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A/N: Read, Review, Enjoy!

　

Harry woke in a panic, clutching at his stomach. He found only a small clean bandage, not the wooden dagger he’d been dreaming of. Trying in vain to look around at his dark and blurry surroundings he began a search for his glasses, reflecting as he moved that while he felt stiff and sore, the terrible gut-wrenching pain he remembered was gone. Where was he? What had happened? His fingers finally brushed against the lens of his glasses as he blindly searched the small table next to where he’d been resting.

Now able to see, he realized he was in an office of some kind where he’d been placed on a small cot and stripped to his waist. Very carefully, he pulled back the crisp, white bandage expecting the worst. Instead, there appeared to be only a small scar. Confused, he tried to remember what had happened; the last thing he could clearly picture was Luna asking him to clean his own blood as she floated him down the tunnel. After that was only flashes: the sun setting behind the bars of the grate as Luna begged him not to give up, Fred kneeling beside him on the island his eyes filled with horror, telling Hermione he loved her, Healer Drake forcing him to drink something. He wasn’t sure if any of it had been real, so instead he focused on what he could know.

Gingerly rising, he inspected the desk in the middle of the room and found Drake’s name everywhere. So he was in the man’s office, but where was the healer and where were his friends? He looked at the door for a long time before deciding it would probably be best that he not be found wandering the hospital. He returned to the cot, his entire body feeling so tense that when the soft knock came a few minutes later, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Harry? Luna’s voice whispered across his mind. He tried to answer her, but couldn’t find that part of himself. He struggled, but he felt exhausted. I’m coming in. She finally said, opening the door and peeking in.

"Hey." He said weakly.

"Hi." Her voice was hoarse, but she smiled brightly. "How are you?" she asked, walking in and closing the door behind her before crossing to the desk and turning on a small lamp. He was startled by the amount of blood staining her clothes.

"I really don’t know. Can you tell me? What happened?" he demanded as she put the invisibility cloak on the chair and sat next to him on the cot.

"We brought you to Drake, just like you asked."

"I asked?"

"Yes, you did. And you were right, he’s agreed to keep all of this a secret after I explained what we were trying to accomplish. I guess he and Willem were good friends. He wants to talk to us more about it later though." She explained, her eyes falling to his wound, which he hadn’t bothered to rebandage. "That certainly looks better."

"If you say so. Most of it is a blur to me."

"Trust me, it looked really bad." She shuddered with the memory.

"What exactly happened?" he asked.

"I don’t really know, Harry. It happened so fast, too fast. She threw this sharp piece of wood, but it was almost as if she didn’t throw it. None of it makes sense and I saw it with my own eyes." She rasped out. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed some sort of salve and rubbed it across her throat.

He reached out, lifting her chin to better see the damage Cho had done. Though quite faded, he could still make out the remains of the angry bruises and ragged nail impressions marring her skin. "This is it, right? Nothing else happened after I passed out? All this blood is mine?"

She took his hand, and looked at him very seriously. "I’m fine and that’s the last thing you should be worried about. You were really bad off for awhile there and I was very scared for you. We all were."

"Where is everyone? Where’s Hermione?" he asked, finally realizing why he must be feeling so uncomfortable. Usually when he woke after something like this, she was there beside him.

"She and Fred are with Drake working on something. Trust me, it’s really important or else she’d have been here. I’m a bit useless with potions so they sent me to check on you."

"What is so important? What are they working on?"

She lowered her eyes, squeezing his hand tightly. "The cure."

"Cure? What cure?" he asked, the panic he’d felt upon waking rushing back to him. She turned away, unable to answer. "The cure for what, Luna?"

"To the poison that tipped that piece of wood." She said softly.

(BREAK)

"Why isn’t Luna back yet?" Hermione demanded. "Do you think something’s wrong? I knew I should have gone myself."

"Focus." Fred scolded. "We both know the only way you’d have been satisfied was laying eyes on him yourself, but I’m sure Luna is competent enough to come get help if something were wrong. She’s probably just filling him in on what happened. I’m sure if he’s awake, he has questions."

"Well, if you’re going to be logical about it." She grumbled.

"Here’s some more wisdom; without this cure, Harry’s in big trouble. So if you really want to help him, you’ll focus up before Drake gets back here."

"They paged him away over half an hour ago!" she complained, knowing she was being difficult but unable to stop herself.

"He has to keep up appearances, right? We don’t want anyone knowing what we’re all up to."

"I’m so sick of this vow of secrecy!" she yelled. "And to make it worse, you all find the one adult who is willing to go along with it!"

"You were willing to go along with it." He reminded her. "I know you’re worried, but chill out. Drake already fixed him up, almost like new. This is just the last step. Be thankful the poison was something he’s worked with before."

"Oh yeah, quite the silver lining." She said bitterly.

"Whatever. This is ready to come off the flames." He sounded angry.

"Are you sure?"

"If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t do this." He said, leaning over to extinguish the fire, a defiant look in his eye.

"You are such a child sometimes."

"I’m just trying to decide which side of the line you fall on. One minute you tell me I’m brilliant at all this stuff, that I don’t need you or George to do it, yet here you are questioning my every move."

"I won’t gamble with Harry’s life." She said coldly.

"So now it’s a gamble that I really know what I’m doing?"

"Why are you fighting with me?!" she cried in frustration. "I don’t know, okay?! I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything right now and I hate it! I don’t know that even if Drake brewed this all by himself that it’ll work, let alone us doing it! I don’t know if Harry’s going to be okay, I don’t even know if he’s awake right now! I don’t like not knowing things okay? I’m scared!" she exploded all over him, the adrenaline she’d been running on reaching its final breaking point. Unable to do anything else, she began to cry.

Fred looked extremely uncomfortable and unsure about what to do, but she just couldn’t stop herself. With her tears came a sort of release, of the frustration, the tension, anger, fear, all that she had been clinging to that day. Finally, he stepped forward and awkwardly put his arms around her, attempting to offer comfort though this was obviously a situation he wasn’t used to dealing with. She clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder, trying to regain control of herself.

"I’m okay." She said finally, pulling away and wiping her eyes. He walked away to wet a towel, bringing it back so she could clean her face. "Thanks."

"Sorry. I didn’t mean to pick a fight. Guess I’m scared too." He shrugged.

"So now that it’s off the flame, what did he say was the next step?" she asked, hoping he’d take the cue to just put it all behind them.

"We mix in whatever this stuff is." He offered a small grin. "Remember he said it was his own concoction. Something secret he was still trying to patent."

"Right, he said it added to the healing agents tenfold." She recalled as he poured in the specified amount. "Hey, do you think he’d let us try some of it in the cure for Draco and Lupin?"

"I thought you believed that one impossible." He smirked.

"Stranger things have happened." She lamented.

"How’re things looking?" Drake asked as he finally returned to the small lab.

"We’re in the final stages." Fred reported.

The healer moved swiftly across the room and peered into the cauldron. "Hmm, it looks good. Well done."

"Hey everyone." Luna emerged from the cloak at the doorway.

"Ah, Miss Lovegood. I found these for you to change into." Drake produced a pair of scrubs.

"Harry’s awake." She reported, taking the offered clothing. Hermione looked at the healer desperately.

"We’re just about done here, you can go up if you like. We’ll be behind you shortly with this." He gestured toward the potion.

It was all the permission she’d needed. Grabbing the cloak from Luna, she settled it around herself as she ran. It was still before dawn and the hospital was mostly deserted, but they still took the precaution to not be seen. Especially Luna. Every time she looked at the girl, covered in Harry’s blood, she felt sick. They’d tried to clean her, but their spells had been useless. Drake said it had something to do with the poison; she was just glad he’d found something else for her to wear. As she approached the office, her heart tightened in anticipation. The last time she’d seen Harry, Drake had been forcing him to drink a potion, needing their help to hold him up. Then he’d sent them all from the room so he could tend to the wound. She knocked quietly before turning the knob, hoping with everything she had that the first potion had really worked and revived him.

(BREAK)

Ron tossed and turned, but sleep just wouldn’t come. He was too worried and definitely too angry. He had no idea where Fred and Hermione were, just that they said they had to leave the house and needed him to cover for them. And what’s more, he really wasn’t even sure where Harry and Luna were, but he suspected they weren’t at Mrs. Lovegood’s home. Hermione’s vague promise that he would know all when it was over wasn’t satisfying, never again would he agree to be part of something he didn’t know all the details to.

Flicking on the bedside lamp, he sat up and took the compact out of his pocket. Fred had told him it was a communication device, and that if they needed help, they’d contact him. It hadn’t grown warm at all. Ron decided to try and call them.

"What?" Fred answered distractedly.

"What’s going on? Is everything okay?"

"That’s yet to be determined. Is that all you wanted? These aren’t toys and we aren’t out having fun here. Wait for us to call you."

"Easier said than done. What do you expect me to do, sit and twiddle my thumbs?"

"I expect you to act normal." Fred was stern.

"I don’t know what’s going on, whether you guys are okay. I don’t even know where you are!" Ron protested, suddenly hearing someone else’s voice in the background. "Was that Luna? Let me talk to her, maybe she’ll be more compassionate and tell me something useful."

"No time for that. Listen, we’ll compromise, okay, so you aren’t sitting there wetting yourself with worry. If you don’t hear from one of us in an hour, start calling. If we don’t answer get help. Right now, we’re at St. Mungo’s."

"Why are you at the hospital?" he asked desperately. But there was no answer. Fred had closed his side. Ron slammed the compact shut, wanting to hurl it across the room in frustration. He held himself in check though, not wanting to risk damaging his only link to his friends. Instead, he settled for punching his headboard.

Looking at the clock he sighed. It was nearly four in the morning, another hour before the sun rose and he’d be able to make contact again. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if they weren’t back by morning, but it had been easy to cover Fred and Hermione’s absence last night; Arthur and Molly had spent most of the evening in the parlor talking to Ginny and Malfoy. Though glad they were distracted, he’d begun to worry that they were going to his parents to ask for permission to marry or something. That fear sharp in his mind, he’d eavesdropped on the conversation and was relieved to discover it was nothing of the kind. Apparently Malfoy had remembered some family link between Pansy and that Sarah Elaine woman. Well, at least the jerk was proving useful, finally. He was still thoroughly disgusted with his sister for her apparent decision to continue on with the guy.

Not wanting to think too long on that topic, he found himself right back at the huge mystery everyone else was apparently involved in. It had somehow brought them to St. Mungo’s, but for what reason? Was someone hurt? Well, he knew Fred had sounded completely fine, though a bit on edge. And he’d heard Luna in the background, though she’d sounded strained, raspy somehow. That left the two voices he hadn’t heard since they’d left the house. He doubted anything had happened in the few hours since Hermione had left with his brother. On top of that, he knew of only one kind of emergency that would drive her to not only leave the house without permission or in secret, but also make her so severely upset as she had been when they’d come to him for his help. Harry was hurt, and Ron knew it was true the minute he thought it. It must be pretty bad, for them to panic the way they did. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to apparate to the hospital and check on his friend for himself, to assess that Harry was nowhere as near death’s door as he suddenly imagined him to be. He knew it was the worst possible idea to go there, that it could potentially ruin their cover. He really didn’t care, if things were as bad as he pictured. The only question was, could he trust his brother to have told him if the situation really was serious? He wasn’t sure.

(BREAK)

Poisoned. The word tumbled around in Harry’s head after Luna left. That’s why it was still hard for him to breathe, why he felt so weak, why he couldn’t focus his mind to use his powers. It was slowly traveling his body, filling his veins. Luna had assured him that to slow the process, Drake had made him drink a blood purification potion. It would continue to clean the impurities from his blood, but with the rapidity with which this particular poison acts, it will eventually overcome the potion and reach his heart. She had confided that it had come close to taking over and would have if they’d gotten him to Drake any later. Harry was shaken by how close he’d come to dying, certainly closer than he’d ever come before if Luna’s reaction was any indication. Cho had almost succeeded where so many others had failed, Voldemort included. Or had it been Cho? He recalled the conversation right before Luna had left to tell the others he was conscious.

After dropping the bombshell about the poison tipped weapon, he’d made her repeat her version of what had happened, trying to picture it as she spoke. When he’d turned to say something to Cho, he hadn’t remembered her moving at all, it was her eyes that had held his attention in that moment. They were wrong, deeper somehow as if they belonged to someone else. More disturbingly, he felt he’d seen those eyes before.

"Someone else like who?" Luna had asked.

"I don’t know. I just remember thinking a few different times that something was off about her. And you were wrong, when you said I had made her let you go. I was trying but she was absurdly strong and I was scared to hurt you worse. And then she just released you. Just let go by herself."

"Are you sure?"

He had nodded, distracted by his memories of the event. "Yes, as soon as she did I threw her against the wall hard enough that she should have been knocked out. But then she was there, at the bars again, hands behind her back and I remember thinking that it was almost like she was someone else then. I just don’t know who."

"I agree, she was odd. Definitely different than she was at school, but I haven’t seen her since then like you have. I don’t know if it was just that place that did it to her."

He’d shaken his head, feeling uncertain himself. "All I know it the same thing that bothers you most about this bothers me too. Where did she get a sharpened piece of wood with a poison tip? I feel like we’ve stumbled into some twisted Grimm’s Brothers tale."

"Well obviously someone snuck it into her. How do we get our hands on the prison visitor log without going back there?"

"Why not go back?" he had brazenly suggested, ignoring the horror in her eyes. "I may as well, I’m on borrowed time as it is."

She had taken both his hands in hers and stared into his eyes, very serious. "They are working on the cure and I’ve no doubt that it will work. It is not your time to die, Harry."

"Is that that something you saw?"

"It’s what I haven’t seen. If you were meant to die tonight, don’t you think I’d have been flooded with visions of life without you? Like it or not, you are a major factor in many different futures for us all, and if you were taken out of the equation, the future would certainly change."

"I suppose that makes sense." He had admitted.

"I’m really sorry, Harry."

Her apology had taken him by complete surprise. "Sorry for what?"

"For all of this. If I hadn’t been so determined-"

But he had disentangled his hand and used it to cover her mouth, cutting her off. "Don’t waste your breath. You’ve done so much for me, how could I not help you with all of this stuff with Kane. And now our reason is two-fold. If we can free Willem and prove his story, we can back Edmund off of Arthur. And as an added bonus, by finally proving your brother was murdered by Lucius, we can reveal the truth of his family roots and hopefully disgrace him among Voldemort’s ranks. It’s much bigger than Kane now, and much bigger than us. Your determination led us to all of this other stuff, things we can do to finally gain leverage. I don’t regret going, only that Cho got the better of us both."

"It’s a nice way to think about it." She had said sadly, removing his hand.

"Everything about you is nice, Luna. It isn’t your fault this stuff is slowly trying to kill me, it’s Cho’s and whoever she’s working with, or for. I don’t blame you at all, you’re one of the most important people in the world to me." He’d been uncomfortable by his sudden honesty, but didn’t regret it. He had wanted her to know he cared about her, that his current predicament wasn’t something he held against her.

Rather than reply, she had risen suddenly and quickly grabbed the cloak. "The other’s are probably dying to know what’s going on, I better let them know you’re awake."

"Oh, yeah. Sure." He had answered, uncertain why he felt so disappointed until she’d stopped at the door.

She had spoken without turning to face him. "You’re an important person to me too."

He had felt instant relief, realizing the problem had been that he’d put himself out there on the limb of vulnerability and had thought she was going to leave him there alone. "Luna, you said now isn’t my time to die. Have you seen it sometime in the future?"

Still she hadn’t turned to him. "No. Not yet." And then she had wrapped the cloak around herself and left. A few days ago, he would have believed her without hesitation, back before he’d seen her lie. Now, with her not willing to meet his eyes and give an answer, he wasn’t sure. Had she seen some vision of the possible future, one where he didn’t make it?

A soft knock on the door a few minutes after she left knocked him out of his thoughts of their conversation and brought him back to the present. When Hermione entered, he felt his heart sigh in relief. Though her eyes were already red and puffy from crying, her tears started anew the minute she saw him. She ran to his side, gently throwing her arms around him. He pulled her closer, tighter to him, wanting to believe that with her there, he had a reason to think positive, that Luna had been right and he was going to live.

They never spoke a word to each other, he and Hermione, they didn’t need to. They simply held each other and waited for Drake to bring the cure.

(BREAK)

Luna sat in a corner of the lab, turning the hunk of wood over in her hands. She was studying it through the clear plastic bag it was now encased in, wondering just how something so small could have been so potentially lethal.

"It’s very good you thought clearly enough to bring that with you." Drake said as he filled a small vial with the cooled potion. "Helped me know right away what he’d been poisoned with."

"Yeah, I’m a hero." She answered bitterly, feeling anything but heroic. She was a swirl of several emotions, none of which she wanted to explore very deeply. Secretly, she began to long for the time before she’d met Ginny, when life had been simple. But her own visions had shown her that she had a greater destiny. And she knew the result of ignoring that future, it didn’t end well for her or anyone else.

"Ron’s calling." Fred sighed, pulling out the compact.

She listened to them in a haze. While they’d waited for Drake to clean Harry’s wound, Hermione had berated her for everything that went wrong and for not telling Ron anything about it. Luna did feel guilty that he still knew nothing of Kane, and she was certain he’d be extremely angry to be the last to know when she did tell him. "Fred! Be nice to him, imagine how you’d feel if you were in his position."

"Was that Luna?" she heard Ron ask. "Let me talk to her, maybe she’ll be more compassionate and tell me something useful."

"This is ready, we have to go." Drake said urgently. Fred turned from them to speak to his brother one last time before snapping the compact shut and following them up to the office. Luna felt uncomfortable out in the open, but the healer assured them that now that she had changed clothes, there was a more deserted way he could take them, where only researchers went. Fred pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his shocking red hair, hoping to hide his identity should they see anyone. After all many knew who the Weasleys were, thankfully Luna was more unknown. Still, she walked a step behind Drake, hiding herself as best she could, feeling secure only once they had reached the office. Harry looked up at them expectantly when they entered, the hope in his eyes overwhelming.

"Is it ready? It’s going to work, right?" Hermione asked tensely, rising so the healer could take her place on the cot.

"It has before." Drake said confidently as he sat next to Harry and began taking his vitals. "Your pulse is a bit slow, pupils are a bit dilated." He reported to his patient. "But otherwise it seems the blood potion did its job and you should be strong enough to handle this."

"What do you mean?" Harry looked concerned.

"Yeah, how intense is this stuff?" Fred asked.

"It will be fighting to overtake the poison." Drake explained. "You’ll sleep through most of it, should knock you right out."

"And when he wakes up?" Luna prompted.

"Well we won’t know until then, but he should be good as new, a bit sore but healthy otherwise.

"How long will it take?" Harry asked worriedly. "Lupin and Tonks are supposed to pick us up around four this afternoon."

"Young man, your life depends on this counterpotion working. It’ll take as long as it takes. I’m sure an inventive bunch like you can figure out what to tell everyone if you aren’t awake by then." Drake said sternly. "And just so you know, the next time I’m at the house to see Draco, I will be seeking out you and Miss Lovegood for a little conversation about my old friend Willem."

"But you will keep all this quiet, right?" Fred asked as Hermione shot him a dirty look. "My dad isn’t too happy with us right now as it is." He explained, making a face back.

"As Miss Lovegood already informed me." He answered with a smile, handing the potion to Harry. "Drink up Mr. Potter. We’ll see you again in several hours."

Luna watched as he drank without hesitation. In a short while, she, Hermione and Fred would be making plans, but right now, all three watched their friend as he lay down and closed his eyes, hoping with everything they had that he would live to open them again.

(BREAK)

"There is something I think you should all know." Drake began as they all went into his inner office to let Harry sleep. "I didn’t want to worry him unnecessarily, he needs to be able to rest in order for the counterpotion to work. But there is one major side effect to this poison that the potion won’t be able to cure and it’s probably why she used it."

Hermione felt her heart pounding in her ears. She knew it had been too easy. "What is it?" she asked nervously.

"Well, the poison is called Psychohemia. Not only does it invade the blood, but it inhibits any psychic ability the victim may possess." He answered solemnly.

"But if your cure can clean his blood, then why can’t it stop the invasion in his brain?" Luna asked, a look of horror plastered on her face. Hermione scoffed. Obviously there was quite a bit about this whole day their friend hadn’t seen. What good were her stupid visions anyway?

"It’s not as easy as all that. The potion can purify his blood because that is a physical effect. Blocking out the part of the victim that is psychic, well, let’s keep it simple and just say that effect is the magical aspect of the Psychohemia. Much harder to counter without knowing the spell used when binding the poison. I certainly don’t know how to brew it, but I was forced to find some cure for it a few years back when use of it became rampant, and we received the same results. The cure stopped the poison, but those who’d possessed any degree of wandless powers lost the ability to tap into them. The poison was actually Severus Snape’s brainchild back when he was working with the Death Eaters, and when he switched sides, he actually helped me brew the counterpotion."

"Why would Snape invent a poison that destroys a person’s link to their psychic awareness?" Luna asked.

"Why wouldn’t he?" Fred declared glumly. "He’s a creep, no matter which side he’s on."

"Well, without his help, your friend would be dead right now." Drake answered defensively, obviously not happy to hear a younger generation disrespecting their elders.

"Yeah, well if he hadn’t invented the poison in the first place, then we wouldn’t need his help and I wouldn’t have to worry about my friend at all." Fred countered. Hermione remained silent, not wanting to be rude to the healer, but was totally in agreement with Fred.

Instead of answering, Drake turned and with a wave of his wand produced three cots. "I have some things to tend to around here. You three better rest while you can." And then he quietly slipped back into the main office and then out into the hospital hallway.

"I think you made him angry." Hermione said quietly, as they all prepared get a few hours of sleep. Fred made a call to Ron to tell him everything was fine.

They lay on the cots in silence, she knew the others hadn’t fallen asleep yet. And if they felt anything like what she was feeling, she doubted they’d ever find repose. Of course how could they feel what she was, all the way down to her soul? And as much as she wanted to blame Luna for this whole thing, she realized she was responsible as well. She knew everything there was to know about Harry, and she knew how he would react in almost any situation. The minute he’d come to her with this crazy plan, that excited twinkle in his eye, she should have found a way to stop it. So as irresponsible as it was for Luna to suggest all this, Hermione had gone right along with it, worried more about Harry being upset with her for going against the plan than what could happen to him if they carried it out.

She sighed and turned to face the wall, trying to find a comfortable position. It was impossible. Her fear about Harry dying had been relieved; she trusted that Drake knew what he was talking about, especially since learning Snape had not only created the poison but it’s cure. As much as she didn’t like the professor, she had to respect his talent. No, it wasn’t his death that was concerning her, it was how life would be if he awoke no longer possessing his powers. Drake had said they wouldn’t know for sure until Harry woke up later; and in the back of her mind she kept the hope that as a coven descendent he would be stronger than the poisoned spell. But the realist in her knew it was never that easy. To occupy her brain, she began applying her intelligence to the problem, wanting to find the solution before there was even really an issue. It was the only way Harry would remain positive if he awoke powerless.

(BREAK)

"Good morning mother." Fred said brightly as he strolled into the kitchen.

"Fred! Good Morning, Ron said you were still sleeping. But here you are, wide awake." Molly answered. His brother shot him a dirty look, obviously upset that he hadn’t been informed of Fred’s arrival. "I guess we’re still waiting on Hermione."

"Oh I wouldn’t count on her." Fred said quickly. "Last night she said she was going to sleep as long as she could, you know pass the day as quickly as possible. It is a bit sickening the way she and Harry get so panicky when they’re apart."

"I think it’s sweet." Molly answered absently as Fred took his seat. She and Hagrid seemed to take him at his word, but Ron, Ginny and Draco looked doubtful. He felt awkward sitting in Harry’s kitchen for breakfast when he was still knocked out in Drake’s office. They had all decided that it would be best for Fred to return to Grimmauld Place, to make it easier to hide the fact that they had left and that Hermione was still gone. She had refused to leave until Harry woke. He understood she had more of a right to stay, but he still hadn’t been to keen on returning to the house.

Ron glared at him throughout the meal, and Fred did his best to ignore him. After all, it wasn’t his fault his brother had been kept in the dark. Whether or not your girlfriend had a brother is an important thing to know, and if Ron hadn’t taken the time to get to know Luna the way Harry and Hermione had, then it was his own fault and he deserved to be broken up with. His brother had never been very aware, and Fred was sure that had a lot to do with why he hadn’t been able to hang on to Luna, despite her claims to have seen a different future for them. Had Ron been everything she’d wanted in a partner, he doubted the vision would have made a difference.

As soon as breakfast was over, both boys ran up to Fred’s room. "Where’s the compact?"

"Right here. What’s going on?" Ron demanded holding the compact out of Fred’s reach.

"I need to check in with the girls." He said feeling annoyed.

"Why? What’s happened? Why didn’t Hermione come back with you? Are Harry and Luna okay? What were they really doing?" Ron asked in a rush.

"Hey, Hermione’s the one who promised to tell you everything when it was over, and it’s not. Now give me the mirror!" he yelled. They had all decided before he’d left St. Mungo’s to return here that until they knew what was going on with Harry, they wouldn’t tell Ron anything about it, not wanting him to worry needlessly. After all, the potion might not work at all and the poison could take over ending their friend’s young promising life. Fred wouldn’t allow himself to think that way, but couldn’t shake the small doubt pricking at his positivity.

"Not until you give me answers." Ron answered evenly. "Why were you all at the hospital? Harry’s hurt, isn’t he? And Luna, she sounded strange last night when I heard her voice. What is going on!?"

"Fine!" Fred gave in. He really did feel sorry for his brother and really didn’t want to argue anymore. "Let me have the compact and I’ll let them know things are fine here and tell them I’m going to let you in on everything."

"Right, I’m supposed to trust that? The minute you have what you want I lose my bargaining chip."

"I promise, Ron. Okay? I promise." He was eager to check in at the hospital himself. "You know I don’t really need that thing anyway, I could just apparate back to the office and check on them in person. So trust me, okay, I’ll tell you everything."

"Fine." His brother answered, slapping the compact into Fred’s open hand.

He eagerly opened it, waiting less than a minute for them to pick up. "Hey Fred." Luna answered. Her voice was almost back to normal, still a bit strained, as if she’d spent too much time shouting.

"Any news?" he asked quickly.

"He’s still sleeping. Did you write the letter yet?" Hermione’s voice came on.

"Not yet, got here in time for breakfast and had to sit to keep up appearances. By the way, you’re in your room attempting to sleep the day away until Harry and Luna return."

"That makes me sound tragic." She complained. "Go write the letter!"

"I will, I have a problem first. Seems Ron here can’t wait to find out what we’ve all been up to. I’m going to tell him."

Both girls were silent for a moment, obviously discussing between themselves. It was Luna who finally answered. "Go ahead. Tell him whatever he wants to know. I don’t care anymore." She said sadly.

"Will do." He answered softly. "Let me know the minute anything happens there."

"We will." Hermione answered. "And don’t forget, be back here by three if there’s no change."

"Whatever you say, darlin’." He closed the compact with a smile.

"What were they talking about? What letter are you going to write?" Ron asked right away.

Fred sighed. "They want me to write to Gabriella. To see if she can help Harry. If we need to, we’ll send it right away."

"Why would Harry need the strongest healer in the world?" he looked nervous.

"Because Cho poisoned him." Fred answered simply.

"What?! What do mean poisoned? Why were they anywhere near Cho?"

"Because her cell happened to be near the secret escape route."

"Escape route? From Azkaban? Why were they there?" Ron looked so confused, Fred nearly laughed. Maybe he would have, if the situation weren’t so completely unfunny.

"To talk to Willem Fritz about Kane’s murder. And Edmund."

"Who’s Kane and why do we care if he’s been murdered?"

And this is where it got difficult. Fred hadn’t even known about Kane until the night Luna and Harry had approached him with this whole plan. How much would it upset Ron to learn how little he knew of the girl he’d claimed to love at one point? "Kane is Luna’s brother. I guess he was killed by Lucius Malfoy when she was eleven."

"Luna’s brother…" Ron stared off into space and Fred watched as that piece of information made it’s way through his brother’s head. "Start at the beginning Fred. What is going on here?"

(BREAK)

"Well?" Hermione demanded as soon as Drake returned.

"He’s still sleeping soundly. I drew some of his blood for testing." The healer answered. "I’m about to go to the lab and see what kind of progress we’re making."

"Can I go with you?" she asked. "I’m losing my mind sitting here waiting. I need to do something."

"As long as you wear the invisibility cloak." He replied with a kind smile. "It’s not yet lunch time, so there will probably be a lot of other healers working in there. Miss Lovegood, will you be joining us?"

"I’d rather wait here. I want to call up Fred and see how it went with Ron." She answered.

Hermione wrapped the cloak around herself and followed Drake to the lab, reflecting on how different things were now. In the past, it was rare that she and Harry would act without Ron. But lately, they all seemed to be acting without the others. She worried their lives were becoming more separate from each other, that the raw trust of children couldn’t hold them together anymore. Months before, when she’d become trapped in her own mind, she’d gone to look in on that moment with the troll, the event she felt led them all to each other. She’d told Harry and Dumbledore that she’d learned everything she needed from the memory, but had she? If something as simple as battling a troll could bring them together, what was the event that had split them all up?

"Take a look." Drake offered, whispering so the other healers wouldn’t hear. He’d loaded a drop of Harry’s blood onto a slide and slid it under a large microscope. Stepping forward, she leaned over, staring through the cloak.

The small circle was soft red, a few green specks floating around. "What does it mean?" she whispered.

"What are you working on, Roscoe?" another healer came up to them and Hermione tugged the cloak tighter around herself, taking a few steps back.

"Simple poisoning case." Drake replied brightly. He glanced to the side, obviously trying to decide if Hermione was still there. "It’s good news though. Seems the blood to element ratio has increased."

"Excellent! Then you’ve counteracted the poison. That’s why you’re the best." The other healer commented. "I actually need your advice if I can steal you away for a moment." Hermione felt herself panic. Though relieved to hear the potion was working, she didn’t want Drake to be stuck in the lab all afternoon, they might need his help again. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she didn’t care.

"Give me a moment, Henry, and then I’m all yours. First I have to deliver some news to the family of the patient." Drake replied.

"Of course! It’s a simple issue anyway, I just really wanted a second opinion." Henry replied.

"Give me about twenty minutes." And with a subtle gesture, indicated to Hermione that they were leaving the lab.

(BREAK)

Luna looked at the compact, feeling guilty that it had fallen to Fred to tell Ron everything. She should have just told him from the beginning, and really didn’t know why she hadn’t. Sure she and Harry had argued that the less people involved the easier it would be to keep the secret. But that was when she’d intended it to be between her, Harry and by necessity, Fred. Then to keep the peace, Hermione had become involved. And now, Drake had been roped in as well and looking back, there was no good reason she shouldn’t have involved Ron. Maybe things would have gone smoother, if they’d had one more person looking out for them.

Looking at the door to the main office, she felt another stab of guilt, this one right through her heart. Because of her and her plan, the very savior of the wizarding world may be damaged beyond repair. Hell, she’d almost gotten him killed. Thinking back to that last question he’d asked, about whether she’d seen him die, she felt uneasy. She’d actually seen it twice, when different people made decisions contrary to the proper path. And she’d worked hard to bring things back to the way they were supposed to be, relieved each time she once more received that view of them all happy. Not liking to think of what she had seen, she hadn’t revealed any of it to anyone. What’s more, Harry wasn’t the only one she’d seen die.

Since leaving him earlier, she’d been trying to make a vision happen, but apparently too much was left unsettled for the universe to send her any messages of the future. With a sigh, she tossed the compact to the side and went to check on Harry. He was laying very still, but his breathing was strong and steady. Much different from the wheezing they’d heard when they’d first checked on him that morning after a short nap. The potion was obviously working on his body. Would it be able to help his mind? She’d never hated Cho more, though like Harry, she felt that somehow it wasn’t their old enemy that had really been responsible. The whole scene felt surreal, like it had happened to someone else.

Gently sitting on the bed, she took his hand and tried to enter his mind, to find the consciousness buried deep down that was one’s awareness of their psychic capacity. She couldn’t find it. "What are you doing?"

Startled, she turned to find Hermione at the door, the cloak on the floor at her feet, her arms crossed angrily in front of her. "Trying to find him." Luna answered.

"What do you mean find him?" the other girl stalked over and stood over her, looking abnormally menacing.

"Well, I noticed his breathing is normal, so I figured the potion was working and wanted to see if it fixed his mind too."

Hermione softened, turning her gaze to Harry. "Did it?"

"I don’t think so." She answered, hanging her head.

"Drake said the potion has almost completely overtaken the poison. He’s definitely going to live…but…"

Luna felt for her. "I know. He won’t be happy with just being alive. Losing his powers is going to crush him."

"I suppose since you were sitting in here, you didn’t call up Fred?" Hermione said, anger once more evident in her tone.

"Not yet. I wanted to try this first."

"I’m sure you did." She said sullenly. "Where’s the mirror? I’m going to tell him to send the letter."

"In here." She regretfully rose from Harry’s side and led the way into the inner office, picking up and handing over the compact. She understood her friend’s anger. How could she not? She was blaming herself as much as any of them were. Her only fear was what Harry would say when he found out that Cho had made good on her declaration that it was better to let the enemy live and suffer.

(BREAK)

Fred searched high and low for Hedwig, but she was nowhere to be found. Ron had let him into his room, and through the secret passages, they’d made their way to Harry’s. But the blasted owl wasn’t there either. Together, the brothers went to see Hagrid.

"Harry asked you to take care of Hedwig and Robin while he was gone right?" Ron asked eagerly when the giant answered.

"O’ course he did! Knows I’d take care o’ them as if they were my own."

"Well where’s the owl?" Fred demanded impatiently.

"Haven’ seen her." Hagrid admitted. "Usually she comes ‘round to see me every mornin’ for some treats, but she’s no’ been around fer the last two mornin’s."

"Is that odd?" Ron seemed concerned.

"No’ if she’s ou’ huntin’." Hagrid replied with a shrug. "That owl is a mighty smart one. I’m sure she’s fine ou’ there."

They left Hagrid to go find Orion, the small brown owl their father used. "This one’s useless." Ron said grumpily. "Can’t even be sure it really delivers the letters you give it."

"Dad uses him for the ministry. I’m sure he’s reliable. Maybe he just doesn’t like you." Fred suggested with a smile. He handed the letter for Gabriella to Orion and gave careful instructions that it was to be delivered to no one but it’s intended recipient.

He’d been surprised while writing the note. Ron had actually been a great help, having known the spell to translate his English into Spanish, which she was probably more comfortable with. When asked, his brother had simply said that he’d been studying the spells Hermione had found.

Now they were holed up in Fred’s room, waiting for the clock to strike three. "I can’t believe all this." Ron declared, interrupting the silence in which they’d been meditating.

"Believe it. And just be glad he’s going to live."

"But if he doesn’t have his powers anymore, how are we supposed to do this whole coven thing? He was supposed to be part of it. Hell, he was probably supposed to be the leader!"

"I don’t know, Ron. Right now, we’re still trying to focus on getting them back before Lupin and Tonks show up. Once we’re all back here together, we can start working on damage control. Besides, the coven is the last thing we all need to worry about."

"Says you." Ron said meanly. "What’s more important than the people who could very well end all of this for good?"

"All the other people flailing in the wind." Fred replied. "I mean right now, we’ve got a man murdered six years ago while investigating another man’s disappearance. Because of that, we have an innocent man framed and sitting in jail for nearly as long. And because of this jailed man, we have his brother who is working hard campaigning against our father, trying to take over the ministry. And now we also have some sort of link between it all, including a mysterious woman endorsed by the former minister."

"It sounds like some giant puzzle." Ron said grabbing his head. "Okay, let me see if I have this, Julian Heath goes missing and is last reported being seen at the Malfoy mansion."

"According to a witness who happened to be a squib working for the Malfoy’s." Fred interjected. His own head had been swimming when Luna had first told him and Hermione what they’d learned from Willem.

"Right. So new Auror Kane Lovegood is sent to investigate, only unlike most, he listens to the squib and makes a visit to Lucius. Then according to Draco, Kane demanded to search the house and was murdered for his efforts. But Julian is still alive at that point, being tortured for some kind of information."

"Exactly. And Luna found out he worked in the Department of Mysteries, so it was probably something in there Lucius was after."

Ron nodded. "Okay, so Willem is sent to investigate Kane’s death and first determines it to be suspicious but a few hours later, is forced to rule it an accident because of some mysterious expert named Jayalina Delamora who can see into the past."

"And according to what Luna found out from dad, Willem had been forced to make similar findings because of her involvement, all with incidents involving suspected Death Eaters."

"Then Willem is given a truth suppression potion and accused of bribery. And his own brother, whom everyone suspected he was working with, turned against him and called for his imprisonment."

"Which leads me to believe that whether old Willem knows it or not, he’s got some knowledge of something damaging to his brother and Edmund wanted to make sure he could never use it." Fred offered his opinion.

"But what could he know that he doesn’t know he knows?" Ron asked, taking a moment to think about what he said and make sure it made sense.

"Who knows." Fred grinned. "We’ll have to find a way to get him out of Azkaban if we want to pick his brain though." He felt his pocket grow warm and looked at his watch. Three o’clock on the dot. "They’re calling."

"Fred?" Luna’s voice came through. She now sounded perfectly normal.

"He awake?" Ron asked eagerly.

She paused, obviously nervous about hearing from Ron. "Not yet."

"I’m on my way. Ron agreed to cover if mum comes looking."

"Thanks Ron." She said quietly.

"We’ll talk later." He answered carefully, reaching over to close the compact. Fred knew he was angry to have been left out, and hurt. Whatever he wanted to say to Luna was his business, but he hoped his brother would remain as calm as he was at present.

"Hermione and I will be back shortly." Fred assured him.

"Just be careful." Ron warned.

(BREAK)

Hermione gasped when they apparated into Mrs. Lovegood’s living room. The woman was sitting on the couch, staring at them expectantly. It took her a moment to remember that she was a copy of the real thing. Looking down to see how Harry had fared on the trip, she felt relief. He was still breathing normally and what’s more, his eyelids were fluttering. Drake had suggested that the pressure of side-along apparation might revive him, and they’d all hoped it was true.

"The children are in their rooms sleeping." Mrs. Lovegood said pleasantly.

"Better start cleaning up." Fred warned Luna. She turned to the copy of her grandmother on the couch and with a wave of her wand, the older woman was gone.

"Come on, Harry. Wake up!" Hermione urged, giving him a little shake. Drake had warned them not to try too hard to wake him, that if he was still sleeping it was because he needed to. But she wanted to see him before she had to leave, to assess that he really was going to live with her own eyes.

He groaned softly, his eyes finally opening all the way. He stared up at them all blankly. "Harry?" Fred asked leaning in closer.

"Yeah. I’m okay." He answered, shaking his head slightly.

"Try it." Hermione turned to Luna. They’d created a test, to see if he still had his powers.

Harry? She heard the girl’s voice float through her mind as she tried to reach him. Can you hear me?

Yeah. But it’s sounds really far away. And something else is different. It’s wrong somehow.He looked around at them all in a panic. "What's going on?" he asked out loud.

"Try moving that." Hermione instructed.

"What?" he shook his head violently and then sat up in a hurry, his eyes unsure.

"That picture frame over there. Move it with your mind." She repeated.

"Why?"

"Just try it, okay?" Fred answered quietly.

They all watched him stare at the picture frame, his face contorting as he struggled. "I can’t. What’s going on?" he asked, his voice full of fear.

"I think it’s a good news bad news situation." Fred answered looking at the girls. Hermione’s heart was in her stomach.

Luna took over. "It seems that you still maintain a spark of psychic awareness. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to communicate in our heads. Had you been completely closed off, well, the telepathy wouldn’t have worked."

"That’s the good news." Fred gave a small smile.

"And the bad?" Harry asked anxiously.

"The poison seems to have destroyed the link your mind created to your telekinetic abilities." Hermione answered before Luna could.

"What are you talking about? I thought Drake gave me the cure?" he jumped to his feet, in a complete panic.

"You should probably take it easy." Fred suggested.

"He did give you the cure, that’s why you’re alive to talk to us right now." Hermione answered his question.

"It just doesn’t cure the secondary damage, since it’s an aspect of the poison that affects only those victims with psychic abilities." Luna added quickly.

"I think you guys better explain exactly what’s going on."

(BREAK)

Harry didn’t know what to feel. They had explained it all fully, nothing left undisclosed. He was sure of that because they all left their shields down and desperate to wake up that part of his mind now thought useless, he used the part he did have left. But why? Why did he maintain this power and lose the other? Could Gabriella really help him? Or was it really too late? He felt fear close in around him. At present, he knew he was actually quite safe, nestled away in the backseat of Tonks’s car with Luna and growing ever closer to his home.

As soon as they were all sure Harry was really okay, Hermione and Fred had gone back to Grimmauld Place. Then he and Luna had gone to rouse her grandmother. Even though he used everything he had in him, he’d still needed Luna to help him plant all the false memories of how they’d spent their day with Mrs. Lovegood. When she woke, it was as if she’d never been asleep at all. Though he still felt exhausted and wanted nothing more to go back to sleep, he pushed it all aside and put on a happy face as the old woman recounted memories of events that never took place. Lupin and Tonks had thankfully arrived shortly thereafter.

Harry, we’re here. He felt Luna gently shake him, not realizing he’d fallen asleep. She looked worried, and so he gave her a smile, reassuring her that he was fine. Just really, really tired.

He tried to act normal, luckily their chaperones were so wrapped up in each other they hardly noticed their charges. A good thing considering the ridiculous floral scarf Luna had stolen from her grandmother to hide the very faint remains of her encounter with Cho. The front door towered in front of him and he suddenly dreaded going in there. It was only just past ten, still early enough for most everyone in the house to be awake. All he wanted was the sanctuary of his room and the last thing he wanted was to have to fake his way through the greeting he was sure to get.

With a sigh he turned the knob and led the way in. "We’re home." He called out weakly.

"Harry, Luna! Welcome back!" Molly emerged from the kitchen where something that smelled delicious was cooking. She crushed them both to her. "Remus, Tonks, I hope you had a good time." She greeted them as Ron, Hermione and Fred ran down the stairs.

"Harry!" Ron nearly knocked him over as he grabbed him in a hug. "Welcome home." he smiled.

"For heaven’s sake, Ron! They’ve only been gone two days." Molly scolded.

"Seems longer." Ron muttered.

"Now I know that you probably had dinner with Mrs. Lovegood but it’s such a long way back when you take the muggle way, I thought you might all like a late snack." Molly gestured towards the kitchen.

Harry’s stomach rumbled and he realized he actually hadn’t eaten since breakfast the day before. Looking over at Luna, he saw she was thinking the same thing as she was nearly drooling at the smells invading their senses. "That sounds great. Thank you." He followed her, his tiredness momentarily forgotten.

The all sat together at the table, Harry and Luna telling the adults all about their fake weekend as the teens sat in eager anticipation to be alone to discuss all of the recent developments. However as his stomach filled, his exhaustion returned and when he announced his desire to turn in for the night, the others looked disappointed but understanding.

Finally alone in his room he changed clothes, reflecting that he was feeling numb. There wasn’t really anything specific anymore; no fear, no pain, no anger… not even disappointment. He just wasn’t feeling anything, as if he were completely gray on the inside, neutral. Climbing into bed, so many things whirled through his mind and he squeezed his eyes shut against the assault, focusing on the bright patterns emerging against his eyelids.

He heard the bookcase creak open and knew it was Hermione. He sat up and they stared at each other, both completely lost for words. And then he nodded and she turned to shut the passage before climbing in next to him.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I know." He answered nuzzling her cheek. "I love you too."

"I know." She smiled before turning away to turn out the light and settle in to sleep.

There was so much to think of, from his own predicament to Willem’s, from the mystery of how Cho was able to poison him in the first place to asking Draco about the gardener. But as he settled his arm around Hermione and pulled her closer against him, Harry decided to forget it all. One night to not think, to simply rest and replenish.

　

NOTE: Sorry this took awhile, got writer’s block in the middle. I like writing the action and dramatic scenes more than the in between scenes and had a bit of trouble. Anyway, next chapter I think we begin putting together all the pieces we’ve been given and believe it or not, some more trouble is brewing. Leave your thoughts in a review, or if you want further discussion or have questions, visit my meet the author page in the forums! I love to hear from you.



Chapter 22: Preserving the Past

NOTE: This is going to be a super long one, and there will be a lot going on because we have so much to get through. Have no fear, there will be some action and even some answers. So here we go again. Read, Review, Enjoy!

　

Harry woke up alone. He wasn’t sure when or why Hermione had slipped out, he wasn’t even sure what time it was now. Scrambling for his glasses, he shoved them on his face and eagerly lifted his shirt to check out his injury. It was all but gone, simply a small scratch marring his skin. Looking around the room, he focused in on the open bookcase and tried to shut it with his mind. It was a task he’d been able to perform many times before with no trouble, but now it just wouldn’t work. Sending his mind out, he was able to pick up on all the different people in the house. Arthur and Tonks had left, but everyone else was awake and moving. Why was this happening?

Before he could think on anything, Hermione appeared at the bookcase carrying a tray with two plates full of food. "Good morning." She quietly greeted him. "I convinced Molly to let us have breakfast in bed."

He was grateful, not wanting to be around anyone at the moment. He felt less somehow, weaker. And the last thing he wanted was an endless discussion on what had happened to him and what it meant. He still felt numb and wanted to keep it that way. "Can you do me a favor?" He asked as they settled in to eat.

"Anything you need." She offered.

"Can you tell the others I don’t want to talk about losing my power until we hear from Gabriella? I mean we have to discuss what Willem said, and what’s going on with Cho, but the rest…I just…it’s just so…"

"You don’t have to explain, Harry." She said. "If this is the way you want to handle it fine. But don’t tell me to back the others off and then shut me out, while all the time you plan on going to talk to Luna about it. I want to help you too, you know. And I may not have first hand experience like she does, but I’ve been reading up on all these superpowers you all are supposed to have and I think I know as much about them as I can without actually possessing them myself."

He listened to her demands, feeling they were warranted. Of course he’d wanted to talk to Luna, maybe not right away, but eventually. Who knew how long they’d wait to hear from Gabriella? Eventually this would get to him and who better to turn to than another coven member. But he understood Hermione’s anger, all that had happened was the result of his last project with Luna. "Ok. If I need to talk about it, I’ll talk to you." He said without emotion.

"It wasn’t an order, you know." She said harshly. "I’m not trying to control you, Harry. I just want to be kept in the loop. Do you know how scared I was for the last two days? I thought that I was going to lose you. You always talk about how difficult it would be for you if anything happened to me or any of the others, well we feel the same about you."

"I know. It went wrong, and I’m going to figure out why."

"Can’t this stop? Can’t you just find a way to give Arthur all the information you have and let him handle it?"

"We don’t have that much, Mione. We have more pieces and a few leads. We still have to talk to Draco about the gardener. And how is Arthur supposed to investigate Cho? I don’t even really know what happened there yet."

"I know. Luna said you think something was wrong with her. Well I agree, she’s insane and she proved it last year a few times. Neville is dead because of her. She sent an entire quidditch team after you to kill you in front of us all and then she tried to drown you, Luna and Ginny in the lavatory. And when Draco blew her cover, she tried to attack him in the middle of the ‘courtroom’. All with the aid and guidance of her parents and Voldemort."

"I remember." He answered bitterly. "And I know what I saw. She was herself and then she wasn’t. Something is going on there, something important."

"Can’t you let yourself get off your deathbed first before you go looking for reasons to get back in?" she asked angrily.

"Maybe if I had the luxury of time. But I don’t. We go back to school in a little over a week and then I’ll be cut off from London and all the resources available here. I hate being kept at that school when there are so many more important things to attend to!"

"I know, Harry." She answered quietly. "But you’re no good to yourself or anyone else if you push yourself too far too fast."

"So now what? I sit here and do nothing while all this brews around us? I’m trying to get ahead of them. Don’t you think it would be better to stop Edmund before he ousts Arthur and takes control of the ministry?"

"Of course, but at what cost? You life is worth much more."

"Cho got me by surprise. I won’t let it happen again." He vowed, to her and himself.

"Until it does. You went through all of this to help Luna find out about her brother but all you guys came back with are more questions! I hope she feels it was as worth it as you seem to." She answered bitterly.

"It was worth it." He said steadily. Whether she realized it or not, her shields were still down and he saw just how much she blamed Luna for the weekend’s events. And how disappointed she was that he was so willing to go through so much for the other girl. "Luna asked for my help and I’d do it all again. I would do the same for any of them. And for you Hermione, I’d move the stars for you if you asked me."

"That’s all well and good, Harry. But sometimes you may have to just say no to the more insane favors asked of you. And sneaking into Azkaban was definitely insane. I can’t believe I went along with it. I guess that shows how far I’d go for you. But I won’t do it again and I