AN: God, guys, I'm so sorry. First off finals were a kick in the arse for me. Secondly, I got really busy and my life sort of dipped into Le Noir Zone. Horrible. Blah, then I just became very busy. I realize I'm not doing how I want to do in school! UGH! But I'll get there eventually…


Chapter Seven: Do you even realize?!


Hermione felt very drowsy. Assessing her state of being, she came to three conclusions. One of those conclusions was: What was she doing in bed? She had been taking a bath just seconds ago… The second conclusion was that it was much colder than Tessetta had been, and it sounded as if it were raining. The third conclusion that she ever-so-smartly made was that hello!? she was wearing a papery-white hospital gown.


She lifted her heavy eyelids; they felt as heavy as two-ton irons. Staring up through her eyelashes, she took a deep breath. Her ribcage protested and her lungs didn't feel as if oxygen was vital anymore. Through her quarter-open eyes, she peered upward. It was not a thatched roof she gazed upon, but sharply-cut stones. Blinking very slowly, her stoic heartbeat sped up just a little. Where was she?


That's when she heard it. She felt it, too.


Another presence. Someone was sitting next to her, in the shadows. She would have moved her head to see, but for some reason she felt so tired… Hermione perked her ears and listened.


"—I… I don't know why, either. But every time I fall asleep, I see you. But you aren't you, Hermione," a whisper came to her. "You're different. You're dressed like some flawless Victorian lady. You run to me, Hermione… You run toward me through a grassy field, calling for me. You tell me to help you… But I just don't know how. You probably can't even hear me, I know. But I'm worried."


There was a pause, and Hermione shut her eyes. Who was that? The voice was so familiar, but since it was only a whisper she couldn't be sure. "… I just wouldn't know what I would do if you never came back. It's so weird what happened…" he trailed off with a heaving sigh. Hermione tried to say something, anything, but her vocal cords were pained and not working.


He stopped abruptly, and the room became too silent. Hermione shuddered, and tried to keep her eyes open. If she never came back? Where had she been?! But it was too late, as the mystery orator got up from his chair, and slipped further into the darkness. But before he could leave her life forever, she caught a shining of white-gold by the door.


"I swear, Albus, nothing like this has ever happened before! How could she just… I mean, it's ridiculous. Honestly!" Madam Pomfrey's voice rang.


"I had an inkling something like this would happen," the headmaster's voice confirmed in his sagacious way. "But not to Ms. Granger, she seems so unlike the prophecies and tomes and… Ah, well, at least she is not dead." He chuckled softly, but Hermione could sense the school nurse's blood boiling.


"Albus Dumbledore!" Pomfrey shouted. "This is no time to joke, Headmaster! Your most intelligent student is… is… is just sitting in that hospital bed like some… pixelated vegetable!"


"Now, now, Poppy," Dumbledore soothed. "I am sure even now she is gaining recovery."


"Albus," Pomfrey chided in a knowing manner. "She's been in a 'comeo-tooose' state, as Muggles say. For the past six months, she has done nothing."


"Let us not loose faith, Poppy. Speaking of, shall we check up on her now?" There was a creak, and a door opened. Hermione strained herself to keep her eyes open.


A soft igniting spell was whispered and the torches slowly glowed as they lit with fire. Soft padding of feet and the shuffle of robes seemed magnified to Hermione's ears. Suddenly, a white beard came into her field of vision.


"Poppy? I think you should come and take a look at this," Dumbledore said quietly, his beard moving up and down slightly with his jaw.


Madame Pomfrey's head came into view and she let out a small shriek. "She's awake!!"


"Yes, at least, it would appear so." The old man smiled softly and backed out of her view.


Madame Pomfrey bustled around the room, grabbing elixirs and different bottles. Hermione's mind spun. What had really happened? Did she come back from Ireland already?


~*~


She couldn't believe her ears. "So you're telling me that in September I went to bed and some weird magical reaction overtook my body? You're telling me nothing really happened save for the fact that I sat in the Infirmary like a vegetable for over six months? You're telling me that I was in risk of losing my life due to magic in my body gone wrong?"


"Yes, Miss Granger," the headmaster nodded sympathetically. "Everyone was so worried about you. The very morning you did not come down to breakfast, Harry and Ron called up to your dormitory. But they could not get up the stairs, being boys… It appeared that you had simply taken ill, but they would not give up so easily. Alas, Ginny came down and was sent back up to get you. But… Well, you do know the story, I presume."


"Yes… Yes, I do. Thank you very much, professor, for all of your work and help." Hermione said, taking all of this in. Tessetta never happened. How could she ever possibly grasp that what she had with the enemy… It was all a figment of her imagination on a magically-induced high! Hermione stood up to leave the headmaster's office. This was all very hard to grasp.


It had been five weeks since she had awoken from that nightmare dimension. If it could be called a nightmare, at least. She was very anxious to know why she was in the Infirmary, but Dumbledore had insisted on keeping the whole thing under wraps. Dumbeldore was always so silly and secretive, she had decided.


It had been the longest six weeks of her life. Each minute, she wanted to see the school. Each second, her thoughts were on why she was here instead of there. And the fact that Madam Pomfrey watched over her like a hawk didn't help her situation. She was gagged with elixirs and potions and healing concoctions. But alas, she was released.


Walking through the halls back to her dormitory, Hermione stopped. An unknown emotion flashed across her face, before she frowned quickly with deep thought. Why do I feel so hollow inside? She asked herself this, and quickly stalked off into Gryffindor Common Room.


~*~


AN: Again, I am SOOOO sorry. I'd love y'all if you took the time to review. Forever. :)


Reviewer Replies:


Syco: bah. You don't count as a reviewer. :P


Kou Shon'u: Yes, very strange indeed. Hehe, but I guess this chapter clears some things up for everyone, right?


FieryPhoenix: Haha, I know. This one isn't nearly as long as my other fanfic was. But it'll be better this way, promise! And I see maybe two or three more chapters left. :)


*Nelly*: Make what you will of Hermione's fall, lol. This chapter changed things around a lot, non?


Meg: Falling really is interesting. Hm. Heh, not that I'm suicidal or anything…… *shifty eyed* :P


dizzydragon: I know, endings are so sad! Bittersweet. But it isn't over with just yet. ;)


D*Chica: I suppose I've lost your reading forever now, right? *sigh sigh* Life got the best of me, but I'll try not to let it happen too much.


dracosgurl_chrissy: Yes, it all was very strange last chapter. I mean… Draco? Caring? Hah!! :P


drakey-lover: Heh, hold onto that chair. I don't want to be sued over any falls, now! :P I'm so ashamed as a writer, lol. I never update nearly as much as I should…


Thanks, and again, two more chapters left most likely! :)


~*Noodles and Prunes*~