Harry Potter and Future's Past

Chapter 32

July 3rd 1996

"How are your parents?" Harry asked Hermione the next morning when he knew she was at the Grangers' breakfast table.

"Dad's hung over and Mum doesn't look so well herself,"Hermione replied. "I doubt either slept a wink last night."

"Anything we can do?"

"Not really," Hermione replied as she glanced at her parents. "They've got to work through what they saw themselves."

"Are you talking to Harry?" Hermione's mother asked in a tired voice that reflected in her weary eyes.

Hermione nodded. "He was asking about both of you. He wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I presume you told him we're not?"

"I told him it looks like you didn't sleep a wink."

"How could we?" Richard asked as he bloodshot eyes moved from the cup of tea he just sipped toward his daughter. "After what we saw?"

Hermione shrugged. "You wanted us to be honest with you."

Richard groaned as he took another sip of his tea. "My head's going to explode."

"Check the cabinet," Harry said. "Sirius had some hangover relief potion that might help your father. I also tossed in a couple of pepper up potions the Order has stashed here just in case they need it."

"Thank you," Hermione replied then she continued to her parents. "I'll be right back," as she ducked out into the garage. She returned in thirty seconds and handed her father the small vial of thick bubbling yellow liquid. "Drink this dad."

Richard blearily eyed the vial with trepidation. "What is it?" He asked as he lifted it to the light and tilted it. The yellow liquid oozed slowly to the other end of the vial.

"Hangover potion," Hermione replied. "Harry was thoughtful enough to ask Sirius for it."

"Is...is it safe?" Richard asked as he tilted the vial again.

"Yes, now drink it," Hermione instructed her father.

Richard continued to eye the vial with hesitancy but finally he pulled the stopper and poured the content into his mouth. "Uh...that's disgusting," He sputtered. "How long..." He started to ask but the words stopped as his eyelids flew open wide and his eyeballs seemed to bulge out. The red blood vessels that crisscrossed the whites of Richard's eyes started to disappear as if someone were erasing them. At the same time the hair on his head seemed to rise and fall as if something was crawling under his scalp but finally after a final burst of steam from Richard's ears everything stopped.

"Richard?" Jean asked as she rose to her feet and moved toward her husband in concern. "Are you alright?"

Richard tilted his head slowly to the left and then to the right. He then shook it side to side as if he was clearing his vision before finally turning toward his wife. "I'm fine," He said and then seeing the concern in his wife's eyes he continued. "Really, I'm fine. In fact I feel perfect," He turned to Hermione. "What was that?"

"As I said, a hangover potion," Hermione replied.

"How does it work?"

"Magic."

Richard opened his mouth to continue the line of questions but then remembering some of what he saw the previous night, he decided sometimes not knowing was better. With a nod, he closed his mouth and returned to his breakfast.

"And do you know how to make them?" Her mother asked.

"It's not something they teach teenagers, but judging by the fact they don't cost that much at the apothecary, it's probably not a difficult potion to make," Hermione answered with a shrug. "I've got to make a couple of other potions this summer," she gave a significant glance at her mother, "I'm sure I can make these as well, but we can also just buy some at Diagon Alley."