"Harry?"
Harry groggily opened his eyes and saw a crop of red hair. He sat up as he searched for his glasses.
"Here, let me," Ron said.
Ron handed Harry his glasses and helped him sit up by propping the pillows against the back of the bed. Sunlight poured into the almost vacant Hospital wing. Harry momentarily shielded his eyes against the harsh glare of the sunlight and turned his head to look at Ron.
"They got you into there too? Just like old times," Ron said.
Harry almost smiled the edges of his lips quirking upwards. Harry could not seem to find his voice and motioned towards Ron's abdomen.
"Good as new," Ron said, lifting up his shirt to show that there were no scars at all.
"It isn't the first time I've taken a bullet," Ron joked again. This time, Harry did smile. Ron noted that it seemed extremely painful for him to smile like it was a chore of some sorts.
"Seems as if you're causing more trouble than I did in our younger years," Harry said with a soft smile on his face.
"Me? Outdo you? Next you're going to tell me that Draco Malfoy will actually do something with his life. It'll never happen, Harry," Ron said as he pulled up a chair to sit beside Harry's bed.
"Never say never," Harry murmured as he lay back down on the cushion of pillows. Ron did not reply but continued to stare at Harry.
"I suppose you have questions for me?" Harry asked without looking at him. Harry was staring idly at the ceiling, his eyes out of focus.
"No one knows you're here at Hogwarts besides everyone you've seen so far," Ron started softly. He leaned forward and scooted his chair closer. The chair scratched the floor as Ron conjured a quill and parchment. The writing utensil caught Harry's eye and he looked questioningly at Ron.
"Don't worry. I'm not reporting you. I do, however, need a detailed account of what happened," Ron pulled up his sleeves and Summoned a desk by his side. He set the parchment and quill on the desk and dipped it in some ink. Harry watched his practiced movements and found himself admiring Ron's practical nature.
"Learned a few things, have you?" Harry asked.
"Didn't make me Head Auror because I was friends with you," Ron said with a small grin. Harry offered a tiny smile back before laying back into the pillows.
"Ready?"
Harry nodded. Slowly, he recounted every detail of his story. Ron interrupted him a few times to scribble some notes in the margin. Harry chose not to look at Ron while he recounted his story. A couple of times, a knot would grow in Harry's chest as he told Ron about some of the more emotional bits of the past six years, three months, and twenty-three days. Ron would simply wait until Harry continued, offering no words of empathy. Ron knew that it was best not to interrupt someone while they verbalized their story.
When Harry finally finished, he let off a long stream of air. He had neglected to mention his hallucinations of himself.
It's not pertinent.
Ron was scribbling some more notes on the several pieces of parchment that occupied the small desk. When he finished, Ron cracked his knuckles and stretched out his hand, rotating his wrist in a clockwise motion.
"Quite a story," Ron commented while he stretched, his arms reaching to the air.
"Quite," Harry repeated, taking a sip of water.
"What do you think of it?" Harry asked, his eyes meeting Ron's. Harry detected a flash of surprise in Ron's facial expression, but Ron quickly masked it.
"To be honest, I don't really know what to make of it. It doesn't sound like any magic I've ever heard of," Ron said as he shrugged his shoulders and wrapped the pieces of parchments with a ribbon.
"Of course, there's always been cases of people who claim that there are Alternate Universes and such but none of those cases ever had any sort of hard evidence," Ron said as he stood up.
"Like the Rimbau and Visser cases?" Harry asked.
"Yeah…how'd you know about that?"
"I read a lot," Harry answered simply.
Ron studied him, noticing how old Harry looked. A swell of emotion overtook Ron. All Harry ever wanted was a normal life. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Harry.
"You know what all those people in those cases had in common?" Harry asked.
"What?" Ron replied, fully knowing what all the cases had in common.
"No one believed them," Harry said, looking up at him.
Ron looked at him solemnly for a moment before speaking.
"I believe you."
Harry did not speak again, and Ron gave Harry a curt nod before walking away.
----_____________------
"Hold still, Mr. Potter," Madame Promfrey said as she waved her wand for the umpteenth time over Harry's body. Harry only snorted in disapproval. It was later in the day and he was surrounded by Headmistress McGonagall, Madame Promfrey, and Hermione Granger.
Needless to say, he was in the eye of the storm.
"I told you already, I'm fine," Harry said with a sigh as he looked over to Hermione. She was watching intently and glared at him when he caught her eye.
"It's best that we take all the precautions necessary Harry. Who knows what happened when you disappeared," she commented.
"I know perfectly well what happened," Harry rebutted. Hermione only glared at him once more and Harry gave up.
Ron walked in with a mug of Butterbeer in one hand and another stack of parchments in the other. He nodded as a form of greeting and sat down at the adjacent bed.
"Ron, tell them I'm fine," Harry implored.
"He's fine," Ron said as he sipped on his drink.
"Mr. Weasley, as much as I appreciate your professional opinion, I shall be the one conducting the tests," Madame Promfrey snipped.
Ron could only shrug at Harry as he scanned the parchments.
"So, Harry, I was looking through similar cases as yours and found a couple of close matches that could possibly help us with whatever happened," Ron said.
Hermione crossed to the other side of Harry's bed at quickly scanned through a couple of the parchments. Her eyebrows twitched in confusion and disapproval as she shuffled through the several pieces of parchment.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just some interesting notes on the margin," Hermione said. She refused to meet his eyes.
"I suppose you're looking at the strong correlation between people who claim there are alternate universes and people who were classified mental cases," Harry said blandly.
"No," Hermione said, taken aback, "I was just-"
"I've read through all those files, Hermione."
"How?"
"I read a lot," Harry said.
Madame Promfrey gave one last wave of her wand and finally took a step back.
"All clear, Potter," she said as she pushed her cart away.
"Finally," Harry grumbled. He grabbed his shirt off the nearby desk and put it back on. Swinging his legs, Harry hopped of the bed and stretched.
"Now, Mr. Potter, I believe that it is in our best interests to find out what happened to you before we divulge your whereabouts," Headmistress McGonagall said.
"You're still wanted for the murder of Ginny Weasley. While we all know that you did not do it, the Press has been…a little more aggressive in their attempts to drag your name through the mud. Perhaps, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger could be of assistance in helping you?"
Harry nodded, explicitly accepting his temporary residence in Hogwarts. Hermione and Ron were still huddled over the parchments, talking in undertones.
"Good. Now, have you two found anything?" McGonagall asked.
Hermione and Ron looked up from the parchments and glanced at Harry.
"While there are numerous cases of reported parallel and alternate universes, none have been so extensively described as Harry's case. Furthermore, none of the cases have ever lasted longer than a couple weeks," Hermione summarized.
"I've been looking at these since I talked to Harry this morning, Headmistress. I'd be hard pressed to find anyone that could accurately diag…I mean…find something relevant in Harry's case," Ron said, quickly covering an accidental slip of words.
Harry opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by McGonagall.
"Surely the Ministry must have some sort of record or at least theory of these parallel or alternate universes?" she asked.
"Well, yes, but nothing has been conclusive," Ron answered.
"Also, we were looking through a couple of these files and it seems as if there has never been a case like Harry's. The complete disappearance of the population, the absence of geological effects, the several Apparitions, there's nothing like it," Hermione added.
Once again, Harry started to speak, but this time, he was cut off by Ron.
"I don't think the Ministry would back Harry with this case either. It's not exactly strong on empirical evidence," Ron mused.
"We need an outside source; probably someone that deals with eccentric cases," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"Hey, I'm not-" Harry started but was interrupted once more.
"Do you know of any such people?" McGonagall inquired.
"Off the top of my head: Wells, Hawking, Emmet Brown. But those guys are really…loony," Ron finished by circling his ear with his finger.
"Brown is off his rocker, Hawking's a little unavailable, and hasn't Wells moved to Russia in some sort of magical revival?" Hermione countered as she chewed on her lip.
"Well it's not like we're talking about sane people here Hermione," Ron said sarcastically.
"Ronald, please," Hermione scoffed.
"HELLO!?" Harry yelled.
The three other people jumped in surprise. Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, and Ron fidgeted nervously.
"Harry," Hermione gasped, "I'm sorry. I - we didn't mean to exclude you like that. It's just-"
"Not used to me being here, huh," Harry finished icily.
"No, of course not - I - we were just discussing…" Hermione finished weakly.
"I could probably help, you know? Seeing as I was there and all," Harry said with an eye roll.
"Of course," Ron cleared his throat.
"I know you're all concerned about me, but I'm not crazy," Harry said.
"Harry, we never said that you were-"
"Hermione, please. I would think that I was crazy if I hadn't been there myself. I know you're worried about me, but I'm not crazy," Harry said.
"It would still be…better…if we dealt with someone who is a little more eccentric," Hermione said slowly.
"Fine, but not those people."
The group fell silent for a moment, pondering Harry's case. Several times, someone would try to speak but the words would fall short. Harry was quickly growing agitated from the quiet before McGonagall spoke up.
"There is…someone," McGonagall interrupted.
The Trio looked at her expectantly.
"The Traveler," she whispered.
Harry and Hermione looked at her blankly. Ron, on the other hand, looked at her in confusion.
"But, Headmistress, that's just a fairy tale," he said.
"Not necessarily," McGonagall said.
"What is it? This Traveler?" Harry asked.
Ron sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"It's just some story my Mum and probably thousands of magical Mum's told their children. It's about a wizard with extraordinary power who could jump through time and space in search for his lost love. Anyways, the story goes that the Ministry of the time deemed him too powerful and sentenced him to death."
Ron looked up and saw Harry and Hermione staring at him intently.
"Is there more?" Hermione asked.
"Headmistress, are you serious? I mean-" Ron started.
"Just finish the story Mr. Weasley."
"Fine. He was sentenced to hang from the highest tower of a great castle. There was a crowd that had gathered around the base of the tower, waiting for The Traveler's death. Only problem was before they could hang him, he jumped. As he jumped, however, he disappeared in mid-air and no one ever saw him again," Ron finished.
"Of course, Mum put a twist at the end and concluded that he had died from too much time travel but I'm pretty sure that's not true," Ron reminisced before shaking his head viciously and looking at McGonagall.
"But it's supposed to be just a fable," he said.
"The thing about fairy tales is that there is always a colonel of truth within them. I shall take you to him tomorrow," McGonagall said.
"Why tomorrow? Why not now?" Harry asked, stepping forward.
"Patience, Mr. Potter. He is not an easy man to find nor is he available at this…moment," McGonagall finished hesitantly.
"This is a load of shit -"
"Harry!" Hermione gasped.
"-we're going to visit a time traveler from a fairy tale. That's just great," Harry sneered, his eyes flashing.
McGonagall eyed him evenly for a moment, matching his stare. Her face was unreadable but she was clutching her wand very tightly.
"It's been a long day, Mr. Potter, get some rest. All of you," McGonagall left the Hospital Wing with a swish of her robe, vanishing around the corner.
As she left, Harry kicked a chair, sending it clear across the room. The resounding smash as it collided with the wall echoed a million times in the Trio's ears. Neither Hermione nor Ron said a word at Harry's outburst. After a few moments, Ron spoke.
"I should get going, there's some work I need to do before I head home," Ron said quietly. He nodded to both Hermione and Harry before he strode quickly out of the Wing.
Hermione and Harry watched as he also disappeared around the corner. Hermione let loose a heavy sigh, her shoulders dropping as the tension slowly slipped away from her body.
"I'll go get us some food," she said without meeting his eyes.
"You're staying here for the night?" Harry asked.
She nodded. She squeezed his shoulder before leaving for the Kitchens.
Harry also let loose a similar sigh as he sat down on his bed, rubbing his forehead. McGonagall was right. It had been a tiring day. He continued to rub his temples but stopped as he heard a sound in the room.
It was the same dragging sound he had heard the night before. He could hear the figure approaching from behind him. Harry's heart pounded and he shut his eyes, willing for the figure to go away.
Nonetheless, he could hear it getting closer. Her foot was dragging across the floor, making an excruciatingly loud noise in the empty Wing. Harry was whispering to himself, his eyes closed shut.
All of a sudden, the noise stopped. Harry's whispering slowly died down, but he did not dare his eyes in fear of what he might see. After several minutes, Harry managed to gather the courage to open one eye.
As the light filled his pupil, he gasped as he saw the empty eye sockets of Ginny Potter just mere inches away from his own eyes.
--------___________--------------
Hermione climbed the staircase to the Hospital Wing, two trays of food floating behind her. She was worried about the fragile state of Harry's mind. It seemed as if two personalities were struggling to take hold of him. One moment he would be kind and gentle if not a little afraid, but the next moment he was full of anger, lashing out at everyone. She could only imagine what the loneliness had done to his psyche.
As she approached the Wing she called out to him.
"Harry, I've got the food, I hope you like it, it's the usual-"
Hermione stopped in midsentence as she entered the Hospital Wing. Harry was nowhere to be seen.
The trays clattered to the floor and Hermione broke into a run as she exited the Wing.
"HARRY! HARRY!" she yelled as she flew down the staircases. As she ran down the halls and stairs, she interrogated several ghosts on Harry's whereabouts. None of them had a conclusive answer, however, and Hermione continued to yell out his name but stopped as she heard a small clattering noise.
The clattering noise continued and Hermione decided that it was coming from the girl's bathroom on the second floor. She walked slowly, drawing her wand. She poked her head into the bathroom and saw Harry slumped against the far wall, throwing tiny pieces of tile that had been chipped off the floor and wall.
She watched as he would take another chip and toss it across the bathroom over and over again. A swell of emotion overtook her as she watched him. He seemed so fragile at this moment, slumped against the slightly flooded girl's bathroom.
Deciding to face him, she entered and approached Harry's line of sight without saying anything. He acknowledged her presence by flicking his eyes upwards at her but did not say a word.
Without speaking, Hermione sat down beside him and picked up a piece of tile. Harry watched as she also threw it across the room. They watched the piece of tile arch through the air and join its compatriots in a big pile on the far side of the bathroom.
"Your robe's getting wet," Harry commented dryly.
Hermione simply shrugged and smiled at him.
"I was never one for caring about the state of my robes, Harry."
He snorted in response as he picked up another piece of tile.
"Has it really been a decade and a half since we saved you from that stupid Troll?" Harry asked, mostly to himself.
"It's a good thing you did. Who would throw tile with you then?" Hermione joked.
Harry's laugh echoed in the tiny bathroom and Hermione could not help but smile at his genuine happiness.
"Don't flatter me. It wasn't that great of a joke," Hermione said with a soft smile.
"Maybe not. But it's oh so true," Harry replied.
Hermione did not answer but threw another piece of tile across the bathroom.
"I'm scared, Hermione," Harry said.
She looked up at him and saw an expression of absolute fear on his face. She looked down at his hand before snaking her hand underneath his and clasping it. Harry was surprised at the affectionate action. It had been quite a while since someone had held his hand.
"We'll figure this out," she said.
Harry shut his eyes.
"I really hope so."
"I'll take care of you, Harry. We all will. It's okay to be afraid, you know? We're all afraid, Harry. Don't shut me out again," Hermione pleaded.
Harry did not say anything.
"Come here," she said and patted her lap. He looked at her questioningly and she jerked her head, indicating that she wanted him to lay his head on her lap. Without knowing why, Harry acquiesced to her request.
The pair did not speak for several moments. They just laid there, Harry's head on Hermione's lap, facing away from her. His legs were stretched out and one hand was laid softly on her trouser-clad knee.
"When you disappeared, Harry, it changed all of us. It's like everything was sucked out of us and we all used that energy to try to find you. There was a toll that taking its effect on all of us but now that you're back. Now that you're back, I think all of us are getting better. Well, at some things," Hermione said aloud, voicing a thought that had been on her mind for quite some time.
Harry did not answer.
"Harry?"
He did not answer again, and Hermione hunched over to inspect his face. She smiled as he saw that he was snoring softly. Harry had fallen asleep.
She whispered a couple of Cushioning Charms as she got comfortable. She heard footsteps and saw Headmistress McGonagall round the corner, her wand drawn.
Hermione place a finger to her lips and pointed at Harry. McGonagall was confused for a moment before she realized the events that had caused Hermione's yells and subsequent silence. She smiled at Hermione, and Hermione smiled back.
With a nod, the Headmistress closed the door. Hermione leaned her head back against the conjured pillow and closed her eyes.
"Sweet dreams, Harry," Hermione whispered as she too fell asleep.
So it was in a small puddle in the girl's bathroom on the second floor that Harry Potter finally fell into a blissful sleep.
-----___________-----
-No cliffhanger. A change isn't it?
-The Traveler shall be the source of many answers but unfortunately ;-) many questions.
-A quicker update than usual. Hopefully the updates can come like this more often.
-Feel free to review :-)