Hermione awakened with cold sweat dripping down her forehead. Her heart was raging uncontrollably, her trembling hand resting over her chest. Her eyes shifted to the window on her right, and she noticed that the autumnal dawn was just beginning to creep up. The sky was dotted with grey clouds, though a purple taint could suddenly be noticed as the minutes went by. Hermione couldn't help but stare at the wondrous view.
Every morning she would awaken before the sun rose, despite all her best efforts to sleep in. Ever since the war, nightmares taunted her brain, vigorously and repetitively, making her nights miserable with a short-lived sleep. A new dawn was the only sure way to calm her down, to help her remember it was all over. Her stare remained focused on the world in front of her, making her heart slow down noticeably, which relieved the pounding pain in her head. Wind was hushing, making the dense trees dance slightly, and birds were carelessly flying by, wings wide open as they drifted across the open sky.
How she missed the sound of the wind, how she missed hearing birds chirping.
---
It was the end of September, almost five months since she had lost all her hearing. Though most things did return to normal, Hermione never felt the same again. Her existence was completely different now, silent and haunting. Time went by slowly, agonisingly so, and soon enough, she was back at Hogwarts, after spending a painful, strange summer in the company of her two best friends.
Professor McGonagall was the new headmistress, and intended for the entire prior seventh year to return and properly wrap their time at the Wizarding School. Hermione was conflicted about her return: a part of her dreaded coming back to the hollow castle, terrified of reliving memories that she was longing to forget; but another part of her was expecting for a sense of normality. Maybe the school routine would do her well; maybe it would help her feel all right again.
Yet it didn't.
Almost a month had passed since their return, and nothing inside her changed. Being a deaf witch was much greater of a challenge than Hermione first hoped for. Silent spells were harder to cast, and required practice, patience and motivation, none of which she longer did or possessed. Classes were exhausting, draining all her already low energy. It took twice as much work to study and to understand every class. The only really helpful thing professors could do was cast a charm on their quill, making it write everything they would say during classes, which meant Hermione would have much more to read than anybody else. Usually this wouldn't come as a problem for her, but lately, her tired eyes couldn't focus as well as before, and she lacked the determination to pick up her old study and reading habits.
Professor McGonagall was one of the only reasons why Hermione hadn't completely given up yet. She was a great support figure to the student, and offered tremendous help, both mentally and practically. She would tutor Hermione once a week to help her practice casting spells non-verbally, without forgetting to practice with her all the charms and spells she had always known, just to make sure she could remain as great as witch as always. Though Hermione still spoke, with was with less confidence, and quite less often. It just wasn't very rewarding to speak when you couldn't hear yourself, or anybody else for that matter. Even so, her professor would always push for her to talk, trying to help her improve her lip-reading skills as well. Hermione felt eternally in debt to Professor McGonagall, who weekly reminded her she wasn't less of a person or less of a witch because of her new disability.
Even so, times were hard. Every day was a challenge, and every day, her limits were tested.
---
Hermione slowly rolled out of bed, knowing she would fail to fall back asleep if she stayed wrapped in her white sheets. She turned to the bathroom and decided to take a shower, sighing with relief and relaxation as the hot water poured down her tired body. It was a Thursday, a lonesome day with only three classes: Potions, Transfiguration and Charms. She ran her hands through her thick hair; massaging her scalp to relieve some of the pressure her headache was causing her.
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Silence. [Dramione]
Fanfic"I can't hear anything, Malfoy." she cried, her hands trembling "For months, there has been nothing except silence, just disgusting, hollow silence. I can't even remember what your voice sounds like..." --- Hermione lost her hearing during the fina...