'He...he did make it? Right?'
~ Up In Flames ~
It all happened so quickly.
The Drakon returned. On instinct, Harry and Hermione threw each other out of harms way. Then, landing on the floor, Hermione saw Harry from across the room, holding a piece of treasure over his head and leading the Drakon in the other direction - away from her. 'HARRY!' she called out. The Drakon was closing in on him…trapping him. Hermione screamed as Harry vanished behind a wall of flames. She called his name distraughtly, again and again, but there was no response. Standing, and about to run in search for his whereabouts, Hermione's path was blocked by a sudden WOOSH! of fire. She flung back. The Drakon advanced towards her. Hermione had no choice but to run the other way and out the door.
'HARRY!' she screamed shrilly, forced to run in the one direction she didn't want to be heading. She wanted to go back to Harry…she needed to know if he was okay. The Drakon breathed another wave of fire, driving her out. 'HARRY ANSWER ME!'
Hermione bolted out of the treasure room and back into the cave - the same way she and Harry had traveled through before. She was about to re-enter the previous hall with the four-point compass when she blindly rammed into someone.
'HERMIONE!' It was Charlie Weasley. 'Thank Merlin! Hurry, this way!'
Hermione was stunned. Seeing Charlie Weasley so unexpectedly, and in the midst of running for her life from a fire-breathing dragon…it felt like she was dreaming. With little time for the usual, polite `hello, how are you?', Charlie gripped hold of Hermione's hand and steared her into the hall where a group of five wizards and witches were waiting; none of which Hermione recognised, though all looked happy and relieved to see her.
'Thomas, Hilary, quick!' beckoned Charlie. The wizard and witch named Thomas and Hillary came over immediately. 'Take Hermione outside with the others.'
Coming back to reality, and realising Charlie had obviously come to rescue her and take her away, Hermione planted her feet firmly to the ground. She wasn't going to leave. She couldn't possibly. Her heart was back in the treasure room.
'HARRY!' she cried out desperately, on the edge of hysteria. 'HARRY! He - the Drakon - I HAVE TO GO! I HAVE TO HELP HIM!'
Hermione went to run the way they'd came, but Charlie wouldn't allow it.
'Calm down, calm down!' he said, though Hermione was anything but calm. 'Where did you see Harry last?'
'The treasure room! In there!' she pointed. 'Harry - he - ,' she could barely bring herself to say what had happened. 'HE - '
'It'll be all right, Hermione,' said Charlie consolingly, resting a hand on her shoulder. 'We'll find him, don't worry.'
'I...I have to go with you! I have to save Harry!'
'No!' Charlie affirmed. 'Hermione, you must go outside where it's safe. I'll save Harry, I promise.'
Hermione's watched helplessly as Charlie, armed with his wand, bolted into the cave and headed for the treasure room, followed by a selection of his comrades.
~ The Reward ~
The wizard and witch, Thomas and Hilary (who, like Charlie, were Guardians at the Hunt) escorted Hermione outside, taking her a different a route to what Harry and the others had taken when they arrived. It was nearing the evening; the sky was in a state of limbo between afternoon and night. What really grabbed Hermione's attention, however, was the appearance of so many people. Wizards and witches were busying themselves every where beneath the trees. Some were Mediwizards, others Drakon Hunt Officials. Then, without warning, a hoard of reporters, all yelling 'Miss Granger!', stampeded towards her, carrying notebooks and quills.
'Miss Granger!' said one reporter. 'How does it feel to be a missing person?'
'Miss Granger!' said another. 'Is the rumour true? Were you hypnotised and brought here against your will?'
'MISS GRANGER!' insisted a third. 'What compelled you to run away from Hogwarts in the first place?'
'MISS GRANGER!' attacked a fourth. 'Did you find any treasure while you were in there?'
Thomas and Hilary protected her, repeating the words 'no comment'. Then, to Hermione's complete surprise, someone she knew very well barged his way onto the scene.
'Get out of it! Go on, move! Let her through! Stop taking pictures! You're all GITS!'
Ron, who had a blanket wrapped around him, grabbed Hermione by her robes and pulled her to where the Mediwizards had congregated. Fortunately, the reporters were forbidden from this area.
'Ron?' said Hermione, who couldn't help smiling. 'I didn't know you - '
But before she could say another word, Ron smothered her in a hug! This was very unlike him. Hermione always hugged Ron but Ron never hugged her.
'You're alive!' he said, emotional. 'You're really alive!'
Then, letting her go, Ron proceeded to speak at an amazingly rapid pace. 'I knew it was Lucius! Professor McGonagall knew too! Harry figured out you were here! I helped of course, so did Fred and George! We used Snape's Portkey! Percy saw you come! We had to be friends with Malfoy! Trekked through the Drakon Wood all night, hardly any sleep! Pixies took my underpants!' He was having difficultly slowing down. 'You - you're - it - YOU'RE ALIVE!' And he hugged her tightly - again.
'Ron!' muffled Hermione, her face squashed against his chest. 'I'm happy to see you too but you're sort of hurting me...'
Ron immediately let go, and was suddenly rather embarrassed. 'Oh, sorry about that. Guess I got a bit carried away. You don't have any serious injuries do you?'
'No,' said Hermione, shaking her head. 'Only some cuts and a headache. Nothing that can't be fixed.'
'And you don't love Malfoy?'
Again, Hermione shook her head. 'Far from it.'
This news was so wonderful, Ron imposed her with another hug!
'Ron!'
'Sorry, sorry!' he said, and released her once more. 'So, where's Harry? They saved Malfoy.' He said this in a disgusted groan. 'They should've left him in there. Oh, and please tell me Harry was the first to find you, 'cause I couldn't stand it if Malfoy got the - '
Hermione burst into tears. She'd been so pleased to see Ron, but the very mention of Harry, and realising Ron didn't know, reignited her despair. Ron didn't need to ask why she was crying.
'He...he did make it? Right?'
'I don't know!' Hermione sniffed. 'Charlie's looking for him n - now. Harry saved me from the Drakon, but I lo - lost him after that! I had to run away! It's all m - my fault if he - '
'That's not true, Hermione!' Ron quickly intercepted, maintaining a brave face. 'And anyway, like you said, Charlie's looking for him. And if anyone can find Harry it's Charlie! He's a really good Guardian.'
While struggling with her concern, a very unwelcome voice stained the air. He was conversing with the reporters.
'So, Draco Malfoy. You claim you were the first person to find Hermione Granger?'
'That's right,' Malfoy confirmed, rapt in the attention. 'I was the first to discover her. In fact, Harry Potter and Viktor Krum were more concerned with finding the Drakon's treasure. I even caught Harry in the treasure room, taking treasure for his own use, while poor Hermione was - '
SMACK!
After listening to Malfoy's account of events, Hermione was so appalled she stomped over and punched him right between the eyes! Malfoy fell backwards on the impact.
'HOW DARE YOU!' Hermione roared, quivering with anger. 'You were the one taking treasure, Malfoy! Harry found me first!'
Photographers swarmed in on Hermione and Malfoy like hornets, hoping to snap some action shots.
'What's that, Miss Granger?' said a reporter with a notebook. 'You claim Harry Potter found you first?'
'Hermione!' spluttered Malfoy, gawking stupidly at her. 'What did you do that for?'
'Your potion has worn off, Malfoy. I'm back to finding you repulsive. And with good reason!'
'No!' said Malfoy unbelievingly, on his feet again. 'You can't - '
SMACK!
Before Malfoy could finish, Ron took a punch at him too! Right in the nose, where Harry had injured him from before. Malfoy wailed and fell backwards for a second time.
'YOU LYING SCUM!' blazed Ron. 'Trying to get your dirty hands on Harry's reward!'
Hermione looked at Ron quizzically. 'Reward?'
'WE GOT 'EM!'
Charlie Weasley was back, leading the other three Guardians outside, along with two levitating hospital stretchers. Hermione and Ron sprang over to see if -
'Viktor!' gasped Hermione, standing over the first stretcher. Krum peered up at her deliriously with glassy eyes.
'Her - Hermowninny?'
'Oh yeah, I forgot about Krum,' said Ron guiltily. Krum peered up at him as well.
'Ron-hold?'
'Er, yeah. Hi Krum.'
Krum looked back to Hermione. 'Hermowninny! I vas vondering...do you vant to go to the Annual Drakon Hunt vith me?'
'We are at the Hunt, you knob!' said Ron, and whispered to Hermione, 'I think he's lost his marbles.'
'And then,' Krum continued, 'get married?'
'Yep, gone mental,' Ron diagnosed.
'Move out of the way, kids!' bustled a Mediwizard. 'This one's got a bad head injury.' Ron chuckled.
'See? Told you!'
Then, in a tired voice from the stretcher behind them...
'Hermione? Ron?'
They spun around.
'HARRY!'
Harry was indeed, lying in the other stretcher. While he appeared very frail, he was, nevertheless, clearly alive and in one piece.
'How are you feeling, mate?' asked Ron, smiling from ear to ear.
'A few notches down from fine,' winced Harry, managing a small smile. 'You?'
'A few notches up for me, actually.'
Harry shifted his attention to Hermione. 'You got out,' he beamed. 'I was worried about you...'
'I was worried about you, too,' said Hermione, teary again, but this time with happiness.
A Mediwizard took charge of Harry's stretcher, and told Ron and Hermione they could see Harry later. Harry was then levitated to an ambulance near by.
'I knew Charlie would find Harry!' said Ron, still grinning. 'Now Harry can collect his reward!'
'What reward?' said Hermione, wiping the 'happy' tears from her face. 'What are you talking about, Ron?'
'Hermione, you're a missing person! I mean, you were a missing person. That means whoever finds you gets a thousand galleons!'
A/N: Next chappie, back to Hogwarts :)
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