Hi everyone, this is my first fic ever. I just wanted to say that I own nothing but the plot.
Hope you enjoy it!

X

Everything went dark. Hermione tried to scream, to talk, make any sound possible, but not one was uttered. The pitch blackness engulfed her to the point she couldn't even see her hands, but kilometres of black space. She had actually fallen, so where the hell was she?

Minutes passed, and the only sound she heard was that of her breath. Good, she thought, for all I know I'm not dead, I might be, but I'm not. That's a good start. Stay positive, Hermione!
After several attempts of doing something to get herself out of there, she began to walk. Of course, nothing could be seen, so she just hoped she wouldn't come across an invisible (or probably black) rock, or whatever may hurt her.

Tears streamed down her face, as she saw herself trapped in the darkness, unable to utter a sound. Until she sobbed, and realized sounds could come from her mouth. Before she could say anything, a tiny white light, tiny balls of light, materialized far from her, but close enough to notice them. Without a doubt, she began walking towards them. Surely, she was dreaming. This was just not possible.

However, not even one second her mind left those grey eyes she adored. Those grey eyes she craved for every day and every night, at every waking and dreaming moment. Hermione stopped in mid track just to recall Draco's face, his smell, his pale blond hair sticking at all places, his soft pink lips, his perfectly manicured hands, even his smirk, that always made her legs go numb. But his eyes, his eyes captivated her, and left her submerged for hours in their never-ending sea of grey and blue.

She just realized how much she loved Draco Malfoy.

Her lovely thoughts were interrupted just like the deadly silence, by distant chatter. As she approached the light, whispered conversation became clearer. The white light almost swallowed her, until she had to close her eyes, for the pureness of such illumination, blinded her. Her head started to ache, as well as her eyelids.

And suddenly, she was falling again.

"Hermione!"

The voice calling her name seemed almost familiar.

What a nightmare she had had.

"Check pulse…. Stable! Breathing… still low! Hey Johnson, get your sorry arse over here, stop flirting with Lovegood, the girl has woken up!"

"Sorry Doctor" a squeaky voice replied

Where was she? Her eyes still flinched with pain, opening them was not an option yet. The familiar voices suddenly didn't feel as familiar as before, she was clearly in a hospital. Mungo's? Had her fall gone too far?

"Miss Granger? Miss Granger, can you hear me?"

Again darkness and unintended silence, Hermione was unable to invoke sound.

"Miss Granger" continued the doctor Hermione guessed was called Perkins, as the squeaky voice constantly addressed him with that name "I am going to grab your hand. I need you to squeeze it if you can hear me"

It took her almost all of the strength she had inside to perform a subtle but efficient squeeze.

"She's responding, her breathing adjusting within each second. I´m going to need ibuprofen 400mg, a syringe, cotton, and the anaesthetic solution that we've… JOHNSON WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING? LOVEGOOD, DO YOU WISH TO GET SUSPENDED?"

"W-what can I d-do for you Doctor Perkins?" asked Johnson clearly shaken and afraid he would receive another scold followed by a humiliating yell.

"Call Potter and tell him she is awake. But go slowly on him. Worst case scenario, he might faint or even have a heart attack."

Harry? Was he talking about him? Maybe Ginny as well, or little Lily but she was far too young to pick up the phone or faint because of her waking up. Hermione couldn't figure out the reason she was in a hospital bed, surrounded by a bunch of healers that were constantly yelling, not to mention the idea of Harry fainting upon knowing she was awake confused her to the core. Why was she asleep?

A stinging pain arouse in her arm as Perkins introduced the needle with the ibuprofen, confused as to why a magical hospital needed syringes and muggle medicine. She felt suddenly aware of an absence that had been troubling her mind ever since she woke up. Draco was nowhere to be heard nor mentioned by the healers. As far as Hermione knew, he could have been at home with little Victoria, or at the gift shop deciding which toy was better or smoother according to their beautiful daughter consumed in boredom. She was so perfect. Her auburn hair usually gathered up in two comic ponytails made a perfect combination with the dancing blue-grayish in her eyes. Her pink skin was so soft, Hermione spent most of her time caressing and tickling her, just to hear the musical laugh.

He'll come in a while. I just hope there is Earl Grey Tea available in a Magical Hospital, I'm craving that tea for God knows how long. Hermione was fully aware of her surroundings, yet she had not dared to open up her eyes, afraid of what awaited in the light. Her pain was almost gone, or camouflaged by the painkillers and antibiotics that ran through her veins.

After what she recalled were several minutes, 15 at least, she decided it was time to face whatever she had to, and to stop being such a coward. You are a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake, behave! Cautiously and with tenderness, she began slowly to open her eyelid in order to peek a little bit. Again, the pure and clean whiteness of the light seemed to blind her, but soon enough she got used to the brightness and took in her surroundings.

Beside her, there was a funny-looking glass with, what she assumed, were her brain scans. On her left, she discovered a very similar artifact which monitored her heart beats and blood pressure. For all that I know, having (120/80) is normal. I look fine! Why am I here? The walls were covered in pale yellow wallpaper that matched the cream-coloured tiles on the floor. The door was made out of wood; Hermione recognized mahogany just like she would have remembered her last name. After all, Draco´s house was furnished with all kinds of furniture made of that material.
The desk at her feet contained a glass filled with mauve opaque liquid, three vases containing orchids and primroses (her favorite flowers), and several boxes of what she hoped were chocolates, including some frogs.

Even though her eyes searched and rested on every object in the room, her wand was nowhere to be seen. She did discover, however, a neat pile of envelopes, but they were too far to reach. Amongst her feelings and thoughts, Hermione couldn't help but wonder what was going on, for the tenth time already.

Footsteps approaching startled her and her eyes turner towards the door where she saw a man coming in. He was dressed in a white robe and matching pants, that highlighted the green in his eyes. His mouth was symmetrically perfect and his hair was dirty-blond, neatly combed to one side. He looked like an actor from one of the American movies Hermione used to watch during her summers at her parent's. Ever since she found out about the car accident in Australia that resulted in their deaths, Hermione had not been able to sleep that much. Thanks to Draco and Victoria, with every passing night she was able to, at least, quiet her nightmares.

"Hello Miss Granger" the blond man, whom Hermione recognized as Healer Perkins, said. "How are you feeling?"

It took all her effort, but eventually words came out of her mouth "Confused and my head aches a little bit"

"That is good news" Perkins said almost suppressing a laugh. "Your friends should be here anytime soon. Johnson better hurry up, he's got your potion..."

Hermione was about to ask the question that had been on her mind ever since she woke up when the door burst open with a loud bang, and her vision was disturbed and blackened by messy black hair that tickled her face. Harry's hug was crushing her, but she was glad.

"Harry... Um.. I can't breathe" she managed to say in between breaths.

"Gods Hermione, it is so nice to hear your voice again. You have no idea of how much we missed you, I missed you. I never lost hope, yet we were afraid you were never waking up" Harry was almost sobbing as he spoke. After several seconds he realized what he was doing "Oh sorry, I am just very happy Mione.."

After she regained her balance, Hermione stared blankly for a few seconds at Harry's glowing and grinning face. Upon seeing her confusion, his smile started to fade away only to be replaced by grimness and pity.

"Harry, I don't get it. Where is Vic, what happened?"

"What happened? Who's Vi... Hermione, hasn't Perkins told you what you've been through?"

"Actually I was about to do so when you bargained yourself in like a tsunami, Mr. Potter." Perkins spoke. Hermione had forgotten he was still in the room.

"What is wrong with me? Why are you looking at me like if you had not seen me in years?"

"Mione..."

"Miss Granger" Perkins interrupted. "You have just woken up from a coma"

Hermione was speechless. Her mind spiraled and her head began throbbing ten times worse than before. "A coma?" What was going on? Was this another one of her nightmares? Afraid of the answer, and having seen Harry's sick worried face, she did not hesitate to ask "For how long?"

The silence that embraced the room was that of pure awkwardness and dread. At last, after four long minutes, Perkins dared to speak, but he did so with such tenderness and modulation, his voice came out barely audible, almost like a whisper. A whisper that rang in Hermione's ears like the worst of sounds.

"Nineteen months"