Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K.Rowling.
Prologue
War had come upon the Wizarding World. At the end of Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Draco's sixth year at Hogwarts, they had to make a decision: whether or not to fight in a battle to the death. Draco, however, had the hardest decision of all. He was pulled between the two sides. On one hand, his father was a death eater and Draco was expected to fight on his side. On the other hand, there was the girl he loved. If the light side didn't succeed, she would most likely be the first to die (she was, after all, Potter's best friend AND a mud blood) He wanted her to be alive and happy, even if it wasn't with him.
She would never be with him. She didn't even know how he felt about her. HE didn't even know how he felt about her until the war broke out and he started worrying about her far too much for his own liking. When he had to make a choice, SHE was the deciding factor on what he would choose.
He fought for her, though none knew that that was his reason. He abandoned his father, joined the Order of the Phoenix and helped to save the wizarding world from an evil tyrant, Voldemort. Potter of course defeated him. That was his destiny. But he could not have done it without the entire Order's help. Draco was the one who saved Harry "The-Boy-Who-Lived" from being killed by Lucius, who had Harry cornered and defenseless. Draco killed his own father, and for that he was sorry. But it had to come down to it. If he hadn't killed him, Potter would have died, Voldemort would have lived, Hermione would have been killed, and Draco would have lived the rest of his life being tortured with haunting visions of her lifeless form lying on a cold floor somewhere in Malfoy Manor.
When the war was over, Hermione was alive but not in good shape. She was rushed to St. Mungo's and stayed there for what felt to her like an eternity. Harry and Ron were fine after a few days stay. Of course, they had ended up with a couple broken bones, but that was nothing the mediwitches could not mend. What came as a surprise to Hermione however, was the fact that the person she had to share a room with while she stayed at St. Mungo's was Draco Malfoy. She had not been informed of his help in the war until he became her room partner.
He had been hexed into a coma. She cried for him to herself every night before she fell asleep. She had injuries of her own to worry about but Draco's, in her opinion, were far worse. During the war, she had thought herself good enough a witch to fight against the Death Eaters. But she didn't expect to be fighting against ten of them all at once and all on her own. Now she was in the Hospital, because one had performed an ancient hex, so ancient that it had been forgotten and none knew how to treat it. A person could survive and live with the curse, but it paralyzed them from their waist down. The only people in the world that knew this curse were the Death Eaters.
So Hermione and Draco were both in trouble. Draco would not wake up from his coma, no matter how hard they tried, he couldn't wake up. The mediwitches were ready to give up hope… on both of them.
Chapter 1: St. Mungo's
Hermione woke up in a cold sweat. She glanced at her watch, 4:57 A.M. 'Another night of little to no sleep,' she thought drearily to herself. 'If only I could stop having those awful nightmares… if only those memories would just disappear… if only I could wake up and run away… if only my damn legs would work…' She pressed a button and a nurse came running in.
"What can I help you with, Hermione dear?" The lady asked kindly. "Is there something you needed?"
Hermione looked exhausted and weary. "I- I would love some water, please. I'm so sorry to have to ask you for such a small thing but …" Tears welled up in her eyes. She hated having to be helped. She couldn't even get to the bathroom on her own.
"It's more than all right, dear. This is what I am here for - to help you." She smiled warmly at Hermione and walked out of the room. She returned a few minutes later with a glass of ice water. "Here you go." She handed Hermione the water. "Do you need anything else while I'm here? Anything at all?"
"Well I was wondering, when do you think I'll be able to get a wheel chair? It would make it so much simpler for me if I could just get the wheel chair. I wouldn't have to call you for everything, Marie." She had become close with Marie over the few months she had been here. In fact, she considered Marie like a mother figure, considering her own Mother was killed during the war, along with her father. "The doctor said I had to wait a while, try it out while I was still in the Hospital and then he would consider letting me go out and back to school when the new term started. How can I do that if they won't let me get the wheel chair yet?"
"Dear, relax. The doctor will get you the wheel chair. It's just… well… he doesn't want you to get it yet. He's afraid you'll find a way to sneak off in the middle of the night. Strong willed you are… you'd probably think you could do it all on your own. Even when you get the wheel chair, sweetheart, you're still going to need a lot of help, getting in and out of that thing can be tough and I know you're so eager that you'd probably hop right on…"
"Well that's true. Too true. You're right. But it would make my life a lot easier… and you're job as well." Marie went to Draco's bed and began checking on him. "How is he?" Hermione asked with sorrow in her voice.
"Hermione, you never told me if you knew Mr. Malfoy. Did you? Were you two friends at school? He's in your year."
"Yes I know Malfoy. I knew him, at least. I knew the insufferable git that he was. I knew the biased arrogant jerk that he could be… but I didn't know the Draco Malfoy that would fight on the same side as me, and that would risk his life to defend Harry Potter, his supposed worst enemy. Harry told me how he fought in the war, and I have to say that, well, it surprised me to say the least. The Draco Malfoy I knew had no heart. He was mean and cold, but fighting in the war… on OUR side, well… that doesn't sound like him."
"Maybe he changed." Marie suggested.
Hermione sat thoughtfully for a few moments before whispering to herself, "Yes… maybe."
"I'll be off for the night. My shift is over. I'll be back tomorrow evening. Anything you need before I leave?"
Hermione thought for a second. "Yes. Could you help me to get over next to Malfoy's bed. I would like to watch him for a little bit." She knew it sounded weird but… it seemed so right to her. Just watching him 'sleeping'. Marie wheeled her bed over next to Draco's and hugged Hermione.
"Good night Hermione. Try to get some sleep. I know you don't do well sleeping after five A.M. but DO try… please?"
"I'll try but you know me. Restless." Marie left and Hermione sat up in her bed, propped up by the pillows, watching Draco sleep. Her thoughts wandered. All she could think about was how sorry she was that he was injured. He looked like an angel while he was sleeping. She wanted to lean over and kiss him, but she couldn't. She reached out and grabbed his hand in a loving manner. "Draco…" she whispered. "Can you hear my voice? It's me, Hermione. It's early in the morning, and I … well I'm lonely so I thought I would come and talk to you." She allowed a few tears to roll down her face. "I wish… I wish I could have seen you like this before you got hurt… I wish… I wish I had felt this way BEFORE the war. I don't know why I feel it now, but I do. I look at you and my heart is filled with joy and sorrow. My heart soars to just look at you, lying there so peacefully. But then my heart sinks with the realization that you are there and not able to wake up. I want you to wake up, Draco. I need you to wake up. For me. I need to see you awake. I want to hold you, and lay with you. I- I want to be there for you… I love you Draco."
a/n… ok… so how did you like it? I hope you liked it. I have the next chapters all planned out, I just have to type them up. Give me your suggestions if you'd like. No flames please, but constructive criticism is welcome. RandR… pretty please. I've never been in a wheel chair so I don't know how that works so please bare with me.
Prologue
War had come upon the Wizarding World. At the end of Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Draco's sixth year at Hogwarts, they had to make a decision: whether or not to fight in a battle to the death. Draco, however, had the hardest decision of all. He was pulled between the two sides. On one hand, his father was a death eater and Draco was expected to fight on his side. On the other hand, there was the girl he loved. If the light side didn't succeed, she would most likely be the first to die (she was, after all, Potter's best friend AND a mud blood) He wanted her to be alive and happy, even if it wasn't with him.
She would never be with him. She didn't even know how he felt about her. HE didn't even know how he felt about her until the war broke out and he started worrying about her far too much for his own liking. When he had to make a choice, SHE was the deciding factor on what he would choose.
He fought for her, though none knew that that was his reason. He abandoned his father, joined the Order of the Phoenix and helped to save the wizarding world from an evil tyrant, Voldemort. Potter of course defeated him. That was his destiny. But he could not have done it without the entire Order's help. Draco was the one who saved Harry "The-Boy-Who-Lived" from being killed by Lucius, who had Harry cornered and defenseless. Draco killed his own father, and for that he was sorry. But it had to come down to it. If he hadn't killed him, Potter would have died, Voldemort would have lived, Hermione would have been killed, and Draco would have lived the rest of his life being tortured with haunting visions of her lifeless form lying on a cold floor somewhere in Malfoy Manor.
When the war was over, Hermione was alive but not in good shape. She was rushed to St. Mungo's and stayed there for what felt to her like an eternity. Harry and Ron were fine after a few days stay. Of course, they had ended up with a couple broken bones, but that was nothing the mediwitches could not mend. What came as a surprise to Hermione however, was the fact that the person she had to share a room with while she stayed at St. Mungo's was Draco Malfoy. She had not been informed of his help in the war until he became her room partner.
He had been hexed into a coma. She cried for him to herself every night before she fell asleep. She had injuries of her own to worry about but Draco's, in her opinion, were far worse. During the war, she had thought herself good enough a witch to fight against the Death Eaters. But she didn't expect to be fighting against ten of them all at once and all on her own. Now she was in the Hospital, because one had performed an ancient hex, so ancient that it had been forgotten and none knew how to treat it. A person could survive and live with the curse, but it paralyzed them from their waist down. The only people in the world that knew this curse were the Death Eaters.
So Hermione and Draco were both in trouble. Draco would not wake up from his coma, no matter how hard they tried, he couldn't wake up. The mediwitches were ready to give up hope… on both of them.
Chapter 1: St. Mungo's
Hermione woke up in a cold sweat. She glanced at her watch, 4:57 A.M. 'Another night of little to no sleep,' she thought drearily to herself. 'If only I could stop having those awful nightmares… if only those memories would just disappear… if only I could wake up and run away… if only my damn legs would work…' She pressed a button and a nurse came running in.
"What can I help you with, Hermione dear?" The lady asked kindly. "Is there something you needed?"
Hermione looked exhausted and weary. "I- I would love some water, please. I'm so sorry to have to ask you for such a small thing but …" Tears welled up in her eyes. She hated having to be helped. She couldn't even get to the bathroom on her own.
"It's more than all right, dear. This is what I am here for - to help you." She smiled warmly at Hermione and walked out of the room. She returned a few minutes later with a glass of ice water. "Here you go." She handed Hermione the water. "Do you need anything else while I'm here? Anything at all?"
"Well I was wondering, when do you think I'll be able to get a wheel chair? It would make it so much simpler for me if I could just get the wheel chair. I wouldn't have to call you for everything, Marie." She had become close with Marie over the few months she had been here. In fact, she considered Marie like a mother figure, considering her own Mother was killed during the war, along with her father. "The doctor said I had to wait a while, try it out while I was still in the Hospital and then he would consider letting me go out and back to school when the new term started. How can I do that if they won't let me get the wheel chair yet?"
"Dear, relax. The doctor will get you the wheel chair. It's just… well… he doesn't want you to get it yet. He's afraid you'll find a way to sneak off in the middle of the night. Strong willed you are… you'd probably think you could do it all on your own. Even when you get the wheel chair, sweetheart, you're still going to need a lot of help, getting in and out of that thing can be tough and I know you're so eager that you'd probably hop right on…"
"Well that's true. Too true. You're right. But it would make my life a lot easier… and you're job as well." Marie went to Draco's bed and began checking on him. "How is he?" Hermione asked with sorrow in her voice.
"Hermione, you never told me if you knew Mr. Malfoy. Did you? Were you two friends at school? He's in your year."
"Yes I know Malfoy. I knew him, at least. I knew the insufferable git that he was. I knew the biased arrogant jerk that he could be… but I didn't know the Draco Malfoy that would fight on the same side as me, and that would risk his life to defend Harry Potter, his supposed worst enemy. Harry told me how he fought in the war, and I have to say that, well, it surprised me to say the least. The Draco Malfoy I knew had no heart. He was mean and cold, but fighting in the war… on OUR side, well… that doesn't sound like him."
"Maybe he changed." Marie suggested.
Hermione sat thoughtfully for a few moments before whispering to herself, "Yes… maybe."
"I'll be off for the night. My shift is over. I'll be back tomorrow evening. Anything you need before I leave?"
Hermione thought for a second. "Yes. Could you help me to get over next to Malfoy's bed. I would like to watch him for a little bit." She knew it sounded weird but… it seemed so right to her. Just watching him 'sleeping'. Marie wheeled her bed over next to Draco's and hugged Hermione.
"Good night Hermione. Try to get some sleep. I know you don't do well sleeping after five A.M. but DO try… please?"
"I'll try but you know me. Restless." Marie left and Hermione sat up in her bed, propped up by the pillows, watching Draco sleep. Her thoughts wandered. All she could think about was how sorry she was that he was injured. He looked like an angel while he was sleeping. She wanted to lean over and kiss him, but she couldn't. She reached out and grabbed his hand in a loving manner. "Draco…" she whispered. "Can you hear my voice? It's me, Hermione. It's early in the morning, and I … well I'm lonely so I thought I would come and talk to you." She allowed a few tears to roll down her face. "I wish… I wish I could have seen you like this before you got hurt… I wish… I wish I had felt this way BEFORE the war. I don't know why I feel it now, but I do. I look at you and my heart is filled with joy and sorrow. My heart soars to just look at you, lying there so peacefully. But then my heart sinks with the realization that you are there and not able to wake up. I want you to wake up, Draco. I need you to wake up. For me. I need to see you awake. I want to hold you, and lay with you. I- I want to be there for you… I love you Draco."
a/n… ok… so how did you like it? I hope you liked it. I have the next chapters all planned out, I just have to type them up. Give me your suggestions if you'd like. No flames please, but constructive criticism is welcome. RandR… pretty please. I've never been in a wheel chair so I don't know how that works so please bare with me.