A/N: Harry visits Hermione in the hospital. sad Harmione. Warning for character death.
Submission for:
Romance Survival Challenge: Round 4 - Harry/Hermione
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Harry pushed the door to the hospital room slowly, readying himself like he always did whenever he came to visit. It was always hard to see his once vibrant friend in this state and he never wanted her to see him falter even if it was unlikely that she would.
He stepped in and put on a brave face, holding the bouquet of pink carnations behind his back. "Good morning," he said softly to the prone figure lying in the bed. A breathing tube was sticking out her throat while various wires were plugging into the beeping monitor by her bedside. His smile fell for just a moment before he walked over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Ron and Ginny said they'll be by a bit later. They couldn't be here at the moment," Harry said as he moved to place his bouquet in the vase he had near the window. With how often he brought her flowers, it made sense to just have a vase here.
The rhythmic beeping of the monitors was all he heard as he returned to her side and pulled up a chair there. He ran a hand through her brown messy curls splayed across her white pillow, trying not to think about what brought her hair in the first place but failing miserably.
It had been only a month ago. They were on a mission, the three of them actually, a bust on a faction of Dark supporters who were still not happy with the death of Voldemort. It was supposed to be simple, something they had done a few times before.
A tear slipped down his cheek as he moved a finger across hers. He was supposed to have her back. He was supposed to have been there. But he had gotten held up in his own duel as she kept running forward.
A bright purple spell, a classic among the old Death Eaters, came out of the darkness. It caught his eye as it went straight for her. She paused seeing it come towards her but it was too late. It struck her head and knocked her flat on the floor.
He ran. He screamed. He was at her side, Ron standing above them, trying to keep them safe. He activated the Portkey and took them all away from that place to St Mungo's.
The effects of the curse were brutal. Harry begged them to do something but they said the damage had been done and the curse had already began acting. Her organs began to fail, the cells degenerating everyday. Her lungs collapsed soon after, which caused the healers to insert the tube. It was only a matter of time they said. The potions they gave her could only slow down the process but not stop it.
"Hermione," Harry said softly. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there when you needed me after all the times you were there for me."
Another tear escaped and he didn't bother to wipe it away. "If there was anything I could do to go back and change things, anything to reverse the damage, anything to see your eyes again..."
He leaned over to place a kiss on her eyelids. "I love you, more than you know, more than I ever told you before."
He picked up a book from her bed table, moving his hand to her own as he began to read out loud. It was something he would do at all his visits, something he knew she would appreciate.
He had just reached the third page when he noticed a slight change in her breathing. It seemed... slower, more forced and exhausted. The beeping of her monitor was slowing, the sounds coming less often.
He should get a healer, something was happening! But then he would have to leave her side. He would have to leave her like he did before.
He sat there holding her hand as the beeps came. One... Two... Threeeeeee...
Four...
One long beep filled the air. Harry threw himself across her chest, sobbing into the white sheets. She was gone.