Gloria looked up from her desk just in time to see a very peeved, bushy-haired, blue woman striding down the corridor. Only a few paces behind the girl, Harry was grinning madly; Gloria noticed that one of his cheeks was a bright red color. She eyed him suspiciously as he approached her desk.
"What's going on?"
"This is Hermione, a good friend of mine," Harry said. "As it turns out, a couple of our friends are in a bit of a spot, and need me to come down and take a look."
Gloria's glance shifted between the two of them. The girl looked mighty peeved but hadn't yet walked out the door, and from this distance she could see that the mark on Harry's face was a handprint. She decided she wasn't going to ask what he'd done to Hermione to receive it, but in her mind she sighed wistfully, wishing that he had given her that kind of attention.
"She's still blue," Gloria pointed out instead.
Harry peered back at her for a moment before returning to his conversation. "That she is," he replied. "She had an encounter with a weed that emits its pollen when it feels threatened; it has no effect on human skin other than dying it blue for a few hours. It should be wearing off right about now," he said with a smile. He turned to look back at Hermione. Sure enough, she had taken the hint and reversed the charm she had put on herself. "See?"
"Huh," Gloria said, shaking her head. "Who'd have thunk it?"
"Unfortunately, our friends are in a slightly more difficult situation, and I think I ought to see them right away and make sure they're okay. You know how where to call if any more patients wander in here, right?"
The receptionist nodded. "When should I tell them you'll be in?"
"I should be back tomorrow afternoon at the latest," Harry said after pondering for a moment. "Depending on how bad it is, I might have to bring them back here with me. They may need to be watched over."
Gloria nodded, making a note on a pad of paper in front of her. "I'll try to keep a room open for them, just in case," she said.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," he grinned at her charmingly, causing her insides to melt like butter. "I guess I'll be going now. See ya 'round, Gloria!"
"Yeah, see ya," she murmured as he and his friend walked out the door.
"Hermione," he started once they got outside, "do you mind if we stop by my apartment before we leave? I want to make sure Dudley knows where I am, and it isn't that far of a walk."
"Sure, whatever," she said sourly, apparently still appalled by how he acted. It didn't bother Harry, though; he knew she'd get over it eventually. She always did.
Harry lived in an area full of plant life, and the walk to and from his apartment was quite scenic. They had to walk by a few parks that were riddled with wooded areas and grassy areas that were well taken care of, as well as the extravagant gardens that belonged to the hospital. The pair did not speak to each other, but Harry gave Hermione a fleeting look and was happy to see that she was enjoying the scenery around her. He knew that she was memorizing every tree, bush, and house with her wide, curious eyes. Strangely enough, he realized that he missed having someone around who was always so taken with life and learning.
They reached his building, and he caught Hermione eyeing it approvingly. It was a nice building, to be sure - there was no graffiti on it anywhere, the lawns were mowed, and everything looked very clean and tidy. They silently climbed the flight of stairs that led to Harry's floor, and soon arrived at the proper apartment. As soon as they entered, a roundish face peered at them from over the couch.
"Potter! You're home early," he said through a mouthful of potato chips.
"Way to state the obvious, Dursley," he mumbled at his cousin. "Listen, I'm just here to pick up a few things; I'm going out for the night. If the hospital calls, take a message for me, okay?" He started to head towards his room, then turned around and said, "And don't talk with your mouth full; you'll get crumbs all over the sofa."
"Yeah, whatever," Dudley said, just noticing that a female was also present. "Oi Potter, who's the chick?"
"My name is Hermione, not 'chick'," Hermione said with a huff. She crossed her arms and leaned on the door jam, content with not moving any closer to Harry's distasteful relative.
"So Hermy," he sneered at her, bungling her name in an attempt to irritate her (he was gleeful to note that it had worked), "you bang Potter yet?"
"W…what?!" Hermione sputtered, her face flushed.
"Are you deaf or something?" Dudley taunted. "Did you shag him or not? Well?"
Harry exited his room to see Hermione shivering with rage, her complexion an angry shade of red, and Dudley's eyes glinting merrily. "Oh, for Merlin's sake," he grumbled, realizing what happened. He took Hermione gently by the arm and ushered her out the door. "Come on, Hermione, let's go."
She stiffly allowed Harry to lead her away from the apartment, and Harry was slightly exasperated, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry about my cousin," he tried. "He's just-"
"An asshole?" Hermione spat. Harry paused mid-stride, shocked by how upset Hermione actually was, and then hurried to catch up with her angry pace.
"Yeah, that's what he is," he said, with a tinge of laughter in his voice. "Don't mind him, Hermione, he isn't so bad now that he's away from my aunt and uncle."
"I'll take your word for it," she muttered. Harry noticed that she did slow her pace down a bit, and he managed a smile. They were now in a grove of trees nearby his apartment, and Hermione stopped abruptly, causing Harry to nearly fall over as he tried not to crash into her.
"We'll leave from here," she stated, rifling in a small handbag that Harry hadn't noticed her carrying before. "I take it you still can't do magic, right?" Harry nodded in response, and Hermione pulled a small broom from her bag. It immediately grew to full size, and Harry was surprised to find that it was the longest broom he had ever seen. Hermione caught him looking at it in wonder, and handed it to him.
"It's from a new broom company," she told him. "The Sea Breeze 2X. Apparently they wanted to compete with the carpets produced in the east, and came out with a line of brooms made for multiple people to travel on." She handed the broom over to Harry for inspection. "They've got a terrible turning radius, and can't fly at high altitudes or maneuver like Quidditch brooms, but they're very fast and much more comfortable than most brooms are. This one can seat two people."
Harry looked up from the broom. "Did…you get this just to come get me?" he asked.
"Oh, heavens no!" she said with a chuckle, running a hand through her hair to smooth it back. "I nicked it from the storage at Hogwarts. They're useful for training muggle-borns and those who are weary about flying. They're like those cars in the muggle world that have the extra set of brakes on the passenger side." Harry nodded and gave Hermione the broom back, wondering briefly if she had used a similar method to overcome her fear of flying. He had been surprised that she had suggested a broom at all, because as far as he knew she still wasn't keen on using them.
"Well, hop on, then," Hermione said, snapping Harry's thoughts back to reality. She had already straddled the broom, and Harry moved to follow suit. "Even though the Sea Breeze is fast, it'll still take us a few hours to get to Scotland from here, and we want to get there while it's still dark," she said as the broom started to rise. "Well then, here we go!"
The flight was long, but to Harry it felt like it was over in a few moments. The air was clear and pleasant, and watching the scenery roll by was fascinating - it had been two years since Harry was on a broomstick, and it was thrilling to have the wind whipping his hair again. He was a bit saddened that he no longer had the power to fly on his own - I might as well be a squib, he thought - but he didn't let that ruin the trip.
Neither of them said a word until they touched down at Hogwarts; they had been content to fly in silence and enjoy each other's company. Harry reluctantly dismounted from the Sea Breeze, watched Hermione do the same. They had landed near Hagrid's hut, and Hermione was looking around expectantly.
"I told them to wait for us here," she said. "I wonder where they got off to…"
Hermione's voice trailed off as she caught sight of a blonde and a redhead exiting Hagrid's hut and running towards them. Actually, Harry noted, Ginny was doing the running, and Draco was stumbling along after her. It looked like she was holding his hand and dragging him with her.
"Harry!" the youngest Weasley exclaimed, jumping into Harry's arms and wrapping her left arm around his neck for a hug. Harry was slightly disappointed that her other hand remained firmly in Draco's - and speaking of Draco, he looked distinctly displeased. Harry didn't have time to say anything though, because Ginny was babbling on, and she would know if he wasn't paying attention.
"It's been absolutely dreadful," she said when she stepped away from Harry. "We've been stuck together like this for a week now, and he really is the biggest pain in the rear that ever walked the Hogwarts grounds…"
"Not that having to listen to you all day is a bundle of roses," Draco interrupted dryly.
"…and everybody thinks we're dating or something, all because of this," she went on, holding up her right hand. She was still talking, but Harry was busy peering at her hand. When she had lifted it, Draco's left hand had gone up as well, and Harry realized that Ginny's hand was Draco's hand. There was only one hand! It was almost as if the hands had merged together, forming a new hand. No wonder Hermione hadn't wanted to explain it to him; it had to be seen to be believed.
"It started off with just their fingertips," Hermione spoke up, giving Ginny a look that practically screamed of 'shut up'. "It's gotten worse every day. We've tried to pull them apart, but-"
"It hurts like hell," Draco finished, his gray eyes glinting angrily.
"But, isn't it worth a bit of hand pain if it'll separate you?"
"It isn't just our hands," Draco snapped. "It feels like…like…"
"Like it's tearing our souls out," Ginny murmured, her face looking pained at the memory.
All was silent for moment, and then Harry said, "Hermione, I think we should bring them back to the muggle hospital. I have a lab there, but I'll be needing some more supplies, and some samples of the plant." He paused, and said as an afterthought, "I'll probably need your help, too. Can you take some time off every few days to help research?"
"Let me go speak with Minerva about this," the bushy-haired woman replied. "We can get her opinion, and she can find you a room to stay in while we gather up what we need and decide what to do." She strode off without waiting for an answer, leaving the other three to their own devices.
Harry shifted his weight uncomfortably for a moment, the silence weighing heavily on him. Not that he minded silence - the broom ride to Hogwarts had been pleasant enough - it was uncomfortable silences that he couldn't stand. That was why he decided to break the ice a bit.
"So," he said, "how do you two go to the bathroom, anyway?"
"I curse him blind, that's how," Ginny snorted, bringing a smile to Harry's lips. He knows I won't give him the time of day, but I can't trust him for a second."
"I don't really mind," Draco said easily. "I figure if I look at her, I'll go blind anyway."
"He's just jealous of what he can't get," Ginny retorted, flicking an angry glare at Draco.
"What I can't get," Draco said, raising his voice slightly, "is why this silly bint thinks I'd ever stick my cock in her, because I wouldn't even if she was the last woman on the planet-"
"Which is because he prefers goats to women, you see," Ginny interrupted angrily, her face a bright red color.
"Now now, Ginny," Draco smirked, "It isn't the goats' fault that they're tighter than you…"
THWOCK!
Harry, who had been feeling like he was watching a ping-pong match, was almost relieved when Ginny swung her left arm around and socked Draco in his face, sending him sprawling to the ground. She strained to keep herself on her feet, but the blonde pulled hard on his left arm and swung his legs around to trip her up, sending her tumbling down after him. It had soon turned into a full out brawl, and Harry watched with interest until Hermione returned. She stood next to him for a moment, not saying anything.
"I guess I don't have to warn him about her left hook after all," he murmured.
"Aren't you going to stop them?"
He tore his eyes away from the fight to look at Hermione as if she were crazy. "Is that what you usually do?" She nodded, and Harry sighed. "If I were to try and stop it, Ginny would start in on me next, for treating her like a baby," he replied.
"You used to handle her just fine a few years ago," Hermione said wryly.
"Yeah, but I had the magic to repel her curses at the time. She'd mutilate me as I am now."
"Curses?" she said, looking slightly confused.
"Ginny's specialty is wandless curses," he explained. "I'm not surprised you haven't seen her work yet. Draco must be quite good at repelling them, if he's only been hit once," he said, motioning back towards the fight. Hermione peered at Malfoy, and sure enough, there was a leafy green substance where a leafy green substance ought not to be.
"Oh my," she gasped. "Are those potatoes growing out of his ears?"
"I'd reckon so," he said with a grin. He hadn't seen this particular jinx before; it seemed that Ginny had created some new ones since he had seen her last.
Suddenly, Ginny let out a screech and started clawing at Draco's face furiously, looking more angry than ever. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and nodded. It was definitely time to break up this fight.
Draco had just hexed off Ginny's nose.