So, it turns out that you guys are incredible. Thank you so, SO much for all of your support and well wishes.
Harry was dozing in the chair next to her. Hermione was still in the infirmary bed, covered in parchment. She couldn't sleep, so she instead decided to write down all her notes, to make sense of what had happened. She wrote down Harry and Ron's side of the story, and then jotted down her own.
Her wand had been tucked away safely in the pocket of her cloak, and she'd never been so relieved. It occurred to her that Constantine could have done anything. That witch could've snapped her wand, left Hermione without her biggest tie to the wizarding world.
Constantine had been planning to kill her. Hermione had been in far too many dangerous situations in her life, before she'd even hit age seventeen, but something about Constantine was just so much worse than almost all of them.
The only experience that even came remotely close was…Bellatrix Lestrange, at Malfoy Manor.
Hermione swallowed uncomfortably, trying not to think about it. Her stomach tightened and she whimpered, the ghost of the pain crawling throughout her skin. Constantine looked so much like her mother…
Her breathing was shallow, and she was suddenly gasping for air. Hermione tried to sit up straight, but her body felt very weak. The angle of the bed and the parchment all over her seemed to weigh her down, until she was crumpled against her pillow.
She wanted to cry out, but it felt like the air was crushed from her lungs. Part of her resisted making noise, too. She'd seen Harry – he didn't look like he'd slept the entire time she was missing. He deserved some rest, too.
Before she could make any decisions, a noise sounded from the other side of the infirmary, and Harry instantly shot up, bleary-eyed.
"Hermione, you look peaked!" He exclaimed. He grabbed her arm and hauled her upward, and her breathing steadied immediately. Reaching behind her to fluff the pillow, he said, "Should I call Madame Pomfrey? Do you need anything?"
Hermione took a deep breath, and her stomach started to settle. "I'm alright. I was just in a bad position for a moment."
"I'm sorry, I should've been attending you." Harry was contrite. "Here, let me get these out of your way."
"No, Harry, it's fine!" Hermione said quickly. "You need rest, too. And I don't need these put away, please. I can't…I'm not ready to go to sleep."
It seemed Fate was against her. The word "sleep" was immediately punctuated with a yawn.
Harry couldn't hide his smile. "I suppose I can't dispute that foolproof argument."
"Oh, shut up." Hermione mumbled. "Where did Ron go?"
"Right here, Mione!" Came a booming voice from the door. Ron stepped into the room, smiling softly. Hermione blinked at him, taken aback by the dark circles under his eyes.
Madame Pomfrey materialized next to Hermione's bed. "Mr. Weasley! I told the both of you that you could only stay if you allowed Miss Granger to get some rest, and this hardly looks like resting! And with a volume like that, I'm shocked central London hasn't yet floo-called to find the origins of their thunder!"
"I'm sorry, Madame Pomfrey." Ron whispered. "I'll be quiet, I promise! I just got excited because Hermione was asking for me."
"Madame Pomfrey, please." Hermione begged. "I don't want to be alone. I need this. Please."
Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips. She glanced at Harry and Ron, and then looked at someone behind Ron. "I assume you're staying as well?"
Hermione tilted her head, trying to peer past Ron, but she didn't see anyone.
Madame Pomfrey seemed to get a silent answer to her question, because she sighed. "If I hear any tomfoolery, you will all be thrown out, understood? And I'm only allowing it because of Miss Granger's circumstances."
"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey." They all chorused at once.
Madame Pomfrey shook her head one more time before moving, and Ron came further into the room. Hermione craned her neck to see who was behind him. Her heart jumped into her throat.
Draco came into view. He looked exhausted, perhaps even more so than Ron and Harry, and he was wearing the pajamas he would wear when they used to room together. Hermione swallowed thickly, waiting with bated breath.
"We figured that if you were worried to sleep, Malfoy could help." Harry said gently. "You said he always kept his memories, right?"
"Right." Hermione whispered faintly. "He never forgot who I was."
Draco cleared his throat. "Is – er, is that alright with you then? I'll just sit here."
He perched on the bed adjacent to hers, right behind the chair that Ron would occupy.
Hermione nodded slowly. She felt like her brain was made of jelly. "That's – that's fine. But – won't the three of you need rest? I'll be fine! All three of you look like you haven't slept properly in months."
"Hermione." Ron laughed. "We just saved you from a crazy You-Know-Who supporter who was planning on killing you. You're not one to talk."
"Ron." Harry scolded quietly. "I'm sure she doesn't need a reminder. Hermione, just close your eyes, will you? When you wake up, we'll be here. All three of us."
Hermione didn't mean to fall asleep, she really didn't. But at Harry's words, Ron extinguished the candles and Harry used his wand to clean off all the parchment and ink on her bed. He pulled the blankets up and tucked her in, and Ron took a seat beside her. Directly behind him, Draco sat with his hands folded under his chin. In the shadows, he looked like a guardian angel.
"Thank you for coming." She whispered, not fully knowing who she was talking to. Her eyes closed before she could register what was happening.
….
When Hermione woke up, sunlight was streaming through the infirmary windows. The first thing she did was mentally go over all her memories, sighing in relief when she remembered everything. Her body had healed overnight, though her muscles were still tender.
She felt a twinge in her stomach, and realized that she hadn't eaten anything in days. She turned to wake up Harry, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Harry and Ron were both slumped over in their chairs, fast asleep. Ron was half in his chair, and half slipping out onto the infirmary bed. Past him, Draco was leaning against the wall, his chin tucked into his chest and his hands folded in his lap.
Looking at him in the daylight, Hermione flushed with embarrassment. Last night, everything had been so distorted. She couldn't have mustered the strength to think about anything if she'd tried.
But now…she closed her eyes.
She felt like moron. Constantine had said it straight to her – in order to protect itself, her mind built a world that she wished could be the real world.
A world in which she and Draco Malfoy were married.
And when he'd broken her barriers and entered her mind, he'd witnessed it. He knew. He saw.
What would he say? What would he do? Would he laugh at her? Would he tell everyone about it?
'What an idiot', Hermione imagined his voice. 'Her subconscious created an entire life for the two of us together simply because we spent so much time together. What an utter fool!'
Hermione wracked her brain for a spell that would allow the earth to come up and swallow her whole, but unfortunately, she didn't think one had been invented yet.
Her mind jumped from possible incantations to modify memories (perhaps combining Obliviate and Confundo?) to more jeers and insults that would soon be coming her way ('Hermione Granger is a stupid, worthless ox') to odd, confusing questions that she squashed as soon as they occurred to her ('Why did I like it so very much?').
Mercifully, Madame Pomfrey arrived. "Good morning, boys! Ah, Miss Granger! How are you feeling, dear?"
Harry, Ron, and Draco woke up instantly. Ron fell out of his chair, crashing onto the floor. Harry leaped straight up and grabbed for his wand, then after seeing Ron's crash, rounded the bed to help him up.
Draco woke as he did every morning, as Hermione had seen every day for so long. He blinked slowly and stretched, letting out a soft yawn. He nimbly got off the bed, shoved Ron's chair out of the way, and nodded to Madame Pomfrey.
"You all ought to go down and have some breakfast." Madame Pomfrey told them. "Get some sleep in your own beds. Headmaster Dumbledore has requested that professors make their classes optional today, since there was so much excitement last night."
"Thanks for letting us know." Ron yawned. "Hermione, how do you feel? We'll stay with you."
"Go and eat, Ronald." Hermione responded. "I don't need to be watched. I'll be fine for a few hours."
None of the boys looked particularly interested in leaving. Hermione watched Draco out of the corner of her eye, but he didn't give any indication of his thoughts.
Damn those Slytherins and their unreadable facial expressions.
"Go." Hermione demanded. "In fact, would you lot go to all my professors and get the work that I've missed? I'd like to catch up. I must be horribly behind in all my classes!"
"There is no way you're behind." Harry grinned.
"Please, I need to be sure." Hermione added. She stuck her bottom lip out and quivered it for a moment.
They took the bait. All three nodded frantically.
"Yes, of course! We'll bring it right away." Ron said quickly.
"We'll be back as soon as we can!" Harry exclaimed.
The two of them nearly sprinted out of the infirmary, leaving Hermione, Draco, and Madame Pomfrey.
"I'll – uh – I'll talk to Professor Snape for you, then." Draco said awkwardly, shooting an angry look toward Harry and Ron's retreating backs.
"Oh, you don't have to." Hermione said, just as awkwardly. "I just – er – I thought…"
Draco waited for her to finish, which meant that she somehow needed to figure out what the end of her sentence was supposed to be.
"…I thought it was a good excuse to get you all out." She finished lamely.
Draco raised his eyebrow and Hermione instantly felt bad.
"Not out! I just meant…oh, I'm rubbish! You all look tired, that's all. I want you to get some sleep and you're not getting good sleep if you're in here with me."
Draco was silent for a moment, and then a slow smirk spread across his face. Hermione hoped her face didn't reflect the somersaults that her stomach was doing.
"Ever the gracious Gryffindor, huh, Granger?"
Hermione stuck her nose in the air. "I haven't any idea what you mean."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll go, and I'll get some sleep and then homework from Professor Snape. But I'll be back tonight."
Hermione stared at him. She didn't know what to say – she didn't even know what she felt. Before she could do anything, Draco nodded goodbye at Madame Pomfrey and strode toward the exit.
Hermione felt a balloon pop in her heart. She was suddenly so overwhelmed. There were too many thoughts in her head, too many things she hadn't yet analyzed. Too many things she had probably over-analyzed.
She wanted to talk to someone, but she didn't know who on earth would possibly be able to understand her. She didn't even know where she would start. What would she say? What did she want to say?
"Let's get you checked up, Miss Granger." Madame Pomfrey said kindly, and Hermione's focus came back to the present. She offered a weak smile.
"Of course. Thank you, Madame Pomfrey."
