Chapter 4
Sirius could only imagine what they must have looked like when they materialized out of thin air, placing themselves in the midst of a bustling room of mediwizards and witches. Luckily, nobody had splinched themselves in their haste to get there. However, the relief was short-lived.
He imagined that although maybe not often, as it was considered bad manners, not to mention quite dangerous, there had to be circumstances where people with emergencies would Apparate into St. Mungo's. Yet all of the people seemed shocked to find them there, and for a moment, Sirius was struck with horror when he realized that the last he knew, he had been known as a dark wizard with his face plastered over all of Britain. But his panic quickly turned into surprise as he realized that the people weren't staring at him but more so at the girl who still lay limply and unmoving in Remus' arms. And although he agreed that she made a dramatic figure with her wedding dress clinging off her, it shouldn't have made an entire staff of well-trained mediwizards and witches stop in shock, some even with their mouths hanging open.
"Is that Princess Hermione Granger?" a particularly nosy and younger witch asked, pushing those around her to get a closer look. Perhaps if his mind weren't scrambled with panic and despair, Remus would have questioned her word choice, but for now, he just let out a bloodcurdling scream for help, irritated beyond belief that instead of helping her immediately, they had just taken their time to stare dumbly at the precious witch in his arms. That seemed to shake the people out of their trance, and immediately wizards appeared to wrench an unconscious Hermione from Remus, who was reluctant to release his hold on the witch he was positively enamored with and suddenly felt very protective over.
James' brain was working a hundred miles an hour as he struggled to keep up with the long strides of his friends and the staff, who, while pushing the bed, were already throwing around medical terms and vigorously performing diagnostic spells on the unconscious witch. While the mediwizards and witches seemed completely focused on the task at hand, working quickly and with precision, James couldn't help but feel that the way they were treating her, subconscious or not, was unusual. It was almost as if they had this air of gratitude and loyalty, perhaps even worship, when it came to handling Hermione. James thought he even saw an assistant blink away tears.
Thankfully, Hermione was quickly pushed into a room, and people were hovering over her as she was connected to some machinery James recognized from Muggle movies but had never seen before in a magical hospital. Remus and Sirius, both stiff with tension, nearly sprung out of their skin as a fast but steady beeping sound filled the room. A doctor came storming into the room. His hair was black except for a white streak in the middle, and his dark eyes were worried but determined as he pushed his way through the sea of people that seemed to have gathered in the room.
Remus and Sirius, both unable to resist the insatiable urge to go near Hermione and touch her, suddenly found their road blocked as two stern-looking wizards stepped in front of them with their arms crossed, daring them to move any further.
And suddenly all things happened at once.
The steady beeping sound fell flat, releasing one agonizing note. And the outside world seemed to fade and blur together. He could faintly hear the mediwizard screaming and his friends desperately asking what was going on, while fighting the staff to get to Hermione and shouting her name, much like before.
James didn't know what possessed him, but before he knew it, he was moving towards her. The room was in complete and utter chaos; yelling and even cries were heard, but from whom they came, James couldn't identify. It was almost as if he was wearing his Invisibility Cloak again; the way they didn't seem to notice him. Perhaps it was because he had stayed quiet and therefore under the radar, unlike his mates. For whatever reason, they moved around him as if completely unaware of his existence.
His mind went blank, and he felt his feet moving before his mind had time to catch up. He could only form one coherent thought in his mind: Hermione. I need to be near her, touch her, protect her. Hermione lay still in the bed, perfectly unmoving, and James felt as if the world around them had sped up while they were both frozen in time. She had turned even paler; her lips and even her nails had turned purple while her hair had turned astoundingly frizzy, creating a strange halo effect when the light of the hospital lamps bounced off it.
"Hermione," he whispered. He felt strangely detached from the voice that spoke, yet he had felt his mouth moving. It was soft, and he doubted that anyone around him heard him whisper her name before lifting his hand to meet with hers. His hand barely grazed over hers before darkness overtook his vision, and he fell with a resounding smack toward the cold tile hospital floor.
The last thing he was aware of was the steady beeping sound that returned and filled the room, and he thought that he had never heard a prettier sound.
Author's note: Referring to Hermione as princess might sound a little cheesy, but I assure you I will justify it in later chapters haha. Hope you enjoyed.