A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed! This is my first ever multi-chapter story, and I was so nervous when I posted that first chapter. I was afraid to check the reviews in the morning! I can't describe how surprised and absolutely thrilled I am at the response! Thanks again for the wonderful reviews! It's extremely appreciated!
I do hope you all enjoy this next installment - I definitely don't want to disappoint!
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Chapter 2 - A Wild and Distant Shore
Harry let himself be pulled by whatever it was surrounding Hermione. He felt himself going farther and deeper, Ron's and Jonas' yelling growing fainter by the second. It felt like a weird combination of the squeezing sensation of Apparating, and the yank behind the navel of a portkey.
After what seemed to Harry like a very long time, he began to see something. He felt firm earth beneath his feet. At first all he could see was a thick fog. In moments it began to clear, revealing an amazing vista opening up before him. He was standing on a high, rocky cliff, with the vastness of the ocean below. The top of the cliff was a vivid green against the bright grey of the thinning fog. The sea was the color of dull steel, with a pale beige strip of sand near the foot of the cliffs.
A storm was moving in. The wind was picking up, and the water below was churning, the waves breaking farther and farther up the shore.
Harry… where are you?
"Hermione?" He could sense she was close, but looked around and saw no one. Then, something on the sand below caught his eye. He saw her there, alone on the beach. She looked so tiny against the expanse of sand and water. He shouted her name, though he knew there was no way she could hear him over the roar of the surf and the howl of the wind.
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The last thing Hermione knew, she was in the dungeon, standing between Ron and Harry. It was over, finally over! And then the oddest sensation; it was as if her body had turned to water, with her consciousness floating away on the tide. She became solid again, here on the stormy shore.
"Harry! Ron!" Her call to them came unbidden, without thought. Her voice sounded small to her ears, swallowed up by the song of the wind and waves. However, the call was not merely vocal. It sounded from her heart, echoing out in ever widening circles, waiting for an answer.
Hermione surveyed her surroundings. She seemed to be alone. After all the things she'd seen and done while helping Harry destroy the horcruxes and defeat Voldemort, her current situation didn't perturb her much, yet. She knew there was a logical explanation for however she got wherever she was, and she was confident she would find a way back to Harry and Ron.
She searched her robes and realized her wand was gone. Not good. Now I'm beginning to worry, she thought.
She turned her back to the sea, trying to see over the top of the cliff. She was too close to the foot of the cliff, and saw nothing but jagged, vertical rock. She backed away, almost to the water's edge, but still couldn't quite see. She took off her shoes and socks, and hitched up her robes, taking a step backwards. She felt as though a thousand tiny knives had been plunged into her foot. She sucked in her breath at the pain, and braced herself as she took another step into the icy water.
She looked up. Almost… Her feet were becoming numb, the water now hitting her at the knees. She looked up again, her pain rewarded.
"Harry!"
She saw him standing near the edge of the cliffs, the sight of him making her heart leap. She was sure if she just waved, he was bound to see her. She held her robes with one hand, and jumped up and down, waving with the other. She couldn't help shouting his name, even though she knew he couldn't possibly hear her.
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Harry was trying to decide how he would get down to her, when he felt that odd squeezing/pulling sensation.
"No!"
He found himself back in Hermione's room, with Ron and Jonas staring at him.
"What?!" Harry looked at them angrily, and Ron was glad that looks indeed, could not kill.
"You've been out for at least a couple of hours, mate." Ron looked a bit nervous. "I wasn't about to lose you, too."
Harry was torn between appreciation and anger. Anger won. "She's not lost! I'd found her when you yanked me back!"
"You found her? Where is she?" Ron's eyes lit up with hope.
"Excuse me gentlemen," Jonas stepped in and began examining Harry. "You were just unconscious for over two hours. I need to make sure you're ok. It wasn't easy getting you back." After a few moments, Jonas was satisfied Harry was fine and stepped away.
Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That long? It seemed like only a few minutes. That's odd."
"Maybe that's part of this thing," Ron said.
Harry nodded. "How did you bring me back?"
"It was his idea, actually," Jonas answered, pointing to Ron.
"Well, I wouldn't say it was an 'idea,' exactly." Ron stalled. "Thing is, we were rather limited. I tried to Rennervate you, but it didn't work. Jonas dug into his healer's bag of tricks, but no joy there either. We didn't want to try finite incantatem on you because we didn't want to accidentally end any Shield charm that might be left on you, along with whatever else might have been going on spell-wise."
"So…?" Harry gestured to Ron to continue.
Ron's ears turned faintly pink, while Jonas stifled a snort of a laugh.
"It was the darnedest thing I'd ever seen," Jonas said, shaking his head.
"Yes, well," Ron blew out his breath.
"Out with it already!" Harry said.
Ron was looking anywhere but at Harry. "I yelled at you."
"What?!"
Ron, flaming with embarrassment looked at Harry. "That's right, I yelled at you!"
Harry shook his head while opening and closing his mouth, trying to make sense of what he'd just heard.
Jonas looked at him and laughed, losing what was left of any pretense of his professional demeanor. "That's right Harry. Ron yelled, and you came back!"
"We'd tried everything," Ron said. "And in a fit of frustration, I yelled at you to come back. I can't tell you how stunned I was!"
Harry thought for a moment, and seemed to regain his composure. "I thought you'd both gone barmy, but after the day we've had, I suppose anything is possible. The important thing is, you got me back. Thanks, mate."
"Any time," Ron smiled. "Most importantly, you found Hermione. How are we going to get her back?"
"I'm not sure. I'll have a better idea once I've talked to her. I don't even know 'where' she is, exactly, or how she got there."
"I'm going with you," Ron said.
"Ok, let's go then." Harry took Hermione's hand, indicating to Ron to do the same.
"Er, Harry?"
Harry looked up at Ron's tone of voice. "What is it?"
"I don't feel it. That pull thing."
Harry could see the disappointment on his face. He thought fast. "No worries. We can probably go side-along-"
"Hold it there guys." Jonas cut them off. "There's no way I'm letting you both back out into the unknown. One, it's too risky when we don't even know what we're dealing with yet, and two, I've got other people to tend to. I don't have all day to baby sit you both."
Harry and Ron both looked like they were about to argue, but Jonas continued. "If that wasn't enough, we don't have a reliable way to revive you. Yes, that yelling thing worked once - Merlin knows how or why - but that could have been some sort of fluke."
"We need to find out what's going on with Hermione. We can't just leave her in this state," Ron said.
"I'm not suggesting that," Jonas said. "Ron, since you can't feel whatever it is Harry can, you can stay here and watch over him and Hermione. If you can come up with a fool proof way to revive Harry, you have my full support."
"Fair enough," Ron said, but Harry knew Ron was disappointed.
"Now if you'll excuse me," Jonas brushed past them both and left.
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A/N: I got the title for this chapter from the title of a track from "The Piano" soundtrack.