Disclaimer: Don't own a thing. If I did I would not be on here posting recycled ideas with characters I did not make up.
A/n: Hello everyone! This is a two-part story (two chapters only) and so here is the first part. It might be a little predictable (especially the second chapter) and its not one of my best, but meh, some people might like it. Please gimme a review, I love them, long or short! And to the people (who know who they are) who have read the non-edited etc notebook version of this story: I strongly suggest reading it again (unless you hated it, lol), as I added a great many things (like you suggested, Jedi Knight Bus) and its better than it was before. Ok, enjoy!
Chapter 1
Hermione made her way slowly through the hospital hallways of the sterile building after getting waved through by nurses she knew by name. She held her things close to her and no longer paused at any of the portraits hanging squarely on the wall. She could walk these halls in her sleep and name the portraits in order as she did so.
"Morning, Hermione. Been here long?" an older nurse named Alma asked, her gray hair slightly wavy.
"Morning Alma. No, just going." Hermione answered with a smile.
"Have a nice day then, hmm?" Alma clicked a stack of paper on the desk in front of her.
"You too."
Moments later she entered the wing set aside for long-term patients needing permanent care. She was no longer fazed by the strangeness that used to attack her whenever she arrived in this wing. She supposed that it must have been the odd reality of having to come every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, as well as every other Saturday that had struck her as so bizarre. Now it was so normal, more normal than breathing, that it never crossed her mind anymore how often she was coming to this particular wing at St. Mungo's.
"Ah, back again, I see." Trish, a pretty blonde nurse at the nurse's station on the way, grinned.
Hermione smiled warmly. "Always. How's he doing today?"
Trish shrugged. "Alright. Seems to have some wits about him today, at least."
Hermione sighed with relief. She hated coming in on bad days. "Good. See you later then."
"I'll be here. Oh, and Hermione?"
"Yes?" Hermione stopped and faced Trish.
"That movie we've been waiting to see is finally playing."
"The new one with Ewan McGregor?" The corner's of Hermione's mouth twitched upwards. Ewan was one of her favorites.
"Mm-hmm!" Trish made a slurping noise.
Hermione laughed. "What time?"
"Seven. Joe and Roxy are coming too."
"Ok, I'll see you then."
"Bye!" Trish waved and returned to her work.
Hermione also found that she rarely ever gave a thought to how odd it was that all of the friends she now hung out with were all from the hospital, and all of their husbands, fiancés, best friends, sisters, brother and so on. That was her circle of friends ever since "it" happened.
She was nearing the room which was her destination when a broad-shouldered yet pretty looking nurse emerged studying a clipboard intently. She shut the door gently behind her and then looked up as Hermione approached. "Oh, you are here today." Hermione nodded as the nurse, Marg, continued. "Healer Walgenbach is just giving him his shots and Healer Preece will be in around one to check on him."
"Oh dear." Hermione let out a small sigh. "He's usually not very happy after his shots."
Marg gave Hermione a sympathetic smile and patted her lightly on the shoulder before moving off to fulfill her other nurse duties.
Hermione sunk down into one of the chairs outside the room and dumped the things she'd been carrying into the chair next to her. She hated waiting. It only let her mind wander to places she did not want to go...
She rested her elbows on her knees and then slid her head into her hands. Without warning the events of that night, that ultimately led her to come to the hospital so often, played over in her mind like a film reel just waiting for the chance to play...
Another battle during the war with Voldemort. Flashes of light everywhere. Chilling screams and peals of triumphant laughter alternately from both sides. One never turned to see who had screamed - who had fallen. For one split second of lost concentration or hesitation could result in you being the next one to scream.
Hermione was crouched low behind an overturned desk, charmed so it was reinforced like steel. Somehow it struck her as ironic that some of the people across the room cursing her were her year-mates, though of course most of who those year-mates were was no surprise.
Pansy Parkinson was having a go at Hermione currently. Down the line, each fighting their own battles, were Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, Draco Malfoy, Pucey, Flint, Nott, Zabini, and more. There were others fighting too, some years older than herself, some a few years younger. Others she recognized, and many she did not. Most of the older fighters were too far right for her to chance a glance at their faces, however.
Sweating and panting, Hermione dropped behind the desk that had pretty well been her refuge for the past few hours. She needed a few minutes to recover, preferably get some fresh air, or she was sure she was going to faint. She looked over her shoulder and saw a window not too far away, though it was immediately apparent that the only way to open it was to kick it out.
Hermione grimaced and took a second to gaze down her own line of fighters, the ones fighting with their heart and soul in Dumbledore's name. She smiled weakly at the faces she could see: Ron, George, Ginny, Lupin, Tonks, Luna, Neville, Dean... there were many more - though not as many as there once was - but she could not see their faces from where she was.
Her gaze momentarily rested on the three fighters nearest her, Ron, Ginny and George, and she thought about how weird it was, even after so many weeks, to see George without Fred. Hermione sighed. Poor Fred. He'd been hit with three Unconscious Curses simultaneously and the Healers at St. Mungo's had still not been able to bring him out of a coma. Though she knew his fate was much better than others: Katie Bell, Lee Jordan, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Romilda Vane, Cho Chang, Seamus Finnigan, and more - too many more.
Ginny collapsed for a rest, and George continued to wearily but stubbornly curse the other side. Ron stood and threw a blue curse in the direction of Malfoy and Pucey, ducked, took a breath and stood again. He raised his wand and -
A brilliant orange flash streaked over him. He let out a cry and crumpled to the ground.
"Ron!" Her heart stopped beating. Staying on her stomach and using her elbows, Hermione scrambled over to Ron's side, her mouth dry as paper. She was suddenly finding it exceptionally hard to breathe. "Ron! Are you ok, Ron!"
For a second his eyes were glassy and she thought for sure he was dead. But in the next instant he made a gasping noise and clutched his arm, where Hermione now noticed was a massive gash, bleeding profusely.
"My arm!" he wailed. "Oh my - my arm!"
Ginny was deathly pale as she leaned close. "Ron! Ron... you're bleeding... Ron..." she began to tremble and looked up at Hermione with panicked eyes.
George was beside them in a flash. "We have to get him out of here!"
Hermione felt functional again at the look on Ginny's face. She would have to be calm for the both of them. She bit her own panic back hard, focussing on keeping the cool head she was greatly respected for. "To the window. Cover me." she said quietly.
Ginny looked scared and grim, but nodded numbly anyways. George gave her a tiny nudge and also nodded.
"On 3..." Hermione took a deep breath as Ron kept hollering about the blood coming out of his arm. 'Hold on Ron.' She thought, then counted, "1... 2... 3...!" She gave Ron a mighty heave and he yelled loudly in pain. Ginny conjured a shield to hold over them and moved with Hermione and wounded Ron. George jumped up and threw heavy curses over their heads as they moved as quickly and efficiently as possible to the nearby window.
Every time Hermione pulled, Ron shouted louder and more blood seemed to come out of his arm. Shortly, however, they reached the window and without hesitation Hermione kicked it out. Ginny did a quick spell to remove the broken glass and to remove any broken pieces still in the frame before Hermione climbed through, hauling Ron after her.
She pulled him several paces away from the building, especially out of view of the windows. Without a word, she began tearing strips off her robes and making a bandage for Ron. She thanked Heaven that her parents had convinced her to take a Muggle First-Aid course last summer.
Ron was sweaty and horribly pale, and as the seconds passed, he seemed to take on a greenish tinge, visible even under the full moon. He suddenly grabbed Hermione's arm. "Hermione... " his voice sounded choked. "I want you to know..."
She interrupted him. "Now, Ron? I have to put pressure on this to slow the bleeding and then Apparate you to St. Mungo's."
Ron swallowed and it seemed difficult. "Now." he paused. "I love you."
Hermione smiled. "I know. I love you too."
Through all his pain, Ron looked quite stunned and pleased, but like he'd known it all along and just had to hear it one more time. He managed a half-smile.
Hermione giggled in spite of their situation. "Don't look so surprised, Ronald Weasley. You think my wedding vows mean nothing to me?"
"Well..."
She didn't let him finish. She leaned in close and the two of them kissed soft and sweetly. When they pulled away, they smiled lovingly at each other.
Before Hermione could resume work on creating a make-shift bandage for Ron's arm, a very shrill, mocking voice rang out across the grass, causing both Ron and Hermione to jump. Hermione was instantly filled with anger.
"Well! If it isn't Granger and a Weasel kissing." Pansy sneered horribly. "Didn't know your standards were that low. But then again, you are a Mud-Blood, so I assume the choices were very limited - "
"Shut up!" Hermione and Ron shouted.
Pansy just laughed. "I've been wanting to do this for a very long time..."
Hermione saw it coming, but she was an instant too late. Before she could grab her wand or snatch up Ron's pocketed wand, Pansy screamed out a spell.
"Experiallmus!"
Hermione and Ron's wands flew into the air and Pansy caught them then stuffed them deep in her black coat, laughing the whole time. She advanced on them, her wand out, and hollered an another spell.
"Bindicio!"
Hermione was thrown forcefully away from Ron to the right and landed hard, face down on her stomach. The wind was knocked right out her and as she tried to cath her breath, thick metal rings sprouted from the ground faster than she could blink. One wrapped over each wrist, effectively pinning her to the ground.
Pansy laughed maliciously once again and then turned her gleaming eyes to Ron. Ron shuddered under her frightening gaze, feeling severely vulnerable without his wand.
"Pay attention to the this, Granger, because you're next." Pansy raised her wand, laughed again, and then shouted, "Crucio!"
From there, everything fast, yet horribly slow. Pansy stood there sending damaging bolts of an Unforgiveable Curse into Ron's body and smiling the whole time. Ron screamed as he'd never screamed before, writhing and twisting in agony. Hermione screamed for Pansy to stop, screamed for help, screamed because what she was witnessing was absolutely horrible and she could nothing to stop it as buckets of tears poured down her face. It seemed to last forever.
Suddenly, when Pansy stopped to take a breath, there were hurried footsteps and someone yelled, "Accio Broken Glass!"
Pansy turned to look behind her and seemed angry. Not too far away, Hermione could see jagged pieces of glass come around the side of the building with crazy speed. The someone who had summoned the glass, who Hermione couldn't quite see, took a side step to the left so that Pansy was directly between the person and the broken glass.
Hermione gasped out loud, understanding what was going to happen, but unfortunately turning Pansy's attention towards Hermione. Pansy moved her hands to her hips and opened her mouth to say something, but Hermione would never know what. It was too late.
Hermione shut her eyes as tight as they would go and clenched her mouth shut. Pansy made a noise like the beginning of a scream and then the glass made contact with a sickening noise. Less than a second later, she fell to the ground, dead.
Her whole body shuddered and trembled as Hermione tentatively opened her eyes. She could see Pansy's form accompanied by the glass silhouetted in the moonlight and quickly looked away. No one should have to die in such away. She swallowed hard.
George was suddenly beside her and released her from her metal prison. Ginny attempted to help Ron up. George murmured that he had the two wands Pansy had taken. Hermione collapsed in George's arms sobbing her heart out. The three of them Apparated to St. Mungo's all holding tightly onto an unmoving Ron.
Hours later, a pinch-faced doctor had delivered a grim diagnosis: Ron, like Frank and Alice Longbottom so many years ago, had suffered the same fate. He was clinically insane.
A/n: Well, there you have it. Liked it? Didn't like it? I don't care - review me anyways! Just no swearing please, and flames are pretty uneccessary. Stayed tuned for chapter two, coming asap:)