Atonement

"Can my kids see now?" I asked the Healer (who, I had learned, was named Marcus Sanctia). He had been refusing me that since I had woken up the day before, saying I wasn't strong enough yet.

"Fine," he said, giving in to my whingeing. "Come with me."

He led me down a hallway and to a viewing window. "Those five are yours," he explained, pointing to the smallest in the lot. "They weren't full-term yet, so their organs were underdeveloped. They were, what, two weeks early?" I nodded. "The problem with quintuplets," he continued, "is that they're usually undersized anyway. There's only so far a body can stretch, you know."

My fingers grazed the glass. They looked so fragile, so easily killed. "Can I hold them?"

"I thought you wanted to put them up for adoption."

"I do. What's that got to anything do with?"

"British law doesn't allow mothers who are giving up their children to have any contact," he explained.

My mouth opened and closed several times. "But that's just stupid!"

"The reasoning," he explained patiently, "is that you can't want them if you're giving up your right to see them."

My jaw clenched. "I didn't-I don't-have a choice," I reminded him. "I'm still school in, I didn't choose to do this-"

"Then you shouldn't have gotten pregnant. There are spells, you know."

"I didn't choose to do anything," I said, my voice low and furious. "You're telling me I can't hold children my because was forced into pregnant?"

"Exactly. Come on, I'll take you back to your room. You're being discharged today."

***

"Did you know that?" I demanded of Dumbledore, outraged.

"I did."

"And didn't warn me?"

"I had thought the law was so outdated it was repealed years ago," he replied, his eyes twinkling. "Now go pack, the Hogwarts Express leaves today."

***

"What happened?" I eagerly asked Harry. "How did the end task third? Tell me everything!"

"Did you never hear?" Draco said. "I thought everyone would know by now."

"I've been three days asleep," I reminded him. "What happened?"

"Voldemort came back," Harry said, his voice dead. He ignored the others' squeaks and flinches.

"What? How?"

"Took my blood."

"What happened, else? Harry, please-tell me."

"When we were attacked by the acromantula," Harry began, "it picked me up and then dropped me, and I hurt my leg. Cedric and I decided to split the victory. The Cup was a Portkey.

"It took us to a graveyard. Wormtail was there, and he-he killed Cedric."

"Cedric?" I whispered, my blood running cold. Cedric had always been kind to me, even when he hadn't known me except as the girl who couldn't be Sorted. "Him dead?"

"Yeah," Harry said, clearly taking it hard.

"Why goddamn charm didn't you use?" I asked. "I would come have, I could have helped-"

"I did use it," Harry spat.

"Remember, Hermione?" Luna interjected. "Harry got picked up by the spider-"

"Acromantula," I corrected automatically.

"Yes, that-and you went into stress-induced labor."

"I know that," I said irritably. "I was asking why else one no had seen that the amulet on fire was!"

They exchanged uneasy glances."What amulet?"

"This-" I stopped, swearing internally as my fingers met just skin. I had not been wearing it-I had stopped after the Yule Ball. "I forgot-it would tell me just-I unconscious-oh, God, it's my fault all-"

"it's not your fault-"

"You told me just it was!" I screeched at them.

"Hermione, calm down-"

"How can I calm when down you're me accusing?"

Draco frowned. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Fine," I said curtly. "Going to take down me if I'm weak? Why?"

"Hermione, maybe you should sit."

"Sitting am I!" I spat at them, then noticed I was pacing in front of them all, wringing my hands.

"Okay," Draco said slowly. "Hermione, sit down. Let's talk."

"Then we can overpower her," I heard someone mutter.

"No," I muttered. "No, you'll never take me . . ."

"Someone get Pomfrey," Harry ordered before I fell and I saw no more.