A/N – Yes, it's been a while. I'm sorry. I've been busy. Well. Sort of. I'll try update more regularly.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the world of Harry Potter – much as I'd like to – it all belongs to JK Rowling.

Chapter Twenty-One

Harry and Hermione used the fireplace in McGonagall's office to floo themselves to St. Mungos, and the two of them arrived in the same room the Portkey had bright them to the day before. It was still busy and a few people turned to look at them as they stumbled out the fireplace, but Harry didn't see any camera flashes this time and was relieved that they wouldn't end up having their faces plastered all over the morning paper again. This time, Hermione dragged him through the hospital to her parent's room, only pausing briefly to read one of the signs before she started in their direction. The receptionist from the day before was there again and she still wore the same dazed, stunned expression on seeing Harry. He sent her an awkward half smile and then her face disappeared from view as he was dragged round a corner. He wondered briefly whether Hermione's Dad would still be in the same ward as he had the day before, but saw no reason as to why he would have been moved except for possible security reasons. Harry turned his attention to Hermione – who probably would have been running was he not holding her hand and keeping to walking pace himself – seemed to be happy, anxious, relieved and scared all at once, and Harry knew that as soon as she had talked to her Dad the relief would kick in and she would start crying as her façade dropped.

Her pull on his hand seemed to decrease, which meant that she had slowed to a normal pace again, pushing timidly through the double doors that would lead them into the corridor her Dad was in. Harry wondered briefly how quickly they had managed to move Hermione's Mum to a Muggle Hospital, or if they'd done it at all yet, but his thoughts were interrupted by cautiousness at the now silent area around them. The sudden change from being in a loud, busy corridor to a quiet one had startled him and he heard a nagging voice in the back of his head telling him that something was wrong. He ignored it and let Hermione drag him down the corridor, looking in through the blurred windows of each door in case someone was hiding behind them. Even then he wasn't prepared when someone did appear.

"Are you Hermione Granger?" a voice demanded, making the both of them whirl round. Harry instinctively reached for his wand, only stopping when he saw the one pointing at his chest. The man holding it was standing in the shadows so that his face was hidden and undoubtedly had a hood over his head anyway.

"Yes," Hermione replied, her voice sounding somewhat choked. Without lowering the wand, the man stepped out of the shadows and pulled his hood down. Without thinking, Harry's hand reached down to his pocket again and once again he had to force himself not to pull his own wand. The man standing there seemed to have realised what Harry had been about to do and a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, only growing wider when Harry's eyes flickered down to look at his own wand.

"I didn't mean to startle you Mr. Potter," the man apologised, lowering his wand to his side and looking the two of them over. Had it been anyone else, they probably would have been even more cautious at the fact that a stranger had known their name, but everyone knew who Harry was, so where was the use in finding that suspicious?

"Alfraido Krumpit," the man introduced, holding his hand out for Harry to shake – which he did after a brief moment of hesitation. Realisation has suddenly dawned on Harry when the Auror introduced himself and he sent a fleeting look at the door Mr. Granger was being kept behind. The Auror was here to protect him in case the Death Eaters came to finish off the job.

He supposed that had it been anyone else other than Harry Potter in front of him, there would have been a barrage of questions to prove their identity. Harry, however was a difficult person to impersonate because of the amount of media cover it would most likely get. Everyone would know that he had been mimicked by the next morning – if not sooner – and the Death Eaters would just have put themselves under closer surveillance.

Alfraido's eyes followed Harry's towards the door and a half smile crossed his face.

"A nurse is in there at the moment," he informed them, flicking his wand and conjuring up three chair opposite the door and nodding over to them. "You won't be allowed in until she's finished checking her patient." Harry dragged Hermione over to the chairs and half forced her into a sitting position on one of the end seats, so that he could sit in the middle one. Alfraido tucked his wand away and pulled the other chair round so that it was facing the two of them and then sat in it.

"Why are you here?" Hermione questioned, tearing her eyes away from the door to look at the Auror. "You're here to question him on what happened, aren't you?" Alfraido studied her for a few moments before nodding, solemnly.

"I know that you may think it's too soon to question him on what happened, but the longer we leave it, the less he's going to remember-"

"But he doesn't need to remember anything," Hermione insisted, sitting up in her chair, her eyes alight. "We already know that Bellatrix did it!"

"Not necessarily," Alfraido replied, raising an eyebrow in what Harry could only assume was suspicion and curiosity. "It could have been any of the Death Eaters. What would make you think it was her in particular?" Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but then stopped, her breath catching in her throat when she realised that he was right. To everyone except the group that had been to Azkaban it could have been any other Death Eater; because they didn't know about the book. And she couldn't tell them. Because she'd promised not to.

"Miss Granger?" Alfraido prompted, cutting into her thoughts. Her eyes flashed to look at him and she opened her mouth, at a loss for words.

"She was just going to say that Bellatrix held a grudge against Hermione because she's the one that took her down in the Final Battle," Harry offered, squeezing Hermione's hand reassuringly. She breathed a sigh of relief that Harry had been quicker to come up with a lie then she had, and looked back at the Auror – who was eyeing the two of them suspiciously. In truth, it had actually been Ron that had finished Bellatrix off and been the one responsible for her capture; but Alfraido didn't need to know that.

"Why are you here Mr. Potter?" Alfraido questioned. "Shouldn't you be at school?" He looked at Hermione again, obviously still wondering what she had been about to say and not buying Harry's story.

"I'm-"

"You are aware that visitors are restricted to myself and family?" he continued before Harry could finish his sentence.

"We're engaged," Hermione interrupted before Harry could open his mouth, remembering what the Nurse had told them to use as an excuse the day before. Alfraido didn't let his expression give away what he was thinking and his eyes flickered to look at Hermione's hand before she had a chance to hide it from view.

"No ring, Mr. Potter?" he asked, looking up at Harry and raising an eyebrow. "Surely with the amount of money in your Vault cost can't be a problem?"

"Of course not," Harry replied, defensively.

"We're going to pick out a ring together," Hermione interrupted before Harry lost his temper, using the first excuse that came to her head. "And Harry wanted to talk to my..." Her voice trailed off and she looked up at the door again before her eyes fell to her hands on her lap.

"Right," Alfraido said, looking between the two of them. "Congratulations to the both of you." Hermione nodded, wondering how they'd managed to get away with such a lie. Surely the Auror couldn't believe they were engaged whilst still in school?

The three of them looked round as the door opened and Hermione gripped Harry's hand as the nurse emerged.

"How is he?" Alfraido asked, getting the question in before the nurse had even closed the door and before Harry or Hermione had even opened their mouths. The suspicious look on his face had been replaced by one of concern and Harry glared at him, unsure of what to make of the new Head Auror. The nurse looked round at the three of them, a look of surprise on her face. Whether it was because of the fact there were so many of them – she'd probably only seen Alfraido on the way in – or because of the fact Harry was there, he didn't know.

"He's doing well," the Medi-Witch replied, her eyes flitting over to look at Harry. "He should be well enough to leave in a week or two." Harry made sure to nod to show that he understood what she had said, wondering briefly where the nurse from the day before had gone.

"Can I go in and see him?" Hermione questioned a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I can only admit family into the ward," she told them, her eyes flashing over to Alfraido. "And Mr. Krumpit."

"I'm his daughter," Hermione replied, rising from her chair as the Auror did, dragging Harry with her. He wondered whether or not it would be a good idea to use the 'fiancé' excuse to another person. The last thing they both needed was someone running off and telling the press that they had been told by Harry Potter himself that he and Hermione Granger were engaged. Hermione still had hold of his hand and hoped that they'd just get through the door without any questions asked.

"Uh Mr. Potter-" the nurse interrupted feebly. Harry turned round to look at her, opening his mouth to tell her the same lie as they'd told Alfraido, but the Auror got there first.

"You two go in," he ordered, putting a hand on the nurses shoulder as she went to protest, which resulted in a small squeak escaped her as her counter argument died down. Harry glanced at the two of them one last time before being pulled into the room by Hermione. Her hand released his the second the bed came into view and by the time Harry had closed the door and looked round, Hermione had made it over to her Dad and the two of them were still hugging. Hermione's Dad looked so relieved to see his daughter that Harry thought he might be about to cry. He wrung his hands together awkwardly and pulled up one of the chair from the side of the room so that he could sit down.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Hermione sobbed, pulling away so that she could look at him, but still gripping his arms. "I thought-"

"Doesn't matter," Mr. Granger replied, pulling her forward and kissing her forehead. The door opened again and all three people looked round, watching as the Auror stepped into the room. Harry wondered what he'd told the Medi-Witch, but didn't feel that it was the right time to ask. Merlin forbid he should bring engagement in front of Hermione's Dad in the state he was in.

"Hello Mr. Granger," Alfraido greeted, nodding at the man. "I'm Alfraido Krumpit. The nurse should have told you I was coming in-"

"Yes, she did," Daniel replied bitterly, obviously not happy about the fact he would have to answer questions about what had happened so soon after it had happened.

"I apologise for the timing, but we need to catch the Death Eaters that did this as soon as possible," Alfraido explained. Harry caught sight of him pointing his wand at the door behind his back to lock it and narrowed his eyes in suspicion, glaring at the Auror. Alfraido either hadn't seen the glare or had decided to ignore it.

"Can't this at least wait until tomorrow?" Daniel asked, taking his eyes off Hermione – who had placed herself at the end of his bed. "I don't-"

"The longer you leave this for, the more you're going to force yourself to forget. We need you to tell us now while everything is still fresh in your mind," Alfraido urged. Harry got the distinct feeling that he was only there under the condition that the patient was willing to oblige. "I understand that this is difficult, what with Mrs. Granger passing away-"

"Alright," Daniel interrupted, closing his eyes and resting his head back against the head board of the bed, a pained expression on his face.

"Dad, you don't have to-" Hermione protested, obviously having come to the same conclusion as Harry had.

"No it's alright," he interrupted, reaching for her hand and patting it. "I'll answer any questions Mr. Krumpit has-"

"But-"

"Thank you Mr. Granger," Alfraido pulled one of the chairs from the corner of them room and moved it round to face the bed. Instead of seating himself on it, he sat on the backrest with his feet resting on the actual seat. He rested his elbows on his knew and put his hand in his hands before focusing his attention on Daniel.

"Why don't you just start from the beginning?" he prompted. Harry got up from his chair and sat on the bed that – the day before – had been Mrs. Grangers, opposite Hermione and sent her a reassuring look. "What were you doing when the Death Eaters attacked?"

"We'd just got home," Daniel replied, looking up at Alfraido. "I picked Lillian up from work – her car's broken-" He stopped himself, realising that they Auror may not have ever even been in a car before. "They were waiting for us."

"How many?"

"Uh…I don't know," Mr. Granger muttered. "Four in the living room, two in the Kitchen, two upstairs-"

"You're sure about those numbers?"

"Well of course I'm not!" Daniel cried, his eyes snapping open to glare at Alfraido. "There were people in my house! I was wondering what the hell they were doing there, not counting how many there were!"

"Dad…"Hermione warned, squeezing his hand that she was still holding.

"Perhaps the two of you should wait outside," Alfraido suggested, glaring at Hermione and then looking round at Harry – who scowled straight back at him.

"I don't think so," Harry scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest. Alfraido frowned and turned his attention back to Mr. Granger.

"Where they all wearing masks, Mr. Granger?"

"Most of them," Daniel replied, shrugging. "White skull masks."

"Only must of them?"

"The woman wasn't." Harry and Hermione looked at each other, frowning. Bellatrix was the only female Death Eater they knew of at the moment and Alfraido would now want more answers as to what Bellatrix would want revenge against Hermione for. The Auror – genuinely interested and anxious by this point – leaned forward in his chair.

"A woman? Describe her for me."

"She was wearing a hood-"

"So you don't know what her face looked like?" Alfraido asked, sinking back into his chair, the excited look on his face falling into a frown.

"She was wearing a hood at first," Daniel finished, scathingly. "All the other Death Eaters called her Bella." The Auror smirked as his eyes flashed over to Hermione – who frowned at the triumphant look he sent her. Harry wondered how much of a bid deal Alfraido would make out of the fact that they'd been confident in the knowledge that Bellatrix had attacked her parents.

"What happened after you realised the Death Eaters were there?"

"We didn't realise at first," Daniel explained. "It's late by the time we get home and then lights are always off. They'd cornered us and locked the door before we'd noticed anything. It was only as I went to turn the light on that they made themselves noticed. Then two of them tied us up – well…" Daniel shrugged and his eyes flashed to look at Hermione. "It felt like we were being tied up, but I didn't see any ropes-"

"Binding curses," Hermione told him.

"What then?" Alfraido prompted, either annoyed that his only witness to the whole incident was a Muggle, or annoyed that Harry and Hermione were still there. Harry was willing to bet that it was a mixture of the two.

"She was talking about a Battle and how Harry and Hermione had killed her Lord, then there was…" Daniel trailed off, thinking hard for a moment. Harry could tell by the way he talked about what had happened that Hermione hadn't been completely honest with her parents when telling them about the Final Battle and Voldemort, and swore silently to question her about it later. "…She made it feel like there were…knives stabbing every part of your body, and my head-"

"Cruciatus curse," Hermione interrupted again. "The torturing curse." Her eyes flashed over to look at Harry and he didn't have to have known her for the last six and half years to know that the emotion swirling in them was fear. Mr. Granger for his part looked horrified that his daughter seemed to know what the curse was and Harry could almost hear the cogs turning in his head, telling him that his daughter had actually been through that kind of pain before.

"Are you sure, Mr. Granger-"

"Of course he's sure," Hermione interrupted again, glaring at the Auror. "You can't mistake the pain of the Cruciatus Curse for goodness sake-"

"Hermione, dear," Mr. Granger reached forward to hold her arm, but she shrugged him off without even giving it a second thought, keeping her attention focused on Alfraido.

"No, he's asked what happened and then interrogates you on each answer you give-"

"I'm just trying to get the facts right-"

"He was tortured!" Hermione cried, tears pooling in her eyes. "He can't be your perfect witness. He has no idea what's going on-"

"And I suppose you think that you do?"

"I don't think I do," Hermione growled, her hand reached for her wand as she jumped off the bed. Alfraido already had his in his hand and it was pointing at her in a flash. "I'm in the middle of it." Daniel looked between the two of the, his expression a mixture of surprise at his daughters actions and worry at her safety. Harry rose from his chair and stepped in between Hermione and Alfraido, holding a hand out in either direction to stop them moving towards each other.

"I think you're over-reacting a little Miss Granger-"

"No I'm not," Hermione hissed, pointing her wand at his chest. "You weren't the one who had to stand and look Voldemort in the eye while he tried to kill you and your best friends or when he threatened to go after your family when he was finished with you. And I'm sure you didn't have to go through Hogwarts while your best friend had a prophecy about a Mad-man hell-bent on destroying him and the rest of the world. Don't tell me I'm over-reacting."

"Hermione…" Harry wrapped his hand around the one she had on her wand and lowered it – much as she tried to resist. Wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her back onto the bed and away from Alfraido, he was momentarily surprised when she buried her head into his chest, letting out a quiet sob.

"I think you should leave," Harry told Alfraido, scathingly.

"You don't have the authority to do that, Mr. Potter-"

"You're here under the condition that Mr. Granger agrees to it. If he says you go, then you have to leave-"

"That's a mistake on your part. I can be here as long as I like-"

"Would you like me to get a Medi-Witch to confirm that?" Harry challenged. Alfraido scowled at him before his eyes flashed quickly to look at Daniel. Harry's own eyes narrowed as Daniel clapped a hand to his forehead, screwing his face up in pain and doubling over. It was only as he saw Alfraido's wand that realisation dawned on him. Jumping up from the bed and away from Hermione grasp, he slammed the Auror back into the wall, grabbing hold of his hand and trying to loosen his grip on his wand to no avail. Only vaguely aware of Hermione's voice screaming for them to stop, Harry wrapped his hand around Alfraido's wand in the hopes that he'd be able to pull it away, and sucked in a deep breath of surprise as a memory that he knew wasn't his own came flooding into his head.

The car doors slammed shut as Daniel and Lillian Granger climbed out their car, the black Audi TT beeping as Mr. Granger set the alarm. He took one of the bags of shopping from the back seat of the car and handed the keys to his wife as she started towards the door. Holding a bag of her own, she put the key into the lock on the front door.

"Don't forget," Daniel said, coming up behind her. "You've got to take those cakes across the road tonight-"

"I know-"

"And reply to Hermione's letter-"

"I have forgotten about that either," she assured him. Rolling her eyes, she unlocked the front door pushed it open gently so that it wouldn't hit the wall behind it and leave a mark. Having neither hand free after picking up the mail that had come for them while they were out, Lillian walked into the darkness, calling over her shoulder for her husband to turn the light on. He kicked the front door closed behind him and reached for where he knew the switch was.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mr. Granger," a voice sneered from one of the corners of the room. Daniel whirled round, hearing his wife give a frightened squeak from somewhere to his left.

"Who's there?" he asked, putting the shopping bag on the floor beside him so that both his hands were free.

"All in good time," the voice replied. It was male and seemed a little different to the first. Daniel looked round the room, though the dark curtains they had made it near impossible to see even his own hand in front of his face. Whirling round at the sound of a scuffle, Mr. Granger slid his hand up the wall in search of the light switch.

"What do you want?" he demanded, his voice quivering.

"Be patient, Granger," the man taunted. Daniel's eyes searched the room – even though there was no point – when he heard movement, and the hand that wasn't looking for the light switch reached down for the umbrella that they kept by the door.

"So, tell me," the person said, his voice now coming from the direction of the kitchen. "How's your daughter these days?"

"Are you one of them lot?"

"Now, Granger, that's not a very polite thing to say, is it?"

"Are you?"

"How's your daughter, Granger?" the voice repeated. Daniel's hand found the light and he rested his thumb on the switch. "I saw the letter you got from her. She seems to be doing well in school. Good grades." There was the sound of paper being screwed up and then thrown on the floor and Daniel wondered how long they'd been there going through their stuff.

"Her relationship with Potter seems to be going well," the voice sneered, loathingly. "You might have a Son-in-law soon. If you live that long, anyway-"

"Why are you here?" Daniel questioned, his thumb pushing down gently on the light switch as his eyes blindly searched the room.

"Don't push that switch, Granger."

"Answer my question."

"Well," the man chuckled. "We feel that young Miss. Granger should see what we think her family's life is worth. When she finally hears the news, I think she'll be most devastated." The footsteps came towards him slightly and Daniel's other hand searched frantically for something he could use to defend himself in case the Death Eater came anywhere near him. He knew even before his hand had wrapped around the umbrella that he'd hoped was still there from the day before that it would be useless. It wouldn't help him at all if these people were Wizards.

"I have a question for you, Granger," the voice continued, a hint of amusement in his tone now.

"What?" Daniel replied, venomously.

"Is this beautiful thing your wife?" Daniel had pushed the switch without even a moment of thought and the room flooded with light. His eyes flickered around the room. Two Death Eaters sat in the chairs surrounding the small coffee table on which their wands were resting and another stood beside the fireplace, seemingly contemplating whether or not there was any point in lighting it. There was one other Death Eater standing by the window – obviously having been looking out for the two of them to return home. Daniel looked round and caught sight of Lillian being held by another Death Eater, who had his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming and another stood behind him, leaning on the kitchen door frame. The only other person in the room was the man who had been talking to him and was the only Death Eater not wearing a hood or mask.

"What did I tell you about that light switch, Granger?" the man asked, his black hair falling into his eyes as he looked over at the two Death Eaters by the coffee table. They rose from the chairs, picked up their wands and then grabbed hold of Daniel, pushing him into one of the wooden chairs found at the other small table in the room.

"Perhaps I should have made it clear what would happen if you switched on the light." Pulling what Daniel instantly recognised as a wand from his pocket, the man pointed it at Lillian.

"No! Don't!" Daniel cried, struggling against the two Death Eaters behind him.

"You don't know what I'm going to do yet," the man chuckled, cocking his head to the side as he stared at him. "And if you're that scared of pointing my wand at your wife, then your daughter must keep you well informed." Lowering his wand back to his side, the man stepped up to where Daniel was sitting, crouching down so that he was at eye level with him.

"Unfortunately for you and your wife, it's not me that you should be frightened of." He smirked and looked over his shoulder as two Death Eaters descended the stairs. Daniels eyes flickered to look at them, noting the fact that the woman didn't have a mask on either.

"This is Bella," the man introduced, smirking. "And she'll be your torturer for this evening." A small whimper escaped Lillian at the word and Daniel winced. The man chuckled and walked over to the bottom of the stairs as the woman – Bella – reached them. For the first time, Daniel noticed she was holding something in her hand and his eyes flickered to look at her face to find that she was already staring at him.

"You like to keep plenty of pictures up around the house, I see," she jeered, waving them in her hand and then handing them to the man as she dropped down the last step. He looked through them and smirked, picking one from the middle and holding up so Daniel could see. He scowled at the two Death Eaters and then looked down at the picture, remembering the day as soon as he saw it. Hermione's sixteenth birthday.

"Happy family, eh?" the man teased, handing the other pictures to Bella and then pulling his wand from his pocket. "Such a terrible shame it's not made to last." Tossing the picture up in the air, he pointed his wand at it, muttered something under his breath and then watched as is went up in flame. Looking back at Bella, he smirked.

"Have fun," he chuckled, making his way into the Kitchen.

"Oh, don't worry," Bella replied, seconds before the sound of the man's footsteps was drowned out by a screamed ripped from Lillian. "I will."

Harry felt someone grab his shoulder, and before he could even begin to register what was happening, he'd been pulled away and was laying on his back on the floor. Both his hands flew up to his head and he squeezed his eyes shut, groaning in pain.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione sobbed, her hand wrapping around his arm and trying to help him sit up. He sucked in a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet, his eyes scanning the room for Alfraido. He found the Auror leaning against the wall, taking deep breaths to try and calm his breathing. Without a moments hesitation, he stormed over and punched him, sending him sprawling on the floor – obviously too weak from the spell to keep himself on his feet. Harry steadied himself on the edge of Daniel's bed, trying not to fall over himself.

"What in the hell did you do that for?" he demanded. "Using Legilemency on a Muggle can cause them serious damage-"

"And grabbing the wand of said Legilemens can cause them damage," Alfraido hissed, wiping the blood dripping from his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. Harry regretted hitting him for a minute, knowing that he'd more than likely get in trouble for it, but the regret vanished instantly. He'd deserved it.

"Good," Harry spat, trying to steady his breathing and get the room to stop spinning. He looked round at Mr. Granger – who seemed to be in a great deal of pain – and then at Hermione, who was still sitting on the floor where he'd left her before punching Alfraido.

"Get out," he ordered, turning his attention back to the Auror as his eyes flashed dangerously. "And Merlin help you if you come back." After a moments hesitation and a quick glance at Harry's eyes, the Auror did as he was told, climbing up on unsteady feet and hurrying to the door.

"Stupid bastard," Harry muttered, raising a hand to his forehead again and walking round the bed to help Hermione up. She took his hand gratefully and wrapped her arms round his waist. Still gripping the side of the bed, Harry touched Daniels arm lightly.

"Are you alright, Sir?" he questioned, cautiously.

"Fine-"

"Should I get a nurse?" Daniel shook his head and looked up at the two of them, holding his arms open for Hermione, who gladly ran over to him and enveloped him in a hug.

"What did he do?" Mr. Granger asked, rubbing his forehead and looking up at Harry, still holding Hermione in a one-armed-hug.

"Read your mind, so to speak," Harry told him, collapsing back onto the chair Alfraido had been sitting in and turning his attention to Hermione. "Barty was there."

"How about Lucius?" she questioned, wiping the tears from her eyes and pulled away from her dads hug enough to look at Harry. He shook his head and looked over at Daniel as if it would help being back any memories.

"Did Bellatrix…" Hermione trailed off and her eyes flickered to look at the bed that had been occupied the day before by her mum. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Harry told her, shaking his head. "I didn't get that far. She's only just started with a Cruciatus Curse when you pulled me away." Hermione nodded again and her eyes flickered up to look at the clock, a look of disdain crossing her face when she saw how much time Alfraido had wasted.

"We have to go soon," she muttered, looking at Harry and then her dad. He kissed his forehead.

"Don't worry, I'll see you again soon," he told her. "They'll be letting me out in a few days-"

"What if-"

"They've offered me protection and a safe house. I'll be alright and I'll see you again at the Funeral." His voice cracked on the last word and having obviously been waiting for the right moment to start crying, Hermione abruptly burst into tears, grabbing her dad's shirt and burying her head in his shoulder. Harry looked between the two of them awkwardly and decided to give them a few moments alone. Alfraido had left the door unlocked on his way out and Harry made his way towards it, pushing down gently on the handle and then swinging it out slowly. He closed it behind him again and then rested his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to get the thought that he was the one to blame out of his head. It was hard, knowing that Hermione's parents were targeted specifically because their daughter was his girlfriend. He wondered briefly just what would happen if the nurse blabbed that they were getting engaged and then his mind went on to ask the question as to whether he'd even known the two of them were dating before the Death Eaters told him.

"Mr. Potter?" a voice asked feebly from beside him. He opened his eyes to find a nurse at least a head shorter than her was standing in front of him. He looked at her expectantly as she blushed.

"A message came for you," she told him, holding out a note. He stood up straight and took it from her, unfolding it and scanning his eyes over what it said. Looking back up at the Medi-Witch, he nodded his thanks and after blushing again, she hurried off, throwing him one last glance over her shoulder. He didn't have time to shove the note in his pocket before the door behind him opened and Hermione stepped out.

"I wondered where you'd gone," she said, wrapping her arms round his waist and burying her head in his chest.

"I thought I'd give you and your dad a few moments alone," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "Is he alright?"

"He's upset that he couldn't help Mum," she sniffled. "And angry at Bellatrix and Alfraido. He wanted me to thank you-"

"What for?" Harry asked, incredulously.

"For stopping Alfraido," she replied, looking up at him and smiling. "And for looking after his little girl." Harry smiled back and placed another quick kiss on her forehead. She pulled away to kiss him properly and then stepped back, wiping the last few remaining tears away.

"What's that?" she asked, catching sight of the piece of paper in his hand. He looked down at it and smirked.

"They found the counter curse to the spell on Draco."