15 Grey
"Grey lady"
Harry took in the tall figure draped in long cloak and with shoulder-length hair serenely smiled at Hermione.
"Grey Lady?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"She is Ravenclaw House Ghost, I read in Hogwarts: The History"
"Then Miss Granger, I think your edition of the book is a little old. I am no longer Ravenclaw house Ghost."
Harry lowered his wand, "Why are you here?"
She turned towards him, a smile playing on her lips. He tried to back away only to find his body freeze. He did not feel any magic power being used but still felt being tied. In a moment of panic, he used his telekinesis to push outwards, only to meet with another psionic presence that receded the moment his telekinesis lashed out. He was not tied magically but psionically.
Harry suddenly understood, "You are her, aren't you? Her sister Ember told me about."
Her serene smile widened and the psionic powers trying to hold him vanished, "I thought I would have to hold you to make you listen."
He relaxed, "Uh, lady you have a weird way of making a point."
"Call me Helena, Helena Ravenclaw.", Harry answered back politely, not wanting to ruin the impression with someone who could be family.
Beside them, Hermione gasped, "Helena Ravenclaw, Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter! You were supposed to be dead for..."
"Shhhh," Helena put her finger on Hermione's lips, and surprisingly Hermione felt the cold touch, "Don't worry about schematics and rest. Your Injury is still not healed yet."
"Harry, I am very happy to finally meet you but I am afraid we will have to meet at a later time. And don't worry her, I will be guarding her. I also want to know who is behind all this mess."
Harry looked at Hermione, who silently mounted 'Don't Worry'. Nodding to them, he was about to leave when Psionic touch once again stopped him in place.
But this time he did not panic, carefully feeling it. He smiled when he noticed it was not what he had assumed earlier. Instead of trying him, it was more akin to a gentle hug if anything, a warm psionic greeting and farewell.
.
.
"Harry!"
Harry came to Hospital Wing early morning the next day and was pleasantly surprised to see Hermione sitting in her bed, waving at him.
"'Hey Hermione, how do you feel today?"
"Much better, last night I could finally rest easy. Helena remained around all night."
Harry nodded, looked around to see if anybody was eavesdropping, "Did you find... I mean, who was responsible for this, any idea?"
Hermione shook her head, raising her bandaged hand and showing him her missing finger, "No, no idea. But Helena is sure that my hand was not injured by a troll, someone deliberately cut off my finger and passed it as accident."
"Someone who reached you after Helena killed the troll but before teachers found you? It could be someone was controlling Troll all along.", Harry thought but could not come to any conclusion. Sudden he had a thought.
"Hermione are you wearing the ring you got at Kings Cross?"
"Yes, I wore it on my pink..." Hermione realized mid-sentence, "it is gone, I wore it on my left hand's pinky, trying to see if it could really resize but now it's gone"
Harry held his head in his hands, groaning. The ring was a mental buffer and given that she was attacked with Legilimency, in hindsight it is quite clear that the attacker needed something only Hermione knows.
"But What? I am not special or anything." across him, Hermione also reached the same conclusion.
They were brainstorming when Madam Pomfrey came, "Deare, don't you have a class now."
Pomfrey was smiling, but to Harry, it was positively ominous, "Yes Mam."
"Then WHAT are you doing here Disturbing My Patient!!"
.
.
"Ugh, today is hell", Harry complained, leaving potions class smelling like rotten egg. Beside him, Neville agreed with a nod. He too smelled bad, and the rest of the students avoided them like a plague.
"I did-nt.. knew when add newt eyes." Neville stuttered.
Harry waved him off, "Don't worry about it. Snape should teach better than just writing the recipe on the board."
Sighing, he pinched his nose. He really should have learned cleaning charm. Now he will have to visit his torm to get cleaned up.
"Come Neville, let's clean up.
After a bath and leaving potion filled robes at mercy of house elves, he come out of his room intent on visiting Hospital Wing when he noticed a familiar figure with bushy hairs sitting in common room.
"Hermione!"
She turned, her bandages were removed and Harry noticed a jagged scar running from her scalp to her right eyebrow. Her left hand was missing her pinky finger, but the bandages covering it prevented anyone from noticing.
"Harry. How are you. See, I got permission to leave from Madam Pomfrey."
"She let you, just like that?" Harry was spectical, Madam Pomfrey seemed like quite a mother Hen.
"Yes, I am completely healed as much I can be." She waved her bandaged hand, "She had no reason to keep me."
"Good then, and um your scar...is that not too small...did Helena heal it." Harry questioned carefully, trying not to sound insensitive.
Thankfully Hermione did not take any offense, "Hmm, she did. My injuries were pretty fatal. She healed me right there before teachers took me to Hospital Wing. That's why it did not scar that bad. She said even this will go away with age but..." Hermione looked at her missing finger.
Just then the door to common room opened and many Griffindor's spilled in. Harry and Hermione stood as others filled up the room, taking away their privacy.
"I think we should talk somewhere else," Harry said, most of the things he wanted to talk about were extremely sensitive.
"I know a place."
.
.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Harry looked at Hermione as she walked back and forth in front of a blank wall on the seventh floor.
"I am not sure, but Helena did say it was here, the Room of Requirements."
He did not get a chance to question her further as a stone arch pulled itself out of the wall. The stone inside it started to gain blackish color and turned into a complete Iron door.
Harry and Hermione watched in shock as the heavy door opened with nary a creek and Helena glided out.
"Come in, we have a lot to talk about."
