Hermione had drifted back into a daze and before long I was sat admiring her peaceful features once more. I wanted to let the others know that she was ok but I didn't want to risk using magic here and I knew this was something they needed to hear in person. They knew I was safe for now and they wouldn't worry more than that. Aiden seemed like a decent man, I'd never really been acquainted with many muggles before but he seemed like one of us, except he hadn't been through the horrors that the wizarding war had caused, there was a peacefulness in his eyes that simply wasn't present in many wizards eyes these days.
"How did you two meet?" Aiden's calm voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"We met at school, ironically, we hated each other for the longest time." I replied honestly watching as Aiden chuckled. He reminded me a lot of myself, I would have guessed he screwed up a lot as a kid and it only took loving his wife to allow hi to be himself. He was young, clearly well off and had a house and a wife. I'd hope to be as settled as he is by the time I get to his age.
"My wife and I were the same. There's a fine line between love and hate." I couldn't help but nod in agreement, if you'd asked me before the end of sixth year whether I'd ever love Hermione, I would have laughed but now I know I'd be broken without her. It still felt as though I was living in a dream just having her in front of me.
"How did you know? That she was the one for you?" I asked glancing back at Hermione's peaceful face. I felt so sure that she was the one but part of me was terrified that we'd just keep causing each other pain. What if I caused her any more pain than I already had? Aiden seemed to think about it for a few moments fiddling with the curtain next to him as he thought.
"Honestly, it was the moment I knew I didn't hate her. All our lives we'd bickered and caused each other hassle just because we could. Then she was with this other guy and he managed to take a dodgy picture of her, he sent it around the school, and everyone was talking about it. They were all bullying her and treating her like she was a slut. She bumped into me as she ran to the bathroom, her hair a mess and bright red cheek from being freshly smacked by some girl and her hair a mess. I went to ask her if she was ok and she just said Please, not you too. That simple phrase hit me man, when we were bickering it was ok because she could take it, she expected it but in that moment it was just too much for her. I felt this unbelievable rage that I couldn't explain I didn't know why I cared but somehow what he did seemed so much worse. I found him, kicked the crap out of him and got suspended, not that I actually cared. Anyway, once I came back I found her hiding away from everyone and I started sitting with her. Slowly I got her talking and after a long time she started to trust me, she tried to thank me for what I'd done but I just told her it was nothing. Overtime our lunches became enjoyable, we needed them like we needed breath and we allowed ourselves to learn things we never had bothered to before. That feeling of being so helpless when someone that wasn't me hurt her and when I couldn't stop it, that's when I knew I loved her and that's when I knew she was my one." There was a moment of silence as I thought about what he'd said. I guess it was the same for Hermione and me, not being able to help her made me realise I loved her. I'd let her go because I never thought she could love a monster like me and when she found out, she didn't love me, but she could love me. Maybe I could use the opportunity now to prove why I deserved a second chance.
"So it just hit you?" I added quickly finding myself oddly curious about this man.
"Mostly, but it was the end of school and the time just never felt right and then she went away and the entire time she was doing her degree and I was working, I just couldn't get her off my mind. I was miserable for so long but I knew that if you love something you should let it go and I did. I'm just grateful she came back, she said she couldn't get me off her mind and within two years we were married and here we are." I stared at him with wide eyes, he had this huge romantic love story with his wife and he knew for the rest of his life she'd be by his side and here I was still unable to remember if Hermione still hated me. It was so frustrating not knowing what happened when we were taken. Our conversation was brought to a halt by the sound of the door opening downstairs and the woman, who I could only presume was Aiden's wife calling up, "Hey Aid, I brought dinner!"
Aiden's head shot up and he looked at me slightly nervously.
"That's Harley, I'll just go have a quick word with her." He said rubbing his hands down his jeans and slipping out of the door nervously. Standing I edged across to the door hoping to listen in.
"Hey beautiful, how was your day?" I heard Aiden's voice creeping up the stairs, still sounding apprehensive, clearly he was nervous about telling her I was here.
"It was quite stressful today, The lady that got brought in last week didn't make it but little Lottie on the ward finally got to ring the cancer free bell today, she's come so far. That's why I thought it'd be nice to just have an easy dinner." There was silence as they must've hugged or kissed for a moment.
"Thank you, it's perfect for tonight."
"How's Hermione doing? Has she stirred much today?" My heart skipped a beat at the sound of her name. Glancing back at the bed I could see she hadn't moved.
"She's stirred a few times, no screaming this time though. There is something I need to tell you though." There was another pregnant pause.
"Come on then, don't leave me hanging." I smirked at Harley snapping at him, they seemed well suited.
"That boy we saw outside, He knows her, he thought she was dead, he was mourning out on that bench. He's upstairs now." There was a slight scrape of a chair sliding backwards.
"He's what? Aiden! I just told you to keep an eye on her and change the bandages, not leave some random bloke with her. Did it not occur to you that he did that to her?" I felt a slight twang at her words but I knew she was being protective, after all she had a point. I could be anyone and Aiden had seemed to trust me easily.
"He didn't, look just go up to talk to him. He's barely been alone with her and he's as in love with her as I am with you. Trust me, he's a good man." Again there was a slight shuffle before the distinctive sound of feet walking up the stairs. Shifting back across to my seat I just managed to hide the slight twinge of pain from my injuries before the door swung open. Harley was about 5"2 with dark brown hair in a tight ponytail and her eyes were narrowed, clearly suspicious of me.
"How did you know she was here?" Harley said getting straight to the point and catching me slightly off guard. Aiden rolled his eyes behind her head and gave me a sympathetic smile.
"I didn't, I was told she was dead, I came here to be close to her, this place meant the world to her…" There was another pause as Harley looked me up and down as if trying to decide if I was telling the truth.
"What happened to her? Were you there?" She snapped quickly raising an eyebrow as she was trying to prove her point.
"I was there." I said quickly trying to think of what I could say, I noticed she turned to raise an eyebrow at Aiden who raised his back in response. "I didn't do this to her, I was attacked, she tried to help me, and now I've woken up with a little memory loss and got told she'd died. I know you think I did this to her and I guess you're right because its my fault she's like this but I'd never hurt her, I love her." I declared defiantly earning a smirk from Aiden and a sigh from Harley.
"She's a fighter, most people wouldn't make it through, but she made us promise no hospitals." Harley replied walking over and checking Hermione over. I smirked, she was just like Hermione with that incredibly stubborn ability to never fully admit when she was wrong.
"Is she going to be ok?" I asked deciding not to push the subject, after all they were the reason she's alive right now.
"It'll be a slow recovery but I'm confident enough. You're welcome to stay." She replied sounding slightly short.
"Make sure he earns his keep." Hermione's weak voice drifted out, her eyes barely open to see anything but a slight smile on her face as she squeezed my hand causing warmth to flood through my entire body. Harley chuckled lightly seeming relaxed to have some sort of confirmation from Hermione herself. She looked slightly brighter than earlier and Aiden smiled knowingly, and it was in that moment I knew for sure, she was the woman I'd marry.
