Vater

"Is he awake?" Hermione asked the moment she appeared in Grimmauld Place.

Ron shook his head, looking rather worried.

"I've tried all the spells I know of, but he won't wake," he said miserably, "I even gave him some of the potions we nicked yesterday."

Hermione frowned and bent next to the limp form of Harry.

"Harry?" she called softly, but there was no response. She checked his pulse, which was faint as well as irregular.

"Keep trying," she told Ron, "I'm going to tell Phineas to ask Dumbledore."

She left the room and marched to Sirius' ancestor's portrait.

"Phineas, can you please take a very important message to Dumbledore? We're losing Harry..." she quickly explained what had happened. Phineas nodded and walked out. He returned a few minutes later.

"Ask the boy's father, he says," he said.

"Hell!" cried Hermione. She ran back to Harry, who was pale as death by now.

"I've to go to Snape," she told Ron, "if I'm not back soon, get help."

"Be safe..." muttered Ron.

Hermione nodded grimly and Disapparated, concentrating on Snape's Muggle address. She found herself in a ramshackle street, looking up at the weird house. She walked up to the door, looking around for any activity. She didn't bother to knock; she merely kicked it open and ran in.

A loud squeal at her foot caught her attention. It was Wormtail.

"Stupefy. Obliviate. Dormiens," she muttered in quick succession. Treading more carefully now, she peaked from the door. Snape was sitting at a desk, reading something intently. A quick look showed her that no one was around.

"Good afternoon, Professor," she said quietly and stepped in.

Startled, Snape looked up, wand ready to curse. His jaw dropped on seeing her.

"Granger! What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"

She handed the rat to him.

"Are we alone?" she asked. Snape cast a spell and the room flared blue. He nodded.

"We're losing Harry. We need your help," she said and briefly told him what had happened, omitting any mention of a Horcrux.

"And the moment he touched this Cup, he collapsed?" Snape asked warily.

Hermione nodded, blinking furiously.

"Come with me to Grimmauld Place. He needs you," she said.

Snape shook his head.

"Please, sir," she begged.

"Quiet!" he hissed.

Hermione stared at him in shock.

"Dumbledore sent me here to get you!" she cried desperately. "You've got to help him!"

"I can't go there," Snape said coldly.

"He's your son! How can you say 'no'?" Hermione screamed. Snape gave her a strange, pained look.

"Phoenix tears, crushed bezoar and chocolate milk," he said, quickly giving her the details of the potion, "then a Rejuvenation spell - that ought to do it. I don't have phoenix tears, but I can give you-"

Hermione held up a hand to stop him and Apparated back immediately, muttering a quick 'thank you' to him. She found Ron pacing.

"He's having nightmares! He's convulsing! He's crying!" he exclaimed.

Hermione glanced at Harry. There were tears on his face.

"Make some chocolate milk, Ron. And there's a bezoar in my bag, break off a bit and crush it," she said authoritatively.

Ron obeyed mechanically. Hermione, meanwhile, waved her wand, transforming Harry into his phoenix form. She could only hope that his tears would still be there. If not, they'd have to go to Diagon Alley...and it would be very difficult to get phoenix tears...

She sighed in relief as tears fell from the phoenix's closed eyes. She collected some in a small vial and changed him back. Ron had done his part. Hermione carefully added phoenix tears and crushed bezoar in the chocolate milk and poured it down Harry's throat. She waited for a minute before casting the spell.

The effect was immediate. Colour returned to his face, he coughed, and opened his eyes.

"Did we get the Cup?" he asked.

"Yes, Harry," said Hermione, relieved. Ron heaved a sigh of relief as well.

Harry sat up. Ron had placed the Cup near him.

"I know how to destroy it," Harry said, "I...er...dreamt about it. Towards the end."

"We'll do it later, Harry. You need to rest now," Ron said firmly.

"I feel fine, but I'm a little blank as to what happened after I touched the Cup. How did I get back here?" Harry asked.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"Hermione and I made this potion for you and then used the Rejuvenation spell on you. She found out all about it," Ron said.

Harry listened in silence, and then spoke slowly and quietly.

"Thank you."

Hermione flung herself on him and Ron put an arm around his shoulders.

"We're here to watch your back, mate," he told Harry.

There was silence for sometime. Harry broke it.

"I was seeing weird things; weird people...dead, mostly. I saw Mum, Dad, Sirius, Dumbledore...I tried to talk to them, but they wouldn't even look at me no matter how hard I called them. Things went blank for a while after that. Then I saw Voldemort making the Horcrux and figured out how to destroy it without alerting him."

He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"We have to destroy it."

"Not now," Ron and Hermione said simultaneously, "rest, recover and then we'll do it."