Tangled
by Rsuth
DISCLAIMER: As the author of this fanfiction story I do not, in any way, profit from the story or claim any rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe. All creative rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you for letting me play in this amazing world.
CHAPTER FOUR
Lights started to appear in the darkness, floating around lazily in different colours, pulsing and throbbing. She tried to ignore them, wanting to be left alone. They seemed to get larger the more she tried to ignore them, getting closer to her eyes, forcing her to watch them.
She began to feel the lights, feel flashes of icy cold and throbbing heat as they got closer, closer. She couldn't fight them off, push them away. She couldn't move. She needed to get away, get away from the sensations. She wanted to go backwards into the darkness, where nothing could find her, where she was safe.
She couldn't move. She couldn't fight it, couldn't ignore it, so she just allowed it.
Finally the throbbing lights began to move away. She waited to be left in the comforting darkness again. Instead, as she watched the lights move away the throbbing heat began to grow stronger, sharper, painful. Began to spread beyond her vision. Throb and burn, and although she couldn't see them she knew they was hurting her. She needed to find them and stop them.
She focused on the lights, focused on finding them, finding their pain. She began to feel a clarity as she pushed away the tempting darkness, focused on the pain.
Gradually the darkness began to clear, and she realized that the pain wasn't around her, taunting her. It was coming from inside her, trying to make itself known by penetrating the protective darkness she was hiding in, drawing her back to awareness.
She remembered that she had a body, and concentrated on finding it in the dark, needing to stop the throbbing pain. She felt her consciousness reach down to tentatively touch her shoulders, chest, and arms, and spread down to her fingertips and toes.
It was like fire, like chemicals had been poured into her veins. The throbbing became unbearable, the fire hot and burning. She tried to move her body to get away from the heat, to get away from the pain. She couldn't move, couldn't communicate to her arms and legs to even twitch. She began to panic. She needed to move, she needed to get out of here. She needed to find her friends and get them out of here, what if they were hurt? Suddenly sound entered Hermione's conscience, and she had been in the dark for so long that it surprised her. Murmuring voices, deep and light. She couldn't tell which direction they were coming from, couldn't make out what they were saying. What if they weren't her friends, what if they were the enemy? She felt some wet and warm touch her back, felt a dizzying sensation with pressure on her back. The lights exploded close to her vision again, the fire burning hotter as it raced up and down her frozen body. Abruptly they disappeared again and she was left in the warmth of the dark, the fire having left her alone once again.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
She could hear voices. They echoed around in the dark, trying to demand her attention. She tried to ignore them, the noise painful and sharp.
Strained words began to emerge from the murmuring, stirring her from the back of the darkness. "RIGHT NOW…Bellatrix…help…" She could hear Harry and Ron's voices now, and a deeper one she didn't recognize. She needed to move, she needed to get out of the dark so she could help them. She focused on moving, the burning flaring up and down her arms and legs, threatening to push her back into the darkness.
She could feel something holding her wrist, probably holding her down. She concentrated on moving it, trying to pull it away, ignoring the screaming pain that was shooting through her body at the movement. She was suddenly aware that her eyes were closed and she cracked them open, blinded by the bright light that flooded in, so different from the warmth of the dark. She saw figures moving around her, leering at her, staring at her. She couldn't see them, couldn't see their faces, could only make out their shapes. Where were Harry and Ron? Had they been taken too? What had happened?
One of the bodies leaned down over her, ragged scars illuminated across his face. It spoke to her but she couldn't understand what it was saying. His body tilted dizzily and quickly and she couldn't make it stop spinning long enough to see his face clearly. She needed to get away, to save Harry and Ron, it was up to her. It was her duty.
Hands grabbed her, trying to hold her down.
"STOP, PLEASE, DON'T HURT THEM!" She pleaded with them, the movement shooting daggers through her sore throat. She forced her floppy, weak arms to push away the hands, needing to get away from them. She rolled her body onto her side, meaning to stand up and run, but the motion caused the fire to burn harder, darkness creeping into the sides of her eyes, making her want to close them. She blinked hard and looked around her, trying to figure out where she was before the darkness took her again. It was too bright and white, with grey shadows moving across the ceiling. The room was tilting dangerously around her, distorted. The blackness was closing in.
A familiar voice called her back.
"Hermione, calm down…safe now…got away. Harry's here…" Ron. It was Ron. She'd know his voice anywhere. She heard it every day. She heard it in her dreams. She called out for him, needing him, desperate to make sure they were okay. "Ron?" She didn't care that it hurt to speak.
Something warm touched her arm, and she realized how cold she was. His warm scent surrounded her and she let it comfort her, let it fight the burning of her body.
"I'm right here, Hermione, right here…" It was him. Ron was with her, he was okay. Harry was okay.
She must be in the hospital wing. The whiteness, the bright lights. The last thing she remembered was…..the Department of Mysteries. Harry. She had gone to help Harry save Sirius. She knew it was a trap, but how could she let him go without her. It was her duty to protect him. Last thing she remembered was being hit in the chest. A silent curse. Pain. And then nothing. Darkness. They must have got her back to Hogwarts, they must have escaped. Harry was fine. She would have to go home for the summer soon, she couldn't let her parents know she was hurt, they wouldn't let her be around Harry anymore. She wouldn't be able to protect him.
The darkness was once again closing in on her, she had to tell Ron, she needed to protect Harry.
"Ron, don't tell…don't tell my parents wh- what happened, they won't 'll take me away… I won't be able to protect him anymore. Sirius is so…important to Harry…they wouldn't understand why…"
It was pushing on her now, promising her relief from the pain if she would just submit, just close her eyes. Ron was here. Harry was here. They would protect her for now, she could sleep without worrying.
Darkness closed in.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooo
A/N: This was a shorter chapter, but I thought it was necessary before I could continue the story. The story will pick up a bit from here.
Thank you to everyone who has read my story, left a review, or is following it. I'm fairly new to posting fan fiction online, and it is truly an amazing feeling to know so many people have read my story. A special thank you to those who have left me such positive reviews, or are checking the 'follow' button. It really does brighten the day, and encourage me to keep writing.
Next chapter should be posted pretty soon!
