Harry gathered everything he was going to need. Cauldrons, ingredients, beakers and decanters. It would take him quite a while to make it properly. And his father hadn't been certain about the effectiveness of the cure. A single slip and I may as well feed him poison.

The burning of fire under several cauldrons provided his light and Harry looked carefully over the set up. The five separate mixtures he was making were all suppose to produce gases. When those gases mingled amongst each other a solid would form in the centre of the mass and it was one of the most important components to the cure.

There was a slight problem. Harry couldn't monitor and work with all five cauldrons at the same time. Each one had ingredients to be added and changes that were crucial to achieving the final stage which was the only reason Harry was bothering with the entire process.

“All right Harry. You can do this. Cauldron three down six degrees. Five counter-clockwise turns to cauldron one and add the powdered dragon's blood to cauldron four.” Harry murmured to himself while stirring the base for the cure. It needed to simmer for seven hours before he could do anything to it.

Harry stood in front of Cauldron Three with his hand on the dial and as soon as the warning charm went off he turned it down, moving on to the next step as quickly as possible. But he wasn't fast enough. By the time he got to Cauldron Four, the contents of it had curdled and turned into a charred mess. Harry vanished it before anything bad could happen.

It took Harry another two tries to get over that obstacle. And it was only by using an self stiring cauldron that he managed to just get the dragon's blood in on time. But beyond that step were at least another twenty and Cauldron Two exploded before he could get to it. It just wasn't the kind of process that could be done alone.

After glancing at the clock and reassuring himself that it was long enough after curfew that there wouldn't be any students out, and if there was he could give them detention and they wouldn't be likely to report him for leaving the Hospital wing early.

Harry slipped out into the hall, taking care to move quietly in case on of the staff members happened to be about. He made his way safely down the hall and let himself into the quarters he shared with Hermione. The rooms were dark and he assumed that she had come straight home after overseeing detentions and gone right to bed.

If he hadn't snuck out of the Hospital wing, Harry would have been disappointed that Hermione hadn't kept her promise and visited him. After all, Hermione never forgot anything and on any normal day Harry would be worried about her. Today he was benefiting, she hadn't alerted anyone to his absence. And that was good enough that he didn't worry about the why.

“Hermione.” Harry shook her as gently as he could. He been sleeping all day, she hadn't. And in his few months as a teacher, Harry had discovered the agony of detentions and homework. If students thought they had it bad, they should be made to have detention every night and mark all the homework. Even if he wasn't the one writing lines or cleaning the school, Harry still had to be there overseeing the detentions. And he had to play the teacher, no fun or relaxation.

But now that he needed her help and the cure was within sight, so close. Nothing would stop him from working as fast as he possibly could to get his father back.

Hermione blinked. She could have sworn that she'd just put her head down. “No alarm. You're not allowed to go off yet.” She whispered, wishing it weren't the morning.

“It's not morning Hermione. It's me, Harry. I need your help.” Harry gave her another shake. He didn't turn on a light, his eyes were adjusted to the lesser levels of illumination and it would hurt both of them if he made the room lighter.

Hermione rolled out of bed, holding the covers around her. She had been too tired to change that night and had simply stripped to her knickers and bra. “Why aren't you in the Hospital wing?” She finally asked, her brain taking time to warm up, not unlike a car on a winter morning.

“No time for that. I need your help.” Harry reached out to take hold of Hermione's arm. But because it was dark, he was tired and Hermione's arm was covered by a blanket all he succeeded in doing was pulling half the blanket off.

Hermione gasped as the blanket was pulled to the side and cold air came into contact with her bare skin. She clutched hurriedly at the blanket, hoping to redeem her dignity and warmth. There was a way that she wanted to introduce Harry to the entirely of her body and it had nothing to do with her being freezing cold and both of them half asleep.

“Just give me a sec.” Hermione mumbled. When Harry didn't move, his eyes seemed to be stuck at the place where her chest had been nearly naked a moment ago, she waved toward the door. “Go! I'll be right there.”

Harry went bright red. “Oh, uh, of course.” He turned around and left the room, shutting the door behind him and Hermione heard his footsteps continue down the hallway.

The open bed, steaming with body heat was very tempting, but Hermione resisted the urge and pulled on icy feeling clothes. She shivered in the robes as they slowly began to warm. A heating charm helped slightly, but not enough to make her happy and ready to run a marathon. It had been a long day and for detention she'd had the girls braining fish. The smell of fish guts still clung to her and there were scales stuck under her nails. She was of half a mind to give them detention again and make them clean until the room no longer stunk of fish.

“All right Harry.” Hermione opened the door with her foot, using both hands to tie her long hair into a long braid. “Let's go.”

Harry nodded and the two made their way along the hallway back into the potion lab. Everything was already set up, Harry just needed to turn on the cauldrons and start adding ingredients. And with help this should be the last time he needed to make the precipitate.

“What do I need to do?” Hermione asked, looking through the shelves on one side of the room. She found what she was looking for and turned back toward Harry and the cauldrons. “Harry? You awake?”

Harry nodded and tossed the formulas to her before sticking his hand back into the heating element. It needed adjusting and the only time to do that was when the element was off and had be given time to cool. “I'm awake. Let's get this over with, I want Severus back.”

Hermione forced the cork out of the vial she'd found and swallowed the contents quickly to avoid the bitter taste. As soon as the potion hit her stomach she could feel the stimulant start to work and her entire body perked up.

“Let's get started.” Hermione began to prepare the ingredients, working on grinding, cutting and powdering various supplies. “I'll take cauldrons one, two and three.” She turned them on and allowed a stimulant potion to give her enough energy to move like a madwoman. Nothing was too fast for her.

Harry could feel the power and energy in the room as the potions began to give off the fumes that would mix together. Some of them smelled sweetly, others like rotting eggs. Harry didn't let the smells interference. It wasn't until Hermione tapped on his shoulder and helped him fasten on the mask and goggles that he realised how quickly they had worked.

Almost four hours of constant work had past when the cloud finally formed. Hermione was still under the influence of the stimulant draft and she walked into the cloud and came out with a jar full of a gelatinous silver mixture that seemed to be alive since it fought against the sides of the jar to get out. Hermione clamped the lid on top of it quickly.

“That's it.” Hermione held the mixture up to the light. “Ready to get started on the potion?” She turned to look when Harry didn't answer her. But as her eyes skated over the mess of cauldrons and ingredients all over the tables and floor, she didn't blame him. Harry was curled up around a warm cauldron. His eyes were closed and and he was breathing slowly.

Hermione smiled and conjured an actual blanket to cover him with. She considered conjuring a camp bed, but it seemed like too much work and somehow parts of her brain still managed to work through her exhaustion and the drug haze of the stimulant potion. Hermione knew that using more magic through her borrowed energy would make the crash even less fun and increase the time she needed to get real rest.

The actual cure potion was simple enough once she found the formula. Many of the ingredients were difficult to find and prepare and if they were added incorrectly the entire thing would be ruined, but the brewing techniques were rather simple. And if there was a mistake the potion would not become the bright colour it needed to be.

Hermione took the base that Harry had started and completed the next thirty steps. At that point, she cast a suspension charm over the cauldron and spent forty-five minutes cleaning up the lab. After all, it would make making on the cure all that much easier if there was space to do it in.

Finally, as the sun began to rise, not that it could be seen in the windowless lab, Hermione felt the buzzing in her veins start to subside. She turned the lights off and placed a silencing charm around the room. After making certain that there was water and food aplenty for when she woke up, Hermione summoned a camp bed and blankets. The crash would be worse, but she would be more comfortable.

There was only two more things that Hermione knew could help her come off the stimulant potion more easily. Withdrawal potions, but those had to be prescribed and administered by a mediwitch or healer, and sleeping off the stimulant. The second was what's what she planned to do.

With a vial of Extra-Strength Sleeping Potion coursing through her veins, Hermione felt the effects of the stimulant potion recede more and more. Finally they were low enough that managed to close her eyes before her head thunked into the pillow.

For a few hours, the lab was quiet. Hermione's silencing charm prevented noise from the halls from creeping in and the only noise the two produced was quiet breathes and an occasional turn that rubbed the blankets against each other.

It was just after lunch that Harry finally begin to stir back to wakefulness. He had quite a pain in his back and neck from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. After looking about the room and noticing Hermione he relaxed and got up to check on the potion.

The cure was progressing well. Harry was certain that he could finish it in a matter of hours. And he had absolutely no idea of how much time had passed. Enough for them to nearly finish the cure and get enough sleep to feel refreshed. But no one had come looking for him for leaving the Hospital wing, nor for Hermione to teach her classes.

“Hermione.” Harry took her girlfriend's shoulder and shook it gently. When there was no response he looked around nervously. I've already got one family member in a magical coma. I don't want another. And the Order cannot afford to lose another wand so soon.

But there was vial neatly labeled with Hermione's hand writing lying on one of the tables. Harry snatched it up eagerly, and was relieved to learn that it was simply a very strong sleeping potion. With his fears abated Harry jotted out a quick note in his cramped hand writing and left the lab for his rooms down the hall.

Harry moved quickly, if anyone spotted him he'd be restrained to a bed in the Hospital wing faster than he could say “I'm fine!” Pulling on robes and grabbing a money pouch, Harry flung his invisibility cloak over his head and floo'd out of the castle. The private floo connection had been Hermione's idea, since as the current head of the Order, Harry sometimes had to meet with people like fugitives and Death Eaters that had information he needed.

The Three Broomsticks was open and Harry stood to the side of the door. Severus had started teaching him stealth techniques and he now knew that a door opening and closing on its own could be a dead give away to someone invisible. But there were enough people coming and going that Harry managed to slip out behind a large figure in an all encompassing deep purple cloak.

Hogsmeade was a small town, but Harry knew where to find what he wanted. There wasn't a jeweller or a clothing shop, but he headed down the main street to a building at the very end. The building itself was quite old, but the business inside had only opened a few weeks ago.

Harry opened the door and stepped into the shop. The main room was empty and he pulled off the invisibility cloak. Walking quietly across the floor, Harry moved to the door that lead into the forge and knocked gently, he didn't want to disturb the Master Smith. He had yet to meet the man, but his reputation was one of great work and esteem.

The figure bent over the forge turned upon hearing Harry's knock and came to the door. That was the greatest shock of Harry's day. For the smith was not the man of great reputation that he'd been lead to believe. The smith wasn't a man at all, unless the Wizarding World had suddenly decided to change what man and woman meant.

“Is there something I can do for you Sir?” She asked him, brushing a sweaty fringe off of her forehead.

Harry was amazed to see the size of the muscles in her arms, he was so busy looking that he'd almost forgotten what he'd come for.

“Sir?” She waved her wand and a robe came flying from the outer shop room into her hands.

“Oh.” Harry shook his head for a moment. “I need one of these. Could you make this?” He pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and handed it to the women.

She smiled and nodded. “It will take me about thirty minutes. I'll send it up to the castle when I'm done. Hogwarts, right?”

Harry nodded and gifted her with a rare smile. As soon as she'd turned away and returned to her forge, he pulled the invisibility cloak back on and headed up the path to the warmth and windless building of Three Broomsticks. He'd pick up a few butterbeers before flooing back to Hogwarts.