DISCLAIMER : I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT!
Hello everybody!
This is for all of those who were fuming at me for leaving the last chapter at such a horrible ending. Hehe, sorry to have you all go through that, so I hope this fast update makes up for all the emotions felt towards me!
Ya know, many of you had commented how a part in the last chapter reminded you of Beauty and the Beast. Haha… well it wasn't intentional, but as I read over my last chapter, I too noticed how it sounds like the ending scene. Well, does it help that that is one of my all time favorite Disney movies? Lol, I guess I'm more influenced than I believe myself to be. Hehe…
To my fellow reviewers.........
--- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS GUYS!!!
Now on with the story...
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Chapter Twenty-Seven : Awakenings.
XXX
"No," she whispered desperately. "No, it… it can't be. I won't accept it!" she cried. She softly fisted a handful of his robes as she said this, while desperately pressing her body to him.
"Hermione," came James watery voice as he knelt beside her. "Hermione, please-"
"No! He can't be dead!" she screamed, this time sitting up abruptly. "He can't leave me! He just can't!" she continued to cry as she shook him. "He promised!"
She began to pound softly against his chest as she cried, before collapsing once more against him. James left her to cry, for he was suffering his own depression when suddenly, something happened that made his world stop. A mutter.
"M-Mione?"
xxx
Hermione froze for a moment, before lifting her body off of her husband in shock. Her eyes were red and watery, as tears streamed down the side of her face, while she held her eyes open in shock. Her breath seemed to be caught, and she trembled slightly.
"What?" she finally managed to utter. Her voice was ragged and raw, and it held a tone of fear in it as well, perhaps from fear that it was all her imagination.
She stared down at him desperately, and for a moment, she truly did fear she had imagined it when suddenly a weak
hand landed gently atop her knee. Just then the man before her slowly began to flutter his eyes, and within moments
Hermione found herself lost in a pool of emerald she knew so well. Harry then smiled faintly up at her, his complexion
still pale, but a new sense of glow within his cheeks.
Immediately Hermione let out a short sob before throwing herself atop him, clutching his robes once again for dear life as she wept against him. Her body wracked with tears as she pressed herself as close to him as she could. Harry then slowly brought his hand up to her back soothingly.
"Shh… it's ok Mione," he said feebly, barely over a whisper. "Please don't cry."
"I thought… I was so scared I-" she sobbed against him. "Oh thank Merlin your alive!" And with that, she was lost again in another bought of tears. Harry sighed, and closed his eyes for a second before opening them and turning towards his father.
James, who had been as distraught, if not more, came up right beside his son and Hermione, while peering down at his son, relieved. Nothing could explain the relief that washed over him when his son opened his eyes. He felt his life had been over moments before, and now he felt as all that dread and depression left him. Immediately, he called for the mediwitch that Sirius had brought with him, as he watched Harry weakly peer up at him.
Serenity had also slid right up beside Harry, with Li and Sirius right beside her.
As the mediwitch knelt beside Harry's almost lifeless body, she ordered that everyone clear the way so that he would have room to breath. Hermione reluctantly peeled herself off of her husband as the mediwitch conjured a stretcher beneath him, but she refused to part with him.
As she sat up, Hermione caught Harry's eye, and regardless of her emotions, a soft smile graced her features. Her eyes welled up again, but she held them at bay as she stared down at him. He smiled back up at her, as he raised a hand to her cheek.
"I hate it when you cry," he told her softly. She let out a short chuckle and shook her head.
"It's all your fault!" she retorted. "Neither of us would be in this mess had you not decided to play Hero!" Harry let out what he thought was a laugh, but it turned itself into a series of short coughs, and Hermione's demeanor immediately changed to one of worry.
"Oh Harry," she whispered as she combed a few of his bangs eyes, as he smiled up at her. Hermione then gasped as Harry slowly slipped back out of consciousness, allowing his eyes to flutter closed.
Hermione almost began to panic once more, but the mediwitch then turned to her, and reassured her that it was only his lack of energy.
"Please Your Highness," she said kindly. "He is fine, only exhausted and weak. He will be fine." Hermione let out a sigh of relief as she pulled away for a moment while the mediwitch levitated the stretcher. The Mediwitch then apparated, along with everybody else, out of the cold hall, leaving behind destruction and the end of a terrible evil behind them.
xxx
Hours had passed since the destruction of Slytherin Castle, and Aurors still littered the field before the campsite, and it was nearing noon. Despite the time though, the land of Slytherin still held its dark, gloomy atmosphere. The skies remained a deep grey, and eerie shadows were cast upon the land far after the destruction of its Lord.
Hundreds of Aurors and Mediwitches tended to the wounded that had yet to be moved into the already-full magical hospitals. The ones left behind had been the 'not-too-serious' crowd, and the Aurors worked hard to get them transferred over to the different castles, where they would retrieve extra treatment for their wounds.
Ginny, who had stayed behind, offered her aid to the Aurors who needed it. After a while the number of wounded men began to dwindle, and Ginny was confronted by one of the leading Ravenclaw Aurors.
"Milady, may I ask of you a favor?" he asked in a formal tone. Ginny nodded, holding back her giggle. "Will you go around the perimeter along with some other Mediwitches, and check to see if there are any other wounded men?"
Ginny nodded right away, and ran off to do as she was told, eager to help. Eventually, she found herself standing before the large tents bordering the camp, directly before the large jagged mountain she had so recently entered.
From the look of the mountain now, she would have never guessed it had been the same, for during the last few hours, one side had crumbled and fell to the floor. Rocks lay strewn everywhere, from small pebbles to large massive boulders. The mouth of the cave was no longer visible, even to Ginny, and an odd shadow fell upon it. It was almost as if the mountain decided to fall along with its Lord.
Ginny shrugged it off as she took a few steps closer to the toppled mountain. She wondered if there was anyway back into the cave, or if it had caved in completely due to the destruction of the rest of the mountain. Ginny voted for the latter but suddenly felt intrigued and decided to take a closer look, just for the heck of it.
As she zigzagged this way and that around large boulders, she maneuvered herself easily throughout the littered area. She finally neared the area where the mouth had once been, and to her satisfaction she had been correct; it had caved itself in.
Ginny sighed and touched the large boulder before her, when suddenly an image of the Prince of Slytherin formed in her head. She blinked for a moment, wondering what had happened to him and whether he had defeated those three brutes or not. Ginny felt a pain in her gut as she remembered how the lead Death Eater had actually been the Prince's father, King Lucius, and how horribly he had treated his son. She truly felt sorry for the Prince.
He had saved her life, as well as Dumbledore and Cho's, and she owed him greatly for what he had done. If only she could have thanked him after, or helped him out, although she was pretty sure he would have denied doing such a thing in the first place.
Sighing, Ginny turned around, making her way back towards camp when suddenly she stopped frozen in her tracks. Ginny blinked a few more times to clear her eyes, for she doubted what she saw, before gasping. A body.
She quickly ran over and dropped to her knees before the body. Whoever it was, they wore a black cloak, and Ginny had a pretty good idea who it may be. She wasn't quite sure, for she couldn't see the face because he was lying upon his stomach, and his cloak draped over his head. Ginny looked around for a moment to see if there were any other bodies, but they seemed to be alone, and she immediately turned her complete focus upon him.
She touched his back for a moment, trying to feel for any movement that might indicate breathing, and when she felt the soft, almost non existent, vibrations she immediately reached across and flipped the body over. Instantly Ginny gasped as she stared down into the face of the very Prince who had saved her life. His already pale flesh was pasty white, and he had scrapes and gashes covering his face. His robes were caked with what Ginny was sure was dried blood, and his flesh was cold and stone-like. Ginny wasn't exactly sure what to do, but knew the Prince was barely hanging to his life as it was, so she pulled out her wand out of her robes and sent up hundreds of bright sparks into the sky, praying someone had seen.
She had been lucky, and just moments later, she could hear as a few men and a few Mediwitches came running up. She called out to them, and she watched as they rounded the very boulder she too had before stopping short. The Mediwitches immediately tended to the young man, but the Aurors knelt down and snatched Ginny by the arm, pulling her to her feet and away from the body.
"Hey!" she exclaimed as she was pulled to her feet. She spun upon the Auror who held her, ready to complain, when she suddenly caught his face. "Seamus?"
Seamus nodded, his face in anger as he stared back at her steadily.
"Ginny," he started. "Do you have any idea who this man is?" Ginny stared at him for a moment, before nodding in anger.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "I know perfectly well who this man is, Seamus. Why does it matter?"
"He is the enemy Ginny!" he yelled back. "He would have killed you without a second thought! How could you ask to save him?" At this Ginny's anger flared as her eyes burned. "He's a killer!"
"He saved my life!" she exclaimed. Seamus stood there, shocked for a moment, unsure what to say when Ginny decided to continue. "And for that matter, he saved Cho and Dumbledore as well, Seamus! That man is not a killer, he saved me and I'm going to return the favor; it's the least I can do for what he did to me!"
Seamus remained quiet, before nodding numbly, releasing Ginny's arm from his grasp as he looked down at the blonde-haired man the Mediwitch was about to apparate out with. Ginny turned from his silently, an angry bounce in her step as she moved beside the mediwitch, ready to apparate as well.
Within seconds, Seamus found himself staring directly at the large boulder, yet his eyes still focused upon the spot where Ginny had once stood.
'He saved her life…' he thought. He then sighed, and jumped a bit as the Auror beside him called out his name.
"Let's go, Seamus. We have a lot of work to do for the King," the Auror said. Seamus nodded and the two set out towards the campsite once more.
xxx
Ron lay quietly within the Hospital Wing of Gryffindor Castle as he awaited treatment from the many Mediwitches running about. He was so weak, and his body ached beyond belief as he drank the small glass of potion that was to ease the pain within. Those Death Eaters had gotten him good, and their curses left lingering tremors of pain coursing throughout his body.
By now, the upper Hospital, the level that was designed for the Royal family and their closest of friends and family, was filling up quickly as he watched as the Mediwitches spilled themselves over his best mate, Harry.
It had totally shocked Ron when he took in the sight of his unconscious friend's battered body. They had to reassure him a few times that Harry was indeed going to make it, but it seemed that neither he, Hermione, nor the Queen for that matter were in any way comforted by this. The sight of Harry was frightening enough.
Ron also watched as Li carried Serenity in, unconscious in his arms and paler than he had ever seen her. He gently laid her atop the bed diagonal from his own, and set to work in preparing a sort of concoction for the Princess. Ron found that he didn't have the strength at the moment to watch what was going on, and barely felt he had the energy to keep his eyes open. He could hear as the Mediwitches called out to one another, requesting aid and calling those witches in other villages for aid as well.
After a good five minutes, Ron began to feel he was slipping away and felt he only wanted to sleep, forever and on. Slowly he began to slide his eyes closed and finally drifted off to a place where his pain subsided, and his worries washed away.
Ron had no idea how long he had been out, but as he began to surface from his many odd dreams of sapphires and gold, he felt as his head was being slightly lifted off of his pillow, as a cool stone bowl was pressed to his lips. A cool flowing liquid spilled past his lips, and down his throat as a gentle voice guided him.
Ron tried to open his eyes, but felt incredibly weak. Finally, he managed to open his eyes a bit, and through his blurry vision he first thought he had seen an angel, complete with a glowing halo and all, until his sight cleared up, and he froze at the vision before him. A vision he hadn't expected to see at all…
Lady Luna Lovegood.
xxx
Ginny lowered herself onto the mattress of the hospital bed that the Prince of Slytherin now occupied. He was still unconscious, and had been for the last 15 minutes since he had been apparated to Gryffindor Castle. Dumbledore, regardless of his weakened state, had insisted, and almost ordered, that he be brought to Gryffindor, for he had promised to protect him.
Lucius and a few of his other men had managed to elude the rest of the Aurors, and escaped, which only meant that while they were free to roam the Kingdoms, Draco's life was still in potential danger. Ginny shook her head at this and sighed, pitying the former Prince for his familial problems. She couldn't imagine all that he had gone through, and knew it wasn't fair, or right for that matter, to be forced to endure such pain and loss of trust. She didn't quite blame the man for his attitude or actions, for they were all he was raised on and all he knew.
Inhaling a deep breath, Ginny reached for her wand and magically warmed the pitcher of water that sat atop the night stand beside Draco's bed. As she did this, she reached for the stone basin beside her and a clean cloth as well. She poured the now warm water into the basin and placed it atop the table as well. Dipping the cloth into the water, she began to wash away the dried blood and dirt that had collected upon his face.
As she did this, she took a moment to take in his features. Of course she wouldn't admit this to anyone, but she found herself admiring the shapely contours of his face. From his hard jaw to his well-fashioned cheekbones, Ginny certainly understood why he had been so admired. Unfortunately, his attitude was rumored to be nothing like his good looks.
As Ginny lost herself in her own thoughts of the man before her, she failed to notice as curious icy blue eyes peered up at her. When she finally did notice, she let out a small 'eep' before dropping the cloth to the bed as she sat up. Draco raised an eyebrow at her, before trying to pull himself up into a sitting position. Ginny immediately objected, afraid he might hurt himself further.
"Oh no, don't do that," she said softly as she pulled out her wand once again. Draco gave her an odd look she wasn't sure exactly how to read, but dismissed it as she conjured the bed to bend up, making it able for him to sit in a sitting position. He then pressed his back against the bed as he continued to watch Ginny. She was certainly uncomfortable by this, but made no show of it as she picked the cloth once more, dipping it back into the warm water before wringing it out.
"Where am I?" he asked as his eyes flicked over to the golden curtains beside him for a moment. Ginny looked up at him for a moment, surprised to hear him speak, before turning back to the water basin.
"In Gryffindor Castle's Hospital Wing." Ginny replied. She stole a quick look up at him to see his reaction, but to her surprise his face was emotionless as he went back to watching her. Ginny was positive her face was beet red by now from all of his attention, but tried to hide it. As she finally managed to get all of the dirt and blood out of the cloth, she magically removed the dirty water from the basin, replacing it with fresh water. She then turned back to Draco, but as she bent forward to continue cleaning his face, he pushed her hand away, while moving his head to the side, stopping her from continuing.
At first she was surprised and sat back for a moment, her eyes wide, before she bent forward a second time to continue. Again he pushed her hand away, a defiant look in his eyes as he stared back at her. Ginny pursed her lips together and squared her shoulders a bit.
"Stop doing that!" she told him in a stern tone. Draco made no face of understanding, but continued to watch her, the same look in his eyes as he did this. "I am trying to clean your wounds before I can treat them."
Thinking she had gotten him to stop, she tried for a third time to clean his wounds, and to her surprise, he pushed her away for the third time. Huffing and annoyed, she tossed the rag at his face and stood up.
"Fine," she said as she before she turned from him. "Act like a prat!" She took a few steps forward, about to round the curtain and leave, when his voice called her back.
"Why am I here?" he asked her. Ginny stopped and turned back to him, mildly aggravated.
"That's a good question," she told him, in somewhat of a nasty way. She then regretted it immediately as she caught the flicker of emotion pass through his eyes. He immediately masked it as he picked up the rag she had tossed at him, and continued to clean his face, wincing as he accidentally touched his fresh wounds.
She watched him for a moment silently before turning around, and sitting herself back upon the bed.
"Here, you're not doing it right." Ginny told him softly as she took the rag from him. He gave her a quizzical look, but Ginny ignored it as she began to re-clean his face. He sat their quietly once more, this time allowing her to continue her work.
"I don't need your sympathy, you know," he told her as she continued to clean. Ginny didn't stop, and acted as if he hadn't said anything at all before replying:
"And I don't need your attitude either."
Draco didn't reply to this, neither did he show any expression of emotion, but sat their quietly, his eyes still fixed intently upon her face. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Ginny decided that the quiet had gone on long enough.
"It was under Dumbledore's orders," she started. Draco gave her a confused look, but said nothing as Ginny made to continue. "You were brought here under Dumbledore's orders. He never makes a promise he won't keep. You are safe here; Gryffindor will take proper care of you now."
Draco wasn't sure what to say exactly, and his shock must have showed itself upon his face, for Ginny took one look at him and her face instantly softened. Nothing was said between the two for the next hour and a half as Ginny went on to close up a few of his larger wounds upon his face and arms.
Finally, as she finished with her attentions, and after she had emptied the basin of water, she stood up and made to leave, but before she left she turned to him once more, a faint smile pulling at her lips.
"Oh yes," she said softly. "Thank you… for saving us."
And with that last sentence, she sent him one last smile, before disappearing around the curtain for the night.
xxx
The soft aroma of fresh roses and lilies greeted Harry as he found himself surfacing from the depths of a black world. As his eyes began to gain their sight back, he squinted, though with his eyes still tightly shut, as he began to notice the sun that was beaming upon his face. At that moment, he suddenly felt an intense pounding against his skull, and he groaned inwardly at the pain of a headache.
A gentle rumble of whispered talk then met his ears as he allowed his eyes to slowly crack open, taking in his blurry surroundings before his sight cleared up. He blinked a few times and slowly his eyes refocused themselves. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, and knew instantly where it was he was at. The Hospital Wing of Gryffindor Castle. Turning his head towards the sound of low talk to his right, Harry smiled as he watched his best friend.
"Oi Harry, you're awake! How you feeling?!" he asked excitedly. He was sitting against the corner of the bed to Harry's right, while a mediwitch tended to a heavily wrapped wound upon his right arm. He made to jump up, wanting to run to Harry's side, but the nurse held him back, reprimanding him for his sudden movements. "Did you just wake up? Oh will your mother and wife be glad to hear that! Haven't left your side since you entered this wing, they haven't! Well, I'm not one to talk, seeing as I have probably been in here almost as much as they have." Ron said with a grin.
Harry chuckled as best he could, and smiled up at his best mate. He really didn't have the energy at the moment for talking, and was slightly relieved as the mediwitch tending Ron's wound slapped his arm slightly, while reprimanding him over talking too much.
"Let the boy catch his breath!" she told the red-head. "I swear, you are such a bother sometimes. Harry dear, I'll be there in just a moment." Ron only turned back to Harry, his face in a apologetic grin, causing Harry to chuckle once more before Ron let out a loud 'Ouch!', for the Mediwitch had slapped his wounded arm once more.
As Harry tilted his head slightly, he was able to catch a good glimpse of the woman, and his eyes widened. 'I should have known.'
Madame Pomfrey.
Ron looked at back at Harry and grinned as best he could before making faces of pain as Madame Pomfrey tended to the 75 stitches within Ron's upper right arm. Harry smiled as the scent of lilies and roses met him once more. He turned his head over to his right bedside table and smiled at the large vase of scarlet-red roses and powdery white lilies. Ron noticed this and chuckled.
"She picked those herself, ya know." Ron said to his friend. "Madame Pomfrey had ordered her out of the Hospital Wing for two hours, because she hadn't left in three straight days! Ha, that woman. So the first thing she did was go out into the gardens and pick you a whole punch of flowers." Ron ended his little anecdote with a soft chuckle.
Harry smiled, but quirked an eyebrow.
"Who?" he asked weakly. Ron only smiled, as he jerked his head forward, indicating to something, or someone, to Harry's left. Harry turned his head slowly and instantly smiled as he took in Hermione's peaceful face as she slept soundly beside him. She had her arm upon his bed, which she used as a pillow, for her head was gently resting atop it, while her other hand was lightly clutching onto Harry's left hand. Harry was surprised he hadn't noticed at first, but shrugged it off as he tightened his fingers around hers as best he could.
He took in her sleeping form and the peacefulness of her face beside him as he lay there. She was always exceptionally beautiful when she was asleep.
He followed the contours of her face with his eyes, and took in her creamy skin, full soft lips, and long eyelashes. Features he already had etched into his mind forever, but he knew he would never tire of just simply staring at her. She was just so beautiful.
Her hair, which she had pulled back into a half braid, shone with a gentle golden glow from the streaming sunlight that cascaded through the large open windows of the wing. Harry could tell that she had paid her looks very little attention the past few days, for her hair was fashioned in what would be a 'dull' fashion now-a-days, and her face lacked all the different creams and powders a Princess usually wore. Though, despite all this, she looked more beautiful to Harry in that moment than she has ever looked. She was simply exquisite.
"Ron," he muttered softly. Ron turned to him and nodded. Harry continued to stare at his wife when he noticed a second chair beside his bed. It had a beautiful emerald green and golden cashmere shawl draped over it and Harry new at once who it had belonged to. His mother. "How long have I been out?"
"Almost a week, mate." Ron told him. Harry then turned his head towards his best friend, his eyes wide.
"A week?" he spluttered. Ron nodded.
"Almost," he replied. "You had been so close to death, I'm surprised its only been five days. The Mediwitches had expected you to be out for another two weeks or so." Harry sighed as he took in this information. As he thought back on it, he wasn't so shocked, for at one point while still in the Castle Slytherin he had thought he was going to die.
He turned back to Hermione once more, and gripped her delicate fingers in his hand. Suddenly, a large intricate stand-up clock chimed the hour, and its simple song filled the wing momentarily. Finally its melody subsided, declaring that eight o'clock in the morning had just passed.
It was early, and the birds chirped enthusiastically outside his window. Harry strained his neck a bit, as much as his little energy would allow, and tried to look about the wing at the others who were also occupying the beds. Directly across the hall from his bed, Harry caught the familiar mass of auburn hair and knew instantly that it was his god sister, Serenity. Li leaned back in the chair beside her, his foot propped up against the lower rail of the bed and his head against a pillow behind him.
Harry chuckled a bit before turning to the next bed. Most were empty, for this area of the Hospital Wing was for the Royal family and closest friends and relatives only.
As he went down the Hospital Wing, his gaze landed upon another occupied bed, and by the tuft of deep red hair upon the pillow, Harry had a good guess as to who it was, Bill Weasley. He wondered how wounded Bill was, seeing as his attack had been a week ago. He couldn't make out his face or anything, but he watched as suddenly a girl with flowing blonde hair came floating out of the medicinal room not too far away. Harry knew immediately who she was, for he had met her on the day of his wedding to Hermione back in September. She was the Ravenclaw courtier, Fleur Delacour.
Harry watched as she bent over her fiancé, dabbing at something with a putrid ointment he could smell from his bed, and listened to her as she hummed a soft tune while treating Bill's wounds.
"Now Your Highness, I'll have none of that!" Madame Pomfrey's voice called as she noticed Harry straining his neck. "I don't want you pulling a muscle in your neck atop all the other wounds you've accumulated!"
Harry dropped his head back down onto the pillow as he watched her pull out her wand. Without muttering a single word, she flicked her wand at the head of Harry's bed, and instantly half of the bed began to rise, making it so that Harry was sitting up. Harry thanked her and turned back to Fleur's singing, which had momentarily stopped at the sound of Madame Pomfrey's voice. Harry and Fleur's eyes met for a moment, before she turned back to her husband, resuming her gentle song. Harry felt encased in her melody, and the world around him seemed hazy and dreamlike. Suddenly a voice rang through his thoughts, jarring him slightly out of his reverie.
"She's part veela, ya know." Ron commented quietly. Harry turned his head over towards his friend, his eyebrows raised.
"Really?" he asked. "How do you know?" Ron then gave Harry a look he wasn't sure exactly how to read.
"'Cuz, I had the hard way of finding out," he said. "And trust me mate, you don't want to know the details." Harry laughed softly, and then stopped abruptly as he felt a gentle squeeze to his left hand. His gaze snapped in that direction and his heart flipped as he watched Hermione's long eyelashes flutter gently against her cheek. Slowly, her eyes began to open, and she let out a soft sigh as she began to awake.
Harry smiled down at her, but said nothing as he awaited her reaction. Slowly, she began to stir, and she tucked her head into her arm as she rubbed her eyes. Finally she opened them, and looked up. She then gasped loudly, and shot up in her chair, staring intently at her husband, not believing her eyes. Harry only smiled, squeezing tightly at her fingers still in his hand.
"H-Harry?" she asked, shocked to see him awake. Before he had a chance to say something back in return, Hermione launched herself atop of him, hugging him tightly as she leaned awkwardly across the bed. Harry chuckled, returning the hug with similar fierceness, and clutched her to his chest, allowing her to reposition herself so that she was sitting beside him on the bed. As soon as she was settled, Harry pulled her away.
"I'm so glad you're finally a-" Hermione began, but didn't have a chance to continue, for Harry had pulled her in desperate kiss. Hermione immediately relaxed into him, pressing her body flush against his as she fisted handfuls of his hospital tunic in her hands.
Hermione felt tears surfacing, and pooling at the corners of her eyes as she kissed her husband for the first time since his departure back in January. It was a long and soulful kiss, expressing all of their bottled up emotions since their separation. Finally the emotion was so powerful, Hermione had lost her control over her tears, and cried softly against him as she kissed him.
At long length, Harry broke the kiss, but pressed her against his chest, hugging her close - almost for as if for dear life. Neither said a word to the other, they were just content to be reunited that words seemed useless. They would only ruin the moment.
It wasn't for a while before Madame Pomfrey decided to break up the two, for Harry's wounds still needed to be addressed. Hermione reluctantly pulled away, and seated herself back into the chair beside his bed as Madame Pomfrey began her work on different potions and other medicinal concoctions for Harry.
All the while, Harry continued to converse with Ron and Hermione as he sat there, before something across the room caught his attention. It was the last bed in the row from Harry, and the curtains had been pulled up all the way, obscuring the sleeping figure from view. Harry raised an eyebrow, before turning to the others.
"Hey, who is down there?" he asked the two. Both Ron and Hermione turned to where Harry was indicating, and both looked at the other before hesitating to answer.
"Oh yea, um," started Ron. "You wouldn't believe us even if we told you." Harry doubted this and strained his neck further to see, but the curtain was pulled too far up to see anything. He leaned back against his bed at Madame Pomfrey's request as she magically removed his tunic, and having it reappear at the foot of his bed, folded and clean. She then proceeded to magically unravel the tightly wrapped gauze around his chest cavity, while mixing up a salve.
Harry watched her for a few moments, surprised at all the different cuts and bruises he sported all over his body. His chest wasn't nearly as bad as it had been during Halloween, although its color was of a deep purple, but what Madame Pomfrey wanted to tend to instead was the wound upon his back.
Harry remembered, as she asked him to sit forward, the blistering pain that Voldemort had inflicted upon him. As he sat forward, he noticed Hermione stand up, preparing to aid Madame Pomfrey. Harry smiled inwardly as Hermione took the bowl of salve from the nurse, and gently applied it to the now healing wound. She gently applied it, making sure to cover the entire area evenly.
"Become an expert, have you Mione?" he asked his wife. Hermione smiled as she set the bowl down, wiping her hands on a clean rag as Madame Pomfrey re-bandaged him up. She was about to make a snotty reply back to him, but instead kissed him on the cheek adoringly as he made to lie back against the mattress. Harry grinned and Ron rolled his eyes in mock disgust.
Harry chuckled once more, but dropped his grin as Madame Pomfrey handed him over a tall glass of greenish colored liquid. Immediately the color drained out of his face, and Ron snorted as they all looked down at the drink.
"Drink this." Madame Pomfrey told him as she held out the class. Harry held it, awkwardly as he sniffed at the contents. "It'll help your body jump start itself after being out for such a long time. Don't worry; it isn't poison Your Highness, just drink it."
"What is it?"
"Don't ask," came a voice from across the room. Harry looked over the glass and smiled as he found himself staring into the face of a long time friend, Serenity. She had just sat up in her bed, having bent the upper half up just as Madame Pomfrey had done for Harry. Hermione agreed with Serenity, and Harry held his breath as he gulped down the thick mixture.
Immediately he choked back a gag as he emptied the glass.
"It tastes like tar." Harry said. His eyes watered a bit, and he could hear Ron's low chuckle and Serenity's pretty laugh. Harry glared at the two of them, but they continued to laugh on. He then turned to Hermione.
"You gonna laugh at me too?" he asked his wife. She held back a giggle and shook her head.
"No," she said as she took the glass from him. She handed it over to Madame Pomfrey, and watched as the nurse left them alone, heading off to another separate room behind a large wooden door. Hermione smiled and sat upon the bed beside Harry, leaning against the raised mattress. Harry smiled lazily and raised his arm so that it went around her shoulders, hugging her close to him.
Harry then began to ask them of how things had been after he had blacked out, and Serenity told him of how she had collapsed just hours after, and that she remembered nothing before a few days back. Ron then told him of how the last of the Death Eaters, minus King Lucius and a few of his right hand men, had been rounded up and sent to Azkaban.
Harry listened quietly at the different events that had happened the past few weeks, but something seemed always to bother him. Finally he stopped the conversation as he watched Ginny enter from the back door of the Upper Hospital with Madame Pomfrey just behind her. Harry would have called her over, and gained her attention, but she seemed to be heading straight towards the curtained bed.
He watched as she grasped the golden curtain and yanked it back. At first, Harry couldn't see a thing, for Ginny stood in the way, but finally, as she moved to open up the window beside the patient, Harry gasped.
"Malfoy?!" he exclaimed in a harsh whisper. It had thoroughly shocked him to see the very enemy that had aided in the regeneration of a great evil being treated there within his own Castle. At his sudden outburst, Ginny rounded and her eyes widened as she noticed for the first time that Harry had awoken.
"Harry! You're awake!" she gasped as she made her way over. Harry smiled softly, though still confused, and returned her hug as she embraced him. "I'm so glad to see you're finally up. We missed ya."
Harry chuckled, but before he could say anything, Madame Pomfrey called Ginny back over to her. She muttered a small apology to Harry, promising to return to talk to him later before running back over to the bed she had just been at. Harry watched her for a moment as she aided Madame Pomfrey in conjuring different potions for Malfoy.
Harry was about to turn to his friends and wife for an explanation, when suddenly a servant boy entered the hall, walking briskly and in search for someone. When his eyes finally fell upon Ron, he quickly made his way over and bowed. Ron observed him with a mild expression and waited for the boy to speak.
"Sir Ron, there is a Lady here to see you." Harry immediately perked up at this, and sat up straight as Hermione giggled, shaking her head in a knowing fashion while Serenity smiled. Ron's face flushed a bit and Harry's curiosity rose as Ron stood up, gingerly holding his pained arm, and slipped his clock around his shoulders as he turned to the others.
"If you'll excuse me, I must be off." Harry immediately burst into laughter at Ron's choice of words and Ron made a face back as the servant boy began to make his way towards the entrance doors of the Wing, ready to escort Ron down. "Oh shove it, Harry."
And with that he turned and left the Hospital Wing. Harry continued to chuckle softly as Hermione leaned into him further, placing her hand atop his chest gently, turning onto her sides so that she could lie atop his chest more. Harry smiled and pulled her closer to him as he pulled her wand from her dress skirts. Hermione made to protest, but Harry only lowered head of the bed a bit before placing her wand back into her dress folds.
"I love you." Harry told her quietly. Hermione smiled and snuggled closer to him, before placing a soft kiss onto his collarbone. Emotion began to well up within her, and she could feel tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, for she was so thankful he had awaken. Harry seemed to notice this, and peered down at her, placing a finger beneath her chin and lifting her eyes up to meet his.
Hermione wouldn't allow the tears to fall, but Harry could see enough of them forming that it hurt him to see her that way.
"Mione, what is it?" She smiled and lowered her head, shaking it softly as she clutched at him more.
"Nothing," she told him. "I've just missed you, that's all." And she had, for she hadn't been able to see or speak to him for the last couple of months. Harry smiled and rubbed her back as he reached up to hold her hand that was atop his chest. He kissed the back of it softly before pulling her even closer to him.
Finally, he placed her hand back where it had been and moved a finger beneath her chin, tilting her face up once more. Hermione stared up into his eyes for a moment while Harry stared back, and slowly, as if in silent agreement with the other, Hermione reached her hand up to Harry's cheek as Harry cupped the back of her neck, and the two met in a soft and gentle kiss.
At first the kiss started out as soft and gentle, as the two enjoyed the other, but soon it began to pick up speed and emotion, and the intensity of the kiss escalated. Hermione only had half a mind to reach into her dress for her wand, and magically close the curtains around them, as Harry released all of his pent up emotions into his wife.
This kiss was nothing like the desperation of their first kiss earlier, but instead each stroke and each touch fueled a sleeping passion that had been left dormant for the last few months. Every emotion the other had been feeling these last few months was released, and a torrent of passion swirled within the other, and finally met with explosive intensity that left the two raw and breathless.
Finally as the two broke apart for much needed air, Hermione realized that Harry had somehow flipped them over, with her on her back against the bed, while he lay above her, his forehead pressed gently against hers as he struggled to gain his breath. His hand still supported her neck, and he gently let it slide over her shoulder, down her sides, and finally to rest against her hip, where he gently massaged her side with his thumb.
Smiling, he bent his head down, and placed a few tender kisses along her neck, and inhaled her soft floral perfume as Hermione buried her fingers in his hair. Hermione muffled a quiet giggle as she feared Madame Pomfrey might disturb them if she hadn't, and pressed her lips to Harry's hair, as she adoringly placed soft kisses to his temple.
She began to giggle, and butterflies began to flutter around in her stomach as she hugged her husband close. Finally Harry lifted his head and caught her lips once more in a searing kiss. When he ended the kiss, Hermione gently brushed his hair back off of his forehead, though pointless for his hair only fell back down, and brought his head down to kiss his forehead where his scar still showed.
It had once been red, but now after the defeat of Voldemort, it had turned from a fleshy red color to that of a healed cream. Hermione kissed his forehead before meeting his eyes once more.
She could see laughter and amusement mingled with adoration within his eyes, and it made her stomach flip as she looked up at him. Finally she smiled at him and touched his shoulders, deciding that now was the time.
She then took a deep breath, and smiled up at him.
"Harry, there is something that I have been meaning to tell you," she started. Harry raised an eyebrow, and nodded for her to continue while Hermione paused for a moment.
"Go ahead, tell me Mione." Harry told her. Hermione nodded, unable to keep the small smile that was pulling at her lips hidden any longer.
""Well, you see," she started, before pausing once more.
"Yes Mione?" Harry chuckled as Hermione blushed. "What is it?"
This time she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down to kiss his cheek. As she did this, she turned her mouth to his ear, and whispered softly to him.
"Harry, you're going to be a father."
XXX
WhAt?!?! O.o
Hehe.. do ya like?
Ok! I got this up to you in 3 days!!! Haha… I hope this makes up for that nasty cliffy I left you all with! Lol... sorry bout that again!
So what do you guys think? Cant wait to hear all of your comments! Talk to you all next update! Ciao!!
Until next time…
SM131