Chapter 11: Old Wounds

"Hermione!" Ginny yelled out in panic. Hermione was lying on her stomach on the ground. Everything hurt; she was sure she had broken something. Ginny was beside her, but Hermione hadn't recovered from the blow, and just groaned. "I have to get you to a hospital!"

"No, no, please." Hermione whispered, but Ginny didn't listen, and apparated them both away.

"Please, help, we were on some swings and my friend's swing broke and she fell and..." Hermione was barely conscious at this point and her head was throbbing, but she was very aware of people putting her on a stretcher and taking her to an examination room.

A few hours later, Hermione woke up.

"Hermione?" Ginny whispered, white-faced. Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but promptly threw up on the floor. She heard Ginny yell out and jump back, but Hermione was too weak to care.

"Hello Ms Granger, how are you this morning?" Hermione recognised the person speaking, but she didn't know from where.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

"I'm your doctor, Dr Patil."

"Patil? Wait," Hermione tried to focus, and suddenly her memory came back to her. "Parvati?" Parvati Patil smiled at her and blushed slightly.

"I'm glad you remember me. That means your long-term memory is fine." Hermione shut her eyes.

"I feel like every piece of my body is broken." Parvati smiled.

"You'll be fine; you had some broken bones and your left arm was fractured, but we fixed that easily enough. You may get some bruising on your body, but they are easily treated, as I'm sure you know." Hermione was trying to pay attention, but she felt so ill that she just wanted to sleep. Ginny's voice drifted into the background along with Parvati's as Hermione drifted back to sleep.

The next day, Hermione walked into work and hurried into her office. Luckily enough for her, there were no stories about her accident in the Daily Prophet, and for that she was grateful. Her body was covered in bruises, but she had refused to let Ginny touch any of them. Part of her blamed Ginny for what had happened, but she knew she shouldn't; nobody was to blame really. Besides, Ginny felt bad enough as it is.

"Good morning, Granger." Draco burst into her office, making her flinch. "Are you alright? I saw you didn't come into work yesterday."

"I took a day off." Hermione pulled at the long sleeves she was wearing. She had stayed in hospital the day before to make sure there was no lasting damage. Draco was eyeing her suspiciously.

"You don't take days off."

"How would you know? You've been in prison for the past 4 years." She grumbled at him, and he put his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry. Are you alright?" He asked quietly, and Hermione nodded.

"Now, I would like to work, if you don't mind." Hermione stared at the documents in front of her, hoping Draco would get the hint and leave. She heard the door close, and looked up to see that he had gone, and she put her hands to her face. The hospital had wanted to keep her there for another day, but Hermione was getting restless; she hated missing work. The hospital had released her rather reluctantly on the promise that she would pop by in the evening.

At lunchtime, Hermione was immersed in an old file when Draco entered her office again.

"You really should knock." Hermione told him from behind the file.

"What happened to your arms?" Draco whispered, but Hermione was too busy writing notes.

"Hmm?" She asked, still not looking up.

"Your arms. They're covered in bruises!" Hermione looked at her arms and realised that she had rolled her sleeves up while working. Her forearms were covered in black and purple splodges, and Hermione quickly covered them up with her sleeves again.

"You really need to learn to knock." She told him again, more agitated now.

"Was it Weasley?"

"What?" Hermione stared wide-eyed. "No. No! Ron would never-"

"Because I swear, Hermione, if he ever lays one hand on you-"

"Ron has never hit me and never will! Besides, I can take care of myself!"

"Then what the hell happened to your arms?" Draco was yelling now. "Who gave those to you?"

"Why, do you want to send them some flowers?" Hermione sneered.

"Don't attack me, who gave you those?"

"It's none of your business." Hermione snapped at him.

"Hermione." Draco said it so softly that Hermione just caved.

"I fell off of a swing." She mumbled.

"You what?"

"I fell off of a swing." Draco tried not smiling, but failed miserably. He started to laugh.

"You fell off of a swing? That's what happened?" Draco laughed. "I was so worried. Why were you so defensive?"

"Because it's embarrassing. It was also quite severe; I had to go to hospital."

"Which was why you weren't here yesterday. Why didn't you just say it? Why did you try and hide it?"

"Because it's embarrassing!" Draco smiled at her.

"I was worried."

"Nice to know you care." Draco poked his tongue out at her, and this made Hermione smile. There was a shy knock on the door, and Claire poked her head around the door.

"Is everything alright? I heard yelling." She looked quite nervous, almost as if she expected Hermione to yell at her next.

"Everything's fine, thank you. I think we're going to have lunch now." Claire nodded, and left the office as fast as she could. Walking to the cafeteria, Hermione told Draco what had happened that night. Draco frowned.

"It seems odd that the swing broke." Draco was deep in thought, but Hermione waved the suspicion away.

"It was an old swing."

"Hermione…"

"No, Draco. Stop being suspicious of everything!" Hermione snapped. "It was my fault; no one is to blame." Draco looked at her and nodded to show that he would drop the subject.

That evening, as Hermione came home from her check up at the hospital to find Ron yelling.

"Hermione!" He rushed to her and gave her a huge hug, which made Hermione cry out in pain. "I'm sorry!" He let go and looked at her. "What happened? I heard about your accident. How are you? Are you in pain? Shouldn't you be in hospital?" Hermione shut the front door that still hung open and walked into the lounge.

"I'm fine, everything's healed."

"I can see at least one bruise that hasn't." Hemrione rolled her eyes.

"Bruises go fast enough. Besides, I don't have time to stand there and have ointment rubbed all over me."

"All over? Hermione, how many bruises do you have?"

"You're making a fuss over nothing, Ron, I'm fine. I've just been for a check-up and they've given me the green light."

"The what?"

"The green light, the 'all-clear'."

"But-"

"No. I don't want to hear another word about it." Ron sighed and hugged her gently.

"I was so worried." He told her softly, and she smiled.

"You sound like Draco." She felt him tense, and regretted that comment.

"Draco. Right." He started to walk away from her.

"Ron, I only meant-"

"So Draco found out before I did?"

"I didn't know when you'd be back! You're supposed to be on a mission, you told me you wouldn't be back for a while."

"Yes, well I'm back now, aren't I?"

"Well-"

"And you just waltzed into work and said 'guess what Draco, I went to hospital'."

"Ron, you're acting like a child."

"Am I?" His ears had gone red. "Sorry if I'm offended that our old school bully who has just got out of prison heard about your accident before your fiancé did!"

"You weren't here!"

"I wasn't even gone for 3 days, and you already ran to Draco for comfort. Is that how long it takes to get over me? To go back to your old sweetheart?" Slap! Hermione hand collided with Ron's face. He staggered back, shocked, and looked at Hermione who was livid.

"Don't. You. Dare! Accuse me of such things. I have not seen Draco in four years. He saw my bruises so I had to tell him. You were not here to tell. There is nothing, nothing," she emphasised, "between me and Draco. That piece of me died the day I said goodbye four years ago." Tears were rolling down her face.

"Hermione-"

"I'm going to Ginny's. Don't follow me." Hermione disapparated to the Potters before Ron could say anything to make her stay.

"Hermione?" Ginny cried as her friend stepped in from their hallway.

"Hey," she whimpered.

"Hermione!" Harry called from the kitchen. "It's lovely to see you, I heard what… Hermione?" He had seen her face. "Hermione, what happened?"

"Can I stay here tonight?" She sniffed and tried to wipe some tears away.

"Of course! Do you want a cup of tea?" Ginny asked.

"No, you want a hot chocolate." Harry stated, and Hermione gave him a little smile as a thank you. As Harry walked back to the kitchen, Hermione gave Ginny a hug, and told her what happened between her and Ron that evening.

"He has no right! Oh, Hermione." Ginny was rubbing her arm gently in support, and Hermione sniffed again.

"Ron has always been insecure when it comes to you. Remember when he thought that there was something between us just because you stayed when we were on the hunt." Hermione took the drink Harry gave her and sipped her it in silence.

"He'll come around." Ginny told her.

"Thanks guys." She whispered, fresh tears falling into her drink.

"Don't cry; you'll make your hot chocolate salty." Hermione laughed a bit and Harry smiled at her.

"I think I'll go to bed. Sorry to burst in on you two like this."

"Hermione, really, it's no problem." She hugged the two Potters and went to the guest bedroom.

"Oh, Ginny?" Hermione called. "Could I borrow some Pyjamas?"