Disclaimer: No matter how much I want to, I do not own Harry Potter, the characters, places, or wands which are featured in this story... D:

CHAPTER TWO
October 26th

Hermione Granger woke up to the most comfortable thing she had been on in the last month. Her body, which groaned as she moved her wand arm slightly, was in a relaxed position. Only one problem with this whole situation. She had absolutely no idea where she was at the moment.

Am I back with them? her voice leered at her. Are they trying to lure me into a state of self-assurance?

Hermione, who was positive pain was going to come very soon, opened her eyes. But there was not one glint of silver or wood covering her vision. There wasn't a single drop of ink-like shadows that seemed to attach themselves to her skin. In fact, this room was very bright and very empty.

Hermione sat up, looking around and taking in her surroundings. She was sitting in a hospital bed with white cotton sheets and an incredibly soft pillow. The four walls around her were a stunning cream, each one with a large paint picture of one of the four crests from her old wizarding school, Hogwarts. Beside her sat a small table with her wand, three different bottles of medicine, a tall glass of water, and a golden bell. Next, she glanced down at herself to see that an over-large tee shirt was covering her body. Her arms were covered with criss-crossing white scars like the stars against the night sky.

Melting caramel eyes widened as she quickly picked up her wand and spun it three time around her head. The scars that covered her body were swallowed by the tan skin that surrounded them. Each scar told a story of pain, a story that everything that happened was a never-ending nightmare that kept her up at nights. That made it hard for her to be around people without acting up. That made it hard to be alone. That made her scream and cry.

Her eyes closed for one simple moment as she took a shaky breath of the clean, crisp air. Oh how she had forgotten how sweet air could be at times.

But the uncommon peace that filled her was short-lived as a loud POP filled the air on her right. A scream escaped her lips as she threw herself the opposite way and off the bed. Her body landed with a hard THUD on the concrete floor.

"Dobby is sorry!" a squeaky voice cried as padded footsteps ran to help her. A whimper of pain escaped the girl's lips as the house elf ran to help. "Dobby did not mean to scare Harry Potter's friend."

Hermione stared at the familiar house elf in disbelief before promptly grabbing him and wrapping her too-thin arms around him.

"Oh my goodness!" Hermione's voice rang out with something other than the familiar British accent as she spoke. "Dobby it's you! It's really you!" Hermione suddenly pulled the house elf back before he could deliver a proper hug back to Hermione. He stared with his wide tennis ball green eyes at the darkened expression that took home on her face.

"Dobby where am I?" she looked around.

"Hogwarts?" Dobby answered, confused.

"No, no," Hermione shook her head as she slowly backed away from Dobby. "No. I can't... No this is a trick again isn't it?" Hermione kept peddling herself backwards as Dobby tried to near her. Dobby didn't like the sound of again coming from her lips.

"Dobby isn't tricking you!" Dobby cried. "Dobby is coming to check on Harry Potter's friend because it is Doby job."

Hermione barked a harsh laugh. "Why doesn't he see me himself?"

"Harry Potter can not because Madame Pomfrey would not allow guests!"

Hermione shook her head, turning so she was slowly moving towards her wand. "Yeah right, you're going to have to try harder to trick me!"

"But it's true!"

"Nobody has bothered to look for me," Hermione growled at the house elf, who was no shaking. "No one cares about me. Nobody cares about the 'Mudblood'." She shot, the pain of the word hitting her numbed body. "What makes you think I'm going to believe you now."

All the while she spoke she kept chanting in her mind, just get your wand, just get your wand, just get your wand...

"Harry Potter was very worried about you!" Dobby cried. "And Master Weasley as well! Dobby went to look for you to calm Harry Potter but Dobby couldn't find you!" the house elf looked as though he was about to cry. Hermione, who was at the small medical table and reaching for her wand, faltered.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head, "NO!"

She grabbed her wand and threw a spell at Dobby. Dark flames spurted from the end of the wand without a word spoken. Dobby, being as quick as he was, disappeared before the spell could make contact.

She screamed in frustration before breaking down into heart-wrenching sobs. She was alone in a room with no windows or doors. Trapped in a room with reminders of her haven, reminders of what she could never go back to... Safety.

((((((((((()))))))))))

"Madame Pomfrey!" Harry called as he paced inside the Hospital Wing. "Please let me see her!"

It had been three days since his best friend fainted in his arms and had failed to wake up. Three days of endless rumors made their way through the packed halls of DHogswart. Three days when Harry found out that Hermione Granger screamed loudly in her sleeping, coma-like state. Which is why she was transferred to the back room which possessed no windows or doors for those curious few to gawk at her as well as it was sound-proof. The only way in

was stepping through the wall itself.

"Mr. Potter," Madame Pomfrey cried. "You can see her when she wakes up."

"When is that?" Harry demanded.

"As soon as Dobby the house elf comes and tells me she is awake." Madame Pomfrey replied. She had been haunted by the wails and screams the girl seemed to produce. It was the first time in her whole career she did not want to help. But Dobby had volunteered on the spot to take care of the girl till she was awake.

Then Madame Pomfrey would take over.

"She's my best friend," Harry answered, wishing Ron was here to back him up. But the red-headed boy was in the common room where he had been when Madame Pomfrey refused them yesterday. Harry, who had been extremely annoyed with his friend's efforts, refused to give in so easily.

"Well I'm sorry Mr. Potter but-" Madame Pomfrey was cut off by a very loud POP. Dobby appeared between the two with a look of horror plastered on his small face.

"What is it Dobby?" Harry and Madame Pomfrey both asked, staring at him.

"Dobby went to go check up on Miss Granger," the house elf squeaked. "And Dobby found that Miss Granger had awaken!"

"Yes!" Harry did a fist pump before the house elf could continue.

"But Harry Potter, Dobby needs to tell you that Miss Granger isn't Miss Granger."

Harry stopped moving towards the wall and turned to face the house elf. "What do you mean Dobby?"

"Dobby sensed that Miss Granger is with dark magic," Dobby's eyes narrowed. "And Dobby senses something horrible happened."

Of course something horrible happened! Harry wanted to shout. She's been missing for months.

Before another word could be uttered about Hermione, Harry stepped through the wall.

((((((((((()))))))))))

Hermione was oblivious to the boy with heavenly green eyes moving towards her.

"'Mione?" Harry questioned, making the girl jump.

Her body turned and a wand was shortly pointed his direction. The girl whom he had grown up with had tears slipped down her ash and dirt covered face. Her hair was coming loose from the ponytail it had been placed in long ago. And what Harry saw through her caramel eyes made his heart wrench and his blood boil. There, looked back at him, was a broken, scared witch who didn't know who to trust.

"H-H-Harry?" she managed to croak out his name as her grip on her wand slowly relaxed. But it tensed again as he took a step.

Imposter...?

Hermione stared at the boy, trying to decided whether he was a figment of her imagination, a creation of a spell, or some way to break what little sanity she possessed.

"Hermione," Harry raised his hands in the air, as if to say don't hex me. "It's me."

Hermione, who had dealt with far too many of these things, looked him in the eyes. "Who was risen from the dead last year?"

"Voldemort?" Harry spoke, confused. What did that have to do with anything?

"And in our third year, what did I do that was significant?"

"Well, you punched Draco in the jaw and we used a time-turner to save Buckbeak and Sirius Black." Harry answered truthfully, taking another step towards her.

Hermione nodded.

"What have I often done for you and Ron?"

"Well, for the most part, my homework," Harry smiled down at the broken girl before kneeling in front of her.

"Hermione it's me."

Hermione nodded, tears of relief flowing down her face. Harry tried to reach out to touch her, but she moved away from his touch, whimpering slightly.

"I won't hurt you 'Mione," Harry whispered, hurt that the girl would think it.. "I would never hurt you."

She nodded slowly, the truth of his words slipping through the cracks of her hardened heart. The tears had ceased seeing as Hermione was in safety. She looked into his eyes and marveled on how they could make her feel so safe, that they could make her forget about what had happened. They brought her peace.

Peace... Peace never lasts long, Hermione thought bitterly. But I'll fight for it for as long as I can stand.

She took a deep breath before throwing herself into his arms. Warmth seeping into her cold skin. And for the first time in months, joy.

They both tumbled to the ground as Madame Pomfrey appeared in the room, just finishing hearing the rest of Dobby's story and informing Professor Dumbledore that Hermione Granger was, in fact, awake. What she walked in on took her by surprise. There, laying on the chest of a boy she often saw every other week, was a girl who she knew that something dreadful had happened to. But what had happened was a guess in the dark.

Madame Pomfrey slowly slipped back outside of the room, smiling slightly on how Harry Potter held the girl so close to him.

Young love, she thought as she went to go help the other patients she possessed. Amazing every time...

"Hermione, it's okay, it's okay," Harry mumbled into the girl's hair.

"No," Hermione whispered into his tee shirt.

It smells amazing, Hermione decided. Like the woods, grass, and the ocean. Her body suddenly cringed at the memories the smells brought her. Harry pulled her closer to his chest, wondering why she had cringed but knowing better then to ask.

The two had been laying there for a very good ten minutes without a single visitor (that they knew of) walking in on the moment.

Harry sat up, knowing that them on the floor would be very awkward, for both parties, if someone happened to walk in on them. So, Harry picked the girl up and carried her back to her bed, noting how light she was as well as how easy he could feel her bones through her skin. Her arms naturally slipped up his chest and around his neck so she could keep her balance in his loving arms.

I don't deserve love, Hermione thought bitterly. I am broken. Broken things aren't loved.

He set her onto the bed, but was surprised that she would not release her hold.

"Don't," Hermione choked out. "Stay... Please?"

He nodded, knowing Hermione needed him now more than anything and climbed in beside her.

"So," Hermione took a deep breath, trying to remind herself that she was safe for the moment. "How is Hogwarts?"

"Well," Harry didn't know where to begin. Should he first tell her about his Occlumency lessons with Snape? Or perhaps that the DADA teacher had left early in the term because he didn't want to deal with students or the unfortunate accidents that followed the DADA teachers each year. Perhaps he should inform her about how their fellow Hogwart's students, most of them anyways, thought him to be insane because he "claimed" Voldemort was back. "It's been eventful."

Hermione nodded, not expecting anything less.

"Oh!" Harry suddenly said, smacking himself on the forehead. "You probably want to see the others yeah?"

Hermione bit her lip and looked down. It was hard enough seeing Harry and being in Hogwarts. Seeing the others might make it next to impossible to leave when she finally left the hospital wing. But then that would be suspicious if she didn't want to see them.

"Sure," Hermione forced the word to sound bright as it left her lips.

Buy it... Please buy the lie, she thought desperately as Harry stared down at her with his big, green eyes. Please.

"Good," Harry said finally, not sure how to take in the "new" Hermione. This one seemed distant and scared... As well as dark, like Dobby was saying.

Harry, shaking the thought that his friend had gone dark, picked her up once again in his arms and walked out of the room.

Hermione, who felt incredibly awkward for the boy to be touching her, or her to be touching him for that matter, began to play with the hem of the over large tee shirt.

Note to self: ask where this came from. Hermione noted as Harry set her down on one of the hospital beds outside.

"I'll be right back," Harry said, looking at her as if she would disappear if he left her side for longer than a second. "Don't go."

"Madame Pomfrey would murder me if I even dared walk on my own legs," Hermione joked, forcing a smile. That's how everything was now. Forced smiles, forced laughs, forced joyous expressions, forced happy memories... just forced.

Harry smiled as Madame Pomfrey walked over with a tray stacked high with food. The last thing he heard before he left the room was:

'My goodness Miss Granger, you must be starved!"

((((((((((()))))))))))

Harry burst into the common room eleven minutes later, panting. He had sprinted up all the flights of stairs as well as all the flats. Though he had been working out this summer, he wasn't ready for something as challenging as moving staircases and wizard-packed halls.

Gryffindors in the common room gave him a strange look, but quickly turned away. This was Harry Potter here, the boy who claimed You-Know-Who was alive.

"You okay mate?" Ron asked as he and his three siblings as well as Neville Longbottom sat on the floor watching Fred and George face each other in a horrible game of wizard chess. Both were good, but they had jinxed the board to have comical arguments instead of destroying the other. This was good for about the first eight moves but soon turned boring and long.

"Hermione." Harry panted. "Up."

"Hermione's up?" Ginny stood up so quickly that her knee ended up flipped the board over. But no one really seemed to care, seeing as Hermione Granger had awaken from her coma.

"Yes," Harry said, straightening up. "Come on!"

Harry didn't bother to wait to see if the others were behind him. He simply turned on a heel and ran to the hospital wings with the others close behind.

((((((((((()))))))))))

The six Gryffindor students ran into the hospital wing and towards the lost Gryffindor's bed. There smiles made guilt churn in Hermione's stomach as she forced a smile and pretended to be very happy to see them.

In truth, she was slightly glad to be back in the arms of her friends. But what had happened the summer before prevent anyone to get too close to her. She was slightly terrified of what would happen if they did get too close.

Get that out of your mind, Hermione thought as the arms of her friends squeezed her and her sore body. You'll be gone before they have a chance.

The next things that happened to hit Hermione was the voices of all of them attacking her ears at once. Their tones blended together in one mesh of words that made Hermione want to scream and cover her ears.

So, she did.

Sorry for that ending. I'll update as soon as possible. Please comment and tell me what you think yeah? ~Minty