Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!

Hermione opened her eyes to see a blurry white ceiling. She blinked a few times, trying to let her eyes painfully readjust. They managed to focus and she could now see the bright fluorescent lights patterned across the ceiling. She heard voices, distant voices, and beeping. The setting seemed vaguely familiar and she strained her neck to turn and look at her surroundings. Her neck constricted painfully however, making her cry out in shock.

What was happening? Where was she? She tried to move her neck again and sit up but her body wasn't listening to her. Pain shot up her spine as she tried to bend her arm to prop herself up. She gasped again, in pain and fear.

Hermione then heard a shuffling of feet and a voice ring out mellifluously through the room.

"Oh my goodness, look who's awake!"

A face appeared in front of Hermione, looking down at her and beaming. It was a pretty woman with long brown hair wearing a nurse's hat. A nurse. Of course, she was in a hospital. She knew the lighting and the smell of disinfectant was familiar. Hermione tried to speak to ask the million questions that were now running through her head, however, only a small rasp sounded in her throat.

"Patience dear, you've been asleep for quite a while. Your body will need some time to wake up again," said the nurse kindly, noticing her strained efforts.

Hermione closed her eyes, feeling a new fatigue wash over her as if the last few moments of her wakefulness had been an exertion. She could now feel the full weight of her body, as if she hadn't moved in years. She could hear the nurse rummaging through some drawers to her right and Hermione opened her eyes to the ceiling once again.

The nurse came shuffling back over and her face took up Hermione view once again.

"I'm going to give you something for the pain that I'm sure you're in."

Hermione swallowed and felt her dry throat scratch painfully. She wanted to jump out of the bed and find out what was going on, but she felt her body begin to slip away. She tried to think about what happened to get her in the hospital but her head was throbbing and causing her to lose track of her thoughts. She felt a sharp sting in her hand and realized the nurse was injecting her with something.

"Just rest for now dear. When you wake up you'll feel better."

Hermione felt herself slipping away, further and further. Her eyes became heavy and she closed them once again, the lights fading above her.

The second time Hermione woke up, it was to two voices whispering around her. Though the voices were low they were close and Hermione let the words process in her mind before she opened her eyes.

"How much does she remember?" asked a voice to Hermione's right that sounded low and masculine.

"We don't know. She hasn't spoken yet. She was only awake for a moment."

This voice was close, on her right. It was the nurse, Hermione recognized her soft voice.

"Well, will she wake up again?" the male voice asked, sounding extremely concerned.

"Of course. She was in a coma before, she's only asleep now," replied the nurse.

"When can I take her home?" asked the male voice.

"Mr. Weasley… it's been ten years. Her recovery will not be immediate, at least two weeks of intensive physical therapy."

Hermione ran over the words in her head, trying to understand what they meant. Ten years? She had been in a coma for ten years? No, it wasn't possible. She remembered the war. Harry had defeated Voldemort. Fred had died. She'd found Ron crying by himself in the great hall. Yes, she remembered it all as if it'd been just the day before. The details were so clear in her head.

Hermione continued to perceive the words. Mr. Weasley? Was the man beside her Ron? No, his voice was different, lower, though it didn't sound like any of the Weasley men and Hermione became even more confused.

The man, Mr. Weasley, or whoever he was, groaned in exasperation and Hermione heard his body shift closer to her bed and a hand grabbed hers. Hermione took the opportunity to open her eyes finally. They were still as heavy as the first time she'd opened then earlier, but not as blurry this time. She turned her head enough to see the man's face, however his head was down, revealing on a mop of red hair. He hadn't noticed her eyes open obviously.

Hermione took all the energy she could muster and moved the muscles in her arm just enough to lightly squeeze the hand in her own. It was painful but effective as the man looked up immediately and into her eyes, clearly startled by the motion.

"Hermione," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

The emotion in his voice was so intense Hermione felt her heart start beating quickly.

She couldn't place him for a moment until she looked deeper into his eyes, those eyes. She would know those eyes anywhere. It was Ron. But… what happened to him? He looked so different. Not bad, just different. He was older. Much older than when Hermione had last seen him.

Hermione felt panic rise inside of her chest. Something scary was definitely happening. She was about to scream, or attempt to do so, when a realization occurred. She must have been dreaming. Perhaps she was still asleep, or in a coma as they had said? Or more likely, she wasn't in a coma at all. She was still asleep in her bed, with the end of the war a day behind her. That was it. She felt her heart still and her breathing begin to calm again. It was all just a dream.

"Hermione, it's me, Ron."

Hermione wasn't sure if she should try to respond or simply close her eyes and wait until she woke up. She guessed she didn't have much to lose. The pain was only dream-pain, as real as it felt, it wasn't. She could put it out of her mind. Besides, Hermione just couldn't help but notice that dream Ron was quite good looking.

Hermione opened her mouth and tried once again to form words. It was painful but she managed to squeak out a syllable.

"H-hi."

Ron grinned enthusiastically down at her and Hermione felt herself smiling back, though even such a small task seemed to put strain on her.

"God, Hermione," he said, his face slowly going red with emotion.

Hermione heard the nurse walk out of the room, obviously recognizing the sensitively of the situation. Hermione focused back on Ron. Though she accepted that he wasn't real, her heart went out for him. He seemed so distraught, so tortured by her. A guilty weight hung inside of her, making her stomach hurt along with the rest of her body. She never wanted to see that look on Ron's face, even dream Ron.

He put a hand to his face and covered his mouth, as if in a late shock. Hermione didn't really know how to comfort him or what exactly was paining him so much. She was awake, wasn't that a good thing? The ten years of solitude didn't really seem to cross her mind, especially since it all wasn't real.

Hermione watched him avert his eyes and she knew he was crying. She remembered that he did this when he was ashamed of showing his emotion. He rarely showed any emotion to others, but Hermione had seen it a few times. The moment that stuck out the most in her mind was when Fred had died, particularly because it had just happened the day before. Well, what Hermione could only assume was still the day before. Each moment was becoming more real and Hermione began to feel very uneasy. Her dreams were usually so artificially constructed, this all seemed much too reality based.

Hermione wasn't exactly sure what came over her, but she let her thoughts speak out loud.

"A-am I… d-dreaming?" she choked out.

Ron looked back at her quickly and seemed genuinely take aback by the question. Hermione realized how absurd it was to ask a dream character if she was dreaming, however, nothing really seemed to make much sense.

Ron shook his head, taking his hand away from his mouth and swallowing nervously before speaking.

"No, you're definitely awake."

Hermione smiled weakly again, not knowing how else to respond. Of course he would say that.

"Do you remember anything that happened?" Ron asked, looking at her expectantly.

Hermione thought a moment about what he meant, surely just what the last memory she had was.

"The war," she spoke.

Her throat was adjusting to speech slowly and she managed to speak more clearly already.

"Yeah," said Ron after a few moments, "I guess that's all you would remember."

Hermione felt her stomach start to clench nervously. He was so much like the real Ron. His movements, his mannerisms, his smell Hermione could even detect faintly. Of course the dream Ron would possess all these same qualities as she'd memorized them so many years ago, still, she couldn't help but wonder if it was actually real.

Hermione swallowed painfully and repeated her question as if the answer this time would be surer than the last.

"A-am I dreaming?"

Ron took a deep breath, as if her question has caused him great pain and he squeezed her hand gently before responding.

"No Hermione, you're not dreaming."

She was still trying to figure out if it was still a dream when Ron leaned forward and kissed her full on the lips, taking her completely be surprise. She could feel his warm lips, wet with his tears, pressing against her own numb chapped lips. She remembered how it felt. His kiss hadn't changed. It was still as sweet as always, and her heart pounded loudly in her chest, just as it had the first time she'd jumped into his arms and kissed him.

When he pulled back, Hermione felt herself crumble just as he had moments ago. She breathed more heavily and she felt her face flush with panic. This wasn't a dream. It was all real. Something awful had happened and she'd really been in a coma for ten years. This was the real Ron in front of her.

Ron looked back at her with intense concern, noticing her change in face.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. It's too soon. God, I'm sorry!"

He fumbled over his words quickly, just as he used to do when he was embarrassed. Hermione felt her heart break. What had she done to him?

As much as she wanted to feel alright, for him, she couldn't control the overwhelming fear rising up inside of her. She could feel her heart pounding all the way into her head now, and her body began to shake. She was breathing quickly and heavily, and Ron now looked completely terrified.

Hermione noticed her vision began to blur and the sound of Ron's voice yelling for the nurse was dulling quickly. She felt dizzy and disorientated, her body giving out on her. She saw the vague image of the nurse's worried face and Ron staring down at her before they faded completely into darkness.

So, please let me know what you think of it so far. I'd really appreciate reviews and any constructive criticisms you might have. Thanks!