Chapter 1

"Well? Is he going to wake up?" Hermione looked up at the mediwitch beseechingly from where she sat, holding the hand of the unconscious boy.

"Not anytime soon, I'm afraid," came Madame Pomfrey's sad response. "He's sustained some serious magical injuries I simply can't identify."

Hermione shuddered with renewed grief and buried her head under her arm near where Harry lay. Ron tentatively treaded over to place a hand on her shoulder. He looked down at his best friends, face frozen in place. A cut over his right eyebrow was still bleeding; he wouldn't allow anyone to fix it yet.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" he murmured.

"I'm afraid not. Mr. Potter is in a deep coma after the remnants of that last spell rebounded on him." Giving one last sigh, she walked off with the armful of potions she was carrying for the rest of the wounded in the hospital wing and commenced with distributing them.

Hermione sniffed and sat up in the rickety wooden chair. She looked for signs of life in Harry's face again, as she had repeatedly for the last 42 hours. At least it was peaceful. Just as if he was sleeping, right? That's all.

She couldn't stand sitting there anymore. The noise of the other students' coughing and retching was getting on her nerves. Their whining drove out any thoughts she could've had. Didn't they know they where the lucky ones? They survived a harrowing ordeal and are awake and generally able. Now all they can do is, what, complain about wanting their pillow fluffed? Fools.

Voldemort had attacked the school two days ago, Halloween night. The cliché was obvious to anyone but Voldemort, himself. The invasion was swift, but Hogwarts was prepared. They'd had this night drilled into them for months by Dumbledore and carried out their simple plan flawlessly. Well, almost flawlessly.

They had drawn the Dark Lord into the Great Hall after he had penetrated the wards. Most of the other Death Eaters stayed outside to battle with the students and teachers. When inside, the entire order was there, waiting for him. As one, they shouted 'Expelliarmus!' and Voldemort screeched his displeasure as he realized he stupidly fallen into a simple trap.

Just then, a masked Death Eater ran into the Hall, removing his disguise.

"Snape! Get them! They have taken my wand!"

Sneering derisively, he hissed, "I think not, my Lord. Potter, now!"

The shriek of Lord Voldemort was the last thing anyone heard from him as he realized Snape's betrayal. But the crumpled body was the last thing they thought about as they saw a strange black and violet light rebound from Voldemort after being hit by Harry's killing curse.

The dark-haired boy crumpled to the ground and would not wake again.

Hermione came back to herself in the hospital wing. She glanced up into Ron's tear-streaked face and new she couldn't remain much longer. There had to be something she could do. She had to remember who she was.

She rose from the chair and shook her head when Ron wanted to follow. She needed time to think on her own. Perhaps the library would help.

On her way out, she almost ran into Professor Snape.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Professor!" she exclaimed as he almost fumbled the beaker.

"Sorry wouldn't have replaced the potion I have been working on for the last 40 hours had I dropped it, now, would it, Miss Granger?"

"No, sir."

Snape huffed and began to open the door before Hermione interjected yet again.

"Is that a potion for Harry, sir?"

He glared at her before stating, "I wasn't aware there were any other boys-who-lived-again-to-become-comatose."

"I was simply asking," Hermione tried to explain, but he was gone.