Author Announcement – Well, here is my first real chapter. I had some major spelling problems in my last chapter, and I still probably do, but I had to resubmit when I realised how badly I had spelt Voldemort. As you may have noticed, spelling is definitely my biggest weakest. I was in bottom set spelling at school :-( If anyone at all spots any mistakes, please tell me and I will try my best to correct them. If anyone wants to be my beta, I'd appreciate that even more!

Thank you very much to the three people who reviewed my story when it was first published. These have now unfortunately been deleted, as I had to completely delete my story to change the spellings.

BTW, does anyone know how I can change bits of a previous chapter without deleting the whole bang shoot?

Wow, this has been really long, sorry.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters used in the story (damn), but the plotline is entirely my own creation.

Enjoy!

Inner Strength

Chapter 1 – The Star

"Do you think he can hear us?"

"Well Harry, why don't you ask him?"

"Don't be stupid, Hermione. How's he supposed to answer me?"

"Harry, I was being sarcastic."

"Oh."

Hermione and Harry sat huddled around a large bed inside a Private room in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The room was certainly one of the better rooms in the hospital – the finest that was available, in fact. The healers at the hospital had been very pleasant towards them – after all, they had just saved the wizarding world.

Hermione looked down into the face of one of her best friends. The deathly pale face of Ronald Weasley was turned slightly towards her, so she could clearly see every freckle on his shapely nose. Harry was staring uncomfortably at the thousands of cards that hung across the ceiling. It had been exactly like this for over a week - Hermione sitting practically in tears, Harry feeling out of place and Ron... well, just lying there, dead to the world.

The healers had done everything they could for him. They had patched him up on the hillside then took him to St Mungo's for immediate treatment. They tried everything they could to revive Ron, but he had finally slipped into a coma. There was no magic that could save him now.

His two friends had been at his side day and night, clinging onto the hope that the sound of them talking, laughing, joking would somehow revive him. But there efforts came to nothing. Ron was still absolutely motionless and deadly silent. He was barely even breathing.

Some thought that he was worse than dead.

The trio were supposed to be entering their final year at Hogwarts in less than a week. If Ron didn't wake up soon... Harry and Hermione didn't think they could stand going back to school one member of the golden trio short. It would be like… Fred without George or Crabe without Goyle.

Harry began to pace round the room, desperately trying for what felt like the millionth time to think of something that would pull Ron out of his deep slumber.

"Hey, Ron? I know you can hear me mate," Hermione noticed the almost pleading note in Harry's voice, "If you wake up now, I'll let you on the Quidditch team as keeper! I won't even try out McLaggen!"

He looked hopefully towards Ron.

Nothing.

"I'll even jinx McLaggen if you like."

The corners of Ron's mouth didn't even twitch.

"I'll read over every essay you ever produce. I'll practically write the things for you!" added Hermione. If the offer of less work didn't appeal to Ron enough to wake him, surely nothing would.

Still nothing.

It was all too much for Hermione. She slumped deep down into her chair and began to quietly sob. The last few months had been... so hard, yet incredible. Just when they should have been out celebrating with the rest of the wizarding world, she and Harry were cooped up in a claustrophobic room, praying that her friend would wake up.

Harry too was beginning to feel the strain for the situation. He had just killed his sworn enemy; he should be on cloud nine. Sure, he had just become a murder, but he always knew it would be worth it, if it meant that the wizarding world became a slightly safer place. However, he had never counted on the fact that the whole fiasco could end up endangering his best friend's life.

Harry looked over at Hermione who was now in floods of tears, and then turned to face Ron. He lay as still as a statue, pale but other than that, unharmed… apart from that ugly gash that now lay across his forehead. It was similar to Harry's, but although it was not yet fully healed (the healers in fact doubted it ever would be), you could just about make out the shape – a star.

Harry could not look at the gash for long without feeling overwhelmed himself. Harry began to walk towards Hermione, slightly hesitant, unsure of what to say or do. He was just an awkward teenage boy; he had never been any good at comforting people, look how it turned out with Cho!

"Hermione, don't cry," he said, realising how idiotic his words sounded the moment he said them.

Hermione continue to snivel and rummaged around in her sleeve for a tissue.

"Sometimes... we all need to cry."

Harry sighed.

"I know, 'Mione, I just didn't want you to set me off too."

Hermione laughed softly and then blew her nose. Harry walked towards her and enveloped her into a bear hug. Hermione collapsed, sobbing wildly into his open arms.

It was at that moment when Ron's right hand began to twitch.

AN/ If anyone has spotted any mistakes in this chapter as well, please say, because I know I have a lot of problems with names and spells. If anyone knows the correct spellings, tell me! Also, if anyone can think of a better summary (I hate writing them), speak up! Or title for that mater.

Thanks a lot for the review wally4ever, I really appreciate it! And thanks to Jay Alpha who has put me on her alert list! And her favourite's list! That is so cool.

Also, thanks a lot to Eirauqcam Suruaseht, MadRoswellFan and Greenpluff who reviewed this story before I was forced to delete it!

I really need to stop writing such long notes at the beginning and the end...

Well, what did you think? Please R&R