Chapter 3
Ears and Fears
"Is she going to be allright?" asked Harry very anxiously to Madam Pomfrey an hour later in the hospital wing. Harry and Ron took long to rid themselves of sticky dust back in Gryffindor tower, as requisite to be allowed inside. Ginny had already left the hospital wing for her next class.
"She's still unconscious," replied Madam Pomfrey as she looked at her patient, "but the good news is that I found no real lasting damage to her, initially. What only concerns me is what her condition could be when she comes to."
"What does that mean?" said Ron.
"Well, she had one real big knock on her head when she hit the floor; she could be confused for a while just after she wakes up. Then we'll see how her mind does for a few days and we then we can know she's fully okay."
"That sounds like she might crack up?" Harry said, getting more worried. "How can you tell?"
"I've experienced many cases similar to this," said Madam Pomfrey, choosing to ignore Ron's whimpering. "It's not just about the knock of her head to the floor - the accident was magical. Every spell, every wand - it's different. The effect can cause worse cases, like what Mr. Weasley's wand did to Gilderoy Lockhart years ago, but in some cases they turn out to be nothing. And you said she was complaining about her wand not working the way it should, haven't you?"
"Yes, but I don't' really know for sure. She might have been not concentrating enough and thought it was defective."
Madam Pomfrey nodded and bit her lower lip. She knew very well that having a magical accident caused by a perfectly functioning wand was trouble enough, but with broken wands, anything could happen terribly out of sync. Harry's statement did not make things clear to her at all; unless she got all the facts right about the true nature of the accident, she would not know the full extent of the effects it has caused on Hermione.
Madam Pomfrey could only sum up the best answer she can give Harry at that moment, since he was the one who seemed to be the most worried, doing her best not to make him troubled even more and not to sound too optimistic about something that was still unknown. Nevertheless she prayed Hermione would be spared from deeper danger - she had grown to really like this student. She didn't deserve to be disabled for the rest of her life. She looked again at Harry and Ron, who with the looks on their faces, appeared to be in the brink of faint from extreme anxiety.
"That makes me unsure of her future state - a bit," she said broodingly, the best she could explain to them. "There are so many variables to deal with when it comes to magical accidents. A Healer like me doesn't have the magic answer to everything, Harry. We have our own limitations, but I might just only be scaring you the way I talk - I'm not really sure. That's the problem - no one's real sure. I always don't say everything's okay until I'm quite sure about it - we work from the worst case to the best. Look, I'll stay on to her constantly, Harry, and I will do the best that I can to heal her, okay?"
Madam Pomfrey's voice had become soft to the end, and she patted a hand on Harry's shoulder and excused herself so that she could attend to her other patients.
Harry and Ron nodded uncertainly, and decided by themselves they'll just have to wait for anything that may arise with Hermione's condition. For how long, they didn't have a clue. She looked very peaceful as she lay there in one of the hospital beds, like she was just taking a nap. Her bed was adorned with the best looking flowers students and teachers could conjure (like they had when news of Hermione's fit in front of Snape weeks ago spread like wildfire). The three students who had their relatives murdered were also admitted to the hospital wing to be given forced sleep. Harry and Ron took chairs and sat down miserably at Hermione's bedside.
"Poor Hermione," said Ron…
"Yeah."
"No, I really mean, poor Hermione."
Harry stared at Ron. "What do you mean?"
"Well, ever since this year's start of term she's been through a lot of trouble. Let me refresh your mind: she became the favorite choice of an obsessed Oarling, then there's her lone run-in with Death Eaters just to prove I hadn't tried to kill Dumbledore. Next she was almost eaten by an angry dragon, then this! What next?"
"Oh, I never thought that, collectively at least, but I think the Dragon thing doesn't count because it turned out to be Norbert."
"Luckily! But I bet she was so scared when she thought it was just another Dragon," Ron pointed out. "That was awfully traumatic, you know."
"I suppose so, and add the fact that she's become very emotional - and sensitive - with just about everything. She used to be so cool and always in charge."
"I'm scared, Harry," Ron said slowly. "I'm so scared for her. I'm beginning to regret I've been so mean to her with all the great things she done for me? I never got to thank her for it."
"Ron, you sound like she's dying," Harry said, getting a little annoyed. "Stop talking like that."
"Yeah…sorry," replied Ron guiltily. A short bell rang from outside, which signalled 20 minutes have already gone through classes, the limit of being considered late. "We've just missed double Potions."
"Just about the subject we're always willing to skive off…"
"And you're excused, Mr. Potter and Weasley," said Professor McGonagall from behind them. Harry and Ron jumped; she had just come in the hospital wing to look at her students. "Professor Snape was furious you'd be absent today, but I took care of that. How is Miss Granger doing?"
"Still - sleeping, Professor," said Harry. "But we'll stay with her until she comes to."
McGonagall looked at Harry and Ron with admiration for a moment, having witnessed their special bond for years, but being a strict mentor got back to her again. "You know the rules, boys; miss two consecutive classes a day unexcused - that's Transfiguration for you, and I'll have you both suspended!"
Harry and Ron groaned. They had been hoping to be excused with just about every subject for the rest of day because of what happened to Hermione, but they quickly took that desire off after realizing that was being cruel to a friend who had just been brought in for injuries to use her as an excuse. Professor McGonagall, however, softened up again and patted Harry on his back gently.
"Don't worry about her, Potter," she said delicately, "I know she's very strong. I have every confidence with Madam Pomfrey's abilities." Harry nodded with appreciation.
"Professor," said Ron tentatively, "Professor, we've been kept in the dark about what's happening outside the school because of classes - any more news of what's happening around?"
"None, fortunately. But as you have known, Mr. Weasley, for this morning alone, about five wizards and witches have been murdered apparently by Death Eaters. After fifteen years of calm, it looks like You-Know-Who's usual activities are beginning to make a comeback - this has been the most significant murders with the Dark Mark ever committed since the last one, which was the murder of your parents, Harry."
"It's bad that the wizards they killed just now were all related to Hogwarts students, right?" said Harry. "What do you think this means, Professor?"
"Coincidence, perhaps," said McGonagall, as she glanced towards the other beds containing the students who just had their parents murdered, feeling genuinely uncomfortable. "We won't know for sure until we see more of these murders and disappearances like we had experienced before. Oh, Merlin! You don't know how it felt to live in those days - it's happening all over again. You boys better be careful from now own. Don't you go into stupid little adventures, will you? Heaven forbid, you'll know for sure how it felt like then - very, very soon, I expect."
"There was an Order once who stood up against You-Know-Who," said Harry after remembering what Hermione shared to them earlier. "I'd like to know more about them, though," he said determinedly.
"What are you talking about, Potter?" McGonagall said, looking surprised. "Where did you hear that rubbish?"
Harry and Ron were taken aback for a moment. For them any group who formed against Voldemort could not have been referred to as nonsense. "Hermione told us she read about it in a book, Professor," said Ron unhurriedly. "Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts."
McGonagall breathed deeply for a moment and she went into a hasty smile. "Oh, of course, of course," she said with an uneasy laugh. "Quite a girl, she is, isn't she?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other with puzzled faces. Harry, however, had ideas coming to his mind, like finding out what this so-called Order was.
"Well, I almost forgot why I came here in the first place," McGonagall said with a significantly regained composure. "I have to know what really happened in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. You two were closest to the accident so, please, I'd appreciate it if you could fill me in."
Harry did most of the talking; he reconstructed everything from Professor Russelpunk's entrance until the fateful accident while McGonagall took notes.
"Do you have Miss Granger's wand, Harry?" she said, and Harry took Hermione's wand out from his pocket and gave it to McGonagall. She examined it and murmured a few words while she did so, until, "Her wand looks fine to me, but it's best if she complains about this to Mr. Ollivander - he's the expert - he may just replace it with a much more effective one. Our wands have a lifetime guarantee though there's always another waiting to choose us if needed."
Just then, they whipped their attention to Hermione, because they had felt she had moved.
"She's back, Harry, she's back!" said Ron happily though with some apprehension. Hermione indeed had moved, and she turned her head over her pillow slowly to her right. She gradually opened her eyes. She looked unaware as to her whereabouts; her eyes tried to focus on Harry for a few moments and then she breathed deeply.
"Hermione, can you hear me?" Harry said carefully. However she didn't respond thru words, but stared at him and Ron and back slowly, as if she didn't know who they were. This scared Harry and Ron even more.
"Why isn't she responding?"
"Don't worry about that," said Madam Pomfrey, walking over towards Hermione's bed and feeling her pulse, feeling excited that she now at least had shown signs of activity. "She just had a strong accident so she's a little confused - she won't know where she is or who's talking to her but it's natural - very temporary. The good news for the meantime is that my latest test results indicate no apparent damage on her brain or any part of the body, but she'll have a real nasty headache until tomorrow, at least."
"No apparent damage?" Harry repeated. "That means she's not out of the woods yet?"
"That's right," Madam Pomfrey nodded. "I won't truly know after we can both have a nice little conversation, Potter. By then you can be sure you'll be the next to know. Please come back on your next free time besides lunch. I need to attend to her - alone." Madam Pomfrey didn't wait for any more words from Harry and Ron. She shooed them away and quickly hid herself and Hermione behind the curtains surrounding the bed, which closed out their view of her completely.
Harry felt even more anxious for any definite news was still left hanging. Ron shook Harry's arm and gently jerked his head towards the exit sympathetically; Professor McGonagall patted Harry and Ron's shoulders as she steered them both gently out of the hospital wing.
-o0o-
It seemed to be the longest one and a half hours of doing nothing off classes for Harry and Ron. They kept on looking at the clock, wishing it would go faster until the next break time that afternoon so that they could see how Hermione was again.
Harry was the most affected of the two with Hermione's accident. He couldn't believe something terrible as this could happen so suddenly, threatening to change everything. He remembered it was only this morning that he had been with Hermione soothing her to stop her from crying, and then for what seemed as an instant she was now lying on a hospital bed. Harry couldn't take off the persisting memory imprinted in his mind of Hermione looking up at him and not knowing who he was - it was just too painful to bear.
Harry had thought of writing to Sirius to at least take some of his awful feelings off his chest, but no words came into his mind to put into parchment. He later only settled for a few words, though, and his letter read:
Padfoot,
New murders. Hermione seriously hurt in class. Fortress out there. Everything's getting crazy before Christmas. We need to talk. Don't know how.
Harry.
"Are you done with that yet?" said Ron, his head slumped on his desk, holding his own letter to his parents. "C'mon, let's send these before lunch."
Harry and Ron had walked to the Owlery and were met with a long queue of anxious students braving the snow outside leading towards it. For them they have never seen such a sight before in their lifetime at Hogwarts.
"What the…" said Harry, dazed at the amazing sight.
"All of the school owls have left," Neville told him. He stood and waited along the line holding a rolled piece of parchment. "Everybody's scared. Seems to me everyone's trying to write to their families to ask about how they are. I'm asking Grandma how we could slip out off King's Cross without stumbling into Death Eaters."
Luckily for Harry and Ron they didn't have to wait in line for the next available owl. All they had to do was call down Hedwig (and Pig for Ron) from her perch. When Harry's snowy owl had landed on his forearm, quite a few students had spotted that and they ran towards Harry begging to have their letters sent, too, using Hedwig. Fearing of being swamped, Harry and Ron ran out of the Owlery and as far away from it as they could. While they ran, they hastily instructed their owls what to do and let them fly off very quickly, leaving some exasperated students standing in the middle of the field away from the queue.
"That would have been a crazy mob, that was," said Ron, catching his breath along with Harry at the castle side entrance. Their unexpected exercise did something good, at least, because they both finally felt genuinely hungry and decided they really needed to eat lunch.
The Great Hall was always filled with hungry students during lunchtime everyday, but today was different for it was only half-filled (half of the student body was still out at the Owlery). At least Harry and Ron didn't feel it to be overcrowded while they ate their lunch in silence. It was still only Day One of Voldemort's new terror campaign and Harry already saw the abrupt change of life in Hogwarts that he had known and gotten used to for more than four years. How much more if this could he see if it was drawn out, he thought. He didn't want to think about it, and hoped much like the others this new war of wizards would end quickly on his side's favor.
Fred and George transferred their plates from their places to the front of Harry and Ron. "I heard Fudge's going to Hogwarts tonight to make a personal announcement at dinner, Harry," said Fred quietly.
Harry and Ron looked up at Fred and George, puzzled. This was highly unusual. The Ministry of Magic was going out of his way of work to address a school? He could have just sent an emissary in his behalf.
"Any idea why he has to do it himself?" asked Ron.
"Get real, Ron!" said George. "If we did, then everybody would already know about it and he'd be canceling travel plans."
"It could be important to him," considered Harry. "Maybe we'd get answers soon, or he'll be giving us instructions how to band together and fight You-Know-Who."
"That's a little bit dangerous, if you ask me," said George grimly. "One, we're still toddlers on what we know about magic compared to You-Know-Who; two, there are dung piles in Hogwarts like Malfoy who'd be happy to report to their Death Eater parents everyone signing in to fight You-Know-Who; and three, Fudge still refuses to believe You-Know-Who's back, remember?"
"Then what's the reason he'd be coming here then?" said Ron.
Fred and George just stared at Ron, rolled their eyes, and walked off.
"To make an announcement, Ron," hissed Harry.
Ron looked at Harry shamefacedly.
"Look, Harry, we could probably stand up against You-Know-Who if the whole of Hogwarts joined forces," said Ron as they walked to Transfiguration. "And then with graduates, some."
"I don't really know why I'm not so sure about that," Harry said. "I mean, look at what Pettigrew did - he killed a dozen Muggles with just one spell once, and he's a blundering bloke compared to You-Know-Who. I bet You-Know-Who can wipe out every student in Hogwarts in a heartbeat, a thousand to one."
"I think you're overrating You-Know-Who already, Harry, you now seem to be pessimistic anyone could really beat him," Ron said, with a hint of gloominess in his voice. "You've faced him quite a few times, right? And the last time we faced him we survived, didn't we?"
"We escaped without giving him a scratch, Ron," Harry corrected. "On the contrary we were literally beat up. We got lucky."
"Oh, okay," said Ron slowly. "But maybe the next time he won't be as lucky."
"We'll have the chance, Ron," said Harry encouragingly, stopping at the middle of the corridor. "It's probably not the time yet, but we'll ultimately kick his arse, I'm sure of it. We're always one against him, aren't we? Stay strong together?" Harry held out a hand for Ron to shake. Ron looked at it for a while, and broke into a big smile.
"No need to say it, Harry, but what the hell…stay strong together, we do!" He took Harry's hand, shook it, and they both pounded their chests with each other's fists. Ron's was a little strong for Harry, though, causing Harry to miss a lot of air and Ron apologized all the way to Transfiguration.
-o0o-
About a quarter hour into Transfiguration with the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs, Professor McGonagall noticed her class didn't pay her full attention to follow through her lessons. Just about everyone looked pensive.
"Remember, class, your O.W.L. tests are coming," she said irritably with her hands on her hips. "I don't really like the learning attitude you're showing to me right now. Keep on with it, and you'll have less O.W.L.s than you thought you could get."
"Please, Professor, we're still in a bit of a shock after this morning's news," said Justin Flinch-Fletchly timidly. "We still don't know what to expect what would happen now that You-Know-Who's back - we were still babies then when he was on his peak."
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" said a male Hufflepuff student loudly at the back of the class. "Do you really think the murders were the work of You-Know-Who, Justin?" He then stood up from his seat and shouted to the whole class, "Do you really believe he's back because of some random killings out there? It could have been the handiwork of a copy-cat to throw the Ministry of Magic off…"
"Yes, in fact he does," interrupted Hannah Abbot angrily (she had a new strip of band-aid on her forehead). "Me…just about everyone does. The signs are there, Zach! What more do you really want for proof?"
"Quiet, please," said McGonagall calmly.
"What signs, Hannah?" said Zach, ignoring McGonagall. "They're just deaths, mysterious deaths! Nothing's happening out of the ordinary!"
"What about the week before last - the Death Eaters at Hogwarts rounding us up in the Great Hall?!?" reminded Hannah, her voice even more rising. "Don't tell me you think it was nothing out of the ordinary! I colorfully remember you wet your pants!"
Most of the class broke into laughter.
"They weren't Death Eaters - they were bad Ministry Wizards!" Zach pressed to escape embarrassment. "And, oh! You're trying tell me you also believe Potter's stories about meeting You-Know-Who face to face, this year and last, in a rinky-dink fortress in the middle of nowhere?"
Harry could not take it any longer. One more such rebuttal was enough after so many. He stood up and made a furious move towards Zach.
"If you have a problem with that, Zach, I don't care! Just shut up! Just shut up! I was there - Ron, Ginny, Hermione - we were there! We were lucky to get out alive!"
"That's rubbish!" Zach yelled. "And you know it!"
"That's enough!" roared McGonagall. Harry and Zach still looked at each other in daggers while the whole class watched them in silence. "Back to your seat, Potter. I said back!" she said, pointing him to his seat.
Harry angrily went back to his desk and kicked it out of alignment.
"One more of that and I'll have you sent to the Headmaster, Potter," warned McGonagall. "Mr. Smith, I don't want any more unwarranted outbursts in my class, do you understand?" she then said, her face red with rage. Zacharias Smith slumped back on his seat with his arms across his chest, looking cheeky.
"Then what do you think, Professor?" Zach asked forcefully after a few seconds of silence.
"What do I think of what, Mr. Smith?" said McGonagall, looking back at him with her nose flaring and her lip thinning like a strand of thread. Sensing the professor would snap his head off the next time he did that again, he repeated his question, but this time significantly milder.
"What do you think about You-Know-Who? Is he really back on a rampage like everybody seems to be stupid to believe?"
McGonagall stared at Zacharias Smith for a long time, and that effectively calmed the boy down fully, satisfying Ron.
"The news we heard today from are still under investigation and it is for the Ministry of Magic to decide if it is truly the work of You-Know-Who," McGonagall said, walking around slowly in the room and looking at all of her students.
Harry heard someone say "Ha!" and he bet his glasses it was Zach, and he didn't want to know further lest he'd turn him into a baboon.
McGonagall ignored Zach, and talked on.
"The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has notified Professor Dumbledore this morning he will be personally making an announcement to the student body and faculty at dinner, but the subject of the announcement is still unknown up to this time until we hear it."
There was excited talk among the rest of the class, but Harry and Ron didn't already find that as a surprise.
"But take this from me," continued McGonagall, now facing the whole class, "that I truly believe You-Know-Who, a.k.a. He-Who-Must-Be-Named, is again making his presence felt, and we will see more terrible things to happen in the near future as it was before you were born." Virtually the whole class moaned and groaned with increasing fear; though McGonagall had said her credible piece, there were still some remnants of unbelievers left in the ranks.
"His fortress - You-Know-What - what does it look like, Harry?" asked Seamus, who was seated a couple rows behind him.
Harry regarded him for a moment then looked around the class. He saw all eyes and ears were upon him, then he turned his gaze towards McGonagall as if to ask her if it was okay to answer Seamus, and he got a curt nod from her. He sighed.
"It was bigger than Hogwarts," Harry said initially. "It was of dark blue-grey color, made of stone, mossy - very gloomy - storm clouds, lighting everywhere, dark skies…it had a very high tower reaching up to the clouds…"
"And dungeons…" added Ron slowly.
"And Dungeons," repeated Harry. "Lord Vol- I mean, You-Know-Who had a throne room as vast as the Great Hall, and he was flanked by Death Eaters wearing masks and white robes. They laughed with glee while we stood up in front of You-Know-Who in the middle of the throne room. Mirthless laughter all around. Hermione was screaming in my mind, accusing me of causing her death. He almost had me - if not for Ron.
"Then I heard You-Know-Who say from this fortress he'd rule the wizard world this time with an iron fist, and those who opposed him will suffer no less than death…Muggles will learn of him but they will be too late to react. He will commit genocide - Muggles, and Muggleborns will be either turned into slaves…or killed whatever he fancied…"
Some of his classmates gasped and cried in horror upon hearing this. Harry told his story while he stared vacantly at a spot on the floor. His memories in the Dark Fortress came crashing in his mind, enveloping his thoughts as if it was happening all over again for real. He had learned how to forget them, but once he'd remember it again out of the blue, the whole experience would take over his mind again like a dark cloud. He could not understand why fear had always accompanied this certain memory even though he didn't fear saying Voldemort's name, and that it was strange his recollection of his first encounter with Voldemort in the graveyard was not as profoundly terrible as this.
But still he kept talking about it.
"Monkey-like creatures called Imps," he continued, "they populated the fortress; they were scary, had very sharp claws and teeth. They were fast - thousands of them - really fast…surrounded us…b-bored down on us when we ran for our lives. W-when we tried to escape up the tallest tower, and we could only see endless ocean all around - but earlier we stood on dry grassy ground going in to the castle. It seems once you got in, you can never get out. If we weren't rescued by Hermione with a dragon she knew, we would have been eaten by the Imps raw…Dementors would then suck our soul…and…and…"
Harry felt a hand gently clasp and squeeze his shoulder. It was Professor McGonagall gesturing him that he had told his story enough - he then heard the air around him return. It seemed while he relived his terrible experiences in Xanthius, sound had completely vanished. He looked around, and he saw his classmates stare at him with frightened faces having heard his story: Susan Bones' lower lip was quivering, Hannah Abbot was whimpering. Dean Thomas looked pale despite his dark skin, and Neville, well, he had fainted. Fear had won over the whole classroom. Harry had been talking for only a minute, but to everyone it felt like time had stood still.
Shortly there was a knock on the door. Madam Pomfrey had gotten in the classroom without anyone noticing her. "Excuse me, Professor McGonagall," she said. "Hermione has fully regained consciousness - she's all right, and she pleaded to see Harry and Ron as soon as possible."
Without ever looking at McGonagall anymore, Harry and Ron quickly passed Madam Pomfrey and ran as fast as they could towards the hospital wing.
-o0o-
Harry could have embraced Hermione on the spot with extreme happiness of seeing her sit up on her bed, but he had to take hold of himself fearing he might hurt her even more.
"I'm so glad you're all right, Hermione!" said Harry breathlessly, holding a stitch on his side. "I thought I'd really lose you!"
"Oh, Harry, it was just a little accident, but thanks," Hermione giggled. She straightened upright with difficulty; Ron helped her up and turned the bed crank to give her the right amount of recline.
"A little accident?" said Ron as he returned to her bedside. "Madam Pomfrey even looked so unsure over you."
"Madam Pomfrey said I was lucky though," she said, feeling tired of her exertion. "I don't know why, perhaps the spell was pretty powerful enough to knock me out cold."
"And the whole classroom," Ron reminded Hermione. "What did she say about you after you came to?"
"She said I'll live, of course, but she warned me to watch out - after she gave me more tests she said I might get occasionally confused at times in the coming weeks - it goes with such accidents, according to her."
"Did she say for how long?" said Harry, his eyebrows furrowing with new concern.
"For a few minutes at times; but a couple of months or so it will just go away, definitely. Ow!" Hermione grimaced in pain and pressed her hand over her forehead, having another extreme headache.
"And a few big headaches the coming days to boot…" she added. She closed and opened her eyes, and panted slightly.
"And no more permanent damage, I hope," Harry said, fighting the urge to hold Hermione's head for her for a while or not.
"No…No permanent damage, Harry, she promised me," Hermione said with slight difficulty, closing her eyes again and laying back on her bed to help take away the pain off her head.
Harry looked on at Hermione sadly. Despite Hermione's assurances about what Madam Pomfrey told her, he still felt she still was not all right and she would still have loads of problems ahead of her caused by her accident.
"I think you need to get more rest - we must go…" he said slowly.
Hermione's eyes snapped open. "Go? Rest?" she said, sitting upright again. "Don't be silly. I want to talk - I'm bored to death here…what's happening around here? What was it I wanted to ask you…oh, have you already talked to Dumbledore, Harry?"
Harry dropped his breath and laughed softly. "Oh, that. The Christmas holiday thing…forgot about that after what happened…no, not yet. Later, I guess. Or tomorrow - when I'm ready."
"It's Thursday, Harry, you need to talk to him today or tomorrow," reminded Ron. "He probably just wants to ask you to bring him something back from vacation."
"Another one of your brilliant theories, eh, Ron?" said Harry, finally laughing for real. With Hermione's insistence, Harry and Ron filled her in with the events that she missed today, including Fudge's plan to come over to Hogwarts the following night. Hermione found that the most intriguing.
"Hmmm, I wonder what he'll say tonight, but I bet it's about the murders and probably some words of comfort," she theorized. "I really, really need to listen to him tonight…"
"Oh, no you're not, Miss Granger," Madam Pomfrey said severely as she entered the hospital wing. "You're not going anywhere until I say so."
"Please, Madam Pomfrey, please?" pleaded Hermione. "I got to hear everything he has to say - it might become a historical speech especially with what's happening lately and I want to be part in it."
Madam Pomfrey snorted. "Historical? Hmmphh. I find his speeches pretty dull if you ask me. Fudge is no Dumbledore, Hermione, you stay. End of discussion," she said with finality and she walked off to a faraway potions cabinet. Hermione sunk deeper under her blanket in disappointment and closed her eyes again.
"We'll just repeat everything he said for you, Hermione…" said Harry, though he was not really sure if he could ever recall everything Fudge might have said tonight because his speech would probably drone on for hours. Hermione's face had screwed up again with pain on her head, and what Harry could only do was look on at her helplessly. He started to fix her bed spread so that she could lie down more snugly; Ron had noticed that, too, and he walked over to the other side of the bed to do the same thing. Hermione had opened her eyes again and noticed what they had done, and she beamed at them in appreciation.
Madam Pomfrey had returned with a steaming goblet of liquid with the color of vomit (Ron suddenly turned nauseous when he saw it).
"Hermione, you have to take this," she said gently, handing Hermione the goblet, "and I have to ask Harry and Ron to leave you again to rest for an hour - by then you'll be awake again in time for afternoon break when they could visit you again…"
Hermione glanced at Harry and Ron apologetically.
Ron said, "Don't worry, Hermione, we'll be back at break time. Sleep well, sport, okay?" They wouldn't leave her at all until she had drunk her potion and she had sunk into a deep sleep - it took a slightly long time because she seemed to refuse to take Harry and Ron off her sight, but soon the effect was so powerful she had to give way at last.
-o0o-
Harry and Ron walked out of the hospital wing pensively towards Divination despite the huge relief they felt after talking to Hermione again. After seeing what she had gone through today, Harry thought he wasn't doing something enough to help make her recovery come quicker. There could be something at least he could do, he thought, to make her happy once more, the usual path to healing.
He pondered hard as he walked along with Ron (who was also walking silently like him); Hermione pleading to Madam Pomfrey to hear Cornelius Fudge's droning speech tonight was his strongest memory. If only he could think of something to help her get what she wanted…the most obvious idea for him was to spirit Hermione off to the Great Hall, but he knew very well that not only Madam Pomfrey will roar like a lion and hang them by their pinkies under the sun when she'll discover Hermione's empty bed, further activity on the part of Hermione was obviously detrimental to her health. With no more wild ideas to consider, Harry hoped Ron had something good in mind.
"You know I think Hermione really wanted to hear what Fudge would talk about tonight," said Harry, "but, you know, I wish there is something we could do to make her happy for a while."
Ron didn't answer at once, because he, too, was thinking of the very same thing. Harry thought he was at a loss like him, but soon he had a passing memory of some gadgets his twin brothers had been working on that could prove to be of real use.
"Harry, tell you what, let's look for Fred and George - they could have something that might solve our little problem." Harry nodded excitedly upon Ron's words, and they hurriedly combed the grounds for any sign of Fred and George.
Finally, they spotted two identical heads of hair in a thick crowd of students at a long hallway and fought their way through it. Upon reaching them, Harry did the talking and he explained their own little problem and asked if they had anything to help them out of it. They got their answer in an instant. After happily rummaging inside their bag full of experiments, Fred fished out a pair of ears that looked made of rubber.
"Erghhh! Whose head did those come from?" said Ron, looking disgusted with the objects that looked like severed ears to him.
"You could've seen the blood and tissue on them before I washed them, bro," said George in satisfaction of seeing Ron's face. "They're called Extended Ears, beta models."
"Oh, good, what does it do?" Harry said, genuinely interested.
"What it does is it lets you hear every spoken word at a remote location from a distance," explained George quietly. "It's simple, just stick this ear like a bug, and place the other ear on your, er, ear, and voila! Instant eavesdropping! Perfect for Unspeakables and Aurors. Range is a thousand yards even through the thickest of walls; price to be announced very soon."
"You two seem to have a very good sense of timing," said Fred next, looking around, "because we were about to get rid of everything you see in this bag minutes from now - Filch's got word of new "Illegal objects" that wasn't even on his current list of illegals. We don't want him getting his hands with our prototypes; we have everything in our heads anyway."
"Oh, this is really great, guys!" said Harry very cheerfully. "They're perfect! Hermione will be happy with this - she won't have to miss Fudge's speech…"
"What, you mean you went out of your way to hear a real dreary speech?" said Fred, looking astounded, but in true Fred and George fashion they broke into a huge smile again.
"When do you need them back?" said Harry.
"No need, it's yours!" Fred said. "And don't start on me," he said again after seeing Harry open his mouth to say something, "because this is absolutely nothing compared to learning the secret of the Pocket Portkey, and we still have to repay you for your huge favor."
Harry grinned broadly, because he didn't know what to say.
"Don't you worry about it, we're serious, but we require you to fill in these survey forms after trying them out," George said, giving him and Ron each a questionnaire about Extended Ears.
"Oh, great, more work to do!" moaned Ron, dropping his breath in disappointment.
Harry nudged his side with his elbow and Ron quickly said, "Oh, it's a great deal, guys! Thanks."
The twins then walked off with extreme sense of fulfillment, happy they had helped Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a "very difficult" situation.
"They're so cool, aren't they?" said Harry, looking behind Fred and George warmly as they walked further away. Ron examined the Extended Ears very closely and wondered where his brothers could have gotten the money to develop these.
"Harry gives them a Portkey and they give us homework…" grumbled Ron under his breath.
-o0o-
The class bell rang at the hall and Harry and Ron rushed for Divination, now with something to look forward on to surprise Hermione later. Their lessons had advanced to the art of card reading, depending on how anyone would look at that as progress. Professor Trelawny, as usual, kept on interpreting death for Harry in his own stack of cards. Though she always sounded very credible because of the way she talked, Harry chose not to listen at all, having known Trelawney to predict his weekly deaths for more than two years that she had used up every word combination that they became very repetitious. Except, of course, his classmates - because of the recent murders, they now seemed to be paying attention to her and almost believed every prediction thought of, which worried him a bit.
After what seemed like hours again of anticipation for Harry and Ron, break time had arrived. They hurried back to the hospital wing and were glad to see Hermione had woken up again, looking refreshed. In addition, Fred and George's Extended Ears really made Hermione's day.
"Testing, testing," said Ron's voice on the Ear piece Hermione held.
"It's working perfectly," she said happily. "Thanks a lot guys, did you really do this for me? You both are so sweet."
"Actually," said Harry awkwardly, "Fred and George did, but without Ron here, we would have never thought they had something as great as this."
Hermione kept on listening to Ron, who went inside another room in the wing and spoke on the other piece he had. Whatever Ron said through the Extended Ears made Hermione roll about on her bed with laughter. It was a real big help because, for Harry, seeing laughter come back to Hermione again was a joy to behold.
Harry believed the return of the horror that was Voldemort would be nothing as long as his special bond and friendship with Ron and Hermione would not be broken. He actually thought that this friendship had slipped away from him again (because of Hermione's accident which might have caused something so terrible that he was powerless to do anything about it), but he was again feeling very fortunate this wasn't the case. For Harry, the loss of Hermione would be too devastating - a disaster for him that was almost impossible to comprehend.
When he thought of the possibility, he felt tears drop out of his eyes and he wiped them off quickly before Hermione could notice.
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