Stardust and Shadows (ON HOLD)

Chapter 2: Denial

June 22, 1996

The sunlight filtered through the hospital's windows, casting long shadows on the walls as hushed whispers echoed inside the room.

"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" said a voice.

"I hope so," replied another. "She's taking quite some time in doing so, mate."

"Madam Pomfrey said that she should have been awake by now," a calm, high-pitched voice added.

Hermione groaned weakly as she started to emerge from the darkness that had enveloped her.

Her eyelids fluttered open for a brief moment, but her eyes struggled to adjust to the light that seemed so harsh now.

Her head was throbbing, and her ribs felt as if they had been broken into a million pieces.

Everyone in the room held their breath as Hermione slowly regained awareness.

Hope filled their hearts as the brunette girl finally opened her eyes fully, her clouded gaze flickering around the room before settling on the face to her right.

Ron's face broke into a wide smile as he saw Hermione's eyes open and full of life again, despite the lingering pain within them.

"Hermione!" breathed Ron, relieved. "You're awake!"

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked, appearing into her line of view. "You gave us all quite the scare."

"I can agree with Harry on that one," Neville mumbled from his chair.

"I feel like..." Hermione choked out. "Like I've been run over by a train."

Ginny, who was laying on the bed on Hermione's left, looked at her brother and his friend concerned.

"Harry, I think you should go and call someone here to check on Hermione," Ginny worriedly stated.

"I'll call someone," Luna chimed in, jumping down from the edge of Ginny's bed where she was seated.

"Hey..." Hermione tried to sit up but winced, the pain in her ribs intensifying tenfold. "Ouch... I was just joking. It's a Muggle joke."

"Still... You need to be checked," smiled Luna before leaving the room.

Hermione turned towards her best friends, her vision returning to normal as she could now see her friends clearly.

"What happened?" Hermione questioned curiously, trying to piece together the fragments of her memories.

"During the battle, one of the Death Eaters threw a wordless curse at you," Harry explained, a hint of guilt flashing in his eyes.

"It was Antonin Dolohov," Ron furiously added, knowing that the name would ring a bell for Hermione. "Bloody murderer!" He exclaimed, revolted. "If Harry hadn't petrified him, we could have lost you there."

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut as her brain struggled to process the information she had just heard.

She almost died.

She could have been dead by now.

She could have been dead, and for what? For a war that wasn't even hers?

But that didn't matter.

The only people who would have missed her were her parents.

Maybe even Harry and Ron.

But she thought that Harry would have been a little too busy to allow himself to grieve for her.

So only Ron would remain.