, suddenly acutely aware that the gargoyle had fixed its menacing yellow eyes on him.

"Dark eyes, dark hair awaits for you,

But love is blind where hatred blooms,

In troubled times you must be brave,

But it's up to you which one you save."

Harry felt his mouth fall open. The gargoyle had returned to its immobile state, leaving Harry completely stunned by what he had just seen. What had he just seen? A Prophecy? No. Only Seer's can predict those, not door guarding Gargoyles surely?

Choosing not to think on it until he next saw Hermione, he climbed the remaining stairs and knocked on the Headmasters office.

No answer. He knocked again, but on his third knock the oak door clicked open, and granted him entrance. This wasn't the first time it had done this, so Harry obligingly stepped through.

The light was dimmed around the office, with only two candles either side of Dumbledore's rather cluttered desk. Harry could only imagine what would require so much messy paperwork, and prayed that he wasn't about to witness what happens when candles and paperwork mixed. The whole room itself felt colder too, looking around Harry felt like there was an odd chill in the air, an odd emptiness, to the usually attractive and inviting office.

"Hello?" He called. "Professor Dumbledore?" He shouted a little louder, thinking the professor could be having a mid morning nap.

There was a slow, creaking sound behind him, and Harry jumped, instinctively pulling his wand out as he looked at the source. To his surprise and relief, Harry saw that one of the glass cabinet doors that surrounded Dumbledore's pencieve had swung open.

He let out a sigh of relief, though it did little to calm his growing sense of foreboding. He went over to the pencieve and was just about to close the cabinet door, when he saw it. Perched on the revolving stand on the second shelf, was a small handful of hexagonal glass vials, each filled with a silvery blue liquid, and the one directly in the middle, was labeled: 'For my Harry'.

Harry felt his chest tighten at his sudden intake of breath, he looked over his shoulder, certain that this had to be a cruel prank of some kind put together by Malfoy – or someone!

"Homenum Revelio!" He cast, a little unsure if he wanted to find anyone at all. But there was no one there.

Harry turned back to look at the Vial. Picking it up he could just about see in the dim light that this vial was immaculately clean, not even a single speck of dust was on it, unlike the others which looked as though they hadn't been touched for sometime.

Could the Vial really be for him? Surely not? There must be loads of Harry's in the school, why would this vial be for him? But even as Harry pondered this, he knew there was something, right, about this vial. As he held it, he felt like he knew that it was his, that it had a sense of belonging to him, like he knew it from somewhere deep in his subconscious.

Without even thinking, he uncorked the vial and tipped its contents into the Pencieve. He took a deep breath, and plunged head first into the hydrous memory.

Opening his eyes he recognized that he was still in Dumbledore office, only this time, the lights were fully aglow and there didn't seem to be a large mountain of parchment and paperwork on his desk, and if he had to guess by the look from the burnt orange coming through the windows he felt like it was late afternoon.

Suddenly Harry felt the horrible sensation of a wand tip pressing into his lower back, followed quickly by an unknown female voice;

"Who the Hell are you!?"

A.N: I know, I know...this took far too long to publish. However like I said before, this story is ever changing and when I originally read through this chapter, I felt Hermione was being portrayed as a...well...a bit of a bitch! So I HAD to change that...originally she wasn't even in the chapter and it was just Harry feeling sorry for himself, which to me, didn't feel like good reading...So that's why I have taken longer to update than planned. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this update and I Solemnly Vow that the next update will be posted on Sunday. Don't forget to let me know what you think so far. Until then...mischief managed!