Masquerade Act Two: When the Masks Fall
The Fourteenth Dance: An Unexpected Occurrence
The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.-Robert Doisneau
"What do you mean, find the other?" Harry asked, an edge of suspicion in his voice.
But before Luna could so much as open her mouth to answer, Ginny strode in with three healers.
"What happened here?" Asked the head healer, taking in the ruffled state of Ron and Harry and the messy bed that Hermione was lying on.
"She woke up and started freaking out. We didn't know what to do," Ginny explained as the healers swept in and and shooed the boys away from the bed to examine Hermione more closely.
"We put a full body bind jinx on her to calm her down because she was going to hurt herself," Harry offered.
"That was smart of you to do," The head healer said before he bent over Hermione, murmuring gently to her. "Now what do we have going on here? A miracle. Welcome back to the world of the waking. How do you feel?"
"I think she may have lost her memories," Ron said. "When we told her we were her friends she refused to believe it. She just kept shouting out no and no over and how this wasn't supposed to happen to her. How she didn't want to be here. Is that normal?" He swallowed nervously, awaiting the healer's answers.
The head healer instructed the two other healers next to him to do a wand sweep of her body before he answered Ron's concern. "Make sure there's no spiritual or magical maladies around her. As for Hermione, we cannot be sure what to expect. Her's is the first recorded case in centuries of a soul coma. But she is awake, something we didn't think possible ever again. If she has incurred other damages then we can work from there because the worst is over."
Ron let out a sigh of relief, although worry still nagged at the back of his mind. "It's going to be okay," Ginny insisted, coming up to her brother and squeezing his hand comfortingly.
One of the healers wands began to beep as she passed it up towards Hermione's chest. The others did too when she moved her wand up to the same position as the firsts in confirmation that it wasn't a wand malfunction but something that was actually occurring. "She has high readings of magic around her right now."
"Could be due to her reawakening, to the magic that was keeping her slumbering now breaking. Put your wands away for the time being." The two female healers did as asked. "Now, Hermione we want to let you go from these binds. Can I trust you not to run away again? Are you calm now?" The head healer looked at Hermione's face watching it for any spike in panic. When he saw what he wanted, he pulled out his wand and waved the spell away. Instantly Hermione's bound arms and legs snapped loose and she moved her arms experimentally, sitting up, but true to her word she did not make a run for it-for now.
"Please do not fear us. We wish to do you no harm. I know it must be frighteningly confusing having woken up after such a long slumber to see yourself in such a strange place with strangers around you. But we do not want to harm you," he emphasized. "These are your friends and they only wish the best for you. Can you cooperate with us and let us help you? We need to run some more tests on you. You've just come back from a very complicated and rare spell that had destroyed your soul and we just want to make sure everything is okay." When Hermione still remained quiet the head healer backed up a bit from her and took out a magical pad and quill which began to write down a report on what was currently happening. "We won't run any tests on you right now, but we will have to ask a few questions to asses your state of mental well-being. Can you do that for me, Hermione?"
At this the brunette nodded her head cautiously, her eyes darting back and forth like a caged animal's from one person to the next in the room. She looked nervous and uncomfortable but didn't run like she had promised to. "Good," the head healer cheerily replied. "What is your full name?"
Hermione licked her dry lips before she answered. "Hermione...Granger."
"Yes. And how old are you?"
There was a pause before she answered this, her eyes roving all over the room and noting the 18 balloon that was attached to her bed end. "18."
"No cheating," chided the healer, but in a good natured manner. "Do you know what day it is? What month?"
There was a longer pause as Hermione looked out the window, her brows furrowed in concentration. "Winter?" she ventured.
"Don't worry. That was a bit of a trick question. You wouldn't be expected to know the date and month."
"It's your birthday Hermione," Ron interjected rather suddenly, causing everyone to look at him. He seemed a tad uncomfortable with this attention. "Happy Birthday."
"Uh, thanks," the brunette said, before she turned back to the Healer. Telling her it was her birthday did nothing to help her figure out what day it was. "Can I know what day it is? For myself."
"Certainly. It is the 17th of February. It has been eight months since the battle of Hogwarts and since you lost consciousness."
"Bloody hell, that long?" The words burst out of Hermione's mouth, surprising everyone with them. She rarely cursed. But they supposed it made sense since she had just woken from a coma and was shocked by how long she had been out of touch with reality.
"Yes, that long," smiled the head healer. "But all that matters is you're awake now. Moving on, can you identify your friends for me?" The head healer pointed a finger at Harry, indicating for Hermione to start with him.
That one was easy. "That's Harry Potter," she said and following the healer's finger she rattled off more names. "That's Ron Weasley. And that girl...related to Ron...Ginny?" Ginny nodded her head when Hermione got it right. "And she's...she's...?" Hermione was stumped on the blonde haired girl in the room. "I can't recall her name."
"That's Luna. But bloody hell this is great Hermione. You're back!" Ron cheered, a wide grin on his face. "Memories be buggered, those seem fine and we can always work on those later if need be. The best part is you're back. The golden trio is once more!" He took big steps towards her and enveloped her in a big bear hug. She froze under his touch, stiffening. She didn't return the hug but he didn't care. She was back. His Mione was back.
"We have so much to catch up on," Ginny said, coming to sit down on the bed by Hermione, the healers moving back from the bed and going to discuss things with one another in hushed tones outside the door. "Gossip, school stuff, girl stuff. I missed having you around." She grasped the brunette's warm hand and squeezed. Ron let go of her, grasping the brunette's face in his palms. "I am going to take you on the best date ever when you get out of St. Mugo's.
"No, I taking her out first. On a girl's night out!"
"Bugger off, she's my girlfriend!"
"And she's my friend!" Ginny shot back.
"She's also my friend. I'm taking Hermione out first. We're going to a book store. I know you love those. I'll buy you a whole shelf of books."
"You are not going to outdo me Harry! I'll buy her the whole book store," Ron insisted, letting go of Hermione's face and clenching his fists as he argued with his sister and best friend, eager to prove his loyalty to the brunette. Hermione rubbed her face where Ron had touched her. She was his girlfriend? What? Since when? Her head turned back and forth from the people arguing over her. The only exception was Luna. She stood by the window, her hands in her coat pockets and watching the brunette with an expression that reminded the brunette of a hawk looking at a mouse.
"Luna, come over here. Come say hi to 'Mione. She's not going to bite or scratch anymore," Harry suggested when he saw that the blonde wasn't joining them.
"I'll pass," she answered without hesitation, her eyes never leaving those of Hermione's. Then without another word she left the room, her heeled boots clicking down the hall.
"How strange," Ron muttered, looking after her.
"She's always been an odd bird, leave her be," Ginny said dismissively, getting up from the bed when the three healers walked back in.
"We'll have to ask you all to leave now. We have no doubt that miss Granger is a bit overwhelmed by the events that just occurred so it's best if she could get some peace. You are all welcome to come back another day and visit her in between the tests we will be running."
"How long will she have to stay until the tests are all concluded and she can go back out into the wizarding community?" Harry asked.
"A month or so, depending on how well she cooperates with us," the head healer answered.
"A month?" Hermione spat out. "I can't afford a month here. I want to- I need to leave."
"And you will leave. Just a bit more patience is all we ask of you, miss Granger. I understand you must be fed up of-"
"No, you don't understand. I need to be out there. I need to leave." This was hissed, almost a threat.
The head healer frowned, his tone less soft and brokering no argument. "I'm sorry but you cannot leave unless you have my explicit orders to do so. And until I tell the hospital that you are healed and ready to go, you will stay here under supervision. Please have more patience. Surely as the brains of the trio you can see I mean you no harm." With that he and healers left, their white robes swishing silently around them.
"It's going to be alright 'Mione. I'm sure you'll recover quickly and will be out of here in no time. And we will visit you so you won't get bored." Ron smiled at her, trying to reassure her.
It wasn't the boredom that bothered Hermione and she squirmed in the hospital bed, trying to quell the irritated urgency in her. "Can I at least have my wand?"
The question caught the three friends off guard. "Your wand? Whatever for?" Ginny asked.
"Do any of you have it?" She didn't respond to the first question.
Harry and Ron exchanged a look. They had a feeling they knew the real reason for this. "I have your wand locked up at the ministry, waiting for you. But Hermione. You don't need it. She's not going to hurt you anymore."
"Who?" Hermione asked, clueless.
Harry worked his jaw, wondering if he should tell her. If she couldn't remember then why should he burden her and break her wonderful oblivion? Ron wasn't as tactful.
"Bellatrix can't hurt you anymore Hermione. She's dead."
Hermione's face paled at this. "Oh." Was all she said.
Ginny wapped Ron on the shoulder painfully. "Ouch. What was that for?" He exclaimed angrily.
"Be more gentle you numskull."
"Sorry," he muttered when he realized what he had done.
"Don't apologize to me, but to her."
"Right." Ron cast an apologetic look at the brunette. "So-" But Hermione had already recovered and was speaking up. "Still, I would feel better having my wand."
"Hermione I-"
"Please Harry?" Hermione turned pleading eyes up to him. "Can't you do it for a friend? It'll help me sleep better at night. And I promise I won't use it for anything else. I'll be a good girl."
Harry let out a slow sigh, turning away from Hermione's pouty look. "Fine. I'll bring it over. Tomorrow." He owed that much to his friend.
"Thank you Harry." Gratitude and relief was in Hermione's voice.
"Now I guess we better get going," Ginny said. "Mum is going to kill us for being late to supper."
"Do we have to leave? Hermione just woke up. Surely mum can understand that. She'd want to be here too."
"We can't overwhelm Hermione. She just woke up. I'm sure she could do with a bit of peace to regain her bearings. We probably already scared her enough as it is."
"I suppose you're right, mate," Ron grumbled, not at all happy he had to leave Hermione's side after she had finally woken up. "But I'll be here tomorrow as soon as possible," he promised his girlfriend, giving her one last hug which she didn't return either.
Then with that and one last wave from the three of them, Hermione's friends disapparated. Finally she was alone in the dark and quiet of her hospital room. She let out a deep breath and pulled the covers back up to her neck as she settled down into the bed. Well, it looked like she was going to be stuck here for now. There was no way she could make it out given the horrid state her body was in. But if Harry brought her her wand tomorrow then she knew a spell that could help revitalize her legs if the healers didn't want to do it for her.
And then once she was able to walk, she was leaving this place. She had to find the other witch who had escaped from purgatory before anyone else did because everything had gone wrong.
A/N: These next couple of chapters won't be from Hermione's pov purposely because I want to show the reactions and thoughts of her friends (with maybe a slight dash of her input) after she awakens. Thus these chapters might be a bit slow paced as I try to set the tone for the second half of the story. Besides, we've listened to the girls inner thoughts for the first whole act, time to give others the limelight.
Also, this chapter is shorter than the others, apologizes for that. I wanted to leave the last chapter on a little cliffhanger and by relegating this portion of the information to a new chapter then I could do that.
And since this chapter is a bit shorter, I'm going to take the time to ramble here a bit. I'm making Luna an unknown variable in this story. She's pretty eccentric so the fact that she could tell that Hermione was going to reawaken wouldn't seem too far fetched for her to know. There's no real reason why she knows this, or some ulterior purpose, just felt this fit her better, given her slightly seer nature. She'll come in useful later though.