Hello, my freaky darlings! Happy Holiday Seasons for whichever you celebrate. If you can spare some good thoughts the next month is stressful for several reasons and I could use the positive thoughts for a positive outcome. Thanks and as always enjoy.
Chapter 22 Waking Up
Slowly Hermione felt her awareness rise up from the darkness. She tried to raise her hand to wipe her face and found it trapped. Opening her eyes she saw Marcus holding her hand. He sat next to her dozing in a chair. Her movements woke him. "Hello," she whispered.
"You're awake!"
"So are you," she giggled.
"I wasn't in danger of dying."
"Yes, you were," she protested. "Two wyverns attacked us."
"Hermione," he said sharply.
"Marcus," she replied playfully.
"You passed out halfway back to the garden. I felt you go limp. You were covered in blood. I couldn't stop imaging the worse was happening."
"I'm sorry I scared you," she squeezed his hand.
"And I was so angry you hadn't intended to let us help you," he admitted.
"I wanted to protect you," she whispered. "I can't stand the idea of you getting hurt. I know I shouldn't sideline you. I would hate it. "
"Please don't do it again."
"I won't," she promised. "Is everyone okay?"
"No one is permanently damaged thanks to you."
"Good," she snuggled back into the bed. "Do you have to go?"
"Technically, Black said I could say until you woke up, but this could all be a dream. If you go back to sleep no one needs to know."
"Give me a kiss and I'll endeavor to do that." He smiled down at her before leaning down to pressed his lips to hers.
"Sweet dreams, little witch."
"Sweet dreams, Marcus."
He sat back still holding her hand. She entertained herself squeezing his hand in random patterns. "Hermione," he said firmly.
"Fine." She tried to go back to sleep, but her thoughts raced. The second she felt the menace coming from the beasts her brain shifted from staying safe to keeping the others alive. Her instincts kicked in and she acted instinctively numerous times. She would need to work on focusing during battle and dangerous situations to avoid pouring everything into the moment and leaving herself without reserves. That would proof dangerous. She opened her eyes and looked at her boyfriend. He watched her with concerned eyes.
"This isn't sleeping," he said sternly.
"I'm not sleepy. And I need to move. Help me sit up, please?" She began wiggling. "Oh, sweet Circe, that kind of hurts."
"Kind of?" he questioned.
"Fine, it hurts like a bitch, happy? Now, help me sit up."
Chuckling, he helped her to sit up against the pillows braced on the headboard. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged. "Um..."
"Sh, some of the realities of today are becoming real," she sniffled, trying not to cry.
He rubbed circles on her back, "It's okay, Hermione. You're fine, and you were the worst off far and away. No one died."
"I know, that doesn't change the emotions."
He tightened his arms, "I know. I've been all over the place, very unSlytherin of me."
"My lips are sealed."
"Thanks." He pulled back, "You do need to rest."
"In the morning you'll leave. I won't get to see you for who knows how long. I'd rather stay awake with you and sleep through everyone else tomorrow," she told him.
"I think I understand what you mean."
She wiggled to the side, "Good. I would like cuddles and for you to talk to me."
"About?"
"Anything. I want to lay here and listen to your voice until the pain goes away." They both fell asleep half laying half sitting on the bed, Hermione leaning against his chest, his arms wrapped around her. The mediwitch checking on the patient in the night smiled at how adorably innocent they looked. She took Hermione's vitals and let them sleep. In the morning she reported her belief that his presence and the physical contact improved the patient's condition greatly in the short hours since her admission. A notion the healer agreed with.
Andromeda announced herself with a gentle knock. Both teens woke but neither moved to separate from the other. "Good morning. I see we woke in the night?"
Hermione nodded, "Cuddled and went back to sleep."
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I got ran over a bus." She and Andromeda laughed.
"Yes, well, that can't be helped. I'll have some potions for you. I will need Mr. Flint to move so I can conduct proper scans." Marcus slid from the bed onto his chair and watched. Andromeda flicked her wand several times. "Your ribs healed and no internal bleeding. The claw marks on your right arm may scar. You will be bruised for some time. But like everyone else involved you'll make a full recovery. You magic is depleted, it should be restored by the time you return to school. I have no idea how to monitor your druidic power."
"Neither do I," Hermione conceded. "But that's okay, I'll take it easy on all fronts."
"Good. I thought I would be keeping you longer, but you've improved drastically."
"I'm a healer," she admitted. She looked about nervously, nibbling on her bottom lip.
"My lips are sealed, by professional oaths and because I believe your abilities are yours to use as you desire, and always should be. No one should be badgered to help because it is demanded to make it easier for strangers."
"Thank you," nodded Hermione.
"I should probably head home," said Marcus. "Mum was nice enough to let me stay yesterday, and I agreed to come home once you woke up. I'll let Nott know you're okay."
"Thanks," she smiled at him.
He kissed the top her head, "Let me know when I can visit." He nodded to Andromeda, "Healer Tonks."
"I will notify Sirius you can be discharged. Should I have Ted reach your parents?"
"No thank you. They're still out of the country. Better they hear it from me once I'm out of the hospital."
"Very well. I'll get started on your discharge after you eat breakfast. I want one good meal in you before you go."
"As if Kreacher won't be feeding me at every opportunity." Andromeda laughed at her partly fake pout.
And orderly delivered a tray of eggs, toast, and oatmeal. She ate noticed that wizard hospital food was vastly superior to muggle hospital food. The same orderly returned to collect the tray and she settled back to wait. While she waited she tried to comb out some of the tangles in her hair with her fingers. It hurt nearly as much as the blows yesterday. For the hundreth time she contemplated cutting her hair short. "Hermione?"
She looked up and saw Theo looking nervous in the doorway. "Theo! Come in."
"How are you?"
"I'm okay. My ribs are healed. I'm one big bruise, but those will fade with time. And my magic is exhausted. So about the same as the rest of them."
"Do you know what happened?" he asked.
"Not anymore than you do. I've been asleep since yesterday."
"Why did they attack?"
"Again, I don't know I have a theory. But I'm not prepared to share it yet. I want to talk to someone who knows more about them than I do."
"I respect that. When will you be discharged?"
"Once Sirius gets here. Healer Tonks is getting things together."
"Would you like me to wait with you?"
"Sure, waiting is lonely."
He sat in the chair next to the bed. "I expected Marcus to be here."
"He was. He left a bit ago."
"He was worried about you. He tried to bust down your wall."
"He didn't mention that part but we talked about my trying to fight alone. And that I won't do it again, I promised."
"Good. We want to help you, let us."
"I will." The two settled in to compare summers and trade gossip. "I hear Sirius, and I suspect he isn't alone."
"I'll hide in the bathroom and leave after you do," offered Theo.
"Or fuck them, we're friends. We could stop hiding."
"Not now. We both know a certain madman isn't gone forever. And my father is on the fence about whether or not to follow him. They were school chums." Her eyebrows raised. "Father suspects you will be on the other side. He's weighing his options and trying to determine how long he can be neutral. And once he can't be which side benefits him more."
"Understandable. Where does our public friendship come in?"
"Others will suspect he's siding with Dumbledore if they know we're friends. Some will think I've been tasked with persuading you to join the other side. And when I fail or Father stays neutral it opens everyone up to attack. I refuse to needlessly put you in more danger."
"I refuse to allow you to avoid me."
"We can hang out in the Refuge like we used to. And pretend to tolerate one another to do school work in the library. You are a brilliant revision partner."
"Why thank you, Mr. Nott. Now scoot, they're almost here." Theo slipped ino the small bathroom as her hospital room door opened.
Sirius, Remus, and Harry entered. "Good morning, kitten. Feeling better?"
"How could I not?" she sassed. "Any level of consciousness is better than none." She saw the frowns. "No, really, other than some stiffness and pain when I move, I feel okay."
"It only hurts when you move? So, all the time?" clarified Remus.
"Moony, I fought and killed two full grown male wyverns less than twenty-four hours ago. I think I'm entitled to hurt."
"It's miraculous that you don't have more wrong," added Sirius. "I'm surprised Dromeda agreed to release you."
"She can rest and drink pain potions just as easily at home as she can here. And you can better control the gates there than we can here."
"I do want to talk to someone from the Department of Beasts. Maybe Mr. Flint? He was there yesterday so he already knows some of this."
Sirius looked at Andromeda. She smiled, "I will notify him I have cleared you to speak and asked for him." She handed her cousin a list. "Pain potions every six hours as needed for no more than three days running. Any changes in how you feel notify St. Mungo's immediately."
"I understand," replied Hermione.
"Let's get you dressed so you can leave." With the wave of the healer's hand Hermione's sundress reappeared. "There you are."
From Grimmauld Place Hermione ran home to email her parents informing them of the attack and reassuring them of her full recovery. She promised she would take things easy until school resumed and told them not to worry Sirius and Remus were already hovering protectively. Back at the townhouse she allowed Kreacher and Lila to fuss over her. They created a nest for her on the window seat of the library. There she began creating a journal of passages she thought relevant to blood curse to take with her back to Hogwarts. Before long the Weasleys descended. "Whoa there, Hermione," said Ron. "Your face is one big bruise."
"Gee, thanks, Ron. I had no idea," she said sarcastically.
Ginny sat by her feet, "How do you feel?"
"Sore, but the rest of me looks like my face, so it's to be expected."
"Have you talked to the ministry yet?" asked Ron.
"No, I'm hoping they send Mr. Flint. He seems competent."
"From Hermione that's quite the compliment." Remus's voice startled her. He stood with Linus Flint in the doorway to the room. "One might even call it praise," he teased her.
"Don't torment the civil servant, Remus," she mock chastised. "Hello, Mr. Flint."
"Good afternoon, Miss Granger. Would it be possible for me to collect your statement, now?"
"Yes, please. Ron, would you please get Mr. Flint a chair?"
Begrudgingly, the redhead dragged a wooden chair over. He gave her a glare which she ignored. Ginny looked around. "Do you want us to leave?" she asked.
"So long as Lord Black or Mr. Lupin is present Miss Granger may have anyone that she wishes here."
She smiled, "No secrets here. Do you have questions?"
"You are the last participant to give their statement, so no. And at the same time, yes," he chuckled. "Would you tell me what happened form your point of view, please."
"We followed the path of destruction to find a wyvern menacingly three of the missing children. Not long after that Neville, Lavender, Seamus, and the Weasley twins were chased in by another. At first I thought they were a mated pair and someone accidentally threatened their nest. Which would have been odd given how well maintained paths are. That is far too close to humans for them. Then I noticed they were both male."
"We noticed that as well."
"They should have run from us, or let us run. Someone enraged them and ensured they would attack and keep attacking humans."
"You're sure?" he questioned.
"They felt wrong. Something influenced them and their behavior. It also seems likely someone placed them there to attack people."
"I will have your concerns investigated," he promised.
"Thank you. I appreciate that."
"Do you have anything else to add?"
"Not really. If they had been unaffected I would have hidden until they left. But in this case if they lost interest in us they would have found someone else, most likely at the party."
"On a personal level, I would like to thank you. My wife and children were present."
"Felix and Marcus helped. Please thank them for me."
"Of course."
"Also, thank you for not only listening, but hearing me." Linus smiled and her and nodded to the other adults as he left.
"Bummer about Neville's party," sighed Ginny.
"Yeah," Harry said. "His birthday is the day after mine. If he doesn't mind sharing his party again maybe we could do something together."
"That's a great idea, mate," exclaimed Ron.
"That's very generous of you, Harry," Hermione told him.
"What are you thinking, pup?" asked Sirius.
"I was going to suggest Alton Towers or something, but Hermione shouldn't be riding roller coasters so soon. So, the cinema? A double feature, possibly. Then eating somewhere."
"You ask Neville if he's interested and I'll look around for theaters," instructed his guardian.
Grateful for Harry's offer Augusta Longbottom insisted on paying for dinner at a restaurant the boys chose. "I'm not young anymore, I have no idea where the young people want to go," she admitted.
Tonks suggested a new place in the new magical community forming in Birmingham. The Dragon and the Duck modeled itself after the pub houses of yore. They encouraged families to come for dinner and a younger crowds to come eat, drink, and be merry. They rented out two back rooms for gatherings. Mrs. Longbottom arranged for the larger of the two. The owner agreed to provided birthday cake as well. Sirius found a movie theater not far that offered double features pairing an older movie with a new release. Harry selected the Lion King and Cinderella reasoning it would avoid presenting too much culture shock. Invitations were sent out and accepted.