Protector {Completed}

Chapter 12

Week after week Hestia would visit Marcus after classes, she neglected eating sometimes just so she wouldn't miss the visiting times. She sat on the side of the bed as he stared at the ceiling, sometimes she'd hold his hand and play with his fingers, always tracing the scars he has gotten from fighting. Ron and Hermione would come in and sit with her when they weren't on duty, but the twins were always in there with them. That afternoon about a month and a half since Marcus went into the coma, the twins and Hestia were sitting at his bedside, all three doing their homework in silence. Fred and George had noticed the stress Hestia was under and had actually spoken to Hermione and Ron and about it. One of the solutions they came up with,was to make her speak about Marcus. Ask her things that made her happy, all four of them knew she was researching how to get Marcus out of the coma, she even went with Neville to St Mungo's to visit his parents.  "I don't care if he can't remember anything....I just want him to wake up." She had told them after the visit. Watching her waste away made them all feel terrible, "Hey Freddie, remember when we were in Potions and you got paired with Marcus, whenever you'd say Hestia's name his face would turn slightly red?" George said out of the blue, Hestia stopped writing as she listened, "Oh yeah Georgie, his face seemed to be full of red blotches, he almost looked like he was having an allergic reaction." Fred laughed as Hestia put her parchment aside and held Marcus's hand. "He blushed really?" She asked the twins, nodding they explained the story to her as she softly chuckled and looked down at his glassy eyes and blank face, she gently moved the hair from his forehead and sighed. "He likes to read you know." She said out of the blue. "When we were at my uncle and aunt's house, he found the books I was given from when Dudley had thrown it away. He read them...and when we went to Grimmauld Place he would sit and read to me, or find uncle Moony and sit with him asking about the books he'd reccommend.." Her eyes filled with tears as the twins looked at her worried. "He's never coming back to me." A week since she broke down, Hestia was sitting and taking down notes from Umbridge in Defense when the doors to the classroom was pushed open and Filch hurriedly went up to the Professor, her face twisted in a grimace she looked at Hestia, "Miss Potter, Professor McGonagall has called for you in the Infirmary. It would seem uour fiancè has been mumbling your name."

Running through the halls as fast as she could she barely stopped herself from hitting the infirmary doors when she got in and huffed heavily. "P-Professor, you said Marcus was calling for me." McGonagall nodded and took her into his part of the hospital wing where she found Molly and Dumbledore. "Mrs Weasly was called since she is like a guardian to you." Dumbledore said kindly, no one noticed how Hestia gripped tightly onto her sleeves, but her breathing faltered when she heard her name softly being mumbled. Turning towards the bed, Marcus was now, not staring blankly at the ceiling but looking at her, his eyes hazy, as his fingers almost looked to reach out to hers. Moving to his side she leaned her cheek against his palm when she picked it up, "I'm here Marcus...I'm here." As the adults spoke, Hestia leaned in to give Marcus's cheek a kiss, her hair making a barrier between them and the others eyes, before she could move back however his voice softly mumbled 5 words to her before he fell asleep, exhausted.

The entire day Hestia was in a daze, everyone believed it was because her fiancé was finally awake and well, however the twins, Ron and Hermione knew better. Hestia was in shock, almost as if she was trying to comprehend something. At supper they accosted her as she was walking to the Hospital wing, "We need to go see Professor Snape first. I need to speak to that man." Was all she said as the others followed her confused. Snape had been waiting for them in the classroom when they walked in, and instead of the usual sneer and grim face, he looked angry and upset. "Did he say anything?" Hestia asked sitting at the table across from him, the others all sat down and listened, "No..unfortunately he has told us everything. The only plan was to kidnap the Weasley twins. The Dark Lord absolutely forbade any other person from being kidnapped." Hestia bit down on her lip, she looked back at her Professor whom also looked back at her with a grim expression. "You know what this means Miss Potter. And the fact that you've brought your friends means you trust them enough to tell them." Hestia looked back at Snape, "I trust you because we made an unbreakable vow, i trust them because my sneak-o-scope hasn't made any sound." Hermione looked at her best friend in concern, as did the others, "An Unbreakable vow? Hestia what was so serious that you did that with Professor Snape Hestia?." Sighing she crossed her arms and sat back, her face filled with worry and anger. "As you know, Marcus has...seemingly almost woke up from his coma, he has been able to say my name coherently and also acknowledges me being in the room. When i got there, Dumbledore and your mum was there. Apparently since she is like my guardian." She looked at Ron and the twins. "Why didn't they just call Remus? Even if Sirius isn't allowed out Remus is?" Ron said confused, Hestia nodded, "That was what confused me, but I was more occupied with Marcus at the time. While the others were talking I bent down to kiss his forehead, my hair had ended up blocking his face, and Marcus must have realized it because he told me who was the ones who captured him." The others looked at her worried, "Tell me...tell me it wasn't our mother." George asked, almost pleading, "Hestia shook her head..."Marcus said 'Dumbledore and Molly did it'."