Just to repeat my warning from the end of the last chapter, please proceed with caution in reading this story. This chapter opens a very sensitive topic and I'd hate to upset anyone through my writing.

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Bright, blinding light greeted Hermione as she painstakingly managed to lift the deadweight of her eyelids. It took a few seconds for her pupils to adjust, her mind swiftly recalling what had happened prior to her comatose state, and she was surprised not to be met with the familiar stone interior of the Hogwarts hospital wing. Instead she recognised she was in a private room in one of the many wards of St Mungo's, the stark white interior not helping the throbbing in her head and the sterile scent of disinfectant causing her stomach to lurch.

She turned at the sound of the door opening, to see a portly middle-aged woman in a nurse's uniform levitating a small metal bowl. It took a couple of moments before she realised her patient was now studying her with curious, hazel eyes.

"Miss Granger, so glad to see you're awake!" Her voice had a slight accent to it, the whereabouts of which Hermione couldn't guess. "In which case your wound can wait, I'll go fetch the doctor."

Hermione's throat was too dry to make any attempt at calling out after the woman but she was desperate to know what could've warranted bringing her out of the school for treatment. Uncomfortable now that she was awake, the young woman attempted to pull herself up into a more comfortable position, only to cause herself to double over in pain just as the nurse re-entered followed by an elder-looking woman with a tight, grey bun and serious expression.

"Oh, dear!" The nurse hurried over to the bed and carefully moved Hermione into a more upright state. "You mustn't be shifting about, you'll open your stitches before they've healed."

Frowning in confusion, she waited with growing impatience as the nurse fussed over her bedding and pillows, eventually leaving with a quick request that the doctor fetch her as soon as possible.

"Well?" The word left Hermione's lips the moment the door had shut, the hoarseness of her voice a slight shock.

The doctor quickly skimmed over her chart before meeting the girl's hazel eyes. "Miss Granger, I first need to ask how much you remember of what happened prior to your falling unconscious?"

She nodded and attempted to speak again only to cause a coughing fit. Briskly, the doctor summoned a cup of water from a small table against one wall of the room and handed it to the girl. Hermione carefully sipped a few mouthfuls before answering more successfully; "I'd been having mild cramps all morning, but they went so quickly that I couldn't even tell where they came from. I'd taken a potion that morning to try and soothe them but it didn't seem to have worked. I was in my last class for the day, with the fifth years…" She closed her eyes to try and recall the exact events. "I know there was a sudden, stabbing pain that lasted a second – I'd spilt my water. Then it came back and then…" She re-opened her eyes, shaking her head. "That's all I can think that happened."

The older woman had been scribbling down notes as she listened, her expression grim. "I see," she closed her notes and met Hermione's gaze steadily. "I would like to warn you now, Miss Granger, that the news I have is not easy to hear – is there anyone I could call for you that you'd like for support?"

Hermione shook her head, a lump forming in her throat at the doctor's words. At one time she might've liked Ginny, Harry, maybe even Ron beside her if the news were as serious as the doctor made out, but right in that moment she'd realised none of them were an option anymore. Ron was bitter and angry, Ginny was distant and Harry hadn't bothered to contact her since the summer. The realisation she was completely alone in this hit her like a bucket of ice water.

"Very well," the professional tone drew the young witch back to the conversation. "Miss Granger, you were unable to be treated at Hogwarts due to your condition requiring emergency surgical procedures that could not be accommodated within the school. You have a series of sutures along your lower abdomen that should heal in a matter of days, but given the area we were reluctant to use solely magical methods to seal our incisions – the reproductive system is particularly sensitive to any magical involvement."

"Reproductive system?" Hermione echoed the words.

"Yes… I'm afraid, Miss Granger, you've suffered a ruptured fallopian tube as the result of an ectopic pregnancy." The doctor paused to allow the information to sink in before continuing. "We've had to remove your right oviduct because of this, hence the surgery, however I would like to reassure you that your chances of successfully conceiving in the future should be virtually unaffected provided your left oviduct and ovary are healthy and functioning normally."

All Hermione could think to do at that moment was nod non-committally at the information before the sudden onset of nausea caused her to lean painfully toward the edge of the bed, the burning sensation of bile creeping up her throat. She felt a hand on her back rubbing soothingly before being handed a small bowl.

"Are you sure there's no one I can call for?"

Only one name flashed through her mind at that question and even the thought of it was enough to cause her to vomit. It was the ultimate kick in the teeth that her one real friend was now the one person she could certainly not face anytime soon, so she just shook her head at the repeated question.

"Alright. Well the Headmistress was asking to be told when you woke up – are you up to her visit, at least?"

Hot shame spread through Hermione at the thought of having the woman whose opinion she valued so highly knowing how she'd got herself into this situation, however her current, desperate need for someone to comfort her was out-weighing that. Without her parents, having lost all her other friends, the thought of Minerva McGonagall's company was the most wonderful idea in that second.

"Of course, that's fine." She spoke softly, her eyes glazed over as the magnitude of everything spread over her. The doctor made to leave and was almost out the door before Hermione added: "Could you explain this all to her before she comes in. I'd rather not... I mean I-"

"Not a problem, Miss Granger."

She nodded, grateful for the medic's tact, and then found herself alone again for a few moments. The young woman managed to keep herself together when the nurse returned, even for the next couple of hours when she was left to her own devices, the dangerous silence of her room giving her mind too much of an opportunity to wander, yet not once did the reality of what had happened spark anything in her.

Minerva McGonagall's compassionate look as she arrived is what finally set Hermione off. The Headmistress barely had time to embrace her before the witch burst into tears, her entire body heaving with every sob that broke the disconcerting quiet between them. Minerva had a hundred questions playing through her mind when the state of her Transfigurations professor had been relayed to her but the sight of the poor girl was more than enough to confirm now was not the appropriate time.

One wrinkled hand remained cradling Hermione in a strong embrace, the other soothingly stroking the bushy curls whilst she gently hushed the weeping form in her lap. This was not an unfamiliar scene to the older woman, she could remember a time when she'd been the one hunched over, crying at a loss no one else could comprehend. That made it all the more heart-wrenching to watch one so young, so dear to her, go through what she knew to be true turmoil, particularly given the numerous hardships life had already thrown at the Gryffindor.

The two stayed this way until the light stopped filtering through the window, the sky turning dark in what felt like the blink of an eye to them both. Even as they slowly moved apart they were reluctant to disturb the eerie silence that had settled between them.

It was Hermione who spoke first, the kind stare of her previous Head of House becoming too much. "I'm sorry."

The green eyes widened in surprise at the words before the older woman took the smooth, youthful hands in her own. "What on Earth do you think you're apologising for?" The thick Scottish accent somehow didn't prevent the words being tenderly spoken. "You've no reason to be doing it. Nothing that's happened is your fault."

More tears welled up as Hermione struggled to keep eye contact, her bottom lip quivering. "But it is my fault. This is a punishment."

"Don't say that," Minerva's voice was still quiet but far more forceful. "Don't ever blame yourself for this. Nothing you could've done would have prevented this from happening, sometimes things just don't go the way nature intended." One hand came to stroke a stray tear from Hermione's cheek. "It's one of life's greatest flaws, to have hideous things happen to innocent people."

"Please, don't," Hermione felt ill at the complimentary phrase. "I'm not the person you think I am. I'm not at all guiltless."

"And who in our world is, dear?"

The question halted their conversation, the two blankly staring at one another for a few minutes, their hands still entwined.

"You'd be ashamed of me."

The words were whispered but Hermione knew they'd been heard, in spite of the long pause that came before she got a response; "I'd have no right to be."

Of course she had no intention of spilling out the events of the past few months to Professor McGonagall but that did not stop her from letting out a breath she'd been unaware she was holding, leaning delicately to hug the older woman without agitating her stitches.

Once they broke apart the second time McGonagall glanced at her pocket watch with a sigh. "I'm afraid I have to be getting back to the school, the castle won't last long without me about." She stood and carefully dusted off her robes before turning back to her youngest staff member. "Your doctor says she wants to keep you under observation for forty-eight hours before she releases you to Poppy's care, then there's at least another week or so in the hospital wing before we can allow you back on your feet, perhaps a little longer before you're teaching again. Oh," she reached into her robe's pocket and pulled out a small bundle which she then enlarged into a large stack of parchment. "From your well-wishers – the students were horrified to hear they'll be stuck with me for the near future."

The joke managed to draw a small smile from Hermione. "Thank you, Minerva. And send them all my thanks too."

"Of course, dear. I'll be sure to visit you tomorrow with anymore letters I receive."

A thought suddenly struck Hermione as the Headmistress turned to leave. "How much do they know?" She was shot a questioning look. "The students I mean, and the staff – how much does everybody know about why I'm here?" Her stomach churned at the thought of a particular Professor knowing too much – she wasn't prepared to deal with that yet.

"I've only announced you are absent due to illness, other than this I had no details myself so it was difficult to say anything more."

"Would it be possible to keep the details as vague as possible?"

The understanding on Minerva's face made her feel a little guilty. "Of course, I won't reveal more than I have to. The students merely need to know you're incapacitated for the next fortnight at least, any staff members who try to pry will I'm sure be kept satisfied with the information that you underwent an emergency surgical procedure."

"Thank you."

And with that Hermione was left alone once more, closing her eyes in an attempt to rest. Her mind was all night plagued with visions of blood, death and a faceless child that she'd never even known existed…

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So hopefully no one has been upset/triggered by the content in this chapter, I'm aware it's an extremely delicate subject and something I've had second-hand experience of in my own life, but I really did want to incorporate it into the story.

Hermione really cannot seem to catch a break in this whole thing and I do hate to lead her down such a dark road in this story, I'm not yet sure if the worst has passed or if there's more to come but either way I promise there will be a light at the end of the tunnel!

Please read, review, favourite, follow, anything to let me know you're enjoying the story (or of course any constructive criticism) as it encourages me to continue writing. Best wishes to you all! :)