Vox Corpis [Harmione]

Chapter 4

Hermione and Ron went up to the owlery with a quill and piece of parchment at the ready. Together, heads bent over their letter, the two of them sat on the ledge outside the owlery door and composed the message that would travel to the Burrow to hopefully secure Harry's sanctuary over the summer holiday. Ron was scribbling in his barely legible scrawl while Hermione sat with Pigwidgeon in her lap, clasped between her hands to still the Scoop owl's neurotic bouncing and hooting. Even restrained, the bird still bobbed his head and flailed his taloned feet like a beetle on its back.

"Bloody nuisance, Dad leaving in the middle of the night like that," Ron grumbled as he began to roll up the finished parchment, "coulda just asked him outright while he was here."

"Your dad works for the ministry, makes sense he'd have to get back straight away, wouldn't it?"

Ron didn't answer, instead leaned in to capture one of Pig's restless legs and tied the letter to it. "Take this home to Mum, Pig, and don't get lost, you ruddy bird."

Pig fanned his tail feathers, held back from doing much else, and Hermione opened her fingers to let him go. At once the bird took to the air, making one wild loop before zooming toward the horizon. Hermione watched the twitchy little owl going then turned when a rustle of feathers to her right drew her attention. Hedwig had alighted on the ledge beside Hermione and was looking out reproachfully, with mild disgust, at Pig. Hedwig turned her beautiful amber eyes up to Hermione. Harry's devoted snowy owl looked worried, as though she was fully aware of all that had recently befallen her master. Being a wizard's familiar, perhaps she was. The owl also looked disdainful that the welfare of her master was in the claws of that idiot bird.

Hermione stroked Hedwig's soft, pure white feathers. "I'd have rather sent you, Hedwig, but neither of us asked Harry if it would have been all right and we wanted that letter off as soon as possible."

Hedwig blinked but seemed to grudgingly agree. She blinked again and ruffled her feathers under Hermione's slender fingers.

Hermione looked once more after Pig (who was now a black spec in the sky), then she dropped down from the ledge. "Come on," she said to Ron, "let's go find Dumbledore and let him know we mean for Harry to go home with you this summer." It wasn't even a matter of asking but of insisting. Hermione couldn't fathom being overruled on this, not even by Dumbledore.

Hedwig took a couple of steps across the ledge closer to where Hermione stood and reached out to gently nibble on her shoulder. It was clearly meant to communicate appreciation for their efforts of Harry's behalf.

Ron jumped down to accompany Hermione and Hermione gave Hedwig a last pet before they set off for the castle again.

❾¾ ❾¾❾¾

Madam Pomfrey stuck her head out of her office when she heard the doors to the hospital wing open.

"Oh. I should have known it would be no good trying to keep you two out," the old witch said when she saw Hermione and Ron enter. Ron gave Madam Pomfrey a rather plaintive look, as though trying to puppy-dog face his way into getting to visit Harry. Hermione took a different approach. Her face was stolid and stony; she defied Pomfrey to tell her to leave.

Either one or the other, both, or neither worked, but whatever the case it didn't really matter because Pomfrey just gave a shake of her head and didn't pester the two students further.

Hermione and Ron found Harry reclined on a bed to the left of the entrance, the sole occupant in the hospital wing. Hermione couldn't ignore how alone he looked. She wanted to hug him, let him know he wasn't alone, soothe him and reassure him, but she knew if she succumbed to that impulse it would be for her benefit and not his. He was alone and despondent but he was also used to it. He'd started summer holiday early; the only thing missing was the physical presence of the Dursleys.