Betraying the Silence

Hello once again dear readers :) It has taken quite some time to actually do this one for different reasons ranging from my laptop dying to 8 hour long owl shifts at work and simply being too tired to do anything but sleep. BUT LO AND BEHOLD! It is here lol so I hope you guys enjoy.

The background for the story: No Epilogue. Sets after the war. They go back to Hogwarts to finish their 7th year in relative normality.

Whatever is written in bold in the story is Hermione's words. They may be thoughts/mouthed/written.

Disclaimer: As always, the amazing Harry Potter Universe belongs to the genius JKR...I own nothing but the idea that gave this fic life.

Hermione was breathing heavily as her heart pounded a hundred miles per hour, ready to burst out of her ribcage. Branches cut every inch of her exposed skin, tugging at her clothes as she ran through the woods dodging -or at least trying to- spell after spell that was thrown at her back. "This can't be happening! Why won't they let it go!" she thought frantically, listening to the footsteps of two Voldemort sympathizers that were running her to the ground...

Bright light stung her eyes even thought the peepers were closed. She could smell the sterile environment and immediately realized -and thanked God- that she was in St. Mungos and not some creepy dungeon or wherever the heck those two crazies decided to take her. Hermione could hear very faint voices that she couldn't quite place at the moment. Slowly, to avoid herself any further pain, she started to open her eyes taking in her surroundings...

They were cackling...they were actually cackling like horrible harpies! Hermione kept running even if her lungs felt like they were about to explode. Horrible pain burst from her ankle as her foot hit full force a lifted root, falling unceremoniously in a heap, pain branching out from every part of her body that was already sore and came in contact with the ground. As she fought to catch her breath, the pair of Death Eaters that literally ran her to the ground, approached her, kicking her ribs hard to turn her over, taking out the little breath she had managed to catch. " You disgusting scum...look at you...right were you belong." he said with such venom she wondered if instead of blood, he had the former substance running through his veins.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears as memories flashed through her mind in bits and pieces. The war was over...OVER! didn't they understand that? The Light side proved to be more powerful than those that wanted to see the very world they lived in, destroyed. Why couldn't they all see, they bleed the same red? Why couldn't they see they were all the same in the end...people blessed with magickal power. Her throat felt weird and constricted as she tried to hold back her sobs. Crying didn't mean that she was weak...it just meant that she was tired...tired of it all. Letting a shaky breath out, she willed herself to remember just in case the Death Eaters were found and sent to trial.

"Please...d-don't hurt me..." she pathetically pleaded...maybe they had a soft sport, somewhere. All she could see from both Death Eaters was their scarred faces and their steel eyes full of malice. Two pairs of blue, unyielding eyes, filled with the glee of causing someone else pain. "And just...who do you think you are to be asking us any favors, Filth?" the one to her left asked as he crouched near her face, caressing her cheek with the tip of his wand. "I-I'm just like you...I'm a witch, with magic coursing through my body, nothing more, nothing less.." she argued without any heat. The one to her right gave a horrifying growl as he grabbed her suddenly by her hair, lifting her some towards him "Don't you DARE compare yourself to US! Our ANCESTRY is PURE! You disgusting muggles have found a way to steal magick...YOU MUDBLOODS ARE THE REASON WE HAVE SQUIBS!" he bellowed his ridiculous theory as he shook her by her hair, tearing some hair and pain filled whimpers from her. Hermione recoiled expecting more physically abuse when the one to her left stood up away from her, disgusted. "It is to our knowledge that you can take the Crucio curse quite well..." his words drawled out and hit her like whip. No longer with the strength for anything but to lay there she turned her head towards him "P-please, I-I'am just like y-you...don't do this." another animalistic growl came from him as he yelled Crucio. Her screams combined with their cackles echoed through the forest. She screamed her throat raw; the last thing she saw before passing out was a purple light.

She opened her eyes with a violent start, the monitors hooked up to her beeping rapidly. Ginny and Harry rushed over to her "Hermione, Hermione! We're here. You're ok, 'Mione, we're here." Ginny said as she grabbed both her arms trying to sooth her, Harry standing behind Ginny looking worried to the point of being ill. Letting out a sigh, Hermione tried to will her heart to slow down.

" Oh God, Ginny, it was horrifying..." She tried to say but found that she could only "hear" herself THINK the words...not a peep coming out of her. Harry and Ginny changed worried looks as she stared at them in complete horror. Her vital monitors started beeping rapidly again as she began to feel oddly trapped. She shook Ginny hard as she mouthed "GINNY! GINNY! WHAT'S WRONG! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME! WHY CAN'T I SPEAK!" The futility of it brought tears to her eyes as she saw her friend stare at her lips trying to decipher what she was saying. The erratic beeping brought in two mediwitches in obvious alarm, who rushed to her side, pushing Ginny and Harry away. She wouldn't have any of that. She was living a nightmare and the only two beings that brought her any kind of comfort were being pushed away. Hermione trashed like she had never before, tears cascading down her cheeks as she mouthed "Please! Harry! Ginny! DON'T LEAVE ME, DON'T GO!" He may have being able to read her lips or just guessed by her display that she didn't want to be alone in this horrible situation but it had the desired effect. Harry walked towards her, not minding the mediwitches and took hold of her shoulders

"'Mione...we're not leaving you, ever, but right now you need to calm down and let them help you recover. I know it won't be easy with everything so fresh in your mind and the fact...the fact that you can't use your voice..." his own voice cracked seeing her so heartbroken "...but you need to cooperate. I'll get you a small whiteboard to communicate with you in the mean time." Hermione stared at his deep emerald eyes, one that oozed sincerity, protection and love. Nodding, she let the mediwitches accommodate her back in bed and the magickal monitors that she had pulled and pushed in her trashing. Harry smiled at her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead as he brushed her damp hair that clung to her sweaty face "Be good 'Mione. We love you. See you tomorrow." He said as he walked away from the bed, grabbed Ginny's hand closing the door behind him.