A Time of Changes and Decisions

Harry sat in St. Mungos next to the comatose body of his good friend. He had been visiting her for the past four or so months, ever since she had been cursed into unconsciousness by none other then Ginny Weasley.



Ginny of course, claimed that she had been Imperioused by Draco Malfoy to harm the “Mudblood,” and that was why, she said, she had no idea what the curse was she had used on Hermione. It seemed odd to him, but according to Ron, she had testified about it in the private hearing that had to be held over the matter, and she had passed using Veritaserum. Harry had no reason to suspect either Ron or Ginny of lying, even if the idea of his Draco using imperious on anyone seemed insane.



Another odd fact was that Draco had sworn up and down in his own trial that he hadn’t done anything to harm Granger. He had been given Veritaserum too, and that trial, Harry was actually allowed to attend. He had seen Draco drink the potion himself, though it was a different version of Veritaserum then he had seen before. A slightly different color, and there was less of it needed to achieve the same effect. He had wondered why they used that kind over the other at the time, just as he had wondered why Draco kept giving him a strange look.



Harry sighed and buried his face in his hands, leaning his elbows on the soft edge of Hermione’s hospital bed. If only she would wake up, he was sure she would be able to figure out what he couldn’t. He knew he could be dense at times, but this was driving him absolutely mad!



Everybody, Dumbledore included, had encouraged him against going to Azkaban to see Draco. Surely Harry had better things to do now that he had killed Voldemort, then to spend some time in a dirty, smelly prison filled with lost cases. He would admit he really didn’t want to go, but Draco Malfoy was considered a high risk case, so there was no chance he would be transported out of the prison to meet with Harry.



Oddly enough, Harry missed the man he had given his heart to, even though he was supposed to believe that the same man had put one of his best friends into a coma and had, as people tried to tell him, practically single-handedly destroyed Hogsmead for Voldemort.



He also missed Fred and George. He knew where they had gone to hide, but it would be far too dangerous to visit them, now that they had a newborn baby girl to worry about.



He heard an odd noise and looked up quickly, sure that he had heard fabric rustle. He looked around, saw nothing, and looked to Hermione once more before he stood and smoothed the wrinkle out of the sheets that had somehow appeared between the time he had arrived and that very moment.



He had only just turned his back when the rustle of fabric came again; he turned quickly and met the open eyes of Hermione Granger.



“Hermione.” He breathed, relief and shock evident in his voice. He moved towards the bed, eager to be closer now that his friend had awoken. “I’m so glad you’re awake!” he said a little too loudly, and she winced. “I’ll get Ron and Ginny…hold on Hermione….”



Those words seemed to shake her out of her fog. She sat up quickly. “No! No…Harry…” She spoke softly, as if afraid someone would hear them. “You can’t get them, can’t let them know I am awake…they’ll try to kill me again!” Harry moved closer to the bed, and spoke, lowering his voice as well.



“Hermione, what are you talking about? They said it was Draco who tried to kill you.”



“Draco? No…not Draco…Oh my god Harry, where is Draco!?”



“Azkaban. He has been for like four months now, maybe a little more…more like five.”



“Harry, you have to get him out! He’s pregnant with your child!”



“He’s WHAT!?” Harry exclaimed a little too loudly. A noise outside the room warned them someone else was coming in, and Hermione dropped back down to the bed, managing to look as comatose as ever.



Ron entered then, glancing from Harry to Hermione, noticing the sheets around Hermione were wrinkled, and that Harry was looking highly suspicious.



“What happened Harry, did she wake up?”



“Um…no, not exactly.” Harry tried to even out his breathing. “She looked like she might, but then she had a seizure I think…and I freaked out. But it seems to have passed now.” He concluded, tucking the blankets back around the seemingly unconscious woman.



“Oh…” Said Ron, sounding as intelligent as ever. “I better get a Medi-Witch then.”



“Yeah Ron, you do that.” Harry muttered, leaning into the bed as if to check Hermione’s forehead for signs of fever. He lifted her left eyelid, and waited until she seemed to have focused on him. “I’m going to give you a portkey to one of Sirius’s other houses. You activate it and go, ok? I don’t want them to be alone with you again, and I have to get Draco.” She gave a slight nod, and he tucked the Knut into her hand before whispering the word that transported her away.



He had only just taken a step away from the bed when Ron and a Medi-Witch burst in. They looked from him to the empty bed, and turned accusing eyes back on him. “Where’d she go, Harry? What happened?”



“I don’t know…” Harry said, managing to sound confused and bringing a bit of the anger and hurt he felt at knowing the people he thought of as friends had hurt him into it.



Before Ron could say another word, Harry had shoved past him and the woman beside him, and was down the hall on his way out.