Disclaimer: Everything concerning Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling. I own nothing, nor is this done for any purpose except my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of anyone reading this. There is no attempt to make any profit.
The Most Ancient Magic
Chapter Ten: The Road to Recovery
Dumbledore and the Grangers entered the hospital wing. Hagrid had returned and was sitting between Harry and Hermione, Lupin was asleep in the guest quarters, the Weasleys including Ginny and joined by Luna were all sitting on the couch in the corner.
Hermione began moaning quietly in her sleep, evidently in the grip of a nightmare. She started awake at her mother's touch. Janet spoke to her, trying to soothe her back to sleep. Hermione smiled at her mother and Hagrid, and nodded at Harry who was snoring. With a grin, Hagrid prodded Harry in the side. Harry rolled over and became quiet.
"Aren't you going back to sleep?" Hugh asked. Hermione slowly shook her head no.
"I keep seeing Harry lying there in the street with his scar torn and bloody," she whispered. "Thanks for bringing him back here, Hagrid. I didn't hear anyone thank you for helping yesterday.
Hagrid gave her a whiskery smile and nodded his acceptance of her gratitude.
They spent the afternoon in quiet conversation. Dumbledore amused them with stories from Hogwarts' long history and Hagrid told them interesting stories of the creatures that lived in the forest.
Harry woke up as the sun was setting. Galen returned and asked everyone for to leave so he could check on Harry's condition. Everyone went to dinner in the guest quarters. Hugh stayed to help, while Madam Pomfrey curtained off the end of the ward. Harry was able to get out of bed unassisted and made it about half way across the ward and back. His steps were more coordinated but it still took a great effort of his will to get moving. He collapsed into the bed and crawled back under the blanket, his energy almost totally spent. He was almost too tired to eat the supper that Dobby brought him.
"That was better, Mr. Potter. You are progressing nicely," encouraged Galen as he checked Harry over. As he was preparing to leave he called Dumbledore to him. "Albus, Professor McGonagall said you were trying to keep the Muggles presence here a secret?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"I have brought some Healer's robes from St. Mungos. Anyone visiting will think that they are here to help Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, which is also the truth."
"Thank you, Marcus, I'm grateful."
After dinner Arthur and Molly were preparing to leave. "Good night, Harry. We'll see you tomorrow, get some rest," Arthur placed a comforting hand on his shoulder while Molly gave Harry a hug and kiss. A minute later they slipped out with Ron and Ginny. Harry waved to them as the shut the door. Luna promised to bring Hermione's homework to her, she smiled serenely, and followed the Weasleys out of the door. The Grangers were planning to take turns sitting with Hermione while the other slept in the guest quarters. Lupin was given a room in a different part of the castle he was going to get some rest as he had been up all the previous night.
It didn't take long for Harry to fall asleep. Hermione visited with her parents. Hugh, it was decided, would sleep first and sit up through the early morning. In the quiet evening Hermione drifted off to sleep, her mother dozing in the chair beside her.
"Harry! Wait! Wait for Me!!" Hermione bolted upright, crying out in her nightmare.
"One, it's ok! Wake up!" Janet jerked awake and was trying to calm her daughter. Hermione, half-awake, struggled with her mother.
Suddenly Janet heard a quiet voice say, "Lumos," and a soft light illuminated them. She looked around in amazement. The light was coming from the tip of Harry's wand.
"Hermione, help me," Harry cried quietly. He was trying to get out of his bed.
Harry's cry for help did what Janet's struggling could not. Hermione's attention came into focus. She looked at Harry and snatched her wand from the bedside table.
"Wingardium Leviosa," she commanded. Harry gently floated from his bed to hers. Janet stared in wonder, she had never witnessed her daughter's controlled powers in action.
She reached out to touch his face. Harry assured her, "Hermione, I'm still here."
He slipped off the bed and stood beside her.
Hermione blinked, "It was a nightmare…" she swallowed heavily, trying to get her breathing under control.
"Yes, it's ok," soothed Harry. He took her hand. "Can you go back to sleep?"
"I don't know, Hagrid was carrying you away, it seemed so real."
Madam Pomfrey bustled in. "Here, Miss Granger, drink this, it will prevent your dreams." Hermione drank the potion and soon fell asleep, still holding Harry's hand. Madam Pomfrey checked her over. Then she and Janet helped Harry back into his own bed, and she left again.
"I didn't mean to startle you Dr. Granger, I'm sorry," apologized Harry.
"It's all right Harry, it's just I've never seen magic like this before."
"I've taken that potion before, Dr. Granger, Hermione will sleep until late morning. She won't have any more dreams. You can get some rest too." Harry smiled. "Good night." He extinguished the light from his wand.
"How are you, Harry, really?"
"I don't know, Dr. Granger. Something isn't right. But I don't know what. It takes a lot of effort for me to move."
"Good night, Harry. We will all do our best to help you be well again," said Janet. She too went back to sleep. When Hugh, dressed in the lime-green robes, woke her after midnight, she filled him in on what happened.
Hugh sat up through the early morning hours. As Harry had predicted Hermione slept through the night. The morning light filled the ward as elsewhere the sound of students going to breakfast made the school sound as though it had come to life again.
Dobby appeared suddenly carrying a tray with two bowls of porridge. Dr. Granger nodded to the house elf. "Dobby has brought breakfast for Harry Potter and our guest," he squeaked happily. He presented the tray to Hugh, who took a bowl. He was startled to see that Harry was awake too. Harry was gazing with a rapt expression at Hermione.
"Been up long?" he asked.
"No, Sir, about fifteen minutes I guess."
"Penny for your thoughts," replied Hugh.
Harry frowned.
"Old expression, it's considered a polite way to ask what somebody else is thinking."
"Oh, it's just that I've seen Hermione mad, scared, happy, sad, and anxious, but I've never seen her asleep before. She's nodded off in the common room a couple of times, but this is different, she just-looks so peaceful."
Hugh smiled and nodded his agreement before turning his attention to his porridge.
"I'm curious about the medication, sorry, the potion that Madam Pomfrey gave Hermione. My wife said you had taken it before?"
Harry nodded as his expression clouded, "Yes, Sir, it was after the tournament. I slept until late morning."
"I'm sorry, Harry, One told us a little about tournament. You won didn't you?"
Harry spent a little while explaining what had happened, how it was all a trap of Voldemort's. Hugh heard Harry's feelings of betrayal and grief come through the simple words of his story.
"I don't know what to say, Harry. Hermione never told us about the third task. She just seemed proud that you had won. I can tell Cedric's death really hurt you, but it wasn't your fault. If they had wished they could have modified his memory, right? They just liked killing. You aren't responsible for the actions of others."
Harry wasn't convinced, but he realized Dr. Granger was telling the truth.
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Healer Galen arrived with Harry's potion. "Good morning, Mr. Potter, how are you feeling today." After taking the potion, Harry felt the familiar feeling of warmth spread through his body. He was able to make it to the other side of the ward. Harry rested a few minutes before he started back, leaning heavily on his staff. He climbed back into bed, tired but not as exhausted as the day before.
During the morning Galen set him several small tasks to check some of his other skills. He had Harry summon one of Hermione's slippers, transfigure some small objects, and make a school book fly. Hugh watched Harry with amazement. The hardest task was writing. Harry spent the rest of the morning working on one of his potion essays. Writing was slow at first, but as the morning progressed, Harry was able to write more normally. Galen was pleased. He explained to Dr. Granger, "Harry's fine motor skills seem to be coming back to him. The major impairment seems to be in his gross motor skills and balance. It seems that his ability to move is coming back but far more slowly than his other abilities."
Hermione woke up just before lunch. By the time she had washed up and changed into new pajamas, Lupin had arrived. Janet, now also in green robes, joined them just before Dobby brought lunch for them all. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall came to see how they were progressing. Dumbledore explained that the Weasleys had been granted permission to visit and would be coming back later that evening. Seeing that all was well they left.
After lunch Hermione was sitting on the couch with her parents. Harry was working on his essay. "Professor Lupin, Janet and I wanted to host a small dinner, to say thank you for helping us through this. Would you be free on Friday the twenty sixth?"
Remus stiffened slightly before replying, "No, I definitely won't be able to attend that evening. Another night, perhaps?"
Hugh was looking at Janet's calendar, he noted the little full moon symbol on the date and chuckled, "Another night will pose no problem. I didn't know you were a werewolf."
"Dad! That's not funny," sputtered Hermione indignantly. Harry looked up sharply. The Grangers looked between them and Lupin who was smiling rather thinly. Hugh realized he had said something wrong.
"Hermione," Lupin began slowly, "they don't know." He sighed heavily, "Yes, Dr. Granger, I am a werewolf. In our world Lycanthropy is regarded as an incurable and highly contagious disease, much as Leprosy used to be for Muggles. That has made me the target of some regrettable discrimination and persecution during my life."
Chastened, Hugh apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't know there really were werewolves, I guess I should have known given there are real dragons and trolls. But that doesn't alter the fact that I am grateful to you. You will always be welcome in our home."
Lupin smiled sadly, "Thanks, I want you to know that there are treatments now that make my condition safer for others. There is a potion that enables me to keep my human mind when I transform."
They sat in silence for a while. Hugh, looking thoughtful, queried, "If werewolves are real are there real vampires? Dracula was one of my favorite stories."
"Yes, but you will never see one. They are extremely strong, very swift, and they wrote the book on stealth. You'd be dead before you knew it was there," replied Lupin with an evil grin. Seeing that he had the Grangers full attention he continued, "Most of them live on the continent, we don't allow them in the UK because they regard us as food." He glanced around the room, leaned in, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "At least we don't think there are any here." Hermione was starting to frown at him. The Grangers were leaning closer to hear what Lupin was saying.
"What do they look like?" asked Janet, intrigued by the discussion in spite of herself. They were so focused on Lupin they did not hear the door to the hospital wing open and close. "Well you need to ask Hagrid, he's the only one I know who's had dealings with one, but I hear they look something like that." He pointed in the direction of Madam Pomfery's office. Hugh started and Janet gave a small gasp. Before them was a figure garbed in black, with greasy, black hair, sallow skin, and a hooked nose, talking to Madam Pomfrey.
"Professor Lupin!" Hermione glowered. Harry began laughing, he tried to stop, but the harder he tried the harder it became. Snape sensing that he was the butt of some joke turned in their direction. He looked at the people involved, sneered at Lupin, shook his head, turned on his heel, and swept from the room with his cloak billowing out behind him. Lupin began laughing with Harry while Hermione tried to explain. "That's Professor Snape, the potions teacher. He and Professor Lupin went to school here together. While he's not the most pleasant person at Hogwarts he's not a vampire."
"Sorry about that," chuckled Lupin. "I knew he was coming, when you asked about vampires I just couldn't resist. Seriously, there are vampires. We don't know what animates them, but they are undead. Sunlight will destroy them. They are stronger than humans and have faster reflexes, but not to the point Muggle fiction makes out. They need human blood to survive, but they rarely kill. Their vision, hearing and sense of smell appears to be very acute so garlic, ammonia, noise, or bright light will sometimes repel them. Their bodies are dead, they don't feel pain, heat or cold, also they heal very slowly, that makes them very cautious. They are stealthy and seem to have some power to impose their will on their victims, something like hypnosis. Other than that, their society is even more secretive than ours. They appear to be very pale, unless they have just fed, and most of them are rather gaunt."
Lupin glanced at Hermione, "Did I leave anything out?"
"Just that we don't know how long they live, or how they adjust to the progress of their prey. It must be hard on them keep up with all the changes in Muggle technology. That's why you find them in quiet, out-of-the-way places."
At suppertime the Grangers ate in the guest quarters. As they were re-entering the ward Healer Galen had Harry walking across the room again. Hermione looked in consternation as Harry struggled to make the walk back to his bed, leaning on his staff. "What's wrong with him?" she asked.
Hugh and Janet pulled Hermione back into the guest quarters and explained what they knew of Harry's condition. "I'm sorry, One. His attackers may have permanently crippled him. The healers don't know how completely he will recover. What you need to know is that if you help him too much, you may impair his eventual recovery. You remember the story about the butterfly?"
"The one about the butterfly's wings not unfolding because someone helped it out of its' cocoon?"
"Exactly, the struggle to emerge forces fluid into the capillary structure of the wings. Without the struggle the butterfly is crippled. If you help Harry, like you did last night, you might hurt him in the long run. You need to encourage him, make him keep working, anything but do things for him. You need to be strong, Hermione. If you give in to your heart, you won't really be helping him, ok?"
Hermione nodded, looking close to tears again, "Why does everything have to be so hard?"
"Because anything really worth having is worth fighting for. You will find, young lady, that effort, adversity, and labor increase appreciation," answered Janet.
As they were going back on to the ward, they heard the Weasleys coming up the stairs.
They all entered together finding Harry back in his bed. Ron had Harry's homework and Luna arrived with Hermione's. Harry found it a very pleasant evening.