Hermione groaned and tried to roll over as someone rubbed an ointment into the wound on her back that made it sting.
"I know it hurts but it'll help you heal," A sweet voice said, continuing to rub her back.
Hermione's eyes flicked open groggily as she recognized the voice - Madam Pomfrey, the school matron.
As her eyes adjusted to the light, Hermione looked around.
She was in the hospital wing, that was certain, with a curtain drawn around her bed.
She could feel a breeze hitting her back so she assumed Malfoy's spell had tore through the back of her clothes and robes too.
"You are a disgrace to your house!" Hermione could hear Snape hissing, "Attacking another student! 50 points from Gyrffindor. Each."
Wait, Hermione thought drowsily, Malfoy isn't in Gyrffindor...
"But he attacked Hermione!" Ron snarled.
"Yeah, we were only trying to help!" Harry insisted.
"Not another word," Snape demanded.
"But Professor-" Neville's voice pleaded.
"Not another word! Or do you want another 150 points taken from your house?" Snape growled.
Ah, that explained it, Hermione thought to herself with a weak smile.
"All done, dear," Madam Pomfrey said from beside Hermione.
"Um, thanks," Hermione muttered.
"Would you like anything? A drink? An extra pillow?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"... A book would be nice," Hermione said after a pause.
Madam Pomfrey smiled, "Of course. I'll send someone up to your dorm for one immediately."
Madam Pomfrey disappeared behind the curtain and Hermione rolled over onto her back.
It was more comfortable that way.
"I will see you all for detention on Thursday evening, the dungeons at 7.30 sharp!" Hermione could hear Snape continuing.
"But Professor! We have Quidditch practice!" Ron protested.
Oh, of course, Hermione grinned to herself, He doesn't care about the actual detention, just that he'll miss Quidditch.
"You should consider yourself lucky you're all not being expelled!" Snape snarled, "I'll be appealing to the headmaster about it straight away!"
"Sir, I-" Neville started.
"Not another word, Longbottom! Of all of you, you, should be the most severely punished... I'm surprised Draco's not in Saint Mungo's after what you did to him!" Snape exploded at him.
"Excuse me, Professor, but I was just wondering if one of these boys would mind getting a book and some pyjamas for Miss Granger," Madam Pomfrey interrupted, "She's regained consciousness."
"I'll go," Neville decided, darting towards the door.
"Wait right there, Longbottom! I'm not finished with you yet," Snape snarled before turning back to Madam Pomfrey, "Any news on Draco?"
"He's still unconscious but the swelling is going down and most of the curse marks should be removable when the bruises disappear and we can see the damage," Madam Pomfrey said.
"Excellent, I'll be back shortly," Snape announced, following Neville out of the Hospital Wing.
"Is she allowed visitors?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"One moment. I'll see if she's up for them," Madam Pomfrey responded, walking towards Hermione's curtained off bed.
Hermione rolled back onto her side and pulled the bed sheet up over her exposed flesh just as Madam Pomfrey pulled back part of the curtain.
"There are some people here to see you, Miss Granger. Do you feel well enough to see them?" Madam Pomfrey asked, a frown of concern clouding her features.
"Yeah, sure," Hermione lied.
Her back was actually killing her as if someone had poured salt into the wound.
"Come on in," Madam Pomfrey smiled at Harry and Ron, "But you can only stay for a few moments! My patients need their rest."
With out further ado, Madam Pomfrey pulled away the curtain and Ron and Harry bounded over to her bed side.
"Hermione! Are you all right?" Ron demanded.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Hermione lied again, "Just a bit... sore."
"Well, you should be... After what Malfoy did to you," Harry frowned, "He attacked when your back was turned!"
"He deserves everything he gets," Ron spat.
"That's just the thing," Hermione slowly, "What did he get? Or what exactly did you two give him?"
"Three actually," Harry corrected, "Neville cursed him a few times... I thought I saw a Crucio at one point!"
"Cruci-" Hermione started to exclaim but Ron cut her off.
"He's over there," Ron said, motioning to another un-curtained bed.
Sure enough, Draco was lying there, his face swollen and practically covered in bruises, making his face sickly blue-black in colour.
Hermione wouldn't have been surprised if he was like that under the sheets that were covering him as well.
"Wow... You really didn't hold back, did you?" Hermione laughed despite herself.
"Well, as we said, it was mostly Neville," Harry corrected her again.
"Oh, God," Hermione said softly, realizing the situation they'd gotten themselves into, "You... You could get expelled for that! You could go to Askaban! You could be given to the Dement-"
"Calm down, Hermione!" Ron snorted, "Nothings going to happen. Dumbledore and the Ministry won't let anything happen to The Boy Who Lived and his mates."
"Don't call me that," Harry scowled.
"Well, it's true, isn't it? You're supposed to defeat You-Know-Who so you're hardly going to be executed for attacking a stuck up Pureblood! And besides, he attacked Hermione!" Ron was continuing.
"Twice," Hermione muttered softly.
"Yeah, twice. I mean-" Ron babbled on, "Wait... What?"
"Twice," Hermione repeated, "He found me last night on the way to the library and... He tortured me."
"WHAT? HE TORTURED YOU?" Harry practically yelled.
"Yeah, that's why I hadn't done my Potions Essay..."
"IT DOESN'T MATTER ABOUT THE BLOODY POTIONS ESSAY! HE ATTACKED YOU! HE BLOODY ATTACKED YOU!"
"Stop shouting, Harry!"
"Don't tell Harry to stop shouting," Ron ordered, "We should all be shouting! He attacked you!"
"Well, technically it was him and Crabbe and Goyle," Hermione shrugged, making her wound explode with a fresh wave of pain.
"EXCUSE ME?" Ron said loudly.
"HE ATTACKED YOU! HE SHOULD BE KILLED! NO, HE SHOULD THROWN INTO THE WILDERNESS AND LEFT TO WANDER FOR 1000 DAYS AND THEN BE GIVEN TO THE DEMENTORS! HE SHOULD BE CLAWED TO DEATH BY A HIPPOGRIFF, BUCKBEAK IN FACT. HE SHOULD -" Harry was still going.
"Look, it doesn't even matter!" Hermione snarled, Madam Pomfrey was looking there way in confusion and concern and Hermione really wanted Ron and Harry to shut up.
"OF COURSE IT MATTERS!" Ron snarled.
"No, it doesn't!" Hermione insisted, "Because Neville saved me."
They shut up immediately, both stunned into silence by the news.
They had both frozen as well, Harry standing with his arms in the air as he paced about in a rage.
"Wait, Neville?" Ron squeaked, his face and ears turning from a deep shade of red to a pale, pale white.
"Yes," Hermione whispered, hoarse from all the shouting, as Ron and Harry quietly came and sat down in the chairs beside her bed.
"That would explain why he was so angry..." Harry gulped, taking deep ragged breaths to get his breath back after shouting for so long.
"Excuse me a moment," Ron said, getting up and taking his wand out of his pocket before turning and walking towards Malfoy's bed.
"What are you doing, Ron?" Hermione asked uncertainly.
"Nothing," Ron lied.
"Ronald Weasley, you will tell me what you are doing," Hermione demanded, using what Ron and Harry referred to as her "mothering" tone.
"Fine," Ron sighed in defeat.
No one could ever dodge Hermione's questions when she was determined to find out the answers.
"I'm going to kill Malfoy," Ron admitted, reaching Malfoy's bed and placing his wand to his temple.
"Good idea," Harry nodded, "I'll join you."
It was then that Madam Pomfrey got up from her desk and came towards Malfoy's bed, ushering the two boys away.
"You must go now, boys," Madam Pomfrey demanded, "My patients need their rest."
"But-"
"Off you go! You can visit again tomorrow," Madam Pomfrey reassured them, taking them to the door and trying to close it behind them.
"Madam Pomfrey!" A voice gasped," I have Hermione's things!"
"Perfect! Thank you," Madam Pomfrey smiled, grabbing the pyjamas, book and washing things off Neville and closing the door firmly behind the three boys but not before Hermione saw Ron turn to Neville and say, "You bloody hero."
"Madam Pomfrey, how long will I be staying here?" Hermione asked when the door was closed.
"A few days at the most," Madam Pomfrey assured her, walking over and setting the book, pyjamas and washing things down on her bedside cabinet.
"Oh," Hermione sighed, disappointed that she wouldn't be able to leave the next day.
"If you just want to get changed into those pyjamas, there is a bathroom over there," Madam Pomfrey smiled, motioning to a door beside her office.
"Umm, yeah, thanks," Hermione shrugged, sliding herself out of bed and grabbing her wash stuff and pyjamas.
She went into the bathroom and took off her robes before checking out the full extent of the wound using the mirrors all around her.
It was huge and jagged, zigzagging down her back in a lightning shaped line.
Voldemort and his followers really do have a thing for lightning shapes, Hermione thought to herself with a smile.
Looking at the wound once again, Hermione turned away from the mirrors and quickly freshened up at the sink before changing into her pyjamas.
White Muggle pyjamas with multi-coloured sheep roaming across them.
Just the kind of night wear that would get a tired Muggleborn tortured as she lay defenceless in the Hospital Wing...
With a sigh, Hermione left the bathroom, and depositing her torn clothes and robes in a bin beside Madam Pomfrey's desk, went back to her bed.
She picked up the book Neville had brought her, eyeing the cover with distaste.
DEADLY CREATURES - And where to find them.
She'd read that in first year... Seven times.
The next few days were going to be very long indeed.
A short while later, Hermione was brought a dinner of tomato soup, bread rolls and pumpkin juice.
She ate a bit of the bread but barely touched the rest.
She'd been staring at Draco since after she'd read DEADLY CREATURES - And where to find them another two times and it was making her loose her appetite.
She groaned as Madam Pomfrey approached her again with medicine and the back ointment in her hands.
Madam Pomfrey handed her the goblet and Hermione downed it quickly - it tasted vile- before rolling over and allowing the matron to rub the ointment into her back again.
She wanted it over as soon as possible.
"Right, I'll be back in the night to check you a few times but apart from that you'll be on your own," Madam Pomfrey announced when she had finished on Hermione's back.
"That's fine," Hermione muttered into her pillow.
She'd taken to lying on her stomach rather than her side, it was slightly less awkward that way.
"Right... I'll be off then," Madam Pomfrey said, gathering up Hermione's dishes and taking her leave.
Hermione sighed and rolled onto her back and trying to get comfortable.
She might as well take enjoyment of being away from her noisy common room for a while.
She could clear her head and arrange her thoughts.
If only she had a new book to read...
A few hours later, Hermione had arranged some of her thoughts and was just staring to drift of to sleep.
Then she could really relax.
She would be free from the evils of the world - Voldemort, Death Eaters, murderers... Everything.
Even stalkers.
Hurray!
But only if she could get to sleep in the first place.
But some people seemed very reluctant to let her do that...
"Evening, Mudblood."
(AN) Well hope you enjoy it =) But please – review! I don't know if people are liking this fic or not so yeah, if you review I'll keep writing =D