The Lost Wizard

Hermione brewed more tea for everyone. Ron kept glancing back from Ginny to Hermione. He looked like he wanted to start talking, start figuring out what was happening. Ginny sat still, looking at her mug, waiting for something. Saren stood near the door, not sure whether to stay or go. Hermione just kept busy in the kitchen, trying to get her thoughts in order. Finally Ron spoke up. "What do you mean he's going to end it all?"

"I though he was better. He said he would get some help." Still Ginny refused to look at her brother.

Hermione came out of the kitchen. "Why does he need help?"

"I looked for him everywhere. I even went to Knockturn Alley. I don't know where he is." She started crying softly. "I don't know where he is."

Hermione spoke up again. "What's wrong with Harry?"

"He's not doing so well but I though seeing the two of you tonight would do him good."

Saren quietly said "You wanted him to see Hermione and Ron?"

Ginny looked up at this unexpected voice. She stared at Saren, trying to figure out the only one in the room she didn't know. She looked at Hermione and Ron. "It would be good for him. He misses the two of you all. I know." Ginny looked at both of them.

Ron rolled his eyes "So that's why he's being flooding us with owls."

Ginny looked at him. "It's been hard for him. You wouldn't know."

Ron stood up. "And you know how?"

"That's none of your business!" Her face blushed.

"Well, I think it's my business now."

"And you've been so concerned."

"That's not my fault; he hasn't been much on social calls recently."

Ginny got up, refusing to be intimidated by her taller brother. "I guess after all that time you and Hermione were busy snogging, he thought you weren't too interested in friendship."

Hermione looked down as Saren quickly glanced from her to Ron and back to Hermione. Ron met her eyes and then looked away. Saren's eyes narrowed. She walked over to Ginny and touched her on the side. "What can we do?"

Ginny looked quizzically. "I don't know. I thought maybe you knew where he was."

"And you looked everywhere for him?"

"I told you I did. I've looked two, three times."

There was more silence. Hermione thought it was her turn to speak. "Where does he live?"

"He has a place in the country. That's the first place I looked but he wasn't there."

"He could have returned."

"I didn't think of that. I'm just too tired to think."

"I'll help you look. I could use the exercise."

Ginny let a small smile to creep up on her face. "That's good."

Saren followed suit. "I'll join the two of you." She glared at Ron. "And so will you."

Ginny looked up to them, her face lighting up for the first time. "You don't have to come, really." Hermione reassured her. "Don't worry Ginny, we're all coming."

Ginny smiled. This was the first time in a long time Hermione had seen her smile but it disappeared quickly. Her face darkened again. "I don't know where to look."

Saren looked over to Ginny. "Did you check his flat?"

Ginny shook her head. "He has a cottage in the country.'

"Did you look there?"

"It was the first place."

Hermione considered that for a second then asked, "Well, where does he hang out?"

Ginny looked up at the ceiling. "I went to the Black Mark a few times. He wasn't there. I checked a few other places in Knockturn Alley but he wasn't there. I don't know where he is." Ginny was getting a little angry.

"We could go to his place. If he's not there maybe we can find something there to help us."

"I don't know. There's nothing there. Anyway, I don't think he came back."

"Look Ginny, made he left something. It will be somewhere to start."

Ginny thought for a second. "We can't Apparate over there. Harry's a little security conscious."

Hermione put on her robes and gathered up her wand. Ginny spoke first. "I'll go first. The three of you can follow me." She Disapparated from the room. Saren, Hermione and Ron followed her, Apparating in a narrow country lane. It was dark out and they couldn't see much. The hedges stretched up, invading the lane with their wild limbs. Ginny whispered "Follow me."

Hermione nodded and tried to be quite. She didn't want anyone or anything to surprise her out here on this cold night. She strained her ears trying to pull out sounds from around her. She heard small creatures slithering to either side, leaves brushing against one another, each sound a new attacker. Once or twice Hermione could swear that she saw small, red eyes staring as her, looking and following her every movement. Ron and Saren were walking close together as Ginny led the way. Finally they came to a metal gate, thrown over the road. Hermione felt each hair stand up and Goosebumps pricked up as the gate screeched open. Ginny opened it up a bit, just enough for the four of them to slip through. The lane continued up into a clearing where there were two buildings. One was small cottage in front of them, low and close to ground. To the side was a bigger, more imposing building.

Ginny walked up to the door of the cottage and opened it. "Come in." She urged the three other, whom were hanging behind, to follow her. They did and walked into the small room. They couldn't see anything. It was dark, only illuminated by the lighter blackness of the night sky. Ginny pulled out her wand and muttered, "Totalus Luminos". A sickly yellow light spread across the room showing a place bare with empty bookcases and a small dirty saucepan strew haphazardly over a stove-top. The fine layer of dust that covered everything absorbed the light. This was a not a place anyone lived, wizard or muggle.

The four wizards looked around trying to find any suggestion of Harry's whereabouts. Hermione drifted to the back wall where she saw a door, slightly agar. She walked over and pushed it open and shivered.

She saw a dark, indistinct mound in the middle of the small room. Suddenly hundreds red eyes, intelligent eyes formed out of the mass, looking at her. This was a mound of rats, unnaturally still, waiting for something. As if they possessed one mind, all the rats turned toward Hermione staring at her, watching her. Ginny walked behind her. "What's wrong?"

All of a sudden the rats ran towards the door and out into the night. Ginny rushed over to the room and cried out "Harry!" and ran towards the lump.

On the ground, rolled up in a small ball lay a black haired, gaunt man. Ginny dropped down to hold him and then suddenly let him go. "He's freezing!"

Hermione followed, put her hand down and gingerly touched the naked body. "You're right. Formus infernos." Suddenly, some warmth returned to Harry. "That should help."

Ginny started to stroke Harry's head. "You'll be fine. You'll be fine."

Ron stepped into the room. "What happened?" He moved forward but stopped; his eyes widened. "What happened to him?"

Hermione glanced up to him. "He's sick."

"I can see that. But why is he lying on the ground like that?"

Ginny looked up from Harry and took in the room for the first time. "Oh, no! Where did he get the galleons?" Hermione followed her gaze. Besides a dirty, ripped up mattress lay several piles of small vials. Some still had drops of a thick, multi-colored liquid that sparkled with an inner life. Ron shot a look at his sister while Hermione wrinkled her brow. "What is that?"

Ron walked over to his sister and squatted next to Harry. He touched Harry's forehead, his face hard. "He'll need a Mediwizard."

Ginny stared at her brother. "Will you summon one?"

His face softened. "Sure."

"You'll have to go outside. Harry put up blocking charms."

He nodded and walked out. They were all quiet. Hermione looked around the room but there wasn't anything to examine. Saren took off her robes and draped them over Harry. "It will keep him warm." She explained, flushing slightly. Hermione nodded and kept looking at Harry. "How long have you known him?"

Hermione dropped her head down in surprise. "What did you say?"

Saren refused to look Hermione in the eye but kept her gaze firmly on the still figure. "When did you meet him?"

"Oh." Hermione paused. "First year at Hogwarts."

"He and Ron were already friends?"

"No, well, yes, I mean..." The boy who had saved her from a troll by sticking a wand up its nose was lying on the floor. Dying if Ron didn't get anyone there sooner. "It's complicated."

"Did you know him when he first started using?"

Hermione quickly whipped her head around. "What do you mean?"

"Fluff, you know. I mean you can tell it wasn't his first time with all those empty snorts over there."

"I see."

"Well, you know...I just had a...you know...he'll be alright." Saren hunched down.

Ginny was oblivious. Whether through a conscious decision or through concern for Harry, she did not pay attention. She just kept stroking Harry's forehead, talking to him in a low voice. From what Hermione could tell she was having a pretty animated conversation with him even if Harry wasn't responding.

Abruptly, a small man waltzed through the door, knocking over Ginny on his way to Harry.

"I am Dr. Melvine, mediwizard. Let's see how he looks, how he looks. That's no good, no, no, that's no good." Dr. Melvine pulled out his wand, jammed it between Harry's teeth and levered his mouth open. "Luminos." He poked his wand inside and quickly waved it back and forth. "Not good, not good." He then took to hitting Harry lightly with his wand. "No reflexes, no reflexes. Not good." He moved to more esoteric practices, each apparently more bizarre and more painful than the previous. Finally, he held up his wand and stared intently at it, trying to force it to give up some dark secret. "Hmmm...."

Ron had followed Dr. Melvine into the room and was now peering over his shoulder. "Is everything fine?" Dr. Melvine quickly turned around, about to pry open Ron's mouth.

"No, no. Everything is not fine." He spun back to Harry and pulled of the robes that were covering him. "Not fine at all." Hermione quickly turned around; that brief glimpse of Harry was too much. Dr. Melvine continued his muttering. "Not good...no, that's fine, that's fine...a little too cold. This will perk him up." Hermione could hear some liquid splashing on naked flesh. "Still not responding. He's very cold." He turned around again quickly to Ron. "He'll have to go to Albion. They'll be able to treat him there. After he's there, I'd recommend a stay at St. Mungo's."

"No, he can't! The papers would eat him alive. He wouldn't get a second of peace." Ginny said.

"Listen, girl." Dr. Melvine stared up at Ginny. "He's going to need around the clock attention. If he doesn't have it, we will die."

"He'll die if the Daily Prophet hears about this. Why d'you think he's doing it now?!" Ginny was practically shouting at him.

"Girl, he will die if he does not go to Albion immediately. And he will die if you don't stop arguing with me."

Ron spoke up. "She's right. They'll make it a living hell for him. I should know, working for the Prophet." He chuckled bitterly. "Is there anywhere else?"

"Well, do you know of place that can provide someone to look after him? I don't." Dr. Melvine looked very irritated.

"He can stay at home." Ron quickly shut his mouth, suddenly realizing what he said.

"That's right. Mum can take care of him during the day and I'll look after him at night." Ginny thrust herself in front of the tiny man, daring him to disagree with her.

"It won't work." He did not look intimidated. Rather he stood up on tiptoes to make himself level with Ginny. "The two of you wouldn't be able to handle it. He'd wear you out."

"I can watch over him evenings. You know, give Ginny a break." Ron stood behind his sister.

"I can help, too." Hermione chimed in.

Saren cleared her throat. "I'll help however I can."

Dr. Melvine looked at the four of them. He focused on Ron. "Don't you think you should ask your mother, first?"

Ron was resolute. "She will. She'd do anything for Harry." His eyes softened. "She'd kill us if we wouldn't let her help."

Dr. Melvine looked around. He was outnumbered by four wizards who were all taller and wouldn't listen to him. "We will take him to the Barrow. But if anything happens, it will be on your conscience." He stared at each one, in turn, letting them feel his disapproval personally. "Now, with your help, if I may ask for your help," He did not sound like he was asking for it, "we can move him outside so we can Apparate him."

Ginny started for the door. "I better tell mum."

Ron grabbed her arm. "Let me tell her. It will be simpler."

She stood still. Ron reached over with his other hand and softly touched her face. "You look like hell. I don't think you're ready for one of the famous Weasley interrogation. I'll let her know we're coming." With that, he slipped from the room.

Dr. Melvine tapped his foot. "I know I may not know anything about wizarding maladies but in my humble opinion, he needs to get out of here fast. Now you," he turned to Ginny "Grab his head. And you and you," gesturing to Hermione and Saren, "grab his legs. No not the same leg, different ones." Hermione was surprised how light he was. "Let's move out towards the door. Careful, careful!" They squeezed through the door. Ron was talking to his mother, her face worried, in the fireplace. Dr. Melvine gestured towards Ron. "Time to stop talking. Out to courtyard. All of you! Hup hup hup." He shooed them out to the courtyard. "Hold on to me. You, too." Glaring at Ron, then spun his head around." No, no, no! Don't drop him. Touch me with one hand. Magnus." Hermione felt them disappear with the familiar Apparation rush and they reappeared inside the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was there, in front of the kitchen fireplace, her arms full of warm blanket and clean sheets. She pointed up the stairs. "Put him the stairs, second room on the right. It'll suit him fine."

Dr. Melvine nodded his head and motioned with his wand, sending Harry's floating form up the stairs. Obviously, he had met Mrs. Weasley before as he did not bother arguing with her. Mrs. Weasley followed a step behind. Ginny waited a few seconds, then walked up the stairs. Hermione looked over to Ron and Saren. "We should go up."

Ron nodded, reached out, cupped Saren's hand with his and walked out of the light of the kitchen. Hermione hesitated and look around, absorbing the familiar environment then joined the procession up the stairs. When she walked into the room, Harry was lying on the bed and Mrs. Weasley was piling covers on him. Dr. Melvine was standing on his toes, leaning over the bed, lecturing the room while he got a flask out of his bag.

"Take your wand and pry open his mouth." He seemed very fond of prying open people's mouths. "Pinch his nose and pour the potion down his throat. He'll need a dose every four hours on the hour." He looked around as he poured the dark purple liquid down Harry's throat. Mrs. Weasley did not look amused. "I'll look in on him tomorrow...no, no, not tomorrow, tomorrow is too late. I'll come later tonight to make sure he is fine." He rummaged around his bag and brought out several more flasks, all filled with the same liquid and all approximately the same size. He placed them on the bedside table. "I'll bring more over tomorrow. And I am warning you, if anything is wrong, I will send him to Albion, no matter what any of you say." He rocked back on his heels and walked out of the room. Mrs. Weasley left the room, her face screwed very tight as she escorted the doctor out. Ginny walked over to Harry's side, looked down at him, looked back at the door, looked at Ron, Hermione and Saren and looked back down at Harry. Her hands twisted themselves around. Hermione put her arm around her shoulders and guided her through the door, down the stairs and out the back door. "The fresh air will do you good."

Ginny nodded and sat down on the cold ground for a second and drew up her knees to her chin, looking small and young. Hermione scrunched down next to her. "He'll be fine. Your mother wouldn't let anything wrong happen to him."

"I hope. I don't know. I'm so tired."

"How long have the two of you been dating?"

"I don't know." Ginny looked at her hands and started folding down her fingers. "It was my sixth year when we started. I guess five years, on and off."

"That's a long time!" Hermione said surprised. "Why didn't you tell your family or, at least Ron?"

"I told some of them. Fred and George, Bill and Da."

"I didn't know."

"He wanted it to be a secret. You know how he was during his last year at Hogwarts." Tears started to form in her eyes.

Hermione nodded her head but she didn't.

"He depended on me. He needed me. But he didn't want anyone to know. He said that if people knew, You-Know-Who would go after me. I don't know, I think he didn't want people to know how much he was hurting. After that, it became habit. I didn't see much of him during my last year. He was being run around all over the place. When we did meet up, he wanted quite. It never changed. Sometime I wanted more, sometimes we ended it but he always came back. He needed me." The tears were coming faster. "He's so lonely, so scared. He'd see me and his face would be happy. For a moment. "Her face darkened." That's why he was doing fluff. It made him happy." She broke down, sobbing.

Hermione put her arms around Ginny and held her. "Shhh, shhh."

Ron appeared. "Mom's taking care of Harry." He looked down at Ginny and then looked at Hermione. He looked uncomfortable. "I'll find out what we need to do. I'm sure mum has a list, who knows how long on what we need to do."

Hermione nodded, still comforting Ginny, and Ron turned around and walked back inside. Hermione looked at the clear night sky. She never before felt so alone or so scared.