Chapter 1
Hermione. Hermione. Hermione…
Who was Hermione?
Hermione. Merlin’s you need to—
The girls head was throbbing. She was utterly dehydrated and was in dire need of some food in her system. Her back itched and for the heck of it, she couldn’t even do anything about it.
She was vaguely aware of the fact that she had been going in and out of consciousness for some time now and there was utterly nothing she could do about it. But Hermione was anything if not a fighter. Her sheer Griffindor stubbornness would not allow her to fall back in the dark abyss.
She needed to be awake - conscious. Where was Ron? Harry? Oh Merlin. Where was Harry Potter?
The mention of her best friends had been the push that Hermione needed to open her eyes. The bright hospital lights hurt a lot more than she would’ve liked to admit it. Eventually, her eyes had finally willed as she had asked them and she began to scour the room.
It was oddly peaceful. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt such tranquility. There were flowers everywhere, piles of unopened letters and numerous chairs scattered about her bed. This image before her didn’t represent a prison of any sort. In fact, it seemed so… homely. A sour taste plagued her mind, as she thought of how she had handled her parents, and she was quick to leave that thought alone.
It was then, when a tall blonde man walked into the room. He seemed to have stopped in his tracks when he saw her. Hermione almost had not recognised him. If it had not been for that distinct shade of blonde. Draco Malfoy. She was utterly blindsided and by all the people that she thought she would’ve seen, he was most certainly not on her list.
The bully. The pureblood who had reduced her to just her blood. Who had been the reason why Dumbledore had died.
He must’ve mistaken her confusion for something else, as he most definitely hugged her with such might and showered her with so many kisses that she felt nauseated.
Hermione Granger was completely speechless — for once in her life — she has absolutely no idea what the ferret was doing.
He was kissing her face. Her hands. Whispering, “thank Merlin you’re okay.” Over and over again.
”Mr Malfoy, your wife has just left a magical coma and it’s clear that she is baffled by her surroundings if you just mo—“
The lady spoken must’ve been her doctor and she had been rudely interrupted by Malfoy, “ My wife has just woken up, I think I have more than a right to —“
Hermione wasn’t sure whether it was the term ‘wife’ that had set her off or whether Malfoy’s grip didn’t seem like it was getting any looser but at that point she had decided that whatever tomfoolery that she was witnessing must come to an end.
She had attempted to punch Malfoy but when she had realised that it didn’t have the desired affect she had intended (that man was just way too strong) she decided to start yelling bloody murder.
She felt so utterly alone in that moment. She didn’t understand what was going on, and now Malfoy of all people was supposed to be comforting her? Help her?
“ I want to see Ron and Harry.” The two stood in the room with her had clear shock written all over their faces.
The doctor was first to break the silence, “ Mrs Malfoy if you just give us a second—“
”Nonono. Stop. I…I don’t understand where this Mrs Malfoy is coming from. I’m Hermione Granger and the only people that I want to talk to right now the only people — oh Merlin — that I trust right now, are Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. So get them here,”
she hated how vulnerable she sounded,
“please.”
The hurt on Draco Malfoy’s face did weigh on Hermione’s conscience more than she would’ve liked but in that moment she had more pressing issues.
So she failed to realise just how much she had broken his heart in that singular moment.
The doctor had began to protest but just one look from Malfoy had silenced her.
He looked at her with kindness, gesturing towards the door,
“ Scarhead is already on his way Hermione, he won’t be longer than 10 minutes.”
Malfoy refused to look at her, as if it pained him to do so, “ I’ll just sit here and we’ll wait for him.”
She had wanted to ask him a few questions right then and there. Why call me by my name Malfoy? Where was Ron? Why do you seem to be on friendly terms with Harry?
But by the time she had mustered the courage to speak to Malfoy, he had already sat on his chair and was completely avoiding her gaze.
They sat in silence for what felt like forever.
Until a pair of footsteps could be heard and a certain scent had engulfed her when the person had entered the room.
“Hermione”.
She felt like crying when she had heard the familiar voice of Harry. She stared at him in awe, her best friend, the first person to ever befriend her, one out of two people that had understood her better than anyone.
He looked slightly older than what she has remembered him as. Wrinkles on his forehead and a more formal set of attire. It seemed like he had completely abandoned his muggle jeans and hoodies. But she liked this look on him, it looked great on him.
“Harry, I don’t understand what’s happening and oh Harry, I just really missed you.”
She hugged him and murmured apologies for the tear stains on his suit jacket to which he said he said he didn’t care about.
She realised that she was stumbling on her words and she felt rather embarrassed because of it.
“ Mione I know you have lots of questions, but you’re just going to have to trust me on this okay? The doctors say that you have some sort of temporary amnesia, that’s why you feel so lost but it’s going to be alright, we’re all here to help you Hermione.”
“Where’s Ron?”
She couldn’t help worrying about Ron and it had been weighing on her from the beginning when he hadn’t been mentioned by Malfoy and now that Harry was here too.
It had surprised Hermione that Ron was not here with her, she loved Ron, when they were on the run, they would take their mind of the tragedy around them, by planning their wedding. She couldn’t believe that the boy who she had wanted to spend the rest of her life with, was just not there.
She had loved Ronald Weasley so much that it had hurt and it was why she just has this urge to see him, be with him.
At the mention of Ron’s name, it felt like everything had come to a halt.
Harry’s face fell, Malfoy had closed his eyes and had sank even further into his chair and the doctor had decided that it was time to make herself haste.
“Harry?”
Suddenly, there was this awful feeling in her chest, a sinking feeling that had risen up all the way to her neck. The lights were too bright. The room stuffy and closed in. Tears began to swell, and Hermione had to fight them back. She wasn’t sure what it was she was waiting for Harry to say, but his silence was deafening.
Were her and Ron not together anymore? Had he abandoned her? Was he hurt? Oh why wasn’t Harry saying anything?
“Hermione, Ron… he died 6 years ago.
And with that, she fainted.