the marriage stone (Discontinued)

Chapter 61 - The Calling

Harry was already asleep by the time Hermione finished covering him with the cloak. Since he was still shivering rather violently, she cast a warming charm on the cloak, hoping it would mitigate the worst of his shakes. It was likely his body was in shock, but with all the other people needing serious medical attention he was unlikely to receive anything more valuable than sleep at the moment. Harry had always been resilient. He would recover from this as well.

Hermione crossed the room and sat down beside Ron. One of the house elves had brought up a tray of sandwiches as well as more tea for all them, and Ron handed her a cup prepared just the way she liked it - milk, no sugar. Nearby Charlie and Draco were cuddled together on a loveseat, and Ginny was sitting on the floor next to them, leaning up against her brother's leg. Like all of them, Ginny felt the need for comfort after all that had happened.

She found herself watching Draco thoughtfully. She wasn't entirely certain what to make of the Slytherin. His unexpected bravery out on the pitch had surprised all of them, and had permanently earned him the approval of the Weasley clan. She'd seen all the Weasleys, Ron included, pat him on the shoulder at some point in the last hour. Draco, for his part, didn't seem to know what to make of the situation either. It was obvious that he was just as bewildered by his behavior, and equally uncertain how to act in the face of such approval. She couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever received any sort of praise from his parents.

Now he sat huddled next to Charlie, leaning against his side, one of Charlie's arms wrapped firmly around his shoulders. He did not seem inclined to move any time in the future, his face pale and thoughtful. But his eyes were sharp and focused, and she couldn't help but wonder what sorts of thoughts were racing through his mind. How would he see these events of this past hour? She herself didn't know what to make of them, and she certainly had a lot more experience in the unexpected, having been friends with Harry for so long.

"Do you think he understands?" Draco asked all of them suddenly, speaking low so as not to disturb Harry. As it was, Hermione suspected that Professor Snape's potion would keep him unaware of the world around him for some time.

"I'm not certain I understand," Charlie admitted.

Draco frowned and glanced over at Ron and Hermione instead. "I suppose this is all normal for the two of you?" he asked.

Hermione exchanged a glance with Ron. On one hand, Draco was right - but still, this passed even their expectation of things. For once Hermione decided to let Ron answer. She suspected her own understanding of things was badly colored by her Muggle upbringing, and she felt a bit awkward having that displayed so obviously in front of the Slytherin. All of them had talked about a children's story they all collectively knew - she had never heard of it. She doubted Harry had either.

"I wouldn't say normal," Ron informed the Slytherin. "Discovering that your best friend is. . . well, you know. . .is a bit strange no matter how you look at it."

That your best friend is….Hermione frowned. They meant 'king'. That had been mentioned repeatedly - even the Aurors had hinted at it. And certainly in that long walk from the Quidditch Pitch to the castle, the total strangers who had tried to touch or kiss Harry had said as much. Then there were the spells - her analytical, Muggle-raised mind had dismissed any suggestion that those spells she had researched were meant for someone special. When she, Ron and Harry had practiced them, she'd come to the conclusion that Harry had been the only one who could make them work because he was more powerful than the two of them. She had never even entertained the idea that it meant something more than that.

"What is this children's story you were all talking about?" she asked.

They were all more than eager to tell her the tale - even Draco - though they each had a slightly different version of the story to tell. Ron insisted that the king in the story was dressed in the red and gold of Gryffindor, and Draco insisted he had worn the green and silver of Slytherin. Ginny had pointed out that the story predated the founding of Hogwarts by centuries and couldn't possibly have anything to do with either Gryffindor or Slytherin since the two Wizards in questions hadn't even been born then.