Hermione got home that very night around midnight, she quickly plopped into bed letting out a long yawn, which lead to a numerous amount of yawns, which lead to slumber. She twisted and turned in her covers, thinking about Harry and Cho, and their wedding.
Hermione appeared in the middle of the street when she awoke, with a dark blue dress on, she had her hair neatly done and her makeup was very exquisite. She looked around and saw that the city was abandoned, it was just her and…and Harry. She saw him at the corner bus stop crying, he had his hands upon his face, and was dressed in a tux. Hermione looked around and then took a seat next to him.
" Harry-Harry…"she said looking closer at him.
"What-" he said through his tears as he looked up at her, his eyes were drenched, and had a glossy effect upon them that made them glisten.
" You okay?" Hermione said softly as she crept closer to him
" No….Voldemort killed Cho…" Harry said darkly looking a bit sickly towards Hermione.
" Harry-"
" You DID THIS DIDN'T YOU?!" Harry got up as he placed both hands upon her neck and shook her
" Harry-I-" squeaked Hermione barely breathing
" YOU'RE A DEATH EATER YOU – YOU-…"
"Harry…" Hermione squeaked as she gripped his wrists, trying to detach his hands from her throat.
" YOU!…" Harry said his eyes tearing even more… "I despise you…." With that he let go of Hermione's throat as she fell to the ground. Her neck was red and she was coughing violently.
" You deserve that…" Harry snickered at Hermione " And this too-" with that Harry kicked Hermione in the stomach at full force. Hermione let out a piercing scream as she looked down to see blood gushing from her side, for it felt as if Harry stabbed her with a knife, however it was just a kick from his trousers….
" Harry! I didn't do it! Harry-Harry it's me! Hermione! Harry I love you! Please spare me…spare me…" Hermione cried aloud drowning herself in her own tears. Harry just looked down upon her as her dark blue dress turned a brown color from the blood.
" I will never forget what you did to me Hermione…."
" Harry I didn't do it…." Hermione whimpered as she clenched her wounded side. " I would never do anything to hurt you…. please Harry…please…" Harry then walked away until he was just a speck in the distance leaving Hermione wounded and literally breathless.
"Harry----" Hermione stretched her arm outward trying to snatch Harry from a distance. Suddenly a knife appeared in her outstretched hand as her fist clenched the handle very tight. Hermione had the feeling of despair within her as if something was missing, that this missing piece was making her life a living hell…something needed to change, she suddenly thought of Draco and Ron, thinking about all the trouble she had caused upon them, having them drag her around the city, taking her out of the bar-drunk, and putting Draco through her stupid complaints and emotional break downs… Hermione clenched the handle of the blade tighter till her knuckles turned white. I can't take this life….how come I have grieved over Harry for so long? How come he has left me like this? As she looked down upon the gash at her side. Once again she looked at the knife clenched within her hand She drew it close to her heart as the sharp point punctured her skin. No, not this far she assured herself. I must not do this,,,, but she couldn't resist, what role did she have within the muggle world anyway? Why had love betrayed her? Things started to flash through her mind as she felt a cold bolt upon the soles of her feet, as if they had touched two large ice cubes. Looking up she saw the sky turned a dark blue as candles appeared, floating in midair…. there she was witnessing the day of the graduation as she saw a young Ron, Harry and herself bickering out in the rain, suddenly the setting changed and she appeared a year after their graduation at Hogwarts where she was studying business at Colombia University there in New York. The settings kept flashing forward to events that happened since the argument at their graduating year at Hogwarts…. memories of getting her PhD at Colombia to her days at the New York stock exchange, to her last muggle boy friend-Leo. Leo…they met during her last graduating year at Colombia, an Australian lad, who so much reminded her of Harry. Matter of fact he reminded her of him so much that Hermione once and awhile called him Harry and kept brining up things from Hogwarts (which had very much puzzled him half of the time). There was many flashes of her and Leo, on dates, at the movies, at Wall Street, at times square, and last- their breakup…They were outside of Leo's apartment, it was raining very heavily and Leo was looking quite upset about something.
" Hermione…" Leo said
" What Leo?" she asked
" It seems…that there is something bothering me that I would like to ask you about if you don't mind."
" Go on…" Hermione said not knowing what was coming.
" This man Harry…" Leo said, " Who is this guy?" Hermione looked back at him a little shocked.
" Hermione-I just want to say that I think you are – are- seeing someone else other than me…" there was a long pause between them…long enough to hear the rain drip down their backs and upon their hair, which was already drenched with rain.
" Leo…no-Leo…" Hermione said " You don't understand…it isn't what it seems, really…please Leo- give me another go at this relationship mate…please,"
" Hermione-I think I very well understand what it seems like…" as he turned and walked towards the door of the apartment building with his keys out.
" Leo…" Hermione said gripping his arm "please."
" Hermione…" Leo said his eyes glossy, "I love you…and this is why I am letting go, I want the best for you- so if it means for you to be with this chum, then-then let it be…" with that he pried off Hermione's firm grip trotted up the steps and went into the apartment building.
Hermione watched from a distance as she watched herself walk away from the front of Leo's apartment in dismay.
With that the setting was empty, just the front of Leo's apartment building and the heavy rain pouring down. Suddenly the rain became heavier and heavier as Hermione flashed to another memory. … There she saw herself back at home drenched, devastated of the breakup with Leo. With that the memories of Harry just popped into her mind instead. There the drenched as well as devastated Hermione stood in the kitchen with a knife pressed against her wrist as she cried. She was desperate for love but how desperate? Or was she desperate for Harry? "BAM!" Suddenly the memory faded away as a heavy fog appeared clear in Hermione's sight and as the fog drew apart it came clear that she was once again at the bus stop where Harry was crying in the beginning of this crazy scenario…it must be all a dream it has to be… she thought to herself. However, it surely didn't feel like it, she felt a piercing pain where Harry has supposedly stabbed her by a very hard kick. She looked down at her side and once again saw the deep cut as well as the knife clenched in her hand. She drew the knife near her heart, feeling tension within her, I should have done this a long time ago, when there was no one to care about me, when no one loved me…Nobody loves me ….at least no one will love me anymore…. which means they cant break my heart either….I'll just have to break my heart myself…Love has betrayed me, love probably despises me as much as-as Harry and Leo, and Draco! With that she pulled the knife back and then took several clean swipes and stabs where her heart was until she felt numb. She didn't know why she was doing this to herself, for some reason she felt content, and happy. Until she fainted as he head dropped to the concrete, however it felt cool…it felt good.
"AHHHH!!!"
Hermione awoke with a piercing scream as if someone had stabbed her in the heart five times and left the blade there. Stunned by the dream as well as by the powerful pain in her chest, she looked around and realized she was in her kitchen. However the white tiles were covered in red lush blood, however the blood was none other than hers. She let out a gasp as she clenched herself against the dishwasher…but as she clenched herself she felt blood upon herself and as she dug her fingers into her skin she felt the meat of herself. She looked down, and there was the deep gash where she had stabbed herself in the dream, no…this can't be…no, no, no… Hermione rushed to the bathroom as drops of blood trailed behind her. She looked in the mirror, and it was true…there she was, a stab upon her chest, and they're where Harry had kicked her in the dream a large bruise. Hermione let out a scream…this must be a nightmare she thought. However the pain from the stabs were very real. Hermione scrambled for the telephone and dialed Draco's phone number praying he would pick up she started to feel lethargic, she had already lost a numerous amount of blood, and she couldn't afford to lose anymore. Finally Draco picked up.
"Ello?" he said sleepily
"Draco…" Hermione said very weak
" Hermione? You okay?" Draco said perking up a bit
" No…no-I-I need you to come over and maybe-maybe now…I'm kind of in bad shape…you see I - urgh-" Hermione suddenly fell silent.
" Hermione! What's going on over there are you hurt?"
Hermione didn't respond
"HERMIONE!?"HERMIONE!" Draco screamed into the phone, "Holy cap Ron we have to go…I think Hermione's either drunk, or hurt or she's got robbers…" Draco yelled out towards Ron's bedroom,
" Hermione…I'll be there pronto…" Draco said and hung up the phone
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When Draco and Ron got there Hermione was laid out on the kitchen floor, surrounded by her blood.
" Thank god you got the key to 'er crib eh?" Ron joked
" Ron shut up,- By golly…" Draco whispered as he went down to Hermione's side.
"Draco…" Hermione wheezed, barley enough energy to look up. Draco had a look of horror upon his face.
"Ron! Ron! Call an ambulance…Tell them she's in critical condition and needs help immediately," Draco ordered
" I can definitely see that…. Hope she'll be alright" Ron said as he dialed.
"No…Draco no…please…" Hermione said " I have no reasoning for this…"
" What do you mean?" Draco said
" I did this to myself…."
" What?"
" Ron- stop dialing….now…" Hermione said to Ron…and Ron, puzzled stopped dialing.
" Now tell me…why should I not take you to the hospital…"
" Draco…these aren't that deep-before you take me there please clean me up then… then they won't look that bad…please" Now, Draco puzzled took her to the bathroom and helped her clean the gashes while Ron tried his best to mop up the kitchen. While making side comments like " This looks like a crime scene! Where's the body bag?"
When Hermione and Draco came back from the bathroom, Ron had the kitchen clean, however Hermione was unsure about going to the hospital.
" You know Draco, I do look like I was in a crime scene…please…don't make me go…How much do you want to bet that they'll ask me how in the world I got into this kind of condition at 1:00 in the morning?"
" She's right mate" Ron said " Well Hermione I do suppose you could put together a potion or something…however I don't have my owl with me anymore to get the supplies…"
" True," Draco said " But I still think Hermione needs medical care not only that but stitches…I mean look at yourself,"
" Draco- I do not want my picture in the headlines tomorrow…lady comes to a hospital with numerous gashes and says she did it in her sleep!"
" See what she's saying mate? She's surely got a message there, or at least a very good point."
" Then how are we going to heal you Hermione? Tell me…" Draco said a bit annoyed as he crossed his arms impatiently.
" Draco…." Hermione said, " Come with me…" Hermione then grabbed Draco's hand and dragged him towards her bedroom; they went into her bedroom and went to the very corner of it. Hermione then went close to the corner feeling around for something, she finally pushed in a loose section of the wall.
Screeeech….
A little section of the wall slid over and revealed another room, which revealed shelves, and bookcases filled with textbooks, potions, and in the very corner was a Barn Owl in a cage, feasting on half of a mouse.
" I-I had this extra room when I bought the apartment-it was actually a walk-in closet…. And then-I- placed all this stuff in here…its most of my belongings from Hogwarts, however-the owl was a gift from my parents, after all I started wanting one after Crookshanks died…."
"Hermione…how is this going to help me heal you?" Draco said
" There are plenty of potions in these shelves and drawers…and if we need any- I can send Comet." She said as she pointed to the Barn Owl.
* * * * * * * * *
Draco was able to create a potion to instantly close up the wounds with Hermione's knowledge still fresh from potion class. It was around 6:00 in the morning and Hermione was lying on the couch with Draco, rubbing the potion upon her wounds, as Ron took a seat on the opposite couch just watching.
" You know, I can't believe you still remember the ingredients to the potions mate…" Ron said
" Well, we needed to know them for our O.W.L.S that year you know…" Hermione said
" I'm glad you remembered them," Draco said rubbing the potion on Hermione's last gash, as it closed up instantly. " That's the last one," Draco said.
" Look mates, from my wrist watch, I got to go back home so I can wash up and go to work. After all I decided to go back to work earlier this week." Ron said as he smiled at them. " You to love birds take care of each other…" He joked, as he took his jacket walked towards the door. Draco just darted a look at him as if to say 'lay off' but smiled back anyway, after all, he new he was joking.
" Thanks," Hermione said as she looked up into Draco's eyes
"Hermione…" he said softly as he motioned her to lift her shirt up a bit to wrap a bandage around her chest area.
"Oh…" Hermione replied. She then slowly lifted her shirt up trying not to expose anything, and quickly, Draco wrapped the strip of cloth around the section where a numerous amount of gashes had been.
" Thanks…for everything…and for understanding" Hermione said to Draco once again.
" Don't worry, it was nothing…" he smiled " But tell me something Hermione, what happened?" Hermione paused for a minute, propped herself up into a comfortable position, and then spoke;
" It was in a dream…for some reason…I-I was sleep walking and- I mean I could feel everything in the dream, I mean I was in a certain setting, but I could feel my surroundings, like I felt the coldness of the tiles once I walked to the kitchen-…I mean I didn't know that in the dream but-you know what I mean…." Hermione paused and then took another long breath
"In the dream…I stabbed myself-and I felt that too…so I think I must've did this to myself…I can't believe this…"
" Why did you stab yourself…"
" I don't know Draco…" Hermione said shaking her head as if stumped.
"Hermione…do you think the dark lord is controlling you like he did with Harry?" Draco seriously stated
"What?"
" Remember…in the fifth year?"
" How the hell do you know that?"
"Ron told me…"
"Hermione…just tell me the whole dream…" Draco whispered
"I-I can't…"
"Why-"
"It's personal Draco…"
" Please Hermione…I want to know why you did this to yourself…is there something I should know about?" Draco said softly. Hermione looked into his honest blue eyes, they were glossy and filled with hope and love, Hermione sighed…for she knew Draco really cared-and she couldn't put down someone who cared…someone who offered his love…for she longed for love from someone such as this…for wasn't that the reason she had stabbed herself?