Desperate Measures

Waking up in a familiar bed gave Hermione the impression that she was not dead, and not in hospital. Her head was heavy and her mouth dry. She struggled, for a while, to open her eyes. She felt groggy and stupid, just staring at the bubblegum pink wall in front of her.

It took time, but she realised that she must be in her old bedroom at her parent's house. What did this mean? Were they looking after her because she was sick, or was she dreaming, having reverted back ten years to when she was a child? Hermione cautiously moved her limbs. Everything worked, but she was still a bit hazy - impulsively she wondered if she should get up and start making breakfast for the Death Eaters. Her brain was obviously working a bit slow. She was home and safe. Some member of The Order must have taken her there after the battle

The skirt of her robes that she had worn the previous night had bunched up around her waist. Obviously, no one had wanted to wake or disturb her enough to remove it. She sat on the edge of the bed, and let her feet brush the thick nylon fibres of the carpet. It was the little things that she missed about the Muggle world; she missed trousers too and went to get a pair from her drawers. As 'Emma' who never wore them, Hermione was glad to have her legs fully covered.

Everything felt like some woozy dream, and her body didn't want to move or respond to the tasks her brain set for it. It was too early to think, so Hermione sat on the end of the bed and started to brush her hair. It went all static, and refused to settle down. She sighed as she lay partially off the bed so she could ease her hair into a restricting ponytail.

Suddenly, her brain caught up. "Ron!" she gasped. Forgetting her ponytail, she ran out of her room, calling for her parents in a blind panic. She heard no response. She hoped that they would know if Harry had rescued him. Running through the house calling for them, she came to a sudden and embarrassed standstill as she noticed her parents taking tea in the conservatory - with Albus Dumbledore.

"Hermione, how did you sleep?" her mother asked her pleasantly as she turned to face the commotion. She stood up and directed her daughter to an empty chair around the table.

"Thanks Mum. Hello Professor."

"Miss Granger, I've just had the pleasure of telling your parents about your mission," Dumbledore said, putting down his cup onto its saucer and placing it on the table. Hermione looked down at her lap. She hadn't told her mother and father about her actions; they would have worried. She felt so guilty now, though - what would have happened if she had died?

"Yes. Mum...Dad...I'm so sorry. I should have told you...."

"Well, it's done now isn't it Sweetheart? But, you're back with us and in what appears in one piece," her father said. When his daughter walked in, he had wanted to shake her until she made a ratting sound, like the one she was making with the cup and saucer of tea that her mother had just given her. He'd wanted to shout at her for her recklessness, that she had been so selfish and inconsiderate. Hermione smiled at her father shyly. She knew that he wanted to shout at her, but his relief and the fact they had company stopped him.

"How's Ron?" Hermione changed the uncomfortable subject quickly in hopes that the new topic might distract her parents.

Dumbledore looked down; Hermione put a hand to her mouth in horror. Her mother reached over and placed a hand on her arm.

"Young Ronald is in very serious condition."

A hand flew to her mouth, "oh my... - what happened?"

"Harry was successful in finding Ron and in getting him out of his cell. But, Ron's injuries are severe. There are places where they scorched his body so badly, that the healers might not be able to restore him. He is semi-conscious only some of the time, because he is in shock."

"Will he make it?"

"Everyone is hoping for the best, but they do not know yet."

"I want to see him."

"You can't, Love," Mrs. Granger reasoned. "With somebody that ill, they're only going to let immediate family in - aren't they?" Hermione only shrugged in response.

"Though, that doesn't mean that we couldn't take you to the hospital. His family will be there, and you can talk with them about his progress. I'm sure they'll also want to thank you for finding him," Mr. Granger piped up.

Hermione smiled weakly at him. She turned to Dumbledore again. "I assumed he is all right because he wasn't the one abducted and tortured, but did Harry get out OK and where is he?"

"Last I saw, he was fine and with the Weasleys. He might have gone home, though it is unlikely."

Hermione quickly made up her mind. "Right, Mum. Dad, I'm having a shower. I'll be about twenty minutes - will you be ready to take me then?"

"Yes, will you be coming with us Professor Dumbledore?" Mr. Granger offered.

"I'd normally just floo," the older man replied with a smile, "but, it's been so long since I last rode in a Muggle car...it was a 1976 mini cooper with a union jack on the roof. I'll take you up on that invitation, if it's not too much bother."

"Not at all, Professor Dumbledore."

***

"What happened after I was stunned, Albus?" Hermione asked abruptly in the car, halfway through the journey to St. Mungo's. Dumbledore looked at her in surprise. The young woman had not said anything except to confirm that she was ready to leave when she came down the stairs after her shower. He had been sitting in the back seat with her, watching the passing cars and scenery with interest.

"Are you sure you wish to hear it Hermione?"

"Yes, I think I do."

"There were casualties. Remus Lupin, Mundungus Fletcher and Nymphadora Tonks, that's everyone whom you know well, have all been injured. There were more members who were hurt, but luckily, no one from The Order has died." He looked for her reaction. When he saw Hermione sigh with relief, he continued, "Some of the Death Eaters did die. I'm sorry, as they weren't prepared for the attack. The rest are with the Ministry, awaiting questioning and trial."

"I'm not sad about that," Hermione said thoughtfully. "They did horrible things, and most of them probably deserved it. But, I learned while I was there - some are still human, still men."

***

They made the rest of the journey in silence, ignoring the small interjections from the Grangers trying to make small talk. Hermione tried to answer with nods that her father saw through the rear view mirror, but they gave up after a few attempts.

It took an hour to drive to St. Mungo's, but it passed quickly for Hermione who felt herself in another world of mixed shock of the past few days, concern for Ron and Harry, and a numbness that told her that she hadn't quite accepted recent events.

Could Ron have died from his injuries since Dumbledore had last spoken to the Weasleys? Was Harry alone? Her feeling of urgency grew; she had to know if her friends were going to be all right. She had to see them with her own eyes.

When they arrived at St. Mungo's, the Grangers gave Hermione one of their mobile phones.

"Call us when you're ready to be picked up," Hermione's mother said. Hermione took it wordlessly and fiddled with the buttons, trying to turn it off. Mrs. Granger took it back and turned the phone off. You'll be in a hospital, Love, the signal will make machines go haywire probably."

"I hope your friend will be OK, Hermione. Give the Weasleys our best."

"Will do, I'll see you later. Bye Mum, bye Dad."

"Bye Love."

Hermione then walked into the hospital with Dumbledore. They went to the reception and asked which ward and room Ron was in. They didn't know whether it would be the ground floor, where there were casualties of explosions and such. Asking the witch on the desk where Ron might be, she told Hermione that Ron had been transferred to a private room on the seventh floor. Hermione tried to tell her that the sign said there wasn't a seventh floor, but the witch waved her hands and said it was private rooms for a reason, and to get there, the stairs would keep on going, because it was charmed for those who knew of it, could see it.

Were Ron's injuries that serious? Hermione wondered if the Weasleys were paying for Ron's care. Despite, their fortunes having changed in the last few years, they were still cautious about money. 'Easy come, easy go,' Mrs. Weasley always said to Ron. It didn't seem likely that they'd splurge on a private room. In the Wizarding world - was healthcare free like the Muggle NHS? They could afford a single room if it was.

After a short journey that felt like forever, up staircases and long corridors, they stopped at the seventh floor. A few doors on the left/right led to some private rooms. Harry was waiting outside one door with Fred, George, Ginny, and Bill. Immediately, Hermione reached out for Ginny who pulled her into a hug. Hermione felt her defences smashing to her feet and finally was able to break down. Ginny joined her and the two held each other, sobbing.

The twins shifted awkwardly, and took leave with Bill, probably out to the corridor until they were certain that there was no hysterical female emotion going on. By the time the girls had recovered, Harry and Dumbledore were also nowhere to be seen.

"We thought we were going to lose him Hermione," Ginny whispered.

"Me too."

"Dad will probably thank you properly once he's got you alone. But I wanted to talk to you on my own."

Hermione looked into Ginny's eyes seriously. "I can't brush it off and say it was nothing. I did what I thought I had to do. The Ministry is useless. The Order couldn't help. Harry is supposed to be in hiding...."

Ginny pulled away some strands of Hermione's hair. "Was it bad... the Death Eaters? How did they treat you?"

"Fine most of the time. They were still just testing me. I made meals, and I cleaned."

"No sex?"

"Only a blowjob."

Ginny made a noise in her throat and pulled her friend in closer. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I didn't think about it at the time, and I'm not dwelling on it now. It's not wise. They aren't men anymore, Ginny. They don't think of sex every three seconds or care if they're living in a shithole, or that they might kill someone if they drink then drive that bloody minibus around."

"Was it awful to live there?"

"I don't know. I was on autopilot the whole time. Stuff didn't matter. The whole time I felt I should be crying for Ron, the situation, and myself sucking on Dolohov's cock. I couldn't cry, not even when I was in bed alone, and they couldn't hear me. Since I've been home, that's all I've wanted to do. I can't speak to my parents or Dumbledore. There is no one who is going to understand what I did and why."

"You can cry here Hermione. Merlin knows, there's been a lot of it going on. Mum cried so much when she heard Ron was safe. She's in with him now. He's not woken up properly yet."

"How is he really?"

Ginny looked at Hermione. "He's not going to be alright for a long time. They're trying to deal with the internal injuries from the beatings and the burns. Mum is so thankful that they didn't touch his face. It's one thing to have your body disfigured, but to lose your face.... The black eyes and the broken cheekbone have all healed, and the cuts and all. In that respect, he's been really lucky."

"Yeah, I suppose. When can I see him?"

"Hold your horses babe. It's just family at the moment; I reckon Mum will let you and Harry in though. Maybe even Dumbledore in a few days."

"Thanks."

"Did you see where Harry went? Mum wanted to thank him too, since he got Ron out," Ginny asked, confused. She looked up and down the corridors for any sign of him. There was none, and she turned to Hermione, who was fingering the windowpane in the door of Ron's room.

"Wasn't he with you a minute ago?" Hermione said, puzzled. "I saw him, I didn't speak to him, because I went straight to you."

"He had only just got here when you came."

"Dumbledore walked up with me. He' probably taken Harry off for one of their talks."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed.

The two women sat in silence for a while. Ginny hadn't seen Ron since their row before his abduction. She had felt incredibly guilty the whole time he was missing. She was so eager to talk to him and make things right. The girl sat on her hands and chewed her lip impatiently; Hermione watched her briefly before starting to pace up and down the corridor. She knew she was being selfish when she wished that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would hurry up and finish with their youngest son so that she could see him.

***

"I wanted to congratulate you on keeping such a calm head when you removed Mr. Weasley from the dungeons."

"Um... thanks."

"Harry...imagine what might have happened if you tried to go back for Miss Granger or to join the fight."

Harry paused. He looked down at a cup of water he had grabbed when he and Dumbledore started their walk around the hospital. "My job was clear. We arranged who would do what."

"You have come a long way Harry."

"That doesn't mean that I was happy to let Hermione stay in that place, or simply to accept that she had to be there for so long to find Ron. I'm not happy that 'coming so far' meant he had to go through that for so long that he could have died. I didn't want to sit there are be useless like I did, yet I knew I had to. You don't know what it's like. They were trying to bait me, I know. But I wanted to do something more than sit on that bloody perch. Do you know how frustrating that is?"

"I understand."

"Understand. Not quite knowing is it?"

"Isn't it better than you dying, Harry? To keep you properly safe until the time is right is to keep you away from danger. The Ministry would have normally dealt with Mr. Weasley's disappearance, but this time, it was Order business. We're going to invite Ronald in as an official member when he is twenty-one."

"Yes, I know you are going to have him in the Order. And you are pleased I just sat on my arse and did nothing?" Harry's temper had calmed enough to ask the question that would give affirmation that he had really done the right thing.

"Yes."

They started to walk back to Ron's ward in silence. Dumbledore then broke the quiet, "Don't think that you failed your friends, because you couldn't be the one who actively saved them. You did have a very important role in the rescue. You've grown up so much, Harry, and saved lives - possibly yours." They didn't talk the rest of the way to Ron's ward.

***

"Harry!" Hermione's squeal rang out inappropriately loud through the corridors. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around him tightly, as if she was afraid to let go. He hugged her back, burying his face in her shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're O.K." he said.

"Me too."

Hermione's eyes started to fill up and leak again. Harry began to rock her slightly saying, "Sh! ... it's all over now - you're safe."

"Ron's not though - is he?" Harry's shoulder tensed at that statement.

"I should have found out where he was and got him on my own," he muttered.

"You what? Did I just risk yours... and my arse for you to tell me that you could have done a better job? I did my best! And I'm sorry if it wasn't all high-powered with loads of drama, but we got Ron out in the end!"

"I didn't mean it like that, Hermione.... Listen to me. You've done something really brave. You showed patience and smashing in and grabbing Ron wouldn't have been the best way. Hermione... you saved lives."

"Dumbledore said that to you didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can't even think about what I did yet Harry. It hasn't sunk in. I haven't done anything - brave or stupid in my head."

"It doesn't sink in with me too - my destiny and stuff."

They sat down on some hard plastic chairs. Harry remembered from his last visit, when he had seen Mr. Weasley with the snakebite that the hospital had charmed the chairs to feel like armchairs. They didn't. Did the chairs sense his discomfort? Could Hermione feel it?

They waited for what felt like hours. Ginny came and sat next to Hermione, her head resting on the older woman's shoulder. Hermione stayed awake, staring at a clock that blured when she became lost in thought. Healers came in and out of Ron's room now and again, no worried looks on their faces, which comforted Hermione, but there was no sign of Mr. or Mrs. Weasley either. Harry stood up and started to pace. Hermione watched him, not really taking it in, trying not to move so much as to disturb Ginny, who was now asleep. Why were things taking this long?

The waiting was driving Hermione nearly mad, and her mind started to fantasise again about what could be happening to Ron. She wasn't sitting for much longer before another healer left the room accompanied by Mr. Weasley.

"Hermione, Harry! How long have you been here? You should have knocked on the door. We've been waiting to speak to you," he said, the words hurriedly spilling out of his mouth. He had grabbed her hands and was still holding them. Hermione looked at Mr. Weasley and felt stupid she that she hadn't knocked. She had thought an interruption might be unwelcome.

"I didn't want to disturb you," Hermione said quietly, looking up into his face. He looked concerned for her, and she smiled overly bright to try to convince him that she was all right.

"You silly girl," he said, pulling her into his arms. "You know you're welcome here. Me and Molly have been waiting for you."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Come on. Let's go see him." He took her hand again and led her into Ron's room. Mrs. Weasley looked up and immediately jumped up to greet Hermione. She enveloped her in another hug.

"Thank you," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. "Thank you for bringing our boy back."

Hermione stepped away and smiled at Molly sadly. "I did what I had to do."

"He's awake now," Mrs. Weasley said after a pause.

"Thanks." Hermione walked cautiously to the bed, where Ron lay. His eyes were shut, and he looked like he was sleeping. He heard her heels slapping against the hard floor, and his eyes opened.

"Hello you," he croaked.

"Hello," Hermione mouthed, sitting down at the chair Mrs. Weasley had previously sat. The chair was still warm, and she was close enough to Ron to hold his hand. Mrs. Weasley slipped out of the room with a knowing smile.

"She's still hoping you know," Ron said with a grin. After the healers treated him for superficial facial injuries and a broken cheekbone, his face looked the same as it had looked a week ago.

"I know. You never know what could happen," she joked, tentatively reaching out to ruffle his hair. She was scared she might hurt him if she touched him. When he didn't yelp in pain, she carried on. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"I missed you more." They giggled together. Abruptly, they stopped laughing, and Ron the looked at Hermione with a serious face. "Why was it you that got me out?"

"I didn't, Harry did."

"But you found where I was."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"The Ministry, as you know, is more useless than ever, you were linked to The Order and they couldn't find out about it. We thought it might be a trap for Harry, so I decided to go instead. Dumbledore didn't know what else to do."

"Am I indebted to you now?" Ron said only half jokingly. Hermione laughed.

"You don't have to be - would you greatly mind it?"

"Not a bit," Ron said gently, with a smile, but then a yawn engulfed it.

"You're tired. I should go now."

"Okay - will I see you later?"

"Without a doubt," Hermione bent down and kissed Ron's forehead. "Just one thing though, Ron - don't those bandages hurt?"

"Nope, they're charmed to feel extra light and have some kind of healing balm that helps with the burns; it helps grow new skin," on recounted what his mother and the nurse had told him with interest. He had never encountered burns like this before, but this seemed like a new treatment.

"Just curious," she said, ruffling his hair again before walking out of the door, opening it nearly into Harry's face who had been hanging around outside. He looked up at her hopefully, and Hermione grinned in response. Harry's face broke into a huge smile, and he squeezed Hermione's hand. As Harry went in, she turned to them both and said she would see them later before walking out of the hospital into the Muggle city centre.

***

Ron would take a long time to physically heal, but the mental healing would take less time, because he had such strong support to help him work things through. He knew that his abduction wasn't personal, and the main thing was that he escaped with his life. After the first day, Ron had thought that his friends had forsaken him and that he was going to die. He wasn't now, and his gratitude towards his friends nearly made him burst. He was injured, but free. He was maybe not quite the same, but alive. He wondered if he could ever do the same for them; he already had in the past, but he decided that he'd do it again without being asked. Turning to Harry who was sitting by his bed, looking out of the window and remembering Hermione's face as she had sat there a few minutes ago, he concluded that life tested their friendship beyond the boundaries, but Harry and Hermione would always pull through for him. To say you would die for someone was frivolous but to risk it again and again, that was true loyalty.

***

Hermione felt she could breathe properly now she had seen Ron and Harry and had left the hospital. Walking through the centre of the city, her pace lagged, and she became unnoticeable as people jostled into her in going about their everyday business. Finding a free bench, she sat down to watch the people and slow things down to a pace she was happy with while she gathered her thoughts.

It was starting to sink in that she could have died, and that her plan, though crazy, had succeeded. Hermione realised how mad she must have been to carry out that plan, but she justified it with the assurance that she had made the right choice - there was no other. Her friends had not given her as much opportunity to fight and prove herself; she had helped them and nudged them along the way, but had never taken credit. She wasn't as eager to prove herself in battle as Harry was, but she had done so now, with minimal sacrifice.

Fin

I'm curious, it seems they should be able to magic physical injuries and cure them with no problems. Is that not the case here, or are there magical problems with Ron's injuries as well?

If Harry isn't coming in you should explain why. He had a part in rescuing Ron and is just as worried.