Posting Date and Time: 24/01/14 at 00:34 UTC/GMT/Zulu.
AN: Thank you to tonixx, Phoniex Fire Pixie, MoonlightPr1ncess and Carolyn12 for your reviews. Thank you to all those who have favourited and/or followed this story. I got a bit ahead of schedule so I thought I'd post this now. The next chapter should be up in a month or so. Enjoy.
The Marriage Curse
Revelations
Poppy found them the next morning. She woke Albus up, waited till he descended to the floor, and cancelled the shrinking charm. He shifted back to his human form. Then she insisted that he and Minerva went and freshened up and got some breakfast.
Minerva wouldn't wake so Albus picked her up intending to carry her back to their chambers and let her sleep there. He would write a note telling her that Poppy had kicked them out and let Poppy face her wrath when she woke up. It wasn't exactly a Gryffindor thing to do but he would rather face Grindleward again than get between his angry wife and her lion cubs.
She woke up as he walked through the corridors and her claws suddenly dug uncomfortably and warningly into his arms. She hadn't broken his skin though. Yet. He winced.
"Poppy kicked us out to get freshened up and eat breakfast." He explained.
Tabby sprang out of his arms and shifted as she did into the familiar form of his wife. Her long black hair was loose but that did nothing to stop her from looking ferocious. He flinched as she narrowed her eyes at him but she decided he must be telling the truth. She shifted back into Tabby and ran ahead, bounding off down the corridor, towards their rooms. Albus opened the nearest window and turned into his animagus form. He reached their room first.
He took his time organising his clothing for the day and laying out some clothes for Minerva too. She left him to it and showered first. He tried to organise his thoughts while she did. When she put her hand on his shoulder he started.
"It'll be okay Albus." She said.
"I hope so. I've never seen anything like this." He said.
Minerva sighed.
"We'll fix this. Now go and shower." She commanded.
Albus picked up his clothes and went and did as he was told. He had to believe they would find the answer and everything would be alright.
They hadn't found a solution by lunch time. The students were unusually subdued and quiet. Then as Albus looked out over the hall students started falling unconscious. He was beginning to stand when his vision began to dim and he felt himself fall back into his chair before he lost consciousness.
Minerva cried out as her husband suddenly slumped in his chair.
"Albus!" Her alarmed cry got her several looks.
Then she was out of her chair but before she could reach Albus she felt dizzy. She sat back down and found that she really would be more comfortable resting her head on her arms. She was unconscious before her plate clattered on the floor.
There was panic and pandemonium for a few seconds and then all was quiet as the rest of the human inhabitants of Hogwarts fell unconscious.
Hermione Granger opened her eyes and found herself in the hospital wing with Crookshanks on her chest. Why? Then she remembered everything suddenly going black during Potions. She sat up. Crookshanks hissed as he was dislodged.
"Sorry Crooks." She said.
She reached out to him but he hissed and shot off her lap and under the bed.
There were a lot of people in the wing with her. She looked around and saw students everywhere. She felt fine so she slid out of bed. She frowned as she realised she was fully dressed. As she walked into the middle of the ward she saw Madame Pomfrey lying face down on the floor. She was unconscious. Hermione couldn't wake her.
"Crap!" Harry's voice said by her elbow.
"I can't wake her. Help me get her onto my bed." Hermione said. She rolled Madame Pomfrey over.
Together they picked her up.
Harry yelped. "OW!"
He dropped Madame Pomfrey's legs.
"Harry?" Hermione asked.
"She zapped me. Static electricity. On steroids." Harry said shaking his hands.
"Let's get her onto the bed. We'll levitate her." Hermione said and she set the matron down. "On three."
"One, two, three." Hermione counted. "Wingardium Leviosa." She and Harry said together.
They levitated Madame Pomfrey onto the bed Hermione had just vacated.
Hermione put her hand on Harry's arm and they both yelped as a shock went through them both.
"Ow! What the hell?" Hermione asked.
"No idea." Harry said.
"We should look for others."
Hermione looked down the aisle between the beds and saw a pair of black boots and long black clad legs sticking out beside a bed. Professor Snape she presumed.
She went over to investigate and found him lying on the floor between a bed occupied by Luna and an empty bed. She levitated him onto it. Then she checked his pulse. It was there but his skin zapped her too. She flinched and yelped.
"Found Malfoy senior and Mrs Malfoy." Harry called down the ward.
Hermione looked up.
Harry beckoned her over to the bed where Draco Malfoy was just stirring.
"So they do care about their spawn. Touching." Hermione said snidely.
Harry snorted with laughter.
Narcissa was sitting in the visitor's chair slumped over the bed. Lucius had not been so lucky. He had slid off the chair into an extremely undignified heap. The sight of the normally dignified and impeccable man lying on the floor with his butt in the air made Harry and Hermione crack up.
"We should rearrange them." Hermione finally managed to get out through her giggles.
"Let me grab Colin's camera first!" Harry sniggered and pointed to the bed where Colin lay halfway down the ward.
Hermione cracked up as Harry stole the camera and took a picture of the three Malfoys. He returned the camera to Colin's bedside and rejoined Hermione.
The two found themselves cackling like a pair of hyenas, unable to stop laughing, for the next few minutes.
Hermione managed to sober up first. "We can't leave them like that. Even though it is funny."
"Right." Harry answered when he had himself under control once more.
They levitated the Malfoy's to an empty bed and laid them side by side since there weren't any free beds left. Just as she thought that Hermione saw the hospital wing stretch and twenty more bed appeared either end and both sides of the room.
Harry used his wand to move Lucius Malfoy to lie flat. Hermione reached for his pulse and then hesitated. What if his skin zapped her?
"It could have been an isolated incident." Harry said.
"No. Professor Snape zapped me too. We've got to know if they're alive though." Hermione said.
"Rather you than me. I'm not touching either of Malfoy's parents." Harry said with a shudder.
Hermione touched Lucius' neck.
"Ow! Alive!" She confirmed.
Then she touched Narcissa's neck. "Alive and no zap."
They turned at the sound of Draco Malfoy's voice.
"Weaselette?"
He was bending down between two beds. Beds containing Fred and George.
"YOWCH!" Malfoy shrieked a second later.
Harry and Hermione hurried over to Malfoy.
"Her skin bit me!" Malfoy said.
"Yeah we've experienced that." Hermione said. "Don't touch anyone."
"Could have said that earlier." Malfoy grumbled.
"We didn't know you were going to touch her you muppet." Harry snapped. "Your parents are unconscious over there." He pointed.
Malfoy shot him a glare and hurried away.
Hermione raised her wand ready to levitate Ginny to one of the new beds. Harry grabbed her arm.
"We'll bash her head against something if we levitate her from here." Harry said.
"What do you suggest we do then?" Hermione asked.
"I'll pull her out then you can levitate her." He said.
He steeled himself and sighed. "Ouch time."
Then he grabbed Ginny's ankles and yanked her out from between the beds with a yelp.
"Well now she's out I can levitate her." Hermione said.
They spent the next twenty minutes levitating people to beds. Students were stirring in their sleep now and Fred and George woke up but most people looked almost dead. It was creepy. They warned the twins not to touch anyone explaining about the shocks.
Fred and George looked intrigued and immediately grabbed each other's hands. Then they looked disappointed.
"No 'Zap' Hermione." Fred said.
Hermione poked his cheek. She didn't get zapped. Harry poked George. No zap.
"Huh. Weird." Hermione said.
"You've gone bonkers." The twins said in unison.
Then they spotted Angelina Johnson lying opposite them and bounded over to her bed.
"Oi wake up." George said and prodded her. "YOW!"
He stared at his finger in disbelief. "She zapped me!"
"We told you so." Harry said and stuck his tongue out.
Fred yelped a minute later and Harry rolled his eyes at them.
"'Mione where do you think the rest of the staff are?" Harry asked.
"Ouch!" Malfoy yipped. "I can't wake the Greengrasses." He said.
"What is going on?" He demanded.
"We've no idea so join the club." Harry snapped at him.
"We can't wake anyone either. These two and you woke up on your own so I assume everyone else will wake up too." Hermione said.
"Now we're going to see where everyone else is. You stay here and make sure no one else touches anyone." She ordered. "Come on Harry."
"Yes Ma'am." Harry said earning himself a smack on the arm.
It stung slightly but no zap. He followed Hermione.
They found some people unconscious in the corridors but very few of them. Most people were in the great hall. They were all unconscious. Some people had traces of food on their faces and that made Harry snort with laughter.
"Harry this isn't funny." Hermione said.
She pointed up at the staff table. The rest of the staff minus Trelawney and Hagrid were there and all were asleep.
Harry spotted movement by the Ravenclaw table. He walked closer and then bent down to look under it. He saw an elf wearing a tea cosy there.
"Dobby?" He asked.
Dobby came out from under the Ravenclaw table holding a goblet. He put it on the table.
"Harry Potter sir." He said. "You is awake!"
"Yeah I'm awake. Listen do you know what happened?"
"Yes. Harry Potter sir. There was a bad spell. Lots of students went to sleep three days ago and not be waking. Then two days ago at lunch everyone else went to sleep and not wake." Dobby said.
"Well people are waking up now. Wait bad spell?" Harry said.
Hermione joined them. "A bad spell Dobby?"
"Yes Miss Hermione a very bad spell. Witches and wizards be marrying and having little witches and wizards or be losing their magics." Dobby said.
He cocked his head at them. "You be marrying Harry Potter sir. He good wizard."
Hermione gaped at the elf. "What do you mean?" She asked.
"Dobby sees betrothal bond." Dobby said confused.
"What do you mean betrothal bond? And you can see magic?" Harry asked.
"Of course Dobby can see magic. Dobby sees betrothal bond." Dobby sounded indignant.
"We can't see magic." Hermione said.
"You is not seeing magic?" Dobby sounded puzzled. "You is joking with Dobby."
"No she's not." Harry said.
Dobby looked amazed. "Then you is not knowing you is betrothed to three you touch."
Harry felt his stomach drop. "What do you mean?"
"Bad spell is making witches and wizards betrothed to three they touch." Dobby said.
"So I'm betrothed to the first three wizard's I touched after I woke up and Harry to the first three witches?" Hermione asked.
"Yes Miss." Dobby said a bit uncomfortably.
Hermione sat down on the Ravenclaw bench and put her face in her hands.
Dobby looked suddenly nervous.
"Dobby must go he is needed elsewhere." He disappeared with a crack.
"What's wrong 'Mione?" Harry asked.
"I didn't know." Hermione moaned. "I touched Snape and Malfoy."
She heard Harry sit down suddenly beside her. "I touched Pomfrey and you and Ginny." He said.
"So now I'm engaged to the three of you?" He asked.
"Betrothed. Magically betrothed. That's worse. No way out." Hermione said.
Then she covered her mouth and looked up.
"Sorry Harry. I didn't mean- I meant. Well I'm sure lots of witches would love to marry you but-"
"It's alright." Harry interrupted. "I know. You're like a sister to me and Pomfrey, well." He paused and swallowed.
"It could be worse." Hermione said. "You could have touched Malfoy's mum."
Harry shuddered and they both laughed.
"We've got to warn the others." He said.
Hermione shot to her feet with a gasp. They set off at a run back to the hospital wing.
Cliffie. *Evil grin* please review. Constructive crit is very welcome. Flames will be ignored. If you can't make a criticism nicely then don't make it at all.