A/N: I really do wish I came up with the monologue of "he changes her too", but alas, I did not. I've never seen Vampire Diaries but I know that that line of dialogue is from it. I need to give credit where it is due. And a quick disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries nor A New Leaf

Please enjoy :)

Draco was both disappointed and grateful that the walk to Hermione's room took less than a minute; he did wish to have more time with her, but he wanted to hide his flushed cheeks and stupid grin as fast as possible. As soon as the brown-eyed witch closed her door, Draco darted to his room and practically slammed the door. He leaned back against it and he dragged himself down to the floor, his legs sprawled out in front of him. He looked down at his palm. He could still feel the buzzing in his hand from when Hermione gently held it.

Draco closed his eyes, trying to relive it. Something close to electricity shocked his skin when she intertwined her fingers with his. At first, he thought that she only did this out of pity; she felt bad for the poor, ugly, Ex-Death Eater because he didn't have the grandest time growing up. But he could see in Hermione's face, not something demeaning, but something that filled Draco up; genuine care, tenderness, and (dare he say?) love. Could Hermione actually love him or, at this point, be starting to?

All that Draco knew was that he was slowly beginning to fall himself. He wasn't ready to say it out loud yet, but that night, he was pushed much closer to the edge. He smiled, recalling the memory that he used to summon his patronus. Draco didn't reveal it Hermione, but he knew that it was fairly obvious that it was about her. But the memory wasn't a specific moment... It was all the big moments in one. When Draco spoke the incantation, he was simply thinking about her. The way she danced about through Hogsmeade, her scrunched up nose when she laughed, the relentless and fiery spirit she possessed, and the never-ending loyalty she had for her loved ones. Hermione as a whole made Draco unspeakably happy, which was powerful enough to conjure up his spectral fox of a patronus.

The pale boy stood up and slouched over to his desk. He had already written Hermione's letter for that day, but he wanted to add a passage about that night. Draco sat down and dipped his quill in ink. He held the tip of it to the parchment, but then his mind went blank. What he wanted to write was how she made him feel. He made himself blush just by thinking about it; how time seemed to stop with her, and how there seemed to be no beginning nor ending. How the Earth around him could've been burning into oblivion but it wouldn't matter because he was with her. She made him feel nervous but at the same time like he actually mattered. Like he had a chance to be better.

He meant to write this all on the parchment, but after minutes of thinking, he scratched down:

P.S.: You taught me how to summon a patronus tonight. I'm now much closer to the edge. And yes, my memory had to do with you.

Satisfied, Draco flopped on his bed and stared at the ceiling until he slept.

The rest of the week blurred past them. Draco noticed Hermione becoming slightly tense as the days progressed. No Jack Russell Terrier nor stag flew into Hermione's room the night Draco learned to produce his own animal. Hedwig did not drop a letter from Harry and Ron on her desk and hadn't for the rest of the week. Draco could tell that her effort in keeping a happy countenance increased as each day went by. He could only imagine what she must have been thinking. Images of her two best friends being captured, tortured, or even killed. Hedwig was well past her expected due date so what, in Merlin's name, was keeping them? There was a small hope they were simply being delayed and that the journey took longer than expected. Maybe they got caught up in a small side mission that did not involve murderous Death Eaters. They would be late, but safe. Though of course, in times like these, assuming the worst was natural.

Hermione was slowly losing the color in her face and turning almost as pale as Draco. She hardly ate at meals and spent most of her time in her room making futile attempts to distract herself. Draco would sometimes peek at her through the crack in her door. He would see her sitting in the swing, an unopened book on her lap, staring out the window. These days the window in her room was always open, even while she slept, Hermione knowing that Harry's snowy owl could've been swooping in at any moment. Draco dared himself to go into her room and join her and comfort her. But he remembered the last time he entered her room without permission and how he almost got hexed. Even though things were different now, he assumed that Hermione preferred to be alone, and then stalked off to his own bedroom.

The first morning of the next week, everyone was in their usual positions. Isabella, William, and Hermione talked pleasantly. And Draco stared at Hermione, picking up on her forced expression of content.

"Alright. So today, we will begin the tutoring sessions again," William announced from his end of the table.

Hermione seemed to perk up at this statement. "What will we be studying?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, since there's no need to continue to study magical subjects what with your completion of the N.E.W.T.s, Aiden suggested that we do some Muggle subjects. Specifically literature."

She flipped her head around, her golden curls swooshing, toward Draco. She was beaming. "You suggested it?"

Draco only nodded, smiling at the rejuvenated Hermione. This is what she needed now: School. Something to distract her from her fears.

"Go to the library and pick up one of the copies of The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald," the tutor instructed. "Read A New Leaf, and I will join you shortly."

Hermione couldn't have gotten up, ran to the library, and started reading faster. Before Draco could blink, the edges of her robes were being swept away and out of sight as she rounded out of the kitchen. He was about to follow, but he stopped abruptly. He turned to William and asked, "Why did you pick that one?"

"I suggested it," Isabella answered suddenly, standing up to clear away the table.

Draco raised a quizzical brow. "Why?"

"Well, F. Scott Fitzgerald was Adam's favorite author and-"

"Adam?" Draco interrupted.

"Oh yes! I forgot to mention... the love of my life, the other man with the Unbeautify curse, is named Adam."

Draco raised both eyebrows and stared in silence.

The housekeeper continued while placing dishes into the sink. "Anyway, we read practically all of Fitzgerald's works together; The Great Gatsby, This Side of Paradise, Tender is the Night, you name it. One day, we stumbled on A New Leaf in a collection of short stories by him. And if I were to tell you the exact moment I started to fall in love with Adam, it would be when we read this story together. I really cannot tell you why because I don't know myself."

Isabella paused and leaned against the counter with a dreamy look on her face. "There was just something about it. Whatever I took away from it made me realize my feelings for him. Maybe Hermione will take away the same thing."

She turned back to the dishes and Draco turned back to the exit. He traveled slowly to the library in deep thought. So for Isabella, this short story was some sort of conduit for her to come to terms with the ways she felt about Adam. But how could anyone know if it would work on Hermione? It seemed quite ridiculous. It wasn't like the story was enchanted with some spell or the pages were laced love potion.

Draco was still puzzled as he entered. His eyes flickered to Hermione sitting on the loveseat, her own eyes were glued to the page. He grabbed the book from the table, assumed his usual position in the plush armchair, and began to read.

The story was quite sad. A woman named Julia had fallen in love with a man with a nasty reputation named Dick. He had a long history of alcoholism and scandals, but of course, this woman was enthralled with him. She ignored the warnings of her much more amiable friend, Phil, and pursued him. Julia and Dick then entered into a relationship and things were going well; Dick had stopped drinking and was prepared to marry Julia. However, Julia then learned that Dick had been with another woman while she was away. They broke it off as Julia watched Dick sail away on a trip to London. But Dick had died at sea and Julia was heartbroken. Phil was there for her, however, and they ended up getting married.

Draco closed the book feeling worse than he had felt before. How in the bloody hell did Isabella fall in love with Adam over this? It was well written of course, but the moral of the story hardly played in his favor; don't fall for the bad boys or you will get hurt, and in this case, Draco was definitely "the bad boy". He was "Dick". And his stomach churned when he thought about who'd be Granger's "Phil". Weaselbee? Longbottom? Krum?

Draco winced at each name he listed in his head and then sighed. The list could go on for miles. And the list of the men that deserved Hermione went on even longer. The one person who deserved Granger the least was Draco, so how could he even expect for her to reciprocate his feelings?

He looked up at Hermione. The book was spread across her lap as she stared into space. He chuckled. She was obviously pondering what she just read. Was she thinking the same thing he was? Or perhaps she found something deeper that Draco obviously missed.

"What did you guys think?" William queried as he strolled into the library.

"Brilliant, but not the happiest ending," Draco mused as the blind man sat at the table.

"Well, some of the best love stories don't have a happy ending, Aiden."

Draco scowled at his hands. "At least she ended up with a good man."

"Correct. Julia would have a bright and secure future with Phil. He would protect her," William added.

The pale boy's scowl deepened. This tutoring session and this story were putting an enormous damper on things.

"So then," William continued. "If she ended up with Phil, why wasn't it a happy ending still?"

Hermione's voice rang out from the other side of the room instantly. "Because Julia didn't love him." She was sitting up, gazing intently at William.

"But Phil would have provided her everything she needed; shelter, fidelity, love, et cetera. He could have taken care of her. Dick couldn't ever," the tutor challenged.

She immediately rebutted. "You don't know that. None of us know that. We could obviously see that she was able to help change him, even just a little. He kept his promise to her to stop drinking until it killed him in the end. And the fact remains that she was still deeply in love with Dick, and he loved her too." Hermione then snatched her book and flipped through its pages furiously. When she landed on a page, she spoke again in a booming voice. "She says to Phil, and right before their bloody wedding: You'll understand the feeling I have and always will have about Dick, won't you, Phil? It wasn't just his good looks. I believed in him—and I was right in a way. He broke rather than bent; he was a ruined man, but not a bad man. In my heart I knew when I first looked at him."

Draco was grinning brightly at Hermione. Her passionate and argumentative words brought back memories of her in a Hogwarts classroom; her hand shooting to the sky before the professor could finish the question, her chest puffing out in complete confidence as she answered.

William was smiling now as well. "So let me ask you both this: if you were Julia, would you have followed Dick on that boat to London and given him a second chance? Or stayed with Phil?"

A thick silence followed the question. Draco turned his head to Hermione and he could see that she was waiting for him to answer. He delved into her chocolate eyes. Instead of thinking if he were Julia, he was thinking if Hermione was Julia. If she was in that situation, he would have wanted her to stay behind with the man that couldn't hurt her. He would've wanted her to keep away from a time bomb like Dick... or in this case, himself. Draco did not want Hermione to end up with someone like him. He had already left over six years of torment on her, so he'd despise himself if he left any more.

Draco flicked his eyes away from Hermione's and glowered at the cushions of the loveseat she was on. "I would have stayed with Phil. He would provide her proper security and protection. No, she didn't love him, but he could at least undo some of the damage Dick had done."

Hermione made a sound of disgust like the crack of a whip. "Are you mad?!"

Draco looked at her incredulously. "No, I'm not ma-"

"Aiden! You honestly would rather spend the rest of your life in misery than take a chance on something that is real?! Oh, but at least you'll be 'safe'!" Hermione hissed, making air quotes on the word: safe.

Draco retorted sharply. "Yes! At least you'll be safe! You wouldn't have to get hurt anymore!" Draco bit his lip. He had forgotten that they were discussing a fictional character and not Hermione. But he still meant every word.

He swallowed. "Julia did change Dick, but at what cost? Her heart was broken and it was all for nothing in the end. A complete waste." Draco then lowered his voice. "Phil is good for her."

The words tasted like acid as they poured out of his mouth, but it needed to be said. Draco took everything in him to avoid Hermione's gaze. She stared at him in utter disbelief. She was fuming, her bottom lip slightly trembling.

Scoffing, she then shot up from her seat, clutching her book. "Aiden, you obviously don't see what I see. It wasn't a waste. It's not just that she makes Dick a better person, and she does but, he changes her too. He challenges her, surprises her, makes her question her life and beliefs. Phil is different. His love is pure and, yes, he will always be good for her. But Dick is either the best thing for her-"

"-Or the worst," Draco finished.

Hermione sighed with exasperation and flipped through her book again. When she found the page she wanted, she then sat down on the seat next to Draco. Leaning on the arm of his chair, she read, "She saw him the first day on board, and then her heart sank into her shoes as she realized at last how much she wanted him. No matter what his past was, no matter what he had done. Which was not to say that she would ever let him know, but only that he moved her chemically more than anyone she had ever met, that all other men seemed pale beside him."

She looked up and spoke in a strained but determined voice. "How could you love something that much and not take the risk?"

Draco and Hermione stared fixedly at each other. They both seemed to have lost track of where A New Leaf ended and where real life began, but somehow the blurred line between fact and fiction made things clearer in the real world. Draco speculated that Hermione had found in the story what Isabella had in the past, and he prayed that it had the same effect. Something about the way that this girl now looked at him made him feel that it did.

It was a long time before they broke eye contact. And all the while, they didn't notice that William had gone out of the library, leaving them alone.

Dear Hermione,

I'm sorry for the late letter. We expected the small squadron of Death Eaters we are tailing to have arrived at their destination last week. Then again, we don't exactly know their destination, but Remus firmly believed that it was just another Death Eater checkpoint, possibly with a Horcrux.

They must know that we are trailing them. They keep to the outskirts of Muggle territories, knowing that we couldn't intercept them lest we attract the attention of Muggles. But any known checkpoints are far from where we are. It seems odd that they are going so far out of the way just so we can't ambush.

I know you are probably worried sick right now. But you shouldn't be. I have the best and brightest of the Order with me: Ron, the twins, and Tonks. It's a small group, but it had to be if we wanted to travel quickly and quietly.

I really wish I had Hedwig with me right now so I could send-

Harry then immediately dropped his quill. He realized how barking it was to be writing Hermione at that moment with no way to get the letter to her. He glanced at the parchment on the stump he was writing on and beside it was his wand shining with Lumos cast.

Harry wadded up the letter and threw it into the trees with a grunt. What was the point? No one brought any owls with them and he couldn't even send his patronus since it would alert the Death Eaters of their location. He hoped that Hermione wasn't panicking, which she probably was. He wished that he could somehow send her words of comfort from afar but he knew of no magic that could assist him in this.

The dark haired boy leaned back against the stump and took off his glasses. He raised his sleeve to his eyes to try to wipe off the dirt and fatigue that was embedded in them. It usually wasn't that hard to stay awake during his watch. The ominous white noise of the woods coupled with the threat of the nearby Death Eaters was enough to keep anyone's eyes open. But Harry had a long day, and he was desperately craving sleep. He looked up at the night sky. He could make out the silhouettes of the treetops which were dotted with stars. The moon was shining bright enough to cast shadows onto the ground. Harry predicted that it was around 3 o'clock, near the end of his watch.

The tent rustled behind him and Harry instinctively grabbed his wand. He stood up as Ron sleepily stepped out from behind the canvas entrance. "Alright mate. Go get some sleep," the redhead yawned.

Harry did not need to be told twice. He stepped into the pitch black tent, trying to navigate himself to his cot. Being guided by the soft snores of Fred, George, and Tonks, he eventually bumped into the edge of it and collapsed. He was immediately asleep. But it only seemed like a few minutes before Ron came bursting into the tent. "Everyone, get up!" he shouted, turning on the lanterns hanging from the beam.

Harry sat up urgently as the rest of the tent moaned in annoyance.

"Oh, poor Ron. Did you hear a bear?" Fred asked sarcastically, stifling a yawn.

"No. But I heard Death Eaters."

Everyone went silent. Whatever exhaustion they were feeling beforehand had instantly evaporated.

Tonks stood up and folded her arms. "What do you mean you heard Death Eaters?"

"I heard footsteps coming from their campsite. It sounded like they were on the move."

"How do you know it wasn't a herd of deer or something?" George contested.

"I checked. I walked to their campsite and-"

"You did what?!" the twins exclaimed in unison.

Tonks joined in. "Ron, you could have been killed!"

The redhead put his hands up. "Well, I obviously wasn't! And besides, they weren't even there. The campsite was abandoned and I saw footsteps leading away from it."

The shape-shifter shook her head. "No, the Death Eaters wouldn't have been that sloppy. They would've covered their tracks."

"Unless they wanted us to follow them," Harry finally spoke up.

Everyone turned their heads to Harry. They were all standing now, and looking down at him as he sat on his cot. They reminded Harry of the Wizengamot when he was on trial.

"Why?" Ron eventually asked.

"Don't know. But it is a possibility."

Fred raised his eyebrows. "It could be a trap."

"Not if we already know about it," Harry countered.

"So you're saying we should just waltz right into it?" George asked accusingly. He reminded Harry of Fudge in that moment.

"Well, we shouldn't just ignore it!" Harry retorted, throwing his arms in the air. "It's loads better than just sitting here and not knowing where they are headed." He turned to Ron. "Where were the footprints headed?"

"The Muggle village."

"Then let's go." Harry started to pack up, throwing the items around his cot into his backpack. The other four looked at each other uncertainly, and then followed suit. Once everyone was all packed up, they headed outside. Harry flicked his wand, and the tent folded into itself until it became a piece of fabric that could fit into Harry's hand. He stuffed it into his backpack as Tonks took down the enchanted barrier around their camp.

The five of them took out their wands and simultaneously muttered, "Lumos" and a bright light emitted from the ends of each of their wands. "Ron, lead us to the campsite. Tonks, bring up the rear?" Harry ordered.

The witch nodded as she let the four other wizards start walking ahead of her, Ron being in the front. The group walked swiftly but quietly through the dark woods, looking to their left and right at any sounds of movement.

Ron then pointed ahead of him. "There!"

He began to run to the campsite as the rest followed him. When they arrived, the place was completely empty. "This is where we tracked them last."

"And they've only left recently," Tonks informed while crouching on the forest floor. She was hovering her wand just above the ground and small sparks were emitting from it. "There are fresh traces of a barrier. They've been gone for less than an hour."

"Here are the footprints," said Fred.

"They lead straight to Muggle territory," said George soon after.

The other three joined the twins, looking at the clear-as-day footprints that led out of the camp. There were four sets of prints that they could make out. "Let's get going," Harry said firmly.

He led the group as he followed the trail. They trekked through the woods with caution, only speaking when one of the prints slightly deviated from the main trail. Eventually, they were led to the precipice of a cliff. Harry peered over the edge and saw a valley, and within it laid a small Muggle village. He could see the sky clearer now, the moon making distinct shadows upon the rooftops of the town.

"This is where the trail ends," Ron observed.

Harry inhaled. "They must have gone into the village."

"How do you know, mate? I don't see any fires, screaming people, or the Dark Mark," George said, cocking his head toward the town.

"They wouldn't want to pillage a whole Muggle village. Not with only four Death Eaters," Tonks chimed in.

"They must be targeting someone specifically," Harry proposed.

"But who?" George asked.

Harry shrugged and stared down at the village. "Let's go find out. Everyone get out their brooms."

The group threw down their bags, which were all under Extension charms, and rummaged through them. Harry pulled out his Firebolt and zipped up his backpack. Mounting his broom, he called out, "Ready?"

"Ready," the other four responded.

Harry kicked his feet up and zoomed down the cliff and toward the village. The rest of the group followed him on their brooms, forming a "V" with Harry at the point. The cold and biting wind whipped around Harry as he flew. As they approached the village, he turned his head and shouted, "Look for anything suspicious."

The formation flew lower and slower, all of them scanning the Muggle houses. They were all pitch black. There was no doubt that they were all asleep at this hour. Harry's stomach lurched in fear, hoping that they would find some sign of the Death Eaters. He didn't want to think about what could happen if they lost them.

"Harry, look!" yelled Tonks, pointing toward the ground. Harry followed her gaze and saw it: a lone house glowing a soft yellow from the inside. He glided down toward it and landed on the driveway.

Once everyone else landed, Ron trotted over and mumbled to Harry, "Mate, how do we know that these Muggles aren't just staying up late watching television?"

"We don't," he uttered. "But we have to check."

The group stashed away their brooms in their bags and crept quietly to the front door. "Tonks, go to the window and see if there's anything."

She nodded and knelt down under the front window. She slowly raised her head and peered in through the glass. "Oh my God," she murmured, shaking. "They're all in there, and they've got two Muggles."

"What? Who?" Fred asked pressingly.

"I don't know. It's a man and a woman," Tonks whispered, her eyes filled with alarm as she looked through the window. "Two of the Death Eaters are holding the Muggles facing the front door." She tore her eyes away and faced the group. "They seem to be waiting for us."

Harry's heart jumped into his throat. Why did the Death Eaters go into a Muggle home just so they could meet up with their group? Yes, the Death Eaters would have leverage with the hostages but why this particular couple? He didn't know why, but a sick feeling was crawling up into his stomach.

"Right. We need to be careful about this so we should try to flank them," Harry said. "Tonks, are there are any other entry points that you can see?"

Tonks looked back through the window. "Yes, there is a side window and a back door."

Harry nodded. "Okay. Fred, George, go to the back door. Ron, you and me will go through the front. Tonks, go to the side window and give us the signal with red sparks," he ordered, pointing his wand up in the air. "At the sight of the sparks, we go in with our wands at the ready. But don't cast anything."

The twins and the shapeshifter nodded and then hastened to their spots. Harry and Ron stood on the front steps, their wands outstretched in front of them. Suddenly, a red light burst in the sky and they barged into the house.

"It's about time," the Death Eater holding the man said maliciously. "We were about to kill 'em out of boredom."

Harry looked around. Everybody in the room had their wand out. Tonks and a woman Death Eater with shocking red hair had theirs aimed at each other. The twins brandished their wands at a tall, bald man. A short and scruffy man was holding the Muggle woman with his wand to her throat and the Death Eater that was talking seemed uncomfortably familiar to Harry.

"You were at Hogwarts!" Harry barked. "You tried to-"

"-Take the Mudblood yes. And speaking of her, can you guess who these pieces of filth are?" The Death Eater kneed the man in front of him and then the woman kneeling on the ground beside the man.

Harry looked down at them. They were both middle-aged and sporting many cuts and bruises on their body. There must have been a struggle when the Death Eaters broke into their home. And the way that their faces and joints twitched painfully gave Harry the vile impression that they were put under the Cruciatus curse for Merlin knows how long.

As he looked into their faces, he realized that he had seen them before as well. He remembered them at Flourish and Blotts before his second year at Hogwarts and many times they were at Kings Cross with... Hermione.

Harry's eyes widened but Ron voiced the recognition. "The Grangers?" he croaked.

Tonks and the twins gasped in horror as the Death Eaters jeered. The man holding Hermione's father spoke. "Very good! Y'see the Mudblood is worth her weight in Galleons to the Dark Lord. He would pay an extremely generous price if she were brought to him alive. And imagine the glory he would pour onto the faithful servants that delivered her. So, after the debacle at Hogwarts, we knew that the Mudblood would go into hiding. And who would know better than dear Mum and Dad?!"

The Death Eater leered at his captives, and the Grangers shrank even lower into the carpet. "But, like all Muggles, they were worthless. They knew nothing of their precious daughter's location, and no amount Legilimency could pry it out of their tiny brains. So, we waited for you lot. We know that you know of the Mudblood's location." The Death Eater then slowly raised his wand, sneering at Harry like he was his prey. "And you are going to give it to us. Legilimens!"

At the blink of an eye, Harry cleared his head of all thoughts, emotions, and memories. Thank Merlin that he had the chance to master Occlumency before he left Hogwarts. He let his mind go blank, and he noticed the Death Eater's smile fade and his lips curling viciously. The muscles in his face were wincing desperately, Harry knowing that instead seeing Harry's thoughts, he was seeing nothing.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Death Eater let go with a roar of frustration. Harry clutched his forehead, feeling like his brain was throbbing. He then saw the Death Eater point his wand at Ron.

"Don't even think about it!" Harry hissed. "I'm the only one that knows."

The Death Eater glared at him and lowered his wand. He exhaled deeply and then wrenched Mr. Granger's collar violently and stuck his wand back to his throat. "Fine. I can't take it from you but you will give it to me. Or the Mudblood's precious parents will die."

The couple started to squirm in panic, but their captors held them back like dogs on a leash. Harry tried to appear calm, but he believed that if his heart was beating any faster, it would burst.

Ron looked back and forth from Harry to Hermione's parents frantically. Tonks looked desperate to help, but the woman with the scarlet hair was still keeping her back. The other Death Eater in the room, however, was staring with fixation at the scene. He seemed to have completely forgotten about Fred and George behind him.

Harry looked at the twins, and their wands were aimed at the two Death Eaters holding the Grangers.

"Alright, Potter," the man holding Hermione's father spoke. "Time's u-"

Harry nodded at Fred and George. "Petrificus totalus!" the twins shouted in unison. The Death Eaters holding the Grangers immediately froze like statues and fell backward.

In an instant, streaks of colored light were being hurled across the room. Harry dove for the Grangers and kicked away the wands of the Death Eaters on the ground as the others dueled with the other two Death Eaters. He then guided the couple to another room.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked them, immediately healing any small wounds they had on them.

"We're- we're fine," Hermione's mother murmured.

"Where's our daughter?"her husband asked.

"She's safe." Harry was inspecting some deep gashes on their faces and arms caused by dark magic. They were still twitching, feeling the aftershocks of the Cruciatus curse. Harry's pulse quickened as he saw both of their eyes lulling to the back of their heads and back."We need to get you to St. Mungo's."

Harry stood up and rushed back to the living room.

"Stupefy!" Ron, Tonks, and the twins chanted as red light streaked from their wands across the room, hitting the bald man in the chest. He then fell over, stunned.

"We got them all," announced Ron with relief.

"Get their wands," Tonks said.

They collected the stranded wands interspersed around the carpet and stashed them away.

Harry then began to give orders. "We need to get as many members of the Order here as we can and as fast as possible. Tonks, go to Headquarters and bring them here. Hopefully, you will get here before the Daily Prophet does." Tonks nodded and with a pop, Apparated away.

Harry turned to the twins. "Fred, George, stay here and make sure the Death Eaters stay stunned. And if any other Muggles come out due to the noise, make sure they stay away from this house. If you absolutely need to, Obliviate them."

Harry grabbed Ron's shoulder and led him away. "Ron, you and me need to take the Grangers to St. Mungo's. I don't want to risk Apparition with their injuries so we need to fly there."

"Harry, how bad are they?" Ron asked, his face contorted in worry.

"Let's just say that we need to get them there by yesterday."

The two wizards then ran into the side room and lifted the couple up by their arms and then practically dragged them outside. Harry and Ron got out their brooms and instructed the Grangers to get on behind them. Once Hermione's mother was settled behind Ron, holding fast to his shoulders, they took off.

Harry and Ron were flying their brooms as fast and as careful as they could. The whole time, Harry was muttering, "Stay alive, stay alive, stay alive..." to himself. His only comfort was the ragged breath of Hermione's father in his ear, indicating his consciousness.

The two wizards then landed in front of what looked like an abandoned department store. Ron stuffed their brooms in their bags as Harry acted as a crutch for the Grangers. The redhead then carefully took hold of Mrs. Granger and then they all entered the hospital through the window of Purge and Dowse. They were immediately bombarded with Healers.

"What happened?" one frantically asked.

"Cruciatus," Harry took a breath, "and whatever other spells used to torture them. Death Eater attack. They're Muggles."

The Healer then started to issue commands. "Okay let's get some gurneys in here. We're taking them to level four."

The couple was gently placed on separate levitating gurneys. Nurses were pouring multicolor concoctions into their mouths as the gurneys started to move. Healers were surrounding them, forming a guard as they glided down the hallway. Harry and Ron stood side by side, watching the large mass of lime green get smaller and smaller as it moved farther away.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Ron?"

"We need to tell Hermione."

"I know."

They watched the mass disappear around a corner.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"How are we going to do it?"

Harry paused, his heart plummeting to the pit of his stomach.

"I don't know, Ron."