A/N: Well there's no use beating around the bush. College does not help my updates at all. Sorry guys but I have no idea when I'm going to be able to update these next few months. I hope I won't take too long to write each chapter but I guarantee nothing. All I can say is keep checking this story for updates because there is no set date for me to write and publish these things. But as I said before: I'm never giving up on this story. Ever.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine. Uhduh.
Enjoy!
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Magique
Chapter 16: In Two Separate Worlds
"Well is she going to be okay?"
"I assure you, Master Diggory, she will be just fine."
"But why did she faint? A person just doesn't up and collapse on the street without reason!"
"We will know the cause soon enough when the tests are finished."
"But-Ë
"Please, Master Diggory. Get some rest. Go for a walk. Don't worry yourself over things that not ought to be dwelled upon. I will summon you when she awakens."
Hermione heard a sigh of resent before the light sounds of footsteps faded into the distance. The woman to whom he was talking to let out a breath and spoke in a low voice. "You can open your eyes now."
Hermione remained still as she felt her stomach jump into her throat. She couldn't let the woman know she had been eavesdropping! Not only was it improper, but also incredibly rude and uncouth. Harry and Ron had taught her well.
"Oh you can drop the act, dearie. I saw your hand twitch two minutes ago after I dabbed the cold cloth on your forehead."
Mortified, Hermione cracked open an eyelid to see the matron looking at her with a coy smile. Feeling it was safe to drop her façade, she opened both her eyes fully and met the woman's gaze.
"I'm sorry f-Ë®
The matron held up a hand to silence her. "It's quite alright, dearie. We all have our natural curiosities."
"It wasn't that." Hermione said quickly. "I just didn't want to interrupt. You and Cedric were talking and it would have been rude of me to keep you from it."
The matron raised an eyebrow. "You're the reason we were having the conversation to begin with. I'm sure it would have been perfectly alright of you to let us know you were awake."
"But you already knew."
"Yes," The matron said with a nod. "But you seemed quite keen to seem asleep so I simply played along. It was quite amusing, really."
Hermione narrowed her brow. "How exactly was it amusing?"
The matron's cheeks colored. "Well, whenever you heard your name mentioned, your hand or eye would twitch. You're very lucky Master Diggory wasn't facing you or else I fear you would have been discovered."
Hermione chuckled despite herself. "I'm not the best actress, am I?"
"That you are not, dearie." The matron agreed with a shy smile. "Now, do try to relax and don't make any sudden movements. You've been out cold for a good four hours."
"Four hours?" Hermione asked in shock. "But - but I only fainted. I should have been out four minutes at the most."
"Unfortunately not." The matron said. "It's very curious. If you were out any longer we would have declared you comatose."
Hermione pushed herself into a sitting position so that she was leaning on the headboard of the bed. Not knowing what else to say, she began to look around the room. It was of average size and in the shape of a circle with a good number of beds lining the walls. Off to the right there was an archway where she assumed Cedric had disappeared through. On the opposite side was a closed door with a single cross engraved on the wood. She was in a hospital wing. One inside Hufflepuff Castle, if she wasn't mistaken. It looked very similar to the one in Gryffindor save for the circular shape and décor.
"How did I get here?" She asked wearily.
"Master Diggory brought you, of course." The matron said. "He was in a right state. Didn't think you were breathing. Of course he calmed down once I showed him how to check for a pulse."
Hermione couldn't hide the amused smile that snuck its way onto her face. She sobered as another thought struck her. "Why did you send him off if you knew I was awake?"
"Poor boy needed some air." The matron replied. "Plus, since you were awake, I figured you would want to hear your test results privately."
Hermione shook her head. "Why would I?"
The matron continued brusquely. "Patients usually do. They feel it is their own personal business and their choice on who should hear it."
"I suppose I understand." Hermione said softly. "If it were something life-threatening or a lifelong disease, I would want to hear it alone. Unless… someone I trusted was with me." Of course she was going to say "Harry," but she held her tongue. Her tone turned tense as she turned to the matron with wide eyes. "I'm not terminally ill, am I?"
"Oh heavens child, no!" The matron replied at once. "I ran those tests immediately after you were brought here. They only take a few minutes or so to produce results."
"What tests are you running now, then?"
"Unfortunately, the body can only take so many at a time so I had to save the most basic for last. Nothing too serious, so don't be nervous. Think of it as a checkup."
Hermione felt a wave of relief sweep through her.
"They should be done in a minute or so. Hang tight while I fetch them."
"Wait," Hermione said as the matron was about to turn around. "Shouldn't you tell Cedric that I'm awake?"
"Oh, he can wait. A bit of fresh air will do him good." She replied with a smile.
Hermione watched at the matron retreated through the door with a cross on it. She sunk into the pillow on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She had a few ideas on what could have caused her to pass out. The most likely being the lack of sleep she had been burdened with since she arrived in Hufflepuff. Her nightmares had returned and she had no way of stopping them. She longed for Harry's warm embrace to fend the wretched things away but knew that it was near impossible. With her working long hours at the Leaky Cauldron and her exhausted body, it was a wonder she hadn't collapsed sooner.
Her new lifestyle still needed some getting used to. Back at Gryffindor she could be up and about for hours with only an hour's rest. The added stress of past events must still be eating at her. Not that it was any surprise. She missed Gryffindor more than she could bear.
At least, she hoped that was all it was.
There were a million other possibilities as well. She could only pray that it wasn't anything fatal. But no, surely that couldn't be it. She didn't have any history in her family of diseases detrimental to their health. Oh, she was overthinking this too much! The matron said it wasn't anything to worry about.
"Hermione, dearie." The kind voice of the matron snapped her out of her reverie.
Her head craned up to meet the woman's gaze. "Yes?"
She held up a bundle of parchment. "I have your test results."
Hermione immediately straightened her composure, her stomach tightening with anxiety. "And?" she asked with a shaky voice.
"Congratulations." The matron said with a smile.
"I'm not fatally ill?" Hermione asked, feeling her body begin to relax.
"Oh no, dearie. Far from it." The matron answered with a giggle. "Although I must say, the little bug inside of you will be quite the handful these next few months."
Hermione felt her worry begin to build up again. "Bug? What bug? I thought you said I was far from ill."
"Far from fatally ill." The matron corrected. "Well, not really ill at all, in fact. Depending how you look at it."
Hermione gave the woman a puzzled look. "What's wrong with me?"
The matron smiled. "Nothing, dear. You're with child."
The words echoed in her mind as she felt her world fade to black once more.
~*~
He was at the desk in his private study. Papers were strewn about every which way, accompanied by the odd book or two on wizard law. Harry Potter, the crowned prince of Gryffindor, was currently hunched over the desk, his head bowed into his arms. The silence of the room was only penetrated by the sound of his serene breathing.
Ron looked down upon his best friend and sighed. He had been at it all night again, trying to find a way to revoke the Court's verdict. Of course, Ron had done his fair share as well, but stopped to eat and replenish his energy. The redhead was beginning to wonder whether Harry knew the meaning of "rest" and "relax" anymore.
He stepped forward and smacked the desk with his palm, causing a loud sound of impact to fill the room and shake the young prince awake. Harry's head shot up. He had papers stuck to his face but quickly swiped them off to see who woke him. Ron's judgmental eyes stared him down and he frowned.
"I'm not going to give up, Ron." He said hardly.
"I never said you should." Ron answered. "You just need to take it easy."
"I can't." He responded. "Not when I still haven't heard from Hermione. It's been over a month!"
"I'm sure she's fine." Ron said reassuringly, used to this same routine whenever the subject was breached. "It's dangerous for her to send messages here, you know that."
"Yes but-Ë®
"But nothing." Ron interrupted. "You know she'll send something when she finds a way. Knowing Hermione, it won't be long now.
Harry smiled sadly. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."
"Of course I am." Ron said, puffing out his chest. "I'm always right!"
Harry gave him an amused look. "You wish."
Ron's chest deflated and he put his hand over his heart. "That hurts, Harry."
Harry grabbed a bit of parchment and threw it at him, laughing lightly. Ron deflected the blow and stuck out his tongue childishly. The gloomy atmosphere disappeared for a few moments while the two friends laughed together. The moment ended, though, when Harry's happy expression slowly faded away seconds afterward.
Ron looked at him morosely. "You don't have to hate yourself for having a laugh while she's gone."
"It just feels… wrong." Harry responded sadly.
"Yeah I know, mate." Ron said as he nodded slowly. "But she wouldn't want us to be glum all the time. She would hex us into the next century if she knew we were deprived of happiness because she's gone."
"Sounds like her." Harry straightened up and raised the pitch in his voice. "Harry James Potter, you put a smile on your face this instant before I blow off your nose!"
Ron let out a bark of laughter. "Spot on!"
Harry chuckled. "Thanks."
"See? Just because you're working hard on bringing her back, doesn't mean you can't laugh once in a while. As long as there's still hope, you've got a reason to smile."
Harry let out a breath. "You sound like Hermione."
"It was intentional." Ron said with an upturned lip.
Despite his friend's attempt to get another smile from him, Harry held it back and gave him a level stare. "It's not over until she's back in Gryffindor."
Ron nodded solemnly. "I know." The happy moment was fading away once more and he knew better than to change it. It was back to business. He looked down at the desk cluttered with text. "Made any progress?"
"Nothing worth nothing." Harry answered in a monotone. "The Order?"
"Same."
Harry made a noise of frustration. "You would think that some progress would have been made by now!"
"We're all doing the best we can, Harry. The Court's ruling is strict."
"There's always a crack in the system. We just haven't found it yet." Harry countered.
Ron sighed. "Well then we'd better get cracking, then."
Harry gave him a small nod and gestured to the seat across from him. Ron sat gingerly on the seat and began sorting through the only organized pile of papers on the prince's desk. And so began another long day of research to being their beloved friend and love back.
~*~
"Hermione, Hermione… come on, wake up."
Hermione groaned as her eyes fluttered open. As her surroundings faded from her hazy blur, she saw Cedric's concerned face looming over her.
"Celine told me what happened." Cedric said softly, gesturing to the matron beside him.
Celine nodded. "After you fainted again, I figured it was time to fetch him."
"You told him…?"
The matron nodded. "I apologize if you wanted to keep it a secret but I had to give him a proper explanation. The boy was a nervous wreck."
Cedric shot her a dirty look but softened when he saw Hermione propping herself up against the headrest of the bed. A pregnant silence loomed over them as Hermione gathered her thoughts.
All this time when she thought she was exhausted and overworking herself, she was just suffering from the effects of pregnancy - something she never even considered to be a possibility. Of course, Harry and she had never used any contraceptive spells during their night together, but at the time it was the furthest thing from either of their minds. They were too wrapped up in each other to care. Now she was carrying his child inside her. Harry's child.
She looked down to her stomach and put a hand on top of it. She was not showing any outward signs of pregnancy, but it was only a matter of time. She began to rub her stomach softly as a small smile worked its way onto her face. A part of Harry was growing inside of her, her only connection left with him whilst she was here in Hufflepuff.
Suddenly a thought struck her and she snapped her neck over to Cedric. "We have to keep this between us."
Cedric furrowed his brow. "Why? Shouldn't you be happy?"
"I am in a way, I guess." Hermione said, knotting her hands on her lap. "But if Harry ever found out about this then he would drop everything, including his crown, to come and be with me. I barely convinced him to stay the first time."
"The child is Harry's?" Cedric asked.
Celine's eyes widened. "The crowned prince of Gryffindor?"
Hermione nodded. "I fear that if he ever got wind that I was carrying his child, he would starve Gryffindor of the best king they will ever have."
"Hermione, you have to tell him eventually." Cedric said seriously. "A man should never be kept in the dark if the woman he loves is carrying his child."
"I will eventually." Hermione said. "Just not until I figure out a way to get back in Gryffindor"
Cedric bit his tongue. Now that she was with child, he feared that Hermione would stop at nothing to get back to Gryffindor. He had every confidence that she would revoke the hearing one day, but it might take years. He let his eyes wander back to Hermione and saw her caressing her stomach once more. He saw the face of a woman that would do anything to reunite her child with its father. At that moment he vowed to do anything to help his friend. If he was correct, she and Harry had only had a small amount of time together before she was banished. Two people in love like Harry and Hermione were should never have anything short of a lifetime.
"I'll help you in any way I can." Cedric said.
"Me as well, dearie." Celine said.
"Thank you." Hermione said with a soft smile. "I fear that the hardest part will be covering it up. Are there charms to morphing my outward appearance without harming the baby?"
"There are." Celine said. "But they're very risky. The effects have a habit of causing premature birth and some defects."
"I don't want to do anything that may cause harm to it." Hermione said quickly.
"Then we'll have to revert to old-fashioned methods." Celine said. "Wear clothing that hide your growing belly. With any luck, only a few passersby will notice."
"But what if one of them notices that I'm the Lady Hermione?" Hermione asked with growing dread. "I can't risk getting any information to Gryffindor unless it's with Cedric at the Court meetings."
"There are a few cosmetic charms for hair and eyes that will have no effects on the child." Celine said. "I have a book in my office."
Hermione nodded. "That would be lovely, thank you." She then turned to Cedric, who was looking at her with a serious expression. "When is the next Court meeting?"
"Two weeks."
Hermione pressed her lips together before speaking. "Then we need to work out my message before then. Celine, will you fetch the cosmetic charms book while we start to brainstorm?"
"Sure thing, dearie." And with a smile, she turned and went into her office to find the book.
After a few minutes of ideas being passed between the two nobles, Celine returned with a small leather book and handed it to Hermione. She thanked the matron kindly and flipped through the pages. When she came upon a combination that she liked, she grabbed her wand from the bedside table and recited the proper enchantments.
When she was done, she turned to her two friends and made a small gesture to her face. "Well?"
Cedric looked at her for a moment before nodding. "It'll do. Everyone who matters knows the Lady Hermione is a brunette. The eyes add a nice touch, though."
The matron smiled in agreement, looking into Hermione's new set of emerald green eyes. "You look quite fetching, my dear. You may want to straighten your hair for good measure, though."
Hermione snorted. "I've tried every charm in the book to do that. Most last for a few hours at most. I'll just keep my hair up."
Celine grinned. "Alright, then. I think you're ready."
"Hermione Granger the blonde. Who would have thought?" Cedric said thoughtfully.
Hermione smirked and changed the subject to one of more importance - the first message she would send to Gryffindor. All the while they were discussing, Hermione's hand remained atop her stomach, subconsciously bringing herself closer to the new life that was beginning to form inside of her.
I'll come home Harry, she thought to herself. Whatever it takes - I'll come home to you.
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