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Harry Potter and the Triptych by Vickles
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Harry Potter and the Triptych

Vickles

Harry Potter and the Triptych

By Vickles

Disclaimer: Draco is very upset about the black eye, but he is more upset that the rest of the characters refuse to tell him how to heal it. Darn…

A/N: Please read the note at the bottom. And now, for those of you who asked for action, I give you…finally…

~*~

Chapter 20: Platform 9 3/4

~*~

It was nice, Hermione decided, to kiss one's boyfriend.

It was very nice to have said boyfriend kissing you in return.

And hey, she was not about to complain about the fact that she lived with said boyfriend many miles away from her parents.

But, Hermione Granger could not appreciate any of this, because as Harry softly muttered her name, another name was heard in her head, a name that should most certainly not be heard in her head when she was lying on her bed snogging her boyfriend.

Luna.

Hermione shook it off, focusing on Harry. But only moments later, the same thing happened again. "Hermione," he whispered, as he placed kissed on her jaw line.

Luna.

Suddenly realizing what was going on, Hermione moaned, "Dear Merlin!"

Unaware as ever, Harry merely nodded, "Dear Merlin is right…"

"No," Hermione said, removing herself from Harry and standing, "I did not mean that in a good way."

Harry sat up, "Did I do something wrong?"

You are incredible.

Hermione clapped her hands over her ears, stupidly thinking it would stop the voice from penetrating her skull. Harry was now standing in front of her, worried, but she didn't have room to care.

Where do you learn things like that?

"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione begged aloud, her palms no longer against her ears, but one firmly against her forehead. "Please just shut up for once!" A best friend was not supposed to hear these things ever. Ever.

Luna…Luna…

Clinging to her sanity, Hermione looked up desperately at Harry, willing him to understand. He seemed to be putting the pieces together, as he grabbed her wrist and pulled them out of the room, heading down stairs.

As they neared the door, Ron's voice only grew louder and clearer in Hermione's head, and she whimpered a bit, trying to just get it to stop and hoping she could rid herself of this memory.

Luna…I can't believe you…Oh, sweet Merlin!

Harry pushed open the door, clearly trying not to look, "Ron, whatever it is you are doing with Luna Lovegood must stop this instant!"

Hermione, scarred enough for one evening, tried not to watch as Luna casually grabbed her shirt and bra, while Ron was pulling a shirt over his head and grabbing a pair of pants off the floor. "Bloody hell, Harry! What is going on?"

Harry blinked, obviously trying to get the images out of his head, "What is going on, is that whatever it is that you were just doing with your girlfriend is causing my girlfriend mental problems."

Hermione nodded weakly, unable to completely look at Ron. "I can hear your voice in my head," she added feebly as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Oh," Ron replied, complete sympathy crossing his features, "Hermione, I'm so sorry. I suppose it isn't really my fault, but still." He reached out to her but she ducked behind Harry.

"No offense or anything Ron, but I can barely look at you right about now."

"Right," Ron said, backing away a bit, then smiled. "I guess this makes up for that other afternoon, Hermione?"

"I suppose this would be Triptych related?" Harry interrupted.

"Most likely," Hermione replied.

"Then…should we try to get ahold of Gretta?" Ron asked tentatively.

Harry groaned, "That'll be a pleasant conversation."

Hermione nodded, "We'll have to wait until later in the week. She starts classes tomorrow."

"Okay," Ron said. "We should all be getting to bed, then, since we're dropping off Luna and Ginny tomorrow."

"Yes, you're right. Goodnight Ron."

"Goodnight."

After shutting the door, Harry turned to Hermione, "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. I think I'm going to make a bit of tea, though, to soothe my nerves."

"Do you want company?"

"No, you go on to bed. I just need to clear my head, that's all."

Harry nodded and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, "Don't stay up too late."

Hermione smiled, "Sir, yes, sir."

With a laugh, Harry pulled her into a hug, holding her for a moment or two, "I think the universe is punishing us for something. We've been interrupted twice tonight now."

"I think the universe is telling us that there are more important things to do than snog each other."

"Oh, but it's so much fun…"

Hermione playfully pushed him away, "Goodnight."

He smiled, tenderly this time. "Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you, too."

With one more kiss, this one on the lips, Harry headed off in the opposite direction. Sighing lightly, Hermione went to the kitchen and made her tea, letting her mind be blissfully blank as she stared off into space. Once the cup was empty, she rinsed it and put it away, heading up the stairs to her room.

As she passed by Draco's doorway, she heard something inside. She hovered for a moment, and then knocked softly. When he didn't answer, she opened the door, assuming he was awake for some reason and figured she'd ask why he'd never come down to join them in Twister. "Hey, why didn't you…" she began to ask but the words fell from her lips at the sight in front of her.

Draco Malfoy lay curled up under his sheets, sleeping, but not peacefully at all. His face was disfigured into a terrible grimace as he all but hugged himself, moaning in what Hermione could only assume was pain, though she was not positive that the pain was physical. She began to wonder if this was what he went through every night, and though her first instinct was to comfort him, despite whom he was, Hermione knew it was not her place. And, even if she did not want to admit it, there was a part of her that was glad to see him in this position; a part of her that felt he deserved this. Disturbed by such a dark thought, Hermione softly closed the door, leaving him and going up to her room.

Despite the tea, sleep did not come easily to Hermione that night.

The following morning was thankfully much less hectic than every other summer, but still the house was buzzing with activity. Harry helped Dobby prepare breakfast as Ron and Hermione helped Ginny and Luna with their packing, which, obviously, was saved until the last minute. And Malfoy, well, Malfoy just tried to stay out of the line of fire.

"Where's my toothbrush?!" Ginny yelled down the hall, holding a cosmetic bag in hand. When no one answered, she simply yelled again, increasing her volume, "Hello? Anyone? Where is my TOOTHBRUSH?!"

"NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THE HELL YOUR STUPID TOOTHBRUSH IS SO JUST SHUT UP ABOUT IT!!! Ow!" Ron thundered back, receiving a smack in the head from Luna.

"We don't know where it is, Gin!" Hermione called in reply politely.

Ginny sighed in frustration. How could she possibly lose her toothbrush? It never left the bathroom! Then, just as she was about to head back into her room, Draco came walking down the hall - doing what else but - brushing his teeth. Except instead of using his normal green brush the one currently scrubbing his oral cavity was blue… much like Ginny's.

"Are you kidding me?" she half-yelled as he entered the bathroom and pulled the toothbrush out of his mouth to spit.

Draco rinsed his mouth before looking up, utterly bewildered, "About what?"

Trying to take a few deep breaths to calm herself but failing miserably, Ginny growled in response, "That…is…my…toothbrush!"

He looked down at the brush then, realizing for what seemed to be the first time that it was the wrong color. Promptly rinsing it, he handed it back to her, "Right. Sorry."

Having grown up with five older brothers to deal with, Ginny knew her temper well. First, there would be this small tingling in her breath, starting deep within her chest and coming out through her flared nostrils, the second sign. Her hands would begin to shake, and then, just before her rage was let lose, her cheeks would burn and her ears would turn a violent shade of red. When this happened, there was little to put a cork in her.

This, of course, was why Harry walked up to the doorway right in that instant, to suggest that she Accio the toothbrush, because he had heard her yelling from downstairs in the kitchen.

Deflating only slightly, Ginny turned to him, "Malfoy used my toothbrush."

In an oddly good mood, Harry laughed, "Now that is just disgusting. I suggest you purchase a new one before using that thing again."

Even Malfoy was forced to feel a little sorry for Harry as Ginny's temper, which was clearly not meant for Harry to begin with, was quickly turned on him. But, as she raised her hand to attempt to inflict pain on him, he held up his own palm, freezing her arm midway through, though clearly with magic, since he hadn't touched her.

"Ginny," Harry said, suddenly less lighthearted, though still calm, "I am sorry. Please just try to let it go and finish packing. It would be nice to be on time for the Express for a change." He lowered his palm, releasing her arm from its mysterious bind. Sulking a bit, Ginny nodded and left, realizing, despite herself, that he was right.

Thinking the scene was over; Draco turned back to his morning routine and began swishing some mouthwash around, counting in his head. However, Harry did not leave, instead leaning against the doorframe aside from which he stood, arms crossed.

Since, with liquid currently inside his mouth, Malfoy could not say anything, so they both knew Harry would have to be the first to speak. Finally, though there seemed to be no waiting, Harry did speak, with an irritated sigh, "Do you do it on purpose or are you simply that stupid?"

Draco spit out the mouthwash and rinsed the sink, then, unable to contain it even in the presence of his rival, he smiled - not a sneer or a smirk, but a smile - just barely. "I like to think I have very bad timing, actually."

Perhaps it was because he really had been in an oddly good mood throughout the morning, or maybe it was that Draco's answer threw him off a bit, but Harry chuckled in reply, saying before leaving back to the kitchen, "Well, I don't suppose I can argue with that."

As Harry walked away, Draco only allowed himself to ponder what in the name of Slytherin had just happened before deciding not to consider it any longer, far too disturbed to give it any more thought.

Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione stood folding some of Luna's things, when both paused, looking at each other.

"Did you feel that?" Ron asked, a hand just touching his ribcage.

Hermione shook her head, "But I heard it, or thought it. What did you feel?"

Ron searched for words, "Oddly relaxed. And Friendly. But that couldn't be, could it? Because I felt the presence of another person. Very much like…"

"Malfoy," Hermione finished, a bit wide-eyed, "And here I was positive I would never see the day."

"You know what this means, don't you?" Ron asked.

"What?"

"Harry is clearly high."

Hermione thought about this, and considered pointing out to Ron how completely ludicrous the thought was, but since she had no better explanation herself, she simply laughed, throwing a jumper at him, "I wonder who supplied the drugs."

Before long, they safely made it to the train station and onto the platform.

"What's with all of the people?" Harry asked, noticing the rather crowded area.

"The Daily Prophet is making a big news story out of McGonagall keeping the school open. A lot of press is here to interview parents and students," Hermione replied.

Harry nodded and together they loaded the girls' things onto the train as Ron said goodbye to his sister and girlfriend. Tonks, Remus, and Gretta had come along as well, just as a safety precaution.

"Look out for each other, okay? I don't want McGonagall calling me and telling me that either of you got into some kind of trouble," Ron was saying, trying to sound official and mature.

"Poor Ron," Hermione said as she and Harry now watched from a few meters away, "After they go, he'll be stuck with just us and Draco."

Harry laughed, "He's been fine with just us for the past six years. I think he'll manage."

Hermione smiled, "I suppose." Together they walked up and said goodbye to Luna and Ginny, helping them onto the train. After a few moments, the two of them stuck their heads out of a window a little ways down.

"We'll see you in a few weeks," Ginny told the three of them with a smile as the train began to pull away. "I-" she started to say something but was cut off mid-sentence as screams were heard down the way.

After that, many things began to happen all over the platform. Familiar pops of Apparition rung out as black-hooded figures, undoubtedly Death Eaters, arrived all around the Express, immediately firing off curse after curse. Some adults in the crowd, those not frozen in shock or terror, began to defend themselves and others. Others tried to reach the train, mothers shouting out to their children.

On board many of the older students, prefects and the Head Boy and Girl, were trying to keep order, attempting to calmly evacuate the Express. The younger children were screaming, clearly terrified, trying to reach their parents as well. Looking around at the packed platform, growing increasingly more so as more and more pops sounded the arrival of Death Eaters, Harry could see this wasn't a good idea. "Ginny!" he shouted out to the redhead who was trying to get off as well, "Ginny!"

At last she turned around, Luna having heard him. "What is it?" she called through to uproar.

"Keep the younger kids on the train, they're safer there! Then get down here and help us!" She nodded quickly and pulled Luna, shuffling to reach other older students and pass on the message.

The three teens turned to each other as Remus, Gretta and Tonks tried to listen in as they helped the other adults. As the number of curses flying through the air rapidly grew in number, Harry threw up a shield around them, trying to give Ron and Hermione time. He could tell that they were mentally calculating what their next move should be, Ron was also looking for Ginny and Luna, so he waited a moment, an abnormally long moment it seemed, for one of them to speak.

"Harry," Hermione finally said, after what felt like ages, ducking a flyway curse in the process, "How strong are you?"

"What do you need me to do?" Harry asked, unsure.

"I want you to push the train as far away from the station as possible."

Ron, who had been helping the other three and scanning the crowd for his sister and girlfriend had not appeared to be listening, looked up when Hermione said this, eyes widening slightly as he nodded in agreement, "Yes! We need to split up their targets and get the kids as far away as possible. Think you can do it, mate?" He only held Harry's gaze for a moment before turning and sending a Stunner at a Death Eater aiming at Luna, who Harry spotted about fifteen meters away, still pushing through the crowd.

Harry looked at the Express apprehensively, then began running to the back of it, speaking with as firm of a voice as he could muster, "There's only one way to find out, I suppose."

Ron and Hermione followed close behind, covering him, as they continued to communicate silently. As they reached the back, Hermione spoke again, this time to Ron. "Get him out of sight after the push. I'll be right back."

She popped away as Harry braced himself against the train. "Where'd she go?" he asked Ron, worried.

Ron waved his free hand as he sent off another jinx, "She said she needs something. It's fine. Push the train."

"How far?"

"About one hundred meters should do it," Ron said distractedly, throwing up a hasty shield charm.

"What about the people in the way of the train? What if I hit them?"

"They'll be fine! Just push the train. We don't exactly have the luxury of time here!"

Harry swallowed, his throat dry, then, trying not to give it too much thought, pushed it with all of the energy he possessed. To his great surprise, the Express rolled away in response, a good distance from the platform. Before anyone could see how it had happened, Ron pulled him back into the crowd toward everyone else, Hermione popping in next to them along the way as they ran to everyone else.

"Where's Tonks?" Ron asked, grabbing Ginny and Luna out of the way of a curse. The girls then dropped into crouches and started firing spells back, allowing the others a moment to communicate.

"Went to the Auror department," Remus replied, ducking as a purple flash whizzed past his head, "I already sent out a Patronus to McGonagall. Gretta or I will need to leave when the Aurors arrive to help her out." His voice had steadily risen to a yell over the chaotic cacophony.

"Good," Harry shouted between curses that he had begun firing off at rapid speed, ignoring the pain in his arms from pushing the train moments ago, "Either of you can just go now. We can handle things here."

"Are you sure?" Gretta called from a small distance away, not unkindly, but clearly concerned. Around her there was almost a blur of color as curses were shouted. "Your powers aren't totally consistent…"

"Harry just single-handedly moved a train!" Ron shouted, glancing at Hermione and sending a shield around her, much to her irritation by the looks of the glare she sent his way as she carefully inched closed to them, something in her hands. A bag of some sort, Harry thought.

"Look," Hermione said loudly as she reached them, pulling them into a somewhat safe alcove, mostly out of the line of fire, "I don't need that, Ron! Put these on." She pulled out five brass medallions, nothing particularly impressive, each attached to a clip or a hook.

"Hook them onto you belt loop," she instructed, pointing to the one she already had attached to her jeans, "I put a minor shield on each of them. This way you won't have to defend against standard spells that are merely flyways."

Ron looked as if he could have kissed her, hooking one on and then grabbing two for Ginny and Luna, plunging back into the crowd. This left one for Harry and a last one for Remus or Gretta.

"See," Harry half-shouted to Gretta, attaching his quickly, anxious, "Just go! We need to get out there." He was holding up a shield charm, but he felt a strong urge to quit simply defending and take some of the numerous Death Eaters down.

Clearly seeing that this was not the time to argue and that there would be no point if it was, Gretta nodded and Disapparated. Quickly grabbing the fifth medallion, Remus nodded to the two of them, then, after a quick squeeze of Hermione's hand, Harry followed close behind, Hermione nearby.

Harry quickly found that this was nothing like training or the countless times he had faced Voldemort over the past six years. The most similar event he could think of would be what had taken place in the Department of Mysteries fifth year, but there had been many less people then, only six willing kids up against half a dozen or so Death Eaters. Now, there seemed to be an endless supply of unprepared civilians, and at least thirty black-hooded figures. Without endless rooms and doors to close, everyone was instead trapped on a single crowed chaotic platform.

In an attempt to protect themselves, many people had conjured temporary barriers, only waist high, but big enough to duck behind. They were doing good considering how utterly unprepared they clearly were, and for what it was worth they seemed to be taking many of the Death Eaters down. The only problem was that it seemed that every time one fell two appeared to take his or her place, and the Death Eaters weren't doing badly on their side of things either. There seemed to be many casualties all over the platform.

"Duck!" Harry recognized Ron's voice and crouched to the ground immediately just as a dangerously green beam flashed over his head.

It was hard to see the faces of the Death Eaters, obscured by their massive hoods and appearing to even be wearing masks in some cases, but that just made it that much easier for Harry to picture every single one of them as Bellatrix or Malfoy Senior, or Snape.

He tried to recall and use the strategy he had learned from Defense Against the Dark Arts or from Tonks in the recent weeks. He knew that they thought that self-defense was important, particularly for him. But, he had never fully agreed with this when they had merely been in the attic, and now it seemed impossible to do anything but defend as many people as he was able, including and especially Hermione. Ron seemed to have this thought as well, though he was simultaneously protecting Luna and Ginny. When the Aurors finally arrived, Harry was more than relieved.

"Crucio!" Harry heard a male voice shout from nearby and he quickly conjured a shield. He couldn't risk them realizing that he was not affected by the curse, and he did not have that much faith in his acting abilities. He turned, trying to find the source of the Unforgivable, but there were too many to figure out where it came from. There wasn't time to anyway, for just then three seemed to have recognize him, turning towards him in a predatory fashion.

"Diffindo!" The one in the center shouted.

"Protego!" Harry yelled back, not fancying a severed body part. "Expelliarmus!" A wave of blue shot from his wand, tossing Death Eaters like bowling pins.

Not waiting around for them to get back to their feet, Harry began to scan the area for Hermione; he had lost track of her somehow. Finally he found her, battling against a single Death Eater. Not far off Ginny and Luna were doing some damage of their own.

Harry was forced to turn his attention away, however, as at that moment he spotted a small child, most likely a first year, running around in the line of fire, tears in her eyes. Wondering, in the back of his mind, how the small girl had possibly survived this long. Harry took off at a sprint, unconsciously summoning a bubble shield around her, plucking her off the ground and running back to his former position, this time closer to where Hermione fought.

It only took a second for Harry to realize that he had put himself in a dilemma. He couldn't very well put the girl back down and leave her to her own defenses, but it was increasingly hard to keep an eye out for the three girls (he had taken over Ginny and Luna when Ron and taken off to find Tonks) with a young girl in his arms. The girl, for her part, seemed much calmer in Harry's arms, appearing to only be waiting to see what would happen next.

"You and me both," Harry muttered as he scanned the area for a safe place to put the girl. No luck.

Hermione glanced up, her eyes widening at the sight of the child. "Get her out of here!" she shouted. Harry shook his head, maintaining his ground as he desperately tried to find another option.

Hermione, of course, knew what he was thinking, taking a risk by sending a glare in his direction. "For goodness sake, Harry, I'm fine! Stupefy! Just get that girl away from here. It's not safe. STUPEFY!" The stubborn Death Eater, amazingly, finally fell, but this only caused two that had been hovering nearby to take over in his place. "Take her to Grimmauld Place or something!"

Before Harry could reply, Ron ran up to him. "Tonks and I have decided the best way to go at this is quantity. We figure strategy won't do a fat lot of good with how many there are, but if we shoot enough at them, something's bound to take them down." It wasn't until after he'd said this that he seemed to notice the small girl leaning against Harry's chest. "What are you holding that kid for?"

Though he knew it was not the best time for it, Harry rolled his eyes, "I thought I'd use her as a shield." When the girl tensed up in fright Harry smiled kindly at her, "I'm kidding." The child appeared to believe him, relaxing once again.

Ron nodded, "Right. Stupid question. Reducto!" All this accomplished was some damaged brick as the Death Eater the curse was intended for jumped out of the way in time.

"Harry, get her out of here!" Hermione shouted again, "I'm fine!"

Harry couldn't leave though, and instead gently, but quickly, handed the girl over to Ron. Hastily he pulled off his medallion and clipped it onto the girl's own small skirt. He took her back and turned to Hermione, "Look, I can hold her. It's fine!"

But Hermione was not listening any longer. Five Death Eaters were now beginning to corner her, a certain happy evil emanating from them as they inched closer and closer, blocking her in. She was calculating, Harry could tell, but for the first time in a long time, he also saw a glimmer of panic in her eyes. He watched, as her feet backed up slowly while she steadily fired off jinxes, attempting to by herself some time. Harry tried to inch closer to her, but movement was difficult as he was trying to protect the small girl and himself simultaneously from a couple of stubborn Death Eaters who had noted his predicament. It wasn't long before Hermione eventually came in contact with the brick wall behind her, sucking in a breath as she realized that she was indeed trapped. Having achieved what seemed to have been planned, the five Death Eaters ceased movement as well, looking at each other now, possibly debating something.

Without a second thought, Harry, noticing Ginny standing beside him, hastily handed her the girl and took off towards the Death Eaters, halting as he heard Hermione's voice.

Stop, before they hit you, too!

Better me than you, Harry thought, not sure if she could hear him or not. The one in the center uttered something to the other four, then they turned, slowly towards Harry, clearly seeing him as a threat. He saw Hermione's eyes widen, but as she raised her wand the one in the center raised his own. "Expelliarmus!" he called, flinging her wand far away. "Stupefy!"

Harry tried to run towards her, thinking her could pull her out, but the other four Death Eaters that had turned began to attack.

Ron came up and helped him, throwing up shield after shield and uttering every counter-curse he could think of, but these Death Eaters were clearly skilled. Trained, it seemed. This was as difficult as fighting Hermione or Tonks, only there were four of them, making it that much harder, even if Ron was at his side. At last, one fell, and Harry realized what their purpose indeed had been - a distraction.

The middle one was doing something now. His lips moved rapidly, soundlessly, as some kind of green sphere - an orb? Harry wondered - formed in his palm. Hermione was clearly frozen, but Harry could not tell if it was involuntary, and he was suddenly that much more desperate to reach her, but three still stood in his way, and though Luna was helping now, that wasn't enough. He risked a second, turning around to find Tonks, realizing that few even noticed anything out of the ordinary was going on. The Aurors were doing an excellent job, and it seemed that at last, there were no more Death Eaters to show up, but there were still many left.

Frustrated, Harry turned back to the three Death Eaters, quickly reaching to wipe the sweat off his brow as he mentally went over every spell he knew, finally landing on an idea he prayed would work, if only temporarily. "Avis Oppugno!" he shouted, watching as a flock of birds attacked the Death Eaters, remembering when Hermione had done the same to Ron.

It worked, they were distracted and Harry was able to get around them and closer to the last one, slowing about three meters away, considering his next move as he carefully inched closer, afraid of what it was in the man's hand.

The orb seemed to be at about full size now, about fifteen centimeters in diameter, and the Death Eater was practically bouncing it, almost giddily, in his palm. Harry reached out-

No! Hermione's voice was there again. Harry looked at her, frozen, but with eyes moving wildly. Don't provoke him!

I have to do something. He thought desperately.

Just stay there!

No!

Please!

"NO!" he finally shouted in reply, but this did not have the effect he would have hoped. Almost as if the word had startled the Death Eater, he wasted no more time, thrusting the orb through the air.

It took no more than a second for the orb to penetrate Hermione's abdomen, the force pushing her into the wall and rendering her unconscious. The orb, now inside of her, flashed, blinding everyone in the area with an unbelievably bright light before disappearing, along with every single Death Eater on the platform. Silence fell upon the platform everyone as they all turned to where Hermione lie, now bleeding quickly.

For the first time Harry noticed the headmistress standing on the platform. She turned to back Ron immediately, "Go fetch Madam Pomfrey and bring her to Grimmauld Place!" Ron obeyed without question. Harry sprinted to Hermione, pulling off his cloak of as he crouched beside her, wrapping it around her midsection to slow down the blood that was rapidly leaving her body.

"Oh Merlin," he heard Tonks' voice as she came to his side, taking over in place of his shaky hands. Harry could hear muffled screams or terror behind him, but only vaguely.

McGonagall seemed to notice, as well. "Let's get her out of here."

Harry nodded, lifting her limp body off of the ground and popping away, landing in the foyer of Grimmauld Place and immediately sprinting up the stairs to their bedroom.

"What took you guys so…" Malfoy had begun to call as he heard footsteps, but abruptly stopped at the sight. "What happened?" he almost croaked.

Harry didn't bother with a reply, only shaking his head as he continued to walk, "Open the door." He tried his best to remain calm on the outside, though inside he was panicking. Please don't let he be dead, he thought. Please don't let her be dead.

Tonks was already in the room when they walked in, pulling back blankets and sheets as Harry tenderly set Hermione on the bed. Madam Pomfrey showed up moments later, stepping out of the fireplace and pulling off her cloak as she began to inspect Hermione, her face pale.

"I need everyone out of this room," she said as she opened the bag she had brought along, "And I'll need someone to fetch a nurse from the hospital. I must operate."

Harry tried to stay where he was, shaking his head and crossing his arms stubbornly even when Professor McGonagall tried to force him out, but Tonks convinced him to go, speaking gently, "Even though she's unconscious she might sense that you're here and feel anxious or panic if she hears what you are thinking."

So he let himself be led out, Ron running up with Ginny and Luna as Tonks closed the door behind them. "I'll go fetch a nurse," she told them, then Disapparated.

The teens, except for Harry, looked at McGonagall uneasily for a few moments until she finally spoke, "Well. I think it's safe to say that there is much that must be attended to. I'll be back to check on Miss Granger soon."

Ron read Harry's pale face and, Harry had a hunch, probed his emotions a bit, "Is she going to be okay?"

"Madam Pomfrey says she'll need to operate."

"What happened to her?" Malfoy asked again, his eyes narrowed as if thinking, "There aren't many curses that do that kind of damage."

"It wasn't a curse," Luna answered, crossing her arms, "That Death Eater threw something…"

"A greenish orb," Ginny interrupted.

"…Inside of her," Luna finished, her eyes narrowed.

Draco paled visibly, "Was there a blinding light after impact? Like an explosion?" They all nodded and his eyes widened. He turned and headed to where Madam Pomfrey was, shutting the door behind him.

Ron was the first to speak, "Is it good or bad that he knows something?"

Harry sighed, suddenly very tired, "Bad if you consider where he probably gained the knowledge. Good if that knowledge helps Hermione."

"Right."

Pinching the bride of his nose, Harry shifted on his feet. He could not stay around all of these people, even if it was only his friends. The walls of the hallway felt as if they were closing in on him, sucking the oxygen out of the air. "Look, I can't just stand here and do nothing but I know Madam Pomfrey well enough to know there isn't much I can do to help. I reckon someone should tell Hermione's parents what's happened."

"I'll go with you," Ron said, "But you should probably change your clothes before we leave. You can borrow one of my shirts." Harry looked down and noticed what Ron was talking about; even if one did not include the bloodstains his shirt was sufficiently ruined.

"We'll stay and let you know if anything changes," Ginny told him.

"Okay, but you should go down to the kitchen or something. I have a feeling it's going to be awhile up here," Harry pointed out, then headed down the hall.

When they reached Ron's room, Harry turned to his friend, "Could you, um, give me a minute or something? I need to figure out what I'll say to her parents." It was a lie, but he didn't really care if Ron realized that or not, which he probably did.

Ron nodded, "Sure mate."

After grabbing a shirt, Harry sat heavily on Ron's bed, taking a few deep breaths, remembering when he had gone and picked out the mattress with her. As if the thought had pulled some kind of trigger, Harry was overwhelmed with a wave of some horrible feeling he couldn't possibly describe, blinking as he felt the heat rise from his throat all the way through him, his eyes watering slightly. He began to suck in air quickly, unable to obtain enough air from his surroundings.

"Woah, mate," Ron said, walking in from where he'd been standing outside the doorway, "Breathe. Slowly."

Harry followed the instructions, putting his head in his sweaty palms. "What if she isn't okay, Ron? What if there's nothing Madam Pomfrey can do?"

Ron hesitated for a moment, crossing his arms as he leaned on a long leg, choosing his words. "I have more faith in Hermione and Madam Pomfrey to think something like that could happen," he said at last, "I've never been more scared of two women in my life. Except maybe my mum. Or Ginny. Or Luna."

Harry let out a reluctant, pitiful laugh, but it was short-lived, "That just about narrows it to every female you know."

Ron smiled only a little, "What happens will happen. We can't worry about it too much. Let's just work on things one at a time."

"Starting with telling Hermione's parents she might die," Harry pointed out.

"Starting with telling Hermione's parents that she's been injured," Ron corrected.

"Badly."

Ron sighed, "Fine. Badly."

Harry stood up slowly, "You know I told her dad I would take care of her?"

"Yeah?"

Harry nodded, "She rolled her eyes and told him she could take care of herself, but I told him I would just the same. It just… I hate to go back there and look him in the eye knowing I failed."

"You didn't fail."

"Yes I did."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

Ron rolled his eyes, "Yes, Harry. Fine. You failed. It is completely your fault. Now be a man and face it."

Harry smiled slightly, glad to have Ron with him, "Let's go." Ron nodded, and together they Disapparated.

Telling Hermione's parents turned out to be a difficult task. Harry had to select his words carefully, choosing how descriptive to be (he decided that more vague was better) and trying to explain it in Muggle terms. After a few minutes Ron and Harry brought them back to Grimmauld Place, meeting up with everyone: Ginny, Luna, Malfoy, Remus, Tonks, and, obviously having been contacted, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, and Fred and George.

After receiving a hot cup of tea from Tonks Harry chose to stand in the corner, watching everyone. It was clear that the Grangers still had a million questions and were looking for someone to blame, most likely Harry, but upon seeing his state, which was growing more exhausted by the second - his arms, which had originally only hurts from pushing the train felt internally bruised - they seemed to let it go, if only temporarily, and sat quietly with everyone else. Ron looked up a few times, concerned, but Ginny or Luna would take notice and distract him, leaving Harry alone in his secluded corner, the only sounds being an occasional barely-there whisper.

And then they waited.

~*~

A/N: I'll try to make this quick.

First off, I must thank Lady Starlight and Madscientist for helping me out with this chapter, and Lady Starlight for not being cruel when I sent her the very first draft that, I'll admit, stunk.

Secondly, I am very sorry for the wait. Hopefully by now you know that when I don't post I have good reasons, because I really do love when I can write and give you all quick updates. You really do deserve a chapter a day and if I could give it to you, I really would.

Thirdly, I think it is hideously unfair for you to have to wait between posts with no word from me, so if you ever want to see how the next chapter is going, you can check out my livejournal at http://xvicklesx.livejournal.com, where I will keep you filled in. Feel free to leave nasty comments on there when I don't give you a chapter soon enough.

Lastly, I've really gone out of my zone with this chapter, and it is really a product of much frustration and teamwork and rewrites, so any and all observations/comments/critiques you have to offer are greatly appreciated.

Okay, you may now commence tarring and feathering.


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