Monday 1st November
Harry and Hermione were sat in the hospital wing waiting. Just waiting. There had been a little excitement when Harry woke up, even though he had been confused and well, high, when he finally woke up. Hermione had panicked once again, unable to stop thinking that Harry's mind had been damaged permanently by Bellatrix. She had rushed off to get Madam Pomfrey, only for the mediwitch to explain to the frantic girl that being dazed and confused was a side effect of the strong pain relief potion she had given him while he slept.
In his intoxicated state, Harry had found Hermione's fretting funny, but now that his head was clear he understood why she wasn't talking to him. She had been worried sick about him, and he had laughed at her. He knew he was going to apologize to her, even if he didn't think it was his fault.
Even if she was angry with him, Hermione hadn't left the chair next to his bed all morning, save to retreat behind the curtains of her own bed, once to be examined by Madam Pomfrey, and again while Harry was examined. Harry blushed at the memory of his examination; his burns were extensive and left little room for modesty.
"Hermione." He waited for her to look at him, and while it took a few moments, she did eventually lift her gaze to meet his own, "About earlier...the way I was when I woke up..." he took a deep breath, "I'm sorry."
Hermione looked at him with a scrutinizing look, "I-it wasn't your fault Harry, you don't need to apologize."
Harry did secretly agree with that, but knew it wasn't that simple; if Hermione was hurting because of him, he had to apologize, "You're upset 'Mione, it doesn't matter if it's Bellatrix's fault, the potions fault, my fault, or all three. I just want you to feel better. I would hug you, but well...right now it would be a bit of a pain."
Hermione giggled a little, then started crying a little. Harry wished he could hug her, but although the burn paste had done a lot, he was still covered in what Madam Pomfrey had called first and second-degree burns, rather than the third-degree ones he had come in with.
"I was s-so worried. S-she used that spell on you...the one she used on Neville's parents. I was so scared that you would end up like them. T-then when you woke up, y-you...weren't you. A-and you were laughing about it."
Harry grabbed her hand and held it tight, "I'm Ok 'Mione," he saw her looking at his burns through her teary eyes, "well, mostly. But I will be fine". He paused for a few moments, before adding, "Ok, maybe not straight away, but I will be fine. I'm more worried about you."
She looked at him, shocked by his admission, "Why on Earth would you be more worried about me?"
Harry examined the burns on his arm as he answered, "You were hit by that weird green spell, and then I couldn't see you in those flames. I was terrified. I-I thought I would lose the most important person in my life."
Hermione winced slightly when Harry mentioned that green spell, but he didn't seem to notice. She had to fight the urge to throw her arms around him, when he said that she was the most important person in his life. At first, she couldn't understand it; yes, they had been dating for ten months, but they were still in school, surely there had to be someone more important to Harry than her. She tried to think of someone, but it dawned on her that for Harry there was no one competing for that position.
"Oh, Harry. You're fairly important to me as well," she pressed a light kiss on his cheek in one of his few unburned spots.
- ϟϟϟ -
They sat there for hours waiting for the burn paste finish its work healing their skin. They hadn't had any visitors yet, which was as much a blessing as a curse. Without visitors, they hadn't been able to talk to anyone to take their mind off the waiting or even to ask to bring them a book. But then, no one had seen them either. While Hermione was able to wear an overly-large hospital gown, Madam Pomfrey had strongly recommended Harry wait before putting the one she had tried giving him on.
Hermione, upon hearing it was better to wait, had taken the gown off Harry and promptly sat on it.
"And just what am I to wear if you are sitting on my clothes?" asked Harry, as soon as Madam Pomfrey had left.
Hermione looked him up and down, a slightly suggestive look on her face, "How about a smile?"
Harry blushed. He knew Hermione was joking. With burns, burn paste and nothing but a paste-soden sheet that stuck to him like a second skin in some places, he must have looked a right state.
Hermione giggled, "You should see the look on your face Harry. You're as red as a tomato."
Despite his embarrassment, Harry grinned, "That's the burns Hermione, I look like a lobster someone dropped in a barbecue."
Hermione bit her lower lip for a moment; she wanted to keep teasing Harry but she didn't know how far to go. She had never done anything like this before...heck, she'd never been in a relationship before.
Then she smiled; maybe it was time to turn it up a notch, "You still look good enough to eat."
If Hermione thought he was blushing before, that was nothing compared to now. She was just about to call it a win when Harry stuttered, "P-professor McGonagall...I, um...we..." Hermione turned as red as Harry upon hearing those words. She heard the Professor chuckle from behind her;
"Calm down Mr Potter, you and Miss Granger are not the first students I have walked in on while they were flirting, nor will you be the last, I'm sure. You aren't the worst I've seen either..."
Hermione's blush deepened as red as Harry's as she understood the meaning of those words. She got out up from her chair and turned to face her Head of House, "Sorry profess-"
"Like I said, Miss Granger, you aren't the first, nor will you be the last. After yesterday, it's good to see the two of you can smile again already," that last sentence turned the mood slightly sour. McGonagall noticed the change and continued on quickly, "sorry to bring that up, but I just got a floo call from someone at the DMLE, they want to know if you two are ready for an interview. They want the details of what happened last night."
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, silently deciding what to do together, "It might be best Professor if they wait till tomorrow," Hermione replied after a moment, "Harry will at least be able to wear some clothes then."
Professor McGonagall nodded her approval, "I think you are right Miss Granger, and I'm sure Poppy, that's Madam Pomfrey to you two, would agree with you. I shall check with her then inform the DMLE. Now that that is taken care of, I would like to see how are the two of you are doing."
"Not too bad considering what happened. The burn paste is working and the pain relief potions help a lot..." Hermione's eyes flicked to Harry as she paused. She said the next sentence noticeably quieter, "...as long as you're not late taking the next one."
Both Harry and Professor McGonagall winced. The Professor had seen it before; a late pain potion leaving some poor sod to feel the full force of their injuries. It was common enough during the blood war when occasionally potions needed rationing, and when demand exceeded supply.
Harry, however, was remembering a few hours earlier, when he had missed the time for his next potion by ten minutes. He'd only been in pain a few minutes and it wasn't as bad as having Bellatrix cursing him, but it wasn't an experience he was looking to repeat.
"There is one thing Professor..." Hermione tried to not sound too desperate, "is there any chance you could get a couple of books from my trunk? It just it's… well, the-"
"What Hermione is trying to say is that she will go into withdrawal soon if she doesn't have something to read," Harry 'finished' Hermione's sentence for her.
Hermione glared at Harry, but he could tell that she didn't really mean it. Professor McGonagall was restraining a laugh, even as she smirked at Harry's comment. After a few moments, Professor McGonagall managed to regain her composure, "And how many books would 'a couple' mean Miss Granger?"
Hermione bent down to search for the right trunk key through her burnt clothes, muttering something unintelligible. McGonagall asked her to repeat, and Hermione straightened up, key in hand, and a fierce blush on her cheeks. "Maybe...uh...f-fifteen books, Professor…"
Harry openly laughed at this, causing Hermione to glare at him once again. Professor McGonagall remained mostly impassive once again, though there was amusement glinting in her eyes, "Very well, Miss Granger. I will bring them up in a moment."
Harry stopped laughing long enough to ask McGonagall, "What about tomorrow's Quidditch game Professor? I doubt I will even be allowed to see the game let alone play in it."
"The game has already been rescheduled for Saturday. If you are not cleared to play by then, then the Ravenclaw team will play Hufflepuff. Madam Hooch already gave an extension to Slytherin for a scratch, she wouldn't treat Gryffindor any different.
After that Professor McGonagall left and the books Hermione requested soon turned up. She took great delight in reading to Harry this time. He had tried to read to her again but as his right hand was burned and covered in burn paste it was making it hard for him to both hold the book and turn the pages, so Hermione had grabbed the book 'Ruby in the Smoke' and started reading.
"The Seven Blessings. ON A COLD, FRETFUL AFTERNOON IN EARLY OCTOBER 1872, a hanson cab drew up outside the offices of Lockhart and Selby, shipping agents," Hermione had already started the book but had gone back to the beginning just for Harry. At first, the book hadn't sounded too interesting to Harry, and he was content to just listen to Hermione, but as the story went on Harry found himself enjoying the tale more and more.
- ϟϟϟ -
Tuesday 2nd November
Hermione woke up that morning lying next to Harry in his bed. Madam Pomfrey's prediction regarding night terrors had unfortunately been accurate. Hermione tried to sleep in her own bed, however, she was plagued by her memories and fears as she fitfully slept. After waking 3 times in under an hour, each time having to check on Harry to calm herself, in the end, Harry had just made room for her in his bed. It wasn't the first time they had slept so close together, but it was the first time it was by choice and not the result of the two of them falling asleep on the sofa together.
Sharing a bed seemed to work well. They hadn't been able to cuddle up because of their burns but just holding onto Harry's unburned arm had been enough to comfort Hermione so that she could get some sleep. She still woke up a few times, but with Harry being right there she was a lot calmer each time.
Harry was still asleep so Hermione took the opportunity to look at their burns. Hers were looking a lot better, in fact, she thought she might be burn free by the end of the day. Harry's burns weren't as healed as hers, but she thought that they were about as good as hers were yesterday. If that were true then they might both be completely healed by tomorrow. At least physically.
She thought about her nightmares from the night before, and she knew she wouldn't be completely Ok for a while. She looked at Harry, who was sleeping peacefully, a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth mixing with the dried out, burn paste on his cheek, and wondered how he managed to sleep so well, so soundly.
She got out of the bed, grimacing from the weird feeling of her skin cracking and peeling as she moved. When she looked most of the burn paste on her body had dried as well and the cracking and peeling was luckily the paste. After checking with Madam Pomfrey, Hermione was sent to grab a cold shower. She chuckled to herself about needing a cold shower after spending the night in her boyfriend's bed, but it having nothing to do with her being hot and bothered.
Well...almost nothing.
Harry woke up while Hermione was in the shower and quickly discovered a few things; dry burn paste flakes in your hospital bed are itchy as hell, Hermione wasn't there with him, and his last batch of pain potion had worn off. It wasn't as anywhere near the level of pain from the day before, it was, however, still bad enough that he would avoid it if he could.
He wanted to go and find Madam Pomfrey but had a problem, he still didn't have anything to wear. Apart from one of his socks and his wand holster, all the clothes he had been wearing had been completely destroyed. He also hadn't been given a hospital gown yet, as up until now it would have been impossible to wear one. Only a thin, light sheet laid over his lower half had preserved a little of his dignity.
Eventually, he called for Madam Pomfrey, who insisted on examining his burns before giving him a pain potion. Harry thought this to be a little harsh but soon understood, even if he wished he hadn't. Madam Pomfrey's 'examination' included her poking at the burns in a few places while asking him how much it hurt.
"Why do you need to do this!?" Harry half-shouted after Madam Pomfrey pressed on a particularly sensitive burn, causing a sharp stinging pain to flare up.
The mediwitch looked at his face for a moment before returning to her examination, just as Harry thought she wasn't going to give him an answer she spoke, "Your burns destroyed a lot of the nerve endings in your skin. Almost all of them, in fact. The burn paste should restore them within your skin, but sometimes it doesn't work as well as it should. I'm checking to see if additional nerve restoration treatment is needed. So, as unpleasant as it is, the pain is a good thing."
Knowing why Madam Pomfrey was poking him didn't make the experience any more pleasant, but it did help Harry deal with it.
"Well Mr Potter, it seems you gotten lucky; your nerves are regenerating nicely," she got up from where she had crouched down next to Harry's bed. "I don't feel so lucky," Harry groaned in response.
"Yes, yes," Madam Pomfrey said, "I will get you a potion in a moment, then you can go and have a shower once Miss Granger is back. Keep the water cool; hot water will irritate your burns." She bustled off and came back with a potion and two oversized gowns. When Harry looked at the two gowns, confused, Madam Pomfrey explained, "one to wear on your way to the shower and one for after, the one you wear before the shower will be full of dried bits of burn paste." Harry nodded.
Madam Pomfrey left him alone, and the first thing he did was take the potion, as it would take a few minutes for it to start working. He then climbed out of bed for the first time since he woke up in the wing yesterday. It felt good to stretch his limbs out, even though it pulled on his burned skin. The dried paste flaked off faster than before, dusting the floor beneath him, leaving an absolute mess of flakes and dead skin.
Harry threw on his gown and started looking through his belongings, where he found his wand. Both Harry and Hermione had been lucky that Bellatrix had sent their wands down the corridor during the duel, it had saved them from the fire. He flicked his wand at the mess so that it would be swept into a pile, but only about a third of mess moved, and what did move only moved about halfway before it stopped. He tried again with similar results, only this time he felt like he had run a mile.
Harry tried not to panic but it was hard. He loved magic and it was hard to not think of nightmare scenarios of having his wand snapped and being kicked out of Hogwarts; there was no place there for someone who couldn't do magic. It was as if an invisible weight was pressing on his chest and throat, like they were swelling, making it hard to breathe, and he had to fight to keep the potion he had just taken in his stomach.
Hermione returned 10 minutes later, feeling infinitely better now that the shower had washed away the dried burn paste, dead skin and two days worth of sweat and dirt. Her mood suddenly shifted when she saw Harry. He was sat on the floor next to his bed, hyperventilating as he tried, again and again, to cast a spell with his wand.
Hermione ran over to Harry, before calling for Madam Pomfrey. At first, she just looked at him in indecision, unsure what to do. She sat down next to him and put her hand over Harry's, gently pushing his wand down. "Harry." He didn't respond to her, so she tried again, "Harry, hey, what happened?" She put her arm around him and pulled him against her side, hiding a wince as he leant against her still tender skin.
"My magic is gone," his voice was almost a whisper, devoid of all happiness, "How can I be a wizard without my magic? I'll lose everything."
Hermione didn't know what she could say to that, "Harry, you'll be Ok. I'm sure of it."
Madam Pomfrey had come over by then and had immediately taken control of the situation, "Mr Potter you are having a panic attack. I need you to drink this," she pressed a vile into Harry's hand. He drank it down and his demeanour changed almost immediately. Whereas he had been in the throes of a panic attack before, he now had a calm, almost dazed, expression. Hermione took the empty vile from Harry and read the label; 'Calming Draught'.
Madam Pomfrey took Harry's hand and pulled him softly to his feet, "Mr Potter, Miss Granger is correct. Your magic will be fine in a few days. You over exerted yourself the other night and strained the connection to your magic, it just needs time to heal. It's a condition called Magical Exhaustion."
Hermione's eyes widened with recognition, "He had a case of Magical Exhaustion over the summer. They said trying to do magic could...um…' damage Harry's magical potential.'"
"Yes Miss Granger, it can."
"Harry was trying to do magic when I found him...i-is he going to be Ok?"
"He should be fine, the chances of permanent damage are very low, but I will need to check nevertheless. On the bed Mr Potter."
Harry, who had barely reacted at all since taking the calming draught, climbed onto the bed and laid down. Madam Pomfrey started casting diagnostic spells over him. Balls of light, all different colours and sizes, began popping in and out of existence above him. Hermione didn't understand it at all, but Madam Pomfrey evidently did, and Hermione trusted her. As she examined more and more of the lights, the mediwitch's expression grew harder and more concerned. Hermione was terrified that it was bad news.
"H-how bad is it?" Hermione's fear was evident in her voice.
Madam Pomfrey cancelled the diagnostic spells, before she just stood there for a few seconds. She then visibly shook herself before speaking to Hermione, "I'm sorry Miss Granger, did you say something?"
"How bad is it? Will Harry be ok?"
"He will be just fine in time. A little damage to his magic, but nothing permanent, he will be about 5% weaker in terms of the power of his spells, but this will only be for three to five weeks. He will make a full recovery, as long as he doesn't do any more magic till Friday. That will stop him doing any more damage."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, then took Harry's wand from him.
- ϟϟϟ -
That same day, 5 PM
Harry shivered as a draft of light reminded him that he and Hermione were only wearing hospital gowns and bathrobes. They were sat in Madam Pomfrey's office with Professor McGonagall waiting for the DMLE representative. Harry's head had cleared from the calming draught a few hours ago. The diagnosis of Magical Exhaustion and knowing that his magic would be fine in time had helped him remain calm. He wasn't all too pleased that he would be weaker for around a month, but he would much rather that than becoming a squib and being forced to leave Hogwarts. Hogwarts was his first home, he didn't want to lose it.
The thing that had really scared Harry though was the thought of losing Hermione. Not suddenly, like he feared during the duel with LeStrange, but slowly, as Hermione would spend more and more time among wizards who would understand her better than he would. That had scared Harry far more than he was ready to admit. Harry's musings were interrupted by a knock at the door. The door opened to reveal two women, one had pink hair and looked fairly young, and the other was Director Bones, who he'd already had an interview with over the summer.
"Good afternoon Professor," she nodded to McGonagall before turning to Harry and Hermione, "good afternoon Mr Potter, Miss Granger. I am Director Bones, and my assistant here is trainee Auror, Nymphadora Tonks." Nymphadora winced as if someone had insulted her.
Harry's heart was suddenly in his throat. Director Bones had introduced herself as if she had never met him or Hermione before. Harry was just wondering how to deal with that when Hermione beat him to it;
"It a pleasure to see you again director Bones. How have you been?"
At Hermione's words, the Director looked puzzled, "We have met before? Forgive me, I meet so many people in this job it's hard to keep track." Her words were polite but her eyes flicked to the ears on Hermione's head, the unspoken message was clear: 'I'm sure I would remember meeting someone with ears as distinctive as them.'
Harry jumped in, "We met on the 1st of August, and again on the 2nd. You uh..." Harry's eyes flickered to Nymphadora, "...uh, helped me with a case."
At the mention of the dates both Director Bones and Auror Tonks' eyes went wide, "I will need to speak with you about that after our interview. As was widely reported, I was hit with a memory altering charm on the second and I'm still piecing together the few days before. Now let's get started, shall we? Tonks, please set up the Dictaquill."
The Director took one of the chairs and sat down. She asked if they knew how the Dictaquill worked, and after Hermione said she didn't Bones had Tonks explain it. Once everything was set up Director Bones started;
"I am Director Amelia Bones, representing the DMLE in the interview of witnesses Harry James Potter and Hermione Jean Granger, in the ongoing investigation of the escape of Bellatrix LeStrange."
The Director then gestured to Tonks, "Trainee Auror Nymphadora Tonks, observing."
Then Harry, "Harry James Potter, witness."
"Hermione Jean Granger, witness."
"Minerva McGonagall, deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, acting In loco parentis*."
Director Bones then started speaking again, "Ok let's start with a description of the event from your point of view. What exactly happened on the 31st of October?"
Harry and Hermione looked at each other to see who would start off. Hermione nodded her head, indicating that Harry should, "Well..um…the 31st is Halloween, but as you probably know, it's the anniversary of when…when my parents were... you know... killed. So...I don't really like Halloween. All the fun just feels wrong to me. So Hermione and me just went off to a quiet part of the castle for the day, just to avoid everyone and look at a few photos-"
Harry's eyes went wide as he remembered his beloved photo album, "-Wait, my photos! Professor, did my photos survive the fire!?" Harry was really worried now that he remembered he had been carrying the book with him.
Your photos are fine Mr Potter, but the album is a little Singe, you were lucky that there was an Impervious charm active on the book, else you would have lost it. It's in my office at the moment while I undo the damage caused by the fire."
Harry felt a sudden welling of gratitude for his Professor and his girlfriend, "Thank you, Professor, and thank you, Hermione, for putting the Impervious charm on it. I would be devastated if I lost them," now that he knew his precious photo album was safe, he was able to continue his narrative with clarity, "Anyway, it was getting late so Hermione and I were headed back to the common room. We wanted to get back before everyone returned from the Halloween feast. I didn't want to deal with the crowds, but when we reached the common room the portrait of the fat lady had already been destroyed and the way into the common room was wide open. Then LeStrange stepped out and…"
Harry and Hermione described the fight in as much detail as they could remember, "...then the twins...uh I mean, Fred and George Weasley, turned up and saved us. They got LeStrange cornered, she couldn't run, so she used a fire spell to distract, and most likely, kill us," Harry got a dark look in his eyes and he focused intently on one point, almost blocking everything else out, "She copied me. She copied me to hurt 'Mione. I stopped when she screamed...but she didn't. She just kept hurting us..." he trailed off as Hermione wrapped her arms around him, the two teens silently crying as they remembered the traumatic experience; crying from both the phantom pains that felt far to close to real, and the pain of being unable to save the other from that same suffering.
They were shaken out of their reminiscing by Auror Tonks, who'd they'd forgotten was there, "Director, can I officially request to be on the team that delivers my aunt to the dinner table."
Harry, Hermione and Director Bones all reacted to that question, but for different reasons. Bones spoke first, "enough of that Nymphadora, you will never refer to it as 'the dinner table' again, if you want to make full Auror."
Before Tonks could respond to her boss Harry angrily cut in, "you're related to that monster!?" He was almost shouting, but not quite.
Hermione's objection was along the same lines as Harry's, though it was somewhat more rational, "if you're related, how are you working this case? Isn't that a conflict of interest?"
Tonks held up her hands, "Ok, Ok, give me chance to answer. Me and my big mouth...Ok, easy one first. I'm sorry boss, it won't happen again."
Director Bones stonily replied, "see that it doesn't trainee, that detail is nothing to joke about."
Tonks snapped to attention, "YES MA'AM!" She then turned to Harry and Hermione, "I'm not actually working the case, I'm just shadowing the Director to learn how to do an investigation, only from the best. The only thing I can affect is my mark back at Brixton Auror Academy. And trust me, Bellatrix may be my aunt, but I wouldn't piss on her if she were on fire," Professor McGonagall coughed at Tonks, "Sorry, Professor. Now, for what may be the hardest one. Mr Potter…uh, sorry, Harry…" Harry frowned at her using his first name but let it go,
"You are related to Bellatrix as well."
She waited for Harry to react, but surprisingly he didn't, so she carried on, "My mother, Andromeda, has two sisters; Bellatrix LeStrange and Narcissa Malfoy. Their father, my grandfather, had two siblings, one was a woman called Dora Black. She married Charles Potter, and they were your father's parents."
Harry was stunned; he had family in the wizarding world. He started laughing, it was a light chuckle at first, but it soon grew into something almost manic. Hermione soon grew concerned, "Harry? What is it? What's so funny?"
"Don't you see it 'Mione? Careful what you wish for. I should have known better. After the Dursleys, I should have known better..." Hermione didn't know what Harry was thinking, but if it had anything to do with the Dursleys, it wasn't going to be good, "I always wished for family," Harry continued in his monologue, "someone who wasn't the Dursleys. Well I got my wish, didn't I? And that family, they want me dead," now he started crying into Hermione's shoulder, and he was no longer shaking from laughter, rather from wracking sobs, "Why does everyone related to me want to hurt me!? Am I really that terrible!?"
It took some time for Hermione to help him regain his composure, all while the three adults present looked on in varying states of surprise and disbelief. Once everything had calmed down Bones broke the silence;
"Harry, I have to ask. You said...everyone related to you wanted to hurt you. Have your family hurt you?"
Harry looked at his lap and Hermione was just considering whether she should jump in when he spoke, "Well...you wanted to ask about how we met at the start of August, and this is as good a time to talk about it as any. Perfect, in fact. Yes, my family...no, I won't call them family. The Dursleys hurt me, and on the 31st of July, my Birthday funnily enough, they hurt me so much, my magic snapped."