Two Worlds of Magic, ch. 16-17
There is no way of that’s happening! Merlin! She though, everybody thought that it was over, dammit! She furiously wiped the tears running down her cheeks. How could God do that again to them? Wasn’t that enough how much they coped with? He needed her to loose everything that was dear to her? After the war, the death… and now again? If there were any God, he definitely decided to play a cruel joke on her.
And Ron? Oh, Merlin, poor, poor Ron! He definitely did not deserve to loose a father and a brother! Not only Ron, but all the other Weasleys! Percy was gone… Mr. Weasley was gone… She just couldn’t accept this. Thinking of that was unnaturally. That couldn’t be. He was Mr. Weasley! Always so kind, smiling, a bit absent-minded Mr. Weasley! He couldn’t die and leave his wife and chidren. That would be too cruel of him. Too cruel to them and to her. After surviving Voldemort he couldn’t die in the fight with the Death Eaters!
She could hardly walk. Her legs felt like plasticine and she couldn’t manage them. There were butterflies in her stomach with each step she made, approaching the Ministry. Her mind was strangely blank. She will think over later, just not now.
She apparated straight to the Ministry Hall and was stunned for a moment on seeing what was happening there.
Curses flew everywhere: red, purple, blue, green.... She could hear people shouting spells from everywhere. There were Ministry Aurors in lilac robes, and she immediately recognized the hooded figures in white masks and long black robes. She felt the hatred inside of her risi with terrifying power. These people killed her friends and they wanted to kill again?! She won’t let it happen!
But firstly, she must find Harry and Ron, she must make sure they were OK…
She ran through the mess of people shouting spells in each hooded person and defending herself from the curses.
“Stupefy!” She shouted running, pointing her wand at the Death Eater. With the corner of her eye she saw him fall down unconscious.
She looked around desperately, trying to see recognize Ron’s red hair or Harry’s messy hair, but they were nowhere in sight. She continued running, shouting Protego spell every three seconds, but she stopped sharply at the sight of Remus Lupin lying on the floor, his face calm and peaceful, his eyes empty and glassy, lifeless. She stopped and suddenly she couldn’t move or blink or even tear her eyes from him. No, no, no, no… Please, please, please, not Remus, please! There was no a single sound in her ears, only the fast beating of her heart. She didn’t see people running around her, shouting something. And then, as if someone turned on the sound, she was able to hear and see again. Her legs couldn’t work and she fell to her knees. That just couldn’t happen. That’s all just an awful dream…
But somehow she knew it wasn’t, though she had such dreams almost every night since the war. She had to test his pulse, to be sure, she had to do it.
She slowly touched his cold neck and didn’t feel any beating. It immediately became very real. He was dead. And that’s when she felt the dreadful hatred rose inside of her.
She squeezed her wand and jumped up. Just in time she heard the familiar voice behind herself, a voice she would recognize anytime. The man, who killed Neville and Luna. Fenrir Greyback stood behind her, smirking wildly, displaying his hideous yellow teeth, covered with blood. She smelled sweat and dirt.
“Well, hello, hello, my dear Mudblood,” He snarled. “I guess you’ve seen already your sweet furry doggy. My work, as for you know.”
“Shut. Up. You. Fucking. Bastard.” She whispered, the tears, hatred and rage preventing her from talking normally. There was lump in her throat, and adrenalin shot to her head. Nothing mattered. She must avenge.
He smirked again and was about to say something, when Hermione pointed her wand and him and shouted: “Impedimenta!” But having rather good reflexes, Greyback avoided the spell and shot something in her in return. The curse hit her in the left shoulder, and a knife wound appeared there. She didn’t even notice the sharp pain. She waved her wand:
“Petrificus Totalus!” She shrieked, and this time, she hit him and the spell paralyzed him. She saw the murderous look he shot her desperately in helpless efforts to move. She caught him, he was under her complete control. She’s gonna avenge her friends now.
And then, a terrible sadistic part appeared inside of her, the part she didn’t know existed. But this time she let this side take advantage.
“Sectumsempra” she hissed, watching the terrible bleeding wounds appear all over his body. If he was able to shout, he would be screaming now. There was no a clean piece on his clothes that wasn’t covered with blood.
But that wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She wanted him to be in such a pain no one ever felt.
“Crucio” Hermione hissed, noticing the tears silently ran down Greyback’s cheeks. She felt the control and it drove her completely mad.
Seversl moments passed or may be several minutes when she finally took off the Cruciatus curse and paralyzing spell. He fell on his back momentarily, crying with pain.
She walked to him slowly and bowed down to his face.
“Did I tell you just how much I hate you?” She whispered. He didn’t answer her, of course, but she continued. “I hate you so much that words cannot explain. You killed the people whom I loved, and to prevent you from doing it again I’ll now do the thing I will regret about later. Go to hell, Greyback.” She waved her wand. “Avada Kedavra.”
He stopped moving and crying immediately. His eyes became empty, his mouth slightly opened.
She didn’t have much time to watch the dead werewolf; she had to find Ron and Harry.
But running through the fighting people, she couldn’t help thinking of what she had just done. It wasn’t her first murder; she had to kill on the war to defense herself. But that was her first wishful murder. She killed him on purpose, when she didn’t have to. She enjoyed killing a human being, and no matter how bad he was, she killed a person consciously, and that’s what terrified her.
She stopped again when she saw a blond man, fighting with as blond person as he was himself. She recognized Malfoys at once. On getting closer, she saw Draco shouting curses at his own father, who was rather pale and skinny after the Azkaban.
“You, betrayer of your family!” Lucius screamed, shooting spells at his son. “How dared you come here and fight with your father?! Come on, kill me, or I’ll do it to you!”
“No!” Draco shouted wildly, and Hermione saw a green light beam hit the second Malfoy in the chest. Draco killed his father.
Somehow this thought distracted her of her own murder. Draco must be really brave to do that. She wanted to approach him and comfort him, but she remembered of a battle around them, so she kept running. Turning for a moment she saw him fall on his knees, hugging his father’s body.
And then she saw Ron. Her heart stopped for a moment and then began beating again two times quicker. He was alive! Nothing else mattered. Harry must be somewhere around. She ran to Ron who just finished fighting with some young Death Eater, shooting a stunning spell at him. He saw Hermione and for a moment his face shone.
“Merlin, you’re alive!” He exclaimed, tears appearing in his eyes. In spite of the battle going on around them, they hugged quickly. For a moment, while Ron’s arms was around her, she felt safe, and a quick thought appeared in her mind that ‘everything will be alright’. The next moment, the thought was gone and the safe feeling disappeared.
“Have you seen Harry?” She shouted to him, trying to outvoice other people.
“Saw him two minutes ago” Ron shouted back. Suddenly his eyes widened and he looked somewhere above her shoulder.
“Hermione, BEHIND!” He screamed, and she turned to look what was there, but in a second she felt horrible pain. She couldn’t scream, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t open her eyes. Each inch of her body cried with pain. It was worse, much worse than Cruciatus curse…
I must fight, a thought appeared in her mind. I must fight for House, I can’t loose another love…
She didn’t think of anything else, because the next moment everything went black.
House paced around his office, complete mess in his head. That can’t be! That’s completely insane! She couldn’t be a witch! There was no such a thing as magic! No way!
But it explains everything, a voice in his head said. He thought of it before, of course, but he just couldn’t accept it. Even in spite of the fact it would explain all of her secrets and tricks with cane and fire and her stick… it was a wand, wasn’t it? But it completely ruined his whole idea of the world system! And… and it was just impossible for him to believe it. He just couldn’t. Not so fast, at least.
He quitted the room and went to Wilson’s office. Without knocking, he entered the room, finding Wilson writing some of the files as every other day.
“What’s up, House?” He said not looking at him. House made his way to the coach.
“Oh, nothing actually, I just wanted to visit my dear friend, who, by the way, doesn’t even tell me the truth” House said, offended.
“And what didn’t I tell you?” Wilson said nonchalantly, a sound of pen scratch could be heard. “That Cuddy doesn’t actually wear an underwear?”
“No, I… Wait, are you serious?” House asked him amused, forgetting about the theme for a moment.
Wilson gave a long-suffering sigh. House went on.
“Oh c’mon, take out that little wand of yours and made me tell you everything you want,” House said as if talking about the weather. The scratching stopped sharply. Wilson finally looked at House.
“D’ya know something?” Wilson asked him nervously, sounding hoarse.
“Only that my employee is a witch and probably isn’t gonna come back from wherever she is now, and that my best friend is a bid fat liar, who is probably a wizard himself, and hasn’t ever told me.” House stated, glaring at Wilson.
Wilson settled back in his chair, looking everywhere but at House.
“I’m not a wizard,” He began quietly. “I was born in a family of wizards but I was never a normal wizard myself. I am a squib. A person, who is born in a family wizard, but is depleted of any magical abilities. Such people have always been in derision in the magical world. While my brother was going to the Hogwarts - the magic school, I had to study in a usual muggle school, forced to watch magic every day, but not being able to do any of it.” He paused and sighed heavily, House listening to him with great interest. “Of course, I knew, I would never become a normal wizard, so I gave up the idea of reading my brother’s textbooks. If I couldn’t do magic in a wizard world, than I could try it here. I went to the med school to study for the oncologist. I’ve always dreamt of being able to do miracles, so now may be my dream became true.” He stopped, thinking of something. House waited patiently, but he didn’t continue.
“And, then?” He said, hoping Wilson will continue the story, because it was the most interesting thing than happened to him for the last few years, except for the Hermione’s little tricks, of course.
“Of course I’m aware of what is happening in the Magic world, too.” Wilson spoke again. “They had a great war lately, which lasted almost thirty years actually. The war was over about a month ago. The Light won, but we lost a terrifying number of people. The…” He was interrupted by House.
“Wait, wait! The Light?” He repeated in a tone of an exalted boy, who’s just seen the first trick in his life.
“Yes, the Light. There were two sides: the side of the Light, and the side of the so-called Lord Voldemort, a powerful wizard, who wanted to rule the world. He began the war in the late 1970-es, than he was too weak for almost thirteen years and in 1984 he appeared again, more powerful than he had ever been. He had lots of followers or servants, actually, who called themselves Death Eaters. There were a huge number of them all over the world.” He paused again to take a deep breath and continue. “As I was saying, the Light won. There are lots of heroes of the war, who got the Order of Merlin of different power, but we have three national heroes of Great Britain, who did most of all for the Light. They are famous for all over the Magic world now, even in Asia and Russia. Their names” He looked House straight in the eye. “Are Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.”
House knew it was leading to this. But he wasn’t prepared to hear that Hermione was actually a big star. So were, by the way, her friends, who came to visit her.
“But if she is so famous, why did she come to work here?” House asked him with true interest.
“You just said why. Because of her popularity.” Wilson answered. “She doesn’t really like all that stuff.”
“I knew she’d ran away from something!” House exclaimed smugly. “I only thought that it was her husband or something like that.”
They sat in silence for a while, and then House remembered about the stag thing. He immediately described it to Wilson.
“This thing is called a Patronus. It is a accumulation of positive energy of people. It usually takes an appearance of an animal. Each person has its own animal. They can send Patronuses with different information.” Wilson explained. “And what exactly did the stag said?”
“It said something about the Death Eaters attack on the Ministry, and…” House began only then understanding the terrible meaning of the message. Wilson paled. “And about some Weasleys died, and…” He swallowed. “Oh my God, Hermione went there!”
“Oh, God” Wilson said, pale. “Shit, the worst thing is that we can’t do anything about that!”
“So, we can only sit here and wait for the news?” House asked him with disbelief.
“I suppose so.” Wilson answered wearily, rubbing his forehead. “And we should hope there will be nothing bad with Hermione.”
Oh shit. When he finally found the woman he could love, she was immediately taken from him by some mysterious force.
God, he hated changes.
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Chapter Seventeen.
Hello hello!
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It ached all over. Hermione found herself lying on something, feeling sharp pain in the shoulder that was killing her. She didn’t wanna wake up and face the horrors of the real world she only hoped she could go back to the dreamless painless dream and never wake up again to see the war going on. She didn’t bother to open her eyes but continued lying, when she heard some muffled voices as if from far away.
Hermione figured she was in the Burrow probably, because the voices definitely belonged to Weasley twins, Ron and Harry.
She tried to open one eye and was immediately blinded by the bright light. She screwed up her eyes and hissed as the headache appeared momentarily. She heard the voices stop talking.
“Oh, God, Hermione, you’re awake!” She heard Harry exclaim with relief and helped her to sit. Not opening her eyes she felt a cup with some substance against her mouth. “C’mon, drink it, Snape made it specially for you.”
She swallowed the terribly bitter potion, feeling it burn her throat, but the next moment the headache magically disappeared, and the pain in the shoulder was much less. She opened her eyes finally and looked around.
She was right about being in the Burrow. She saw the worried faces of Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Bill and two blond kids.
“What happened?” She asked her voice hoarse. She coughed.
Harry and Ron exchanged the meaningful looks. Only now she noticed their faces were pale and their eyes red and swollen. Gosh, they weren’t crying, were they?
“Bella hit you with some dark spell, Great Merlin, I thought you were dead” Ron answered in slightly shaky voice.
Yes, she could remember someone hit her. But that wasn’t the worst.
“And?” She said, encouraging him to continue, but not really wanting to hear. But Ron didn’t continue, he hang his head and kept silent.
“Ron killed her.” Harry said for him in monotone tone.
Ron killed Bellatrix. And she killed Fenrir. Well, at least she wasn’t alone.
There was an awkward silence in the room. She looked at the twins. Bill caught her look and stood up immediately.
“I should take kids to Mom. She’s in her room.” He got Antoine in his arms and Mary-Victoire by her hand. “See ya later.” He said and walked out of the room.
“Anyway,” Fred began quietly. “When I killed Bella’s dear husband, and Harry terminated Dolohov, they suddenly disapparated.”
Oh, Blimey. So they weren’t caught. So the revolt of Death Eaters is going on, then.
“Hermione,” George spoke for the first time. “They…” He coughed and she noticed his eyes water “They killed Dad, Ginny and Percy.”
No. No. That can’t be. She could take Mr. Weasley and Percy because she wasn’t really close to them, but not Ginny, one of her best friends, Ginny, so joyful and young, Ginny, Ginny…
She could feel her eyes watering. That, that was the worst. She couldn’t even imagine it. She couldn’t loose Ginny, not her, Ginny was like a sister to Hermione, may be even more than sister! How?! How could she fucking die?!
“That wasn’t her fault, Hermione!” Harry said, and she understood she said last phrase aloud, but she didn’t care.
Gee, how many friends had she to loose before they stop?!
God, oh my God, thanks to Merlin Harry and Ron are alive!
“Oh Merlin, I’m so happy you’re alive!” She exclaimed trough the tears and they all hugged then - Fred, George, Harry, Ron and Hermione. They held each other, Hermione thanking God, Merlin, Heaven and all saints for having her other friends alive.
They sat that for a while, before breaking apart finally.
She felt so very empty.
“I’m afraid for Mom,” Ron whispered, swallowing his own tears. “I’m so afraid that she won’t manage so many deaths.”
The statement hung over the room like an invisible cloud. He was too right. Molly Weasley hardly could overcome Charlie’s death after the Battle of Hogwarts, but having three other members of her family dead… Who can overcome that?
“You do sleep now, Hermione,” Harry said softly. “I think we all deserve a good dream now”
They all agreed. But in fact, she doubted anyone could sleep well then.
And with that, they went to their own rooms, leaving Hermione with the terrible mess of feelings and emotions inside.
House couldn’t work and think normally. In fact the thought of Hermione prevented him from eating and sleeping and living a normal life. He was angry with himself for being not able to take his emotions under control, with Hermione for leaving him when he needed her so much, with Wilson for telling him everything about the fucking war, with Cameron, who now, when Hermione left began to flirt shamelessly with House, not understanding that he didn’t care.
He was sick and tired of these thoughts, of these emotions, all that he wanted was being mentally empty, not feeling anything.
May be Wilson was right about the physical condition depended on mental condition, because his leg hurt like hell, forcing him to take his Vicodin three times more often than usually.
And as if it wasn’t enough, Cuddy forced him to take some fucking case.
“May be, it’s Lupus?” Cameron suggested as always.
“Oh, may be you shut the hell up?!” House exploded. “Leave the freaking Lupus alone already! The patient would have cough and you’ll thrust yourself with it?!”
He saw tears in Cameron’s eyes, he knew he shouldn’t have shouted at her, but he couldn’t help it. And he didn’t care, actually.
“Stop shouting at her!” Chase exclaimed, with the expression of noble self-sacrifice on his face.
“Oh, look at our noble Wombat! When Granger was around you went all noble to her too! Did she reject you, too, like Cameron did? Oh, no, you haven’t slept with her when she was high, after all…”
“So it’s all about Granger?” Forman interrupted calmly, watching House rubbing his leg. “Is it because of her you went all bad guy?”
“Oh, shut it, Forman.” House hissed aggressively. “May be we go back to the patient now? Or does anyone wanna say another stupid thing? Or do you wanna continue staring at me like idiots?” He said icily, and they continue discussing the patient.
“House, is it true that you yelled at Chase for breathing too loudly?” Wilson questioned, stepping in House’s office.
“He was breathing like a fucking elephant.” House stated, not even looking at Wilson. He was sitting in his chair, bouncing his red tennis ball at the wall, trying with each throw to take damn Hermione out of his mind. God knows how he was tired of keeping it to himself. He did need Wilson right now.
“Wanna talk about her?” Wilson asked him shrewdly, as if reading his mind.
Gosh, he hated all these hearty talks, but he really had no choice. He had to speak his mind, otherwise he’d explode.
“I…” He began hesitantly, looking anywhere but at Wilson, who sat on the chair across House’s table. “Iwrrybouthrmione” He blurted quickly.
“Pardon?” Wilson said patiently, not being able to help a small smile making its way on his face.
“I, kind of, worry about Hermione” House repeated quietly, turning his back to Wilson. Fuck, he did feel like crap. How pathetic of him…
“House, you know, only you can care about another person and feel like a shit about it.” Wilson smiled, but the next moment his smile was washed away by another thought.
House looked at Wilson, who looked a bit pale. Oh yeah, he helped him to feel better!
“You think this battle thing is really serious?” House asked him, trying to sound nonchalant. Wilson didn’t buy it.
“Of course it’s serious! At least two of Weasleys have died and they’re great wizards!” Wilson exclaimed, pacing around the room “And for god’s sake, House, I got it that you’re worried, so stop act like an ass and pretending you don’t care! It really annoys me!” Wilson scolded.
“Then quit telling me how fucking scrappy it is and tell me how can we know about Hermione?” House shouted back, pointing an accusing finger at his friend.
Wilson suddenly stopped, and looked House directly in the eye. “Do you like her?” he asked in the stupid mysterious voice as if they were discussing some Supernatural series. House rolled his eyes. Was Wilson that stupid or did he wait for House to bug him off? That talk already unnerved him, did Wilson want more?
“Oh no, she’s like a sister which I never had, you know,” House said sarcastically, and this time Wilson rolled his eyes.
“House, I mean it: do you like her?” He repeated firmly.
“Oh, please, stop acting like some drama queen, Wilson, or I’m gonna puke!” House said, irritated. “What’s the difference between ‘I like her’ and ‘I like her’?”
“So you do like her, don’t you?” Wilson said triumphantly.
“Shut it already! I’ve just said I like her! What else d’ya want? Do you expect me to dance an ‘I love her’ dance? Or make a big lovely poster with her photo all over?” He said cynically.
“No, but you finally admitted that you love her!” Wilson grinned.
“Hey hey! I like her, not love her! Oh, wipe off that stupid smug expression of yours or I’ll do it!” House threatened.
Oh, he did regret he started this conversation at the first place. Now he has smiling joyful shining Wilson around him, telling him how beautiful and smart would be his and Hermione’s kids. He wished he could kick Wilson, or at least punch him.
Well, not in the hospital - he should wait till they are on the parking. Then he’ll be able to do both.
But, he had to admit, Wilson was right at one thing.
He loved Hermione.