Chapter 10

With her heart brimmed with disdain and head swirling with thoughts, Hermione made her way to the second story of the manor. Hermione felt as though she was floating as she ascended the grand staircase. She felt light and hollowed on her chest as though she was empty. Hermione grew acquainted with loneliness. As much as she wanted to deny it, she was lonely. Something was missing. She felt robbed of something extremely precious to her.

She'd usually sit alone in one corner and sought for the unknown that left a void in her heart and mind. Hermione felt cheated by her mind – she felt lost and overwhelmed with confusion. She nearly missteps as her focus departed to diverse routes, clouded by her loud thoughts.

The long narrow hallway in front of her seemed to extend little by little far from where she stood. There was a faint bite of light at the end of the hallway, levitating gracefully as though it lured her to chase.

All she could hear was the pounding of her heart and the rigidness of her breathing. A palpable sensation of eeriness had moved around her, embracing Hermione with its sinister and cold touch.

She froze. Her feet felt like they were shackled down to the floor. Her eyes were fast as she studied her surroundings. She felt suffocated, as though the place had been vacuumed – the air was lost. It stung her throat from the inside. Hermione gasped for air, punching hard on her chest. She guessed they'd bruise later on.

The room shrunk gradually towards her, threatening to collapse on her. She wondered if it was the liquor from last night or that Malfoy had abandoned her in a suffocation cage trap that he bewitched as a manor.

Hermione stalled from struggling. She was forced to look at the endless hallway in front of her. The pained whimpers from her lips had vanished into laboured mute desperate breaths.

She was clueless about what was happening. Driven by panic, she mentally called for Malfoy, holding her hopes up that he'd come and pull her out of that suffocating setting.

The wards weren't up. Someone was probably sent to murder her.

Her eyes were burning as her eyes were forced open. She couldn't blink – perfectly frozen in place, watching the end of the hallway.

Suddenly the silence was too deafening. She could feel the high-pitched ringing slice through her ears. Her head felt as though it'd crack at any moment if the loud ringing refused to stop.

She dropped to the floor – panting, heaving for air like merfolk fetched out from the waters. She was stifling in between pants. Her vision was impaired by black spots as she tried to regain full consciousness.

Her limbs felt like jelly as she tried to stand. She ended up failing after several attempts as though there was a force pinning her to the floor. Hermione was still mute when she felt a force pull on her hair from the back, forcing her to look up front.

A decapitated head revealed itself from the extending hallways, rolling towards Hermione. Its eyes were shot open, its face pale, white, and grey as death.

Hermione's loud horrified screams echoed, bouncing from wall to wall. She buried her face with her palm – her heart squeezed until her chest felt as though she'd been punctured. She shrieked and grew terrorized by the blood on her hands. She was crying blood.

"You did this to me..." A faint voice inside her head whispered.

Hermione cried as she clutched her hair, pulling until her scalp felt sore. The voice – she wanted the voice out of her head.

"You did this to me." The voice began to echo like a distant whisper crawling into the luxurious wallpapers.

"You promised to protect me."

"You did this to me."

"You're all I have, but you left me."

The ringing in her head trailed off along with the voices.

Hermione lay limply on her back, staring at the ceiling. Her face and hands were saturated with blood – surprisingly, her head was calm and blank, and then the darkness consumed her.

*******

The sound of panic and muffled voices slowly pulled Hermione to reality. All she could feel was tiredness and the aching of her whole body. The blinding light from the ceiling burned her sensitive vision as she regained consciousness.

"You're awake... Granger – you're awake!" A familiar voice exclaimed, sounding jovial.

She blinked, clearing her vision as it adjusted to the excessive light, and then a figure of a man towered over her.

She felt her hand being held, grasped gently but firmly enough, she could feel the fear of abandonment and downhearted longing.

Her eyes finally adjusted to the light. Finally, she could see the blonde man sitting next to her bed, planting kisses on her wrist and the back of her hand.

"M – Malfoy... Malf..." Hermione trailed off. She braced herself as her heart thrashed in fear and panic. Her throat was parched and sore, yet manoeuvred by the hysteria, she managed to scream. Hermione trashed herself in her bed, frightened by the unwanted presence of a Death Eater.

She gagged on her strained breaths, thrusting herself away from him. She snatched her hand, the one he was holding – kissing.

Malfoy reached out, eyes painted with a bitter look of hope. He tried to hold her as she fought out of his grip. She sobbed and protested against his touch. Her phrases were rather gibberish while she cried, but a few words stood out.

"S-stay away!" She choked on those words, even struggling to allow the words to escape from her lips.

The door barged open, and a healer entered, stunning Hermione instantly. Malfoy had caught her in his arms before she hit her head or collapse onto the floor. He laid her gently on her bed. He tucked her in and caressed her face with his hand.

She was dosed with a vial of Calming Draught before she was rennervated. Her breathing paced down as her heartbeat. Her tensed nerves had soothed down, but she could still feel faint tremors at her fingertips. Waking up to a vivid dream – a terrifyingly vivid nightmare that felt too real as though it only happened the other day had held her under inevitable anxiety. The Calming Draught scarcely worked. Hermione lay there attentive, eyes wandering around the room to look for Malfoy.

It seemed to relieve her a little when she found a familiar face on her bedside where Malfoy sat earlier.

"Hermione..."

Red hair, freckles, brown eyes, and a sweet smile.

"Ginny," Hermione mumbled. The corner of her eyes began to sting from the tears threatening to escape. "Ginny – " Hermione swallowed her words into a series of sobs.

"Shhh... It's okay now," Ginny assured softly, tearful as well, and embraced Hermione. "You're okay. You're back..." Ginny added, crying on Hermione's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're back..."

Hermione stiffed and abruptly pulled away, staring intently into Ginny's eyes. Her gaze was sharp as though warning Ginny to brace herself for the next words she'd say. "Malfoy was here. Malfoy was here when I woke up, Gin. This is a trap! We need to get out of here – "

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed as she studied Hermione. She looked pretty uneased by something Hermione had said.

"Gin! We need to get out of here as soon as we can – this place isn't safe," Hermione insisted, tuned with worry and desperation.

Hermione found Ginny's hands and gently grasped them on both of her arms, keeping her in place.

Ginny looked as though she was holding herself on the edge of breaking down. Ginny swallowed. "Mione? I want you to – "

"There's no time to lose now, Gin. We need to leave!" Hermione shook Ginny's hands off her.

"Yes, yes – We'll leave as – as soon as you answer me honestly," Ginny's eyes were flooded with emotions Hermione couldn't decipher.

"What's the last thing you can remember?" Ginny asked cautiously.

Hermione's head pulsed in pain – there was a rapid blackout in her mind. A painful flicker of darkness – nothingness as though there was a state of emptiness. The muscles in her eyes ached along with the pounding of her head. There was something in her head that felt like it would fracture the longer she dug into the depths of her memories.

"Hey – it's fine. Don't force it – "

A memory cracked open.

"I – I remember..."

There was a pause.

"I remember I – " Hermione halted as the memory in her head turned fuzzy.

"Mione, no need to force it – "

"I can remember it!" She snapped.

A sick feeling of remorse crawled across her stomach. "I'm sorry – "

Ginny's hand squeezed hers. "It's fine, Mione. You can take your time," Ginny assured.

Her stomach sank as she burst into tears.

"I can't remember anything, Gin..." Her voice cracked. She sank against Ginny, burying her face in her shoulder. "I feel – I feel so – empty. I – " Her shoulders was shaking. She was hyperventilating.

"I need you to take deep breaths, okay? F-Follow my lead," said Ginny as she pulled away to see Hermione. She was pale, her eyes puffed and rimmed with red, and her hair was all over the place. Shuddering whilst she cried – her breaths felt as though they sank way too far that it felt painful to reach.

Hermione noticed how Ginny shifted, looking up at someone who opened her bedroom door amid her breakdown.

She turned sharply behind her, following Ginny's gaze.

"Harry..." She feasted her sight upon Harry, standing on her doorstep. There was a basket of assorted fruits in his hands.

"Hermione," Harry whispered, sounding astonished and glad.

Hermione opened her arms, waiting for the tearful Harry to dash toward her and wrap his arms around her. If there's someone Hermione would miss the most, it would be Harry – the nearest one she has as a brother.

As she studied Harry, her sight caught someone's presence behind him. Pacing behind Harry right outside the door, looking as though reluctant and nervous over something. She caught the blonde strands of his platinum blonde hair peeking over the black baseball cap he was wearing.

Malfoy. He was still outside her bedroom, unfazed by Harry and Ginny's company. Irritation kindled in her chest as she frowned at Malfoy, and then he seized her piercing gaze.

He looked different. He was a few inches tall, and his shoulders were broader. The youthful demeanour in his overall appearance was gone. Right where he stood. She could see emotions she'd never seen on his face. He looked as though strained and doleful. There was a hint of wistfulness flashed in his silver-grey eyes.

"Why is he still here?" Hermione blurted out.

She looked at Harry, and then Malfoy froze onto his ground.

Harry turned and saw Malfoy, then at Hermione and Ginny. Harry seemed to have read a signal from Ginny's expression as though they could communicate by merely reading each other faces

Harry let out a sigh and turned towards the door.

Hermione felt burned with fury. Containing it within herself was suffering alone – let alone having to look at the root of it.

Harry had left the room before he could even greet Hermione because of Malfoy, lingering around as though he was needed there. His downhearted and gloomy expression was the last thing she needed to deal with that day. Malfoy's unsolicited business was the last of her concerns. She felt tormented by the odd desolation in her head.

Whatever was transpiring at that moment. Wherever she might be at that moment. Derange or whether with her sanity intact, she cleared one thing in her mind – she doesn't want to see his face again.

The door opened as Harry entered. She peered over behind him to check if Malfoy was still there. She felt glad and relieved.

Harry conjured a chair next to Ginny while Hermione sat on the edge of her bed – tearing her Malfoy away in mind.

Harry embraced her.

"I'm so happy you're safe..." Harry whispered. "I thought we lost you, Mione," he continued and drew her closer. "Welcome back," he mumbled before he could lose control and burst into tears.

Harry kissed her forehead before he sat next to Ginny. She felt her heart flutter as she followed Harry's fingers entwined with Ginny's, one of the good things Hermione had ever witnessed from the moment she woke up.

Ginny and Harry exchanged looks, and then they turned to her. Harry shifted in his seat. He seemed to be weighing thoughts as he kept glancing at Ginny and then at Hermione. She caught how Ginny squeezed Harry's hand and gave him a nod as though she was encouraging him.

Harry exhaled sharply. "Mione," he started.

"I – we," Harry paused.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, her voice trembling for some reason.

"We... We didn't expect that – "

"What?" She began to sound impatient. She pushed herself to calm down and swallow the aching lump in her throat.

"The war is over, Hermione..." Harry said gently as he possibly could. "It ended years ago... We won."

Hermione felt her insides twisted into tight knots – her nape felt cold then it ran down her spine like a bucket of freezing water had been poured mercilessly at her.

"Y- years... a-ago?"

Hermione felt disgusted about how she felt. She should be happy that the war had ended years ago and they won against Voldemort, but there was no denying how she felt differently about that.

"That veil would look great with your dress!"

"Thanks, it was my mother's. This is the last thing I have that reminds me of her. I've always dreamed of wearing this when I get married. I love the layers. The wedding guests will never see my ugly cry."

"You're not marrying that woman!"

"Ah. The Mudblood?"

"I had been gone for six months, and you're already planning to marry her!?"

"Who are you to tell me what to do!? Where were you when we needed you, Hermione?"

"Granger, wake up! Don't fucking die on me like this! Granger – save her!"

The ringing sound faded as Hermione stared blankly at the window. It was snowing outside. She wondered if Christmas was over.

"Hermione? Is everything okay? How are you feeling?" Ginny called, shaking Hermione gently by her shoulders.

"Harry, get Madam Pomfrey," said Ginny.