DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!!
Memoirs
Chapter 2
Life returned.
Hermione's breath returned to her and she opened her eyes. Breathing came out rapidly and wheezy. Well, her lungs hadn't been used in 6 months. What can you expect? She looked around, but saw nothing. Her fingers clenched, trying to get the numbness from her system. It worked after a while, but she was still numb. Hermione clawed at the fabric lining of the coffin, trying to get out - her claustrophobia was kicking in. She wheezed as she managed to rip the fabric, but her hand hit the lid. A few tears leaked out of her eyes as she started to hit the lid with her fists.
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Tom gasped for breath as he arrived at Hermione's grave. Yet there was no sign of a shooting star. He clutched his sides in pain and slumped on the floor. He lay there for a minute, catching his breath when a thumping sound made him shoot up. He took out his wand and stood up. No one there. As he was about to lay back down, a HAND came up out the ground!
"What in Merlin's name . . . . . ?" he murmured, observing the hand. The hand was followed by another and they gripped the ground. Tom grabbed the hands as they were about to slip back into the ground and he pulled. Hands became forearms. Forearms became arms. And then arms became the torso of his dead wife. "Hermione!!" he shouted in surprise and helped her out of the ground.
Her dress was ripped slightly was where it caught on the edges of the coffin, her shoes were missing (probably still in the coffin) and her hair had some leaves in it. He picked them out for her as she wheezed against his chest. When she caught her breath, she stood up straight. She took one look at Tom and backed away. Her legs hit the gravestone and she whipped around. Her eyes read the details of death and if her voice wasn't so hoarse she would have screamed.
"Hermione?" Tom asked gently. Her hearing was exhausted and she didn't hear him. Knowing that she couldn't hear him, he walked up to her and lightly touched her arm. She jumped a mile and faced him, backing away. He held his hands up, showing he wouldn't do it again and tried to calm her. Again, she couldn't hear him. So, she turned and ran.
"Hermione!" he shouted after her. "Hermione!" he started to run after her, catching up with her soon enough because her legs were shaking so much she was going at about 15 mph. He stood in front of her and took her in his arms.
"Hermione," he started loudly, "it's okay. I'm here." She pushed him back and ran past him. "Hermione! Stop!" She ran to the castle and around the corner. He followed her. Around the corner, he didn't see anyone. "Okay, she's learnt to disappear." He muttered. A group of Death Eaters came around the corner, consisting of Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Milord?" Bella asked.
"Is anything wrong?" Snape asked.
"Where is she?" Tom asked them.
"Who, milord?" Lucius asked.
"Hermione. She was here."
The three of them shared a look. "Milord, Hermione's dead." Snape said uncertainly.
"No! She came back! I saw it." Tom insisted, taking out his wand casting Lumos. A whimper caught their attention and they followed the sound of it. A huddled figure was in an alcove and they walked over to it. Hermione.
"Oh, my god." Snape whispered.
"Hermione?" Lucius asked uncertainly.
"She can't really hear us." Tom informed them.
"It's to be expected, milord. She's been dead for 6 months. I expect she can't see very well either." Snape explained.
Tom edged forward to Hermione, who tried backing further away. He got down to her level and dimmed the light on his wand to barely a flicker. "Hermione." He said gently. "It's okay." he reached out to touch her arm but she tried to scurry away, hitting her head on the wall. "Shhh. Shhh. It's okay. It's okay." he whispered, putting his hand between her head and the wall. "Lucius."
"Yes, milord?"
"Come over here. Snape, get a Calming Draft for her. Bella, get a blanket."
"Yes, milord." They both replied and walked off.
Lucius came closer to the pair and got down to their level. Hermione was hiding her face behind her bleeding hands and kicking her heels into the ground. "Keep her company whilst I fetch something."
"Yes, milord."
Tom got up and left, leaving the blonde and his wife alone. "Hermione." He said quietly. She looked at him slowly over her fingertips. Tears were streaming down her face and her strained eyes were red and puffy. Malfoy pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her. She just backed away further, hitting her head again. "Hermione! Hermione, stop!" he ordered, putting his hand between her head and the wall, as Tom had done. She stopped immediately and lowered her hands, leaning her head against his palm. He dabbed her tears away and smiled at her. "There we go." She smiled back weakly and he put the handkerchief away. He got a little closer to her and rested his hand on her bare knee. They just looked at each other until Snape and Bella came back.
"Here." Snape said, offering the potion to her. She backed away again and turned her head further into Lucius' hand.
"Give it here." the blonde said and took the potion. He held it out in front of Hermione and whispered. "Please." She looked into his eyes and saw, for the first time, he was begging. Her shaking hands reached out for the potion and she drank it slowly. Her shaking visibly reduced and her breathing became normal. Lucius handed the empty vial back to Snape, who made it vanish.
Tom returned a minute later, holding a thick old book underneath his arm. He walked over to his wife and his most loyal and knelt down. "Lucius, hold this." He ordered, handing the book to the blonde, who took, holding it as if it were glass. "Hermione." He whispered. She looked at him, finally hearing him and took his outstretched hand. The trio stood up and Tom scooped Hermione up in his arms, and all of them walked off to the castle.