Recognition
The next time Hermione woke up, the dark hired, bright eyed boy was beside her.
As soon as she moved, he looked up from the book he was reading.
This time the room was bright and some part of her recognized that this was the Hogwarts infirmary and deemed it safe. It helped that sunlight, bright and golden, was washing into the room and the boy was bathed in it.
There was a quiet peace in the air. Hermione resented it, but her magic luxuriated in the light and the calm. She was in no pain, which felt like a miracle.
"Is this a dream?" she wondered. It felt too good to be true.
"It feels fitting that I would dream up a girl with magic like mine and worse hair than me." he said softly.
His voice fit into the scene so well, it was like he was part of the peace, like the sun, and the calm late afternoon air.
Hermione remembered what she'd wanted to say to him the first time she'd seen him in the lawns.
"I looked at the stars and I recognized them."
"I know," he muttered softly.
Hermione's magic gave a small purring stretch as he reached out and stroked it with his own.
Hermione yawned, but tried to stay awake and alert. He seemed to feel her apprehension.
"I'll stay here, I'll keep watch, I promised, remember?"
He tugged gently at the bond of his oath still connecting them.
Hermione barely remembered him making it. Her memory of the event was full of dark darting images and she was too exhausted to chase them down and make sense of them.
But his magic soothed over hers and again Hermione gave in and let her magic guide her.
She leaned back and slept.