Hermione sat upon the window seat in the large bay window of Grimmauld Place's sitting room. She was hypnotised by the rain that tumbled unrelentingly from the dark grey sky which seemed to stretch forever across the London skyline.
Her body ached with pain. Poppy had fixed all her broken bones, but she had had to visit a Muggle specialist to get her torn ligament fixed. Only then did it become apparent that there was also residual damage to her nerves. Whether the damage was a result of the final battle, which had taken a toll on so many, or as a result of the torture handed out to her by Bellatrix, no-one could say for certain.
All that Hermione could be certain about was that sometimes life was as much a battle with her inner demons as it was a battle to survive day-to-day with the aftermath of the war against Voldemort.
Poppy and the Healers of St Mungo's had done all that they could, Hermione's last hope was her Muggle physiotherapist. He had told her that it would be a long road to recovery, Hermione knew there were no more quick fixes she could take, and magic could only do so much to repair a broken body.
She was roused from her melancholy thoughts by someone subtly clearing their throat.
A black clad arm reached around her proffering a steaming mug of hot chocolate topped with cream. Hermione felt a strong body rest against her back.
"Drink this, it'll help," his voice purred, brightening her mood.
She leaned back, placing the mug on the table by her side.
Strong arms encased her in a bear hug, her senses soothed by the calming combination of potions ingredients and the mandarin soap he used to bathe with.
She sighed as he tightened his arms around her, cooing softly into her mane of wild curls. She felt safe here with her Prince. No harm would come to her so long as her dark knight was by her side.
"It will get better, I promise," he murmured.
Releasing her, he sat beside her and pulled her into his lap, once more surrounding her with his arms and whispering the sweet nothings that a lover utters to ease the pain the other feels.
Hermione wished that she could melt into his warm, strong body. She felt sure that if she were able to do that, all the pain would go away.