And So it Goes

Summary - Hermione has stepped through one of the paintings just as Harry was about to stop her. He could hear her scream as she vanished to the other side. What will Harry do to help her?

EXCERPT -

He then closed his eyes. He felt his heart starting to skip a beat, the sensation making him slightly nauseous, but he held onto her none the less. Harry now could feel sweat dripping from his brow, but a chill creeping up his back. After a few minutes, he could no longer stand how he felt, he had to let go.

A/N - Thanks gang for the reviews! It was great to read from new readers as well as my tried and true audience! Hope to hear from you again!

Bring Me To Life - Evanescence

how can you see into my eyes like open doors

leading you down into my core

where I've become so numb without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold until you find it there

and lead it back home

Wake me up inside

Wake me up inside

Call my name and save me from the dark

Bid my blood to run before I come undone

Save me from the nothing I've become

Now that I know what I'm without

You can't just leave me

Breathe into me and make me real

Bring me to life

Frozen inside without your touch

Without your love darling only you are the life among the dead

***************

"Oh my God," Harry said, as he heard her scream. He stepped up to the painting, and holding onto the frame, put only his head through the portrait.

He looked down and saw that Hermione was on the floor, curled in a ball, crying, holding on to her leg.

Harry stepped through the painting, onto the fire place mantel and then jumped down. He quickly fell to his knees next to her.

"Hermione, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, this was my fault," he said, running his hand through his hair before bringing them down to touch her leg.

"Harry, no, please," Hermione said through sobs, "I think..I think its broken. I stumbled straight off the mantle, and landed on the side of my ankle...I heard...it snap."

A few students, mostly first years, had woke up from Hermione's scream and were starting to come down from the dorms. Seamus, thankfully, had heard Hermione, too, and was amongst them.

"Seamus, PLEASE get them back up stairs." Harry begged when he spotted him.

Seamus realized that this was serious from Harry's tone, and tried to do as he asked but the students wouldn't budge.

"Dammit," Harry said under his breath when he noticed the students wouldn't leave. "Hermione, let me look at it."

Just as Harry went to roll up the bottom of her jeans, she passed out, clearly from the pain. As carefully as he could, and avoiding hitting her ankle, Harry placed his arms under her back and her legs and picked her up. He carried her towards the boys dorms as the students separated to give them a path.

"Seamus, go and get Madame Pomfrey." Without saying a word, Seamus was running out the portrait.

Harry double stepped it up the stairs, carrying Hermione as if she were light as a feather.

"Ron, RON, get up" Harry said, as he laid Hermione on his bed.

"What are.."Ron started to speak through a yawn as he rolled over. Suddenly, he spotted Hermione on Harry's bed and was his feet, "Bloody hell, what happened?"

"I'll explain in a minute. Her ankles probably broken, I think she passed out from the pain. I want to look at how bad it is." Harry again made the attempt to roll up the leg of her jeans. He could see that her ankle was already swollen to twice it's normal size. "I did this to her, It WAS MY FUCKING FAULT!"

Then it happened, something told Harry to gently touch her ankle again with both hands. He slipped one hand under the back of her ankle and rested the other on top. He then closed his eyes. He felt his heart starting to skip a beat, the sensation making him slightly nauseous, but he held onto her none the less. Harry now could feel sweat dripping from his brow, but a chill creeping up his back. After a few minutes, he could no longer stand how he felt, he let go of her leg, and flung himself on a near by garbage can and vomited.

Just then, Madame Pomfrey came bustling through the door with Seamus. She saw Harry first and went to his side. He was still bent over the garbage can.

"Harry, are you all right dear?" She said as she leaned down, gently placing her hands on the sides of his arms.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up at her, "I'm fine, it's Hermione, help her."

Madame Pomfrey now glanced over at Hermione, who was starting to sit up and slowly realize where she was.

"Hermione, are you in a great deal of pain?" Madame Pomfrey asked, as she quickly shifted to the foot of the bed to examine Hermione's ankle.

Hermione didn't say anything, but instead looked at her ankle, the memory of the fall, the snap, the pain rushing back to her - but there was no pain now. A look of confusion crossing her face.

"Hermione, dear, are you in pain?"

Flustered that she wasn't getting an answer, she asked another question. "Can you move it?"

To this, Hermione looked back up at Madame Pomfrey, and then began to move her foot back and forth.

"Good - can you make circles with it?"

Hermione did as she asked without any difficulty.

"Let me take off your shoe and sock to look at it further."

Harry was now on his feet, and moved over to stand with Ron and Seamus. Madame Pomfrey ran her hands all over Hermione's foot and ankle and then shook her head in disbelief, "It is definitely not broken, it doesn't even appear to be sprained. Seamus said he didn't know what happened, except that you had been on the floor in front of the fire place in pain, holding on to your leg, and then you passed out. What actually happened?"

"I, uh, um.." Hermione desperately tried to come up with a lie, but Harry quickly interjected.

"She tripped on the carpet in front of the fire place."

"That's all? Well, perhaps you twisted it the wrong way, but still that should not cause enough pain for you to pass out. Come see me in the hospital wing tomorrow, just in case something else is going on. But before I go, I would like to see you walk."

Hermione shifted her glance to Harry and then swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She then stood up and walked over to Harry and whispered, "How?" before turning back to Madame Pomfrey.

"Very well dear, you look alright. Head back to your own dorm and I will see you tomorrow at some point. Harry, are you sure your alright?"

"Yeah, just something with supper didn't settle right."

"Well, if you're sure, good night then." Madame Pomfrey exited, escorting Hermione out as well.

"Mate, are you really alright?" Ron asked as Harry swayed over to his bed.

"Yeah, I'm better now."

"Do realize what you just did Harry? I mean, that was unbelievable, I've never heard of anyone who could heal simply through touch." Seamus sputtered out.

"No drink, no spell, you just touched her, I mean, even healers use spell and chants." Ron added.

"Uh hu, um all I know, is that I'm really, really tired right now guys. I'll talk, fill ya in in the mornin." Harry said softly, fumbling through his words, as he swiftly drifted into a deep sleep.

*****************

Harry woke up to the sound of his own stomach growling.

'Wow, I don't remember the last time that I was this hungry.'

“Come on, Harry, this is the third time I have tried to get you up! We are gonna miss breakfast!” Ron said.

Harry yawned and stretched, before shifting off of his bed and starting to throw on some clothes.

“So, last night, did I do what I think I did?” Harry asked.

“Well, what do you think you did?” Ron asked.

“I healed Hermione's broken ankle.”

“Yup, any idea how you did it?”

“None, I just remember it making me feel extremely sick - like having the flu, but worse.”

“No matter, you can heal through touch Harry, are you gonna tell Dumbledore?”

“I don't know, probably. Hey, were is Seamus? He knows not to say anything, right?”

“Yeah, he knows.”

Shortly there after, just when the boys were about to head down, Seamus came in.

“Harry, ya feelin' better this morning?”

“Yeah, much.”

“If you don't mind me asking, what really happened last night?”

“Hermione tripped on the carpet, really.”

“Well, regardless,” Seamus started, obviously not believing Harry's explanation, “what you did last night was phenomenal.”

“Sure, but Seamus do me a favor, please keep what you witnessed last night between us.”

“Course, Harry, a' course.”

*****************

The boys began to head down to the Great Hall. As they were about to enter, Ron pulled Harry back slightly.

“Seamus, give us a sec, we'll be in in a few.”

Seamus gave a nod a proceeded to enter.

“Harry, ya know we won't have chance anytime soon to talk, so, what happened last night?”

Harry pondered his answer for a moment before starting to speak.

“When you leave the Corridor, you are supposed to drag your finger around the outside of the frame of the picture, this way it will send you back through the same picture you entered in.”

“And?” Ron asked, motioning for him to continue.

“I simply forgot to do it, Dumbledore even reminded me on the way out, and I still forgot. We wound up coming through the painting above the fire place, hence why she fell so hard. She thought the painting we were coming through was floor level. I can't believe that she was in so much pain because of me!”

“Right Harry, but everything happens for a reason. If she wouldn't have fallen last night we would never have known about your ability. So, in a sick twisted way, it is good that she broke her ankle last night.”

“Are you guys coming in or what?” Hermione said, as she snuck up behind them.

“Yeah, right now, I'm starved.” Ron said, as he quickly walked past her.

“Morning 'Mione.” He took a step towards her, “Are you O.K?” he asked sweetly.

“I'm fine, really.” She got up on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “I'm glad it happened, what you did last night, Harry, what you can do, it's a gift,” she said enthusiastically.

Harry slightly blushed, “It's you, ya know. I think McGonagall was right, I don't have control of my powers, I have no idea how I healed you. But something inside guided me. I was so mad at myself, and so worried about you at the same time - it just happened.”

Right when Hermione was about to speak, a huge gust of wind blew through the hallway and into the Great Hall.

All of the flames, the ones in the wall sconces to the roaring one in the fire place, died down to just embers for a minute that seemed like an eternity, before springing back into flames. Silence consumed the Great Hall. Harry and Hermione stepped into the room, wide eyed, and spotted Dumbledore and McGonagall rising. Dumbledore looked over the top of his glasses at Harry, and Harry knew, it was time.

“Please continue with your breakfast all, just a hiccup of the wards, no need to worry.”

Before Dumbledore exited, he quickly addressed the professors that had now congregated around him. McGonagall was already on her way to the Headmaster's office.

Harry and Hermione were running down the hall to head to the common room to enter the Corridor, when Harry spotted it - a name plate that for a second was a glow. Without thinking twice, he took a running leap at the painting with Hermione close behind, and disappeared into the passageway.

'How hadn't I noticed that happening before,” Harry thought while they were running through the Corridor.

This time Harry stopped in his tracks in front of Dumbledore's painting.

“I'm not sure I have to do this on this painting,” explained Harry, “but this is what I was supposed to do yesterday to the Gryffindor painting.” Harry took his pointer finger and traced it along the edge of the frame. “Let me go first.” Harry's head momentarily disappeared before he walked in. Hermione stood there, waiting for a second until his hand popped back through, motioning for her to come in.

“Harry, Hermione, please join us over here.”

Dumbledore and McGonagall were standing over a large basin of water.

“Here is your amulet, hold it in your left hand and submerge it in the water. Now repeat the following phrase with us three times.”

“As the current of life rushes through my veins, may it dwell in these walls amidst winds and rains.”

As Harry and Hermione spoke the incantation, they noticed that the pattern of the knot began to weave within itself, as if brought to life from their words.

Following Dumbledore's cue, they lifted the amulets from the water.

“Hold out your right hands, please. My apologies for this will sting a bit.” Dumbledore took a very small blade and put a tiny cut in the center of Harry, Hermione, and McGonagall's Hand. Dumbledore then set his own amulet back in the water, and proceeded to cut his own hand.

“Hold your amulet out in front of you, and squeeze your palm so that a small drop of blood will drop in the center of the knot.”

As soon as Harry did this, his amulet turned red and began to weave even faster. All of the amulets were doing the same thing, except Hermione's had turned blue, McGonagall's yellow, and Dumbledore's green.

”Please follow me,” Dumbledore said as he headed back into the Corridor.

While they were walking, Harry glanced at his right hand, shocked to see that the cut had already healed over.

Dumbledore led them into one of the three rooms of the corridor. On the wall, there were two large marble wall tiles. One looked like it had an imprint of the knots. The other large tile had four circles imprinted into it, but what was really unique about it, was that it looked like it was burnt in several spots, especially in the middle of each imprint.

“Please step up to this tile. Situate yourself so that you may easily put your amulet in place at the same time we all do. I must stress, this must be done at the exact same time.”

Harry and Hermione nodded and lined up their amulets with the corresponding imprint.

“Once again, we will say the same incantation as earlier. On the third time we say the word 'rains,' you must put your amulet in place. Understood.”

“Yes,” Hermione and Harry said in unison, and with that, they began.

“As the current of life rushes through my veins, may it dwell in these walls amidst winds and rains.”

“As the current of life rushes through my veins, may it dwell in these walls amidst winds and rains.”

“As the current of life rushes through my veins, may it dwell in these walls amidst winds and RAINS.”