Written In The Body
Poetheather
A/N: Another somewhat shorter chapter but there is a lot going on. Enjoy!
A/N 2: This story is almost at 300 follows, which is awesome but when it hits that mark I don't think I can give you all an extra chapter. I am working on Chapter 38 right now and that isn't conducive to having extra chapters for you all. My wrist injury ruins all the fun. It's still a touch tender so speed typing does ache some.
Still not JKR. I mean, I don't even look like her. For reals though.
Thirty-Four
Hermione groaned. Her head hurt, the pain pulsing with her heart rate and she felt drained, wanting more rest except she wasn't exactly sleepy so why was she lying down? What was wrong? She was on lying on something soft so it had to be one of the beds in the Hospital wing. What else could it be? It was the only thing that made sense. Opening her eyes to confirm that she was where she thought she was, Hermione noticed that it seemed to be sometime in the late evening. A few of the lights were bright in her eyes and she squinted, as the lights were hurting her head. She grumbled as she sat up and looked around the room, her head spinning slightly making that a bit difficult. What had happened to her? Why was she in the hospital wing? She couldn't remember anything happening that would explain this but then again her head felt a bit wooly. The longer she was awake the easier it was to think and the pain in her head faded. Knowing vaguely that something major had to have happened for her to end up in here, she rubbed the back of her neck and looked around even more to see if there were any clues about. When she spotted Ginny laying in a bed rather still a few places away from her and much closer to Madam Pomfrey's office, she gave a start of surprise and called out, "Ginny!"
It all came back to her in a rush of memory, the game yesterday, her flying, the Bludgers, the fall… oh God the fall! Hermione's heart fell and she felt a bit nauseous as her fear for her love made her stomach lurch. Hermione stood; she needed to get closer to the girl she loved in order to touch her, to make sure she was okay. Her head spun and the world began to grey out slightly. She had to grab the end of the bed as she struggled to remain on her feet. She grew lightheaded and she was struggling to remain standing as she grew woozier, her hands clutching the bed frame tightly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, trying to get the head spinning to stop. It was sort of working and annoyed her. There was no time for this; she had to get to Ginny.
With a bit of effort she made it slowly around the beds clutching to the frames as best she could until she was next to Ginny's bed. She sat down heavily into the wooden chair, making it creak slightly under hear weight. Eyes closed as she fought back the new wave of nausea that threatened to wash over her and empty her stomach. Swallowing that down, she opened her eyes and looked at Ginny. Her girlfriend looked so fragile there in the bed, under the blankets, as there was pain etched on her face even in sleep. From the presence of the bottle of Skele-grow sitting on the end table next to the bed, she was sure that Ginny would be fine, at least her bones would be at the very least. However the biggest source of her worry was the fact that Bludgers were made of iron and were ten inches in diameter and traveled pretty fast. They were essentially cannonballs that they played with. Her love had been hit twice by two cannonballs traveling at a pretty fast rate of speed from different directions. Another wave of nausea hit her and she had to swallow her gorge again.
And on top of what could only be a severe head injury after that Bludger slammed into her, she fell from the same height as the tallest goal as she had been shooting downwards towards one of the side goals. All she could really remember clearly was the impact and then the fall and the sheer terror that ran through her when she watched her love plummet to what she had been sure was going to be her girlfriend's untimely death. Reaching out a hand, she brushed a hair that had fallen into Ginny's pale face off to the side and felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. Her love looked so broken and it hurt her so much to see that. Ginny wasn't that weak at all and so this image of her was amazingly disturbing.
Hermione was aware that she had been relying on Ginny's strength for a while now in order to ensure that she could get through her days but it was just so easy as the girl was such a source of strength and solidity in her life. She felt so loved and cherished thanks to the girl that there was no way she could doubt how her Vixen felt about her. There was no night where she went to bed without having been told how much she was loved or how beautiful she was and often both. There were no vagaries of the heart to deal with for which she was thankful. But she had taken Ginny's strength for her own strength, using that support to help her stand and face the world when things had gotten too tough for her to stand on her own. Hermione was aware that this was not the best plan she could come up with but it was the one she had followed. So long as she had Ginny there with her it became simplicity itself to face anything that rose up in front of her, as she knew that someone always had her back, always was there to support her or in the event that something went badly to catch her if she failed. That made her brave even on days when it felt like all courage had been cut from her body.
But now… now her rock, her safe haven was lying battered on a bed in the Hospital Wing. As she was thinking about it she realized that it was doubtful that Ginny had taken the Skele-grow yet, knowing that Ginny would have to drink it on her own. Well, maybe there was a way to do it when the patient was unconscious but if there was she knew nothing about it. Besides, from what she knew, head injuries always took precedence over broken limbs. If there were any swelling or some other issue with the brain and the Skele-grow fixed everything a bit too well it might cause more trouble than it would fix. She wasn't exactly sure as she had only learned the basics of magical first aid in preparation of their Horcrux hunt, knowing that such knowledge would be necessary. However this was well outside her realm of familiarity in the subject and she was scared. What she didn't know about the subject was actually important.
Her only hope for Ginny's safety was the fact that if she were here at the school the damage couldn't be that bad, because if it were surely Ginny would be in London at St. Mungo's instead. Madam Pomfrey was not one to mess around with health issues so that was a positive sign. She would have taken Ginny to St. Mungo's at the first sign that her injuries were outside of her range of skills. But that didn't mean that the whole situation her girlfriend was in wasn't serious. Madam Pomfrey was a Senior Healer after all despite being simply the School Nurse and after dealing with years of Harry's misadventures and the recent collection of war wounded, she was very well versed in trauma healing. If Ginny were here and breathing she was going to be okay. Right? She was going to be okay. Hermione kept trying to convince herself of that fact.
Taking hold of Ginny's hand lightly, she bent over it, and began to cry. It hurt so much to see her like this, broken, hurt, looking fragile and wan. The tide of her emotions was too strong for her to block them out. With the pain clear on her face and Hermione's understanding of how bad that accident had been, to Hermione, her girlfriend barely looked like herself and all of this was tearing her heart out more than she had been ready for. She almost choked on her voice when she begged desperately, "Gin… please Gin… don't leave me. I'm not sure I can do this without you. I need you love. Please."
Crying quietly for a few moments as her internal pain welled up inside her filling the farthest reaches of her, Hermione tried to breath in, the air hitching as it moved into her lungs. She was so torn up over this and she felt like she was being tossed about in the wind. If only she knew how Ginny was really doing then her fears could be assuaged. "I'm so scared Gin. After getting hit you fell. You fell and I…" She swallowed thickly, her throat wanting to close up on her as her heart was aching so much that she was not quite sure what she should do. There was so much she wanted to say to Ginny and she didn't know if she would be able to speak, to be able to say the things she meant and felt. "You have to get better Vixy. Come on baby, I need you."
Tears were falling onto pale, freckled skin of Ginny's hand and Hermione held in her sobs as best she could. It was difficult for her not to give in utterly and wail there next to the girl who held her heart. She had felt so incomplete, so fragmented inside, more so after Malfoy Manor than before, until that night back in August when she had awoken held safely in Ginny's arms. Since that night back in August Hermione had felt reborn, practically a literal coming back from the dead as she had felt so destroyed inside and feeling truly alive for the first time in her life, her emotions seemingly unlocked by that simple act. All of that, all of those feelings and all of those marvelous experiences like the sex, the flying, the pranks, all of it could be laid at Ginny's feet. This was the girl of her dreams, the girl she had seen night after night for years but hadn't been able to make out clearly who it was, probably from fear of the truth and her insecurities. This was the girl who had awakened that truth in her as she had already been searching through the wilderness for what would make her whole and had been surprised that Ginny had been it. This was the girl who had set her free with a hug and a kiss now lying ashen and wounded on the hospital bed, taken down by the sport she dearly loved. It was so unfair.
"I need you baby. Please baby… please. Come back to me." Her words were getting overcome by her emotions, making it harder for them to force their way out her mouth. She simultaneously felt both numb and rent asunder by the grief, unsure what to do. It felt like all she could do for her love at this moment was pray. "You are my love and I do not want to go on without you. Please Vixy… please."
The hand she was holding was still, limp, and the only movement on the bed she could tell was the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of her girlfriend's chest. It made her feel insane, like she was falling with no end in sight. She wanted, needed to see Ginny's beautiful brown eyes looking up at her, to lose herself in their depths again, to see that slight smile because surely she would not take their time together for granted any more, not after this. No, not ever again. She would hold tight to those precious moments she had with Ginny with all that she had. It was all that really mattered to her at the moment. Nothing else was important. Nothing at all but her love.
"I love you Ginny. I love you so much. I have never felt so special as I have with you. I need for you to get better okay? I need that, desperately need that. If… if you don't get better than…" she swallowed down her panic again, which was rising up to strangle her. This girl right here, this girl was the one from her dreams… why should she fear that? Why should that fact scare her? She so wanted to take a risk, take a leap of faith, of love. "…how can I ask you what I need to ask you?"
Hermione reached out and lovingly stroked her girlfriend's face with her free hand, not even paying attention to the tears trickling down her face. The burn of salt from the tears was ignored as she spoke, tears spattering on her chest. "I want to… no I need to marry you Ginevra Molly Weasley. I need you as my wife, as one of the mothers of our children and if you don't get better how can we do that? I want to spend the rest of my life with you building a family and watching our kids grow. What could be better than that? So you need to get better damn you!"
She tried to smile but it wavered on her face weakly. This confession was helping get her thoughts in order but that didn't make watching her girlfriend lie there any easier. Telling Ginny this while the girl was unconscious was a bit liberating but did nothing for her lurching heart. If only her mother were there to hold her, tell her everything would be okay, and provide her comfort while she was so hurt by this, so afraid of what might happen. "Vixy, you have to wake up and come back to me. Please."
With a trembling body, she rose to her feet slowly, fighting off the dizziness, and leaned over the bed, kissing Ginny on her forehead and then on her lips, trying to ignore the fact that her kisses were wet with tears. She brushed a hand down Ginny's cheek gently, trying to smile bravely. "I love you baby… you need to get better for me. Please."
"Miss Granger!"
Hermione looked up and over at Madam Pomfrey, startled by the woman's appearance at the end of the bed. She hadn't heard nor noticed the Nurse walking towards her.
"Please sit down on that bed. Now!" It was clear that the Nurse was brooking no argument from her, not that she had the energy to fight against her. Besides sitting down had a certain appeal at the moment.
Hermione sat, some of the tension and wobbliness fading and looked at the older woman, a bit stunned really. What had she done wrong?
"Really Miss Granger, there was a reason you were put in a bed. If you had simply waited for me or had called out I could have come and checked on you and then helped you over here safely, instead of having you risk falling over and hurting yourself." chided Madam Pomfrey, quite upset with her.
"Sorry Madam Pomfrey. I was just worried about Ginny and needed to get over here to her," said Hermione, rather cowed by the Nurse and accepting the scolding.
"That's fine Miss Granger and I did expect that, but taking a risk and possibly hurting yourself in the process is not a smart plan. You know better than that. You need to take care of yourself first before you can help anyone else. I would have thought you might have learned that maxim by now." The older woman's voice was far kinder now as she looked at the younger girl fondly.
"Is… is she going to be alright?" Hermione's voice shook as she asked the question. This was the thing she most wanted to know and she was a bit frightened by the answer.
"She should be fine. I have her hip and thigh stabilized for now so they won't cause further issues. They were broken with the hit there but thankfully it was a simple set of breaks and easily fixed. A quick sip of Skele-grow should have that right as rain in no time. The head injury is more troublesome issue however." replied Madam Pomfrey, turning away from Hermione and quickly checking on Ginny.
"What about her injuries from the fall?" asked a very worried Hermione. Given how bad Ginny had been hit, the fall should have done a good bit of damage, making everything worse.
"There were no injuries from the fall." The Nurse said with a knowing smile.
"There weren't?" Hermione was very confused by this. That didn't seem at all possible from everything she knew and remembered. A fall from that height could have easily killed Ginny since she had been already injured.
"Don't you remember dear?"
"Remember what?" This was not helping Hermione's confusion and was only ramping up her worry. What was she not remembering? What had happened? Everything was blurry and vague after she had watched Ginny getting hit. She did not truly recall the details of the end of things, her mind instead rerunning the moment of impact ramping up her fears. How had this happened?
"You apparently cast Aresto Momentum on her as she fell. Ginny reached the ground safely with no further injury. It was an impressive feat of magic. What you did probably made all the difference and saved her life." explained the Nurse.
"I did? I don't remember doing that or even getting my wand out. I only remember her fall." said Hermione in a bit of a daze. Had she really cast that spell? There was no memory of that at all, not even a hazy recollection.
"From what Miss Lovegood reported, you had to have cast the spell wandlessly and silently. If you were panicking at the time, which is probable, it is quite reasonable that you would not remember the details of everything that had occurred. Panic does affect memory. It is also a wonder however that you would be able to focus enough to cast that spell wandlessly in the state you were in." said Madam Pomfrey, trying to help Hermione understand what had happened at the match.
Hermione nodded a bit absently, her mind on things other than her wandless casting. It was great that there was no additional damage caused by the fall but that did not quell her worry over Ginny's overall condition. "That's good. So if she didn't take any damage from the fall, how is her head?"
"If she weren't a Weasley I am certain the Bludger would have caused more damage. As it was, it hit her quite hard in the back of her head doing plenty of damage. She lost consciousness almost immediately upon impact is my guess, especially due to the angle and force. There was some fracturing of the skull but not deep or expansive and there was also some localized bleeding. What does concern me is that there is some swelling in there that I have been dealing with, giving her some potions to deal with the problem as well as using some spells that can help reduce the pressure. This is a somewhat common injury in Quidditch, at least the single injury to her head, though it is more often seen in Professional matches than in games here at school. She has the first head injury of its kind in over ten years actually but I am aware of the current treatment protocalls of all Quidditch related injuries by heart. Once Mr. Potter began his career at Seeker it was only prudent to become well versed at the possible injuries. It may take her a few days to recover enough for me to discharge her but she will ultimately be fine. The only concern I can imagine having is how she is after she wakes up." Madam Pomfrey was explaining all of this to set Hermione's mind at rest and to give her the information that would serve to calm her down. It was working to a degree but the additional information was also fueling her worries, just less than it would have if she had not known any of this.
"Why?" Hermione nervously gripped Ginny's hand, completely unaware that she was doing so. She needed the comfort even though it was barely there.
"It is because sometimes due to where the Bludger hit her that particular type of damage could affect a person's ability to speak and see. It has something to do with how the brain is structured. This is not a guarantee nor is it certain that such an injury has occurred. These are simply problems we won't be able to determine the diagnoses for until she is awake and able to answer us. If that is indeed the case she will be sent to St. Mungo's where there are specialists in these kinds of injuries who should be able to help her more than I would be able to here. That is the only worry I have about this kind of injury."
Hermione choked up upon hearing that. Was the Nurse for real? Ginny could possibly be blind and/or mute because of this particular sport injury? She gripped the girl's hand tightly, afraid for her girlfriend. They whole mess was only building on her fear instead of removing it.
"Don't worry Miss Granger, there is no need to panic as that is a very rare possibility and seldom happens. I feel fairly confident that Miss Weasley is going to be just fine. Her treatment for these issues started very quickly after the trauma occurred and she is doing quite well, seeming to be healing from all of this damage nicely. Those are both good indicators for her prognosis. You should just rest and relax, trying to let your stress go as she will be asleep until sometime tomorrow at the earliest." concluded Madam Pomfrey with a faint smile, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"And you're sure she should be alright? You know, once she heals?" asked Hermione, trying to keep from panicking over what she had been hearing. It all sounded so terrible and so unknown. Just when she thought her love would be okay some other difficulty reared its ugly head and gave her cause to freak out. And the worst part is that she wouldn't even know about it until Ginny finally woke up and Madam Pomfrey was able to check on her. This was unacceptable.
"Everything I know about healing says she should be quite alright Miss Granger. Just relax and rest some more, she should be fine."
With an absent nod, Hermione let herself be coerced into the bed next to Ginny's as Madam Pomfrey was concerned with the combination of fainting and putting a strain on her magic due to the way she had cast that spell. That would explain why she was so tired and the idea of sleeping more did have an appeal. Her only worry was how she would sleep without Ginny in her arms. The Nurse came over and handed her a vial of some potion, the look she gave her insisting that there really was no other option available to the Head Girl but to drink it down. She nodded in acceptance and drank it down as fast as she could to reduce the taste, realizing that the draught she had consumed was probably Dreamless Sleep. That would be good as the last thing the young woman wanted right now were nightmares when she didn't have Ginny next to her to chase them away. If this was the best she could get in this situation then she would certainly take it. With a last look at her love, Hermione lay back, blew a kiss towards her redhead, closed her eyes and drifted asleep.
HGHGHGHGHG
She had been up for a while and even eaten breakfast. Thanks to that, she was feeling much better for the additional sleep that she had gotten as she was well aware that without the potion she would not have slept. The potion had done its job and she had gotten some restful sleep despite what should have been a night full of nightmares about Ginny's injuries and her inability to help. Now she was sitting in the chair next to Ginny holding her hand and waiting with her heart in her throat, desperate for her love to wake up. More than that she wanted her to be okay, to wake from this debacle and be fine, with no brain damage from that Traumatic Brain Injury due to the Bludger. And what was worse though, was she was positive that this incident would not dissuade Ginny from wanting to play professionally even remotely. The girl would once again hop on her broomstick and risk major injury to get her rush. Truth be told, she couldn't honestly blame her. Ginny was absolutely amazing on a broom and she flew pretty much like Harry, that crazy no holds barred approach that traumatized her at least once a game, only as a Chaser which seemed a bit more complex. It was ridiculous.
Hermione had barely tasted breakfast or lunch even, as she had been mostly focused on her girlfriend's every breath or twitch, hoping that they were signs that she was waking. This whole situation was maddening and she was at a loss for what to do. Just after breakfast Luna and Simon came in and sat with her, keeping her company on her vigil which she greatly appreciated. Simon sat close to her and was hugging her frequently which made her smile gently. He really did have a knack for making her grin. "Is Ginny going to be okay?"
Hermione swallowed heavily and answered, praying that she sounded surer than she felt, "Madam Pomfrey said she would be."
Luna smiled gently, hoping it would comfort her and said with surety, "Then you should believe her Hermione. Doubting the wisdom of an expert is folly. You know that already."
"But I am so terrified Luna. She was hit really hard in two places and that couldn't be good for her. I'm just worried that she'll still be all there when she wakes up and remembers me. Those kinds of hits could cause amnesia as well as worse things." Hermione's voice trembled as she said that. She was having a difficult time holding back her fears from overwhelming her again. All it took was a glance at Ginny's still pale face and she would slip back towards despair because her grip on hope was too tenuous. Her stillness made her think of Harry when he had been carried into the courtyard and that was more than she could bear.
Simon hugged her tightly again and they sat for a while longer in companionable silence. After a while they left her to her own tumultuous thoughts.
The rest of the team showed as well, a bit later, giving the unconscious girl wishes for improving health and to drop off some chocolate for her when she woke up. It seemed as if they were all almost as concerned as she was. What surprised her was when the two Slytherin Beaters who had inadvertently caused this disaster showed up to offer their apologies and well wishes for her healing. Hermione thanked them and went back to her silent post, holding her girl's hand and rubbing the back of it with her thumb, struggling to control her tears.
A good bit later a soft groan snapped her out of the daze she had been in and she felt a tightening of the hand she was holding. Her heart leapt with hope and her focus on Ginny sharpened. The grip wasn't as strong as usual but the clutch was there and was real. Hermione wanted to sob with relief, even though Madam Pomfrey had reassured her last night that Ginny would be fine, watching that hit and then the fall… it had made her feel so helpless. But now, this here was what Hermione most wanted, her love coming back to her. Brown eyes fluttered open and a voice asked kind of feebly, "…'mione?"
"I'm here love." The relief in her voice was almost palpable, a living breathing thing. She wanted to crow in happiness but restrained herself until she had a better idea of how her love was feeling.
"…head hurts." said Ginny, her eyes opening and closing slowly, as if she was having trouble focusing.
"That's because your head's not as hard as Ron's Vixy. If you had a head more like your brothers then you would have been fine." teased Hermione gently, trying to keep from crying. She could feel the building wetness at the corner of her eyes and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to stop it.
"Oh… make sense." Ginny sounded a bit dazed from all the treatments she had been given and some of the sounds from the words slid together. "We win?"
"Did we win? Did we win! Ginevra Molly Weasley, you wake up in the bloody hospital wing after getting hit by both bludgers at the same time and then falling to the ground and your only worried about if you won the stupid match?!" Hermione's voice grew a bit strident and shrill as she said that. Her rant had come out without her control as her emotions ran off with her.
Ginny winced at the noise, trying to move away by pressing her head back into the pillow. "Ah s'rry. …loud."
Hermione immediately looked very contrite. Of all the things she had wanted to do after Ginny had woken up, hurting her love's battered head was one of the things farthest down the list. She reached over and brushed her hand gently over Ginny's head, avoiding the injury spot. "I'm sorry Vixy. I didn't mean to be that loud. I'm just worried about you and scared."
Ginny smiled drowsily, her eyes half lidded and having difficulty focusing on her. "Sorry. Di'n't mean… scare you."
"That's okay. I'll try to be quieter. And to answer your question we did win, 190 to 180. Your final goal kept it from being a tie. The Quaffle made it through the right hoop just moments before the Snitch was caught." Hermione rolled her eyes at the contented smile that crossed Ginny's face. "If you hadn't gotten hit it would have been perfect."
"Good." sighed Ginny, her eyes closed in pleasure. "Good."
"Good? How is your getting hurt so bad it puts you in the hospital wing good even if we did win that bloody match?" asked Hermione, kind of wanting to strangle Ginny right then, despite the girl being hurt. Honestly, sometimes her girlfriend made her so crazy and there didn't seem to be any end in sight. "You sound like Harry."
"… 's good 'cause players got game s'perience and we win. Th… tha' good thing." Her words were clearly a bit slurred and somewhat hard to understand. If she wasn't paying attention to everything her girlfriend was saying she wouldn't have been able to follow it. That fact brought tears to Hermione's eyes. The slurring had been the one thing she had been hoping wouldn't happen. Did this mean that Ginny was hurt really badly, hurt in the way that she had been told about last night?
Before Hermione could say anything else Madam Pomfrey walked up to them with a concerned smile and asked, "Well now Miss Weasley it's good to see you awake. Feeling better?"
"…head hur's, hip too bu' ozzerwise I okay." admitted Ginny, fighting to keep her eyes open. She was clearly a bit out of it and only partially awake.
The School Nurse waved her wand over Ginny, casting a diagnosis spell and then studied the results closely, nodding her head in satisfaction. Hermione was on tenterhooks as she wanted to hear what was going on. "Right, things are healing fine Miss Weasley but I think another day in here will help even more. I will have to see how you are doing when the pain relief potions wear off before I decide if you are ready for the Skele-grow."
Ginny blinked a few times as she processed that, obviously having some trouble focusing on the words. "Wha' day s'it?"
"It is Sunday. You were unconscious for almost twenty hours since you've been hit." replied Madam Pomfrey. "The earliest I will let you go is tomorrow afternoon, depending on how things are healing and how you are reacting to the treatment. That blow to your head was rather severe and if Miss Granger here had not managed to slow your fall then you might still be unconscious or more likely, in St. Mungo's."
Ginny looked over at Hermione in question, which made Hermione blush a little bit. She knew that her girl wanted answers. "I don't remember doing it but apparently I cast Aresto Momentum wandlessly and silently while I was freaking out. Luna told me that I sort of shook and collapsed unconscious after you got to the ground safely. I don't really remember."
Squeezing her hand Ginny said, "Than' you K'tten."
"No problem sweetie. How could I have done anything else?" Hermione was struggling to hold it together, knowing that breaking down right now would not be helpful. Her girlfriend just kept slurring her words and there was some difficulty understanding her. It was making her heart ache. "I'm just glad that I was able to do something."
"My…" Ginny swallowed and winced from the pain, her brows furrowed. She opened her eyes again, gazing right at her. "…hero."
Rolling her eyes at that, Hermione squeezed Ginny's hand and looked over at the Nurse who cleared her throat, drawing attention back to her. "Thank you. Now Miss Weasley, I have stabilized your broken hip and thigh, immobilizing you from the hip down for the moment and I can't give you the Skele-grow yet as I want the swelling in your brain to go down a bit more before that. All this means that tomorrow morning I can probably give you that and you should be right as rain in a short while. You are making good progress which makes me happy. Now let me give you a few more potions which should help speed up your healing before you fall back asleep. That's what you need most."
Not having any recourse but to agree with the Nurse, Ginny smiled slightly, not quite a grimace from pain. She drank down the three potions she was handed, making faces after each drink, and then her eyes seemed to be growing heavier. Her blinks were growing longer and she was struggling to say something. Hermione leaned down closer and asked, "Yes, what is it baby?"
"Stay?" The request was soft.
"I'm not going anywhere Gin." assured Hermione, feeling her eyes getting wet and her vision blurring some.
"Good." Ginny's voice trailed off as she seemed to drift off back to sleep.
Hermione started crying even more when she could see that her girlfriend was back asleep. Ginny's slurring voice, that sign that her love wouldn't get better after she healed. Her love was crippled, taken out by the sport she loved, so dearly loved. It was patently unfair, for her to have survived the year in Death Eater's Hogwarts, the war and now to have this happen. It wasn't right but she knew that there really was no way she could protest. She leaned down and kissed Ginny on her forehead, pausing there with her lips against smooth skin, hoping that her tears did not fall into her face. It didn't matter whatever happened it didn't matter because she was going to stay with her girlfriend forever. This whole mess neither changed her love nor the realizations that she had about her. The truth was still the truth even it were a little brain damaged.
Madam Pomfrey returned from her office and looked very concerned over Hermione's state, asking, "Miss Granger, what's the matter?"
"Nothing. Everything. This thing with Ginny. She's… she's not going to get better is she? This damage has permanently affected her like you mentioned last night, hasn't it?" asked Hermione, looking at the Nurse with worry etched on her face as she frowned.
"What? Oh no Miss Granger, I am certain that Miss Weasley will be fine. The slurring that you were hearing is not the indicative sound of the damage I was talking about last night. Miss Weasley's words were actually far too clear and only got clearer as she spoke more. That was a very encouraging sign and made me feel much better about her prognosis. My guess is the majority of the slurring was from the potions she had been taking and that's all. There is no need to fear for her health. She'll be fine." Madam Pomfrey replied, trying to help Hermione feel better over this mess.
Hermione sagged in relief, her body draining all that stress in a rush. Her tears redoubled and she asked hopefully, "Really?"
"Yes really Hermione. She will be just fine." The Nurse rested a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
Hermione started trembling as she began to cry aloud, sobbing a little. Ginny wasn't going to be brain damaged due to the Bludger hit. Her girl was going to be fine and all would be well. Madam Pomfrey took Hermione in her arms and held her close, while the witch shook with tears. "She'll be fine Hermione. She'll be just fine."