Chapter Thirteen

Hermione stared at Harry's still body with eyes stinging from lack of sleep. He was lying on his stomach on the kitchen table of Shell Cottage, unmoving. Hermione felt helpless. With Fleur out of commission, it had been up to Hermione with the help of
Luna to tend to Harry's deep wound. And it was deep. She hadn't anticipated it being so bad until she caught sight of his hip bone. She'd started to cry immediately.

Now, three days later, the raven-haired boy - because he was still sometimes a boy in her eyes - still hadn't opened his eyes. Ginny had floo called Hogwarts to consult with Madam Pompfrey but there was only so much the Mediwitch could do without actually seeing the
patient. They couldn't exactly tell her that they were treating the Muggle Harry Potter either.

As much as Hermione knew about healing, she had no idea how Harry would react to magical treatment. They'd managed to close his wound but it was still rather fresh. He would have a nasty scar - one among many others. It also didn't help that the catastrophic
injury couldn't be aided with the use of Harry's usual magical core. Hermione was sure that if he were still a wizard, he would have been awake already.

Which was something that actually sparked an idea as to the true way the Order got rid of Harry's powers. She'd need to consult her notes and several books to be sure, but she wouldn't dare leave Harry's side. Not again. Never ever again.

"He's going to wake up, right?"

Hermione turned her attention to the owner of the voice. Ron was sitting on the kitchen counter, staring blankly into the space in front of him. His eyes were unfocused and bloodshot. He'd barely had any sleep either. The entire lot of their makeshift
younger Order was overly sleep-deprived. Fleur and Harry weren't the only two injured in the battle in the meadow at Godric's Hollow, though they were the most severe.

"Hermione, tell me he's going to wake up! I just got him back. We can't lose him again."

Hermione didn't know what she could say to ease his rising panic. She felt it herself. She couldn't lose Harry. The entire world couldn't afford to lose Harry Potter. "I don't know, Ron," she finally said. "I really don't know."

Ron leaned his head back against the cabinet behind him and closed his eyes.

Hermione's eyes drifted back to Harry's body. The one good thing was that he was breathing. But for how long? As she sat there, she knew that she needed to find something to distract herself from the dark path her thoughts were taking her down. She looked
at Ron. "Do you remember the last day of the Battle of Hogwarts?"

Ron gave her an annoyed look, silently asking why she would pull him out of his reverie for such an inane question.

"Right, stupid question," Hermione said, grimacing. "What I mean is, do you remember if Harry got injured after he went into the Forbidden Forest?"

Ron was confused. "Why after?"

"Because Harry was supposed to die. He wasn't supposed to return from the Forest. The contingency plan Dumbledore set up only came into effect when he rose from the dead. Whatever they did to him, this foreign ritual that I can't seem to figure out for
sure, had to have happened after Voldemort brought him to the Castle. So, do you remember if he was hit by anything particularly gruesome?"

Ron thought hard about it, even though the last thing he wanted to do was bring the memory of that day to his active mind. He took his time as he relived one of the worst days of his life. How he recovered from it, he didn't even know. "I don't remember,"
Ron eventually said. "The memory's there but I can't pick through it. You also have to remember that Harry was out of sight most of the time. I don't really remember seeing him until it was just him and Voldemort."

"Me neither," Hermione concluded, sighing. "Maybe we should ask McGonagall if we can use Dumbledore's Pensieve."

Ron's eyes widened. "You don't think, umm, that Professor McGonagall is involved in all this, do you?"

Hermione considered it. If it were true, she knew it would break Harry's heart. Really, it already pulled on Hermione's heart strings. "No," Hermione told Ron, needing to say it as much as Ron needed to hear it.

"Even if she wasn't, do you think that we can trust her? Can we trust anyone right now? I mean, did you see what Susan did to Fleur? Did you see, Hermione? How did we survive one Wizarding War just to get involved in another, against the very people who
fought with us?"

Hermione looked at him with kind eyes. "Susan's aunt was part of Dumbledore's inner circle. At least that part makes sense. I'd hate to think that she did it of her own accord. I also think that she's the type of person who feels awful about it."

"I don't care," Ron said roughly. "She still did it. She hit a pregnant woman for Merlin's sake!"

"She was aiming for Harry," Hermione said, trying to calm him.

"As if that makes it any better."

Hermione let out a long breath, her tiredness threatening to claim her. No! She had to be awake for Harry. "I think we're getting off topic here, Ron. Harry's injury right now is catastrophic. It's enough to severely deplete a wizard's magical core. If
Harry was injured in the final battle, then it makes sense that that would aid whatever ritual Aberforth led."

"Okay... but wouldn't his magical core replenish itself? It helps with the healing process and then he's back to normal, right?"

Hermione nodded her head, and then she shook it no. "It would, unless he's been continuously injured. What if he's never had the chance to heal and his core just wasn't able to fix itself?"

Ron frowned. "Hermione, it's been five years. Even without a magical core, he looks to be quite healthy."

She sighed. "I mean, it's just a theory."

"If that theory is right, would we have to do that thing you were talking about doing to get his magic back?"

Hermione swallowed. Even though she discovered the ritual to return Harry's magic, she'd also been dreading it. "I would imagine so. He needs his magic now more than ever. And, to be honest, Ron; there isn't much I do know about all of this. I
use books. There isn't much about all of this in books."

"You and your books."

Hermione risked a smile. Then, absently, she returned her attention to Harry. "You know, I really thought I could save him this time," she said sadly. "It was my turn, and yet he's the one who saved me. Why does he keep doing that?"

Ron looked at Hermione rather pointedly. "I think you already know the reason for that, Hermione."

She sat back in the kitchen chair she occupied, her body exhausted from too many hours awake. "There you go again. I really hope you haven't mentioned any of this hogwash to Harry."

Ron shrugged. "Just pointing out what everyone sees."

"Everyone?"

He nodded. "Everyone." He looked at Harry. "Except maybe him."

"None of it would even matter if he doesn't wake up. What if he doesn't wake up? What am I supposed to do then?"

Ron slipped off the kitchen counter and walked towards Hermione. He knelt down in front of her. "He's going to wake up. He's survived Voldemort a million times; I'm sure he could survive Susan Bones. But, once he wakes up, Hermione; you have to promise
me that you're going to tell him how you feel."

Hermione frowned. "Ron, I can't do that. I don't even know what I feel for him. All I know is that I don't want him to die. I was okay just knowing that he was out there, somewhere in the world. But knowing that he's gone for good... I won't be able to
handle that." While she spoke, she started to cry. It felt like she'd been crying for years.

Ron put his hand on Hermione's arm, just like she usually did to calm him down. It didn't work as well as when she did it. "He's going to wake up."

"He has to."

"We need him to stop whatever is coming. And we need to figure out what that is."

Hermione moved her arm out of Ron's grasp and folded her arms across her chest, almost holding onto herself. "Speaking of, where is Bill?"

Ron stood up and moved towards Harry. "He was supposed to be back hours ago. I'm trying not to think about it too much because we've already got a lot to deal with. What's worrying me is that there has to be a very good reason for him to stay away from
Fleur." He shook his head. "I should have gone with him."

"You had to stay here," Hermione said, trying to make him see reason. "George even said. They are fine. Your father wouldn't hurt them," she found herself saying. "Your mother definitely wouldn't allow that."

Ron turned back to her, his eyes dark and his features hard. "Right now, Hermione, everything I think I know about my family is useless. Anything we think we know about anyone we know is wrong. I think that what happened at Godric's Hollow just
proves that. So I don't need you to talk about them. Because right now you know just as much as I do about my own damn family!" When Hermione didn't respond, he started to leave the kitchen, feeling a bit ashamed of his outburst. "I'm going to find
Luna and Ginny. Are you going to be okay?"

Hermione couldn't bring herself to respond and Ron didn't press her. She watched him walk out of the kitchen slowly, almost waiting for her to say something. Hermione didn't dare say a word more. They were just tired and highly emotional.

Hermione sat a while, watching Harry in complete silence. She figured that if he was going to be quiet in her presence then she would be too. She wasn't sure how long she sat there but, before she knew it, the sun was setting and several people arrived
at the Cottage. Hermione barely noticed Ginny handing her a sandwich or Hannah giving her a glass of water. When she didn't move even then, Ginny practically had to force-feed Hermione.

"Please, Hermione," Ginny practically begged. "Harry wouldn't want this."

"Ssh," Hermione sounded, moving Ginny's hand away. "I'm listening to his breathing."

Ginny sighed. "Okay." She stood up straight, deciding that Hermione wasn't going to move from the spot she hadn't left in days. With that, Ginny left the kitchen. "She's exhausted," she said softly as she took her position beside Neville on the couch
in the lounge. "She needs sleep."

"She needs Harry to wake up," Angelina said, just managing to deflect a yawn. She was sitting in George's lap in an armchair. The pair might have said it was to save space for everyone to fit in the room but, really, it was because they needed the comfort.
"I think we all do."

"Shouldn't we move him?" Katie asked, from her position on the carpet at Cho's feet. "Into a bed or something. The table just seems so uncomfortable."

It was Luna who responded, almost channeling Hermione. "We're waiting for him to get stronger. It's better not to chance it until the wound has had some time to heal. Even levitating him has its drawbacks."

The gathered group just nodded their understanding.

Ron brought them out of their silence by turning to his oldest brother. "Bill, what happened when you went to see Dad?"

Bill shook his head. "Bad things." He looked at George and both of them shuddered. "Seeing as the Order no longer has access to Grimmauld Place..."

"Where do they have their secret meetings then?" Hannah asked.

"I suppose the Ministry, but I doubt that's important. They were at the Burrow when we got there. They had their own kind of triage. Turns out we're not as rusty as we thought. There were people I didn't even recognise."

George continued. "It was chaos. They didn't even notice our arrival until Mum screamed."

"Did they attack?" Ginny asked, even though she really didn't want to know the answer.

"No," Bill answered. "We walked in by ourselves and then, nothing. We spoke in the kitchen. Well, they spoke. I pretty much yelled the entire time. Thankfully Andromeda wasn't there."

"Which was good," George added. "She's the one who started the fighting in the first place."

"And Aberforth," Neville muttered. After everything that they had gone through with the man in his seventh year, he couldn't quite believe that such a man for the cause would resort to such drastic and unnecessary acts. Neville was sure that this wasn't
what Dumbledore would have wanted.

Nobody mentioned that Harry had provoked them with the truth of his words. There was no excuse for firing at someone who didn't have the ability to defend themselves. It made Ron think of Harry's father trying to fend off Voldemort the night he died.
Ron suspected that Harry probably would have done the same thing. And, in his own way, he had. It was the very reason he was lying on that kitchen table and not Hermione.

"Did you see Susan?" Hannah asked.

Bill clenched his fists, determined not to think of the person nearly responsible for the death of his family.

George answered. "She was there. She was fine, as far as I could tell. We weren't really there for her. We were there to try to figure out what they know about what the Muggles have planned for us."

"How did you know it was her?" Katie asked Bill.

"She was the only one who didn't react when I shouted 'Check your left,' as if she was trying very hard not to draw any suspicion. She's lucky all I did was hex her." The hatred in his voice kept the group silent for a good minute before Ron broke it.

"Did you get anything from them?" he asked. He was standing in the corner of the room, watching over everyone as if he was their protector. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about Fluffy, which was such a stupid thing to be thinking about at a time
like this.

"Very little. They're as much in the dark as we are, and they're the Ministry. What could we possibly find out that they couldn't?"

"We're supposed to have what they don't have."

All heads turned to the source of the voice. Hermione Granger was standing in the doorway, looking completely dead on her feet. How she was able to stand, nobody knew.

"Hermione," Ginny sounded, rising to her feet immediately.

"It's Harry," Hermione said, her knees shaking. "He stopped breathing. I don't know, I tried, everything... I can't... I think he's... He, I, we... I, love..." Then, to collective horror, Hermione collapsed, her form hitting the ground with a hard thud
before anyone could even react.

And, as Ron went to kneel at Hermione's side, he couldn't stop himself from thinking that he was currently the last remaining member of the Golden Trio fit and healthy. He and Hermione had struggled when it was just the two of them; how on earth would
he survive on his own?


When Ron finally crawled into the single bed beside Luna much later that night, he had only one thought on his mind: sleep. Unfortunately for him, Luna had other ideas. She turned to face him, her face mere centimetres from his. Ron felt reassured by
the feel of her breath on his skin. Especially after the day they'd had. It was comforting knowing that Luna was there and that she was safe.

They weren't alone in the room. Neville and Ginny were in another single bed, curled up and sleeping soundly. Dean and Seamus were sprawled out on the floor, each of them alert in their unconscious states. The sounds of sleep were comforting as well as
annoying at the same time.

"I never thought I would be more grateful for the fact that you have such stubborn friends," Luna said, her voice calm and soothing.

"Are you talking about the fact that you practically brought Harry back to life? Or the fact that once Hermione came to, the first thing she wanted to do was see Harry?"

Luna shifted further into him and let out a long breath against the skin of his neck. "Both."

Ron probably wouldn't admit to anyone just how scared he had been. Watching Hermione drop like a sack of potatoes pulled on every heart string he had, even breaking a few. Even though their relationship hadn't worked out in the end, he still cared deeply
for her. To see her so beaten was almost as bad as having to deal with Harry's constantflirtation with death. "Do you know why he stopped breathing?" Ron asked cautiously.

Luna steeled herself, unsure if saying the dark words was a good idea or not. "He died, Ron," she eventually said. "For two minutes, Harry Potter was dead."

Ron played down the gravity of that statement by making a light comment, even allowing himself to chuckle. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time."

Luna decided not to comment, choosing to allow him to deal with the trauma of almost losing his two best friends in the same day however he saw fit. She wouldn't even be able to say how she would handle all of it. She'd descended quite terribly after
her mother's death. And, after her father's, she'd found purpose. Even so, she was still just another orphan of the War. There were too many.

"How did you finally get Hermione to sleep?" Ron asked, suddenly too frightened to go to sleep.

Luna waited a beat before she responded. "I might have drugged her... And, before you say anything, it was for her own good though."

"She won't see it that way," he muttered.

"I don't really care," she said strongly. "What she's doing is irresponsible and hazardous to the lot of us. We need her as much as we need Harry!" She huffed, her own hidden emotion rising to the surface. "At least Harry is out of the woods now. He's
looking a lot stronger. I think he just had to find the will to keep going, to come out of this. His colour is even steadily coming back."

Ron let out a tired breath. It felt like he'd been running a marathon and he was finally seeing the finish line. If Harry could just wake up, everything would be okay. It was all he allowed himself to believe as he lay there, wrapped up in Luna's calm
warmth. When Hermione had walked into the lounge, all talk of Bill and George's visit to the Burrow had evaporated. Whatever 'bad things' that had happened were sidelined, and Ron knew that he would have to talk to his brothers about it, however reluctant
they appeared.

"What Hermione said, when she saw Harry, it was weird, right?" Ron asked, needing clarification from just one other person.

She thought back to the incident. Ginny had had to restrain Hermione when she woke up from her fall, her need to see Harry so powerful. "Do you mean when she asked for how long he hadn't been breathing?"

He nodded. "It was just the way she asked it."

"Like how?"

Ron didn't know how to respond. After the conversation he'd had with Hermione much earlier in the day, something about it all felt rather off. Or on. In a split second, it came to him. How couldn't he have seen it before? Of course Hermione would still
be thinking about the future, even in her walking dead state.

Harry had died for two minutes. Just an opportunity to exact part of the plan. Ron shuddered. It was just a step in the ritual to get Harry's magic back. At least this way neither Ron or Hermione had to be the ones to stop Harry's heart.
He'd done it all on his own.

Ron couldn't even say he was surprised.