Harry awoke to a throbbing pain in his temple. Without the aid of his glasses, his vision was terrible to begin with, but now he could barely make out indistinct shapes through the spots behind his eyes.

"Ugh…"

"Harry?"

"Mum?"

"I'm here, love, I'm here." Her voice was like a soothing balm against the pain, but the pounding was still relentless.

"Hurts…head hurts…"

"Shh. Here, sweetheart – drink this, it'll help you feel better." He felt her press something cool and smooth into his hands – a cup, perhaps? – and she helped him guide the rim to his lips. The liquid within burned unpleasantly as it slid down his throat, but the taste – cherries and bubblegum – could've been far worse, and his headache subsided almost instantly as his mother's worried face swam into view. Taking the empty cup and setting it to the side, Lily handed her son his glasses and smiled softly.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. Harry didn't answer right away, instead taking a moment to take a look around. The room he was in was comparable in size to his room at home, but the atmosphere was the exact opposite. Whereas his room had Quidditch posters on the walls, books scattered haphazardly across the shelves and his desk, and his favorite thick blue quilt on his bed, this room held not even a hint of anything personal, with plain white sheets on the twin bed and a nondescript nightstand and dresser set.

"Where…where am I?" Harry finally asked.

"St. Mungo's," Lily replied with a frown. "Do you not remember what happened?"

Harry mimicked her expression, his forehead creasing as he thought. When he'd first woken up, his thoughts had been a jumbled mess, but now…now things were starting to come back to him. The sound of shattering glass…the whistle of deadly spells racing over his head…a small girl in a Ravenclaw uniform…the smell of blood…the broken form of…

"Hermione!" Harry gasped.

"What?"

"Hermione," he repeated, sounding panicked. "What happened to Hermione? I remember Ginny screaming, and there was so much blood, but then I…"

"Harry, shh," Lily said again, reaching over to clasp his hand. "Hermione's alright." Harry's anxious expression dissipated somewhat and he looked at her, blinking slowly.

"She's…"

"She's ok – well, she's stable, at least."

"What-"

"Let me finish, love," Lily admonished him gently. "I promise I will tell you about Hermione, but I need to start from the beginning – you need to know what happened." Harry swallowed hard and nodded.

"Alright."

"The people who attacked Kings Cross – they were Death Eaters," Lily began. She reached for something on the nightstand, which turned out to be a recent edition of the Daily Prophet. Harry gasped when he saw the headline: MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN.

"But…how…"

"We're not sure – nobody's ever broken out of Azkaban before, and now almost a dozen of Voldemort's most loyal supporters are at large once more. These people have countless murders, tortures, and other unspeakable crimes to their names, and they managed to escape the same morning you all left for home. Somehow, they knew that the Hogwarts Express was arriving that day, and so they struck where they knew it would hit the hardest."

"Hang on…why was there no warning?" Harry asked. "You said they broke out in the morning, but that was hours before we got back to London…"

"Oh, trust me, the Wizarding community is up in arms over that," Lily said darkly. "It took a while for the guards to even realize that they were gone, and then Fudge made the mistake of thinking the evening edition of the Prophet would be a good enough warning – try explaining that to the people who died."

"The people who died?" Harry repeated, his voice catching on the last word. "How…how many?"

"Twenty-two," Lily said sadly. "Thirteen were students, four were first-years – most of them were trapped in a compartment in the train car that caught fire – by the time anyone realized there were still people in that car, it was too late. A further twenty people sustained serious injuries – most of them are still here in St. Mungo's – and nobody has any idea how many had minor injuries. I think the Healers have had reports of fifty-six so far, but I'm not sure."

Harry merely stared at her for a long moment, completely in shock. Nearly a hundred people…twenty-two dead…thirteen students who would never see their families again…it was hard to take, and he couldn't help the choked sob that escaped.

"Oh, sweetie," Lily said softly, leaning forward and gathering him in her arms, where he folded himself into her like he'd done when he was small. "I know, I know." She rubbed his back in as comforting a manner as she could while he sniffled into her shoulder – you could do all you wanted to prepare yourself for war, but seeing the consequences in person for the first time was always a terrible shock, and there was no way to soften that blow.

"What happened to me?" Harry asked once his tears had subsided. "And Maya? And where are Draco and Ginny?"

"You hit your head pretty hard on the platform, from what I understand," Lily said. "You had a severe concussion, and your jaw was split open – you would've needed stitches at a Muggle hospital." She paused to smooth his hair away from his face and wipe away his tears. "You were one of the minor injuries, actually – the only reason you've been here as long as you have is because the Healers wanted to keep an eye on you – they take head trauma just as seriously here as they do in the Muggle world."

"And Maya?" Harry pressed. He couldn't erase the image of his best friend's broken form from his mind, and he knew he couldn't rest until he knew what had happened to her.

"They aren't quite sure what happened to Hermione," Lily admitted. "She was hit with a truly nasty curse, a personal invention, I believe – Antonin Dolohov is known for that sort of thing. It…well, it tore her open and completely messed with her internal organs. She's very lucky to be alive."

"Is she awake?" Harry questioned. "When can I see her?"

"She's not – she hasn't woken in the three days you've been here," Lily began, but Harry cut her off.

"We've been here for three days?"

"Yes, love," Lily sighed, "and Healers have been working on Hermione almost nonstop since then – they only just finished operating on her last night. Your brother has been an absolute bear – he refused to do anything but pace the hallway outside her room until she was stable, and he hasn't left her side since." Harry nodded in understanding, hardly able to even imagine what Draco had gone through in the last forty-eight hours.

"As for Ginny, she's fine – the Weasleys have been popping in and out at intervals, but as none of them are still hurt, they don't really have much of a reason to stay – the Healers have been requesting that visitors be kept to a minimum so that they can do what they need to do without interruption."

"Can I see her – Hermione?" Harry asked. "Please?" He sounded almost scared.

"As soon as you're discharged, I'll take you to her room," Lily promised. "Your Healer should be stopping by within the hour."

Harry's Healer did indeed check on him approximately half an hour later, and he was soon cleared to leave, several dosages of pain-relieving potion safely stowed in Lily's purse. They made their way to the spell damage wing on the fourth floor, where they found Sirius sitting on a hard plastic chair outside a room halfway down the corridor.

"Harry," he breathed, jumping from the chair to crush his godson to his chest in a bear hug. "Thank Merlin…"

"Padfoot, I'm fine," Harry replied, though he pressed a little further into the hug. He glanced over Sirius' shoulder at the plain wood of the door behind them.

"Is that…"

"Hermione's room, yes," Sirius said. "She's got her own room, since she had to be watched so closely, so we'll have some privacy."

"Wait…where are her parents?"

"They just went upstairs to get something to eat," Sirius said. "They've been here since Friday night, just like the rest of us. And as I'm sure your mum's already told you, Draco's in here." He tapped his knuckles on the frame, presumably to give Draco some warning, and opened the door, allowing Harry to step inside. The lighting was dim, but not so dark that he couldn't see, and unoccupied save for the girl in the bed and the blond at her side. Draco's head snapped up when he heard the creak of the door, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his family.

"Hey, Harry," he said quietly, gesturing to the empty seat on the other side of Hermione's bed with his free hand. His other was firmly wrapped around Hermione's, clinging to her fingers like a lifeline. "I'm glad you're alright."

"You too," Harry said, taking the offered chair. Although to be honest, that was a bit of a stretch – Draco looked like hell. His hair was a mess, like he'd run his fingers through it half a dozen times too many, large bags under his bloodshot eyes betrayed his lack of sleep, and his clothes were wrinkled. Harry suspected that the only reason Draco had even changed out of the clothes he'd been wearing on the train was that the Healers would've seen them as a health hazard.

"How is she?" Harry asked. Draco shrugged.

"Ok, I guess," he said. "The Healers said she should be waking up soon…"

As if on cue, Hermione's hand twitched, and she groaned as she slowly opened her eyes for the first time since the attack. Everyone in the room was instantly on alert.

"Draco?" she whispered, her voice hoarse from lack of use. "Harry?"

"We're here," Harry soothed, immediately taking the hand Draco wasn't holding. Draco didn't – or perhaps couldn't – say anything, just sat and drank in her familiar brown eyes as if he'd never seen them before. Sirius and Lily quietly backed out of the room, Sirius off to alert the Grangers and Lily to find Hermione's Healer, and the trio was left alone.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, her curious gaze quickly taking in her surroundings before resting on the boys once more. "Where are we?"

"We're at St. Mungo's," Draco said. "Do you remember what happened when we got to Kings Cross?"

"Yes," Hermione replied quietly. "We were attacked…oh, Merlin, what happened?"

"Shh." Draco soothed Hermione's tense knuckles with his thumb, but she didn't relax, instead looking even more troubled.

"Would somebody please tell me what is going on?" Hermione demanded.

"We will," Harry promised, "but you need to see your Healer first. You were hurt pretty badly, and we don't really know what happened to you."

The door opened just then, admitting Lily and a blonde woman they didn't recognize, the latter clad in the signature lime green robes of a Healer.

"Ah, Miss Granger – I'm very glad to see you awake," the Healer said. "My name is Healer Barkley."

"Hello," Hermione said politely. Healer Barkley looked at Harry and Draco.

"I know it would be pointless to tell you two to leave, but I am going to have to ask you to step aside for a minute so I can examine your friend," she said gently. After a moment's hesitation and a gentle but firm nod from Hermione, the boys dragged their chairs away from her bedside to sit against the wall opposite the bed. Healer Barkley conjured a privacy screen and began asking Hermione questions – how she felt, did it hurt to breathe, how long had she been awake, and others. Twenty minutes later, the screen disappeared, Hermione now dressed in fresh clothes and sitting cross-legged on the bed. She looked very weak.

"It's probably best if I explain things all at once, since I'm assuming everyone wants to know," Healer Barkley said. "Your parents also need to understand your medicine routine so that they can help you once you leave our care." The door opened for a final time then, and a cry broke the calm as Hermione's parents rushed into the room and threw their arms around their daughter.

"Hermione!" her mother cried, pulling her close and stroking her hair. "Oh, my baby…"

"Good to see you awake, pumpkin," her father said, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief. "We missed you."

"How long have I been here?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"You've been here for three days, darling – we all have," her mother said. Hermione gasped and began to cry.

"Oh, no – I've ruined everyone's Christmas!"

"No, baby – today's Christmas Day, sweetheart. And you most certainly did not ruin Christmas!"

"But I got hurt!" Hermione protested, tears running down her face.

"Lotte, stop." Draco's tone was soft but firm, and he stepped up to the far side of the bed and squeezed Hermione's hand. When she just stared at her feet and continued to cry, he cupped her face in his hands and gently tilted her chin upwards, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"The only ones who are to blame are the Death Eaters who attacked the train," he said quietly. "We might not be celebrating Christmas at home, but at least we're celebrating it together." Hermione sniffed once, then swallowed and nodded shakily. After wiping away the last of her tears with his thumbs, Draco leaned forward and touched his lips to hers, for once not caring that they were in a room full of people. When he drew back, he intertwined their fingers and sat back on the bed beside her. The adults pulled up chairs on the other side of the bed while Harry sat by Hermione's feet, and they all waited patiently for Healer Barkley to speak.

"Miss Granger, I've worked at St. Mungo's for close to fifteen years now, and I've only seen a handful of cases as severe as yours," the blonde woman began. "You're very lucky your friends brought you here when they did – you might not have made it otherwise." Hermione bit her lip and nodded.

"What exactly happened to her?" Hermione's father asked. "Do you know?"

"Now that she's been through surgery and awoken successfully, yes," Healer Barkley replied. "The curse used on her has no name – it is a personal invention of the caster, you see – and this was the first time we'd seen it, but the intent was apparent almost immediately. It creates a large gash in the victim's torso while simultaneously attacking the inner organs – if the failing organs don't kill you, the loss of blood definitely will."

"Failing organs?" Hermione's mother asked faintly.

"Hermione's spleen had already ruptured by the time she was brought in, and her appendix burst not long after that," Healer Barkley explained. "Both were removed during her surgery. The curse attacked her kidneys next, but we managed to contain and remove it before there was any lasting damage."

"And…and you said something about a gash?" Harry managed.

"There is a-" Healer Barkley began, but Hermione cut her off.

"I might as well show you," she said shakily. "You're probably all going to see it anyway." Before anyone could object, she took a deep breath and pulled off her shirt. Hermione's mother whimpered and several of the others gasped as they took in the extent of the damage – a thick, ropy scar began just above Hermione's right breast, briefly hidden by her bra before reappearing to snake its way across her stomach to her left hip. She coughed, swallowed heavily, and ran her fingers across a few inches of the bumpy mark before pulling her shirt back on, her trembling hands seeking those of the boys.

"With time and a little medicinal help, we can greatly reduce the scarring," Healer Barkley promised. "You're very lucky the cut went the way it did – the gash itself wasn't very deep, but there still would've been a very high risk of heart damage had the gash slanted the other way." Draco and Harry tightened their holds on Hermione's hands at that sobering detail.

"Hermione will need to stay here for the next several days for monitoring – as I said earlier, she is the first victim of this particular curse that we've ever treated, and we need to make sure there are no further complications or relapses. You are all welcome to visit as much as you like, but I must ask that you clear any food items with me before giving them to her – she is taking thirteen different potions to counteract the effects of the spell and to deal with the scar tissue, and the last thing we need is anything reacting negatively with the medications." Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement – after everything, having to clear food with the Healer was hardly an issue.

"Once she is released, I will send a list of the medications and their doses home with her, as well as a list of foods and activities to avoid during recovery," Healer Barkley continued. "We expect no further problems should you stick to that regimen." She paused to note something on her clipboard, then said, "Unless you have any further questions, I have a few other patients I should see to this afternoon. If you ever find you need anything, Miss Granger, just press the buzzer by your bed."

"Thank you, Healer Barkley," Hermione said sincerely. "Thank you for everything." The Healer's expression softened as she regarded her determined young patient, surrounded by people who clearly loved her very much.

"You're very welcome, Hermione," she said. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas."

"Oh, Hermione," her mother breathed once Healer Barkley had gone. She rose from her chair and hugged her daughter once more, her husband protectively wrapping his arms around both of them. "I love you so, so, much, and I'm so glad you're ok."

"I love you too, Mum," Hermione whispered back. She gave each of her parents another hug and a reassuring kiss on the cheek, and she gestured for Lily and Sirius to come forward as well.

"We'll save presents for a little later," Lily said quietly as she embraced Hermione. "We're just happy you're alright."

"I am a little tired," Hermione admitted.

"We'll leave you to rest a bit, then," her mother said. "We'll be upstairs in the tea room if you need us." The adults all moved towards the door, whispering well wishes to Hermione as they went. Harry and Draco made to stand as well, but Hermione tightened her grip on their hands and held them back.

"Stay," she said quietly. "Please."

Harry looked to his mother in silent question, and Lily smiled and nodded.

"We'll come back to check on you in a little while," she said. "Get some rest." She shut the door behind her, and Hermione gestured for the boys to kick off their shoes and join her under the covers.

When Lily returned some two hours later, it was to find the three teenagers sound asleep, Hermione sandwiched between Harry and Draco in a massive tangle of limbs on the bed. Taking care not to wake them, Lily pulled the sheets up to cover them more comfortably before straightening their discarded shoes. Though the circumstances were far from ideal and though they must've been squished in the narrow hospital bed, Lily couldn't help but smile – it was the most peaceful she'd seen them in a long time.

A/N: There - hope I didn't leave you all hanging for too long! JKR doesn't say much about Dolohov's curse in OotP besides that it did a lot of damage & would've been worse if he'd said the incantation aloud...so I created the effects. The important thing is that Hermione's alright!

Just a quick note - I'm leaving for vacation on Friday night & will be gone until the following Saturday (we're going to LONDON! The Harry Potter nerd in me is super excited) - this means no update until the following week. Maybe leave me your thoughts in the meantime? :D

JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)