"She fell very hard, are you sure she'll be alright?"
"Yes, of course. The royal physician has been to see her and he gave her some herbs to take away the pain and some ice to take down the swelling in her head and arm. She should be waking up any moment, in fact. I sent a servant to fetch her fiance, but he came back saying he couldn't find him. She'll be very disappointed when she awakens and he's no where in sight," said a low croaky voice.
Hermione's head felt like it was on fire and no matter what that voice had said, the pain medicine she'd been given wasn't worth much. She could still feel every jolt of pain. Her right arm ached dully and she tried to move her fingers, but they wouldn't obey their owners command and instead stayed limp at her side.
She could hear everything going on around her, to the servants bringing in different things, to the hushed conversations, but she did not open her yes and alert them to her consciousness. She rather liked it being her little secret. Plus, she knew when she did find the need to open her eyes the light would hurt her head something fierce. So she lay there, quiet and feigning sleep. It was when she was this way that she heard a wooden door squeal open and a small cry of surprise from a person to Hermione's left.
"Your Highness, we've been looking for you. Her Royal Highness has been hurt, she was flung down the stairs when a young servant of ours hit his head on one of the lower beams and then fell to his death. She should be awake soon and no doubt would like to look upon her beloved's face," Said the croaking voice again and Hermione nearly groaned at the grating of his tone on her skull.
Hermione felt a shadow fall across her face and warm hand clasped hers. Someone knelt beside her bed and it took all her will power not to look at them.
"Oh, darling, I do hope you recover," Harry said loudly and Hermione gritted her teeth, " Hermione, are you alright," He whispered so the sound would only reach her ears alone.
Hermione, her mind now made up, opened her eyes, only to close them quickly again. The light was worse than she feared. After a moment she cautioned another glance. She squinted at first, ignoring the pounding sensation at her temples, but when she was able to open her eyes fully she saw that Harry looked sorely guilty for having ditched Hermione for the comforting arms of Ginevra Weasley.
"I'm fine you sod," Hermione said softly and Harry grinned sheepishly.
"She's awake," He announced and the servants breathed a sigh of relief. "Leave us" Harry
commanded and the servants left the room with curtsies and bows.
"Where's Ginny?"
"In her apartments. Draco's with her. I hope they don't kill each other while I'm gone," Harry said and Hermione frowned.
"He at least had the decency to accompany on my trek to her rooms. You and Ginny left me alone in a room full of strangers with no way to know where to find you, if I should want to,"
Hermione scolded and Harry blushed slightly.
"We... uh... we were.. er," Harry stuttered and Hermione took pity on him.
"I don't want to know. Suffice it to say I wouldn't have wanted to tag along. Now who knocked me down the stairs? I heard the person died," Hermione said with a slightly softer tone.
"You're not going to like it. It was Neville, he broke his neck at the bottom of the stairs, some say he tripped down the stairs and hit his head on a low beam, which does sound like the Neville I know," Harry said sounding upset.
"Poor, Neville," Hermione said and then her eyes snapped into focus.
"Neville, but he was part of the prophecy. He's the other piece. He's like the alternate you," She said snapping her fingers, "Harry, I don't think Neville's death was an accident."
"Are you saying someone pushed him?"
"Maybe. Yes, most likely," Hermione said shrugging.
"Bet it was Malfoy," Harry said darkly and Hermione felt her temper flare at the unjust jab, even though she didn't really understand why.
"It was not. He was three feet ahead of me the whole time," Hermione declared.
"Okay, okay so it wasn't him," Harry said when he noticed the fired up look in Hermione's eyes.
Hermione lay there trying to get her temper under control before she spoke again, but her thoughts scattered as someone knocked on the door. Harry moved to open it and Hermione had to roll slightly to her side to be able to see who had come into the room.
Ginny marched in, followed closely by a smug looking Draco. Ginny's face and neck were an angry red and she was looking very unhappy. Draco looked as he usually did, unruffled and smug. When they saw Hermione they both adopted worried expressions and came close to where she lay in bed.
"Nasty bonk on your nog," Draco said drawled and Hermione couldn't help smiling at him, although she thought better of it when her head pounded at the movement and she ended up grimacing instead.
"How are you feeling," Ginny asked softly, although she was glaring at Draco.
"I've been better. To be honest, my head is killing me, but I suppose that's what you get for thinking you can cartwheel down stairs," Hermione said coyly.
"Spoken like a true trooper," Draco said.
"I'll survive I assure you. Fate will have to do far more than tumble me down the stairs to get rid of me," Hermione said humorlessly.
"I hope you are alright soon, we really need to solve our... situation," Ginny said and Hermione startled slightly and turned to look at the red haired girl with a bit of a surprised expression.
While she'd been speaking to Draco it'd been like it was only them in the room.
"Oh yes," Hermione said recovering herself, "That is a very important issue." She had wanted to sound serious, but it came off sounding half-hearted.
"You need rest. We should all probably leave," Harry said and Ginny rose from where she'd been kneeling beside Hermione's bed.
"Yes, feel better, Hermione," Ginny said and she and Harry put an arm around her shoulders to usher her out the door.
"Rest that poor noggin for me," Draco said with a whimsical air and then he winked at her.
The three of them left through the small wooden door, Draco first, with Harry and Ginny bringing up the rear.
It was few moments before Hermione dared to move. She settled herself more comfortably against the pillows and began to close her eyes when the door opened again.
Draco had circled behind Ginny and Harry, letting them think he was going off to some corner of the castle to brood, but instead he slipped back into the room Hermione was in. Her eyes shot open as he tried to close the door as quietly as he could. He moved slowly across the room and grabbing a small wooden stool for him to sit on, he placed it beside Hermione's bed, close to where her tortured head was resting.
"We never finished our talk. You so rudely interrupted our hike to Ginny's suit by getting yourself smashed into by that klutz," Draco said lightly and Hermione laughed weakly.
"I hate when I do that," She quipped.
"Truthfully that probably ranks in my top ten of scary experiences. Seeing you flying down the stairs was too nerve racking. Would she land on her feet like a cat? Will she think of a quick hovering charm? Maybe she'll apparate mid-air. I was awaiting the possibilities and then you just went down, crunch on your arm. Sick sounding, you know? Had to come rescue you and all that," Draco said trying to play his worry off, but Hermione could tell he'd been concerned about her welfare.
"What no thoughts of, one less Mudblood to muck up the world?"
"Now, now don't fret. I was perfectly and genuinely worried that you might have cracked your skull open. You know how terrible it is to admit that? But there it is, you're a friend now, Hermione Granger. I hope you can suffer the consequences with grace," Draco told her peering closely at her face.
She laughed, softly so as not to hurt herself too much. She'd learned when emotions got too heavy, or Draco was made to admit any of them as being his own, he would make it into a joke.
It was his way of dealing with things and she thought it quite hilarious.
"I shall try," Hermione said with a mocking look of seriousness.
"So anyway, back to our earlier, non-existent conversation. I think it's all good and well Harry and Ginny are here to lend their services, but I've had a long time to think about this and I think they were sent here as a distraction. Now this is my totally unbiased opinion, but what have we gotten done since they've arrived on the scene? Nothing! In-inadvertently I think they are here to keep us too busy to figure a way out of this mess."
Hermione studied Draco for a moment. He looked completely serious now and he was looking at her with a silent plead in his eyes, he wanted her to believe him.
"I haven't even had time to think too deeply about it, but I think you're right. Whoever sent us to this time and this weird dimension probably is using them as puppets," Hermione said and Draco looked relieved.
"I'm glad you think like I do. Because I wanted to tell you this earlier, but was afraid you'd blow up, not believe me, or worse, tattle to the person in question. After you fell Hermione, it took maybe, not even two minutes and Ginny was there and she'd come by way of the very stairs we'd been climbing. I thought that it was odd, so when I went to her suite with her I asked her. She was very short with me, acted very suspicious. She had to of been only a little ways up from where you and me were, yet she said she saw no one. How could that be? Longbottom was only a little bit above us too. I think she pushed him."
Draco thought Hermione would look shocked, but she seemed to be taking the news in slowly. She raised a hand and rubbed at her temples. Then she looked at him, more like pinned him with a hard gaze.
"I didn't want to alarm you, but I thought something was off about her. I hate to admit it, but it wouldn't surprise me if this Ginny had pushed Neville," Hermione said sounding much more tired than she had before.
"Well if that's the case we need to be careful. She might try her pushing skills out on one of us," Draco said and Hermione nodded.
"This world is so messed up! You're my ally and my very best friends are the enemy," Hermione said with a frustrated sigh.