Love is a Crime

LIAC 4 -- Cursed

I won't go

I won't sleep

I can't breathe

Until you're resting here with me

And I won't leave

And I can't hide

I cannot be

Until you're resting here with me

"Here With Me", Dido

***

What Hermione was going to say Ginny never found out, because Ron cried out Harry's name, and it wasn't a cheer. She stood and looked quickly, only to watch in horror as Harry arched his back, as though in pain, then fell off his broomstick and plummeted towards the ground.

Time seemed to slow down as Hermione, frozen in place by shock and fear, watched Harry as he fell through the air, his body unmoving. She noticed several flashes of blue; people on the ground were attempting to cast cushioning charms to break Harry's fall, but they all bounced off him as if being deflected by some sort of shield. Hermione didn't notice the flash of white underneath him until Harry's fall had been broken by said flash, and with a start she realised that Draco had zoomed in from the other end of the pitch and positioned himself underneath Harry to catch him. Unfortunately, Draco had placed himself at the wrong angle and instead of being able to stop Harry's fall, Draco plunged to the ground beneath him, albeit slower. With little ceremony, both men hit the ground at considerably less speed than Harry would have alone, but neither of them got up again.

It was the pull on her arm that spurred Hermione into action and she raced out of the booth and down the stairs towards the field, Ron, Ginny, Kellie and Arthur hot on her heels. They were allowed to pass and Ginny raced to her husband's side. Draco was being helped up into a sitting position, but he flopped back down again, obviously injured. Hermione heard nothing around her but the sounds of the Healers, always present at any type of Quidditch match, who had beaten her to the field as they talked amongst themselves, with the Healer in Charge barking orders.

Hermione fell to her knees beside Harry after pushing one of the Healers out of the way. Harry was unconscious, unresponsive to commands of 'Ennervate' or other spells designed to rouse him. She took one of his hands in hers, noting how cold his skin was, and rubbed it, trying to bring warmth and life back into him; she looked up and around her, trying to capture someone's gaze, anyone who could tell her what was happening.

"Let's get him to St. Mungo's. Come on, people, move!" The Healer in Charge had ascertained there was little more that could be done for Harry on the Quidditch Pitch and a stretcher appeared out of nowhere. With a flick of her wand, Harry was levitated off the ground and onto the stretcher, then transported off the field, Draco close behind him on a similar piece of equipment.

***

By the time they arrived at St. Mungo's, Harry had already been moved to a private part of the hospital, both for his protection and to keep the swarm of reporters away. Hermione and the others were ushered quietly to the ward where both Harry and Draco were being treated, and they huddled together in a small waiting room. Tears rolled down Ginny's face unabashedly as she stood next to her father, Arthur's arm firmly around her shoulder. Ron and Kellie were holding hands, Kellie calming her husband as he repeatedly ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"What's taking so fucking long? Where are all the Healers in this place?" The anger in Ron's voice made Hermione flinch, and she turned to face him. She tried to reassure him, but no words came out; it was taking everything Hermione had not to throw up or break down in a sobbing mess... or both.

As if Ron had been overheard, a tall, distinguished looking man appeared at the doorway and entered the room with a long, confident stride. "I'm Jonathan Logan, the Healer in Charge."

"It's about time," Ron declared.

"My apologies for the delay; I wanted to make sure the patients were both stable before I left them." The small group gathered around him anxiously and he cut to the chase. "Mr. Malfoy is conscious and is suffering from a mild concussion and a few broken ribs, which have been healed. He's already insisting we release him to the care of his wife." His eyes roamed the small gathering for the wife in question and Ginny stepped forward to introduce herself.

"Can he come home?" she asked.

"I cannot keep him here if he insists, but I would prefer that he stays overnight so we can monitor him, just to be safe. These types of accidents can be tricky."

"Then let's keep him here," Ginny said decisively. "Do you need me to sign something?"

"Yes. I'll have someone fetch it momentarily and we'll formally admit him. You may wish to speak to your husband before we do that, Mrs. Malfoy, as he's--" Here, the tall man paused, obviously wanting to phrase his next words very carefully. "Well, he's not the most co-operative of patients."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ginny snorted with laughter. "Healer Logan, he's a Malfoy." And that was all she said, as if no further explanation was necessary. The answering nod that the man gave her said he understood. "Are you sure he's okay?" she asked anxiously.

"He'll be just fine." The Healer nodded sagely and turned to Hermione, looking at her silently for a few seconds. "As for Mr. Potter..." There was an audible intake of breath. "We have him in stasis at present. He's unconscious and does not appear to be responding to any of the charms and spells we've used in our attempts to wake him, but he is breathing on his own, which is a good sign. We're currently doing a scan of his injuries; he appears to have broken quite a few bones and has sustained some internal damage, but we are healing them as best we can." He paused to take a deep breath and kept his gaze focused on Hermione. "For that reason, I want to keep him in stasis for twenty-four to forty-eight hours until we can find out exactly what's wrong with him and ensure we are treating every injury he has." He reached out and placed a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I understand this must be extremely difficult for you, Miss Granger, but please be reassured we are doing everything we can. Right now, the best we can do is monitor him and continue our attempts to wake him."

Hermione nodded. "I appreciate your efforts, Healer Logan. I assume you'll keep us posted with any news?"

"Of course. I'm about to start some more tests now."

Hermione looked at Logan. "Can I see him?"

"I don't see why not, although you understand you cannot enter the room. There is a viewing window you're welcome to look through. Follow me." The room's occupants trooped silently behind him as he led them a short way down the corridor and around the corner, coming to a standstill and indicating to his left. The small group huddled together, Hermione in the middle with Ron holding her hand, and waited for the black curtain covering the window to be opened.

Nothing could have prepared Hermione for the sight that greeted her when the curtains fell back. There was no light in the room save for dozens of tiny, multi-coloured orbs that surrounded Harry's body, which was suspended in mid-air. He was clothed in some sort of covering that had a translucent quality to it and he lay motionless as the orbs circled around him at varying speeds. His glasses were gone and his skin appeared chalky, a vast contrast to the black of his hair. One of the orbs, red in colour, continuously circled his head, not changing its course or speed. The group watched in silence as a green orb, situated near the base of his right foot, suddenly zoomed across his body and around his chest, then zigzagged up and down until it came back to its starting place. As Hermione's eyes roamed up and down to rest upon Harry's face, she couldn't help but think that he looked dead.

"Oh my God," Ron breathed, and Hermione silently agreed but couldn't muster the strength to actually speak. Instead, she squeezed his hand and willed herself not to fall apart in the middle of the corridor. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out a few times, nausea rising within her.

"I need to see Draco," Ginny said, her voice quiet.

"I think I should head back to the Burrow to fill Molly in," Arthur said.

Kellie put a hand on her father-in-law's arm. "I'll come with you," she said, looking over at Ron. "I want to see Gemma." Ron nodded in understanding; the day's events had shaken them all and they wanted to gather their loved ones and hold them close. He was also mindful of the fact that Hermione's loved one could not be held.

"I'll stay here," he said, kissing his wife. "I'll owl if there's any change."

Kellie paused to caress her husband's cheek, gave Hermione a hug, and then turned to her sister-in-law. "I'll come with you to see Draco before I leave." Ginny nodded dazedly, moving in the general direction of her brother and Hermione for quick hugs. Arthur followed suit, patting his son on the back and kissing Hermione's cheek, and then took Ginny's arm as the trio moved down the corridor.

It was only when Hermione was alone with Ron that she allowed the mask she'd so valiantly held in place to crumble and vanish and she turned to him, her brown eyes blinded with tears.

"Where are his glasses?" she asked. "He can't see properly without them. He's going to want them when he wakes." She turned back to the window, her gaze resting on the hand visible. "He's still wearing his engagement ring. That's good. I thought they might have removed it. I don't think he'd like that, do you? He doesn't like to take it off. We promised we'd never take them off." Hermione was fully aware in some small part of her mind that she was babbling, but as the enormity of the situation was beginning to sink in, she couldn't help it. "Ron, we should--"

"Hermione," Ron murmured, and she stopped talking and looked at him. The look in his eyes was one Hermione would never forget as long as she lived; the abject terror that their best friend may not survive this couldn't be hidden.

"Ron..." she whispered. "Harry."

Ron caught her in his arms before she fell and held her tightly as she cried.

***

Ginny opened the door and stuck her head in, Kellie and Arthur close behind her. Draco was shifting on a bed, an irritable scowl on his face.

"Draco?"

He looked up. "Ginny!"

She entered the room and crossed over to his bed, sitting down and throwing her arms around her husband carefully, mindful of his injuries. "How are you feeling, baby?" she murmured, brushing an errant strand of hair from his face.

He leaned in and kissed her softly, then sat back against his pillows, trying to get comfortable, and gave his sister-in-law a small smile as she came around to the other side of the bed and kissed his cheek. Arthur stood at the end of the bed, watching his son-in-law gravely. "Bloody awful. I can't get comfortable!" Ginny caressed his cheek. "How's Harry?"

Ginny and Kellie exchanged a glance, their faces sobering. Ginny took his hand in hers and squeezed. "We don't know, yet. He's still unconscious and they have him in stasis."

"Stasis? Why?"

Ginny explained what she knew and described Harry's current location in as much detail as her exhausted brain could muster. Once she was done, Arthur and Kellie excused themselves, explaining to Draco that they were headed for the Burrow and would look in on him upon their return. Ginny and Draco waited until the door closed behind them before looking at each other.

"It's bad," Draco said.

Ginny nodded once. "Looks that way. The Healer didn't have many answers and Harry's not responding to anything."

Draco sighed. "How's Hermione doing?"

"You know Hermione. As well as she can be. Ron's with her. I'm sure Mum will come back here with Dad and Kellie, and no doubt Sirius will have heard and be on his way. She's not alone." Draco nodded and pulled the blanket back, shifting his legs up and over the bed. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm getting dressed, I'm going to check on Harry and Hermione, and then I'm going home."

"Oh, no you're not," Ginny said firmly. "Get back into bed now. You're staying here for the night."

Draco stopped and stared at his wife. "I most certainly am not," he said haughtily. "I'm fine, just a few scratches."

"Draco." Ginny's tone was enough to give the recipient pause. "You will get back into that bed and you will not leave it until the Healer says you can."

"Don't tell me what to do, woman. I'm not a child."

Ginny got up off the bed. "Then stop acting like one! You've been hurt, you need to heal. Don't make me hex you."

Draco narrowed his eyes at his wife, not yet willing to give in. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me." Ginny's hands were on her hips and Draco was reminded of how much she looked like her mother in that particular pose.

He tried not to wince as he got off the bed, putting a hand underneath him to steady himself as he rose. "Fine," he said, not really having the energy to argue about it. "But I'm going to see Harry and Hermione and there's not a bloody thing you can do about it."

Ginny allowed him his little victory and smiled as he slipped on some shoes. "Okay, I'll take you to see them. But you're not staying long and then you're coming back to bed. Understood?"

He shuffled around to where she stood and pulled her to him gingerly, then kissed her. "Understood," he answered quietly. "Let's go."

They slowly made their way down to the corridor to where Harry was being treated, and found Ron and Hermione back in the waiting room where the group had been shown to upon their arrival.

"Hermione," Draco said. Her head snapped up and she moved quickly towards him, embracing him as tightly as she dared.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, pulling back to look at him but staying within the confines of his arms.

"Okay. I'm a little sore in places, but nothing that won't heal." He kissed her forehead and released her, then took the hand Ron had extended.

"It's good to see you up and about, mate," Ron said.

Draco nodded. "Any news?"

"No," Hermione said bitterly. "The Healer said he'd come back when he had more news, but we haven't seen hide nor hair of him."

"They're still running tests," Ron interjected softly. "I'm sure he'll be back when he has something to tell us."

"Can I see him?" Draco asked bluntly.

Hermione looked over at Ron, who once again took her hand. "Sure. It's just around the corner."

The solemn quartet trooped around to the viewing window and Draco stood silently as he looked at his former nemesis. Ginny placed a comforting arm around his waist and he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. After a few moments, he turned away, looking behind him to where Hermione stood in the shadows. "He'll be okay."

Hermione nodded, her face a blank mask.

"Hermione!" a highly agitated voice interrupted. They all turned to see two dark, imposing figures thundering down the corridor. Hermione recognized them and started towards them, reaching Sirius first. He caught her up in a bear hug. "We came as soon as we could," he said. "Oh my God, what happened? How's Harry?"

Ron explained to Sirius and Remus what the Healer had told them and they listened impassively, only interrupting with questions they wanted answered. It wasn't until Sirius heard Remus' gasp that he turned to his left and saw his godson floating on air.

"Harry," he said in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

They all stood together and stared at Harry, touching each other reassuringly.

***

Jonathan Logan appeared some time later to give Hermione a brief update. Ginny had long ushered Draco back to bed and Molly had arrived with Arthur, Kellie and Gemma. Sirius and Remus sat in one corner, talking quietly to one another and occasionally throwing a glance Hermione's way. Ron didn't stray far from her side, his silent but strong support bolstering her. Hermione was comforted to have the waiting room full of people she loved and cared about. After giving it much thought and discussing it with Ron and Sirius, she'd rung her parents, who were currently attending an orthodontic convention in New York, to tell them what had happened but had managed to persuade them not to come back immediately, even though they'd offered to get the next flight home. It wasn't as if she didn't want them there, but there would be nothing they could do and she had the rest of her extended family there with her. She assured them she would ring the moment she heard something new and they promised that if the situation got any worse, they would fly home immediately.

Hermione played with Gemma for a few minutes, the baby having crawled over to her godmother for a bit of attention. Seeing Gemma's bright smile brought one of her own to Hermione's face, but it was plainly obvious to anyone that the smile did not reach her eyes. Hermione was becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress and information; as a researcher, she understood that not all answers were readily available as soon as one wanted them, but as a woman in love, she couldn't idly stand by and wait for someone to give her the answers she sought. So, in true Hermione fashion, she decided to take charge.

"Right," she said, standing up with Gemma on her hip. "It's time we started working out how we're going to help Harry. Let's check with someone about some space that I can convert into a mini-office. I'll need someone to retrieve some textbooks, I'll write a list. We'll also need some supplies. I'd love some fresh quills and parchment, but if we can't get them, I'll transfigure what we need." Whatever needed to be done could be done from the hospital. She wasn't going to risk going anywhere in case Harry awoke.

Everyone in the room stopped and stared at her, then looked around at each other. Finally, Ron shrugged. "Fine," he said. "Where do we start?"

***

After being allocated a private suite, which contained several beds and its own bathroom, it took only a few spells to alter its appearance to suit their needs. The beds were moved back against the walls and a large table was set up in the middle, chairs surrounding it, with several texts from Hermione's library both at home and at work having been brought across. Kellie and Molly had gone to Harry and Hermione's house and packed a bag for Hermione with clothes, pyjamas and toiletries; at Ron's urging, they'd also brought a smaller bag for Harry, which Hermione patted absently before placing it away with her own. Hedwig had somehow made her way to the hospital without help and was currently perched on the windowsill, allowing nobody but Hermione to pat her; it appeared she was aware of her master's condition and was upset, too. Crookshanks had been taken to the Burrow and was apparently having great fun chasing gnomes in the backyard.

By the time everything had been set up, it was well past midnight. Gemma had long since fallen asleep on one of the beds. Ginny had come back after Draco had crashed for the night, but she was curled up near her niece, unable to fight her fatigue. Molly and Arthur looked weary, and Remus stifled a yawn. Everyone was tired and hungry, and as Hermione looked at each of them in turn, she felt a wave of guilt sweep over her. They hadn't hesitated to stay, even though they needed to rest. She knew none of them would go unless she told them it was all right to leave.

"Why don't you all go home and get some sleep?" she said quietly. "It's been a long day and I know you all must be tired. So please, go and rest. Sirius, you and Remus can stay at our house, there's plenty of room."

"I'm not leaving you alone," Sirius said.

"There's nothing that can be done now. We can't be of any use to Harry if we don't look after ourselves."

"What about you, Hermione?" he asked, turning it back on her.

"I'm going to get some rest," she assured him. But she averted her gaze as she spoke, not noticing Ron narrowing his eyes at her. "Please, everyone. Go home and sleep. If there's any change during the night, I'll owl you, I promise."

Upon seeing that Hermione was not going to take no for an answer and knowing they would not be able to keep going without rest for much longer, the small crowd got to their feet. Molly and Arthur promised to take care of Crookshanks and return in the morning. Kellie scooped her sleeping daughter up in her arms and Ron gently shook his sister's shoulder to wake her. Ginny rubbed her eyes sleepily and upon hearing Hermione's plea, agreed she would go but told them she would be staying at the hospital with Draco. Remus asked Hermione's permission to peruse her library, which she instantly granted. Ron pulled his wife aside and they spoke in hushed tones; once their conversation was over, Ron kissed Kellie and then pressed his lips to his baby's forehead. Hermione surmised from this that Ron was not planning to leave with Kellie and Gemma, and as much as she wanted to make him go home with his family, a part of her wanted to cry tears of relief that he was staying. She was selfish enough to admit to herself that she needed Ron now, needed him near her. Nobody else could possibly understand what Hermione was currently going through better than him.

Hermione farewelled everyone and they all departed, promising to return early the next morning. She turned away from the door, running a hand through her hair, and blinked as she saw Sirius sitting on one of the lounges. She hadn't noticed he was still there.

"I thought you were going with Remus."

Sirius gazed at her, his face devoid of emotion, and she didn't think she'd seen him look so haunted since he'd escaped from Azkaban. "I'm not leaving my godson," he said in a tone that brooked no refusal. "And I'm not leaving you."

Hermione felt the tears welling up and she finally allowed herself to cry as Sirius gathered her in his arms.

***

After eating the sandwich and drinking the tea Ron insisted she have, Hermione started to flick through the several large, musty tomes stacked neatly in one corner of the room. She wasn't sure exactly what it was she was looking for, but it somehow calmed her to be looking anyway. While there were several spells designed to try and wake someone, none of them had worked on Harry. Perhaps they needed something stronger, and although Hermione trusted the Healers to know what they were doing, she felt better to be doing some research personally.

After an hour or so, her eyes began to close. She fought it. Hermione did not want to sleep; lying on a bed would only remind her that Harry was not there to join her. She had become so used to being near him, curling herself around him or having his body wrapped around hers that the thought of having to sleep alone was painful enough to make her chest hurt.

It was only when she felt herself being lifted that Hermione realised she'd fallen asleep, her head on the table. She tried to talk but her sleep-addled brain couldn't muster the coherence to do so; evidently, Ron had heard her make a noise, because he spoke quietly in her ear. "You need to get a few hours sleep, sweetheart," he said, laying her down on the bed. "I'll wake you if anything changes."

Hermione nodded and finally gave in, allowing sleep to take over.

When she opened her eyes again, she found she was still dressed in the same clothes she'd worn to the game, a blanket draped over her. Both Sirius and Ron were asleep, stretched out on the other beds. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and glanced at her watch. It was quarter past six in the morning; she'd gotten approximately five hours sleep.

Treading carefully so as not to make any noise that might wake the room's other occupants, Hermione left the room and attempted to track down Healer Logan. She was told he was off duty, but the Healer in charge of this shift had checked on Harry twenty minutes previously and there had been no change. After returning to the suite and retrieving the bag Kellie had brought her, she retreated to the bathroom. She hopped in the shower, her aching muscles begging for some relief from the hot water, but Hermione didn't linger too long, as she was once again reminded that Harry wasn't there. She allowed herself a few tears, then wiped them away, determined to face the day with as much strength as she could muster. She had a lot of research to do today and she knew that if she put on a brave face, everyone else would.

Once she was dry, dressed, and relatively presentable, Hermione took her bag back to the room, observing Ron and Sirius silently for a few moments as they slept on, then went to Draco's room to look in on him and Ginny. Ginny was fast asleep, curled up on the large bed, but Draco was awake, standing in front of the window and watching the rain that fell from the grey sky outside. He turned as Hermione's head poked around the door and he waved his hand to usher her outside as he stepped out of the room.

"Good morning," he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

Hermione took his hand and squeezed it briefly. "How are you feeling? How did you sleep?"

Draco moved stiffly on the spot. "I ache in a few places, but I'll be fine. I got enough sleep. How about you?"

"I managed to sleep a little. I was just going to check on you two and grab some coffee."

"Coffee would be great." Together, they walked slowly towards the restaurant that was located on the floor below them. "How's Harry?" Draco asked as they got in the lift.

"No change. I spoke to a Healer who said they're checking him every half hour. There's been absolutely no change since they brought him in." Hermione bit her lip and pushed a stray lock of bushy hair behind her ear. "I looked through some books last night but can't find anything." They got out when the lift halted and shuffled to the restaurant. Grabbing coffee, they found a table and sat. "Problem is," Hermione said quietly, "I don't know exactly what it is I'm looking for."

"And that's what you find most frustrating of all. It's not that you can't help Harry, but that you don't know how to."

Hermione nodded. "If we had even an inkling of what the spell was, we'd know how to counter it."

Draco sipped his coffee, blowing on the top to cool it. "I wish I'd been closer to see exactly what happened. One minute he was zooming around, the next he was falling."

Hermione looked up at Draco for a long moment, waiting until he met her eyes before talking. "I had a feeling, right before it happened," she confided. "That something was wrong." She knew her voice was trembling slightly but she couldn't help it.

Draco's hand came across the table to reach for hers and he wrapped his fingers around hers, squeezing them. "You couldn't have stopped it from happening, Hermione," he said soothingly. "Nobody could have known."

"Well, somebody did!" She said, her anger at the helplessness of the situation getting the better of her. "Somebody did this to him!"

"We'll find out who it was," Draco said evenly.

"And when we do," a new voice interrupted, "I'll kill him." Ron kissed the top of Hermione's head and sat down next to her, smoothing her hair back off her face.

"You won't kill anyone, Ron," Hermione said sensibly, even though she was quite prepared to help Ron with his task. "Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Perhaps not, but it would still make me feel a whole lot better."

"There you are!" Ginny flagged them down and scurried over, kissing Draco and greeting her brother and friend. "I was worried sick when I woke and you weren't there!" She glared at her husband, trying to maintain an annoyed demeanour, but she instantly softened when Draco kissed her again. "How are you feeling, Draco?"

"Stiff and sore. Better than yesterday, at least. Nothing to worry about." He sat there and allowed Ginny to stroke his hair while they shared his coffee.

After some prompting, Hermione filled them in on what she planned to do for the day. Owl colleagues in the UK and overseas who might be able to suggest possible causes for what had happened to Harry; go through some of the textbooks from her private collection to see if there was anything that might suggest a counter curse; and deal with emergencies from work if they arose. Hermione could tell they were aware she was merely aiming to keep herself busy and they offered to help where they could.

"I don't know about any of you, but I'm starving," Ron declared. "I'm getting some breakfast. Who's hungry?"

***

The next few hours were chaotic, with people flitting back and forth like Snitches in the wind. Healer Logan came back on duty and checked in with updates periodically. Auror Simeon Jacobi arrived to speak with Hermione, explaining to her that he and the small team assigned to the case had gone over replays of the match, using special omnioculars that had captured the entire thing, and had found nothing of significance. He also told her that someone had leaked to the media that Harry's fall had been no accident and as a result, they'd received dozens of owls from people claiming to know who was responsible for what happened. He said every owl was being investigated, just in case one turned out to be a lead. After accepting her thanks for the information and promising to keep in touch, he left.

Hermione kept busy, making page after page of small, neat notes. She recorded anything she felt could be of some use, jotted down reminders to herself. She went to look at Harry every half hour or so, standing in front of the window that separated them and willing him to come back to her. He remained motionless, her plea unheeded, and her heart broke a little more every time she saw him.

Everyone was gathered in the suite when a loud alarm started blaring. The room fell silent as they all stopped to listen and a tendril of fear began to unfurl somewhere deep inside Hermione. Something was terribly wrong, and it had to do with --

"Harry," she whimpered. "Oh God."

Racing out of the room, Ron, Sirius and the others close on her heels, she took off like a bat out of hell to the stasis chamber, only to find Healer Logan already inside, clad in the protective silver robe that she knew was worn by Healers attending to patients in stasis. He was surrounded by half a dozen similarly clad wizards, who were talking frantically and waving their wands at the multi-coloured orbs that surrounded Harry. Only they were no longer multi-coloured; instead, they were all glowing a bright red.

Jonathan Logan glanced only briefly at Hermione before going back to work. The orbs had been designed to trigger any change in the patient; the fact they were all red did not bode well, and Hermione knew it.

She was afraid. She couldn't think of a time in her life when she'd felt as much fear as she did at this moment. She hadn't been this afraid when she'd come face-to-face with the troll in first year, nor when she'd been creeping through the halls of Hogwarts, mirror in hand, looking out for the Basilisk in second year. She hadn't been this afraid when travelling down the tunnel with Harry towards the Shrieking Shack at the end of third year, nor when watching Harry face the dragon in the first task in the Triwizard Tournament in fourth year. Memories of everything she, Harry and Ron had faced together flooded her brain but nothing remotely came close to what she was feeling now. The very real fear that she was about to lose Harry forever paralysed her.

Time seemed to come to a standstill as the Healers worked. Hermione couldn't hear anything around her, despite the fact that she was surrounded by her family. She couldn't see anything but Harry, lying there as if he'd been petrified.

She had no idea how long she'd been standing frozen to the spot before the sound of the voice in her ear penetrated through the fog she was in.

"Hermione," it was Ron's voice. "There's nothing we can do here. They'll come talk to us as soon as they're done. Come on, let's go back to the suite." Hermione nodded and tried to move, but her legs weren't getting the signals from her brain. It wasn't until Ron's arm went around her shoulder and he started to tug her away that she could move and her feet automatically started to walk, one in front of the other. When she reached the suite and saw the anxious faces of everyone there, however, her stomach lurched and she bolted to the bathroom where she threw up.

When she was done, Ron was waiting next to her with a towel. Hermione rose with his help and rinsed her mouth out, using the towel to wipe the water off her face. "Ron," she croaked. He pulled his best friend into his arms and held her as she cried. Once she quieted, Hermione washed her face with cold water, patted it dry, and went back outside. Everyone looked at her, varying degrees of concern on their faces. Sirius came over to embrace the woman he loved as a daughter and silence reigned the room for a few minutes, nobody truly sure what they could say to ease the situation.

Finally, Ron stopped pacing and headed for the door. "I can't handle this. I'll go check and see what's happening." He left the room, leaving the door wide open, and returned moments later with Healer Logan right behind him.

Everyone got up and surrounded the Healer, all talking at once. Logan held up a hand for quiet and addressed them all. "The orbs that surround Harry are charmed to activate when his condition alters in any way. The alarm you heard sounded because there was a sudden shift in his heart rate." He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly; the Healers had been in the stasis chamber for a good twenty minutes. "The truth of the matter is, we don't know exactly what's happened. It seems that a curse was cast in addition to the spell that made him fall, but it's only just taken effect."

"You mean like some sort of time delay?" Remus asked.

"Precisely. It appears the curse was meant to remain undetected for a time; it's been exactly twenty-four hours since the first one was cast."

"But what's happening? What has this curse done?" Ron didn't bother to keep the agitation out of his voice.

Healer Logan hesitated, his gaze sweeping the floor. "I'm afraid I don't have good news for you. We haven't been able to pinpoint the curse that has been used, but it appears to be changing the density of his skeleton."

Everyone stared at him with blank looks. "I don't understand," Hermione said desperately. "What exactly are you saying?"

"What I'm saying," he answered, his eyes full of sorrow, "is that his bones are dissolving."

The entire room was silent for a few seconds that seem to stretch into years, and then it exploded in a flurry of gasps and questions being thrown left, right and centre at the Healer, who eventually put up his hand once again to indicate quiet.

Hermione licked her dry lips and struggled to speak. "What--" Her voice came out as a low squeak, so she swallowed and tried again. "What do you mean, his bones are dissolving?" She couldn't keep the horror out of her voice.

Logan rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed. "Let's sit down, so I can explain it properly." Logan led Hermione to the couch, everyone else gathering around them. "Bones have two sets of components: organic and inorganic. The organic components include collagen, which gives the bones flexibility and resistance to breakage, and the inorganic components are the minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.

"What set off the alarm was elevated levels of phosphorus and potassium in his blood, the latter of which affected his heart rate. From what we can ascertain, all of the minerals are being leached from his bones and the collagen is being dissolved. I've never seen anything like it, nor have I heard of it. I've got some of my team going through ancient texts to see if there've been any recorded cases of this before and if so, how to stop it." He looked at Hermione, his face naked with emotion. "Right now, I'm sorry to say, we don't know how to reverse it, or whether indeed whatever has caused this to happen can be halted. But we're doing all we can, Hermione. Whatever this curse is - and that's assuming it is a curse - it's not one that's been used often."

"But what will happen?" Hermione said. "What's going to happen to him?"

"It's hard to say," Logan said frankly. "As it continues on, it appears the bones will continue to be sapped of their minerals while the collagen dissolves. We've got him under close watch and will continue to monitor his condition so we can try and chart out a progression path. Perhaps the curse will simply fade before it becomes irreversible."

"And if it doesn't?" Hermione asked sharply. "If it can't be stopped or reversed, what will happen to him?"

Logan paused here, his face a picture of conflict, but he answered her honestly. "If we can't stop it or reverse it somehow, then Harry will die."

Hermione heard the shocked gasps of the loved ones surrounding her, but all she could do was stare at the Healer and blink rapidly a few times. "Oh my God," she whispered.

"I'm very sorry," Logan said, his voice sincere.

"How long?" Hermione asked, her voice low.

"If deterioration continues on at the same rate with which it seems to be travelling at the moment, I'd say we have forty-eight hours to find a counter."

Forty-eight hours? Two days? She tried to react, but she was frozen in place. I will not fall apart.

"I really should get back to it. I'll keep you posted." Healer Logan rose, patting her hand, and left the room.

Hermione stared blankly after him, trying to wrap her already weary mind around what she'd been told. She hadn't even realised she'd begun to sway slightly, her body responding to the shock, until she felt a solid arm across her back. She didn't need to look to know it was Ron. He rubbed her back comfortingly as she tamped down the urge to throw up again.

Taking a few deep breaths, she spoke. I will not fall apart. I will not fall apart. "There must be something out there," she said firmly, causing everyone to look at her. "There must be a record of this curse and a way to counter it. We just have to find it." She looked at the piles of books stacked haphazardly on the table. "We can start with those."

***

Remus watched as everyone took turns in going through various books and pieces of parchment, looking for something that would help Harry's plight. Nobody had argued in the slightest with Hermione and he realised that she needed to keep her mind occupied, to try and not think too much about what was currently happening to Harry. Remus tried to put himself in Hermione's shoes, but he couldn't imagine what she must be going through. He'd seen them quite a few times since his return to the UK and was left in no doubt that Harry and Hermione were deeply in love with each other and genuinely happy together.

He left the room and went in search of Sirius, finding him exactly in the place he knew he would. "How long have you been standing here?"

Sirius glanced at him briefly, then turned back to Harry. "He's all we have left of them, Remus. He's all we have left of James and Lily."

"I know," Remus said, his voice full of sorrow. He reached over to take Sirius' hand in his, squeezing comfortingly. "It's not over yet."

"What must they think of us?" Sirius' voice was shaky. "They asked us to do just one thing if something happened to them - look after their son. And we couldn't even do that properly."

Remus breathed deeply. Blaming themselves would not help Harry. "It's not our fault he's here, Sirius. We didn't do this. We couldn't have known it would happen."

"That's not the fucking point, Remus!" Sirius shook his hand loose from Remus' grip and turned towards him. "Look at him!" He pointed at finger at his inert godson. "He's dying! He's dying and we're standing here doing absolutely nothing!"

"What can we do?" Remus raised his voice, not in anger, but because he knew it was the only way Sirius would hear him. "What can we do? What would you have me do?"

Sirius faltered and his face relaxed, the anger gone. A few tears rolled down his cheek. "I don't know, Moony. I'm sorry, I just... "

"I know, Padfoot. I know." He put his arms around his only surviving best friend and held him close while Sirius cried, shedding a few tears of his own. He felt the same pain Sirius did, the ache of knowing they could do nothing to stop James and Lily's child from dying. Not unless Hermione could perform a miracle.

Once Sirius had calmed, they took one last look at Harry and went back to the suite, joining in on the flurry of activity happening. Owls arrived in a steady stream, yielding messages of good will and responses to owls Hermione had sent out.

Remus grabbed a book and sat down in one corner, flicking through it absently. Something about this curse made him think; as a member of the Order of the Phoenix and in his travels that spanned across several continents, he'd come across some pretty dark curses in his time. He couldn't help but think he'd heard of this one before, although he was sure it was ancient, dark magic that couldn't be conjured by just anyone.

"I know that face," a voice said in his ear. He turned to Sirius and accepted the cup of tea offered. "You think of something?"

"I can't help but feel like I've heard of this curse before, Sirius," Remus confided in a low voice so as not to be overheard. "I can't remember where or why, but something about it feels familiar." Brown eyes met grey. "I just wish I could remember more. I feel Hermione's right, there is something to be found. The question is, where?"

"I don't know, but I do have a thought." Sirius paused, his eyes scanning the crowd to rest on the blond who sat quietly in one corner, thumbing through a large, dark green book. "If it is dark magic, then it's possible Lucius Malfoy might have known of it."

Remus flicked his gaze over to Malfoy's son. "You think Draco might know something?"

"Unlikely. He'd have said so."

"But?"

"But if he kept any of his father's possessions, he might have something he doesn't know he has."

Remus could see where Sirius's train of thought was heading. "You mean he might actually own a book that would have a counter curse in it?"

"Wouldn't hurt to check, would it?"

"No," Remus breathed. "It wouldn't hurt to check at all."

"Let's not talk to him around Hermione," Sirius said. "I don't want to get her hopes up. We'll have to get Draco out of earshot."

As it turned out, it wasn't hard. Draco had to return to his room to be examined one last time by a Healer and sign his release parchments, so Sirius and Remus followed him as he slipped out of the suite, leaving Ginny behind with a reassurance he'd be back shortly.

When he came out of his room, Sirius and Remus were waiting for him. "What's this, an ambush? What have I done?" he asked, a small smile curling his lips but his eyes wide and alert.

"Nothing, Draco," Sirius hastily assured him. "We wanted to talk to you and we didn't want Hermione overhearing."

Draco's features darkened slightly and he narrowed his eyes at them. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Let's go grab a coffee so we can talk." Sirius steered them to the restaurant where they got coffee and sat.

"What's so important that Hermione couldn't hear it?"

"Did your father ever teach you any dark magic?" Remus asked.

Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I don't see what this has to do with Harry."

"Indulge us," Sirius said. "We need the answer."

Looking at their expressions, Draco realised they were completely serious. While he now trusted Harry, Hermione and Ron, he was still wary of Harry's godfather and their ex-professor. His father had told him many a tale about them and he wasn't altogether sure they were all false. "Yes, I know of some. Why?"

"Does the curse that's been cast on Harry sound at all familiar to you?" Remus asked him, his fingers curled around the mug he held.

"No." Draco shook his head adamantly. "If it had, I'd have said so."

"That's what I thought," Sirius said. "The Manor burned down, didn't it?" Draco merely nodded. "Did you keep any of your father's possessions? Was any of it stored at Gringotts?"

"They had a vault at Gringotts for the most valuable items they didn't want to lose and I did manage to save some of it from the fire. The stuff's still there, as far as I know. I haven't been to it in years." Draco looked at Sirius, then Remus. "Why, you think he had something that might help?"

Remus and Sirius exchanged a glance before the latter answered. "We think that you may possess a book or parchment that contains the curse in it without knowing. If you do have it, then you might also have a counter for it."

Draco eyed them both for a few long moments, then sighed. "I guess it won't hurt to look. We'll need to take Ginny with us, though."

"Why?" Remus asked, eyebrow raised.

"Because I can't access the vault without her."

***

The ride through the tunnels deep below the marbled floors of Gringotts left the four human occupants of the carts slightly woozy by the time they stepped out of them (Draco, who was still not one hundred percent, need a few moments more than the others). The goblin guiding them down waited until they were assembled before shining a light at the door, which appeared to be made of silver. The Malfoy crest was embossed in the middle of the door, dusted lightly in gold and copper. Underneath lay two hand-shaped indents, one bigger and longer than the other.

"Ready, beautiful?" Draco asked softly, and Ginny nodded as she took her place on the right of the door. They looked at each other and then Draco counted to three. At three, they put their right hands up against the door where they fit the indents perfectly.

Sirius and Remus listened in amazement at the sounds of locks turning and sliding back from their bolts; they watched as the heavy door swung open. Draco stiffened involuntarily and Ginny laid a comforting hand on her husband's arm. He gave her a grim smile and led the way inside, the goblin standing guard by the door.

Although Draco had stated that he hadn't been in the vault for many years, it was spotless. There wasn't a skerrick of dirt to be seen anywhere; obviously, Gringotts ensured that the vaults and their contents were kept neat and tidy. Sirius and Remus looked around, taking in the sight of the Malfoy family treasure; there were covered paintings and heavily jewelled ornaments, antique furniture and more than one gilded mirror. A small fortune resided here, but the owner of it glanced around the room as if he were looking at rubbish.

"All the books are kept in the trunk over there," Draco said, pointing to a large brass trunk sitting in a corner. The quartet made their way over and Draco lifted the lid, but not before Remus had noted the "L.G.M" elegantly engraved in the middle. They peered into the trunk to see it filled with tomes of different sizes and thickness. Evidently, the goblins didn't nose around here because a thick layer of dust covered the top books, making Draco sneeze as he lifted one out. "The trunk has an enlarging spell on it, so there's a good couple of hundred in here."

Ginny wrinkled her nose as struggled to pick up a book so large it covered the top half of her body. "How do we know where to look?"

"We don't," Sirius said, grimacing. "We don't even know if there is anything to find."

"But we can look anyway," Remus interjected calmly. "We might get lucky."

Draco took the ancient tome from his wife and put it back in the trunk. "Let's just shrink the trunk and take the entire thing back to the hospital with us. There's more people there, which means we can search through them a lot more quickly than just the four of us can."

"Excellent idea, Draco," Remus said. When the lid of the trunk was shut, Draco cast a shrinking spell and the trunk disappeared before their eyes. Ginny bent over and picked up the shrivelled container, now the size of a small notebook, and popped it in the backpack she'd brought with her.

Hermione was waiting for them when they got back to the hospital. "Hey, where did you lot run off to?" she asked, her eyes darting from one to the other.

"I had an idea," Remus said, "but we wanted to see if anything came of it before we said something."

Sirius picked up the explanation. "Remus thought that Draco might have some books on dark magic that belonged to his father, so we went to the vault at Gringotts."

"Did you find anything?" Hermione's eyes, which showed the weariness she had to be feeling, brightened a little.

"Not sure," Draco said, turning his wife around and pulling the shrunken trunk out of her backpack. "But we brought the trunk with all the books back here to look through."

"Oh," Hermione said, her eyes misty. "That's wonderful, thank you." She stood up from the table and rubbed the back of her neck. "Let's start categorising them so we can decide which ones to go through first."

"How about we go and get something to eat before we start, give you a chance to stretch your legs and rest your eyes for a bit instead?" Remus suggested, and Hermione hesitated before giving him a small nod.

When Sirius checked his timepiece, he saw it was almost six pm. Stifling a yawn, he followed the others to the now-familiar restaurant where they all tucked into some hot food. He watched Hermione carefully as the group ate; she'd showed little emotion since having been told of Harry's condition and he was becoming a bit alarmed by it. Knowing what was happening to the man he'd long considered his son was tearing Sirius up inside; how must Hermione be feeling, watching the man she'd agreed to marry lying in a coma and dying from a curse they may not be able to stop?

Shaking his head, he tried not to go down that black, numbing path and turned back to his dinner.

***

Ron picked up Gemma and kissed her temple as he swung her up onto his hip. He was sending his wife and daughter home for the second night without him; and Kellie, while supportive of what Hermione was going through, was human enough to admit she missed her husband and wanted him to come home with them. Ron had been torn by Kellie's admission; he felt as if he was letting his family down in some way, even though his wife said she understood why he had to stay. And he knew she did understand, but he in turn understood that she wanted him with her. It was a hard situation for all of them, but his worry for Hermione and his quiet streak of loyalty to Harry compelled him to stay. Kellie had brought some clothes and essentials for him when she'd come back to the hospital that morning, but a large part of him wished he didn't need them.

He walked Kellie and Gemma out after they'd farewelled Hermione (Gemma planted a big, sloppy kiss on Hermione's cheek, which had made them all sigh in adoration and Hermione actually smile) and stayed with them until they reached the car park. He put his daughter in her seat, kissing her until she squealed with laughter, then held his wife close for a few long moments.

"I'm sorry I can't come home with you."

"I'm sorry too, love." Kellie pulled back and gave him a lingering kiss. "I wish Harry wasn't here. I wish none of us were going through this. I wish we could do something to help him. I wish you could come home with me."

"That's a lot of wishes," Ron said softly.

"Nothing wrong with wishes," Kellie said, her voice a little sad. "Try and get some rest tonight. Owl me if anything happens, I can leave Gemma with Molly." She kissed him once more. "I love you, Ron."

"I love you too, Kellie. I'll see you in the morning, love." He watched as she got in the car, then waited until they'd driven out of sight with a wave. He was physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted, and all Ron Weasley wanted to do right at that moment was lay down and sleep for a week. Breathing deeply, he mustered as much strength as he could and went back into the hospital.

He headed for the suite, but something made him change direction and go to the stasis chamber where Harry still lay instead. He stood silently for a long time, watching the orbs move around his best friend's body. Ron wondered if Harry was aware, on any level, of what was happening to him. Did he know his body was failing him? That his bones were literally melting into his blood stream? Did Harry know he was dying, that his body's major organs would start to shut down on him? Was he even aware that all of those who loved him were racing against the clock to find a cure to save him? Could he comprehend how much his fiancée was suffering, how much strength the woman who loved him was digging up just to stay sane?

Ron shook his head, clearing these thoughts from his mind as if they were cobwebs on the ceiling. He had to remain confident that they would find something to save Harry and that he would wake up. Because Ron really couldn't contemplate a world without Harry in it. His brain - and his heart - wouldn't let him. He couldn't imagine his life without his best friend, the man he loved as a brother.

"Don't leave us, Harry," Ron said softly, his eyes skimming Harry's form. "Please come back to us. We love you too much to let you go. Do you hear me? We love you."

He wiped away a tear, suddenly wanting to yell at Harry, scream at him to wake up, but knowing it would do no good.

Harry couldn't hear him.

***

Hermione stood alone in the suite. She'd wanted to continue on through the night, even considered taking a potion that would keep her awake, but the others wouldn't let her as such potions were known to cause side effects. Ron and Sirius had gone downstairs in the restaurant to get coffee and a midnight snack, and she'd persuaded everyone else remaining to go home and get some rest. They had all spent hours making a start on the books, but every single wizard in the room had been beyond exhausted, herself included, and it had showed in their faces. As much as she loved all of them for supporting her and Harry, she felt bad that they were all rearranging their lives for her, and she had really craved some time alone to gather her thoughts, perhaps cry a little... or a lot. She'd broken down a few times, but that had only been in front of Ron and Sirius. Everyone knew Hermione Granger was a strong woman, but few knew that Harry was the one who'd given her a lot of that strength; even before they'd gotten together, he'd always been in the background, quietly supporting and encouraging her when she'd needed it.

And now, Hermione realised with no small amount of irony, she needed Harry desperately. She needed him to tell her exactly how she was supposed to go through this horrible ordeal, watching him as he lay dying. Because Healer Logan had spelled it out so there was no mistake; if a counter to the curse cast upon Harry could not be found, he would die.

The thought of living in a world without Harry was enough to make Hermione's eyes water, so she rose and went over to the open window where Hedwig sat on the sill. The owl hooted softly as Hermione approached and she couldn't help but think it sounded almost mournful. Hedwig had always been very protective of her master and Hermione knew the owl could sense something was terribly wrong with him. Hermione gently stroked her feathers, finding the action as soothing as Hedwig did. "He'll be okay, Hedwig," she said softly, breathing in the cold night air. "He'll be okay. We'll find the counter curse." But even as she said the words, tears began to pour down her face and her legs gave out from underneath her. Hermione sank to the floor and let all her pent-up emotions out; when she was able to pull herself up again, she stumbled over to the nearest bed and curled up in a ball, trying unsuccessfully to forget that Harry wasn't there to lie next to her.

***

Early the next morning, Hermione rose and went to check on Harry. She noted Sirius was still sleeping, but Ron's bed was empty. She surmised he'd gone to grab some breakfast, but she found him with Harry instead. Ron was standing in front of the window, a picture of quiet solitude. She stepped back, not wanting to impose on the moment and wondering how long he'd been there. Studying his face, a face she knew as well as her own after playing the role of his best friend for almost twenty years, Hermione could see the naked anguish that resided there. Ron had been very stoic since the accident, bar a few outbursts of the temper for which he was so well known, but Hermione knew this was hurting Ron too. Ron had been the first real friend Harry had ever had, and although they'd had their fair share of skirmishes over the years, they loved each other like brothers. If she or Harry were hurting, so was Ron.

She quietly sidled up to him and slipped her arms around his waist, resting her forehead against his back as he jumped, startled.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," he said a little breathlessly. "What are you doing sneaking up on people? Mental, you are." His voice, however, held no rancor and Hermione came around to his side, allowing Ron to place his arm around her shoulders.

"You're here early," she said in lieu of greeting.

Ron kissed her temple. "Thought you could use the sleep, and I..." Here he stopped, his brown eyes firmly trained on the man they both loved in their own way. He cleared his throat before continuing on. "I thought Harry might want some company."

Hermione didn't miss the wavering of his voice and she didn't hesitate to hold him more tightly. Just as he'd been giving her strength, she too would bolster him. "We have to believe he'll make it, Ron," she said. "We have to be his hope and his faith. He won't leave us."

"No, he won't. He loves you too much for that."

"He loves you, too."

Ron looked down at Hermione and somehow she felt her words were a benediction to his ears. "He'll be okay," he said firmly, although she wondered if he was talking to her or himself.

"Let's go get some breakfast and then we'll get started on those books." Grasping his hand tightly, Hermione led Ron away as they faced yet another day without Harry.

***

The roomful of people worked through the day, pouring over dozens and dozens of books. Hermione set up a spell that allowed their quills to go through each book and find the keyword "bone", so each person only had to look when the quill stopped. This allowed them to go through the stacks of tomes more quickly than they could have scanned by sight, but there were so many books that had belonged to Lucius Malfoy that they were still going at dinnertime.

It was in the late evening of the second day after Harry's accident that Ginny jumped off her chair with a start, knocking it over. "Oh my God!" she cried. "I think I found it!"

Weary but excited gasps abounded as the rest of the room's occupants got up and crowded around her, looking at the page to which she pointed. Hermione scanned the page as quickly as her eyes would allow and it seemed Ginny was correct... on the page was an ancient spell once used in battle which condemned one's opponent to a slow death. Reading over the description, Hermione was as sure as Ginny that this was the curse that had been cast on Harry.

"Oh, Gin!" she said, hugging her friend tightly. Ginny hugged her back and released her as they examined the Ossementum Curse carefully. On the page opposite was the counter; a potion that could be brewed and administered to the unfortunate recipient.

Hermione studied the ingredients of the potion carefully. Her heart sank as she ran a finger down the rather extensive list of some thirty ingredients. She knew a few of them were extremely rare and hard to get.

Taking a deep breath, she once again slipped into Team Leader mode. "Okay," she said, picking up her quill and waving her hand over it, watching as it began to make a perfect copy of the list of ingredients onto the parchment she laid next to the book. Once it had finished its transcription, she went down the list methodically. The room was silent as Hermione's brain kicked into gear. They all watched as she made a second copy and held it out in front of her without looking up. "Can someone please go and show this to Healer Logan and see how many of these he keeps here at the hospital?"

Sirius reached out and took it, disappearing quickly. While he was gone, Hermione continued.

"I know we have a lot of this at PGW, so I'll owl Elias to bring them and the equipment we'll need to brew this potion down here immediately." She ticked those ingredients that PGW heralded. Once she was done, she spread the parchment out for everyone to see. "Once we find out what the hospital has, we'll tick them off and see what's left."

Sirius returned ten minutes later, his face grim. "He only has seven ingredients here on hand," he said, giving the parchment to Hermione, who ticked them off her list.

"Anyone know where we can get our hands on any of the others at short notice?"

"I've got some faery dust at home," Ginny said. "I use it for my weddings sometimes."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Great, thanks Gin." She ticked it off and looked around anxiously at the others, her mind clinically scanning the list of suppliers PGW used to provide the ingredients they needed. Perhaps some of them could help her out now.

"Snape should have all but one of these, I'm sure," Draco cut in, his expression thoughtful. "He had a small chamber adjacent to his office in which he stored the ingredients he used when experimenting." Ron raised his eyebrows at his brother-in-law, who chose to ignore him. "I'd been in there a few time to fetch things for him."

Hermione nodded. "Do you think he would give us what we need?" Draco hesitated to respond, giving Hermione the answer she needed.

"Don't worry about Snape." This was Sirius, speaking for the first time since they'd found the potion. "I'll pay him a visit and get what we need."

Hermione didn't really want to think about what Sirius might have to do to extract said ingredients from Severus Snape, so she merely nodded and ticked off those that Draco pointed out to her. By the time they were done, there was only one ingredient left to obtain.

Hermione's eyes scanned the five words over and over, slumping into a nearby chair. "Where the hell are we going to get three drops of vampire's blood from?"

The room fell silent, everyone looking at each other blankly. Vampire's blood had long been banned as an ingredient and it was illegal for any Apothecary to sell it, although if one had the money, it could be obtained. But while they didn't lack the money, they lacked something else -- time. They now had less than twenty-four hours to obtain the blood or the potion would be rendered useless.

Draco let out a long, weary sigh. "I'll get the blood. I'll have to be gone for a few hours." Hermione watched as Ginny's head whipped up to look at her husband; she surmised Ginny was just as surprised as she was. Draco took Ginny aside out of earshot and talked, obviously explaining where he was getting it from, and at one stage Ginny shook her head, worry plainly etched on her face. Draco reached up and cupped her face in his hands, saying something that made Ginny relax, and then leaned in and kissed her, his thumbs running over her cheeks gently. This tender gesture made Hermione's heart ache; she couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever be able to kiss Harry again.

Swallowing back her tears, she got up and stretched, every muscle in her body protesting at the movement. Once Draco and Ginny rejoined the group, she spoke. "Right, Sirius, if you want to go and see Snape, we'll go get the vampire's blood."

Draco looked pointedly at Hermione. "We?"

"I'm coming with you."

"That's not necessary."

"Maybe not, but I'm coming anyway." She met his gaze and hoped that her unspoken please was clear. She needed to go with him and she only hoped he could understand why. This was the final key to making the potion that would save Harry and being able to corral all the ingredients was helping to keep her sane at the moment. The four walls of the room she'd been living in for the past forty-eight hours seemed to be closing in on her, and while Hermione was an extremely bright witch, she was also a woman who was going through one of the toughest times of her life.

Fortunately, Draco did seem to understand, because he just nodded in acquiescence. "Fine, you can come with me. But we'll have to get moving because we need to go out of the country to get it. Have you got a warm cloak?"

Hermione nodded. "Ron, send Hedwig if you need to. She'll find us. We'll be back as soon as we can." There was a flurry of exchanged kisses, hugs, and promises to stay in touch. Sirius and Ginny walked out with Draco and Hermione, and the four of them made their way to the nearest Apparition point. The night was cold and wet, rain drizzling from the black sky. Hermione tucked her cloak around her for warmth, glad she'd had the forethought to put on one of Harry's turtlenecks and a pair of slacks.

Once they arrived, the group separated. After promising Hermione not to inflict bodily harm on Snape, Sirius kissed her cheek, shook Draco's hand and disappeared. Draco and Ginny, the latter of whom was returning home to get the faery dust, kissed goodbye, Draco promising his wife that they'd be careful. Ginny embraced Hermione tightly and Disapparated.

Once they were alone, Draco told her where to Apparate to. "Ready?"

Hermione nodded. "See you there."

***

Hermione stepped out of the Portkey lounge and stood still for a moment, trying to quell the dizziness she felt. Portkey over long distances always made one feel a little displaced for a good ten minutes or so. Had they had the time, they might have chosen a different method of travel, but Portkey had been the best option to get them here quickly.

Here was the city of Prague, located in the Czech Republic. Hermione had never visited Prague before and she wished the circumstances for her visit had been different, for she would have liked to explore the city. But for now, she had to content herself with following Draco as he led her through a maze of streets. There were very few people about; Prague was an hour ahead of London, so the streets were seemingly abandoned. While it wasn't raining here as it was in London, the wind was loud and chilly, slicing right through Hermione like an icy knife, despite the cloak being charmed to keep her warm. She hoped that wherever they were going, it wasn't far.

"You okay?" Draco asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

Hermione nodded and clutched his hand tightly. "Is it far?" she asked, her teeth chattering slightly.

"Our final destination is not in the city, but we're not far from where we need to be right now." Draco's response was somewhat cryptic, but Hermione was just too cold and tired to push for further information. Instead, she followed him over cobblestoned streets, concentrating on not slipping over.

They walked for about ten minutes, passing no more than a handful of strangers, until they reached a pitch-black laneway. Draco looked around surreptitiously, then tugged on Hermione's hand and started to pull her into the darkness.

Hermione resisted, making Draco stop. "Where are we going? I can't see anything!"

"We're almost there," Draco explained. "There's a carriage just through here."

"A carriage? What sort of carriage?"

"Can I answer the questions later? We have to keep moving, Hermione." Here he paused, meeting her eyes, which were only visible to him thanks to a street lamp overhead. "Do you trust me?"

Hermione's breath caught in her throat; there was a time in which her answer would have been sorely different to the one she gave now. "Yes."

Draco's gaze didn't waver, although Hermione detected what she thought might be a small measure of relief. "Good. Now let's go."

Hermione allowed Draco to pull her into the alleyway and held her breath as the darkness swallowed them.

***

Sirius wasn't able to Apparate into Hogwarts, so he arrived in Hogsmeade and got a carriage to the school gates. He knew his visit would not remain undetected, so he made his way to Dumbledore's office, the location of which he was still familiar with after all these years. Sirius was unsurprised to find Dumbledore had more or less been expecting him, and after he explained the purpose of his visit and gave the headmaster an update on Harry's condition, Dumbledore led him to Snape's quarters. After explaining why Sirius was there, Dumbledore left them alone.

Sirius watched as Snape eyed him warily. He hadn't seen his former nemesis in a very long time and somehow he wasn't surprised to find that Snape hadn't changed all that much. Of course, he was older; his black hair was longer but still greasy (the latter of which made Sirius want to snicker), and he seemed to have maintained his somewhat dour disposition. Sirius had been made aware of his treatment of Harry during his godson's school years and that thought alone made Sirius want to take a satisfying swing at the long, hooked nose in front of him. But for Harry's sake, he took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

"Dumbledore's explained to you why I'm here, Snape. I understand you have these ingredients that we need to make the potion for Harry, and I would appreciate it if you could gather them quickly so I could leave."

Snape was silent, in no way acknowledging that he'd even heard what Sirius had said. Finally, he spoke, his dark eyes narrowed with distrust. "What makes you think," he sibilated, "that I feel in any way inclined to help him, or you for that matter?"

Sirius glared at him dangerously, all pretence at civility dropped. "Listen here, Snivellus," he spat back. "It's not an option. If you have these ingredients, you will hand them over."

"You can't make me do anything, mongrel," Snape hissed. "So why don't you crawl back into the hole from which you came?"

Without warning, Sirius had Snape pinned to the nearest wall, wand under his chin. "Don't tempt me," Sirius whispered. "You know I'll do it."

Snape smiled smugly. "Not if you want my help, you won't. Take your hands off me now."

Reluctantly, Sirius let him go, but kept the wand out and visible. He reached into his robe and pulled out a piece of parchment, the list of the ingredients they needed from Snape. He struggled to control his temper and put the parchment down on the table next to him, pushing it towards Snape. Taking a few shaky breaths, he spoke. "Stop punishing the son for the sins of the father, Snape," he said. "Harry never did anything to you. He is lying in that hospital, slowly dying, and if you can help him, you will. I'm not leaving until I get what I came for and if Harry dies because you won't move past the prejudice you hold against him, I will make your life a living hell and that's a promise." He kept his gaze steady and unwavering. "I'm very good at keeping my promises, Snape. So what's it to be?"

Sirius could see the struggle in Snape's eyes; he knew the Potions Master dearly wanted to tell Sirius where he could stick his wand, but he also knew that Sirius would keep his word. Snape snatched up the parchment and scanned it. Without a word, he disappeared out the door and down the long corridor that led to his office. Not once did Snape look over his shoulder to check if Sirius was following him, but Sirius made sure to stay close on his heels. When they arrived at Snape's office, Sirius stood in the middle of the room while Snape went into the chamber that held the ingredients. Time seemed to drag as Sirius waited and finally Snape returned, even though Sirius was sure he'd been gone for no longer than ten minutes. In his hand was a leather satchel, bulging with the contents of Sirius' list. He placed it on the table and front of Sirius.

"Now get out and don't come back." Snape crossed his arms over his chest.

"Is everything here? In the right measures?"

"Yes."

Sirius opened the satchel and saw about a dozen ingredients in pouches and vials. It looked to be everything on the list, but what if he'd purposely mixed up one or two of the ingredients so the potion wouldn't work?

"You better not have fucked up the ingredients, Snape," Sirius said in a threatening tone. "If this potion doesn't work because you've purposely switched something, I'll come back and kill you myself. And that's another promise."

"It's all there. Malfoy can verify it. Get out."

Sirius gathered up the satchel close to his chest, not seeing any reason to linger. He got to the doorway of the office and stopped, but didn't turn around. He could feel Snape's eyes boring down on the back of his head. "Thank you," he said quietly, so quietly that perhaps Snape hadn't heard but, but he didn't hang around for a response.

***

True to his word, there was indeed a carriage waiting for them down the laneway. The small area was brightly lit with ten lanterns that hovered in the air. Hermione took a few seconds to examine the carriage carefully; it was just beautiful. It appeared to be made of a dark wood, although Hermione couldn't quite make out the colour, and trimmed liberally with gold. Obviously, whoever owned this wasn't short of a few galleons. However, unlike the carriages that Hermione had seen in fairy tales from she was younger, there were no regal white horses to pull it. In fact, there was nothing to pull it.

"Where are the horses?"

Draco gave her a small smile. "There are no horses."

"Unicorns, then?"

"Nothing. This carriage will move on its own. It only ever has one destination and that's where we're headed. So hop in, it's freezing out here." He opened the door to the carriage and gave her a hand while she climbed in. Once they were both securely inside, the carriage lurched forward and began to move.

"Is it enchanted?" Hermione asked, her eyes raking over the inside of the carriage, which was lined with scarlet satin. She knew it must have been, because the inside was big enough to seat at least ten people; she could easily lie down on the seat next to Draco. Opposite them was a trunk, and out of the innate curiosity that she'd possessed since childhood, she got down on her knees in front of it and flipped the lid open. To her astonishment, it was laden with food, wine and blankets. Everything they needed to make the journey comfortable.

She got back up on the seat without taking anything. "Where exactly are we going, then?"

"We're paying a visit to an old family friend."

"And they have vampire blood?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Hermione turned her head to look at Draco, who had been watching her the whole time. "What do you mean, in a manner of speaking? Does this person have a supply of the blood or not?"

"Yes, she does have a supply of it. About twelve pints worth."

Hermione digested this information and suddenly it all fell into place. "Do you mean that she is a vampire?" she gasped.

Draco just smiled in response. "I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later. Once a clever witch, always a clever witch."

Hermione knew that if she wasn't so tired and emotional right now, she'd be rather excited about meeting a real vampire, but found she simply couldn't muster the energy. "How long will it take to reach her house?"

"Castle," he corrected. "About an hour. Why don't you grab a blanket and lie down? I'll wake you when we're getting close." Hermione shook her head, but her fatigue was plainly obvious. "It's going to be a long night, Hermione," Draco pointed out. "You look exhausted."

"Thank you."

"You can't deny it."

"No, I guess I can't." Hermione sighed and took a blanket out of the trunk, then sat back next to Draco and pulled the curtain back to gaze out the window, although all she could see were a few stars. "What if..." she trailed off, finding it difficult to voice the words. "What if this potion doesn't work, Draco? What if we can't save him?" She turned to look at him, searching for answers she knew he couldn't possibly have.

"Then we pick up the pieces and deal with it as best we can."

Hermione didn't respond. She knew that Draco would be the one to give her an honest, pragmatic answer, even if it wasn't one she wanted to hear. Draco was no stranger to the loss of a loved one; she knew he'd spent a long time alone with no one there for him following the death of his parents. Hermione would be much better off than he was, surrounded by a bevy of people who loved her and would help her through it. Still, she didn't want to think about a life without Harry when there was a good chance they could save him, so she pushed it from her mind and stretched out on the elongated seat. Without asking, Hermione rested her head on Draco's leg, using him for a pillow, and fell asleep to the soothing commotion of him gently stroking her hair.

It seemed as if she'd only just closed her eyes when Draco shook her shoulder. "We're almost there, Hermione," he said quietly. Hermione opened her eyes and stood up carefully, stretching and yawning. Once she'd gotten rid of the kinks, she sat back down again and looked out the window.

What she saw made her gasp. The carriage was the bottom of a path that winded its way up a steep hill. At the top of the hill was a magnificent castle; while resplendent, it looked dark and foreboding. Castles such as this one were apparently where Muggles had gotten their ideas for vampire stories.

They were soon deposited at the top near the entrance and Hermione took the hand Draco offered while stepping out of the carriage. A set of doors marked the entry, a huge brass goblin's head on the front to obtain access. But before Draco could knock, the door swung open, revealing a tall, white-haired man dressed in what appeared to be a butler's uniform from centuries ago.

"The mistress is expecting you," he said. Without waiting to see if they were following, he turned around and started up one of two spiral staircases that framed the foyer. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling; the furniture that lined the walls appeared to be made from a heavy wood, and Hermione was willing to bet it was antique; and paintings framed in gold hung from the walls. However, as interesting as Hermione found it all, she really just wanted to meet this vampire, get what she came for, and go back to Harry. For even though she couldn't touch him, being two steps away from him was a lot more comforting than being in another country.

She was already waiting for them when they entered the parlor. Hermione had never thought she'd ever meet anyone who had hair a whiter shade of blonde than Draco, but it was the first thing she noticed about their host. She carried herself regally, her long hair swept up tightly into a bun. Her skin was like porcelain, her eyes a very pale blue. Not a blemish, scar or freckle could be seen; her face was flawless.

"Mariska," Draco said in greeting, holding out his hands. Mariska's eyes appeared to become wider as she drank in the sight of the wizard she had known since he was a small boy.

"Draco!" She moved gracefully to his side and embraced him tightly, the smile on her face genuine. "It's been so long." Hermione noted that her accent sounded Eastern European, possibly Russian, but she couldn't be sure.

"Too long," Draco said softly. "I'm sorry I haven't paid you a visit sooner."

"Do not trouble yourself," Mariska answered, taking his hands in hers and holding them out in front of her. "My, my. What a handsome man you've become."

If Malfoys blushed, Hermione thought, Draco would have been positively red-cheeked with that comment. "You still look as beautiful as you did last time I saw you."

"Considering I don't age, that's not hard," Mariska commented wryly, and Hermione decided she rather liked this particular vampire. Mariska kept hold of one of Draco's hands and turned towards Hermione. "I don't believe we've met."

"Oh, my apologies," Draco said smoothly. "Mariska, this is my friend Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is Lady Mariska Ivanovich."

Mariska held out her hand for Hermione to shake. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Hermione. It's not often I have company."

"It's nice to meet you too, Lady Ivanovich."

"It's Mariska, please."

"Hermione." The two women smiled at each other. "You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you. It is rather big for just one person, though. Two if you count Quinn."

As if he knew he was being spoken about, Quinn the butler appeared from nowhere, carrying a tray laden with tea and biscuits. "Can I get you anything else, my lady?"

"No, thank you Quinn," Mariska answered, waving a hand at the lounge to indicate for Draco and Hermione to sit. "I'll see our guests out. Good night."

"Good night, my lady." He turned to the new arrivals. "Sir, Madam."

Draco and Hermione bid him a goodnight, and he left as swiftly as he'd arrived. Mariska poured them all a cup of tea and Draco helped himself to a biscuit. "How is your wife?"

"She's fine. She had to remain in England, but she's sorry she couldn't come with me."

"What a shame, it's been so long since I've seen her. Smart witch you have there, Draco."

"She's wonderful." A few seconds of silence passed, Hermione trying to decide how best to broach the subject without appearing rude. Fortunately, Mariska did it for her.

"Now, as pleased as I am by your arrival, I daresay you're not just here to pay me a long overdue visit." Mariska was unlike any aristocrat Hermione had ever met; she felt quite comfortable sitting opposite them in an ornate, high-backed chair and kicked off her shoes, curling her feet up under her voluminous skirts.

Draco sipped his tea and smiled at Mariska over the rim of his cup. "You're right, as always."

"You need something from me?"

Draco paused, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Hermione knew he felt awful having to ask such a huge favour from his friend when he'd neglected to visit for so long, so she decided to ease that particular burden from him.

"It's actually me who needs something, Mariska."

Mariska raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "How can I help you?"

"My fiance has had a dark curse cast on him. The only way we can break it is to brew a potion--"

"And you need vampire's blood to make it," Mariska interjected softly.

"Yes. Please believe me when I say I do feel awful having to impose such a thing upon you, but we only have a small window of time open to make this potion."

Mariska studied her guests and tilted her head thoughtfully. "Which curse?"

"The Ossementum Curse."

Hermione hadn't thought it possible that Mariska could have looked any paler than she already did, but Hermione could see the surprise on Mariska's face.

"That is one of the nastiest curses ever known to wizardkind. Do you know who has cast it? Does your fiance have any enemies?"

"Surely you've heard of Harry Potter, Mariska," Draco said quietly.

"Harry Potter? The Boy Who Lived?" Draco nodded. "But Voldemort has long been vanquished, has he not?"

"We don't believe it has anything to do with Voldemort."

"Then who?"

"We don't know," Hermione said, fighting to keep the anger out of her voice. She had no right to be angry with the only woman who could help them, but she was tired and growing impatient. "We have Aurors looking into it, but our priority is Harry right now."

"Yes, of course." Mariska rose to her feet, Draco and Hermione also getting up. "How much do you need?"

"Three drops."

"I won't be long." Mariska left the room and, true to her word, came back a few minutes later, holding a long, slender blue vial. "There are nine drops in here, just in case." She held it out to Hermione, who took it from her with heartfelt thanks.

"Thank you, Mariska," Draco said. "I didn't know who else to ask."

"You can always come to me, Draco, you know that," Mariska chided softly. "Do come and see me again soon, and bring your lovely wife with you."

"I will, I promise." Draco embraced his old friend, holding her tightly, and she kissed both his cheeks before letting him go.

"You are also welcome in my home anytime, Hermione. I should very much like to discuss many subjects with you. Bring your Harry, of course."

Hermione shook the vampire's hand. "Thank you again for being so gracious, Mariska. We appreciate it."

"I'm happy to help. I hope you're able to lift the curse. Draco, owl me and let me know."

"I will." He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, then took Hermione's hand and followed Mariska as she led them to the front door. Once they were safely in the carriage, Mariska waved goodbye and watched as the carriage rolled down the winding hill, leaving her alone once again.

***

They made it back to the Portkey lounge, vial safely tucked away in Hermione's cloak, and Portkeyed back to England. Once they'd both taken a few minutes to get their bearings, they Apparated to the point nearest the hospital and rushed back.

It was almost 2am when they got to the suite where the potion was to be brewed and Hermione was surprised to find the potion had already been started. Remus currently stood over a large gold cauldron, moving his finger over the top to control the large wooden spoon that was stirring slowly, as Sirius hovered over the ingredients while Ginny read aloud from the book.

"What's going on?"

The room's occupants looked up and Ron came over to kiss Hermione's cheek. "We don't need the vampire blood until last, so we thought we'd get started on the potion to save time."

Hermione wanted to smack herself for not having thought to check that. "I didn't even think of that," she groaned.

"I think, under the circumstances, we can forgive you." Sirius smiled at her.

"How did it go with Snape?"

"I got what we needed."

"Without hurting him in any way?"

Sirius huffed. "I gave you my word, didn't I?"

"That doesn't mean you didn't do something to him."

"I promise you, not one hair on his greasy head has been harmed."

Remus smiled at Sirius' comment and then his face became serious. "Did you get the blood?"

"Oh!" Hermione reached into her cloak and carefully took out the blue vial. "Yes. There's nine drops in it."

"Excellent. This needs another fifteen minutes and then we can add it."

"Let's go get some coffee," Ron said, taking Hermione's hand. "Draco, you want one?"

"Please." Nobody made a move to go with them, and Hermione saw Remus and Sirius exchange glances while Ginny looked at her thoughtfully. Something was going on. However, she let Ron lead her to the restaurant without question. He bought two coffees, telling Hermione he'd grab one for Draco on the way out, and then led her over to a table in the far corner where they wouldn't necessarily be spotted.

Hermione sat down opposite Ron and took a sip, then waited. The very tips of Ron's ears went a little red and he fidgeted in his seat, which Hermione knew was a sign that he didn't quite know how to broach something. After watching him for a few moments, she took pity on him.

"Did you want to talk to me about something, Ron?"

Ron took a large mouthful of coffee for courage and nodded. "Yes, Hermione. I do. I just--" He took a deep breath and continued on. "Sweetie, you do realise that this potion may not work? That we might not be able to stop the curse?"

Hermione nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm aware of that. Even if we hadn't made the deadline, you could still administer the potion. There's been cases where a counter potion has still been effective."

"I know that. But there is a possibility the potion may not work, even if we've followed it to the letter. Nothing is ever one hundred percent guaranteed with ancient dark curses like this one."

"What are you trying to say, Ron? I'm not sure I understand." Hermione was trying to follow her best friend's words logically, but she was coming up blank.

"I'm trying to say that I think you should be prepared for the possibility that Harry might die."

The two friends stared at each other, pain and hurt mirrored in both sets of brown eyes. "I know," Hermione finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You think it's something I don't know? That it's not at the back of my mind every second? You think I haven't thought of the possibility that he might make me his widow before I become his wife?" Saying the words she'd long confined to her private thoughts hurt Hermione in a way she could never have described; her chest began to ache and her body felt heavy. "You think that when I sleep I don't see visions of what my life would be like without him? It haunts me even when I sleep." She felt something warm slide down her cheek and she made no attempt to brush it away. "But I have to believe he'll make it, Ron. Because if I let myself believe we'll lose him, then I'll go insane."

Ron got out of his chair and knelt down in front of Hermione, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder while she cried. "I'm so scared," she said shakily. "I'm so afraid of losing him."

"I know, love," Ron said, his voice husky. "We all are."

***

By the time they returned to the suite, the blood was ready to be added to the potion, the final ingredient. Once it was stirred in, the potion had to be brewed for another hour before it could be administered.

"We thought you might want to add it," Sirius said, handing her the vial. She took it gratefully and lifted the stopper, then very carefully added three drops of blood. The potion hissed as each drop fell into it; Remus stirred the mixture exactly seven times as instructed by the book and then they left it to brew.

Once the hour was up, the healing team from the hospital, who'd been kept appraised of the situation and had been standing by, took the cauldron away to prepare it. Once it was ready to go, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Draco, Sirius and Remus stood outside Harry's room, looking through the glass. Healer Logan, who'd come in especially to oversee the administration of the potion, came and stood with them as he explained what was to happen.

"If you look above Harry's head, you'll see the potion hovering over him, covering the length of his body. On my signal, the potion will start to fall on him, rather like raindrops. As it hits his skin, it will be absorbed into the bloodstream where hopefully it will begin to repair the internal damage. The whole process will take an hour, as we must carefully measure the number of drops that are absorbed at any one time. If we try to give him the entire potion at once, his body will reject it. Now watch." Logan gave the signal; they watched as small drops began to form and trickle downwards to Harry's body. It looked like Harry was caught in the rain as the potion fell steadily.

"That's amazing," Ginny breathed.

"Isn't it?" Logan smiled and patted Hermione's hand. "There's nothing more any of you can do now, so why don't you go rest? It's after three. We won't know for twelve hours whether it's taken or not."

"We will. Thank you for everything, Healer Logan," Hermione said.

"I think you should be thanking yourselves, actually, since you did all the hard work."

He bid them all farewell and they wandered back in pairs to the suite. They talked for a little while, then Hermione told Draco and Ginny, and Sirius and Remus to go home and sleep. Everyone was just exhausted and it was showing. After promising to return in the morning, they made their goodbyes and went home, leaving Ron and Hermione alone.

"Why don't you go, Ron," Hermione said. "There's nothing more than can be done here."

Ron pretended to ponder it for a moment before answering. "No." He flopped onto one of the beds and was joined by Hermione seconds later. He stroked her hair gently, fighting to keep his eyes open. "And now we wait?"

"And now, we wait." Hermione clasped one of Ron's hands in both of hers. "Thank you," she whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He kissed her forehead and they smiled at each other, then closed their eyes as they began their wait to see if all their efforts would save the man they both loved.

***

Thanks: Firstly, thanks must go to my awesome trio of betas, who all got this chapter back to me within twenty-four hours of receiving it. Melissa, Sue and Libbie, you rock. Thank you for all your help.

Thanks also to Lori, who played scientist for me and walked me through the structure of bones, and how removing certain elements would affect a skeleton.

Thanks to Bob and Mrs. Bob for their input on this chapter.

And last, but not least, thanks to all of you for being so patient while waiting for this chapter to be finished. I hope it was worth the wait.