Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Finally, after a week full of exams, I was able to finish this chapter! Sorry for the delay. I just want to say thank you for all those reviews, even though they were few, they never failed to make me smile. happylady, I am just gonna edit the short story and I will email it to you before the end of the week. Sorry for the delay. :)

This chapter is unbeta-ed. Sorry guys, I know you had to endure those dreadful grammatical errors and typos, forgive me for being bad at it. I've no time.

I hope you all enjoy. :)

Interlude II: A Hope on Memory Lane

I've already lost count of how many days I've been here. I'm guessing that it was around three weeks. We're running out of time. . .there was no sign of any improvement, yet there was no indication that we should let him go.

And it broke my heart.

Sometimes I wished that I was careful enough, afterall, Ron always told me that evil still lurked in every corner. I was such a fool to believe that everything would be all right now that Voldemort was gone.

And there were times that any scent, touch, music, sound. . .or even a laugh would bring my mind jogging back to memory lane. It was a really nice notion, to be brought back to the past where everything was right.

I miss the boy whom I casted Reparo with on our first meeting. As I closed my eyes and imagined his look of surprise when his glasses were fixed, it never failed to make me smile. To me, he would always be that same boy I met at the Hogwarts Express, that same, raven-haired, innocent little boy, just as he would always be Harry Potter, Conqueror-of-Voldemort to everyone.

Everyone knew him by the name, yet I knew him from what his heart contained. He was brash, reckless, sometimes he doesn't have patience and he was always a sight for trouble and some sort of mischief. Yet he was also brave, a loyal friend, someone who values justice and someone who cared and loved with all his heart. . .willing to sacrifice his life to save another's. For me, that made him Harry Potter.

His qualities were what attracted me towards him. I mean, who would dare battle a dangerous, full-grown Troll just to save a bushy-haired bookworm such as myself? Sometimes, I would always tell him that his ability to care for people went beyond that which was expected. . .yet, a part of me was always welling up with pride for every little thing he did for someone.

He grew up to be a handsome young man, yet his character was still of that little boy I knew and loved. And I would always, always have that same admiration I had for him, the night he went and saved me from that Troll.

As I held his hand with mine, I silently prayed that he would wake up soon, wishing that he would open his soulful emerald eyes that I always loved. Funny, I was always a logical person, going to the library to find some information about this would be the very Hermione-ish thing to do and it was actually the first thing I did. . .yet it was the only thing I wasn't able to solve. Now, all I could do was hope that he would come back, something he always made me do, have faith in him.

A small creak indicated that the door was open and revealed a very tired-looking Andromeda Tonks, carrying a very confused-looking Teddy Lupin, followed by Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. I looked at them and offered a little smile, ushering them to sit down at the table as I closed the door again.

Nobody dared speak yet as silence radiated from every corner, save for Teddy's occasional murmurs as he played with a muggle toy car on the floor. When I returned, their sad eyes were gazing at Harry's still prone form before turning their attention to me, with a smile that never quite reached their eyes.

Finally, Professor McGonagall spoke as she studied me intently with her eyes. I guess my features were dreadful, if it caught the attention of someone like her.

"You've been pushing yourself to the limits, Ms. Granger. I believe it is proper that you take a little break every now and then. You can ask Mr. Weasley to accompany you for a walk."

I sighed and pursed my lips. "Thank you for the suggestion but I am fine, Professor."

"Ahhh, yes. But you see, your eyes tell otherwise."

I fell silent at the truth of her words. A few more days now, maybe a week and the time span that was given to Harry will be over. . .it was something that was too hard to contemplate. My eyes refused to meet theirs as I stumbled upon the depth of my mind. It was rather frustrating, to feel so helpless.

A gentle tap of a hand on my shoulders brought me out of dreadful thoughts. Mrs. Tonks seemed to notice my discomfort, for she leaned in and kissed my forehead, something that only a mother did to ease the anxiety of her child.

She turned to the Headmistress, who looked at me very solemnly. "Don't worry, Minerva. This child can handle herself; I trust she knows what she is doing."

"I do hope so. If you'll excuse me."

I uttered a small thank you as Professor McGonagall went to Harry's bedside. Her usual stern nature vanished and was replaced with that of contemplation, sadness and finally, her expression was solemn. She patted Harry's hair, looking at him with such a strong, sad gaze as she closed her eyes.

We all understood how it was, there was never someone here who didn't feel the same. But no matter how hard we try, what we do and how many words we utter, Harry never seemed to hear any of them.

Someone cleared her throat at me and interrupted my thoughts.

Mrs. Tonks looked at the direction of the window, while he made sure that Teddy was still under her watchful gaze. Without really looking at anyone, a bit of sadness radiated from her features as she talked, "How is he?"

The way she said it made me close my eyes. As much as it hurt to admit it, what they saw was the reality.

"Nothing's changed. The Healers told us that his magical levels were still fine and no decline has been noticed yet."

"I guess Harry is still holding on then, you'll notice the changes if he really wanted to let go, especially since a magical person who is in this state is very different from a muggle suffering from the same condition."

I heard Professor McGonagall sigh before I nodded at Mrs. Tonk's statement. Witches and wizards differ from muggles because of their magical capabilities. . .it affects even this state. Soon, Harry's magical level would start to decline because his body won't be able to support it and it could also be the other way around, that the magical level would help bring the person out of that state. . .and that would be the end of it. When I read about it, I was quite determined to find something, a clue, that would help me remove Harry from that state. . .but even the library gave no comforts in that matter.

A laugh suddenly echoed throughout the room and I looked at Andromeda who was smiling, watching as Teddy blew some bubbles with his mouth. "He misses his dada greatly so I took the chance and let him come with me today."

I approached the little guy, who has grown taller over the past months. Seeing Teddy made my lips quirk unintentionally into a little smile as the dreadful thought vanished. He was growing way too fast, and a feeling of disappointed rushed on my chest because I never saw every step of his development. Upon seeing me, his face lit up and toothy smile erupted from his lips as his black hair was replaced by his usual turquoise one, something he usually did when he was happy or excited.

I remembered the times that I took care of him in Grimmauld. It seemed so long ago. . .yet it felt as if it was only yesterday when we were making funny faces at him, flashing goofy expressions just to make him laugh.

He crawled towards me and I've no choice but to take him in my arms and kiss his pudgy little cheeks, which prompted another laugh from him. The room was filled with an innocent child's voice, as both the adults look at him with a genuine smile in their face, a smile that reached their eyes.

Teddy put his little hands on my cheeks, showing me his newly erupted teeth with his goofy little smile. He gave me a loud smack on the cheeks before putting his head on my shoulders.

Another soulful laugh emerged from the throat of his proud grandmother, who went towards me and gave a piece of biscuit to the little guy, before she silently whispered, "It was Harry who taught him that. It quite surprised me when he started throwing kisses on my face and he just laughed at my dumbstruck expression. Those two are really a handful."

I suddenly imagined the scene and laughed. I hugged Teddy tighter and kissed his forehead, feeling a lingering feeling of pride at him. "I can only imagine. He's so sweet."

After the ordeal, it seemed like Teddy got bored from his position and looked at me again. "Mamamama?"

Everyone inside the room laughed as the little guy casted a confused look at us and scratched the back of his head.

"I reckon that you're the first person he called with that name. He calls Harry his Dada and he has already labeled me as his Nana. I was quite surprised when I heard him say his first words. I guess I owe it to his Godfather." She winked at me with a twinkle in her eyes and picked up a fussing Teddy on my arms. She placed him on the floor so that he can play.

We managed to bring up a little conversation as I prepared some tea. Mrs. Tonks inquired about Hogwarts and Professor McGonagall was happy for the sudden change of atmosphere. She told her about the changes that they were trying to implement inside the school and how it would be able to make all students from different houses communicate with each other. She even included me on the equation, since I declined the Head Girl position.

"Dada?"

The little voice, so sweet, innocent and soft, interrupted our conversation as we tried to find the source. Our hearts melted when we saw Teddy standing on his two feet while one hand clung onto the bed, holding Harry's hand.

We stood there for a while as we waited for Teddy's next move. Would he cry? Would he feel ignored and go away? Would he keep saying Dada until he too, finally had enough?

Yet with all these contemplations, he still surprised us when he giggled and tried to climb up on Harry's bed. Professor McGonagall quickly rushed to his side, lifting him so he could see his Godfather clearly. In turn, Teddy put his two tiny hands on each side of Harry's cheeks and kissed him, giggling and changing his hair color to match his as he did.

Professor McGonagall produced a very proud smile as she looked at the little toddler's grandma. "This boy is growing so fast, Andromeda. It seemed only yesterday when Harry brought him to Hogwarts and tried to teach him how to say my name."

She nodded her head in response with McGonagall's words and took Teddy in her arms. She kissed him of the forehead, eliciting a moan of approval from the child. "I know, Nymphadora, Remus and Ted will be so proud of him. This child has been a source of joy for all of us."

I suddenly felt that something was wrong and started counting the weeks that passed and squeaked in surprise when I realized something. "His birthday will fall this weekend! How could I've forgotten!"

Both of them looked at me, surprised at my sudden reaction. It was Mrs. Tonks who smiled at me. "Yes. And what better gift could we give him but his Godfather?"

I bit my lip in response. Harry was always enthusiastic when he told me about his plans for Teddy's special day. He even went through all lengths just to give him the perfect gift. Remembering his plans, my eyes widened and I suddenly went to the bathroom to freshen up. I didn't want Harry to be disappointed by this, not when he spent loads of week trying to plan it.

After I was satisfied spending a lot of time fixing my appearance and changing my clothes, I exited the bathroom, just to see the two puzzled women smile at my unexpected actions as they sipped their tea.

"You took us by surprise there, Ms. Granger."

I flashed a little smile at them as I gathered the little knapsack I used in the past few weeks and put my coat on. "Sorry about that, I just remembered something really important. Please excuse my rudeness; I'll be back in a few hours so tell Ginny that I went out."

I hastily went towards the door, leaving them with another bewildered look.

After apparating safely to an alley on a street in London Borough of Islington, I walked towards the Grimmauld Place, looking at the grimy fronts of the surrounding muggle houses. Most of them were unwelcoming, with broken windows, peeled paints from doors and loads of rubbish outside their front steps. It never occurred to me why the Blacks picked a ghastly place to live on, when they were as rich and as powerful as the Malfoys.

But what caught my interest was a large, blond, and muscular man, standing in between Numbers 11 and 13, looking very confused. A smile suddenly sprouted on my face when I realized who it was, Dudley Dursley.

I approached the big guy, Harry's cousin whom he often labeled as a 'pig in a wig'. I only saw him a few times, under different circumstances, but never before did I have the chance to look on his face.

There was something different about the way he carried himself now that made me change my opinion of him. His blue eyes where soft and his frame was not that of a dreadful, obese child the size of a killer whale that Ron mentioned to me a long time ago.

I took my courage and put my hands on his shoulder. "Hello. Do you need help?"

Startled, he took a step back at me. "Hi errr. . .sorry about that but err. . who are you?"

"I'm Hermione Granger, Harry's friend. If I am not mistaken, you must be Dudley Dursley, his cousin." I offered him a friendly smile and put my hand forward for him to shake.

He smiled at me and somehow, he looked relieved that he found a connection to Harry and shook my hand. "You know my cousin? Do you know where he lives?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am on my way there now. But Harry is. . .not home right now."

He seemed fairly disappointed at the notion that the only time he visited Harry was a failure but shrugged it off and offered me a kind smile. "You're his girlfriend then? Could you tell me when he will go home so that I can just come back?"

I shook my head and blushed at his words but my eyes felt more sadness at the reality of Harry's current situation. If I only knew when, Dudley.

"I. . .don't really know when. Care for some tea? I would feel loads better if you enjoyed your visit here, even though Harry is not home."

His eyes lit up at my invitation and he gave me another smile. "Really? But I thought you're on your way to Harry's house?"

"We will be visiting Harry's house." He just nodded at me and smiled.

We finally settled on the living room in Number 12. Dudley face was a mixture of shock, awe and amusement when we came in, what with the sudden appearance of a house and all. The moving pictures in the hallway weren't a help too.

He was a little shy and insisted that he would be the one to cook when I told the elves of a visitor, but they were happy that someone was here and started working on the kitchen.

I smiled at his gesture, coming from the boy who always bullied Harry a lot when they were young. It was after a while before he was comfortable enough inside the house and found the courage to speak, looking around as he did.

"I never knew my cousin owned such a cool place."

His dumbstruck face made me smile as looked around the house. There were so many memories in this place. "Yeah, his Godfather gave it to him, after he died."

He slumped back to his chair, a bit apologetic that he touched that particular subject. "Sorry, I didn't think about it, I was being rude."

"It's all right. It's already in the past."

He nodded at me and turned his attention to the house again. Not too long afterwards, the elves appeared, carrying trays that contained pastries and two cups of coffee, before both of them vanished. Dudley looked taken aback, and I swear, I wouldn't be able to contain my laugh if he made another one of those faces.

We both ate in silence and I kept noticing that food was a rather complicated thing for him. He barely touched his pastries and if I didn't insist, he would never have eaten one. After a short while, he cleared his throat to catch my attention, but there was a tinge of pink in his cheeks as he tried to utter some words. "C-could you, c-could you tell me more about my cousin?"

I wasn't able to stifle a laugh now because he did not only look dumbstruck, every time he tried to speak, he would always end up stuttering too. I thought he would end up furious at my actions, but he laughed with me instead. And after a while of speaking to him, he was finally comfortable enough to respond or make some jokes.

"Why would you want to know about him? 17 years is a long time to get to know someone."

He looked taken aback by my words, realizing that I knew who he was. "I guess I never really thought about it, but I was. . .curious. He never told me about his adventures in your world."

"I guess I cannot really blame him for that. But well, if you insist. . ."

I started telling him a little about our adventures, never fully giving him details about every experience. He seemed fascinated at the mention of different kinds of magic, even asking what they did or how they did it and I felt a sense of pride welling up in him at the mention of Harry's feats at Quidditch and his accomplishments in Hogwarts.

But in the end, I never really told him anything special, because I was trying to save all of it for Harry to tell.

Yet, because of his reactions, I suddenly felt curiosity welling up in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to know the younger version of the Harry before I met him. I wanted to meet the boy who made Harry Potter the man he was. Dudley seemed to notice my silence and stared at me in confusion.

It took me a while before I was finally able to gather up the courage to speak, but when I did so, my eyes were thoughtful as I looked at the man who grew up with Harry. "Can you tell me stories about him, before we met him in Hogwarts?"

"Stories? Well, I guess there was nothing that you already didn't know. I know I lived with him for 17 years, but you know him more than I did."

"I guess you could say that, but still -"

"Why, yes of course. Let's see. . ."

He closed his eyes as he silently walked back to the past. I looked at him intently, amused by the reactions that played in his face. I played with my fork, watching for any indication that he might begin to speak.

When he opened them, his face was beaming and emotions were visible underneath his cerulean eyes. He looked at the ceiling of the store and began his tales.

"Harry was a small and skinny boy when he was a kid. Both of us attended the same school, but we denied that we were relatives, what with our appearances and all." He chuckled at the thought, and closed his eyes again, reminiscing.

"We were both bullied when we were younger. I bullied him because I wanted to have an escape from people who teased me for being fat, yet he never fought back or complained. He just stayed silent. Every day, Mum and Dad would also pick me up in school and Harry had to walk all the way home. So there was this one time where they couldn't pick me up, so I bullied him before sulkily walking home by myself. And when I saw him again by the river, he was feeding a kitten which was left in a make-shift box."

He looked at me and smiled. I nodded at him, my mind fully concentrated at the story at hand. I noticed that his face was a mixture of contemplation and. . .regret. "You see, he was never given that much money by my parents, if they did, it was only enough to buy a candy. But Harry saved it all. I followed him as he went to a convenience store and I realized he just spent all of his savings and bought a can of milk for the cat."

My heart jumped inside my chest, it was a part of the Harry I knew. . .a part of him that I loved.

"I watched him as he fed the cat and afterwards, he tried to knock on several doorsteps just to find some home for it. He succeeded when a batty old woman with grizzled grey fly away hair who was wearing a hairnet and carpet slippers took the kitten. She lived close to our house so I ran ahead of Harry and went home. Mum and Dad were furious at him and blamed him because we arrived so late. I only stayed silent, a bit shocked of what my cousin had to go through just to find a home for a cat."

He suddenly looked at the floor, regret and sadness filled his eyes. "When I was bullied, it was always Harry who tried to protect and comfort me, yet I never found it in me to be grateful and bullied him instead. Mum and Dad always scolded him and sometimes accused him and all, but he never did complain. Sometimes, I could hear him cry, we were children, yet I never found the courage to comfort him and thought that he deserved it. And even when he was already angry, he tried his best to hide it and still obediently followed every order. After he went to Hogwarts, I guess we realized how much we lost, but we were too proud to admit it. He was too nice for everyone."

I sighed and looked at him, imagining a skinny little kid with round spectacles trying to knock on every doorstep, holding a cat and the thought made my lips quirk upwards. "Yeah, I guess he was."

"I think both of you would look good together. I never met a woman who was hospitable enough to help a lost bloke." He offered a warm smile at me and all I could so was return the favor.

"I hope so."

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Hermione, and I definitely would want to have another chat with you soon. But I have to go now before Mum and Dad started looking for me. Tell Harry to write when he goes home."

He stood up, shook my hand and. . . hugged me. I guess I was grateful that my shocked expression was not visible from his side and returned the hug. After a while, he whispered softly, "I think my cousin in very lucky to have someone like you, please take care of him."

I led him towards the exit and he waved at me with a smile on his face before he set off. I was left to ponder on the events that have just transpired, after he left. Things have really changed a lot and Harry's spoiled, childish cousin grew up and became a better person. I was happy that Harry was capable of changing someone a lot, that he has touched many lives in ways that even he didn't know.

It took me a while to finally find it in myself to do the task at hand and I went upstairs towards Harry's room.

It was like how I remembered it. Messy, very much like him. Clothes were scattered on the bed and his closet was open. Pictures were all around the floor and there were many crumpled papers on his desk. The rubbish bin was also full. It was a good thing that Prongs was staying at the hospital now, or else it would have been another disaster. Honestly!

I took my time to clean up his room and looked and picked up the pictures. Most of them were from the time that the two of us, including Teddy, were here during the summer vacation. I smiled at our silly faces and laughed when I remembered the memories that were included in that picture.

And then, there was also that picture that I really loved. It was shot a few days after Harry bought the camera, I was the one who took it. It was a picture of Harry, smiling a crooked smile as he held a sleeping infant in his arms. There was something about that picture that made it absolutely adorable. It never failed to make anyone smile when I showed it to them.

After a few minutes of tidying up, I finally found the parcel that I was looking for. It was addressed to Teddy Lupin, and was covered in a colorful muggle gift wrapper. I smiled as I remembered his enthusiasm when he told me how he looked for muggle toy cars and how he struggled to learn how to wrap them up in one package. When I examined the package, I felt the hard, rectangular frame on the back. I guess Harry did succeed in making a magical photograph.

I apparated back to St. Mungo's with a smile on my face, the day's events were still fresh on my mind. They gave me a reason to believe that Harry would eventually wake up and that as long as we kept holding on to the thread of hope that he gave us, he would come back.

I greeted every Healer I knew and smiled at the patients, even interacting with some kids. For a while, my heart was filled with hope. . .faith, that things would get better, Harry would get better.

But when I saw a white-faced Ron standing outside Harry's room, looking so pale and frightened, my smile suddenly vanished as I rushed into his side. I put my arms in his shoulders and it startled him, until he realized who it was. He refused to meet my gaze.

Finally, I had enough and was about to go inside the room when he blocked me. "Don't go inside, please, don't go. The Healers are still inside."

I frowned at him, suddenly feeling sick and nauseous after seeing him like that. Dread welled up inside me and I tried to form words, but I only succeeded by silently pleading with my eyes.

"Harry's heart stopped beating."

A/N: SORRY! I just HAD to make this cliffy. I finally started writing the next one, but I am still TOTALLY UNSURE of what I should do. It would be the last part with Hermione's POV. What do you think? I hope you give some of your opinions. R&R! Thank you. :)