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Ch. 24 A Joyful Reunion
Hermione sat in her bed in the hospital wing three weeks later. The first week of April was Easter holidays and most people had gone home. She half expected Draco to leave. She had only woken up yesterday with a terrible head ache and no recollection of the weeks previous events. The first thing she thought was how much school she had missed. Harry and Ron were no where to be seen, (no doubt to go back to the Burrow) and Draco probably hated her. She took a deep sigh and tried to go back to sleep.
"Ms. Granger how are you feeling today?" chirped Madame Pomfrey. "I must say, you've been in here so much I feel like I should give you a prize." Hermione tried to smile at the nurse's small attempt at dry humor, but she didn't feel much like moving.
"Lousy. Can I go back to sleep?"
"Perhaps it would be best if you stayed awake for a bit. It'll be easier for me to check up on you."
"Fine." Hermione had no intention of staying awake. When Madame Pomfrey left the room, Hermione lowered her bed until she was lying down again. She fluffed up her pillow and curled into a fetal position, and closed her eyes.
A few moments later Draco walked in, looking very tired and very sad. He was unaware that Hermione had awoken, but he stayed by her bedside every moment he could.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, welcome. You'll be happy to know that Ms. Granger woke up yesterday."
"She did?" His heart skipped a beat.
"Yes, and she WAS awake just a few moments ago, but she seems to have slipped off again despite my request. Stubborn girl really."
"How's the baby?"
"You're little girl is doing fine. But Hermione really does need to get up soon and start eating again. There are only so many vitamin shots I can give her before the baby starts to suffer."
"Can I go see her?"
"You certainly can. Maybe you can convince her to wake up too." Madame Pomfrey muttered something else under her breath, but Draco couldn't catch it. Quietly he walked over to Hermione's bed and sat down. He reached for her tiny hand and held it, noticing the engagement ring and the needle under her skin.
"Hi Hermione, it's Draco. Madame Pomfrey told me you woke up the yesterday. Can you open your eyes for me? She said you need to start getting up soon, because the baby needs you to live. I need you to live." He whispered.
Hermione, faking her sleep, listening as Draco quietly talked to her. She wanted to throw her arms around him.
"My mom's doing okay. We don't have to worry about my dad anymore. Professor Dumbledore says that you did it out of self defense. I'm not angry at you honey."
She wanted so desperately to believe that.
"You know I love you more than anything in this world. I don't hate you, if anything, I thought what you did was extremely brave and selfless. Everyone's been asking about you. I have to admit, I think they are still a little shocked to find out what's going on. But at least there's no pressure to hide anymore, right?" He gave a half hearted laugh. He began to play with her hair and stroked her cheek.
"I guess I'm going to go now, if you're not going to wake up. I'll come by later on this evening and check up on you." He got up and prepared to leave. He turned around.
"You know, we still need to think of baby names." She didn't respond, but she felt the tears welling up behind her closed eyelids. So he wasn't angry at her. She'd be awake for him later. She listened as he walked away before opening her eyes and wiping away the tears.
"He really does love you, Ms. Granger," popped in the nurse.
"I know."
"Do you want me to go get him?"
"No, let him come back. I'll be awake for him then. I'm hungry though."
"I bet you are."
"Could I leave and go get food?"
"Is that just an excuse so that you can go see Mr. Malfoy?"
"Yes." Hermione replied simply.
"I supposed it wouldn't do you much harm to go walk around for a bit. Just don't push yourself. You suffered quite a concussion and you don't need to be going off running about the castle grounds getting hurt. You've been in here enough as it is."
"Thank you Madame Pomfrey!" Hermione jumped up.
"Now wait just a minute, young ma'am!" She walked over to Hermione and held her hand. "Do you really want to walk around with this thing? You have to promise me you'll eat as soon as you find Mr. Malfoy."
"I promise!"
"Alright then, don't look." And with a quick motion the needle was gone from Hermione's hand. She walked over to her drawer and found a pair of fleece pants and a long sleeved shirt. She slipped on a pair of fuzzy slippers and walked out of the hospital wing, unsteady at first, but regaining strength with each step she took. She made her way down the hall when she caught glimpse of fiery red hair and chocolate brown.
"Harry? Ron?" Hermione cried out. The boys turned their heads and immediately recognized her voice. There was their Hermione, unfortunately a big skinnier, but nonetheless just as beautiful.
"Hermione!" They both cried. They ran to her, but Harry got to her first. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as Ron came up from behind Harry. It was a long, bitter sweet hug and the three of them enjoyed the moment of being together again.
"Does Draco know you're awake?" Harry asked as they pulled apart. He wiped a small tear from his eye from happiness.
"He knew I woke up, he doesn't know I'm walking around. Do you know where he is?"
"I saw him walking towards the Great Hall," Ron put in.
"Good. I'm hungry anyways." And with that, the trio walked together towards the Great Hall.
Draco sat down at the Gryffindor table in silence as he picked at his mashed potatoes. Madame Pomfrey had told him she was awake, but she didn't rouse from her slumber for him. His heart sank ruefully as he went back to creating a volcano with his food.
Ron and Harry opened the doors for a weak Hermione, and she immediately spotted Draco. His head didn't turn up right away, but the noise of the doors shutting caught his attention. And there was the future Mrs. Draco Malfoy, standing in the front of the Great Hall. Tears formed in his eyes and he thought he was just dreaming. He shook his head a bit to clear it, but Hermione still stood there, smiling at him.
Words didn't need to be spoken. Harry and Ron stood, smiling, as Draco ran to Hermione. He picked her up and flung her around gently as he held her tightly. Tears began to fall from his eyes as Draco realized that Hermione had come back to him. Professor Dumbledore stood up and began clapping, and soon, the teachers and the students joined him. Draco put Hermione down and kissed her softly but deeply. He didn't want to let her go.
"Hermione, you came back," he whispered.
"I never left sweetheart," she replied quietly, "I never left."
Ch. 24 A Joyful Reunion
Hermione sat in her bed in the hospital wing three weeks later. The first week of April was Easter holidays and most people had gone home. She half expected Draco to leave. She had only woken up yesterday with a terrible head ache and no recollection of the weeks previous events. The first thing she thought was how much school she had missed. Harry and Ron were no where to be seen, (no doubt to go back to the Burrow) and Draco probably hated her. She took a deep sigh and tried to go back to sleep.
"Ms. Granger how are you feeling today?" chirped Madame Pomfrey. "I must say, you've been in here so much I feel like I should give you a prize." Hermione tried to smile at the nurse's small attempt at dry humor, but she didn't feel much like moving.
"Lousy. Can I go back to sleep?"
"Perhaps it would be best if you stayed awake for a bit. It'll be easier for me to check up on you."
"Fine." Hermione had no intention of staying awake. When Madame Pomfrey left the room, Hermione lowered her bed until she was lying down again. She fluffed up her pillow and curled into a fetal position, and closed her eyes.
A few moments later Draco walked in, looking very tired and very sad. He was unaware that Hermione had awoken, but he stayed by her bedside every moment he could.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, welcome. You'll be happy to know that Ms. Granger woke up yesterday."
"She did?" His heart skipped a beat.
"Yes, and she WAS awake just a few moments ago, but she seems to have slipped off again despite my request. Stubborn girl really."
"How's the baby?"
"You're little girl is doing fine. But Hermione really does need to get up soon and start eating again. There are only so many vitamin shots I can give her before the baby starts to suffer."
"Can I go see her?"
"You certainly can. Maybe you can convince her to wake up too." Madame Pomfrey muttered something else under her breath, but Draco couldn't catch it. Quietly he walked over to Hermione's bed and sat down. He reached for her tiny hand and held it, noticing the engagement ring and the needle under her skin.
"Hi Hermione, it's Draco. Madame Pomfrey told me you woke up the yesterday. Can you open your eyes for me? She said you need to start getting up soon, because the baby needs you to live. I need you to live." He whispered.
Hermione, faking her sleep, listening as Draco quietly talked to her. She wanted to throw her arms around him.
"My mom's doing okay. We don't have to worry about my dad anymore. Professor Dumbledore says that you did it out of self defense. I'm not angry at you honey."
She wanted so desperately to believe that.
"You know I love you more than anything in this world. I don't hate you, if anything, I thought what you did was extremely brave and selfless. Everyone's been asking about you. I have to admit, I think they are still a little shocked to find out what's going on. But at least there's no pressure to hide anymore, right?" He gave a half hearted laugh. He began to play with her hair and stroked her cheek.
"I guess I'm going to go now, if you're not going to wake up. I'll come by later on this evening and check up on you." He got up and prepared to leave. He turned around.
"You know, we still need to think of baby names." She didn't respond, but she felt the tears welling up behind her closed eyelids. So he wasn't angry at her. She'd be awake for him later. She listened as he walked away before opening her eyes and wiping away the tears.
"He really does love you, Ms. Granger," popped in the nurse.
"I know."
"Do you want me to go get him?"
"No, let him come back. I'll be awake for him then. I'm hungry though."
"I bet you are."
"Could I leave and go get food?"
"Is that just an excuse so that you can go see Mr. Malfoy?"
"Yes." Hermione replied simply.
"I supposed it wouldn't do you much harm to go walk around for a bit. Just don't push yourself. You suffered quite a concussion and you don't need to be going off running about the castle grounds getting hurt. You've been in here enough as it is."
"Thank you Madame Pomfrey!" Hermione jumped up.
"Now wait just a minute, young ma'am!" She walked over to Hermione and held her hand. "Do you really want to walk around with this thing? You have to promise me you'll eat as soon as you find Mr. Malfoy."
"I promise!"
"Alright then, don't look." And with a quick motion the needle was gone from Hermione's hand. She walked over to her drawer and found a pair of fleece pants and a long sleeved shirt. She slipped on a pair of fuzzy slippers and walked out of the hospital wing, unsteady at first, but regaining strength with each step she took. She made her way down the hall when she caught glimpse of fiery red hair and chocolate brown.
"Harry? Ron?" Hermione cried out. The boys turned their heads and immediately recognized her voice. There was their Hermione, unfortunately a big skinnier, but nonetheless just as beautiful.
"Hermione!" They both cried. They ran to her, but Harry got to her first. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as Ron came up from behind Harry. It was a long, bitter sweet hug and the three of them enjoyed the moment of being together again.
"Does Draco know you're awake?" Harry asked as they pulled apart. He wiped a small tear from his eye from happiness.
"He knew I woke up, he doesn't know I'm walking around. Do you know where he is?"
"I saw him walking towards the Great Hall," Ron put in.
"Good. I'm hungry anyways." And with that, the trio walked together towards the Great Hall.
Draco sat down at the Gryffindor table in silence as he picked at his mashed potatoes. Madame Pomfrey had told him she was awake, but she didn't rouse from her slumber for him. His heart sank ruefully as he went back to creating a volcano with his food.
Ron and Harry opened the doors for a weak Hermione, and she immediately spotted Draco. His head didn't turn up right away, but the noise of the doors shutting caught his attention. And there was the future Mrs. Draco Malfoy, standing in the front of the Great Hall. Tears formed in his eyes and he thought he was just dreaming. He shook his head a bit to clear it, but Hermione still stood there, smiling at him.
Words didn't need to be spoken. Harry and Ron stood, smiling, as Draco ran to Hermione. He picked her up and flung her around gently as he held her tightly. Tears began to fall from his eyes as Draco realized that Hermione had come back to him. Professor Dumbledore stood up and began clapping, and soon, the teachers and the students joined him. Draco put Hermione down and kissed her softly but deeply. He didn't want to let her go.
"Hermione, you came back," he whispered.
"I never left sweetheart," she replied quietly, "I never left."