Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Harry Potter characters.
Chapter Seventeen: Half a world away...
The first weekend of May found the Weasley fsmily in the midst of one of their traditional brunches at the Burrow, only this time short by two member; three if you counted the absence of a certain raven haired surrogate son and brother, which they did.
Hermione and Ron had elected to stay home as Hermione was too far along to safely apparate and too ill at the thought of flooing anywhere unless absolutely twisting and turning made an already sensitive stomach erupt violently.
Hermione had spent the majority of this last week resting under Ron's careful watch. Her medi-witch had been concerned as Hermione was showing more fatigue and nausea then warranted. Of course, the stress of constant badgering for interviews since the release of her book: "My Two Loves", didn't help. In addition, she was in a perpetual state of anxiety over Harry's absence and unexpected silence since the book was published.
She's so hoped that the book would convey the message that she so desperately wanted to say in person to her estranged friend and brother.
"He hates me." she whined.
Ron rolled his eyes at his grumpy wife, reassuring her for what must have been the thousandth time...
"He doesn't hate you."
"Then why isn't he here? Why haven't we heard anything? Never a floo call or even so mush as a note."
"You know why, luv." Ron reiterated.
"B-Because he hates me!" Hermione began to sob.
Between her discomfort, growing anxiety and hormone level, Hermione was a pale semblance to her usual calm, collected and coolly logical self.
And Ron couldn't love her more, though at this point he would be eternally grateful if Harry would drop her a note even if the say that he really did 'hate her'.
It was the not knowing that was driving Hermione nutters.
"He doesn't hate you. He loves you and you know it." Ron returned patiently. He'd been her rock throughout her pregnancy and not for the first time she thanked God, Merlin and Harry potter for bringing Ron into her life.
She knew she was being childish but for the life of her, she couldn't help it. "Then why isn't he here?"
"Harry's doing what he needs to do to make our world a better and safer place." he cajoled. He knew it was the accurate, logical reason for Harry's absence. He also knew it wasn't the only reason and certainly not what she wanted to hear.
"If he's not here for the birth of his godchild, I'll never forgive him." She threatened, only half meaning it.
She knew he couldn't and wouldn't return. She knew that in her brilliant mind, but her heart just couldn't accept it.
Ron held his hands out in a helpless gesture, not knowing what to say as nothing short of Harry's presence would appease her.
"Find him." Hermione demanded.
"Hermione, I wouldn't even know where to begin to look?" Ron tried rationalizing with her.
"Please, Ron,...please?" she begged; her eyes growing moist again.
"A-alright, Mione." He reluctantly agreed. "I suppose I could..."
"Oh!" Hermione's face went pale in sudden alarm. "I-I think my w-water broke?"
"Huh?" Ron's eyes went wide.
Hermione reached under the covers of her bed questioningly, her hand returned covered in blood.
"M'ione!" Ron gasped in alarm reaching worriedly for his wife, who'd already fainted in what he desperatly hoped was shock and not blood loss.
In another part of the world, Harry and Draco were just sitting down for a cup of tea after a grueling two days in the field that ended with them unsuccessfully rescuing thirteen members of an American relief organization held hostage by a militant group operating under the radar in southern Zimbabwe.
The group had wanted the usual: money, weapons, and the release of imprisoned associates that could further their own destructive agenda.
What they got was "Knight Watch. The Phoenix Foundation had sent in one of its top field groups, bolstered by the world's only Magical Knight.
Draco commanded the Omega unit. The pplan was for he and his team members to rescue the hostages whilst Harry kept the militants otherwise,...occupied.
They'd come in the night, ghosting through the surrounding jungle as if it were broad daylight. This proved to be the first successful field test of the Weasley twins' VRG's, (visual reconnaissance glasses).
The twins had risen marvelously to the task. The glasses looked as nothing more than common sunglasses, but they not only turned darkest night into visual day for the wearer, but they also allowed the wearer to circumvent ward lines, highlighted rune marks and allowed the wearer to scan through opponent clothes, concealment cases and charms that hid personnel and weapons, both muggle and magical.
Disillusion charms and invisibility cloaks were useless as the glasses could detect and highlight body heat. Likewise the wearer could see through normal walls and doors, unless concealed magically and then they could at least see the concealing charms and extrapolate how to nullify their effects.
Draco and his five man team took flanking positions near the compound's north boundary, which was closest to the hostage location.
Draco surveyed the compound. Four guard towers, each located equal distally from the other covering the four corners of the compound. The south west and east corner had one guard each. The north tower was manned by two guards manning a fifty caliber muggle firearm. The other towers were manned by... wizards?
In recent encounters with different terrorist groups around the world; Knight Watch was reporting muggle based groups bolstering their firepower with magical beings, both wizards and creatures, sometimes both.
Warfare was becoming more exotic... and deadly.
Draco's second spotted two man patrols of a wizards accompanying muggles with automatic weapons.
The glasses showed wizards in a darker shade of red as they tended to have a higher body temperature than muggles.
Oddly, the north side was not patrolled. Draco and company scanned the area twice, but no enemy patrols were spotted. Sensing something amiss, Draco asked his aerial reconnaissance to ...
"Omega One to Nighthawk..."
'This is Nighthawk, omega one-over"
"Nighthawk, confirm two man guard in north tower, single wizard in south, west and east tower and two man patrols around same?-over"
After a short pause, Nighthawk returned. "Confirmed, Omega One. Be advised there is a giant scorpion stationed near your position-over."
"A trap." Draco hissed between his teeth. They knew we were coming.
They couldn't see the scorpion with their heat vision assist because it was a coldblooded creature.
Working a hunch, Draco had his team scan the hostage area a second time. He saw what the rest did:
All thirteen hostages were housed in a central location within the makeshift bases' interior.
Their heat signatures all were within normal muggle range. Two guards were stationed at the room's door, their signatures were magical. That would account for the absence of wards and charms around the room if they were holding all muggles, but there should be at least anti-apparition wards in place to negate apparition rescue?
Draco grimaced, something was definitely off.
He tapped his com link.
"Nighthawk...is Fiona picking up any strange scents in the area?"
After a lengthy pause, Harry's voice came back over the com: "She says she smells 'death', two clicks southwest of your location-One. Nighthawk over"
Draco eyes shot to Collins and Carmichael. The two nodded and silently backtracked to check out the location Fiona indicated as 'smelling of death'.
Draco tapped the link at his collar. "Five and six are checking the area, Nighthawk. You're our eyes –acknowledge."
"Five and six in view-One. Will monitor. Base unchanged-over."
Nearly a half hour later, Draco's com link activated. "One this is five-over."
"This is one-acknowledge."
"One... shallow communal grave, concealment charms, eleven,... count eleven civilian bodies-over."
Draco's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Five and six return to group-on the double."
"In route one- five out."
Draco suspected he knew what this was. He tapped his com. "Nighthawk... can Fiona tell if muggle tower support is armed from her vantage point?-over"
A moment's pause later and... "Armed- one, but she says there's something wrong with them. They don't smell right...No fear or anticipation, like the others." He stressed, adding, "She says their heartbeats are even,... sedate even.-over."
Draco nodded. He could tell by the tone of Nighthawk's voice that he was of a like opinion. The muggle support was actually imperioused hostages.
He suspected he knew what was really occupying the hostage center.
"Nighthawk... does Fiona pick up any cooling charms around hostage area?-over"
The com link activated, this time Draco could hear the hissing of parseltongue as Harry conversed with Fiona- a Scottish-Razor Tail, dragon.
"Fi says there's a high concentration of cooling charms over and around the central hostage site. It's a trap, Dray."
Draco nodded his agreement. He was about to abort the mission when five and six returned. Even without his glasses he could have read the revulsion on their pale faces.
"Collins?" Draco enquired.
"T-They were tortured...mutilated...sir." the man choked out, looking sick. His partner looked even worse.
"Sorry brothers." Draco felt for them.
Both nodded their understanding.
Draco activated his com. "Nighthawk- could you and Fiona recover imperioused civilians on the south and west tower on my mark.-over"
"Can do –One"
Draco could almost hear the anticipation in Harry's voice.
"On my mark, we'll take the north and east towers in coordination with you on the south and west. Once hostages safely away you and Fi converge on scorpion-acknowledge?"
"Awaiting your signal-One."
Draco nodded.
A half mile overhead, Harry patted Fiona's flank affectionately." You ready for some fun, Fi?" he hissed in parseltongue.
The dragoness' sides rumbled in eager anticipation.
"Wait till Dray's in position then dump me off and head for the west tower, I'll take the south-okay?
Fiona hissed hopefully in return.
"Only incapacitate the wizard unless he's starts shooting Avada's? In that case- roast him, but don't injure the captive- got it?"
Fioana grumbled a disappointed hiss that had Harry chuckling darkly, "You ate before we left."
Fiona rumbled again beneath him.
"No eating the wizard's unless they use deadly force, Fi." he ordered.
"Fi...?" he pressed.
Reluctantly she hissed her agreement.
Harry rolled his eyes, offering... "There's always the scorpion?"
Fiona hissed a derogatory answer.
"Oh...pardon me, milady,... I didn't realize you had such a delicate palate?"
More hissing beneath him.
"Fine, I'll get you a nice juicy sheep, but only if no wizards are killed or missing any parts- deal?"
Fiona hissed her agreement just as Draco came on the com... "Nighthawk,... airstrike in ten seconds on my mark- acknowledge?"
"Ten seconds...One" Harry acknowledged.
"Three-two-one...go!"
"Now Fi"
Fiona tilted to her left dislodging Harry from her back.
Harry pulled his firebolt from a breast pocket, canceled the shrinking spell and pulled himself aboard, pulling out of his free fall a scant meter or two from impacting the compound grounds whilst counting silently in his head... 5-4-3...
On the count of one he pulled up in front of the surprised south tower wizard with a bellowed "HEY!" just as he hit the startled wizard in the face with a level four stunner.
He proceeded to hit the hostage with a level three stunner, just to be on the safe side in case he was imperioused to be more than just an unwitting stooge. With a waved of his hand he summoned the wizard's wand which he promptly pocketed for incriminating evidential reasons and with a second wave- summoned the captive's rifle. The clip was empty- a dupe as expected.
Having learned to be cautious the hard way, Harry waved his hand and ropes tied both parties tightly, thinking Hermione would be proud of his erring on the side of caution.
He smirked grimly as roar to his right was followed be the tearing of sheet metal as if it were no more than cardboard.
Fiona was shredding the south guard tower as wand fire lit up the sky around her. Those curses that struck her nearly impervious hide, only served to enrage her as she tore off the roof of the tower, clamped her jaws around the terrified wizard, chewed gently whilst he mewled and scream piteously, then spit out the gob covered, groaning leftovers on the compound's earthen floor.
Carefully she tapped a knuckle on the hostages head, knocking the poor sod out. Talons scooped up the unconscious, er,.. former captive and carried him to safe distance away from the compound, leaving the other contemptuously in a groaning heap of broken bones. After securing her rescued party, she quickly returned and collected the others that Harry and Draco's team had incapacitated.
Harry rejoined Draco's team on the north tower. They'd just made hasty plans for the intended capture of the wizard's, lying in wait within the compound's interior, pretending to be hostages. They'd just apparated away when the tower lurched to the side with a deafening screech of tearing metal and splintering wood, hailing the giant scorpion's arrival.
A blast of searing flame shot down from the night sky, but deflected harmlessly off the scorpion's heavily armored exoskeleton.
The scorpion bellowed a challenge and primal roar split the air above.
Razor sharp talons protruded from heavily muscled fore-legs. Fiona hit with a thunderous impact, clamping her claws around the edge of the scorpion's shell and driving it bodily into the ground, breaking its side legs with a sickening crunch. As its exoskeleton splintered, a green hued gore splattered across the northern compound.
Bellowing in agony, the scorpion's stinger shot forward to impale it's tormentor, but Fiona was ready for it.
She swiped her razor tail across her back side, catching and severing the Scorpion's stinger, sending it tumbling harmlessly across the compound.
Fiona launched herself back into the air and perched herself atop the north tower. She stayed there safely aloft, delighting in her handiwork as the now impotent creature flailed useless, snapping it's enormous claws at empty air whilst it's frontal claw tried and failed to propel it anywhere but in a harmless circle.
Harry watched the scene in both disappointment and disgust over his familiar's actions.
"You gotta admit..." Draco chided. "Dragon's have a disturbed sense of humor."
"Don't encourage her." Harry hissed his displeasure over his familiar's antics.
"Let me guess?" Draco chuckled suspiciously. "You only told her she couldn't harm people, right?"
Harry smacked his lips in displeasure, but refused to answer the obvious which only served to amuse Draco further.
After a lengthy pause, Harry reminded. "If you're quite finished we still have our welcoming party to deal with. I don't know about you, but I'm rather eager to see whose all here for this shindig?"
"Frontal assault?" Draco asked half grinning.
Harry rolled his eyes, answering sarcastically. "Sure go ahead, I'll wait here."
Draco paled slightly at that. "We could have Fiona tear the roof off to get their attention?" he suggested.
"Why don't you walk over and see if you can get her attention off her toy, course, I'd watch out so the damned thing doesn't roll over on top of you in the process."
"How long can you hold your animagus form?" Draco asked as an alternative.
"Long enough." Harry assured him.
Draco nodded. "What say I hitch a ride? The lads could throw up a bunch of anti-apparation wards while you d tear off the roof and then I'll yell down and get them to surrender."
Harry shrugged."Sounds reasonable, but what if they don't feel inclined to surrender? I don't fancy having a dozen wands trained on my hide, dragon or not." He vented.
"What's the worst that could happen?" Draco countered.
It was times like this that Harry was reminded over how little forethought into consequences he and Ron were want to consider before stirring up a hornet's nest of trouble.
"Fine" Harry agreed, knowing already it was probably a bad idea.
He handed his sword off to Collins for safe keeping and then with a sigh of resignation he transformed into his animagus form-that of an Obsidian Dragon.
Despite having seen him transform several times already, Draco still startled, taking an unconscious half step back in stunned awe over the power and majesty of such incredible magic.
Bones and sinew snapped and cracked as Harry's limbs and neck impossibly elongated. Razor sharp talons erupted from where his fingernails once were. He wasn't sure, but he could swear that it was Harry's own spinal column that ripped out from his back rising into the ridged back of the Dragon he was becoming. He couldn't begin to fathom where the twenty foot barbed tail came from, but there it was.
The last to change was Harry's head. His draw stretched and jutted out forming his snout. His teeth grew six inches long and razor sharp whilst his ear grew to fine tipped horns atop his head.
Harry's neck curled around and glowing emerald hued orbs looked into his very soul.
Draco gulped silently in dread wonder over just what Harry was seeing when he looked down at him like that. He was not the man he once was, thank Merlin and Harry Potter! Neither was he the man he wanted yet to become, but he was trying.
It took every nuance of courage he possessed, but Draco managed to hold the dragon's gaze. Whatever the dragon/Harry saw in the depth of his being, it must have satisfied him. With a snort of acceptance, the dragon dropped to one scaled knee so Draco could scrabble up onto his back.
Draco held onto a bony ridge for dear life as with one titanic flap of his wings and a nerve shattering primal roar of challenge, Harry launched into the air.
Draco eyed his friend sheepishly over his steaming mug of tea. "er, how's the arm?"
Harry shifted his gaze briefly to the sling Healer Pomfrey had forced him to wear while his shattered arm healed.
Turning back to Draco with a scowl on his face he growled," I don't know what's the worst of it; the damned skel-gro or having been thick enough to go along with one of your half-arsed plans?"
Ignoring the barb, Draco commented. "Bad that? I've heard the skel-gro hurts worse than the break."
"Why don't you drink some and find out for yourself?" Harry offered sarcastically, fishing out the rest of the bottle he had with him.
Draco waved him off with an alarmed look. "I'm not that curious."
After a slight paused, Draco half heartedly tried to defend his plan. "How was I to know the roof wouldn't hold our weight?"
Harry shot him a disgruntled look, but otherwise didn't comment, just continued sipping his tea, letting the vapors calm his jangled nerves as best they may.
Harry let his mind wonder back to their botched assault...
Flashback-
In dragon form he landed on top of the compound roof and was about to shred the roof when the entire structure buckled and collapsed beneath his clawed feet, dragging he and Draco down with it. His right wing had caught on a jagged support beam and his own weight tore it from his shoulder. Agony lanced thru his side as bone and leathery membranes snapped and tore loose.
As for the Wizards lying in wait beneath them, they had fared better than expected. It seems that they had considered both anti- apparition wards and a roof top assault. They'd fashioned an escape tunnel beneath the compound.
When Draco and Harry came crashing down along with the remains of their roof; they'd escaped safely beneath the crumbling building.
They hadn't managed to get very far as Fiona had sniffed them out-literally. Having been distracted from her dying toy, she'd found the hunt for the burrowing wizards great fun indeed.
Whilst she dug up a stray wizard here and there like an eager hound searching out a savory bone, the rest of Draco's team secured the perimeter on his orders; Draco- the lucky sod, had managed to tumble to safety without a scratch.
Turning back to human form had been a new form of torture all itself. The animagus book had failed to mention that transformation whilst injured could and would cause more damage than the injury itself.
End of Flasback-
"I really am sorry." Draco apologized for the seemingly tenth time.
"Sure you are." Harry quipped.
"I really am." Draco tried again with what he thought greater sincerity.
Harry snorted over his mug. "For the botched capture or my getting hurt?
"All of it." Draco tried to look sincere even though the edge of his mouth was fighting not to curl up in a snicker.
"So, I'm to believe that you're sorry for: Laughing at my attempts to take Fiona to task when she accidently nipped off that one dark wanker's finger,... or was it when you accidently handed Healer Pomfrey's new assistant the laxative instead of the requested skel-gro?"
"Honestly, the look on your face when you told Fiona that she couldn't have an extra sheep for a snack because she dismembered a suspect, so to spite you she ate the finger, oh...ha-ha-ha!" Draco guffawed
Harry watched his friend drolly as he laughed at his expense.
Harry's stomach protested loudly, drawing Draco's attention away only to add: "You'd already drank about ha-half of the laxative before she realized the mistake." he started to chortle again.
"And I'm still paying for it." Harry complained as his stomach started gurgling again.
Draco was wiping at his eyes with one hand and holding his stomach with the other when suddenly things became anything but humorous.
"H-Harry?...Harry!" Draco grabbed for Harry who went ridged and flew over backward out of his chair in the throes of a seizure of some sort.
Draco scrabbled around the table and dropped next to Harry's side, hitting his com link insignia and shouting. "Medical team to cafeteria stat! Phoenix is down! I Repeat, Phoenix-Is-Down!"
He ignored the sudden exclamations and screams of alarm around him and began casting cushioning charms around the area to try and keep Harry from accidently harming himself with his thrashing about.
Distantly he heard Abby cry out in alarm, having arrived on the run at hearing his emergency call over the com.
"Abby, get his feet!"
Before Abby could grasp Harry's flailing legs, his back arched up off the floor and his eyes rolled up in his head.
The air around them super heated and phoenix song blared as a spectral bird of golden flame with glowing green eyes erupted from Harry's chest and blasted through the ceiling above.
"What's happening?" Ron nearly screamed in alarm as healers ran in and out of the room and nurse's hurriedly transformed the birthing room to a surgical suite.
A stony faced healer pulled Ron aside asking his permission to save to baby while there was still time, but Hermione...?
Ron's desperate eyes pivoted back and forth between the waiting healer and his fading wife "You've got to do something-PLEASE!" he begged.
The healer shook his head grimly, explaining: "We're putting blood replenishers and whole blood into her as fast as her body can absorb them, but she's still losing blood faster than we can put it back in. If we don't get the baby out now, we'll lose them both? I-I'm sorry Mr. Weasley, but if we don't concentrate our efforts on the baby now, we'll lose them both!"
Horrified, Ron began to absently nod his acceptance, but was saved the trouble...
Phoenix song faintly drifted through the room rising to a deafening crescendo as a golden flamed phoenix burst into being over Hermione's ashen form.
Nurses and healers scrabbled back from her bedside in awestruck wonder as phoenix song washed over them removing all doubt and fear.
Only a miracle could save them both and one had arrived.
Glowing green eyes scanned the room with a raptor gaze, not predatorily, but filled with intense compassion.
"Get security here!" the healer barked raising his wand in defense of his failing patients.
"No!" Ron's hand shot forward slapping the wand away, hurriedly reassuring the rest of the room. "It's alright. Everything's gonna be alright."
Hermione's monitor blared as her heart stopped. Instinctively the healer surged forward, but Ron held him back, cautioning... "Give him a minute."
"Give who?...What!" the Healer stammer uncertainly.
With a screech of defiance the golden phoenix slammed into Hermione's midriff and disappeared from view.
Within moments golden flames erupted from her core and spread throughout her body. Her eyes snapped open glowing emerald green fire. Her hair danced on a nonexistent wind. Phoenix song still filled the very air around them filling their very souls with comfort and hope.
Slowly..., ever so slowly the phoenix song began to fade and the flames covering Hermione's body burned themselves out. Just as the green fire in her eyes began to dim, the spectral phoenix's head emerged from Hermione's lower abdomen.
Gently the phoenix rose in to the air. When its claws finally broke free of Hermione's body gasps filled the room as a newborn child was cradled protectively within its powerful talons.
The phoenix slowly hovered toward Hermione's still unconscious form and as it moved it began to elongated and transform into the image of ... a man.
Hands of golden ethereal fire reached forward and gentled the baby into its mother sleeping arms. Emerald fiery eyes looked down upon the new family with varied emotions.
From his vantage point Ron could see the unfathomable look in those fiery orbs. Deep set longing warred with gentle compassion and a profound depth of overriding love and affection.
Ron stepped to Hermione's other side and grasped her hand. But his eyes were riveted to the spectral image of his best friend, standing across from him.
He knew with absolute certainty that he was looking at Harry's very soul. Emotions warred thru Ron's eyes as he stared into the bottomless pits of emerald green.
Relief and profound gratitude gave way to extreme worry for if Harry's soul was her, then what of his body? Was he dead?
"H-Harry?" Ron struggled to communicate with the spectral image of his friend, not truly knowing if he could even understand him.
Hermione's color returned and her eyes snapped open, first seeing and falling softly to the weight in her arms and then turning to the hand grasping her own.
"Oh,...Ron." she cooed, before registering his awe struck gaze and following the track of his eyes back to the source of his preoccupation.
"H-Harry?" she breathed out in frightened disbelief, half terrified that she was looking upon the ghost of her best friend.
The spectral image quirked a half smile and nodded toward the small figure nuzzling in its mother's arm, seeking sustenance.
"That's a Weasley all right." The specter chuckled in Harry's voice, then faded from existence as if it had never been.
Half a world away...
"We're losing him!" Healer Pomfrey announced as his hands worked feverishly to pump life giving blood in place of Harry's failing heart.
Abby's face was buried in Draco's shoulder, sobbing as her arms clutched desperately around him seeking the reassuring warmth of his own body.
Draco watched in silent vigil as the healer team worked feverishly to save a man already dead.
Harry's heart had stopped beating what seemed hours, but was most likely only scant minutes ago. Tears fell freely from pain filled grey eyes.
The hall leading to the infirmary was crowded with black uniformed 'Knight Watch' personnel, kneeling in silent vigil as they prayed for a life already passed.
Finally, blessedly,... the healer team gave up. Healer Pomfrey looked up to Draco, seeing the fading hope in his eyes, as he shook his head sadly, taking away that last shred of hope.
Draco sighed dejectedly, tightening his arms around Abby who sobbed harder, instinctively knowing their friend's fate.
It was many minutes before Abby's wails diminished and finally her breathing deepened as exhaustion won out and she'd fallen asleep.
Draco lifted her into his arms and carried her to a nearby lounge where he lie her softly on one of the couches.
He conjured a thick woolen blanket to keep her warm and then steeled himself for the task ahead.
He was the senior officer present, but more importantly, he is,...was ...Harry's friend. The dread news should come from him.
He passed Harry's still form, a nurse reverently covering his body with a clean white sheet whilst two healers murmured despondently nearby.
Draco was just about to open the door to the hallway beyond, to inform the waiting "Knight Watch' outside of Harry's fate, when Phoenix song filled the air and a comforting warmth spread throughout the room.
Not daring to hope, he spun on his heal just in time to see the returned golden flaming phoenix plunge into Harry's lifeless body.
Harry's back arched and a gasp escaped his throat as if he'd just emerged from a deep sea dive. One quick exhale and he slumped back to the gurney as still as before only no longer ashen as the color slowly returned to his body. The phoenix song faded, leaving only the faint sounds of Harry's continued respiration as all others held their breath in desperate hope.
Healer Pomfrey was the first. He reached forward with a trembling hand to the side of Harry's throat. His fingers paused over his artery, searching.
"Merlin, above!" he gasped in wide eyed wonder. "He's alive!"
Draco bolted to the side of his gurney and reached out with trembling fingers of his own. A sign of relief escaped his throat as he whispered a silent prayer to God, Merlin and any other deity whom cared to listen.
He waited on tether hooks as Healer Pomfrey ran his wand over Harry performing every diagnostic test he knew.
A hesitant smile escaped his lips that was an answer in itself, before he pronounced: "He's sleeping. I can't explain it, but... I-I think he's going to be alright."
Draco nodded and made for the door and the hall beyond.
Draco opened the door and stepped into the hall. The sight before him reminded him of another time, when he and his fellow Unspeakable waited in vigil like this, with little to no hope.
He realized in that moment that this would undoubtedly be a reoccurring theme, one he hoped that would always bear the same end result.
Anxious eyes turned up from forms waiting silently on bended knee.
Draco smiled broadly proclaiming: "He lives!"
A cheer rose up along the hall that shook the windows in their panes.
Half a world away...
A teary eyed Ron Weasley had just finished explaining what happened to his anxiously waiting family.
"You're sure it was H-Harry?" His father asked worriedly.
Ron nodded, shrugging."Who else could it have been?" he answered incredulously. "'M-Mione was , she was..." he broke off unable to complete the thought of how close he had been to losing his wife.
"T-Then phoeniox song filled the room and a golden fiery phoenix with emerald green eyes- his eyes, burst into the room. –Hermione... she,.. she...her heart stopped and then the phoenix it well,.. it went into her!" He struggled to explain. Several people gasped at that as they had the first time he'd tried to explain it.
"S-She started breathing again and her color turned back to normal and then he rose up from her tummy with the baby cradled in his arms. I-It was him, or his ,..I don't know...Ghost?...Spirit?"
"Do you mean he's d-dead?"Ginny gasped in fright at that.
Ron rung his hand through his sweat damp hair in frustration. "I don't know, but it was him. We could feel it was him,... 'Mione and me. The the baby started fussing,.. he was hungry and,... well.." Ron left off embarrassedly as his ears went pink.
"What?" Jane asked clutching desperately to her husband's arm that was wrapped supportively around her waist.
Ron's face started to pink up as he answered. "H-Harry smiled that half smile of his,.. you know the one?"
Everyone nodded their remembrance.
"And then he says,... Yeah, that's a Weasley alright."
Chuckles turned to full out guffaws as the anxiety bleed out of the, filled to capacity, waiting room.
After several long cleansing minutes...
Ginny asked what everyone else was wanting to know only not exactly in order of their need to know. "W-What happened then? Are Hermione and the...?
"They're fine, just fine." Ron reassured them grinning proudly.
"A-And Harry?" George asked before Ginny could. There was not the slightest hint of anything even remotely resembling his usual boisterous nature in his expression.
"I-I don't know." Ron answered apologetically, spreading his hands out helplessly in front of them.
"Arthur." Molly turned her attention to her husband.
"I'll find out, Molly, but first..." he held his hand out expectantly to his wife who took his and then grasped Ginny's who followed suit until everyone present had joined hand in a large circle.
Arthur bowed his head and the others did likewise as he intoned reverently. "We thank almighty God and Merlin above for the gift of this new life brought into being by love and your own will."
"Amen" the group responded.
Molly added next to him. "And we thank you Lord God, Merlin, James and Lilly Potter; for the gift of Harry Potter. Please watch over him always."
"Amen"