Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!
A/N: Hello All! I couldn't escape the images that appear in this chapter and they didn't fit any of my current stories so I have started a new one! Please read and review! Your support and encouragement are my inspiration!
Chapter One- Search and Rescue
There is a scream etched in my soul. Deep within the caverns of my heart it lies, ensconced behind a forest of foreboding. The life has left my eyes. There are only tears left. , tears that come from the meager stream connecting my head and my heart.
I've fought for so long to dry this stream and somehow it will not close. Yet the tears do not come. Even today, the most miserable of days, I can't find the strength to let go. Holding steadfastly to the buoy in the middle of the storm, I wait for an angel to rescue me. The angel does not come, the lifeboat does not arrive. I am trapped in a sea of shock. Waves pour over my head, crashing me harder against the cement that is both my tormentor and my savior.
Overhead, the clouds are dark with dissent, black with bereavement. There is no space between them: sunlight has all but vanished from the stark and barren landscape before me. The wind howls in my ear just as a baby cries for its mother. It is a sad song: a song of yearning, a song of desperation, a song of what might have been.
Crunch…crunch…crunch….snap. The ground below me sighs under the weight of my footsteps. My feet squeeze every last shred of life from the crumbling dirt. What is there left for me in this world?
Next to me, I hear the sobs of my best friend. He is my reason for being, the light within me, and the sunshine that brightens my day. Weary and battle torn, he kneels on the ground, bemoaning the loss of our comrades.
We've won the war, but what has it cost us? Certainly our innocence, our childhood, our black and white views of the world have left us for good. Our friends and our family are likewise marred- some will never see the light of day again.
Tiptoeing closer to Ron, I tap his shoulder. He shrinks away from me immediately.
"Please- let me die here. Fred is dead! I don't want to live! It's my fault…it's my fault…it's my fau…" I pull him up and hug him close to me and he sobs, grasping my shoulders for support.
"Hermione…what are we going to do?" I have never seen Ron so raw, so expressive. Truthfully, the experience is more than I bargained for and I'm not sure how to respond.
"We'll get through it Ron." The hollow promise of my words hung in the air as we cry into each other's arms.
Suddenly, there is an explosion of light and the ground around us begins to quake. "Earthquake?" I question out loud, looking to Ron as I hold him and steady myself.
"I- I don't know." Ron looks confused and I can't blame him. Out of nowhere comes a light that blinds me and causes me to fall to the ground in pain.
"Hermione!" I hear Ron yell. He seems to be far away from me now. I can't see him anymore.
"I'm o…o…okay…Ron." I stammer. I notice the sound of shoes hitting the gravel and dirt underneath us approaching. The sound inches closer to me and I cover my ears and eyes to keep everything out. I don't want to face anything.
"There you are!" I recognize the voice and yet I can't place it. I sense the presence of another hovering over me.
"Who's there?" I call out frantically beseeching the mystery person to identify himself.
Suddenly, arms lift me from the ground and carry me away from the ruin of the battlefield. "Ron! Where are you?" I call out for my best friend.
"We've got him 'Mione. Don't worry about him. Close your eyes." The one who carries me whispers as he cradles me closer to him, lulling me to go to sleep.
"I need to make sure he's ok! I need to know! I need to see him!" I cry out, fighting the fatigue that invades my body.
"Shh…don't worry. We've got him. You're all right. You're both all right. You've done it. You've survived. The war is over. We did it." I breathe in deeply; the smell of blood overwhelms me. I can't help but cough.
"Who are you? Please! I need Ron. We need to find Harry and Ginny and Hagrid! Please" I feel my voice trail off as he carries me farther.
Soon, the air around me changes and I know we have come indoors. I smell lavender candles burning and the echo of the mystery man's footsteps reverberating off the cold, damp stone walls.
My eyelids flutter open and closed, open and closed.
"Hogwarts." I whisper, more to myself than to anyone else.
"That's right, Hermione. You're home now." The man murmurs into my hair, running his hand along my cheek.
"Harry?" I inquire. The man simply chuckles. It is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. It's as if angels have joined together in a melodious chorus, heralding my arrival.
"Not quite, Granger." He answers me stoically and offers no more information and yet I can't bring myself to question him further.
"Potter is fine though. He'll be glad we found you and Weasley. Everyone has been apoplectic worrying about you two." I don't want anyone to worry! I try to shout and let everyone know that I'm here, that I'm safe.
Finally he lies me down and I hear voices swarming around us, questioning our whereabouts.
"She's fine. Hagrid is carrying Ron back. They were close to the gates, collapsed in the rubble." He sounds so sure of himself, so brave.
"Thank Merlin! Harry will be so glad. I don't mind saying myself; I was beginning to fear the worst! You've done a good service here Malfoy. You should be proud of yourself." The woman's brogue sounds familiar. She thanked Draco Malfoy though. That can't be right. Perhaps this is all a dream. Yes, it must be a dream. I hope I will wake up, in the comfort of my scarlet and gold comforter soon.
"Malfoy….bad…dream…not…real." These are the last words that escape my lips before I fall into the sweet oblivion that is sleep.
XXXXX
A sea of silk and cotton wraps around me, breathing life back into me. My eyes drift open slowly and I can see the Black Lake out the window that lies in front of me.
"Oh!" I gasp as I realize that a pile of red hair and a pile of black hair are staring back at me from their own beds.
"You're awake! You've been out for ages! We were beginning to worry about you we were!" The pile of red hair speaks.
"Oh Ron! I'm so glad you're alright!" I leap out of the bed and take a flying leap onto his, tackling him back against his pillow.
"Yea I'm alright Hermione. Merlin, what's gotten into you?" Ron laughs as he clasps me on my back. He shoots a confused look over at Harry that he thinks I miss.
"Hermione." A light touch caresses my back. I see the lightning scar first. Something has changed though. It isn't as pronounced or dark or frightening as it used to be.
"Harry your scar!" I squeal with delight as I delicately touch it with my fingers.
Harry laughs as he backs away. "Yea, it seems to have lost it's glow since the battle."
"I'm so glad! Oh Harry! Thank goodness you're okay. I saw Hagrid carrying you out of the forest and I don't remember what happened after that." The words rush out of me as Harry and Ron watch me nervously.
"You were wonderful, Hermione. Took on Bellatrix Lestrange, didn't you? Mum did her in of course but you were a mighty big help." Ron's mouth is full of chocolate frog as he explains these developments.
Harry and I laugh as I realize nothing has changed. We are still the same seventeen year old wizards and witch who enjoy breaking school rules and looking for mischief. My smile only disappears when I remember the mysterious man.
"Umm…do either of you happen to know who carried me back?" I look from Harry to Ron. One glance is enough to tell me that they know but do not wish to divulge this information.
"Please, you have to tell me if you know. He saved me. I want to be able to thank him."
"Hermione…" Harry starts. Just then I hear footsteps rounding the curtain, stomping into the area we occupy.
"That would be me, Granger." He says it so softly that I don't believe it.
"No!" I look from Harry to Ron, hoping beyond hope that I am wrong. Harry looks so uncomfortable with the situation I honestly think he would rather be going head to head with Voldemort instead of stuck here in this moment. Ron merely looks angry.
"Yes Granger, it seems you owe your thanks to me." I turn around slowly, my eyes taking in the fine black leather shoes, khaki pants and green button down before they hit the meticulous blond hair that appears almost windswept. His grey eyes penetrate mine with an intensity I've never before witnessed.
"Malfoy! It can't have been you! You're a Death Eater!" My screech is so high pitched I'm not sure even dogs can hear it.
Malfoy saunters over to my bed and plops himself down. "Granger aren't we a little old for these shenanigans? I switched sides. My mother saved Potter's life." I look at him, unable to believe that he has the audacity to tell such a lie.
"It's true Hermione." Harry whispers from somewhere behind me. "He's come to visit you everyday since, as well."
"I don't believe it. In fact, I refuse to believe it. Malfoy get your ugly arse out of my bed!"
"Tsk, tsk. Aren't very appreciative are we Hermione?" Malfoy says as he smiles at me.
"Malfoy maybe you'd better come back later." Ron puts his two scents into the conversation, finally putting down his chocolate frogs.
Of all people, I expect Ron to be malicious with Malfoy. That's the one thing I can normally count on and here he is disappointing me yet again. Men. They are insufferable prats. All of them! For someone who vanquished the darkest wizard in history, Harry looks like he's going to drop dead from sheer embarrassment. Malfoy is obviously smarting about his newfound glory of being on the "right" side. And Ron who has always detested Malfoy is letting him sit on my bed without yelling. What the hell happened while I was asleep?
These thoughts swirl around my head until I can barely see straight. I feel my feet falling out from underneath me. Before I know it I am tumbling towards the floor. I see a flash of green and suddenly I am resting comfortably in somebody's arms.
"That's twice now, Hermione." Malfoy whispers in my ear as he brushes the hair out of my eyes and sets me in my bed.
I can't possibly be in the debt of Draco Malfoy! Oh brother, what have I gotten myself into?