A/N: Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. The answer as to whether Alana wakes up or not. Enjoy.

Chapter 15

Hope Saw Us Through

Tell me what

I have to do tonight

Because I'll do

Anything to make it right

Let's be us again

Sorry for the way

I lost my head

I don't know why

I said the things I said

Let's be us again

Here I stand

With everything to lose

And all I know is

I don't ever want to

Ever see the end

Baby, please

I'm reachin' out for you

Won't you open up

Your heart and

Let me come back in

Let's be us again-

"Let's Be Us Again"

Lonestar

Alana struggled through the mists of sleep and exhaustion. It was like she was trying to surface from the bottom of an ocean. A great weight on her eyes made it even harder for her to make them open. Gradually, her eyes opened, extremely sensitive to the bright light flooding into them. At first, her vision was hazy, and she felt completely numb. Alana lay there, unmoving and blinking her eyes rapidly to get used to the light. After awhile, the numbness wore off, and her vision began to clear. Alana felt her mind starting to awaken as if it had been sleeping along with her. She looked around herself sleepily, not recognizing her surroundings at first. Then, the hospital beds and privacy curtains started to look familiar.

Alana was in the Hospital Wing! The big question was how did she get there in the first place? She couldn't remember anything about that fateful night. The point after she got out of the bath came as a total blank to her. It was like her mind had been wiped totally clean. Slowly, she started to examine her surroundings. On the night stand next to her were several get-well cards along with pictures of her and her friends. There were boxes of candy and other little presents on the table, too. But, what really caught her attention were the roses in a crystal vase. It looked like there was about a dozen of them, maybe more. They were in soft pastel colors, like yellow, light orange, rose pink, and lavender with a few sprigs of baby's-breath in there for a little something extra.

The pleasant aroma soothed her aching mind. Already it was so much to take in. Her body was still very weak and already she was exhausted again. Sleep seemed so tempting to her, like it was coaxing her to give into her fatigue. Suddenly, the door to Madame Pomfrey's office opened! The elderly nurse came out, wiping her hands on her apron. Alana turned her head towards her slightly; her eyes taking her in wearily. That's when Madame Pomfrey noticed Alana looking at her. At first, her expression was unreadable, but it quickly changed to surprised relief.

" Oh praise the Lord, you're awake, Miss Kaligaris!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed in a soft voice. " I can't believe it! You're awake!"

She came rushing over to her bedside hurriedly. The woman bent down and kissed her forehead in a motherly affection several times. When she raised herself up again, Alana saw traces of tears starting to swell in her eyes. Madame Pomfrey put a hand to her mouth to keep from crying. She gazed down at Alana with a mixture of happiness and awe.

" We were so certain that it'd be a very long time before you woke up again. Your readings weren't too promising. All well, that's all in the past." Madame Pomfrey rambled on." The good thing is that you're awake now. So many people will want to see you."

" Excuse me, how long have I been asleep?" Alana interrupted her rejoicing, her eyes filled with much confusion. " Why was I asleep in the first place? Why am I here? This is all so confusing to me."

" Dear, you don't remember what happened to you?" She asked, her smile faultering slightly.

Alana only shook her head. Even the slightest movement took a lot of her strength.

" You came in here three weeks ago and nearly died from loss of blood. It took everything we had to stabalize you. The next day, you slipped into a coma. We weren't sure at all when you'd wake up again. It was even a possibility that you'd never wake up." Madame Pomfrey explained, gently." The sad thing is, we never found out what actually happened to you. Some people have different theories than others. Some say that you were so depressed that you tried to kill yourself, and others say that someone tried to murder you. If you ever woke up, we were hoping that you'd be able to answer that question for us. You don't remember anything, Alana?"

She shook her head slowly in response.

" No, not a thing." Alana answered, quietly. " When I try to think back, I draw a blank. The whole thing is fussy."

" All well, give it time. You may remember later on. Well, I better give your Head of House and the Headmaster the news. I know a lot of people are anxious to see you," She told her, her eyes gesturing down fondly at something next to Alana, " one person inparticular."

Alana followed her eyes. When she looked right next to her bedside, Alana saw a boy sleeping with his head resting on his arms, which were crossed up on the side of her bed. His platinum hair was splaided out elegantly in a silky puddle. The expression on his smooth, porcelean face was calm and content. A blanket lay over his shoulders. Alana's eyes widened when she realized who it was. She looked up at Madame Pomfrey with shock. The nurse merely smiled back at her.

" He came to visit you at least three time everyday for the past three weeks. When he came, he'd always give you fresh roses. One time he explained to me that they were your favorites. Those are from him there on you night stand." Madame Pomfrey whispered, softly, pointing to the flowers next to her. " I came to check on you last night and noticed that he'd fallen asleep watching over you. I just didn't have the heart to wake him, so I put that blanket over his shoulders and let him be."

Alana looked back down at the sleeping form of Draco. She couldn't even begin to describe how her heart felt at that moment. It was like all of her emotions had just been thrown together in a jumbled mess. One side of her was over-joyed that he was there and touched by what he'd done. Draco had come to see her; he had been worried about her condition. But the other, also, felt a twinge of pain from her broken heart. Even after all she had been through, Alana still remembered what had happened between them. The horrible images from that night began to replay back in her mind. Without saying another word, Madame Pomfrey walked out of the Hospital Wing and shut the door behind her. Draco wasn't even aroused by the sound it made as it closed. Alana reclined back into her bed; her sapphire eyes never leaving him.

" I can't believe he's really here! This must be another dream."She thought. " Yes, it's all a dream. Any moment now I'll wake up."

But, Alana knew it wasn't a dream. She knew perfectly well that she was awake, and that everything around her was a hundred percent real. Suddenly, she felt this terrible yearning to touch him. It was nagging away at her, trying to persuade her to just brush her fingertips over him. With her right hand, she hesitantly reached out to touch him. When her hand brushed over his silken head, a comforting feeling wash over her. The feeling she only got when she touched Draco. All of her doubts were pushed away into the back of her head. Her heart break and sorrows were pumbled down into the dark recesses of her mind, while pleasure and comfort washed over her. She stroked his head lovingly for the longest time; her eyes gazing down at him afeectionately. Then, ever so slowly, Draco started to wake up. When he began to move around, Alana's hand shot back. His eyes fluttered open reluctantly, not used to the light at all. A whining groan emitted from him before he yawned hugely, as if to get rid of the side effects of sleep.

Draco sat up slowly; the blanket falling from his shoulders. He stretched his long arms over his head before ruffling his own hair a bit. Then, his stormy gray eyes rested on Alana. Their eyes locked for the longest time; neither of them saying a word. Draco's face was unreadable, looking as if he was still groggy. After a few more seconds, the reality dawned on him, and a incredulous expression took over his face. Alana reached out and took his hand, as if to tell him that she was really there. He leaned closer; his eyes still looking as if he couldn't believe what he saw.

" A...Alana? Is it you? I...is it really you?" Draco asked in a tentative, breathless whisper. " I'm not dreaming again...am I?"

" Hi, Draco." She answered, a small smile gracing her lips.

" Oh my God! It is you! You're really awake! Oh Alana..." He cried out, flinging his arms about her.

Draco pulled her smotheringly close to him, holding her as if to never let her go again. Surprisingly, Alana hugged him back in the same fashion. One of his hands rested gently on the back of her head urging it closer into the crook of his neck. Their eyes were closed trying to savor the moment, making it last as long as it could. Draco buried his face in her hair, muffling the sobs that escaped his mouth. Tears trailed out of Alana's own eyes as she cried along with him. Their bodies shook with longing, but neither of them noticed. They were too caught up in each other to pay attention to anything else.

" I missed you." Draco choked out. " Oh God, how I've missed you!"

" I've missed you, too, my love, very much." Alana whispered, brokenly. " Please, keep me with you! I don't want to go back into that deep sleep again! Don't let me go back into that darkness!"

" Sssh, it's okay! Please, calm down, Alana. I won't let you to relapse again. I've waited so long for you to wake up and I'm going to make sure you stay that way." He purred to her, soothingly. " I don't want to lose you again."

When he held her out infront of him, they smiled warmly at each other; love radiating from their eyes. Draco wiped the tears from Alana's eyes gently with the back of his hand before kissing her forehead. She took his hand and kissed his palm before placing its warmth on her cheek. He continued to smile at her as he moved to sit next to her, putting a protective arm around her shoulders. Holding her close to him felt so right. It seemed like forever since they'd been that close, but it felt good. Alana settled her head in the crook of his neck, and Draco rested his cheek against her forehead. She took in his familar scent, not realizing before how much she'd really missed it.

" It's so good to have you back with me, Alana. I've agonized over this moment for three weeks. For awhile, it seemed like you'd never wake up," He confessed, quietly, " that this coma would last an eternity. I was so afraid that I'd never get to say goodbye."

" I'm here now, that's all that matters." She replied, looking up at him contently. " How is everyone?"

" They're all worried about you, but otherwise the same as you left them, except they aren't planning my demise anymore. When you went into your coma, they all put aside their grudge for your sake." Draco explained. " Your sister is here as well. She's been staying in your dorm all this time. Mia was very kind and helped me through most of this."

" I'm glad to hear that." Alana replied, snuggling even closer to him.

Even as she sat there, content in his arms, Alana still felt that sharp pain from her heart. She wasn't completely certain about him yet. Some nagging little voice said he just was pretending to care to get something from her, even though she wasn't sure what. That's when she saw something sparkle around his neck. When she looked, Alana saw a silver ring with a square-cut sapphire; tiny diamonds outlining it, hanging from his neck on a silver chain. Her promise ring! He'd kept it after all this time! She just couldn't believe it. When Alana looked up at him, fresh tears appeared in her eyes.

" You kept that," She asked in a quiet, awed tone, briefly gesturing down at the ring with her eyes, " even when you knew that I hated you?"

" Of course I did." Draco answered, smiling down at her. " I wanted anything I could get my hands on to remind me of you. I never took it off, keeping it close to my heart, just as you had once done."

" You still continue to amaze me everyday, Draco Malfoy. You never gave up on us, even when times got dark?" Alana replied, still uncertain about all of this.

" A wise person once told me that there is always hope; no matter how dark and bleak the situation may seem." He stated, remembering the words Dumbledore had spoken to him that night three weeks ago.

" That was a very wise person." Alana remarked, the way Draco was looking at her made her feel shy and nervous.

Draco smiled down at her warmly before lowering his lips to hers, only to have the door to the Hospital Wing burst open. The two parted instantly as a whole group of students paraded in. They all rushed over to Alana's bedside, talking all at the same time.

" Alana, thank the heavens, your awake!" Hannah squealed.

" I knew you would pull through! I just knew it!" Cleo added.

" How are you feeling?" Ginny asked, worriedly." Do you need anything?"

" Guys, please, calm down!" Alana exclaimed, trying not to laugh. " I'm fine; a little tired, but fine. I'd be even better if you all talked one at a time and not so loudly."

Everyone went silent, but you could tell by the tension in the room that they were all still extremely excited. She could tell by the stressed faces of her friends how worried they were about her. It touched her heart deeply that they cared so much for her. Then, Jezebel made her way to the front with Blaise trailing along behind her. Alana smiled up at her warmly as she came and stood infront of her. At first, Jezebel just stood there, looking down at her with blank empression. Suddenly, she flung her arms about Alana, hugging her firmly. Alana embraced her as Jezebel cried heavily into her shoulder. She patted her friend awkwardly on the back. Jezebel never really did this sort of thing very often, so it was hard to decide how she wanted to be comforted. After awhile, Jezebel finally looked up with tear streaks on her face. Alana smiled and wiped them away gently.

" If you ever scare me like that again, I swear I'll kill you." Jezebel choked, offering a weak smile.

" Don't worry, I've had enough of near-death experiences." She answered with a laugh.

" Good."

Jezebel hugged her firmly again and stood up. Blaise shook her hand with a smirk and said, " Nice to have you back, Kaligaris. We didn't know what to do with ourselves while you were sleeping the days away."

" Nice to see you, too, Zabini." She answered, smirking back.

That's when Madame Pomfrey rushed in. She saw the group and frowned, going into hystarics.

" Okay, everyone, out!" She snapped, moodily. " You've had enough time to visit, now out!"

" Aw, come on, Madame Pomfrey!" Ginny complained. " We just got here!"

" I don't care!" She yelled, pointing at the door. " Out, all of you!"

They all grumbled as they trudged out of the room. Draco stayed put and looked at Alana with a raised eyebrow. She had the same look on her face and shugged at him for an answer. That's when Professors Dumbledore and Flitwick strode into the room along with Mia. When she saw her little sister, Mia immediately ran up and hugged her tightly. Alana embraced her back just as firmly, letting her sister cry into her hair. Mia's body shook bone-rattlingly from her cries.

" Alana! Oh, Alana..." She sobbed. " Oh, my dear, sweet, beautiful Alana..."

" Ssssh..." Alana cooed, comfortingly, stroking her hair. " It's okay."

" You're back! You've finally come back to us!" She continued to gush. " Oh, please, never scare me like this again! Please, I beg of you!"

" I won't." Alana assured her, trying to cover up her own choked-up voice. " I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Mia pulled back a little and smiled through the concerned look she had on her face. She caressed Alana's cheek with a hand softly, looking down at her admiringly.

" All of those weeks of being asleep and you're still just as radiant as you have ever been." Mia said, hoarsely.

" What can I say?" Alana commented with a smile. " They don't call it 'beauty sleep' for nothing."

Mia laughed lightly and hugged her again before saying, " I see your sense of humor hasn't diminished either."

Draco wrapped an arm around Alana's shoulder and kissed her forehead affectionately. Mia moved herself into the nearby chair to give them more room, holding her sister's hand in hers. Dumbledore cleared his throat, getting their attention. The three looked up at him, almost forgetting that he and Flitwick were even there.

" I, too, am glad to see you awake, Miss Kaligaris." Dumbledore stated, kindly. " I know many of your friends, especially Mr. Malfoy here have been very concerned about you for the past three weeks."

" Thank you, Professor." Alana replied, bowing her head slightly in respect.

" I have sent an owl to your parents." Flitwick informed her. " They'll be here later tonight to see you."

" Thank you, sir."

" Miss Kaligaris, we know you still must be very tired after all of this, but we really need to know what happened to you. Miss Granger and Miss Weasley said they found you in the bathroom. Do you know how you came to get those slash marks on your body?" Dumbledore asked.

Alana looked down at her hands, which she now had in her lap; one hand still clutching to Mia's. When she tried to think back, everything came up blank. That's all she saw in her mind's eye. Blank! Blank! Blank! She looked back up at them finally and shook her head.

" No, I don't." She told him.

" Are you sure?" Dumbledore pressed, a little more firmly. " Think hard, Miss Kaligaris."

" She said she doesn't remember, Professor." Draco retorted, in a harsh voice. " Don't push her. Alana is still weak, and the last thing we all want is her to go back into that lathargic state."

" Draco, it's alright." Alana assured him, putting a hand on his arm to silence him from starting an arguement with the headmaster before looking back at Dumbledore. " I'm sorry, Professor, but I just don't remember. I remember getting out of the bath, but that's it. Everything else just goes black after that."

" I see..." He said, disappointment etched across his face. " Sorry to add pressure to you, Miss Kaligaris. We're just trying to find your attacker before he or she tries to kill anyone else."

" You don't think I tried to kill myself?" Alana inquired, hopefully.

Dumbledore smiled and said, awkwardly, " I don't believe you were that depressed."

Alana smiled appreciatively before she settled comfortably into Draco's arms and yawned. He looked down at her in concern and asked, " Tired, Love?"

" A little."

" You all should leave and let Miss Kaligaris get some rest." Madame Pomfrey told them, sternly.

" I won't leave her." Draco replied, defiantly, hugging Alana closer to him.

" It's okay, Draco." Alana said, looking up at him wearily. " I'm not going anywhere. Besides, I'm sure you have classes to go to."

The guilty look on his face said that she was right. She smiled and hugged him awkwardly. It still felt strange for her to hug him. Things just weren't clear for her yet.

" Go," She encouraged him settling back down into her bed, " I'll be fine."

Draco looked at her hesitantly before standing up.

" If it's alright with Madame Pomfrey, I'll stay here and look after her." Mia told him, comfortingly.

He nodded in appreciation. Then, he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. Alana felt her old feelings towards him almost take over her being. Almost! She looked up at him; her eyes riddled with confusion as he smiled back down at her. Draco slipped the chain that held her promise ring up over his head before placing it over hers. Alana looked down and fingered the ring tenderly; her fingers tracing the familiar stones.

" Take care of that for me." He told her with a smirk. " I'll see you later tonight, Love."

Alana watched as he turned and walked out of the room. Dumbledore and Flitwick bid her "goodbye" as well before they, too, left. Madame Pomfrey went into her office after telling Mia to call her if she needed something. When they were finally alone, Mia smiled brightly at her sister, taking one of her thin hands into hers. Alana couldn't believe how thin she had gotten while she was asleep. Then, the reality dawned on her at last. She had been in a coma! She had been unconscious for three weeks! People were beginning to think that she would never wake up! It scared her to think about it. Mia saw the distressed crease on Alana's forehead, knowing she was thinking about her past situation.

" Alana," She called, softly, to get her attention, " I'm really relieved that you're awake."

" Thank you."

" Is there something that is bothering you?" Mia asked." You know that you can tell me anything."

Alana looked at her sister uncertainly. There were many things that were troubling her. How could she sum them all up without taking up the rest of the day?

" I don't know..." Alana began. " Everything...everything seems to be going wrong. It's my whole life here at Hogwarts! First, I meet who I think is the perfect guy. Then, I find out that he may possibly be cheating on me! And now, this!"

She gestured to herself in the bed. Alana was getting very aggitated about all of this all of a sudden. She looked down at the bandages on her arm and the ones peeking through the top of her night gown.

" I mean...look at me! I'm in a freakin' hospital bed, nearly covered in bandages! And on top of that, I can't tell anymore if Draco really did cheat on me or not!" Alana exclaimed. " He comes in here, looking all relieved and concerned, and I can't tell! It's pissing me off!"

" Alana, calm down!" Mia replied, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous her little sister was being. " Is this why you're so stressed? You're worried that Draco really would stoop low enough to cheat on you?"

Alana merely nodded her head like an upset child. Mia let her laughter ring out. Her sister now had an indignant look on her face and crossed her arms in a huff.

" It's not funny, Mia!" She snapped, angrily. " Stop laughing at me!"

" I...I'm sorry." She answered, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes. " It's...it's just funny to finally see you stressed out about something other than school work for once."

" Ha ha, very funny." Alana retorted with a pout.

" Okay, Alana, I'm really sorry." Mia assured her, patting her hand. " If I may say so, you have nothing to worry about. From what I observed, Draco could only have room for one woman in his life, and that is you."

" How can you be so sure?" Alana asked, skeptically.

" Because he hardly ever left your side while you were in that coma." She said with a laugh. " I mean...I'd have to come in here and nearly argue with him to get him to leave and get some rest or go to class. He spent every spare second he could in here with you. I've never seen anyone, save for myself, care about you as much as he does."

Alana said nothing. She just started to play with the bedsheets, refusing to look up.

" I...I just don't feel like I can trust him yet, Mia." She murmured. " I can still feel the aftermath of my broken heart. A part of me wants Draco back so desperately, but the other doesn't want to be hurt again."

Mia smiled understandingly and put a comforting hand on her cheek. She then, made Alana look up at her. Alana had tears in her sapphires, not letting a single one fall down.

" I don't want to go through all that pain again." She whimpered, clutching Mia's hand. " I...I want him, but yet...I don't."

" Oh, Alana..."

" How did my life get so complicated?"

" Sometimes it does, but it always gets better." Mia assured her, embracing her gently. " Alana, please, just give him another chance. Draco is a good man. If anyone loves you more than anything else in the world, it's him."

" But..."

" Enough of all this doubt!" Mia said, holding her out infront of her, wiping away Alana's tears in a motherly fashion. " It's time for you to be happy."

" I don't know if I can be." Alana murmured, sorrowfully.

Mia gave a great sigh before turning to look at the roses on Alana's night stand. Then, a sweet smile graced her lips when something caught her eye. She looked back at Alana, palming her cheek lovingly before saying, " I know you are confused, Alana, and though it seems hard, you need to forgive and forget. It is the only way you are ever going to heal. Trust me on this one. I know true love when I see it, and I see it everytime Draco's eyes rest on you. Now, get some rest and think over what I've said. I'm going to get a little rest myself."

Mia leaned forward and planted a tender kiss on Alana's forehead before rising from her seat. She smiled knowingly at Alana as she closed the Hospital Wing door behind her. Alana gave a frustrated sigh as she leaned back against her soft, feathery pillow. She looked over at her roses again and couldn't help but think how truly beautiful they were. It was then her eyes travelled down and caught sight of something right below them. For the briefest moment, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Leaning against the vase of her roses in a metal picture frame wrought with designs of roses was one of her watercolors. But this wasn't just any watercolor. She still couldn't believe it; didn't want to believe it.

" But...but I threw it away! I remember distinctly tearing that painting out of my sketch book and throwing it into the garbage!" Alana thought, unable to grasp the fact that the painting was sitting right infront of her. " How did it get here? Who could have possibly found that?"

The picture in question was the one she had painted of she and Draco standing on the balcony in Paris. With a little hesitation, Alana reached out and took the picture off of her night stand. She cradled it in her lap, holding it very gingerly. Her fingers traced over the delicate engravings in the frame; the metal cool beneath her fingertips. Memories flooded back to. Alana remembered sitting at her desk and outside near the lake, working diligently on the painting for days. The whole time she worked on it, she had dreamed of when the painting would become a reality, dreaming of when they would become man and wife and of having a little family of their own.

This brought tears back to her eyes. That dream still seemed farther away than ever before. Sharp pains tore at her heart savagely. The picture seemed to be tormenting her now; the happy faces mocking her. Alana's grip on the frame tightened as she remembered why she had thrown it away. A few days after she had seen Pansy and Draco together, Alana had gone through her sketch book, tearing out all of the paintings and drawings that reminded her of him. She remembered the burning desire of wanting to forget all about him. When she'd come to that painting imparticular, Alana had felt her heart shattering all over again. It took less than a second for her to tear that picture out, crumple it up, and throw it into her waste basket. Later, she had regretted what she had done. Each night as she lay in bed, part of her yearned to dig through her now full trash bin and recover the painful painting. But her pride and fear of being wounded even farther had prevented her.

Now as tears dropped down onto it silently, Alana felt like she couldn't let it go. Those content and happy smiles and the peaceful backround were too much for her to give up. Alana then, hugged it close to her chest, making a secret promise to herself to never let it out of her sight again. Ever so gently, Alana set the painting back up against the vase, fingering it lovingly for a second longer before settling down into her bed. She kept her head turned to look at the painting, not wanting to take her eyes off of it for even one moment in fear that someone would take it from her. Then, Alana noticed a little note laying not far from the frame.

She reached out with her hand and took the note off of the night stand. After opening it up, Alana's eyes scanned its brief contents quickly, feeling a lump rising in her throat as she read it. Tears blurred her vision, and finally, she let the note just drift to the floor. But still, the words haunted her every thought. It was like they were imprinted in her mind permanently.

Never give up hope.

D.M.

Alana shook her head sadly. How could she not give up hope when hope had left her so long ago? Her eyes drifted back to the picture, trying to seek comfort within its bright colors and cheerful setting. That image was the last thing she saw before Alana had drifted into another deep slumber.

A/N: This chapter didn't seem to take very long to type, but then I saw the scrolling bar and I couldn't believe how long it actually was. I know you all aren't quite satisfied how I left off, but it will get better. Besides, it leaves the question open as to who attacked Alana. Keep that in mind for later chapters. Review.