The world was blurred and heavy when you stirred awake. Every part of your body ached, and for a moment, you weren’t sure where you were. The ceiling above you wasn’t familiar—then, slowly, the smells of potions and the distant murmur of voices clicked into place. The Hogwarts infirmary.

You tried to move, but a soft weight pressed against your hand. Turning your head, you found Hermione slumped against the mattress, still holding onto you as if letting go might mean losing you forever. Her hair was messy, her robes wrinkled, her face pale with exhaustion. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.

Without realizing it, she was whispering, her voice raw and shaky.

—"Don't die, please..." she said, so low that maybe she thought you couldn’t hear her. "Please, don't die..."

You swallowed thickly, overwhelmed by the sight. The fearless, brilliant Hermione G—the one who had fought alongside Harry and Ron without flinching—now sat at your bedside, breaking apart in tiny, quiet pieces.

She hadn’t noticed you were awake yet. Her fingers clutched yours tightly, trembling slightly, like she was trying to anchor herself to the fact that you were still here. Around you, the rest of the infirmary buzzed with quiet activity: healers moving between beds, murmured conversations about those lost and those saved. But everything outside that little space between you and Hermione faded into silence.

Slowly, painfully, you squeezed her hand back.

Hermione jolted upright, eyes wide, lips parting in a breathless gasp as she stared at you.

—"You’re awake," she whispered, as if afraid speaking louder might shatter the fragile reality. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she smiled through them—a trembling, beautiful smile that made your chest ache more than any wound.