"Are you still udder da Codfuddus Charb?" Harry asked with a smirk but it quickly disappeared when he realized that Hermione was right. "What da bloody hell?!"
"We better get you to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said nervously. "Other than the fact that you seem to be shrinking, I don't know what the cause is or how to fix it..."
"Let's ko..." Harry said in irritation when he noticed his shoes were too big for his feet. "Could you shreek by shoes?" he asked quietly and waited for Hermione to resize his shoes to fit his feet. "Dank you."
The two of them hurried as fast as they could through the halls without drawing attention to themselves. Harry was happy that it was a Saturday and he didn't have any classes to deal with, leaving him the weekend to try and figure out what was going on. They were just about to the Hospital Wing when Harry let out a series of loud sneezes. He looked up from wiping his nose and realized that he was now shorter than Hermione by a full head.
"Let me refit your clothes, Harry," she said hurriedly and with a few waves of her wand his clothes fit him normally once again. Well, as normal as his current condition seemed to allow.
"Dank you," he said softly as they reached the door to find Madam Pomfrey fretting over a few students who seemed to be soaked to the bone.
"Miss Granger, you can take that first year to the end bed," the school nurse said absently as she rushed goblets of pepper-up potion to the cold and wet students.
"Um... Madam Pomfrey, could we have a private word please?" Hermione stuttered as the nurse walked by them without a second look.
"What is it, Miss Granger?" she asked impatiently then noticed the scar on Harry's forehead. "Go to my office and don't touch anything!" the nurse said hurriedly and ushered the two towards the door before heading back to her previous tasks.
Harry sat miserably in one of the three chairs in front of the nurse's desk and Hermione took one of the others, casting a quick glance at Harry.
"What?" Harry asked quizzically at her look. "I dow dis is weird, I'b sorry if it's disconcertink..."
"No, it's not that," Hermione said quickly.
"What is it den?" He asked, turning to face her properly.
Hermione looked up with guilt written all over her face.
"Oh, doe," Harry said with a slight shake of his head. "Dis iddn't your fauld!"
"You don't know what my potion did to you, Harry," she said quickly. "I wasn't in my right mind when I brewed it!"
Harry shook his head and walked over to his best friend. "Don'd worry aboud id," he said soothingly. "Id's probably somedink Badab Bobfrey can fix..." he said as he took her hand and smiled consolingly. He reached for his hanky and sneezed loudly once again, shivering slightly when he felt his body shift under his clothing. "Dis is stardink to ged irritadink..." he grumbled as Hermione shrunk his clothes once again.
"What seems to be the... oh, my!" Madam Pomfrey said as she stepped into the room and closed the door. "Mr. Potter, is it me or have you actually shrunk since I last saw you?"
"You're dot imadindink dinks," Harry said dryly. "Id starded dis mordink."
"Drink this pepper-up potion, at least you'll be able to speak normally," the nurse said as she handed him a goblet which he drank down immediately.
Harry sighed in relief and blew his nose before taking a breath. "That's better," he said with a sigh. Madam Pomfrey opened the curtains to her windows and retrieved her wand from her apron before returning to the seat in front of Harry. The light that streamed in the room struck him in the face and he sneezed several times again. Each time, he got shorter and shorter with each bellowing release of air.
"Harry, stop sneezing!" Hermione said anxiously as she knelt to her best friend's side.
"I can't," he said irritably as he blew his nose. "Whenever I'm sick, bright... ahh... light... ahh... makes me SNEEZE!" Harry finished with the loudest sneeze he'd let yet.
"HARRY!" Hermione yelled in surprise as his clothes pooled to the floor. Hermione began to panic when she looked through the folds of Harry's shirt and found his glasses, which had remained their normal size throughout his morning ordeal, and she looked up to the exasperated sigh of Madam Pomfrey.
"Why am I not surprised?" the nurse huffed as she pulled out a magnifying glass. "Mr. Potter, you're probably blind as a bat right now but you can hear us just fine. Try to climb to the top of your shirt, the neck-hole to be precise, and I'll see what I can do to transfigure your clothes to your new height."
"New height?" Hermione asked with surprise.
"Mr. Potter has contracted a rare form of influenza," the nurse explained dryly. "The only people known to have it are those who live in Lilliput."
"LILLIPUT?!" Hermione yelled in disbelief.
"Yes, Gulliver the Gullible stumbled across the country during his travels," Madam Pomfrey explained as she examined Harry's clothing.
"I've read the stories, I never knew they were true," Hermione said as she slumped to the floor. "Does this mean he's permanently an inch high?"
"No, he's half an inch," Madam Pomfrey said dismissively. "Ah, there you are," she said with a slight smile. "Leave it to you to catch such a rare strain of the flu." With a wave of her wand, Harry's clothes shrunk slowly down to his size. He struggled with the changing fabric and was eventually clothed normally and tying his shoes. "Quick now, up into my hand," she ordered and Harry did as he was told. "You'd catch your death if you were on the floor too long..."
"Are you ok, Harry?" Hermione asked as she shrunk his glasses to fit him, along with his wand. She set them gently next to her diminutive friend and frowned at the look on his face.
"DO I LOOK OK?" his voice squeaked from his tiny body.
"I know, it's not normal," Hermione said quietly, "I'm so, so sorry, Harry."
"STOP APOLOGIZING!" Harry's tiny squeak of a shout retorted.
Hermione nodded, a look of concern and sadness crossing her face.
"I DON'T MEAN TO YELL, BUT THAT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN HEAR ME!" he squeaked in his best attempt to console his friend.
Hermione nodded but the sad look still remained on her face.
"Well, we have some good news," Madam Pomfrey said with a sigh. "You won't shrink any more than you have, but the bad news is you'll be stuck this way for as long as your flu symptoms remain."
"What can we do to get him back to normal?" Hermione asked determinedly.
"The same thing that you do for a normal flu victim," the nurse replied as she filled out some paperwork. "Fluids, food, and plenty of bed rest are in order. You'll also need to keep him warm, this castle is rather drafty and setting him on the floor will mean his death. Warming charms won't work with his diminished surface area..."
"HOW LONG?!" Harry shouted irritably from his place in the nurse's hand.
"Calm down, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said in a huff, her breath was strong enough to knock him over. "Oh, so sorry," she said apologetically. "If you're serious about recovering it'll be one, maybe two weeks. It could be longer if you don't watch yourself."
"TWO WEEKS?! I HAVE A MATCH AGAINST SLYTHERIN IN TWO WEEKS!" Harry's squeak bellowed from the nurse's palm.
"You won't be playing Quidditch if you don't calm down and rest, Mr. Potter," she retorted evenly. "You're too small to withstand the wind, let alone trying to catch the snitch!"
Harry grumbled and sat down, sulking angrily at his bad luck. He was rather happy that the two women didn't hear what he'd said during his grumbling. Harry looked around the room and shook his head. He couldn't believe how many times he wished he was this tall so he could escape the Dursleys' house when he was younger. Harry pictured the many adventures he'd have in their garden as he made his way across the perfectly trimmed grass and through to a world of adventure in the underbrush.
"Harry, did you hear what the nurse said?" Hermione asked patiently.
"HOW COULD I MISS THE BOOMING VOICE?" his squeaky voice retorted as a slight smirk crossed his face. "WHO'S GOING TO WATCH AFTER ME THEN?!"
Hermione rolled her eyes in frustration before she sighed. "I am," she said softly as her cheeks took on a rather pink hue.
"I've given you permission to stay in the girls' dormitory for the duration of your sickness," Madam Pomfrey said with a warning edge to her voice. "Miss Granger volunteered to look after you and knows the rules concerning this unique situation."
"You would have known that if you'd listened, Harry," Hermione said softly as she held out her hand. "Go ahead and climb on over, I won't drop you." Harry looked up to his best friend skeptically but reluctantly climbed into her hand.
"One good thing about all this?" the nurse said with a lopsided grin. "We'll be saving money with food and other supplies..."
"HA! HA! HA!" Harry squeaked from Hermione's upturned palm. He wasn't actually upset about the situation at the moment. Hermione's hand smelled far better than the nurse's and was much more soft and warm. He settled himself down for the ride to Gryffindor tower and propped his head on his hands.
"Make sure he's kept warm and follow these care instructions," Madam Pomfrey said as she handed over a piece of parchment. "I know it sounds like I've just given you a pet, but you're going to have to treat him as one until he can return to normal..."
Hermione looked to her miniscule friend and smiled softly. "I'll make sure he gets better," she said quietly and turned towards the door.
"Madam Pomfrey!" someone shouted from the main room. Before the nurse could react, the door swung open and hit Hermione full on, causing the hand that was holding Harry to violently jolt upwards.
"HARRY!" Hermione yelled in surprise as he unceremoniously flew into the air. She heard his squeaky scream as he arched overhead then her eyes went wide when she felt something small slip through the neck hole of her blouse.
"No!" Madam Pomfrey shouted when Hermione went to slap her chest. "That's not a bug!" Hermione's eyes went even wider as she turned around and slowly unbuttoned her blouse.
Harry couldn't believe what just happened. His best friend was supposed to make sure that nothing would happen to him and the next thing he knew he was sailing through the air and into her blouse. Even though he was blushing furiously, there wasn't much he could do at his size so he climbed to the top of her lace bra. He was panting from the exertion when he realized just where he was and felt the blood leave his face. Though he knew exactly where it went to, the heat Hermione was exuding here made him groggy.
A new sensation rumbled through his body then, not a violent shaking, but a soft, calming throb. Harry could swear that he heard his heart beating in his ears, but after a moment, realized that it was Hermione's. With the comforting lull this brought him, along with her warm, soft skin, he found that he couldn't keep his eyes open and drifted off to sleep.
Harry woke up a few hours later to Hermione's gentle prodding. "Harry, it's time for your medicine," she whispered softly.
"I'm alive!" he squeaked groggily.
"I'm sorry about that," Hermione said evenly.
"I know it wasn't your fault, and I didn't intend to fly down your shirt!" Harry shouted in return. "I wish I didn't have to shout to talk to you!"
"I know," Hermione said with a soft look.
"I won't tell anyone what happened, ok?!" Harry shouted in what he hoped was his best reassuring voice.
Hermione nodded and smiled softly. "Take your medicine," she said again and pointed to a goblet his size on the table. Harry picked it up and drank it down, sighing afterwards.
"How are we going to handle this?!" He asked as he started to pace on her desk. "I can't sleep in your bed... you could crush me in your sleep!"
"I've been working on that while you slept," she replied with a blush. "I'm still working on it, but how's this?" Hermione asked as she set what looked like a bucket on the table.
"What is it?!" he yelled as he regarded the object she'd set on her desk.
"Open the door," she replied with a smile.
Harry walked over to the bucket and found the door she was talking about. He looked up to her then opened the small door and stepped inside. His eyes went wide when he saw the miniaturized version of the Gryffindor common room. The only difference was a bed across from the fireplace.
"You don't have to shout to talk either," Hermione said excitedly as she looked in through the top. "I've enchanted it so that you can talk normally and I'll hear you through this modified extendable ear!"
Harry laughed appreciatively as he looked around. "Is the fire real?" he asked as he walked to the fireplace.
"No, it's just an illusion but I have a modified heating charm blowing warm air into the room," she explained as Harry walked around then sat in his favorite chair.
"If I didn't know this was a copy, I'd say I was sitting in the real thing!" He smiled up at her gigantic face. "The chair even feels like the real one!"
"I hoped you'd like it," Hermione said with twinkling eyes. "I've already shrunk your things, well, everything but your broom. I didn't want to do anything that might damage it..."
"I can't fly it anyway," Harry said glumly.
"You'll be back to normal soon, Harry," Hermione said softly as she propped her head on her hand. "We can't shrink your food, but I've talked with Dobby and he'll send whatever we want up here. I'll just have to cut pieces of what you want for you."
"Thanks for all the work and help you're giving me, Hermione," Harry said softly.
"It's the least I can do, Harry," she said with a slight blush. "I know, it's not my fault, but I still feel partly to blame... I don't know what that potion I brewed could do... I don't even know what I put in it!" she hissed in frustration.
"I know you babbled about Easter and then you chopped up an apple and put it in the cauldron," Harry said sympathetically. "It's so strange to talk to a giant version of your face," he grumbled under his breath.
"I know it's frustrating, Harry," Hermione said softly, smiling slightly when he winced. "I told you I can hear what you're saying..."
Harry suddenly let out a cough and sighed when the fit ended. "I think I should get some more sleep," he said as he looked up to her concerned face. "Are my pajamas in my trunk too?" he asked as he crossed the room and opened the shrunken luggage.
"I got them," she said as she levitated a pitcher of water and a mug to his bedside table. "Drink some water," she said softly. "Let me know if you have to go to the loo. I couldn't make a working one for you..."
Harry nodded then remembered that she wasn't in the same room with him. "Oh, sure," he said with a yawn. He laughed when he found a miniaturized bed warmer in his bed that was keeping the blankets warm and toasty for him. "I even get a bed warmer!"
"I tried my best," Hermione said with a slight laugh. "I'll wake you up before tea so you can take your next batch of medicine and get something to eat, ok?"
"That sounds great, Hermione," Harry said with another yawn. "What a way to spend a Saturday, huh? Looking after your tiny friend..."
"I don't mind, Harry," she replied softly.
Harry smiled as he drifted off to sleep once again.
"Let me sleep longer..." Harry moaned when his bed shook. He rolled over and buried his head in the pillows when the bed shook again. "Hermione, I'm tired, let me sleep a bit longer!" Harry groaned irritably.
His eyes went wide when a rumbling purr invaded his miniature room and he scrambled to his feet when his bed tipped to its side.
"HERMIONE!" he yelled, hoping she'd hear him but he had to duck when a large, ginger paw caught him in the back. He growled in pain as one of Crookshanks' claws scratched him and Harry quickly tried to shrug out of his pajama top. "CROOKSHANKS!" Harry screamed desperately as the half-kneazle plucked him out of the mess of his blankets. "GOOD KITTY!" he shouted as he finally squirmed out of his pajama shirt. Harry looked around wildly and made a mad dash for Hermione's book bag.
"Harry?" Hermione called into the room, her eyes going wide at the scene unfolding before her eyes. Her cat was sniffing eagerly around her bag and something small and white was dangling from his mouth. "CROOKSHANKS, NO!" she screamed and dashed across the room. Hermione picked up her cat and pulled the bloody shirt from his mouth. "NO! HOW COULD YOU?!" she screamed angrily at her cat. "Harry..." Hermione whimpered as she turned over his torn and bloody clothes in her hand.
"HERMIONE!" Harry squeaked from her bag.
"Harry?" she said confused and turned around to see a shirtless, bloody Harry Potter crawl from her book bag. Without thinking, she snatched him up and ran all the way to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey was easily able to mend his scratch, which would have been fatal if left unattended. "I went to the loo and when I came back, Crookshanks..."
"He's going to be fine, Miss Granger," Madam Pomfrey said soothingly. "You got him here in plenty of time."
"I'm afraid that I'm going to get him killed..." Hermione whispered as she picked up the sleeping Harry as gently as she could, her unshed tears finding release in the relief that he was going to be fine.
"Just put a top on the house you've made for him," the nurse said with a soft smile. "The sleeping draught should last all night and I've already mixed his next dose of medicine into the potion, so you don't have to wake him until morning."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said softly as she regarded her sleeping friend. "Wouldn't it be safer..."
"I can't watch over him at that size here," Madam Pomfrey said consolingly. "I'm sure you'll do fine..."
Hermione sighed and nodded. "Goodnight," she said as she left the infirmary. It didn't take her long to return to her room where she righted everything that Crookshanks had knocked over in Harry's makeshift house. She lay him gently in his small bed then quickly fashioned a lid for the small room, making sure there were plenty of air holes so Harry wouldn't suffocate.
"I'm sorry, Harry," she whispered sadly as she carried the bucket shaped room to her bed and set it firmly against the headboard. After crawling under covers, she sighed, realizing how close she came to losing her best friend that night and fell asleep staring at the cylindrical container she'd fashioned for him.