Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, I don't even own the words, not even the order that I have placed them in!
The air was deathly still around Azkaban Prison as Hermione was helped off the ferry. She didn't offer any thanks to the ferryman. She was steeling herself for the sight which awaited her. She would do her best to not turn away in disgust. It was almost five years to the hour since Harry's incarceration. She wondered how Harry would react to her.
Over the last week, Harry had noticed that the Dementors were slowly decreasing the number of passes of his cell. They had started off standing guard twenty-four hours a day, forcing Harry to relieve the moment of his parents' sacrifice over and over; to relive the betrayal of his friends. It was they who had put him here.
Two months ago, the Dementors had started to give Harry five minutes of respite, gradually increasing the time that Harry had away from them as well as the frequency. Somewhere in the recesses of Harry's mind it registered that it must be drawing near the time of his release, he wondered who, if anyone would meet him.
Hermione made her way through the last check point and was lead to the waiting area. A man pointed to a seat in the side of the room. Hermione looked closely at the chair, dust covered it, "oh well, I sat in that boat," she thought and promptly sat down to wait for Harry's arrival.
Not a single dementor had past Harry's cell in the past twenty-four hours and Harry was starting to gain some semblance of a mind back. He now was fully aware that he was in Azkaban Prison, that his trusted friends had put him there… well all but one… Hermione hadn't helped them, she even tried to stop them, but with the restrictions that were put on muggleborns, there was not a lot she could do. That was the first time he had thought of Hermione at all during his incarceration in Azkaban Prison. The Dementors fed on happy thoughts, and as Hermione had never betrayed him, he only had happy thoughts about her, causing Harry to forget that she even existed. But thankfully, Harry was stronger than the ordinary wizard, who would have been nothing but a waste of space after two years in Azkaban. Harry was regaining all his happy memories, although they were all overshadowed by the betrayal he felt.
Harry heard footsteps down the end of the hall, another five minutes later a guard came and unlocked Harry's cell door and stepped aside to allow Harry to walk out. Harry, having realised that he would be leaving soon, had started working his leg muscles, he did not want to have to be helped out of his cell; they would not have that satisfaction.
Hermione stood sharply as she heard the door opposite her open. The door slowly swung open and in walked Harry, followed by a guard.
Hermione stifled a gasp when she saw Harry. He was quite literally skin and bone, "hadn't they fed him?" she thought, and "people were going to pay for what they had done to her Harry!" And pay they would, through the nose.
The door slowly opened and Harry saw Hermione, he tried to smile, but he couldn't he was too numb with shock. He heard a slight gasp from her, Harry was immediately felt sorry for inflicting this sight on her, but in a way he was glad it was just Hermione here to see him, he didn't know what he would have done if Ronald Weasley had been there.
Harry heard the door behind close, the guard that had escorted him to this room had left. Harry just stood there waiting for whatever lecture Hermione was about to give.
Instead, his sight was obscured by a bushy brown substance, and there was pressure around his torso. It was a hug; Harry had almost forgotten what one of Hermione's hugs felt like. "Hermione… breathe…" Harry said in a low raspy voice, his vocal chords hadn't been used in five years.
"Oh, Harry, you're you! I can't believe it, after all this time in there, it's still you!" Hermione said, sobbing.
"Damn, I still don't know what to do about a crying girl!" Harry thought absently. "Of course it's me! Who did you expect to walk through that door, Malfoy?" Harry responded, half laughing, half coughing and spluttering.