Harry and Ron both apparated in the cabin at the same time, and instantly were consumed by the sharp chill in the air. Harry could feel Hermione shivering in his arms.
He looked around; he was standing in a dark kitchen. The cabin was hardly furnished. A small table with two small wooden chairs stood in the corner next to a small fridge. The unwelcome silence was almost painful to Harry's ears.
A picture of Bill and Fleur with her protruding pregnant belly hung on the wall. Their storybook romance was brought to a sudden halt when their lives were tragically taken from them. Fleur had been seven months pregnant with the first Weasley grandchild at the time. Bill and Fleur had been in Paris spending the weekend with Fleur's grandmother when they had the unfortunate mishap of crossing paths with a very angry Narcissa Malfoy. The three of them were found dead in the cottage four days later. Six weeks later Narcissa was caught and confessed, she was sent to live out the rest of her life in Azkaban. It had been a terrible ordeal for all Weasley family.
Ron stared up at the picture and gulped. He looked away when he realized Harry was watching him. "Go lay Hermione on the couch. I'll contact Lupin by patronus and ask him to apparate here immediately and to bring a Healer and some food."
Harry rushed into the living room and placed Hermione gently down on the couch. She appeared to be fully unconscious now. She also seemed to be having difficulty breathing.
A few minutes later Ron came in carrying a bowl of warm water and a rag, which he handed to Harry. He took it from his best friend and began wiping Hermione's forehead.
"Do you have any blankets here to keep her warm?" Harry asked.
Ron was leaning in the doorway to the living room watching Harry as he sponged the rag over Hermione's forehead. "I don't know," Ron said. He crossed the living room and opened a closet door. "There's only one in here." He tossed it to Harry who covered Hermione's shivering body. "I'll go check up stairs."
Just as Ron moved towards the stairs there were three loud `pops', which made Harry and Ron jump, reaching for their wands. Lupin, Ginny, and Luna came rushing in from the kitchen.
"I got your message. You three alright?" Lupin asked.
Ginny rushed over to her brother to make sure he was alright.
"No, Hermione needs to see a Healer," Harry explained to him. "She took quite a beating and she's been hit with the cruciatus curse!"
Luna came rushing forth with medi-bag. "Harry, let Luna tend to Hermione, I would like a word with you and Ron out in the kitchen." Lupin asked.
"Why did you bring her?" Harry asked Lupin about Luna as if she wasn't even in the room. "She's not even a qualified Healer!"
"We're in the middle of a war, if you haven't noticed," Lupin told Harry. "With St. Mungo's destroyed and lack of Healer's in the country she was the best I could get! She's had over a years training in the healing department she'll do fine."
Harry groaned.
Luna placed her hand on Harry's arm and looked him in the eye. "Harry, I am only four months away from my Healing Degree. I assure you that I am quite capable of handling this situation."
Harry groaned he knew he was being stupid. "I think she has a broken ankle too," he told her.
"Thank you," Luna said, turning to Hermione.
Lupin cleared his throat.
Harry didn't want to leave Hermione's side his eyes tore away reluctantly from her and turned to Lupin begging him to let him stay with her.
"No," Lupin said reading his expression. "You and Ron in the kitchen now."
Harry groaned and filed past Lupin as he entered the kitchen. He pulled out a chair and sat down as Ron did the same across from him. Harry noticed Lupin was bearing a large grin.
"What?" he asked.
Lupin summoned a broken stool from the corner and sat down. "You have no idea how much you just acted like your father a minute ago. He always used to give me that look when I told him and Sirius they had to do their homework," Lupin said, chuckling at the memory. "Merlin, do I miss them!"
Lupin stopped laughing shot Harry a look and swallowed hard like he had done something horribly wrong.
Harry sighed. "I miss them too, but can we discuss who permeated our squadron? I would like to sort it all out and get back to Hermione," Harry said.
"Okay," Lupin said pulling out some parchment. "At exactly 10:21 this evening, Neville Longbottom was found unconscious in a dark ally where he was tortured by the cruciatus curse. He's alright but he's being kept sedated for a few days to make sure there are no lasting effects. That means he hasn't be questioned. But we believe he was tortured to reveal the location of safe house two because he was the secret keeper this week."
"Poor Neville," Ron said in a low voice. "Any leads to who might have done it?"
"It's all up in the air right now," Lupin said. "Harry, I need to you to tell me exactly what was happening, and who was in the house at the moment of the attacks."
"It was just after nine, Ron and Hermione threw me a birthday party. We were just cutting the cake when we heard a loud explosion out in the yard. I investigated it and saw the heard of death eaters. I knew we were horribly out numbered so I ordered everyone to apparate out. A few disobeyed orders and stayed behind and did some damage before they left. Their training has really paid off; you should have seen what they did. There were only a quarter of our troop out there and they practically annihilated them."
"Who was in the house at the time of the attack?" Lupin questioned further.
"Me, Hermione, Ron, Wilcox, Hannigan, Williams, Vernsby, Greene, Astern, Karalee, Mechlowicz, Thomas, and the O'Brien twins," Harry told Lupin.
Lupin nodded in response, as he scribbled something down on the parchment. "And who is the secret keeper this week?" he asked.
"Amy Wilcox," Ron intervened.
"No, it's John Hannigan. Amy came to me two days ago and said she didn't feel comfortable with it so I offered it to John Hannigan this week. I wrote it down on the charts."
"I see," Lupin drawled as he wrote everything down. "Shacklebolt is questioning everybody right now. I will tell him to put a little extra effort on Wilcox and Hannigan."
"Any casualties?" Lupin asked.
"Just Hermione," Harry answered.
"Who attacked her?"
"Goyle," Harry said. "When I found them he was trying to kill her, so I finished him off."
"Good one less of them we have to worry about," Lupin said, checking something off on his parchment.
"Everyone in safe house two okay?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, it was only and George. Luna and Ginny apparated in just as we being attacked, but we got out unharmed. The rest of the team were out on assignments. So they're all being question as well under Veritaserum too."
"Good," Harry sighed. He glanced over his shoulder and could see Luna administering a potion to Hermione.
Lupin pulled his stool back and stood up. "As soon as Luna is done we have to get back. You three may stay here for a day or two until we can provide you with better accommodations," he said putting his parchment back in his bag. "I am going to place some protective charms around the property just to be safe. It won't be as safe as the one on the safe houses so keep your magic levels low so you aren't detected. Only use magic if absolutely necessary."
"Thank you," Ron and Harry said together.
Lupin nodded, and stepped out the front door.
Ginny entered the kitchen from the porch and turned to face the boys. "The fridge is broken so I put the food in the porch. It's cold enough out there," she said. "I also made a fire."
Ron ambled forward and hugged his sister. "Thanks, Gin. I'm glad you're alright," his tone was gloomy, as he pulled his little sister in tighter. "Take care of yourself."
"Its okay, Ron. I miss Bill and Fleur too." Ginny replied, recognizing the cause of sadness
Harry walked into the living room to give Ginny and Ron a moment alone. Luna was kneeling next Hermione, putting her things back into her medi-bag.
"How is she?" Harry asked.
"She'll be just fine," Luna said, peering up at Harry. She closed her bag and stood to look him in the eye. "She had a mild concussion, two fractured and one broken rib, and her ankle wasn't broken. It was just sprained."
"Oh, well good," Harry said.
"I healed her cuts and bruises and ribs. I gave her a potion for her concussion and her sprain. So she'll be asleep for a few hours and when she wakes she will be as good as new."
"Thank you so much!" Harry said to her.
"No problem, she's my friend too, Harry."
"Yeah."
Luna pulled a small bottle out of her pocket. "Oh when she wakes up she may feel a little dodgy from the cruciatus curse, so if she does give her a small dose of this every six hours." Luna said.
Harry took the bottle from Luna. "Thanks," he said again.
Luna smiled in return and went out into the kitchen to wait for Lupin to return from placing protection spells around the house. Sure enough five minutes later Lupin came through the door.
"It's bloody cold out there," he told them, shaking the snow off his head. "You better keep that fire going tonight."
"We will," Ron said coming forth. He still looked a little uneasy.
"Well I better get back and fill out the rest of those reports. Shacklebolt and the whole Auror department will be waiting," Lupin said, looking at the girls. "You two ready?"
"Yes," Ginny answered, giving her brother a hug goodbye. She nodded her head in recognition to Harry and joined Lupin and Luna by the table.
"We'll notify you as soon as we have any information or leads," Lupin told him.
"Alright," Harry said.
"Let us know first thing tomorrow how Hermione's doing."
"We will," Ron answered. "Thanks for everything."
"No problem. Remember keep your wand at the ready," Lupin told them. "Goodbye."
"Bye," Harry and Ron said in unison.
Three sharp pops echoed off the walls and Lupin, Luna, and Ginny were gone.
Harry and Ron stood in silence for a moment staring off into space, the only sounds that could be heard were the crackling of the fire in the fire place and the soft sounds of Hermione's light breathing.
Ron cleared this throat, making Harry jump. "I don't know about you but I'm starving. You want something to eat right now?"
"What did they bring?"
"Not sure," Ron stepped out onto the back porch and brought in the large bag that Ginny had packed all their food in. He placed the bag on the table and began pulling out its contents. "Jug of milk, jug of water." He reached in and pulled out a small plastic container and peeled back the lid to sniff. "Onion soup." Ron put down the container and pulled out two more just like it. "We also have some chicken sandwiches and what looks like some steak and kidney pie. Oh and cookies."
"I'll have some onion soup," Harry said.
"Here," Ron said handing him a bowl. "You'll have to heat it up, it's cold."
Harry sat down on the floor next to the couch where Hermione was sleeping and peeled back the lid of his onion soup to heat it up with his wand. Ron grabbed a bowl and sat across from Harry and did the same thing.
"So…when did Luna become not so…loony?" Harry asked half way through his soup.
Ron swallowed a mouthful of his soup. "Ginny tells me that since this war began and her father was killed she has begun taking life and her roll in this war very seriously." Ron explained. "Though if you ask me, she'll always be a little loony. Last spring we were stationed up in Ireland together, and all weekend she kept telling me my brain was being invaded by Flobbywoobits!"
Harry laughed for the first time that night.
"It's sad though," Ron said, before shoveling a spoonful of soup in his mouth. "That even someone as free as Luna can be affected by this war. But I guess nobody can hide from it, we're all targets."
Harry furrowed his brow. "Ron, how do you feel after you've…killed someone?"
Ron looked up, slightly surprised by his best mates inquiry. "Well, I…don't feel great. I mean I've just taken somebody's life away, death eater or not. I try not to dwell on it." He took another spoonful. "But I know that if I don't kill him, he will kill me or kill somebody else that I care about. You okay?
"I felt happy when I saw Goyle's life fade from his eyes today," Harry said looking off into the distance. "And with every other one I've killed but I really felt it tonight when I killed Goyle. I've never told anybody that before. Does that make me a bad guy?"
"No," Ron said. "I mean, c'mon Harry, that bastard was about to kill Hermione, he deserved what he got, I don't blame you for feeling happy when you killed him. And I know how much Hermione means to you. You're mad in love with her!"
Harry flushed with crimson and darted his eyes back to focus intently on his bowl of soup. "Am not!" he snapped back quickly.
Ron laughed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and Hippogriffs don't have wings!"
Ron swallowed the last few mouthfuls of soup and stood up putting his bowl and spoon back in the bag as he heard Harry sigh. "This is probably something you would be better off talking to Hermione about in the morning when she's better. I'm a Weasley, we all know I'll say the wrong thing. Remember I've only got the emotional range of a teaspoon! But I'm getting better. Maybe after the war I can be promoted to spatula."
Harry laughed again. "You're an idiot."
"That I am," Ron said through a proud grin. "But Hermione would probably say something like this." He cleared his throat and put on his best high girly voice. "Oh, Harry, you have spent your entire life suffering because of them. It's natural to feel this way. Now get over here you sexy treacle tart and plant a big wet one on me!"
Harry's mouth formed an `O' as he was torn between laughing and being stunned. "Oi, you shut your gob, you git!" he said as he threw his spoon at him.
Ron dodged the spoon and raced up the stairs pretending to giggle like a little girl.
Harry sniggered and brought the bowl to his lips to down the small remainder of his soup. He put the bowl back in the bag like Ron did and turned to Hermione.
She was asleep on the couch breathing softly. Harry noticed that she was shivering slightly. He tucked the blanket around tighter and turned to the fire to throw a few more logs on. The stairs behind him creaked and he turned to see Ron staring at him.
"There's only one bed up here, so if you want you can have it. I'm going to write out a few reports in the other room."
"No, I'm going to stay down here with her."
Ron rolled his eyes and pulled a pillow and a blanket out from behind his back and tossed it to Harry. "Knew you would."
Harry smiled. "Thanks."
"See you in the morning," Ron said turning to go back up the stairs.
Harry unfolded the blanket and spread it over Hermione's shivering form as soon as he heard Ron close the door up stairs. He picked up the large pillow and gently placed under her head and smoothed the hair away from her face.
Harry sat down on the wooden floor next to the couch and found a small section of pillow next to her to lay his head on. He watched her for a moment and thought she looked so beautiful. He closed his and just as he fell asleep he whispered, "I love you, Hermione."
What he didn't hear was Hermione's unconscious reply of, "I love you too."
-->