In a world where Voldemort has wreaked havoc by controlling the undead, Hermione struggles on her own. That is, until she runs into Draco.
Traveling alone, Hermione tries to find her way back to something she knows - hoping she won't go crazy first...
Hermione dragged herself away from the river and tried to stand up. She must have had some form of luck, considering she didn't know how long she'd been out, and no zombies or Death Eaters had come for her.
It was a good thing she had considered this beforehand, though; the witch had told Harry and Ron that if they got separated, they would meet again at the ministry of magic.
Now the question was whether they remembered or not.
But here was where Hermione's mindset started deteriorating: the days flew by as she traveled by foot to the ministry, and she had gotten lost along the way - not because she was bad at directions, but because she had suffered more and more panic attacks, nightmares, and oftentimes dark, crippling thoughts would enter her mind.
Were Harry and Ron even alive? Did they remember to head to the ministry? How long had it been since she'd lost them? Did they think she was dead?
Did they even care about her?
Sanely, her mind tried to tell her that of course they cared, but the lonely part - the one that had suffered in the war and died somewhere - said you're all alone, Hermione.
It didn't help that all around her were lifeless bodies, both moving and unmoving. It made her feel like she was the only living thing in the world.
And so she traveled for what felt like weeks on end, with no sense of time to guide her. The witch found herself completely lost more than once, sometimes losing focus on the world as she walked, and then suddenly tuning in and realizing she was just standing in one spot.
She began to jump at everything little thing, her senses on hyper alert. It was the result of being alone.
It didn't matter if she was unfocused; the slightest sound or motion that she caught would startle her back into overdrive.
And so the night approached when she would stumble into a generic house, sit in the kitchen, and close her eyes - only to open them to the whispered charm lumos and see white, white hair.
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"Hearing lumos stopped me from attacking you, you know?" Hermione told the white-haired boy, "I was confused - I thought, someone knew magic?"
Draco was giving her a sharp gaze, but she went on, "Hell, I might've gotten my hopes up and thought you were Harry and Ron except that I would've heard them way before they snuck up on me."
When he didn't say anything but kept staring at her, Hermione asked Draco, "What?"
"... You were heading to the ministry?" he replied, "Is that where you're going still?"
Ashamed, Hermione said, "Well, yes. I think. How lost am I?"
Stunned, Draco answered, "You must've been wandering in circles for days! The ministry's right near here."
For some reason, her heart sank at that moment, rather than lifted with hope and excitement.
Hermione would not have been surprised to find out that she had subconsciously avoided going into the ministry. After Draco's revelation, she pieced together that she must have walked from neighborhood to neighborhood around London for too long, not wanting to arrive at the ministry just to find out that Harry and Ron weren't there.
"Well then... let's go to the ministry," Hermione said hollowly, trying to convince herself rather than tell her companion. She wondered how long she'd been wandering for, and whether or not Harry and Ron would be there anyway since she must've been ignoring the place for more than just a few days.
A burst of hysteria tried to climb its way up her chest, but she forced it down, taking a deep breath.
She looked out a window and noted that the sun was just coming up. They had talked all throughout the night.
"You lead the way," she told him, "I... don't really trust myself."
Draco looked like he was going to protest, but Hermione gestured to her head and explained, "I know there's something wrong with me, and I'll probably do something stupid along the way, like I already have."
The realization that the witch's usual confidence in her brain had withered to nothing slapped them both over their faces.
A wry smile graced Hermione's lips at Draco's speechlessness.
It was in silence that they waited a little longer for the sun to rise before they left, treading slowly toward the ministry of magic offices.
