Connected by Magic

Chapter 1

Hermione has seen her sister, her best friend, getting lost within her thoughts. It's hard to do anything for her, being alone took her toll. Even during her last visit to the hospital, she could see it on Amelia's face. The eyes looked slightly dull and far away.

Amelia has been holding on for so many years. It is inspiring to see if you ask Hermione. She wouldn't have been able to do it herself. It would have made her mad. Every time she felt it deeply inside her, the eyes that slowly lost their spark. The fewer smiles and jokes from her best friend. Amelia looked like a robot, continuing because people said that to her.

It was painful to hear she couldn't remember how a person felt like. That she could not remember how the wind would tickle her skin. To hear that... It was the most painful thing she ever heard. Not one insult held the same impact. It made her think back to the day she turned eleven.

It was the day she heard she was a witch, she was so happy. Everyone was happy, Amelia too as she hugged her tightly as she smiled. But then she collapsed out of nowhere, her skin paling rapidly as if being sucked dry by a vampire. The person who'd she grew up with it, her adopted little sister, looked like she was dying.

The joy was ripped straight out of the air as they rushed to the hospital. Her parents were scared to the bone, carrying her through the street into the car and rush to the closest hospital. It didn't look good the first few days. Every test that came back puzzled the doctors.

Only after one week did they notice the rapidly weakening of the immune system. What the cause was, they couldn't figure out. The only solution was to make her live within a clean environment.

In the beginning, after she woke up, she was confused yet she didn't seem bothered. They all thought it would only be a few days. Just to figure out how to treat her and then she'll be able to leave. But nothing they tried worked and so she remained there.

Back at home, the room they shared felt empty. Her parents tried to help her through the nights Hermione felt down. But Amelia was not in the room. Far away, in a sterile room, alone. It was especially hard during the holidays. As if the Christmas magic didn't have an effect on her. Hogwarts helped a little, her friends and parents too. But she missed Amelia.

Today, however, she may get her back. The new therapy would soon start, hoping to fix whatever was dysfunctional. She couldn't understand much about what they aimed to do. But her parents' faces were hopeful, seemingly agreeing with what the doctors said.

They may be dentists, but they certainly knew something about what the doctors said. At the very least more than her. What does she know? Magic wouldn't be of much help. Potions wouldn't effectively treat Amelia. She tried to research a treatment at Hogwarts yet came up empty.

This is not the time to sulk, Hermione thought. Her gaze went to the doctor next to her, the one helping her with preparing the clothes. She would be sitting next to Amelia during the procedure. The first time in three years, she would be sitting next to her. It felt nice to be able to.

"Please stay at a distance, Hermione. The treatment will not restart her body's defences immediately. It will take several days before it will have the intended effect."

"I understand. What are the chances of... ehm... failure?"

The doctor smiled at her as if to instil some hope to her. Whether it was fake, Hermione couldn't tell. It makes her feel like she was treated like a little kid. She is not someone that needs to be pampered. For crying out loud, she has done more dangerous things than most of these halfwits. She can handle the truth.

"We're hopeful. But at this point, we'll have to see how it will go. In two to three days, we will know."

"Okay, thank you."