Alright, I give you all permission to throw rocks at me...really. Life's been hectic, my weekends are booked and so in my freetime I try to fit my little fictions into FF. ;) My computer crashed just yesterday and thank Buddha my files didn't delete or you'll have to be throwing boulders. Hehe...!!!!

PS: To Pirate-Rover, thanks for your review (and to everyone else!) I had trouble trying to figure out how to get everyone to Mungo's and I very discreetly put in my chapter: '...Moody shuffled over with Portkeys he found.' Maybe not that noticeable (or believable to find more than one in that area....whoops), but I had already knew of what you told me...thanks!! :)

*In this chapter, please tolerate any grammar errors. This chapter (in fact this whole story, if you haven't noticed) is not meant to be read as fluffy and romantic, well, most of the time. I try to get across a passionate and very bitter love between Harry and Hermione, so please enjoy...I'll be shutting up now...

Thanks for waiting...hope this makes it up the LONG wait! You guys are gggggggreat! *Tony the tiger runs away from my keyboard*

Chapter 25: The Way Things Were

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Lupin walked down the empty halls of Mungo's towards where the nurse had told him of where Hermione Granger's room was. He was carrying Harry's bag of things found in the alley and he put his wand in his pocket and shook out his hands nervously. It had been a stressful night; three of the attackers were caught and Lupin had a sick feeling in his stomach that the other one was long gone from their reach for now.

His footsteps echoed on the cold floor and he looked towards a clock on the wall. 11:34. He turned the corner and saw Harry sitting in a couch in the waiting room. Lupin guessed he had been waiting for at least an hour now. From the looks of things, no one else was out in the halls except for a handful of nurses passing through other rooms.

Lupin sat down next to Harry and he only gave a sideways glance toward him, "Any word yet?"

"None from what I've heard of. Moody's in there," Harry said and he rubbed his forehead and continued looking at his feet.

"Your car has been removed back to the Dursleys," Lupin said to make the silence a little more bearable but Harry just shrugged impassively. The waiting room's silence made everything intolerable to Harry. The utter stillness left his mind open, especially to thoughts of Hermione.

They sat there uncomfortably for at least a quarter of an hour until a doctor, Fudge, and Moody emerged from room 726. They stood up abruptly and the three approached him.

The doctor spoke to Lupin as if Harry wasn't there; Fudge and Moody talked intensely secluded in the corner, "You are Remus Lupin?" Lupin nodded and the doctor continued, "We have contacted the girl's parents. They should be here by mid-morning to say the least. I wouldn't say Ms. Granger's condition is critical, but I've seen better recoveries. If she had not defended herself, then the news would be ill, perhaps fatal. The blows from the attacks have sent her unconscious, but not so severely as in danger of going into a coma. There was a mingle of spells thrown at her, so she will be staying here until we know more about how her body will take this in its conscious state..."

The doctor went on and Harry got lost in his own foreboding thoughts. He tried to hear of what Moody and Fudge were saying and all he heard was information on the attackers and contacting the authorities to give new information on the event.

Harry focused back when Lupin spoke, "Could we see Ms. Granger?"

"Visiting hours are closed but I'll give you an exception," The doctor said and Lupin and Harry followed him to the room.

Lupin walked in and the doctor stopped in front of the doorway when Harry came forward, "I'm sorry, this business is confidential between the Ministry and the hospital. We will need to confiscate your wand and a full report on your record before you enter this room." The doctor stated coldly and he eyed Harry suspiciously.

"Doctor Wellsburg, let him in. He is with me and he will do no harm to Ms. Granger. His name is Harry Potter so perhaps you can look him up in your files if you need anymore convincing," Lupin defended and the doctor stepped silently back abashed.

The room was clear and unnaturally clean and white. The bathroom light was dim and was set with clean towels and soaps. A sienna-coloured couch was laid against the wall and just opposite to it was a bed.

Hermione slept in it and beside the bed were beeping monitors from which she was connected to. Her face was pallid in the dark room and if Harry had only taken one glance at her he would have guessed that she was dead. But Harry stared at her by the end of her bedpost. His chest throbbed painfully and he gripped the bedpost as he tried to stay collected. She was ok, so why was there any reason to cry? He thought this over and over again but the tears in his eyes were threatening to fall.

The doctor and Lupin talked some more until the doctor took his leave for the night. Lupin fell on the couch as he tried to collect his thoughts and plans until he came up to Harry's side. "Come, Harry. She will be all right. Get some sleep and see her when she's awake tomorrow."

Harry bowed his head, "Let me stay for one night. I won't be getting anymore sleep at home than I would here. I'll be here to watch over her, please."

Lupin bit the inside of his cheek and closed his eyes, "Fine, you can stay. I know how you are anyway, and you'd find you're way back in here." Lupin joked weakly and tried to smile, "Don't get into trouble, stay in this room."

Harry nodded and Lupin left after putting Harry's bag of things on the floor. He heard Fudge disapprove of Harry's stay behind the room's door when Lupin told them, but he heard no more after a while. The hospital was uncomfortably quiet and Harry stood there a little longer. Hermione hadn't moved at all and Harry finally laid himself down on the couch.

His mind was troubled and he let out a shaky breath. Hermione could have died. He wondered if Ron had gotten the news. Knowing his dad, he probably had already.

The drapes on the window were open and he stared out of it. The monitors beeped and Harry turned to them. His vision blurred and he took his glasses off and set them on the arm of the couch and he closed his eyes. Hot tears ran down the side of his face and he didn't bother to wipe them.

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He never thought he would be able to sleep, but then next thing he saw was morning light coming through the window. His back was stiff on the couch and he blindly felt for his glasses. His head felt heavy and a cold draft was coming from the window and he shivered.

The door was open and Harry finally sat up. Lupin and Moody were talking quietly with solemn faces. Lupin rubbed his temples and noticed Harry awake. Harry stood up and looked toward the bed. It was empty.

He came up to it and felt the thin sheets. "Where is she? Where's Hermione? Has she already been taken home with her parents?" Harry asked confused. He imagined her walking out of the hospital with her parents but his stomach twisted up forebodingly.

"Harry, the Grangers have already come and are outside the room. But, you need to sit down," Moody said. His face was still and Harry's heart stopped.

"No. Tell me, Moody, is she all right? Is she here?" Harry asked sharply and Lupin drew a hand over his face. The nurses came in to change the sheets.

"Harry, let us explain..." Lupin said gravely and Harry held his breath. He headed for the door.

No, no, no, she's can't be dead. Don't think that, she's not dead! He thought and he stepped out of the room. He ran to the waiting room down the hall and thought he heard something down the corridor. He came to a dead stop before the room.

The room was full of people: Dumbledore, Ministry officials, the Weasleys, and the Grangers. They were all seated except for the Grangers and Harry looked for Hermione. The doctor continued talking quietly and paused. He put a hand on her shoulder and Mrs. Granger fell on her knees with a screaming wail.

Harry pressed himself against the wall and his knees locked. He couldn't talk, what was there to say? She is alive, she is fine...

He turned his head to the hall and a handful of people came down with a rolling cot. It came by slowly and the sheet over the cot caught on the wheel. It revealed Hermione's cold body and Harry closed his eyes.

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Harry jumped up on the couch and gripped the cushions under him. Cold sweat ran down his neck and face and he tried to catch his breath in choking breaths. A dream, it was only that, nothing more, he thought.

He leapt up from the couch and grabbed his glasses. He stumbled and hit his foot against the couch. Yes, he was awake. He looked at the bed. It was empty.

No, no... he thought, this isn't a dream...

He ran to the bed and his heart raced. Then, he noticed the bathroom door was halfway closed and the light was on. He pushed the door open and found Hermione.

She was on the ground with her knees to her chest and she cried silently. Her hair tumbled down the back of her hospital gown and her cheeks were a deep red. Then she cried in deep sobs.

Harry bent down. "Hermione..." He said quietly and she jumped slightly when she noticed him next to her. She kept crying and she bowed her head; Harry put his arms around her and let her cry. He had remembered what the doctor had said and knew that the shock of the spells would most likely make her hysterical.

Hermione took a couple of stifling breaths and trembled. "I w-woke up and...and didn't k-know where I was! I c-couldn't remember anything that happened and suddenly, I f-find myself here. And then I c-could remember it all and feel every s-spell they threw at me..." She stuttered as she confessed and she ran her hand over the cold tiles on the floor.

"I was so stupid g-going out by myself...I knew how dangerous it w-was now but I still went. And--and I went to go find you! I don't know w-where your stuff is now, but I was going to find you and give it to you! I'm s-so sorry..." She continued and she rest her head on his shoulder, "I'm so glad you're here right now, Harry."

She sniffed and cried some more just for the sake of crying and Harry helped her on her feet. She stood up weakly and her face was tear-stained and feverish. His heart ached and he wasn't sure if it was because his pity for her pain or because he wanted her back. He held her hands and urged her to the door, "I'm glad you're all right...I was scared for your sake. Come on, Hermione, let me take you to your bed." He tucked her hair behind her ear.

Her shoulders shuddered and she whipped her hands harshly out from his grasp and loosely put her arms around him. "Harry, I don't care what you say. I've thought about you all summer and I missed you so much," She paused and choked on her words, "I can't stand this, Harry. I can't forget you or what I f-felt for you. I still love you and nothing you can say can change my mind. Whatever is going to happen will happen, but I'm still going to love you!"

Hermione had her forehead against his chest and she said this all as she looked at the floor. It was true. Even though he wanted them to be apart in fear of hurting her if something did happen to Harry, Hermione couldn't lie to herself. She only wanted to be closer to him the more he pulled away.

Harry fiercely blinked back his tears and put his arms around her. He knew what he said, he knew what he promised himself, the oath to stop loving her for her sake. Yet as much as he wanted to deny it, he did love her very much, and the more he thought about it the more he realized he cared for her more that anyone. That was why he couldn't have her suffer if he died, if the prophecy took an ill turn on his life.

Hermione closed her eyes and her voice was steady, "Harry, tell me you love me...I know you do. I can tell by you hold me." She admitted and Harry was locked up inside. She had a way of knowing everything and for the first time he nearly burst into tears.

"Hermione, don't make me say it, please. I can't, I can't...there are too many things that could hurt us both in the future," He said and he clenched his teeth painfully. His head was beside her hair and all his memories he had with her the previous year was flooding inside his mind. He didn't need to be reminded of the way he felt with her but they recollected in his mind to the point where all that mattered was her.

She lifted her head heavily after she heard him say this. "Then live in the moment with me like the way things were," She whispered raspy and he went weak just looking at her face. He put a hand to her cheek and pressed his lips to hers. She kissed back and for that brief moment they had forgotten everything they had been agonizing about and their concern was bent on each other.

Quickly they pulled away and an awkward silence followed. A wave of exhaustion swept over Hermione and she left the bathroom to her bed. Harry pulled the covers back for her ands he slid in; Harry brought the covers to her shoulders. They looked at each other for a minute until Hermione sat up and they hugged shortly. Then she laid back down and as much as she wanted to stay awake she fell deeply asleep.

Harry sat on the couch very still and thought of her. He wished none of this had happened, that they were both safe at home making plans to spend the summer with each other. He watched her sleep in her bed and wished slumber would come over him too. But he stayed awake for a long time and for a long time, he thought.

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