-- HOGWARTS HOSPITAL WING 

"How long until she wakes up?" Someone whispered in hushed tones.

"Ronald, did you not hear what Madame Pomfrey said?" A young girl said agitatedly. "She'll wake when her body is ready, she's not in a coma, she's just unconscious."

"Oh shut up Ginny," the voice mumbled back before he let out a small 'oomph,' as if someone had hit him.

"Take your time, little kitten," a voice on her other said soothingly. "We're not going anywhere."

Hermione wanted to laugh at the conversation around her. Leave it to them to find a way to bicker in any possible situation. Her senses finally coming back to her, Hermione grew more and more aware of her own body, even though she couldn't quite muster up the strength to pull her eyes open.

"I think I saw a finger move!" Ron cried excitedly.

"Ron, just give it time," Remus said patiently.

"No really-" Ron insisted.

"You all could manage to make the dead rise with that incessant bickering," Hermione mumbled blearily.

Everyone froze, their eyes swinging to Hermione. Finally gathering her strength, she forced her eyelids to open, squinting until her eyes finally focused on the hoard gathered around her. Sirius and Remus sat on chairs to the right of her bed while Ginny sat on the left. Harry and Ron were standing tensely behind Ginny, probably unable to stop pacing long enough to actually take a seat.

Hermione's eyes settled on Sirius first as she weakly raised her hand towards him. "Sirius... you're okay."

"Perfectly," He said, taking Hermione's hand. "You had us worried there for a bit, you know."

"Sorry," she said, wheezing in a breath. "Unavoidable circumstances and all that."

Remus chuckled at that, already knowing the headstrong nature of his former student.

"Is everyone else okay?" she asked suddenly.

"They're fine," Remus assured. "You were the worst of our casualties."

"Good." Hermione sighed, glad they hadn't lost everyone in that reckless mission. She tried to sit up, wincing when her body protested more than she expected. Before she could try again, Sirius and Ginny were already on either side of her, helping pull her up to a sitting position.

Hermione was slightly befuddled; Yes, she was struggling a bit, but she had to become accustomed to using her body again. It was then, as she tried to take inventory of her body, that she realized something was seriously wrong.

"Why can't I feel my legs?" Hermione asked with a hitched breath of sheer panic.

Everyone avoided her gaze uncomfortably, unable to meet her eyes.

"Someone please tell me why I can't move my legs!" Hermione screamed, the panic growing on her now.

Before anyone could be singled out, Madam Pomfrey rushed through the curtains drawn partially around her bed. "Oh Miss Granger, please you must remain calm," she advised sternly.

"What's wrong with me?" Hermione whispered, half afraid to hear the truth.

"Did they not tell you what happened?" When everyone avoided the Healer's gaze, she grew flustered. "Oh my, well yes we have a lot to fill you in on."

"My dear, you were hit with a dark curse that is meant to liquefy your internal organs within minutes."

Hermione paled at the realization.

"Luckily you managed to silence the caster, so the spell was much less potent than it was meant to be, which bought the Order enough time to get you to me."

"And my legs?" Hermione asked stiffly.

"Well we were able to halt the curse and siphon it out of you," Madam Pomfrey said proudly, "However it did a lot of damage to your body, especially because it hit you squarely in the torso. Your nervous system was heavily damaged and even magic can't expedite that healing process like we can with bones."

"So... will I never walk again?" Hermione asked with a choked voice.

"Oh good heavens no!" she said immediately. "Of course you'll walk again, dear girl, you'll be fully functional in a few months. It's just a very slow healing process because only your magical core can repair all those connections; at least a month until you're walking and that's with complete rest."

Hermione slowly let out the breath she didn't even realized she'd been holding, sagging back on her pillows. Tears of relief flooded to her eyes. She could get past this.

"I'm so sorry, 'Mione," Harry whispered from beside the bed. "This is all my fault. You tried to warn me to call for help and reinforcements, but I just charged in blind. And you paid the price."

"Harry, Hermione's injury is not your fault," Sirius tried to reassure him.

"Yes it is," a familiar but cold voice interrupted them. Their gaze all flew to Severus Snape, who was making his way to their corner of the hospital wing. He continued speaking in his condescending tone, looking down his upturned nose at them. "You really ought to stop coddling him, Black," he sneered. "Miss Granger ending up injured and bedridden is entirely Mr. Potter's fault. He needs to learn his actions have consequences and that he can't recklessly take action by himself without consulting with those far more experienced than him. Miss Granger nearly died tonight, as did you, and that would have most definitely been on him."

Everyone watched slack jawed as Snape lectured Harry and Sirius. Hermione was partially in awe as Professor Snape had never put any effort into defending her, even considering this was an excuse to harp on Harry's mistakes.

Sirius was about to stand up in outrage when Remus sat him back down with a calming hand on his shoulder.

"That is unnecessarily harsh, Severus," Remus reprimanded. "But you're not wrong. Reckless actions do have unintended consequences, no matter how noble your intentions," he said, looking to Harry.

Harry looked down, nodding in shame. "I understand; I really am sorry."

"It's alright," Hermione finally spoke up. "We all understood what we were following you into, and why you had to go. You didn't make the choice alone."

Harry shot his friend a grateful look, feeling truly blessed at having her unwavering loyalty.

"Well Hermione, you can stay with us over summer break- at least the first part," Sirius said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"What?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"We told them you wouldn't want your parents being dragged into this," Harry mentioned. "And since you need people to take care of you while you heal, this was the next best option."

"Yeah!" Sirius said. "You, Harry, Remus, and Me. You'll never be bored, I can promise you that."

Hermione smiled at all their careful consideration. "Thank you, that would be great!"

"I will be supplying your potions to help your healing process," Snape in his usual intimidating tone, as if speaking to a child. "Make sure to take them... diligently."

Eventually Hermione's well-wishers were chased off by Madam Pomfrey, even Professor Snape who seemed to linger much to Hermione's curiosity. When she asked the healer why, the older woman merely chuckled.

"I didn't wasn't the one who initially treated you, Miss Granger. Severus was."

"Professor Snape?" She asked blankly. There had to have been some mistake.

"Yes, the one and only. I know it's hard to imagine, but I've known Severus since he was a boy. He doesn't like to show he cares unless absolutely necessary, and even then he'll be stubborn. And as good as I am a healing the body, I'm quite inept at the dark arts. Severus was the one who stabilized you and siphoned the curse away."

Hermione sat in shock as Madam Pomfrey shuffled away, amazed by the small gestures of the cold-hearted professor who'd been singularly ruthless to her every step of her path at Hogwarts. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

Hermione felt the subtle shift in the air around her, sensing movement near her. While she couldn't see anything, the hair standing straight up on her arms indicated that there was someone nearby. She fidgeted for her hand, growing panicked with each second she went without it.

"Hermione," a familiar voice whispered to her out of seemingly nowhere. "Calm down, you're supposed to be resting!"

"Fred? George?" Hermione looked around confused, trying to place the voice to a body.

"Fred," the voice said, suddenly much closer.

Before she could even ask, the twin finally lifted the disillusionment charm on himself as he was standing right at the side of her bed.

"Oh Fred," Hermione said, startled. She clasped her hands to her chest, trying to slow her breathing. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," he chuckled, not seeming even a hit apologetic.

"Are you and George alright?" Hermione asked immediately. "The others didn't say anything about you two."

Fred smiled sadly, picking up one of Hermione's hands gently from where it rested on the bed and warming it between his own as he took one of the seats next to her. "You take a dark curse head on for me, practically killing yourself in the process, and the first thing you ask me when you wake up is if I'm okay?"

"Yeah...?" Hermione said obliviously. "Should I not?"

Fred sighed with amusement, as if he could so clearly see what was so unusual when Hermione seemed blind to it.

"We're perfectly fine. Me especially, thanks to you," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a train," Hermione said blandly. When Fred's face scrunched up in displeasure, Hermione rushed to smoothen her words. "But now I have an excuse to spend the summer with Harry, Sirius, and Remus, so that'll be entertaining."

"Aw, Hermione. If you needed entertainment, you should've come to your favorite twin pranksters, not those old men," Fred teased lightly with mirth sparkling in his eyes. Everyone knew the Weasley twins idolized the Marauders.

"Yeah well, they offered," Hermione said.

Fred studied her for a moment and Hermione felt like she was being picked apart under his piercing blue gaze. The Weasley twins were hardly ever serious or quiet, much less Fred who was usually the more outspoken and extravagant of the two.

"Fred?" she whispered quietly, almost hesitant to break his concentration.

"Why'd you do it?" He asked simply, his eyes not wavering from her.

For a second Hermione considered playing dumb, but there was no doubting what he meant. "You left yourself open in the process of saving Sirius," she finally said. "I had the opportunity to save you, so I did."

"I tried to push Sirius away from an oncoming spell, I didn't take it for him." He pointed out.

"Well we were across the room from him, it was the most effective thing you could do," she argued. "Besides, it wasn't as if I knew what curse I was stepping in front of."

"Exactly!" He exclaimed suddenly, startling Hermione. "You never step in front a curse you don't know, Hermione. That's 1st year Defense!"

"What was I supposed to do?" She cried hoarsely. "Just let it hit you?"

"Yes!" He yelled, breathing harshly in frustration. "Yes, you should have," he whispered in a much quieter voice. "Better me in that bed than you."

"Fred," Hermione said softly. "I don't regret taking the curse for you, and even knowing the outcome, I'd do it again. Friends look out for each other. You were looking after someone else, so I did my part and looked out for you."

Fred's eyes softened on her, sweeping over her slight awe. "How did I ever question if you were meant to be a lion?"

Hermione's brows furrowed in confusion. "What did you think I should've been?"

"What we all thought at one point or another- an eagle."

"Well that's understandable. Most people would expect me to be a Ravenclaw. Even I did my first year, to be honest. I didn't fit in much with the other Gryffindors back then."

"But you're not," Fred insisted knowingly. "You couldn't be anything but a Gryffindor."

"Not many people would agree with that," Hermione said lightly.

"I guess they haven't really seen you then."

Hermione was at a loss of words. Very few people believed in her Gryffindor qualities with unfaltering certainty, and she could count those people on one hand. Harry and Ron, as they'd seen her skills in action and knew what she was capable of when called to protect those she loved. Sirius and Remus, both of whom were initially shocked by the unfailing loyalty and bravery of the young girl who seemed to be little but a try-hard bookworm. And lastly, Neville, who had also unfortunately been on the receiving end of her wand when she meant business. Everyone else was too distracted by her love of knowledge and what people dubbed her 'nagging ways.'

Fred rose out of his seat, leaning towards her to lightly brush the hair away from her face. Hermione's breath hitched as he leaned down, tenderly planting his lips on her forehead in an affectionate kiss.

"Thank you for saving me, Hermione," he murmured against her skin as her eyes fluttered closed. He pulled away, throwing her one of his mischievous winks. "I owe you one."

For once, a rare but blessed silence occupied Hermione's brain. Before she could even begin to form coherent thoughts, much less start processing them, Fred had already left the Hospital Wing, leaving so many questions unanswered.