The Error of My Ways

Chapter Five: Panic

 

 Harry and Ron had been horrified to hear that Hermione had been attacked. When Percy had shown up at their compartment demanding to know where she was…they had panicked and had almost succeeded in trampling the older Weasley. It was the security wizards who forced them to stay behind while Percy frantically searched the rest of the train for their friend.

 "Shape shifters…it's been years since they last surfaced," Harry thought anxiously, "Why would they attack Hermione and not me? Why pose as Draco and his two thugs? Why not pose as someone we would trust? It doesn't make sense…none of this makes any sense."

 Harry was furious with himself. He should have known that something was not quite right the moment the fake Draco had walked into their compartment. He had had his wand ready and yet, something had stayed his hand. Maybe they had put a spell on him. That thought did not make him feel much better.

 Ron had taken it particularly hard. It was one thing for Harry to get attacked…one almost got accustomed to that…but Hermione…that was definitely unnerving.

 "She…she was almost ra…I can't even think about it without feeling sick," he thought with his head in his hands, "Why her?"

 The other students were not told all the details…they were simply informed that there had been an attack on a student but that there was no injury and the malefactors had been caught and were in the process of being sent to Azkaban.

 Harry and Ron stayed with Hermione in the infirmary compartment for the remainder of the trip. Hermione had heard that Percy had gone to accompany the shape-shifters to their awful destination. She wanted to thank him for saving her.

 The remainder of the trip from the train station to Hogsmeade Station to Hogwarts was uneventful. As they entered their beloved school, a rather shaky Hermione assured them that she was fine and would see Madame Pomfrey. Ron and Harry wanted to assign themselves as her personal bodyguards.

 "We just want to make sure you are all right. Wherever you go, we'll go too," Harry remarked.

 "Yeah, besides, you're almost always in the library so it won't be that hard keeping up with you," Ron grinned.

 "Really?" Hermione asked with a small grin of her own, "And do you plan to accompany me to the showers or perhaps watch over me while I am sleeping?"

 Ron and Harry looked at one another quickly and they both turned the same bright shade of red.

 "Well," they said in unison, "maybe not there."

 Hermione hugged her friends.

 "This is Hogwarts we're talking about…nothing can get me here. You guys are the best, though. You…and Percy," she added.

 "Yeah, Percy. I still can't believe that he actually did something semi-heroic," Ron mused with a sardonic frown on his face, as if he were trying to dissect the image of his brother and not succeeding, "He has always been the type to talk but not always to act. Well, he did a good thing for once and I am glad that he was there when we weren't."

 Hermione smiled.

 "Look, you two. I need to see Madame Pomfrey for a quick check-up and then I will meet you at the Sorting Feast. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

 "You know something, Hermione," Harry said in a serious tone, "You really are amazing. I don't know what we'd do without you."

Ron nodded emphatically and, with a wave, they raced down the hallway.

 Hermione watched them go and then slowly turned to go the infirmary. She began to shiver and the images of what had almost happened on the train replayed themselves in her mind. It was one thing to put a brave face on the situation when Harry and Ron were around. It was quite another when she was alone.

 "I have to get through this…I have NEWTs to think about…I have a life…I have to help Harry and Ron…I can't let this get to me," she told herself firmly. But, as she looked around her, it seemed that the corridor was darker than usual, that the shadows appeared more menacing and that the normal drafts carried the ethereal whispers of evil soulless creatures. She really began to shake.

 "What am I going to do?" she thought to herself in terror.

She was paralyzed with anxiety and her eyes darted fearfully all over the corridor, searching out her imagined attackers. Feeling completely powerless and overwhelmed, she broke down in convulsive sobs and huddled herself in a ball, her back against the cold wall. She had no sense of time, no sense of where she was, no sense of who she was. Her fear consumed her….she was oblivious to her surroundings and didn't notice hurried footsteps coming towards her. It was only when she felt a light touch on her arm that she jumped up in a sheer panic, wand drawn, ready to fight.

 "It's only me, Hermione."

 "Get away from me, monster!" she shrieked.

 "Hermione, please calm down."

 "I said stay away or I…I will curse you," she looked wild…like a cornered animal.

 "Hermione, I am not going to hurt you. It's me. It's Percy. Please calm down. I am very worried about you."

 Hermione put her hands to her ears to block out his voice and shook her head violently.

 "You are trying to trick me. You want to hurt me again. I won't let you." And with that, she raised her wand.

 Percy took out his wand in haste.

 "Hermione, please don't do this. Please. I'm your friend. I would never hurt you. I would die before I would let those bastards even get near you again. You have to believe me," he pleaded.

 "Shut up. I don't want to hear your lies…" she began an incantation, wand circling and a glimmer of violet sparkles appearing rather ominously at its tip.

 Percy saw he had no choice and firmly, although with a heavy heart, he pointed his wand directly at her…

 "Stupefy!"

 Hermione's eyes glazed over and she began to sway. Percy managed to catch her falling form and deftly lifted her so that he could carry her to the infirmary.

 His heart thudded strangely as he held her unconscious form. He was afraid to analyze his confused thoughts too closely because that would inevitably bring him to Penelope and how she had betrayed his love for her. At the time he had vowed he would never love again…one of those impetuous promises a person makes when their feelings have been completely shattered. He had resolutely held onto that promise until one day, sitting in a pub, someone had snuck up behind him and kissed him. That, it seemed, had changed everything.

 The journey to the infirmary seemed to take mere moments. He quickly entered, practically kicking the door open.

 "Madam Pomfrey! Madam Pomfrey! Where are you?" he shouted.

 Madam Pomfrey bustled out immediately and let out a shriek as she saw the unconscious form that he carried.

 "Professor Weasley! What happened…that…that is Hermione Granger!" she motioned Percy towards an empty cot where he gently lay her down. Madam Pomfrey immediately covered her with a warm blanket. Hermione did not stir.

 "Poor dear. I heard about the incident on the train. Got an owl directly from the security team. It's a good thing you were there otherwise…" she shuddered. Percy felt nervous prickles go down the length of his spine…he really did not want to think about that.

 "I heard crying in a corridor and I found her huddled in a heap, backed up against the wall. I spoke to her but she started screaming about how I was going to hurt her and that she was going to curse me first. I tried to reason with her but she pointed her wand right at me and started…I had no choice…I had to perform the "Stupefy" curse. She…she hasn't moved since." Percy sat down on a small chair by the cot, put his head in his hands and took several ragged breaths in an effort to calm himself down. He then lifted his head and looked at Hermione. His face betrayed how guilty he felt for having done that to her.

 Madam Pomfrey looked at Percy in sympathy.

 "I understand, Professor. No one can blame you for what you did." She then pulled out her wand and, muttering things Percy could not understand, waved it over the unconscious form. She then summoned a rather large book and, after consulting several pages, sent it back to its shelf.

 "Although I was fairly certain that it was simply a manifestation of post-traumatic stress, I wanted to be absolutely sure that there wasn't some latent curse at work here. She is physically sound. Emotionally, well, that is understandable."

 "She seemed fine right after the incident," Percy muttered. He suddenly felt very stupid. He should have realized that she was in shock, "Damn."

 "I am not surprised. Many people, when faced with an experience like the one Miss Granger went through, are often perfectly normal for a time afterward until the full force of what happened or, as in this case, what might have happened, hits them and they snap and can suffer from delusions, panic attacks, nightmares. She will get through this but she will need understanding from her friends. As her sense of security returns, she will be back to her old self. It will take time but it will happen."

 

 Percy nodded mutely.

 "If you could awaken her, Professor," she continued, "I will prepare a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate and my own special sleeping elixir so that she will not suffer any nightmares," she patted Hermione's hand gently. "The poor dear. Always worrying about something happening to others, Harry, Ron, Neville. One of our best students…she is Head Girl this year, you know. Reminds me of you sometimes." And with that, she returned to her office where she kept her medicinal herbs and potions.

 Percy looked at Hermione again and felt his cheeks warming slightly. Why did Madam Pomfrey just say that? Did they really have that much in common or was he simply reading too much into the vague remarks of a mediwitch. Shaking his head, he pointed his wand at Hermione…

 "Ennervate," he muttered.

 Immediately, Hermione's eyes opened and she tried to sit up. Percy put a hand on her shoulders to stop her.

 "It's okay. You're in the infirmary. You're going to be fine," he forced his voice to stay calm and neutral. He didn't want to upset her.

 She glanced around the room and then her eyes settled on him.

  "What happened?" she asked tiredly.

 "What do you remember?" was his cautious reply.

 Her forehead creased as she tried to think back.

 "I had just left Harry and Ron and was coming here…I heard noises…then I…then you," her eyes opened wide with horror and she sat up quickly, "I thought you were them…I was going to curse you…oh, Percy. I am so sorry," she covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

 Percy hesitated…then he reached out and took her hands away from her tear-streaked face.

 "You have nothing to apologize for. I…I should have stayed with you to keep an eye on you and make sure you were all right. Don't feel guilty."

Hermione looked at him with a little trepidation and looked down at her hands, still clasped in his.

 "I am so scared," she whispered, "I can't stand losing control of myself like this and making a fool out of myself.".

 "You have just been through a terrible experience. Of course you are scared. Just remember that you are surrounded by friends who will help you. Harry and Ron, you know they would do anything for you and I know for a fact that they don't think you made a fool of yourself. Anyone who thinks that is not worth worrying about."

 She nodded.

 "What about you?" she asked, still looking at him seriously.

 He looked at her for a moment, not sure what he should say.

 "I am your friend. You…you already know what I think," he said simply.

 Hermione smiled slightly and released his hands long enough to lean forward and embrace him. Percy was taken aback by this move and stiffened slightly. He recovered quickly, however, and put his arms around her as well, holding her close but not too close.

 "Thank you," she whispered into his ear, "thank you for saving me.".

 "I'm just glad that I got there in time," he said quietly.

 "If anything had happened to you…" he thought to himself and gently pulled away from her embrace, carefully ignoring a sense of disappointment and loss as he did so.

 "I'll let the others know you are okay. I am sure Harry and Ron will be here to see you as soon as Madam Pomfrey says it's okay," he said.

 He got up to leave just as Madam Pomfrey came back with her steaming cocoa.

 "If you like, I will come to check on you from time to time."

 She smiled, "Yes, I would like that."

 He patted her hand gently and walked out of the room, robes swishing as he went.

 Madam Pomfrey sat down on Hermione's bed and handed her the steaming mug.

 "This will help your body recover and there's a little extra something that will let you sleep without dreams," she told Hermione gently.

 Hermione put the mug on the bedside table and reached over to hug Madam Pomfrey who seemed surprised at such an emotional display but hugged her back nonetheless.

 "Are you sure you are all right, my dear?"

 "I just wanted to thank you for always taking such good care of us," Hermione said shyly, "it's like having a mom watching over us. I feel safe with you."

 Madam Pomfrey beamed and her eyes betrayed the suspicious sparkle of unshed tears.

 "If there is anything else you need, please ask," Madam Pomfrey handed Hermione the mug of chocolate, "you are surrounded by friends and they are what will get you through this awful experience. No one goes through life without a few battle scars, so to speak, but it is your friendships which help them heal. You have always had Harry and Ron, two boys I would trust my life with, and you also have Professor Weasley…poor young man…frantic when he came in here. I have never seen him lose control like that. Well, it has been a most trying day. The best thing you can do for yourself is to drink that all up and have a good long rest. I am going to suggest to the Headmaster that you remain here for a week. Your friends will make sure you do not fall behind in your schoolwork…although I don't think that was ever an issue with you, my dear. I am sure your friends will be by tonight," she gave Hermione a warm smile and drew the curtains around her cot so that she could have some privacy.

 Hermione sipped her hot chocolate. It tasted wonderful with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. When it was finished, she lay down and felt herself slipping into sleep.

 "How did you know it was me they were after?" was her last conscious thought…