Harry woke up early the next morning and went straight to Hermione and Ginny's room. Only Hermione was in there, though and she was arranging the bed sheets. “’Morning, Harry,” she said brightly.
“Good morning,” Harry replied. “Um... Do you know where Ginny is?”
“She's gone to get Jess from Ron's room... Why?”
“Well... I need to talk to her... Actually you too.”
“Okay, sit down,” said Hermione, pointing to her bed. Harry took his place on it and Hermione too sat next to him. “So tell me. Is it about last night?”
Harry gave her a surprised look. “How do you know?”
“Ginny tells me everything, Harry.”
“Well then did she tell you why she got all weird and scared last night?”
Hermione sighed. “She thinks she is insulting Parvati. It's only two months, after all...”
“What did you tell her?”
Hermione put a hand on Harry's shoulder. “Forget what I told her and just tell me about your opinion. What do you think?”
“I well... I think Parvati would have wanted me to move on.”
“That's what I told her. I think the two of you should try spending time with each other and see how it works out because according to me, you two are made for each other.”
“Really?”
“Sure,” replied Hermione. Just then, Ginny entered the room with Jessica.
She smiled at Hermione. “I heard a part of your conversation from outside. And you know what? I think you and Ron are made for each other too.”
Hermione moaned. “Ginny, please don't start again. Ron and I are done... We're over. There's nothing left to do or say now. The only reason I'm even waiting for the case to get solved is that I don't want him to tire himself with too much at once.”
“So that means you care for him.”
“I... Oh Merlin!” Hermione buried her head in her hands. “Ginny, it really is over. Please understand that.”
Ginny raised an eyebrow. “Okay, here's a deal. Harry and I will try to work it out between us if you and Ron give each other one last try.”
Hermione took a deep breath. “Okay. That's a deal. But don't blame me if Ron and I just happen to fight more after this.”
Ginny smiled and winked at Harry. “Come on and get ready then. We can catch breakfast somewhere before we visit Daisy with the others.”
***
Chris dressed up at top speed, cursing himself for sleeping off instead of going and staying by Daisy's side. After that particularly embarrassing spell of tears, Chris had told his mother about Daisy's comatose condition. He had also blurted out the entire murder case to his mother and now he wished he hadn't told her because she had decided to stay back with Kevin and support Chris till the case was solved and Daisy was awake.
Chris was far from happy with her decision. Daisy was really smart; she had intelligently kept her family away from the entire issue so that they couldn't be touched by the killer. And now Chris was being downright foolish by letting his parents stay so that the killer had easy access to them. He had tried to convince them too, but they weren't ready to go.
Chris stormed down the stairs with his backpack over his shoulders. It was a Saturday so there was no college and he could go to meet Daisy immediately. His mother was serving pancakes and maple syrup at the table, but Chris had no time for that. “Bye Mum, Dad!” he called out as he opened the door with a wave of his wand.
“Be back by half-past ten! You've got to go for your ramp walk session. Cheryl's coming to pick you up.”
“Okay,” Chris replied as his car door flew open to let him in. Then he drove off, wondering why Cheryl was so interested in picking him up when he could as easily find his way to the venue.
***
Ginny adjusted her watch and checked the time as Harry ordered tea and fresh croissants at the hotel for breakfast. Once he had placed the order, he came back and sat down beside her. “Our order should be ready in some time.”
Ginny nodded, not knowing what to say. Harry pulled out a few papers from his briefcase and put them on the table. “I got an owl from Pari,” he said. “Daisy's in a coma.”
“Oh no,” said Ginny. “What are the chances that she'll survive?”
“They aren't really expecting improvement unless the antidote is found. And of course, no one has a clue about the antidote. Even Hermione can't find anything that's antagonistic to the poison.”
Both of them were quiet for a while, as their allotted number flashed on the screen. Harry collected their breakfast and both of them sipped tea silently. Then Harry spoke up again. “Chris told me about something that Daisy tried to tell him before losing consciousness.”
“Hmmm?”
“She said something that sounded that ‘Galaniving Zem’.”
Ginny frowned. “That rings a bell.”
“It does?”
“Yeah. Just wait a minute... Oh yeah I remember.”
“What is it?”
“Well... Daisy had to have meant ‘Galvanising Gem.’”
“What is that?”
“It has been stolen from the Department of Mysteries. It's a replica of the Kohinoor diamond. It's supposed to empower the owner by entrusting him or her with the secrets of the darkest of magic. Irene and I were put on its trace when we imprisoned Daisy and thought we had finished with this case.”
“When was this thing stolen?”
“July, I think.”
“That was when the murders began, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So... This Gem has to have some connection with the murders.”
“That doesn't make sense. But then...” Ginny rubbed her temples, “what I've never understood is that if someone already has the Gem, then they must have been ‘empowered’ already, right?”
“Should be,” Harry said. “But I still think the killer and the person who has robbed the Department of Mysteries must be the same person.”
“But that doesn't make sense at all!”
“It does, in a way,” said Harry quietly.
“How?”
“Remember Voldemort's Horcruxes?”
Ginny flinched. “Stop using his name! It still gives me the creeps. Ugh! And Horcruxes? I would have known about them... But wait a minute. I never was in the battle!”
“Voldemort's gone forever, Ginny, so I think you should say his name. And please don't start again on not being allowed to fight. That was years ago!”
Ginny finished the croissant that she was eating and picked up another. “Why shouldn't I start on it again, Harry? That bloody battle is the reason we split and never got back together. That was the reason all my studies went haywire and I had to go to some other corner of the world to pursue my interest so that in the meantime, you could get married to Parvati and leave me waiting for you like a fool. That war jumbled up more of my life than you think.”
“God, Ginny, where are you taking this to?” Harry asked. “We were discussing entirely different issues.”
Ginny though was already agitated. “If you want to discuss work, Harry, then please let's go to the Headquarters. This breakfast together is of no use.”
“What's wrong with you?!”
Ginny shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she said, “I just need to tell you that maybe... You and I... It's not possible...”
“But you told Hermione that””
“I just said so because I really want her and Ron to give themselves another chance.”
“But what about us?”
“Well, Harry... I think it isn't gonna work out. I mean... You've been married once, you have a daughter. You've got a different perspective of looking at things since the time you were sixteen and we were dating. You also know what marriage is all about and you've grown to be a different person for all these reasons. I still am the same person that I was, with very few changes.”
“So? Who says that it's bad to try?”
“That's not the point. It's also... I could never dare to take Parvati's place in your life. I know what she meant to you and... And I couldn't possibly... I don't know...”
“Look, it's not important to take this to marriage, okay? We can just be together and see if it works. And if it does work, you will not be taking Parvati's place. That will be your own place in my life.”
Ginny sighed and thought for a few minutes, absently buttering her croissant excessively. “Okay,” she said. “We'll do it.” She grinned and bent forward, giving Harry a big hug which he returned.
***
Chris parked his car in the garage exactly at half-past ten, but that wasn't before he noticed another one parked right outside his house. So Cheryl was there already. Chris sighed. Something was definitely wrong with that girl. She dropped too many hints about being attracted to him.
Chris had taken out his wand and was about to open the door himself, when he remembered that Cheryl would notice it. Muggles, of course, weren't accustomed to magic. Chris grimaced and rang the bell. His mother opened it, smiling at him and whispered, “Cheryl is waiting for you. I think you should let her know about Daisy soon, dear. She seems lost when she talks about you.”
Chris nodded and let himself in. He saw that Cheryl was seated on the couch. She was dressed in a blue tee shirt and jeans. Her hair was in a ponytail. She managed to look breathtaking even with the totally simple dressing, though.
“Hi!” Chris said, walking over to her.
She blushed. “Hey!”
Oh Merlin, I really must tell her that I'm in a relationship with Daisy, thought Chris. He smiled at her. “I'll just be back in a minute, okay?”
She nodded and didn't say anything. Instead, she pointed at Chris's wand, which he had forgotten to hide. “What's that stick you've got?”
Chris gasped and stuffed it into his pocket. “Oh... Oh that's nothing. And I... I need to send a mail to this Heal”Doctor friend of mind. Just wait here.” Chris didn't wait for Cheryl's reply and dashed up three stairs at a time. His owl, Photon, was snoozing in its cage. Chris prodded the owl with his finger and it woke up with a low hoot. “I need you to deliver something for me as fast as you can, okay?”
Photon gave another hoot and stuck his leg out. Chris removed the scroll from his backpack and tied it to Photon's leg. Then he held the owl in his hand and let it fly away. After that, Chris extracted his wallet full of Muggle money and his phone from the cupboard and stuffed them into his pockets. He took a look at the mirror to see if he looked presentable and then went downstairs.
In the next few minutes, Cheryl was driving Chris to one of the biggest auditoriums in the city. She parked and they went in to see a huge stage with a good, long catwalk. A choreographer was talking to Mrs Willis, while male and female models stood by their sides patiently. “Mum, I've got Chris,” Cheryl called.
Mrs Willis looked at Chris smiled. “Oh good.” Then she turned to the other models who, by the look of it, were either in their late teens or early twenties. “Please welcome Chris and Cheryl. They'll be the showstoppers for this event.”
Cheryl caught Chris by the wrist and led him to the other models. Mrs Willis then said, “Can you girls and boys teach them how to go about the walk and all? I’ll just discuss your arrangements and sequences with the choreographer.”
The models all started to go backstage and Chris went with wondering what he had gotten himself into for the first time that morning.
***
Hermione read through the enzyme reports carefully, checking out their concentration. There was nothing wrong with it. So enzymes weren't the answer at all. Then the hormones had to have something.
Hermione removed the hormone tests from the scroll. Their concentration in the body was found by mixing the blood with a special potion. Hormone concentration determination was generally not possible for Muggles, but wizards could do it. Presently the sheet which Hermione was reading showed just one abnormal concentration. The adrenaline level was low, even with Daisy's comatose condition. Was this the answer then?
Hermione walked to her cabinet and pulled out a vial of Daisy's blood. It had been mixed with anticoagulants so that it could be tested without trouble. She took out two Petri dishes and put a drop of blood in each of them. Then she extracted two vials: one was a potion which mimicked adrenaline and the other, noradrenalin. She then put a drop of the adrenaline in one Petri dish and that of noradrenalin in the other. The one with the adrenaline made a tiny hissing noise and was back to normal, but the other one stayed the way it was.
Hermione grasped her wand with shaking fingers and waved it over both the dishes. Then she let out a gasp.
***
“...Five, six, seven... and stop.”
Chris stopped and glared into thin air, waiting for his cue to pose. He could hear the clapping of high heels as two models came walking and stopped on either side of him. This time, Chris put his left foot forward and turned a little, placing one hand in the pocket of his jeans. “Very good!” said the choreographer. “Now turn around and walk back.”
Chris had just walked backstage, when he felt the phone in his pocket vibrate. He picked it up. “Hello?”
“Chris?” asked Hermione's voice.
“Yeah,” Chris said. “You found something?”
“Yes! I found the antidote!”
Chris felt his heart beat faster. “Really? Where” Where are you?!”
“I'm just going to Apparate to the hospital now.”
“Okay, I”” Chris stopped when Cheryl called out his name. She came to him and told him that their final walk was about to be choreographed.
Chris spoke to Hermione again. “Listen, I'm tied up in something else. I'll come straight to the hospital once I'm done here, okay?”
“Okay,” said Hermione, before disconnecting the phone.
“Come,” said Cheryl. “We have to do the last, most important walk together.”
Chris went back onstage with Cheryl, and the choreographer scrutinised the duo and said, “Okay. Chris, you go to the right entrance. Cheryl, you go to the left.”
A few minutes later, Chris and Cheryl had been explained with their moves and Chris stood at his entrance. He didn't care about the walk anymore; Daisy was going to wake up soon and that was what mattered. Anyway, he had to pay attention as the choreographer clapped his hands. “Start!”
Chris started to walk as the choreographer counted. “One, two, three, four, five and pose.” Chris stopped and posed as the choreographer counted Cheryl's steps. She stopped and posed next to him too. Then they both walked down the catwalk with coordinated steps and posed several times, earning a praise from the choreographer for each one. And after that they were all given a break before the final practice for the day.
Chris walked backstage and took out his phone, wondering whether Hermione would have been back from St. Mungo's. He was just planning on trying to reach her anyway, when Cheryl patted his arm. “Care for some lunch?”
“Sure,” said Chris. “Where do you want to go?”
“Um... There's a nice place close by.”
“Okay. Let's go.”
Chris and Cheryl walked out of the auditorium and a bit more to a small, well decorated restaurant. They took a booth there so that Cheryl wouldn't be easily spotted and placed their orders. Then they chatted a bit about the show, which was planned for a few weeks later. The food arrived and both of them fell silent for a while as they munched. Finally Cheryl spoke again. “So... You've got to report to the hospital after this?”
“Not exactly...” Chris replied, picking up his fork. “I am visiting someone there. That's where I came from last evening and this morning too.”
Cheryl looked surprised. “Really? Who? I thought I saw all your friends yesterday.”
“It's my girlfriend,” said Chris. ”She's been critical for two weeks. She... You know what? Let's not wander into that area. I really don't want to think of it right now.”
Cheryl nodded. Then she smiled. “So... Girlfriend, huh?”
Chris went red. “Um, yeah. What about you?”
“Nah. No one has found me pretty enough yet, I guess.”
Chris grinned and noticed that both of them had empty plates. Then he checked his watch. “Shouldn't we be heading back? It's almost time.” They paid the bill and left the restaurant for the auditorium for the complete rehearsal along with the music.
***
Robert filled the syringe with the adrenaline and put it in the pocket of his robes. Then he walked to Daisy's ward where Pari, Hermione and Healer Tudor were waiting for him. “Well, let's try out this one,” he said, extracting the syringe. He pushed the needle through the IV port and emptied the syringe. Hermione in the meantime waved her wand. It illuminated Daisy's cephalic vein and they could see it as a red line coursing along her arm and into her axilla as the axillary vein.
As the adrenaline rushed through the vein, Robert gasped on seeing the red line turn green. “It's really working!” he said in amazement. “You've actually found the antidote for this poison!”
Healer Tudor smiled too. “Good job. But I think we'll have to restrict the adrenaline to one milligram a day. Otherwise she could have other complications.”
“Yes,” said Robert. “Let's make it one dose every afternoon so that there's no confusion.”
“All right, so be sure to do it in your shift,” Healer Tudor said.
There was triumphant silence for a while. Then Pari spoke. “When will she wake up?”
“In a few weeks,” Robert told her.
“And she'll be fine...?”
“She'll be perfect,” said Hermione. “She's going to get out of that coma and lead a very normal life with almost no problems.”
“Almost?”
“Well... Her uterus and stomach aren't going to be completely normal.”
“Where's Stevens?” Healer Tudor asked suddenly. “I thought he'd want to know about this.”
“Oh, he came this morning,” Pari said. “And he'll be back as soon as he finishes practising the catwalk for Brenda Willis's new range of outfits.”
Healer Tudor raised an eyebrow. “That boy is losing his focus. Catwalk? Honestly...”
***
Hermione appeared at the backyard of the guest house and quickly glanced around to see if anyone had seen her Apparate. She couldn't spot anyone, so she went ahead and knocked at the door. It was opened by Padma, who seemed to be rushing to work. She smiled at Hermione. “Hi!”
Hermione grinned back as she let herself in. She went to the hallway to see that Anthony was waiting for Padma at the front door. Padma waved Hermione goodbye and she and Anthony left.
Hermione shut the door for them and rushed upstairs to Ron's room. The door was open and she saw Ron pack his robes into his briefcase along with a few files. He locked the briefcase, picked it up and started to come out of the room when he spotted her. “Oh, hi... What happened?”
“Are you in a rush?” Hermione asked him.
“Sort of,” said Ron.
“Can... Can we talk for five minutes?”
“I guess that won't hurt,” said Ron, shrugging his shoulders. He sat on the bed and gestured for Hermione to sit too.
Hermione sat down next to him on the bed and bit her lip. Then she said, “I found the antidote for the poison in Daisy's system.”
“Okay... That's good.”
“She'll be awake in a few weeks and your case will be solved with that, I guess.”
“Hmm,” said Ron. He was lost in his thoughts for a while. “So... You'll file for divorce after she wakes up...?”
“I can if you want, but... I want... Oh Ron...”
“What is it?”
Hermione gave him a pleading look. “I... Why can't we try afresh?”
Ron sighed. “Hermione, honestly. What the hell do you want? One day you say you want a divorce and the next day you say that you don't. I did love you more than anything at one time but I don't have the energy to go through this entire thing again.”
“‘At one time.’ You don't love me anymore do you, Ron?”
Ron buried his face in his hands. “What do you want me to say? If I say that I love you, you call me a liar. If I tell you that I used to love you, you ask me why I don't love you anymore. You know what? Just leave this the way it is. I don't think starting afresh is going to help us.”
Hermione felt her heart sink. “Can't we at least try?”
Ron was silent for a while. “I would love to. But if it doesn't work, I really can't take that emotional torture for a second time.”
Hermione nodded. “Tell you what? I'm ready to give this a try. If... If it doesn't work out... You can file for divorce with whatever sort of custody you'd like for the kids. I promise I won't let it get to the courtroom if you decide on it. And from my side, I've decided that I don't want a divorce so I won't initiate one either.”
Ron licked his lips. “Okay. I guess we can do that. Let's give us a try.” He smiled at Hermione and got up from the bed. “Now I've really got to go to work. We have a meeting about a new lead in the case.”
Hermione nodded and stood up too. Then she put her arms around Ron's neck, stood on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Oh Ron...”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“No, tell me. What is it?”
Hermione grinned. “I love you.”
Killer Instincts by Ginny Weasley Potter
Chapter Notes: Here's chapter 28!!!
Okay, so this chapter is all about H/G and R/Hr trying to get back together. And Chris and Cheryl bonding a little, of course. And Cheryl does seem like some sort of a vamp, right? Well, whatever you guys think. I'm not saying anything now.
And fashion shows. I did try to find out about them, but I didn't get much information. I had done a ramp walk once but that wasn't exactly a fashion show. It was the Miss Freshers contest. And it didn't take place, thatnks to some people who really anger me even now. >.< So, if I'm wrong in that correct me. I didn't get another idea to get Cheryl and Chris to bond more. I couldn't just get them to say "Hi!" at a party and meet up for lunch the next day.
Hehe. This is for my Uncle and Aunt. :D
Do review guys! It spurs me to go on and write more. I'm just receiving one or no reviews per chapter these days. :(