A/N: And here's the second one. This is my biggest chapter up to date, and if I had kept the two together, it would have just been too big. I hope this makes everyone happy! Or, at least makes y'all hate me that much less!
Discussions and Explanations
Hermione opened her eyes. She had just been having the most wonderful dream . . . it involved herself, Harry, and a picnic on the green rolling grounds of Hogwarts. She smiled at the thought of her and Harry, then looked over at the real-life Harry currently using her as a teddy bear, and her smile widened. `Ah, if only I could stay like this forever . . . but alas, nature calls.'
Moving slowly, Hermione managed to get up without waking Harry. She leaned over and gently stroked his forehead, thinking of how peaceful he looked. `He's been through so much . . . and he has such incredible power, yet he has no idea . . .' Her face turned serious as she continued thinking. `That's all there is to it, then. I will help him. I will protect him. And I will never abandon him, never!' Harry let out a contented sigh, and seemed almost to smile in his sleep. Hermione turned and began walking to the restroom at the end of the Hospital Wing, pausing once or twice to turn and check on Harry.
As Hermione was getting ready to go back to Harry, she caught a quick glimpse of herself in the mirror. Now, let it be said that Hermione wasn't one to set much importance on looks, make-up and clothes; she had never felt the need nor the desire to. However, even Hermione thought she looked ghastly, and proceeded to splash water on her face, which also served to shake off the last vestiges of sleep. She had just turned off the water and was drying her face when she heard a noise; it was low, and mostly mumbling. Then, suddenly, there came a loud, "NO!" Hermione turned and ran as fast as she could (which was quite fast, incidentally, having had to keep up with Ron and Harry's humongous gaits while in school) to Harry.
He was tossing and turning, the sheets wrapped around him like some bizarre cocoon. He was beginning to thrash more and more, and Hermione was afraid that he would hurt himself. She grabbed his shoulders firmly and tried to hold him still while she called out, "Harry! Harry, wake up! Harry, it's me, Hermione, please wake up!"
Harry shot up, nearly knocking Hermione off the bed in surprise. He was pale, sweating, and shaking all over. "He-Hermione?" he asked, looking around as if making sure she was really there. Then his eyes met hers; he drew a great shuddering breath, then grabbed her and pulled her close in a fierce hug. "Hermione. I thought you were gone. I thought you were d-dead." As he said the last word, a small shudder ran through him.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Harry? You can't get rid of me that easily." Hermione spoke seriously, yet there was still a slight sense of humor behind her words. "Harry; I promise you I will always be there for you. No matter what."
"Th-thank you, Hermione. I'm so sorry. It was all my fault."
"Harry . . ." Hermione's said, with a little edge to her voice. "It is not your fault. If anything you saved my life that day. I should be thanking you."
"Wh-what? I saved you? But how?"
"That's exactly what I would like to know, as well, Harry. Or should I say, Miss Granger?"
Harry and Hermione quickly pulled apart and turned to look at the owner of the voice. "Professor Dumbledore, sir! We didn't hear you come in!" Hermione said, the first to recover from seeing the aged headmaster standing two beds down.
"Quite all right, I assure you, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore with a smile and trademark twinkle in his eyes. Then, as Dumbledore looked over to Harry, the twinkle disappeared, and the smile turned to a look of surprise. "It's alright, Harry. It is only me, you can put your wand away now." Hermione looked quickly at Harry and found him with his arm raised, wand pointed right at Dumbledore. Harry blinked, shook his head slightly, looked at his arm, and lowered it slowly. `Harry moved so fast, I didn't even see him draw his wand, let alone raise his arm. Wait a minute, Harry's wand?'
Harry noticed that Hermione was looking at him warily. "H-Hermione, did I do something wrong?" He was definitely starting to feel worried now.
"Harry," Hermione began, "your wand . . ."
"Yeah, what about my wand?" Harry responded bewildered.
"Well, you, um, you didn't have it on you when we arrived."
"So? Somebody must have brought it here, right?"
"No, Harry," Dumbledore responded. "We didn't know where your wand was located. We couldn't find it."
"What? It was at the Dursleys, under the loose floorb - " Harry stopped mid-sentence, the sudden realization hitting him hard. "B-b-but, h-how did it get here?" Harry looked from Hermione to Dumbledore and back, almost as if he would find an answer hidden somewhere with them. Hermione's face was scrunched up in deep thought, yet Dumbledore's face was blank and unreadable. He knew Dumbledore had some idea of what was going on, and he wanted desperately to know. "Professor Dumbledore, sir? What does it mean?"
Dumbledore looked at Harry before asking, "Harry, can you please tell me what you were thinking as you reacted to my sudden appearance?" Not quite expecting this, it took Harry a little while before he could start to recall.
"Well, I, I thought that there was danger, and I, well, I guess I just wanted my wand. The next thing I know, it's here in my hand. I didn't really even think about it. It just . . . happened." Dumbledore nodded at this, before continuing,
"I have a fairly good idea about what has happened. However, in order for me to affirm this, I need to know exactly what happened at the Dursleys."
"Well, sir, Mast - Vernon - had just gotten home, and somehow, Lucius Malfoy was with him. Malfoy, he, he killed Ma - Vernon. Then, he went after Hermione. He disarmed her, tied her up, then, then, he . . . he used the Cruciatus Curse on her." Harry closed his eyes and lowered his head, unable to continue. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"
Hermione took Harry's right hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Harry, forgive you for what?"
"For not doing anything while he put you in pain. I didn't do anything. I should have stopped him. I should have done something - anything, but I didn't. I was too weak, too pathetic, too - " Hermione placed a finger over his lips, stopping his rambling.
"Harry, I don't blame you. There was nothing you could have done anyway. Besides, you did do something; you saved my life."
"What? No, I didn't. I only endangered you. Someone else saved you. I blacked out just before Malfoy used avada kedavra." Harry turned to face Dumbledore. "Sir, I - please forgive me, I have failed. I failed you, I failed Hermione, I've failed the whole wizarding world. Please forgive me."
Dumbledore sat down on the bed after hearing Harry's heartfelt plea for forgiveness, utterly shocked at the pain and insecurity in his words. "Harry, you have failed no one, except possibly yourself. I do not know any of the details, but I do know that when I and other Order members arrived in response to Malfoy's attack, all that we found was you, lying unconscious on the ground, and Hermione, trying to bring you back around."
Harry's eyes widened. "B-but if you didn't save Hermione, than who did?"
"I already told you Harry, you did," Hermione said.
"I did? But, but how?"
"I don't know; I couldn't see anything. All I remember seeing is you, floating in the air before you passed out."
"Miss Granger, if I may?" Dumbledore suddenly cut in.
"Of course, Professor."
"There might be a way for all of us to witness the events, as I am sure Harry very well knows." As Dumbledore finished he gave a slight wink to Harry.
"A Pensieve?" Harry remembered all too well the last time he had used a Pensieve, and was rather reluctant to relive the experience.
"Of course!" said Hermione, who then got an excited gleam in her eyes. "Even if the user has a faulty or incomplete memory, we witness everything in a third person view! Oh, that's brilliant, Professor! Besides, I don't think I'd be able to explain it even if I had seen it."
"Very well then. I will go and ready my Pensieve. I suggest, Harry, that you freshen up a bit; while the scourgify charm is effective; nothing quite beats a warm shower. And you, Miss Granger,"
"Hermione, if you please, Professor," Hermione said, rather shyly.
Dumbledore seemed to perk up slightly at this; his smile returned, and the twinkle in his eyes was more pronounced. "As you wish, Hermione. Now, as I was saying, it would do you well to go and get something to eat. I know you have spent all your waking moments next to Harry's side, and I highly doubt that if it wasn't for Madam Pomfrey's insistence you wouldn't have eaten anything at all." Hermione blushed slightly at the Headmaster's words, while Dumbledore smiled warmly at her. "I leave you to your devices. I believe that everything will be ready in about, say ten minutes," Dumbledore said, looking at his watch. "I shall return." With that, Dumbledore stood up and swept out of the Hospital Wing.
*****
Harry walked back into the Wing, feeling much refreshed. `Dumbledore was right, nothing beats a shower.' Harry reached his bed and began looking around. `Now where did I leave my shirt? Ah, there it is!' Just as he reached for it, he heard a sharp intake of breath behind him. Spinning around quickly, Harry saw Hermione standing a few feet away, hands over her mouth, tears starting to well up in her eyes.
"Oh my god, Harry . . ." Hermione slowly approached him as he hastily pulled the shirt over his head, trying to hide the scars. "Harry . . ." Hermione rushed to him and wrapped him tightly in a warm embrace. Harry could feel her silent tears on his shoulder.
Harry heard a soft noise and looked up to see Dumbledore standing nearby, a slightly worried look on his face. "Is there anything wrong, Harry? Miss - ah, excuse me - Hermione?"
"No, sir. Nothing's wrong," Harry said, perhaps a little too quickly.
"Hermione, do you still feel up to the task? We can always wait while you rest up. I'm in no hurry." Dumbledore's voice was kind, and held deep concern for his two top pupils.
"I'm alright, sir," Hermione sniffed out, obvious to Harry's discomfort at discussing his wounds. "Just a little overwhelmed is all." She gave a weak smile to show she was okay, then walked over next to where Dumbledore was standing, leading Harry by the hand. "What do I need to do?"
Dumbledore waved his wand and conjured a table out of thin air, upon which he placed the Pensieve. "The process is quite simple, really. All you must do is concentrate on the thought or memory you wish to be placed in the Pensieve; sometimes I find it easiest if I replay the entire memory first. Once you have your memory picked out, simply place the tip of your wand on your temple, like this." Dumbledore raised his wand to his temple, and a moment later pulled it away, something wispy and silver clinging to it. "A `copy' of sorts will be made, which you then transfer to the Pensieve, like this." At that he brought his wand down to the basin and placed the thought within. "Do you understand? Do you have any questions?"
"No, sir. I'm ready. All right, here goes nothing . . ." Hermione screwed up her face in concentration. After about five minutes, she brought the tip of her wand to her temple and pulled it away, as Dumbledore had done, dragging behind it a thin, silvery wisp. As the strand broke free, Hermione gave a soft "oh" of surprise. She stared, awestruck, at the memory attached to her wand.
"Quickly, now, place it in the Pensieve. If you wait too long, the memory will dissipate into the air and you'll have to create a new one." Dumbledore's warning snapped Hermione out of her trance, and she quickly placed the memory into the Pensieve. Just as Harry had seen many times before, the mist of thought began to swirl faster and faster. Suddenly, the mist parted, and he looked down at the familiar houses of Privet Drive.
"Harry, would you care to lead us? Seeing as how you have had previous experience." Harry could have sworn he saw Dumbledore wink, and he began to wonder just how much about his Occlumency lessons with Snape Dumbledore knew about. `Probably more than I do,' Harry thought bitterly. Harry turned to the table and placed a hand on either side of the Pensieve. He suddenly wasn't feeling too good about this. It almost seemed wrong to be violating Hermione's memories like this, but she did volunteer, and this would hopefully hold answers. Harry took a deep breath before literally plunging his head in. Harry once again felt the unpleasantly familiar sense of falling headfirst, and found himself again inside another person's memory.
In almost no time at all, Hermione, then Dumbledore stood with him and watched, together, as the memory-Hermione made her way up to Number Four. They watched as she walked over and began talking to the strange being working in the garden. Dumbledore had a bemused expression on his face. "Hermione, I thought you said that when you arrived you found Harry. Who is this?" Hermione got a sad look in her eyes, but before she could answer, Harry spoke.
"It's . . . it's . . . it's me . . ."
"What? But that can't be? That boy there looks so pale and thin compared to you, and . . ." Whatever else Dumbledore was about to say was cut short when he got a good look at memory-Harry's face, and saw the scar. "It is . . . it really is you. Harry, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize . . . I had no idea."
Dumbledore was stopped short, however, by the sound of a car door slamming, "Mutt! Where are you! You have better finished with the yard work! Get out here now! I've brought my new business partner over for dinner, and he needs help with his things!" The memory version of Harry suddenly streaked past, practically running to answer Vernon's summons. At the sound of his uncle's voice, Harry (the real Harry) had started to tremble slightly. Noticing this, Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, looked up at him, and gave him a small smile. Harry looked down, closed his eyes, and whispered, "Thank you."
At this point, the memory-Hermione had appeared, and was frozen in place, staring at the scene in front of her. "So, Malfoy did get past the wards. I should have checked them more often." Dumbledore fell silent, however, to hear the exchange that had begun. Vernon had just struck out, sending Harry sprawling backwards. Dumbledore's face filled with anger, and he merely said, "I see."
"I'm here for the boy. I'm to take him to my master, where he will be killed." Malfoy turned his wand to Harry and said, "So, Potter, ready to die?"
"Now wait just one moment! That thing there," Vernon pointed at Harry, "is my property, and I won't allow you to steal my property!" Knowing what was to come, Harry closed his eyes and turned his head away.
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry heard a thump, and squeezed Hermione's hand harder. She squeezed back, and Harry looked at her to find she was focusing her attention solely on him.
"It's all right, Harry, it's just a memory. Nothing can hurt you, or me." At this, Harry relaxed a bit and turned back to the fight where Malfoy had just bound Hermione in ropes.
"Harry! Run! Get help! Please!"
"Filthy Mudblood! Silence! I was going to let you live as a witness to the destruction of Potter, but now I think I'll kill you first. Hmm, or maybe I should just torture you to madness instead. How does that sound, Potter? Care to watch your precious Mudblood be tortured?"
This time, it was Hermione that began to shake. Harry understood why immediately: the pain of the Cruciatus isn't something you can easily forget. He knew all to well. Harry draped one of his arms around Hermione's shoulders and pulled her close, as much an act of comfort for her as it was for himself. In response, Hermione turned and embraced him, her self-restraint too far spent.
"Very well, then. Crucio!" memory-Hermione's screams soon filled the air, causing the real Hermione to tremble. Harry chanced a glance at Dumbledore, to find that the Headmaster had turned his head away, his eyes closed and a look of extreme pain on his face. But there was also a very deep feeling of rage beginning to wash off from him, and Harry was starting once again to feel Dumbledore's powerful aura.
"Listen to her, Potter! Listen to her screams! Feel her pain! Hahahahaha! CRUCIO!"
Something within Harry was starting to stir. Harry realized it was anger, and hatred. He swallowed, a difficult thing at the moment, and pulled Hermione closer. He could feel her start to sob quietly, and he immediately turned his full attention to her. He gently cupped her chin with one hand and lifted her head up. "Hey, remember, just like you told me. It's only a memory, nothing can hurt you." She merely nodded in response.
Suddenly, memory-Harry's cries drew their attention. Three heads snapped in the direction of the scene, three pairs of eyes were riveted to the three bodies before them.
"Well, while this has been fun, I am running short on time. I will kill Granger now, then you will go with me to meet your death, Potter!" All three participants held their breaths as they heard memory-Harry cry out in pain. All three were eagerly waiting to see what had happened. Suddenly, memory-Harry let out a cry like a wild beast, and became oddly still. They heard Malfoy begin the killing curse, then heard him hesitate, and soon felt the reason why. An intense wave of magical energy slammed past them. Even though Dumbledore's aura had broken out in full force as he had watched the torture, it was soon masked by the immense power radiating from memory-Harry.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" As one, all three heads snapped to memory-Hermione's prone form lying on the ground and the rapidly approaching jet of green light. Suddenly, a blue sphere enveloped her. The killing curse smashed into the shield, stopped dead in its tracks, then exploded into a burst of sparks. Harry, Hermione, and Dumbledore all stared open-mouthed. No one had ever seen or heard of such a thing before. Not even the blood protection of Lily Potter had been as effective.
Hermione shrieked, pointed toward memory-Harry and said, "L-look at Harry! He-he's floating!" Harry's jaw dropped even further, and Dumbledore sat down hard. Harry's aura had appeared. It enveloped him in a layer that looked to be over a foot thick, and it was the same blue color as the shield that surrounded Hermione. The scene stretched on, oddly still. Then, motion. Malfoy was sending an impressive barrage of spells at memory-Harry, so many that not even Dumbledore could have successfully blocked them all. The three viewers watched, dumbfounded, as all the spells stopped short of Harry, just as the killing curse had done, and burst apart.
Malfoy was seen flying through the air, and while Harry and Hermione watched his flight with a strong sense of pleasure, Dumbledore kept his eyes focused on memory-Harry. He noticed that the floating form of memory-Harry hadn't even moved, yet somehow he had cast a spell, or charm, or jinx, which had launched Malfoy. Dumbledore's eyes widened when he saw nearly a dozen small balls of magical energy forming from memory-Harry's aura, and stared in amazement as they shot at Malfoy. Hermione and Harry had turned their heads at the motion of Harry's assault, and so watched as the blue projectiles flew at Malfoy, blew by when he ducked out of the way, and then explode upon contact with whatever they hit.
All eyes were focused now on the exchanges between Malfoy and memory-Harry. All three spectators gasped when Harry's aura changed colors from deep blue to violent red. When memory-Harry shot towards Malfoy, all they saw was a glowing red blur. Three heads turned as they watched Malfoy shooting down Privet Drive, then turned to look for Harry, who had stopped. When their eyes rested on where he last was, he was gone. Looking back quickly to where Malfoy was still flying through the air, they saw memory-Harry appear directly in Malfoy's flight path, snatch him out of the air, and launch him, tumbling, into the air.
Dumbledore stood up as he saw Harry raise his arm, hand pointing towards Malfoy's body. A burst of red energy shot forward at a terrifying speed. All three heads quickly snapped up to Malfoy's position, just in time to see him Disapparate out. And not a moment too soon, for seconds later, the red ball of energy exploded where Malfoy had been. The flash nearly blinded them, and they had to turn their heads away; the shockwave hit them then and knocked them all off their feet.
Blinking to clear their eyes, they stood up and looked to where memory-Harry was, but he had vanished again. A sudden white glow drew their attention; they turned to memory-Hermione and saw memory-Harry, aura now white, place his hands on her head. The bright aura extended around memory-Hermione, and they could make out her eyes opening. Memory-Harry, his aura now the original blue color, was hovering nearby. They saw him close his eyes, before the aura disappeared, and memory-Harry collapsed. Memory-Hermione was still for a few moments, before she crawled over to him and began shaking him, gently at first, then harder. There were sudden sounds of dozens of wizards Apparating, then the memory started to fade . . .
*****
The air was heavy with silence. After arriving back in the Hospital Wing, no one had said anything. Dumbledore conjured up a chair for himself, while Harry and Hermione sat down together on a bed. And so they sat for ten minutes, Dumbledore leaning back in his chair, fingers together, appearing deep in thought, Hermione was leaned against Harry, while Harry had an arm around Hermione's shoulders. The reality of what they had witnessed was almost too much for them. Finally, Dumbledore sighed, sat forward, and asked, "Harry, could you do something for me? I have a very good haunch that I know what happened, but I need your help to prove it."
"What do you need, sir?" Harry responded, eager to find out what happened to him.
"I need you to cast a spell. A simple Lumos will do."
"Cast a spell? But, but what about the Ministry and the Decree for Underage Wizardry?"
"There's no need to worry, Harry. I assure you. Being here at Hogwarts, there's already so much magic, that a little more won't hurt." There was a very bright sparkle in Dumbledore's eyes as he said this.
"Alright, then, if you say so . . . Lumos!"
Night had fallen outside, and the Hospital Wing was dimly lit. Suddenly, a bright glare illuminated the entire ward. The normal spark of light that is produced by the Lumos spell instead appeared as bright as a small sun at the end of Harry's wand. Harry, Hermione, and Dumbledore all had to cover their eyes and look away. Harry quickly muttered, "Nox!" and extinguished the light. For the next several minutes, nothing was said as the three waited for the spots to disappear from their eyes.
"Right, then. Now, just one more spell is all I ask, Harry. Could you please produce your Patronus?"
Harry nodded, and then closed his eyes, trying to conjure up a good memory. `Perhaps the thought of passing the Defense O.W.L. right in front of Umbridge . . .' but his thoughts soon strayed to the History exam, and from there to Sirius. `No! Stop! Focus! Umm, third year, winning the Quidditch Cup! That's a good one!' But third year reminded him of saving Sirius and Buckbeak. Harry was getting frustrated, and depressed. No matter what he thought of, it invariably led to Sirius and sadness.
Just as Harry was on the verge of giving it up, an image popped into his head. It was one he had never seen before, one he couldn't remember thinking about. The scene was at a beach, warm and sunny, with a gentle cooling breeze. He was lazing on the sand, thoroughly enjoying himself. Next to him laid a beautiful woman, with tan skin and long wavy brown hair. In his vision, he sat up, leaned over, and kissed the woman. Her eyes opened to reveal the brownest eyes he had ever seen and a very familiar smile appeared on her face. "Harry . . ." the woman said. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I love you, Hermione."
Harry felt a tingle grow in his stomach, then spread throughout him. It was warm and pleasant. Without even stopping to think, still too dazed by images the vision, he raised his wand and said in a voice hardly above a whisper, "Expecto Patronum . . ."
Out of his wand sprang forth a great light, and soon the familiar stag stood before them. But it didn't stop there. The stag reared up on two legs, let out a snort and a melodious, unearthly cry, and began charging toward the open door. Out of Harry's wand sprang another stag, and another, and another. An entire herd was appearing, following the original in a stampede out the Hospital Wing. The ground was shaking, the beds were rattling, and Hermione and Dumbledore just stood there, gaping in disbelief.
After a few seconds, Harry lowered his wand and the herd stopped sprouting forth. But the Patroni still remained. They could still be heard rumbling through the great hall. Suddenly, the leader, the first stag to appear, sauntered back into the Wing. Behind him, what appeared to be close to one hundred full-grown stags followed. Soon, as many as could fit were standing in the Hospital Wing. Harry walked up to the lead, which bowed his head. All the others followed suite. Harry placed his hand on the stag's head, and said, "Thank you, Prongs. That's all for now." The stag nodded, and then they all glowed brilliantly before vanishing.
Dumbledore shook his head, and then cleared his throat. "Well, that settles it. My hypothesis was correct."
"Please, sir, tell me, what-what is it? What's happened to me?"
"It would appear, Harry, that you have somehow managed to tap into your full magic potential. Normally, a witch or wizard's power will grow when they turn of age, however you seemed to have unlocked yours early." Seeing the nonplussed look on Harry's face, Dumbledore continued. "You see, it is believed that each witch or wizard has a limit, a maximum, to the amount of magical energy that they can channel at once. Normally, when a witch or wizard becomes of age, their limits increase. However, it would appear you have, well, broken your limits. It seems as though you have the capability to cast a limitless amount of magic."
"L-l-limitless? What does it mean?"
"The exact extents of your powers I do not fully know. I do, however, know this, you must be trained to use and control your new ability. Over the remainder of the summer, I will work with you personally."
"Y-you will? Really?"
"Yes, Harry. Now, there's just one more thing I wish to discuss with you, both of you as a matter of fact."
"Yes, Professor, sir?" Hermione asked.
"It is the matter of where Harry is to stay. I am still not entirely sure why, but the wards around Number Four have disappeared completely. I have a speculation, but I will not voice it at this time. Partly because I do not have all my information, and partly because the time is not right. In the meantime, Harry needs to be someplace where he can be protected. Although Number 12 would be a safe haven, I fear it is not what Harry needs. Nor is Hogwarts. Harry needs to be someplace accepting. Hermione, I believe that the best place for Harry is with you."
"Me, Professor?"
"Yes, you. Harry needs compassion, acceptance, but most importantly, he needs someone to be there for him. I highly doubt that you would allow any harm to befall our young charge, am I right?" At this, Dumbledore winked so that only Hermione saw it. Hermione hid her face, which was blushing brightly. "Harry, what do you think? Would you care to join Hermione for the rest of the summer?"
Harry looked at Dumbledore, then at Hermione, almost pleading. "Please, sir, I - I don't want to be left alone . . ."
"Very well." Dumbledore turned to the bed next to him, tapped the pillow and mumbled, "Portus," turning the pillow into a portkey. "This will take you to the Granger household. Hermione, Harry, please try and take things easy, and relax. Harry, I will stop by soon to begin your training. Hermione?"
"Yes Professor?"
"Please take good care of Harry. He will need your help in overcoming this recent trial. I have a bad feeling that we have hardly begun to scratch the surface of what has occurred."
"Yes, sir. I will make sure Harry comes through. I promise you, and him." At this, Hermione turned and looked at Harry. "I promise you Harry, I won't leave you." Hermione then pulled Harry into a fierce hug.
"On three, then, Hermione, Harry." Hermione and Harry reached out and grabbed the pillow, Hermione still half-hugging Harry. "One, two, three - " Hogwarts and the Hospital Wing was soon gone in a swirl of colors and wind.
Hermione and Harry landed outside the Grangers' home. "Welcome home, Harry," Hermione said as she stood up from where she had fallen from the portkey.
"Home . . ." came Harry's reply.
A/N: Whew! Okay, unfortunately, that's the end of the pre-written stuff, so now you'll have to wait for me to write the chapters before posting. I've started in on Ch. 8 (Surprises at the Grangers') and hope to post it by Friday. Wish me luck, and I wish you patience and a happy week!
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