~A/N> Hello! Here's the next chapter and it's more action than fluff. I will be putting fluffy parts
between H/Hr wherever I can, but there's going to be quite a bit revealed in the next few chapters (some of which
may surprise you :p) and more explanation/background on Hermione's family. And no, that doesn't mean the story
is close to the end, there are many more chapters to come. I've sort of altered the story line of both this story
and my book, so I'm not sure what the chapter count is going to end up being. Hopefully you find that to be good
news :) Thanks for the great reviews and comments on my personal Live Journal about this story, I really appreciate
them all! BTW, if you get the chance, check out the beautiful picture that valeriehall343 made for me to use as my
header picture on my journal based on this story- http://miscard.livejournal.com/
"I trust you, I know I'm in good hands."
Those words kept running through Hermione's head as she sat eating breakfast. How was it that he trusted her so implicitly, especially after her disastrous display of magic just the night before? She didn't trust herself, so how did he have so much trust in her? Realizing that she wasn't going to be able to do anything until she talked to Firenze, she pushed her plate away from her and got up, making a quick retreat from the Great Hall.
"What's up with her mate?" Ron asked, watching as Hermione left. The Quidditch team always ate together the morning of a match, but the other five players had made their way to the pitch already to warm up. Harry was personally grateful they had left because if Ginny sat staring at him any longer, he may have just yelled at her to quit bloody staring. His thoughts were on one girl only, and he found that she was the only one he wanted to spend time with, and it was an unsettling feeling to him. He'd never felt so strongly for anyone before and he was confused about the nature of the feelings...were they real or were they because of their connection- Soul Guardian and Charge? "Hello?" Ron asked, pulling him from his thoughts. "Bloody hell Harry, what is going on with you lately?"
"Hermione," he replied without thinking, and then swore when he realized what he had said. The knowing smirk his best friend wore didn't help matters either.
"Yeah, it seemed that Dean and I walked in on something this morning," Ron said, causing Harry to really focus in on him. "When we saw you, the two of you were just standing there, staring at each other."
"Yeah," he replied, debating on whether he should talk to Ron about what had happened that morning. All he could think about was her, and he felt that if he didn't talk to someone about it he might just go mental. Lowering his voice considerably he said, "She kissed me this morning, and I'm not talking a kiss like the first one. This one was...I don't even know how to describe it. All I know is that I wanted to shag her right then and there, and I don't think that's the proper way for a Guardian and her Charge to act."
Ron put his fork down as his eyebrows rose up and he asked, just as quietly, "You felt that way just from a kiss? Of course it's easy to feel that way when you're snogging and it's getting serious, but bloody hell Harry, from a kiss?"
"I know...no, I don't know," Harry replied, running his hand through his hair as his frustration grew. "I need to stop thinking about her, we've got the most important match of the season in a few hours and I'm not going to let that git Malfoy beat me because I'm not focused on what I'm supposed to be doing. Maybe some fresh air will do me some good."
"Let's go then," Ron said, standing up and grabbing up his broom from where it rested next to him. As they walked out of the Great Hall he said, "I believe it's time for some laps."
Harry smiled, knowing that he meant the kind of laps where the two of them raced around the pitch as fast as they could without killing themselves and he replied, "Sounds bloody fantastic to me."
~*~
During Harry and Ron's talk, Hermione had made her way to Firenze's classroom and sighed in relief when she saw that he was there. Walking in she said, "Firenze, I need to speak with you, it's very important. I came looking for you last night and you were gone."
"I was out on the grounds," he replied simply, offering no explanation.
"Well, yesterday after Harry and I left my lesson, we went for a walk around the lake," she started to explain. "When we were halfway around it, we were approached by an Angel that introduced herself as Ancelin."
"You spoke to the Angel Ancelin?" Firenze asked.
"Yes, Harry and I both," she replied. "When he asked how it was he was able to see her she said that he deserved to know that there was still Good out there, on his side and helping to protect him...and she also gave me a message for you, from Micah."
"Micah is your Guardian Angel, correct?"
"Yes, and he said that tomorrow is the day you have foreseen and that you will need to take the necessary measures you were foretold."
Firenze stood quietly for a moment, making her nervous. Suddenly feeling as if the walls of his classroom were closing in on her, she asked, "Would it be possible to go outside and talk? I'm starting to feel really claustrophobic in here suddenly."
Watching her closely as she shifted from foot to foot nervously, he replied, "Yes, we can do that."
The two of them made their way out the front doors and Hermione noticed that Firenze kept breathing deeply and looking around the grounds, taking in everything. Unable to stop herself, Hermione looked toward the Quidditch pitch and gasped as she saw Harry and Ron flying around at a very fast speed. "What does he think he's doing?" she asked aloud to herself.
Firenze looked at her and then followed her gaze up to where the two boys were flying and he said, "Mister Weasley and Mister Potter have done that for a while now. They are both excellent flyers, so you have nothing to worry about."
Unable to watch any longer, Hermione turned in the opposite direction and started to walk, letting the clean morning air clear her jumbled thoughts. "That's easy for you to say, I'm the one that's been put in charge of protecting his life." Walking quietly for a while with the Centaur by her side, she finally asked, "So what is it that Micah is referring to? What is the day you foresaw, and the necessary measures?"
"I saw an attack," Firenze answered. "But it's not possible for Mister Potter to be attacked on Hogwarts grounds, not with the wards and protections that are in place. Headmaster Dumbledore, who was killed by one of the professors who used to teach here, made sure that Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry to be."
"A professor killed the Headmaster?" Hermione asked, appalled. "What happened to him?"
"No one knows," Firenze replied. "He just disappeared. You see, he was one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, and Headmaster Dumbledore always thought the better of him. He was supposed to be a spy in Voldemort's ring of followers, and he turned against the Headmaster and killed him. It has been rumoured he did it so that Mister Malfoy wouldn't have to..."
"Lucius?"
"No, his son Draco," Firenze answered, causing Hermione's eyes to grow wide.
"That day in potions, when I put my hand on Draco's chest, I wonder if that's where all the dark thoughts came from?" she asked, looking at her hand and then back at Firenze.
"Most likely," he said. "We will need to go back to my classroom and then get in contact with Mister Lupin. We're going to need his help today."
"So you really believe there's going to be an attack on Hogwart's, even with all the protections in place?"
"If Micah sent Ancelin to warn you, than yes, I do."
~*~
Two hours later, Hermione sat next to Luna in the stands, watching as Harry sped by on his broom. She had lost count on how many times he had caused her to stop breathing so far, and the match had only started thirty minutes before. "Is it always like this?"
"What do you mean?" Luna replied, cheering loudly as Ron blocked his fifth scoring attempt.
"Harry and the way he's flying around," Hermione answered, covering her eyes after a bludger missed him by mere inches. Dropping her hands she asked, "How has he not been seriously hurt so far?"
"Oh, he has," Luna replied. "He's had his share of injuries and stays in the Hospital Ward, but Madam Pomfrey always fixes him right up."
"That's reassuring," Hermione muttered, half-heartedly cheering as one of the Gryffindor chasers put the quaffle through the center ring. Looking around, she noticed a figure dressed in brown standing near the entrance to the pitch and realized it was Remus. Breathing a small sigh of relief that he had gotten there in time, she focused on the frenzied action in the sky and searched for Harry. He was high up in the sky, with Draco right behind him, sneering. She noticed that he stayed close to Harry at all times, like he was unable to find the Snitch on his own. Seeing an annoyed look on Harry's face after he glanced back at Malfoy as well, she watched as he suddenly sped off across the pitch. He flew straight to where Ron was, sailed over the rings, and then circled his way down the center pole until he was almost to the ground. Watching him pull up quickly, Draco doing the same right behind him, Hermione watched in horrified fascination as Harry flew barely above the ground. When he suddenly pulled up again and wove through a bunch of the other players, Draco had to veer to the left sharply to miss a Bludger that one of the Gryffindor beater's had hit his way, separating him from Harry for the time being. As he ascended high into the sky again, searching for the Golden Snitch she had seen in his room, Hermione spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. Being as high up in the stands as they were, she could see someone outside the gates of the school, and she watched as he waved his wand around. When the gates opened, she stared at him and saw that he was dressed completely in black, from head to toe. "Oh no," she said.
"What?" Luna asked.
"I have to go, thanks for explaining things to me," Hermione replied hurriedly, making her way down the stairs as quickly as she could. She had to get to Remus...it seemed that the foretold attack was in fact happening that day. The man she had seen looked a lot like the ex-professor Snape that Firenze had told her all about and if he killed the Headmaster the year before, she would in no way put it past him to try to kill Harry for his 'Master', as Firenze had put it. Cursing the fact that they were so high up, she picked up the pace since she could no longer see the man in black over the Quidditch stadium walls. Finally hitting the ground, she ran to where she had last seen Remus and told him of what she had seen.
"I'll go check it out," he said. "You stay here and keep an eye on Harry. Firenze is across the field at the entrance to the Slytherin changing room if you need him."
Looking across the field, she saw the centaur and said, "Alright." She watched as he walked out of the stadium, drawing his wand and slowly disappearing around the corner out of her sight. Praying that he could stop the man, she looked up and saw that Harry and Draco were in a neck-and-neck race to catch the Snitch that was just in front of them. Putting his body down flat on his broomstick, Harry sped up suddenly and reached his hand out, snagging the snitch out of the air to win the match. As he flew down to the grass to be congratulated by his teammates, Hermione felt someone behind her and turned, expecting to see Remus there. When she saw the man in black walking around the corner toward her, she immediately started to run toward Harry. Suddenly her skin started to tingle and she thought, 'Corpus Scutum' and felt when the man's curse bounced off of the shield she had put over her body. Still running toward Harry she yelled, "Signum!" and watched as a ball of white light made it's way toward Firenze. As spells kept flying by her and hitting her shield, she felt her strength ebb a bit and tried not to think about it. As the jets of light got closer to the team, all of them but Harry took to the air again while he stood watching as she ran toward him. Finally reaching him, she grabbed his arm and a circle of white light surrounded them both. "We have to get you out of here!" she said frantically. "There's a man in black, Remus went to head him off and he didn't come back. The man in black did."
Harry looked to where she had glanced behind her and saw Snape standing there with his wand pointed toward them, firing off spells that were bouncing off the shield she had put up around them. "Snape," he growled, trying to walk toward him as the stands were becoming a frenzy of screaming students trying to get out of the stadium as well.
"No!" Hermione adamantly said, tightening her grip on his arm as much as she could to stop him. They both watched as four more men in black joined Snape and she turned to look at Harry, only to see Firenze waving her over to where he stood. "Let's go," she said, dragging him with her.
"Where?" Harry asked, looking at where they were walking and then back again at the Death Eaters that were all firing curses at them.
"I don't know, but I can't keep this shield up much longer," she said, sounding tired. Harry immediately stopped resisting when she said that and walked with her to where Firenze stood. Ducking into the corridor that led to the Slytherin team's changing room and gave them some cover from the curses, Hermione said, "Finis."
Harry could feel the shield around him dissipate as Hermione sagged against him. "What now?" he asked Firenze, who was keeping watch around the corner, as he wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist to help her stand.
"You must take this," he said, handing him what looked to be an old broach. "Hermione, you will have to shield Harry and yourself again and make your way out to the gates of the school. The Portkey will not work inside the grounds, but once you are through the gates it will take you where you are going."
"And where is that?" Harry asked.
"You will find out when you get there," Firenze answered. "You will be safer not knowing. Once you are there, wait for Mister Lupin to join you, as well as Headmistress McGonagall."
"I don't know if I can hold the shield up that long," Hermione said, looking at the length of the pitch they had just run across. "And Remus went to investigate when I told him I had seen the man, and he didn't come back."
"You must shield the both of you," Firenze all but ordered. "It is your job to protect Harry; dig down deep into your inner strength, remember what I have taught you so far, and you will succeed. I will check on Mister Lupin, and if he is hurt then the Headmistress will join you."
Hermione nodded slowly, tiredly, and Harry suddenly got an idea. Mounting his broom he said, "Get on."
"What?" Hermione said. "But I've never flown on a broom, I..."
"Get on," Harry said again, with more force behind his words. "It will get us outside the gates faster than running will."
"It is the fastest way to get out safely," Firenze agreed.
"Fine," Hermione said, giving up and mounting the broom behind Harry. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she thought the shielding spell again and felt it come up around them once more, but not as strong as the first time. Making a decision, she transferred all of the shield to Harry and said, "Ready to go."
"Hermione," Firenze called, but she looked back at him and shook her head. He knew she had only shielded Harry, but she didn't want Harry to know that.
"Let's go," she said again, and Harry took off as fast as he dared with her behind him. He flew straight toward the main entrance/exit of the pitch, dodging some of the students that had made their way out of the stands as well as curses that were fired at them, and saw that three of the Death Eaters stood there waiting, along with Snape. Upping his speed a little bit, he flew by them and as he passed by his ex-professor he kicked his foot out and knocked him down, causing the broom to swerve uncontrollably. As Hermione tightened her hold on him, Harry gained control again and flew out onto the grounds, making his way toward the gates. As they were almost to the gates the jets of light from the Death Eater's curses started flying all around them and Harry went faster still. Hanging on for her life, Hermione put all of her strength into the shield hoping to shield herself as well. Just before she got it so that it finally surrounded her, she looked behind them to see a jet of green light sailing straight toward her, right before it hit her in the back.
As pain seared through her body and they passed through the gates she heard Harry say, "Grab my hand," as he held out his hand that held the broach. She reached out to take it, crying out in pain from the movement, and the last thing she remembered was that they were being pulled through some vortex to an unknown destination.
~*~
When they finally landed, they were where the base of the stairs that led to the front door of Grimmauld Place should be. 'I should have known', Harry thought, thinking the address and looking at the dilapidated house in front of him as it slowly appeared. Looking around quickly to make sure the street was clear (it wasn't everyday two people suddenly appeared out of thin air on a broomstick) he went to dismount but felt that Hermione's weight was still pressed against his back. "You can get off now Hermione, we're here."
Thinking that she was just exhausted from using the shield, like she was at the pitch, Harry looked back at her and saw that her eyes were closed, realized that her arms around his waist were slack, and that she was barely breathing. Feeling panicked all of a sudden, Harry somehow managed to turn, grab her, and dismount his broom...all made possible by the adrenaline rush his fear had fueled. Leaving his broom on the ground, Harry picked her up and cradled her in his arms while he walked up to the front door, fumbling with the knob while he held her. Finally getting it open, he walked into the deathly silent house and lay her carefully down on the sofa in the sitting room. Walking back to the front door, he made sure the street was still clear, pulled out his wand and said, "Accio broom." Once he had it and had secured the door, he made his way quickly to the fireplace and prayed it was still connected. He knew Remus had been staying here, and this was more than likely the way he got back and forth to Hogwarts for Hermione's lessons. Finding a small pot of floo powder on the mantle, Harry hurriedly grabbed a handful and threw it in the fireplace. Once the green flames erupted he said, "Hogwarts Headmistress office," and put his head into the flames, praying she was there. Cursing when he saw the empty office, he called out and when he got no answer he swore some more. Pulling his head out of the flames, he made his way to where Hermione lay and tried to wake her again. "Hermione...Hermione, wake up. C'mon, wake up...please wake up!"
Her breathing was so shallow that her chest barely moved at all, but her eyes opened just a bit, not focusing on anything. "Green," she said so quietly that Harry had to bend down close to her face to hear her.
"What?" he asked, not hearing her the first time.
"Green," she whispered again, and then her eyes closed once more.
"Green?" he repeated, bewildered. Making a sudden decision, he kissed her forehead and made his way back to the fireplace. Grabbing another handful of powder, he threw it in and this time walked into the flames, making his way to McGonagall's office. Hermione needed help, and he would be damned if he'd just wait there for someone to show up while she could possibly be dying. Tumbling into the Headmistress's office since his mind was elsewhere, he stood up, brushed himself off, and hurriedly made his way to the Hospital Ward. Running as fast as he could, he slammed through the doors of the ward and spotted Madam Pomfrey standing next to the Headmistress. As he ran up to them McGonagall admonished in a lowered voice, "Mister Potter, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be at Grimmauld Place."
"I know Headmistress, but Hermione's hurt," he replied, explaining everything to the two of them.
McGonagall, looking worried, turned to the nurse and said, "Go back with Mister Potter and tend to Miss Granger. There are no students here that are severely injured, just bruises and broken bones, and I can tend to them until you get back. If anything more serious comes in, I'll send for you."
"What about Remus? Is he okay?" Harry asked, remembering that Hermione said he had not returned after confronting Snape.
"He is fine," she replied. "He is helping to secure the castle and then he will join you and Miss Granger when he's finished."
Nodding, Harry looked to Madam Pomfrey and they both made their way out of the Ward. Walking quickly back to the office, wishing the nurse would walk faster, he made his way back to McGonagall's fireplace and the two of them flooed back to Grimmauld. Once they were in the house, Madam Pomfrey cast a quick, "Scourgify," and made her way to where Hermione lay on the sofa in the room. Running her wand along Hermione's body, the nurse muttered different spells, causing different colors to glow around and over her. "How long has she been unconscious?" she asked.
"I'm not exactly sure," Harry replied. "I was concentrating so hard on getting out the gates so we could Portkey, I have no idea what happened. She came to right before I flooed to school and all she said was 'green'."
"Green?" she repeated, a thoughtful look on her face as she muttered another spell. When Hermione's body glowed red, the nurse tutted and said, "That was the color of the curse that hit her. It's a dark curse that You-Know-Who and his followers have been using a lot lately to debilitate anyone they want to attack, rendering them unconscious and unable to defend themselves. It basically taxes the muscles in the body until they're so tired and painful that the body goes into an unconscious state. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to help her, her body has to heal itself."
"How long will that take?" Harry asked, worried.
"I helped out at St. Mungo's after one of You-Know-Who's more vicious attacks and saw many that this curse had been used on. Some woke up within days, others took weeks...some took months from what I've heard. It just depends on how weakened her system was when it hit her."
Thinking of the shield she had put up, and how drained she had been before they even flew out of the stadium, Harry ran his hand frustratedly through his hair and asked, "So what now?"
"I'll get her set up in a bed upstairs so that she's comfortable, and then all there is to do is wait," she replied in a clinical voice, making Harry angry at her indifference.
"That's all, is it?" he asked in a raised voice. "You make it sound like it's nothing!"
"Yelling at me will not help Miss Granger, Mister Potter," the nurse admonished. "I may seem indifferent on the outside, but I am just as worried about her as you are. The difference is, I have to stay calm so that I can heal my patients to the best of my abilities."
"I'm sorry," Harry said, his anger ebbing quickly. "I'm just frustrated that you can't do anything to help her. She got hurt because she was protecting me. She was shielding us and...wait, if she was shielding both of us, then she wouldn't have been hit by that curse." Looking worriedly, yet angrily at where Hermione lay, he said, "She was only shielding me. She was tired before I even started to fly out of the pitch...she must not have had the power to shield both of us when we left. That's why she was hit, she was protecting me."
"That is very likely," Madam Pomfrey said, in a bit softer tone. "From what I know, it's her job to protect you, so she was only doing what she was supposed to do. She saved your life Mister Potter, be thankful and just watch over her until she wakes."
Unable to answer due to the fact that he was thinking once again how everyone he cared about, or who tried to protect him got hurt or killed, Harry remained silent. "We need to get her upstairs and in bed now, she needs bed rest," the nurse said. When she noticed his sullen expression, she said, "It is still possible that when her body gains some of it's strength back, her healing ability will sense she is hurt and heal her, Mister Potter."
He looked at her for a moment and drew a small amount of hope from her words. When he saw that she was going to levitate Hermione up to the room, Harry said, "No. I mean, if it won't hurt her more, I'd like to carry her up."
The nurse gave him a small, sad smile and said, "Okay, Mister Potter. Just be careful and go slowly, and I will follow you up."
Walking over to her, he gently lifted Hermione and started to make his way slowly to the stairs. When he was halfway up, he looked down at her pale face and whispered, "I'm so sorry."
~A/N2> For those of you who caught it, yes I used Ancelin twice. You will find out why in coming chapters :) Thanks for reading!