Harry entered Ron’s hospital room at St. Mungo’s three days after the confrontation with the Death Eaters; it was the first day the Healers let any visitors come in. The Weasleys were at the foot of his bed as he sat there restlessly. Ron was not allowed out of his cot, let alone his room, and he desperately wanted to know where Hermione was and if she was all right. Harry managed to escape the fight with a few scratches and bruises but Ron, who did not have the advantage of being invisible, broke a couple of bones.
“Oh, Harry!” Mrs. Weasley cried as she rushed over and greeted him with a warm hug. “Good to see you up on your feet.” Mrs. Weasley lowered her voice, “We can’t say the same here.”
“How is Ron?” Harry asked quietly.
Ron still heard him. “I’m fine,” he answered for his mother. “I don’t know why they won’t let me out of here.”
“Your bones aren’t fully healed yet,” Mr. Weasley told him. “They were broken in consequence of Dark Magic. Only four more days until you are fully healed.”
Ron slammed his head back on his pillow. The door clicked as the Healer reentered the room with a bottle in hand. “All right, Ron needs his rest. Out you go!” She shooed Harry and the Weasleys toward the door. “Here, darling. Drink this up.”
“Wait! Harry.” Ron jumped out of bed and chased him until he stopped short of the door. “Have you seen Hermione yet?”
Harry turned around but faced the ground. “I’m sorry, Ron. They won’t let anyone visit her and no one has told me anything about what’s happened to her.”
“Oh, well,” he sighed, “I hope she’s okay.” His voice shook with pain. “I’ve just been thinking. It was my fault that she was hurt. I should have done something to stop quicker “”
“Ron, don’t think that. It’s because of me.” He lowered his voice so the Healer couldn’t hear. “Hermione just wanted what was best for the sake of the world. I’m the only one that can stop Voldemort. You know that.”
Ron nodded. The Healer was waiting patiently by his cot with Ron’s potion. “I guess you should go. Tell me if you hear anything about Hermione, please.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
The Weasleys had gone to the gift shop to pick up a get-well gift for Ron. They did not like to see his usually lively spirit drowned by his confinement to his bed. Little did they know that he wanted no more than to be able to see Hermione and to be able to hear her say that she loved him, too.
Harry went to the reception desk and asked to see Hermione, anxious to find out the state of her health. The witch at the front desk told him that she was not in a state for visitors.
“I’m sorry to say that she has not woken up since she was brought in, but you are welcome to stay in our tearoom until we find out more about her condition.”
This was not what he wanted to hear. A guilty pang hit him as he thought of the reason why she was like this now. It was all my fault. Harry turned impatiently from the desk and the woman sitting behind it to face familiar bright, brown eyes.
“Ginny.” He wrapped his arms around her, comforted by her embrace. It seemed like that only thing that could prevent him from breaking out into a rage at the fact that Hermione was not okay because of him.
“She’s going to be okay,” Ginny said softly. “I know it.” But to Harry, her words were empty. There was no way that she could possibly know it.
The rest of the Weasleys were waiting for her. “We’re going back to the Burrow. You can come, too.” As much as he wanted to, he wanted more to stay and see how things were going with Hermione. He also wanted to wait until Ron got well enough to leave his room.
“No, I think I’ll stay here,” he responded.
“That’s fine. We’ll be dropping by tomorrow to check up on Ron. Maybe Hermione will be awake by then,” With that she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him on the cheek. “See you, Harry.”
“Yeah, bye, Ginny.”
Harry had been sitting in St. Mungo’s Visitor Tearoom for over two hours. Fidgeting, he swept the room with his eyes. Hermione’s Healer told him she would come out of her coma soon, but not soon enough. They had detected some significant brain activity by who knows what means. He decided he was sure he wouldn’t tell Ron until he was sure that Hermione was in good health. There was no point in getting his hopes up if they were only going to be crushed.
The table in front of him was a mess of old magazines and Daily Prophets. He recognized his own face on the front page of one of the recent ones. He picked it up and scanned the printed words. “Rubbish,” he muttered. The article contained skewed details of the Death Eater attack at Hogwarts earlier that week. He tossed the paper back onto the table.
“Excuse me, Mr. Potter?” Harry turned to face the Healer treating Hermione. He was old and wrinkled with experience. “It’s pertaining Ms. Granger. She’s not completely awake yet, but she’s beginning to say things. Since you’re the only one here, we’ll let you come in.”
Harry followed the Healer through the corridor, passing familiar wards that he had seen before. He wondered if Lockhart was still locked up here. The thought made him internally chuckle. His mood immediately changed as the two turned the corner and entered Hermione’s room.
Harry, who was unfamiliar with magical medical instruments, stared at all the gadgets that were connected to her. The only instrument he could guess the purpose of was a bell that dinged to the pulse of her heart. Each ding was small and faint and the beats were slow and far apart. The Healer nodded and left the room.
Harry stepped slowly toward the seemingly peaceful Hermione, careful not to make a sound, as if it would prevent her from ever waking. He took hold of her hand, warm, yet lifeless. “Hermione, if you can hear me, it’s Harry. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I didn’t mean for you to end up like this. Please do something, say something. Give me a sign that you’re there. Everybody’s worried about you. Especially Ron.” Harry stopped talking because Hermione had stirred.
Her lips parted the slightest and quiet words came out. “But I do.” Harry’s hand felt a light twitch. “But I do.”
Only In My Dreams by Ice Cream Eater
Chapter Notes: I hope I didn't take too long to post up this chapter. I'm working as fast as I can!
Chapter Endnotes: I promise I'm working on them and they will be done by the end of this summer!