DISCLAIMER: The characters belong to J.K Rowling, the plot is mine.

Chapter 1

Hermione POV

The corpse in front of me twitched, its once glowing silver eyes dull and lifeless. No. No. It couldn't be! He couldn't be gone! After all we'd been through! NO!

"Hermione? Come here, Hermione. Why don't you come visit your Auntie Bella, dear? I'm not all that bad, now am I?" The evil witch crooned to me, as I sat in the straight backed chair, a gag in my mouth.

An excruciating pain tore through me, making my innards clench and my teeth grind together. I couldn't scream. I mustn't scream.

"Come along, dear, don't be frightened. After I kill you, I'm only going to get your precious Potter, and maybe his orange friend, but I won't touch anyone else. I swear I won't, dearie." Bellatrix Lestrange's horrible grin drove its way through my mind as the agony swelled up again.

Voldemort's follower didn't give me another chance to speak, silencing me with another evil, deranged cackle. "Now, promise not to scream, doll. Avada Kedavra!"

The flash of green light pulsated before my eyes.

I awoke screaming.

The things surrounding me were startling, until I realized that I wasn't at Malfoy Manor. I was in my home.

My room was the same room it had always been; pale blue walls, a patterned quilt that my grandmother had made, flowing white curtains, and bookshelves that rose nearly to the ceiling, holding my most prized possessions.

"Hermione?" My mum's voice said through my bedroom door, sounding cautious and guarded.

Let's just say, it hadn't been the first time I'd been screaming during the middle of the night.

The door creaked open, mum's worried expression filling the crack. She noticed the tear streaks on my cheeks, she ran to my bed in her nightly garb, climbing in beside me and holding my trembling form close. The sobs tore through my chest, emerging into the world with a heartbreakingly awful sound.

My mother rocked me from side to side, as she used to do when I was little. I had been a miserable little girl, and my feelings were always hurt by the smallest of things. I'd often come home from school crying because Elsie Greene was being a bias, bullying, brat again. Mum had always known just what to do; she would hand me a piece of chocolate, rock me back and forth, and sing to me softly. Sometimes, dad would even join in, and their tone perfect voices would harmonize beautifully together. My love for singing and reading had both sprouted from bad experiences and hurt. I recalled reading somewhere that the best way to make the sadness disappear was to "make the sorrow beautiful." It had certainly worked out for me, and it seemed to do the same for others.

(#1)"The cruel war is raging, Johnny has to fight. I want to be with him, from morning till night. I want to be with him, it grieves my heart so. Won't you let me go with you? No, my love, no." Mother's mezzo soprano voice sang, easing my worries enormously with just one verse of the old song from my childhood.

Unexpectedly, my father's deeper tones rang out, enveloping me in warmth as Mum hummed along in the background. "Tomorrow is Sunday, Monday is the day. That your captain with call you, and you must obey. Your captain will call you, it grieves my heart so, won't you let me go with you? No, my love, no."

"Oh Johnny, oh Johnny, I fear you are unkind. I love you far better, than all of mankind. I love you far better, than words can 'ere express. Won't you let me go with you? Yes, my love, yes."

"Yes, my love, yes." They finished together, their contrasting voices blending beautifully.

For the first time in my life, the song made me cry harder. I was now just flat out bawling into my mother's shoulder, as she tried to shush me by murmuring things about waking the Malfoys. At this, I tried to stop breathing to muffle my noisy display. That just made me hyperventilate. She turned to dad, seeming desperate.

"William, go get 'Mione some water, would you, dear?"

I heard his retreating footsteps; he'd never been one to deal with crying females, along with all of the other men on the planet. It made me think of Draco.

Gasping, I turned to my mother, taking in her expression of surprise. "Mum! Dr-Draco, Mum! Wh-wh-where is he? She t-t-t-t-took him! We have to g-go find him! I c-c-can't lose h-h-him again!" My strangled sobs were making it hard to speak, but my mom seemed to get the message. Her eyes widened, and she once again charged through my door, not seeming at all like the thirty-nine-year-old she was, more thirteen or so.

I searched for my wand, but my tear induced, blurry eyes were impossible to see out of. I stubbed my foot on the edge of one of my bookcases, and I couldn't stop crying. Assuming a posture of utter defeat, I curled up into a ball and just cried. He was gone. I knew it. The dream was too real to have been just a dream.

The thought of losing him was just so absurd that I started laughing. Before long, it developed into a coughing, crying fit, reminding me of the witch who'd killed him.

My door creaked open once again, though I was too distraught to see who'd come to comfort me now. A soothing pair of arms encircled me, and I smelled a familiar scent. No. It couldn't be.

Head spinning, teary eyes wide, I caught sight of my amazing boyfriend. It was all I could do to not faint from relief. His messy midnight hair was standing straight up, the platinum blond sheen of it shining in the moonlight pouring through my windows. His screaming silver eyes shone, showing me all his emotions, just like an open book; relief, shock, confusion, adoration. His strong Quidditch player arms were still around me, supporting me the way a bank fund supports a college student. His lips were at my ear, whispering hastily to try to pull me out of my hysterics.

"Hermione, it's alright. Shh. You're safe. I'm safe. We're both here. It's okay. Bellatrix won't get you ever again, not even over my dead body."

With the last part of his sentence, a wail bursted from my lips. Draco smacked himself in the head and muttered, "Stupid, stupid, stupid. You're an idiot," to himself.

Everything went black.

"Dr-Dr-Draco. I can't-I can't see anything."

His voice was even more nervous than my parents' had been. "Yes-yes you can, Hermione. How many fingers am I holding up?" He asked with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"Six?"

He gasped. Guess that was a no.

I felt a current of air flow in front of my face, and I assumed he was waving his hand, trying to get me to follow it with my eyes.

The strong arms were around me again, and I could tell Draco was as horrified as I.

I was suddenly lifted from my comfortable bed, Draco's arms around me tightly. He was mortified.

"Draco, I'm scared."

"We have to get you to St. Mungo's. Now." Was all he said, his voice hard, angry, and shaky. It gave me the impression that he was hiding something from me, but I decided to talk to him later.

"Now, Miss Granger, can you follow the light?" The healer's nasally drawl asked, bored. (#2)

It felt as though somebody had draped a curtain over just my eyes. I could see really bright lights, but even then, just a faint outline.

When I didn't respond, the congested-sounding healer continued. "I guess not. Well, I've come to a conclusion. This looks rather familiar; I've read about it quite a few times, though I've never treated it before. It comes from a dark curse, a very ancient one, at that, that made quite an impact in the late nineteen hundreds. Thousands of people went completely blind from it," there was a faint click-click of something falling on the marble floor. He just had to drop his pencil at one of the most dramatic points in my life! "But, we've since found a cure." Six thankful gasps were heard around the room, mine included. "Curing it is rather difficult, however. You will need to undergo some rigorous testing, and then you'll need to get some kind of DNA from whoever casted it on you. It can be done, though it will involve some effort. Are you willing to do this, Miss Granger? Is it worth it?"

Did this man have no sense of emotion? OF COURSE IT WAS WORTH IT! If I couldn't see, I could never read, never see Draco or anyone ever again, and I would probably need a seeing eye owl or something!

Draco answered for me. "Of course it's bloody worth it, man! Do you WANT her to be blind? I thought you were supposed to heal people, not discourage them from getting healed! Let's get going!" His voice held the same sort of tone as before, though at the end, it got closer to me, and calmer. He was now speaking to me. "Hermione? Are you okay with this? It's okay if you're not, but you'd probably be considered a nutter for the rest of your life if you don't want your sight back." He laughed slightly, though tensely.

"No, no, I want to see again. Please, doctor, tell us what we need to do!" I directed my voice to the left, but Draco put his hands on either side of my head, turning me to face the doctor. "Thank-you, Draco. But as I was saying, I'd do almost anything to get my sight back, I swear!" My voice took on an edge of pleading as I looked at the invisible doctor that I was unable to see.

The doctor let out a creepy snort of a laugh, which cut off quickly, as if he was ashamed to be seen laughing. "Miss Granger, you will not be going anywhere! You can't do anything with your eyesight so bad!" Another snort from the horrible healer. "You will stay here and submit to the tests. You will need somebody else to go find whoever cast the curse for you, preferably someone with the incentive to give you your sight back; somebody you know well. As soon as you choose who said person or persons will be, I will tell them what they must do."

His footsteps walked out of the ward, then, and I gritted my teeth in annoyance. "Okay. Draco, we have to talk to Dumbledore. Could you maybe owl him or something and ask him to come here?"

"Miss Granger, I've been here for a few minutes." Dumbledore's voice said with a smile in it. "What do you need to discuss, dear? I personally agree with your decision to get your sight back, unlike that odd character who calls himself a healer."

"Professor, who should I choose? I need somebody with experience, and somebody with incentive, as the blatant doctor pointed out." An idea occurred to me suddenly, causing me to smack my head in annoyance at my stupidity. "Professor! Have you dealt with this kind of curse before? Would you be willing to help? I understand if you're busy, that's okay." My voice fell dramatically at the end, and I turned my eyes to my lap.

Dumbledore scoffed at this. "Of course I'd be willing to help! I've helped about four people trace this particular curse, before, though I have a feeling that yours is stemming from somewhere in Voldemort's ranks." My face lit up in a smile, and I held Draco's hand tighter.

"Miss Granger, may I suggest some companions for my trip?" Dumbledore asked sincerely, a kind tinge in his voice. "How do you feel about my taking Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Malfoy with me? I think they'd all put aside their differences, and that way, I can watch after them all, in case they try to do something...inadvisable."

I laughed for one of the first times since the dumb curse had set it, and nodded my head at his wisdom.

"Then, we must not delay! Let's go Mr. Malfoy, we need to go see the other boys!"

Draco laughed from my side, and I was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. I hugged my boyfriend back with all my might, as he whispered in my ear.

"Wow. I must love you. I have to spend a while with Weasley and Potter for you!" We both laughed, though tears were pooling in my eyes. "I love you, 'Mione. I will find whoever did this to you, okay? Stay safe."

He planted a light kiss on my forehead, and with that, left, taking my heart with him as I cried silently in his wake.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

(#1) From the song "The Cruel War," by Peter Paul and Mary. By the way, it's an old Civil War song that they just redid. Very well done. I suggest looking it up sometime.

(#2) I based this off of my eye doctor, actually. His name is Dr. Goddard, and he's really nice...but his VOICE! It's really nasally, and SO hilarious! One time he told my dad, "Well, your eyesight is just very bad. Very, very, very, bad." BAHAHA! Oh Dr. Goddard! :D

I'd also like to inform you that my family is moving! So, that means that I probably won't get to update this story as much as "Oh the Woes of Boys." I apologize ahead of time!

Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you think!

Love,

Little Miss English Nerd