Hermione groaned as she saw the light seeping in underneath her eyelids. She must have forgotten to close the curtains on her four poster the night before. Pulling the blanket up to cover her face to try and block out the light, it felt scratchy and so unlike her own that her eyes shot open. She winced in pain as the bright light assaulted her dilated pupils.

As her eyes adjusted, white walls came into focus. She wasn't in her dorm room back in Gryffindor Tower as she expected. Hearing a bubbling noise, Hermione looked across the room to find a pewter cauldron nearby with a green-like substance she didn't recognize inside. On her bedside table, there was a Sneakoscope looking object. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, but it softly whistled occasionally. It reminded her of the beeping of a heart rate monitor—possibly it was monitoring her vitals, just the magical way.

Hermione looked down at her hands and saw that her arms were covered in scratches, a few bandages here and there. Something was odd smelling nearby and after further inspection of her body, it was coming from underneath her gown. She peaked underneath the gown and saw that her chest all the way down to her hip was wrapped in bandages.

She started to panic—where was she? And what was she doing here?

Looking to her right, she was thankful to see a mop of black hair and a familiar face. "Harry," she croaked out, her voice sounding nothing like her own.

His head snapped up at the sound of her voice. "You're awake." He stood up. "I need to grab a healer."

"Harry, no, what happened?" She looked around again and tears started to pool in her eyes making her vision blurry. Fear welled up inside her. "Please don't go," she begged. "Why am I here?"

Harry grasped her hand and she tried to hold on to keep him from leaving as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Hermione, you need a healer. We didn't think you would ever wake up. It's almost been three weeks."

She felt her eyes widen. "What? How?"

His face looked grim at her questions, giving Hermione more reason to panic. "I will explain everything, I promise." He pressed another kiss to her forehead before he pulled away and left the room. She laid back down against her pillows and thought about what could have happened over the last few weeks. The last thing she remembered was a purple ball of light coming from Dolohov flying toward her, and then nothing. But if it was from Dolohov, it couldn't have been good. That was probably why Harry looked so grim when she had begun to ask questions.

Minutes later, a healer came gliding into the room, Harry right behind her. He hovered by the door as the healer checked her over.

"Well, Miss Granger," the healer said as she finished her examination. "You have been through a terrible ordeal. We will be keeping you for the next few days to make sure there isn't any permanent damage done to your nervous system or your magic, especially because of the nature of the curse. You're very lucky to be alive."

Hermione opened her mouth to ask some questions but then saw the look on Harry's face. He was hurting—whether that was because of her three weeks unconscious or something else, she didn't know. Hermione just nodded as the woman waved her wand and the scroll she had been writing on rolled itself up and slid into a holder at the end of the bed.

"If you're in any pain, let one of the healers know and we can administer some pain relief potions." The healer then bid them goodbye.

Harry slowly moved back to the seat she had seen him in when she first woke up, his hands in his pockets. As he sat down, he removed them and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Please tell me what's going on?" Hermione begged. She was on the verge of tears being so out of the know. She didn't even know what had happened to her for Merlin's sake!

Harry nodded his head slowly and began to speak. "Well, I suppose the first thing is that Voldemort showed up in the Department of Mysteries with Pettigrew, so Sirius has been cleared of all charges. I no longer have to live with the Dursleys."

Hermione let a smile cross her lips and she reached for his hand. "I am happy to hear that. But that isn't all, is it? You don't sound thrilled like you should… why?"

"That is where the good news stops unfortunately."

"Well, lay it on me. Perhaps start with what happened in the Department of Mysteries after I lost consciousness."

"Do you want some water? I think you might need some."

Harry jumped up before she could respond and crossed the room where there was a carafe of water and several cups. He poured a cup for each of them and passed one off to her once he was seated once more. She thanked him and immediately brought the cup up to her lips. The cool water felt amazing on her dry throat and it was just what she needed. She chugged the water, drinking the cup dry.

Harry held out his hand to retrieve more, but she shook her head. She kept the cup in hand and looked at Harry expectantly as he slowly took a few sips of water.

"Out with it," she finally told him. "Stalling will just make it worse."

"You're right. I just don't know where to begin." He took a deep breath and drained the water in his cup. "I'll just start from the beginning, like I said."

Hermione nodded as he placed his cups inside hers and set them on the bedside table. He then placed his hands in hers. She rubbed his palms in hopes of comforting him while he divulged what she knew would be some difficult information.

"Okay, so, after you lost consciousness, Dolohov celebrated." Harry said his name with such malice that she knew if Harry ever saw him again, he would make him regret what he did. "Before I could get to you, your mermaid-ness kind of took over."

Hermione frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I think that it—your body knew you were injured and it tried to heal you in a self-preservation sort of way."

"Okay, what happened?"

"You turned into your mermaid form and started soaking up the water that had been broken from several jars and was on the floor. And Dolohov, uhm, he—"

"—he saw me," Hermione finished his sentence and Harry nodded. She closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths. If he saw her, then Voldemort knew, or he was going to know sooner rather than later.

Hermione opened her eyes and looked at Harry. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. If I would have just listened to you to begin with, we wouldn't—"

"Enough of that," Hermione said, moving her hand up to cup his face. "Don't blame yourself, please. It's something that we can handle—everything will be alright." Harry nodded, but didn't look convinced. "Just continue the story and we'll deal with it later. What happened after Dolohov saw me?"

"Well, he looked giddy with excitement. Thankfully, the Order showed up at just the right moment and caught all of the Death Eaters that had been chasing us. And—"

His voice caught and he shook his head as if he couldn't bear to tell her what was next. Hermione frowned and leaned in closer as if she would miss his lips moving. "What is it? What happened?"

"Sirius is hurt really bad. He's here in St Mungo's too… and Ginny's dead," he croaked. "She's dead and it's all my fault."

"What?" Hermione asked, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as her bottom lip began to tremble. "She's gone?" she cried out, her vision now blurry from the forming tears.

Harry nodded and Hermione let the sobs unleash from her body. She put her head in her hands and sobbed for the girl who had become one of her best friends. She cried for Ron and his brothers who had just lost their only sister and Mr and Mrs Weasley—their only daughter. She cried for Harry, who she knew would carry immense guilt for the rest of his life for his part in her death.

He grasped her hands as she moved them away from her face. "I am so sorry, Hermione." When she looked at him, he had tears streaming down his face as well. He shook his head. "I don't know how I can even look the Weasley family in the eyes ever again. I haven't seen them since."

"Not even at Ginny's funeral?" Hermione choked out. Harry grabbed a box of tissues that was on the bedside table and handed several to her. "Thanks." She brought several up to her eyes and dabbed at the wetness there.

He shook his head and sniffled. "I couldn't bring myself to go. I visited her grave a few days later, but—" He dropped his head onto their joined hands and cried. Hermione laid her head on top of his and pulled one hand out from where he was holding onto and began to stroke his hair. She wanted to cry more too, but she knew that Harry needed her to be strong for him right now.

"Everything is going to be alright. I know they don't hate you, don't ever think that."

Hermione wasn't sure if she was being truthful about the Weasleys being bitter. She knew they knew how to hold a grudge, and because Ginny had gone with them on their adventure to the Ministry, it was possible they would blame Harry, and even her, for being a part of the whole thing. She hoped that at least Ron wouldn't shove them away because that would hurt far worse than anyone else.

Eventually Harry's sobs died down into sniffling and Hermione pressed a kiss to his forehead, once again reassuring him. "Everything is going to be okay. We're going to go through a lot of hard times before we get there, but everything will be okay."

Harry nodded and once he calmed down a bit more, he continued on with the story. "Luna and Ron made it out okay, and so did Neville. None of the Order were killed, just Sirius injured."

"And did the Daily Prophet do a report on this? That Voldemort is back?"

"Yes, that is partly how Sirius got pardoned because they made a big deal. There were several witnesses including Amelia Bones and Emmaline Vance who saw Pettigrew and confirmed with their memories that he was still alive. Unfortunately, Voldemort must have known that they were the ones that testified in favor of Sirius being released. They were killed not even a week later."

Hermione's hand flew to her mouth. "Poor Susan," she said, shaking her head. "Madam Bones was her guardian."

Harry looked more and more miserable as the story went on. "The Order is housing her right now. We're all she has left." He once more broke eye contact with her and dropped his head.

"I know this is hard, Harry. It must be difficult to relive all of this over again while you tell me. Is there anything else that I can't learn from a newspaper?"

"Yeah, Dumbledore and I talked."

"And?"

"We talked and he apologized for this year and how much he has avoided me. He explained that he knew that Voldemort was trying to penetrate my mind, to perhaps spy on him and turn me against him, so he kept his distance."

"Silly old man," Hermione whispered. She thought Dumbledore's motives and machinations were always a bit convoluted, but she wasn't about to mention that to Harry in this time of mourning and despair.

"I know, but we talked a lot and he is the one who originally heard the prophecy about me. The one I picked up in the Department of Mysteries, you know?"

"I remember. What did it say?"

"I've had to memorize it because a piece of paper can land in the wrong hands. It says, 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…''

Hermione had scrunched her face up as she listened to him recite the prophecy as Dumbledore had told it to him. When she looked at him, she asked, "What does it mean that you will have power the Dark Lord knows not?"

"I asked Dumbledore the same thing. He said he believed it at first to be love."

"Love?"

"Yes, love, but he has since changed his mind after what happened in the Department of Mysteries."

"What made him change his mind?"

Harry shrugged. "I've had to guess a bit because he always beats around the bush instead of coming right out what he wants to say."

"That's an understatement," Hermione murmured.

Harry nodded in agreement and let a brief smile cross his lips at the small bit of humor. "But he changed his mind because of what happened with the Dursleys. He was convinced that the Dursleys would be the perfect place for me, but I called him out on the abuse I've endured there. He said because my mother's blood was in that house, it would protect me. I think that if I could call that place home, then maybe the enchantments would have worked."

"I'm glad you called him out on that. So what else happened in the Department of Mysteries that made him change his mind?"

Harry smiled. "You. The Order saw you in your mermaid form as well. It's not a secret for anyone anymore."

Hermione sighed and fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. "I knew it was only a matter of time. Go on."

"I finally confided in him about you being the Daughter of the Sea after he saw you in your mermaid form, and he now thinks that you are the key to the prophecy."

"Me? How?"

"You're the power the Dark Lord knows not."

Hermione's eyes widened and her brain began to run a million miles a minute. "Maybe Voldemort had an inkling about me being the power he knows not and that is why he has been sending his Death Eaters to attack the colony."

"I think he was doing that for purely selfish reasons, though I don't know for sure. But now that he knows about you, I am sure he will stop at nothing to destroy you. And Hermione?"

"Yeah?" She looked at him curiously.

"I am absolutely terrified," Harry admitted. "I can't lose you."

Hermione gave him a closed mouth smile and brought his hands to her lips. "You won't be able to lose me so easily, Mister Potter."

"I was terrified these past few weeks that I had already lost you. Gone forever."

Hermione felt a few tears prickle her eyes at his admission. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's me who should be sorry. I took you into that situation with no thoughts of anyone but myself and Sirius. I—" His voice broke again and he shook his head.

"Come here." Hermione patted the bed inviting him in. Harry slipped off his shoes and climbed into bed next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she laid her head on his chest.

"You should rest," Harry told her, throwing the blankets over them both. "We'll talk more later."

Hermione nodded and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep with the sound of her boyfriend's steady heartbeat beating in her ear.

A/N: Thanks to HeartOfAspen once again for her help on this story! I'd love to hear from you all in a review. x