Hermione blinked as the world shifted in an instant. One moment she was in the bathroom being frozen by the yellow eye, and the next she was staring at the ceiling of an unfamiliar room. Her outstretched arms fell to her sides and tilted her head up slightly as she realized she was sitting on a bed. There was a foul taste on her lips and Madame Pomfrey was standing above her with an empty bottle.

“Where am I?” Hermione asked, “What happened?”

“I’ve just healed your petrification, dear,” Madame Pomfrey said evenly, “Before you ask, you were the last one that was attacked and the Chamber of Secrets has been found. The Aurors are working to get inside at this moment, and they will take care of that beast as soon as they do.”

“How… How long?” Hermione asked nervously,

“Only a few months. It is the middle of March right now. The mandrakes only just matured, although it took a little longer to create the potions with Professor Snape being gone…”

“What happened to him?” Hermione asked in confusion, “Who’s teaching potions if he’s not here?”

“Well, don’t you worry about classes just yet,” the woman said, “But if you must know then various Aurors are acting as temporary substitutes as Professors Snape, McGonagall, and the Headmaster being arrested for collusion of performing a memory charm on a student.”

“What?!” Hermione said, “Maybe Snape, but McGonagall or Dumbledore would never do something like that! Who are they accused of casting the charm on?”

“Oh, I quite agree,” Madame Pomfrey said placatingly, “I don’t think even Snape would stoop to such a heinous thing. I don’t want to believe it either. But it is all rather official, there will be a full trial on the facts over summer to clear things up. But in the meantime, all three of them are missing from school. And Professor Lockhart had an… accident as well so can no longer teach either.”

“But… But who did they cast the charm on? Why?” Hermione asked with not a little desperation. The kindly instructor Dumbledore that gave her personal lessons wouldn’t do something like that. Or the strict teacher in class McGonagall that always answered their questions in class and cracked down when one of the Slytherins attempted to bully someone. When they tried to bully Hermione when she was so depressed over the last year with Harry’s coma hanging over her.

“Well, it’s not all bad news,” Madame Pomfrey said with a smile, “The one who made the accusation was none other than our very own Harry Potter! Alive and well and back in the castle. Quite the hero as well these days, but I won’t ruin the surprise for you. He and your other two friends are waiting eagerly outside to talk with you.”

Hermione froze, “He- Harry- *hic*- Harry recovered?”

Madame Pomfrey nodded at her, and Hermione felt herself begin to breath heavily and her vision was watery. Was it real? A cruel joke?

“Bring him in! Please, I have to make sure he’s real,” Hermione said.

Seeing Hermione’s desperate expression, the woman’s smile faded away and she nodded and opened the curtain around Hermione’s bed. After the longest minute of Hermione’s life the curtain opened and Harry walked in with Neville and Ron following behind.

Hermione sat up and inspected Harry intently as he stared back at her with that small smile of his. Thin with a small tilt upwards at the corners of his lips. Mild amusement on anyone else may as well have been a beaming grin for him.

“I’m glad you're back, Hermione. I’m sorry I was gone for so long,” Harry said with a hint of emotion.

Hermione’s vision blurred and she sat up and extended her hand forward, “Ha-Harry. Take my hand. Please, I- I have to know you’re real. That it isn’t a spell.”

His eyebrows scrunched slightly in confusion but he reached forward and grabbed her hand. His hands were cold, but he didn’t vanish and turn back into Pansy. He was real.

Hermione let her tears fall. He was really back, everything was going to be okay.

— — —

Harry glanced at a shocked Ron and Neville as Hermione started crying and babbling in front of him, still gripping his hand tightly. Harry stepped forward around the side of the bed so she wouldn’t have to lean forward as much to talk. He let her incoherent and blubbery words wash over him as a warm glow lit in his chest as he watched her.

Maybe to others it was cruel to feel this way when his friend was so obviously hurt. But all Harry could think of was that someone had missed him. He hadn’t been in the background. He had left and someone had noticed and cared that he wasn’t there, even after all this time.

Harry had never had someone do that for him his whole life. Not the Dursleys, not the kids at his old school. Not even Ron or Neville to an extent. They had certainly cared, but forgotten about him all the same. Harry didn’t blame them, it was what he had expected would happen after hearing how long he had been in the coma.

But Hermione had cared that he was gone despite everything. Despite her having every excuse to forget all about him. Harry tightened his grip on Hermione’s hand as he watched her apologize for not being there, for not being with him when he was attacked and put in his coma. She had calmed a little and he could understand the basics of what she was saying now. The attack wasn’t her fault, she shouldn’t feel guilty. She shouldn’t have to feel that way.

Harry tried to tell her, but he couldn’t think properly to respond as the warm feeling blazed in his chest, stronger than he had ever felt it before. Someone cared about him. Harry Potter. He never wanted this moment to end.

— — —

Hermione felt a little embarrassed after she calmed down after Harry’s assurances that he didn’t blame her for anything. How could she have just broken down in front of them like that? Ron and Neville looked uncomfortable and shifted foot to foot as they stood there, looking away.

But Harry, he had just stared at her and his smile was so wide that his face looked positively happy. Apparently she had done something right. Harry asked her what had happened before she was petrified, and that opened the floodgates. She had so much to tell him!

— — —

After Hermione finished rambling about what she had done, Harry eventually told her what happened when she was petrified and after he woke up. Ron and Neville piped in occasionally, but let Harry tell the majority of the story. Hermione still couldn’t believe that Harry was here. It still felt like some strange dream to her.

Hermione couldn’t believe that he had gone into danger again without her! Although at least he had saved Ginny and even become the Heir of Slytherin as a reward. Ginny… Hermione felt horrible that she had been possessed without her noticing. Hermione should have investigated why Ginny suddenly stopped talking to her earlier in the year more thoroughly…

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

But eventually, Madame Pomfrey forced the boys to leave despite Hermione’s protests. She still had so much to tell Harry! But the woman was not convinced and ushered them out insisting that Hermione needed to rest and not be disturbed. Hermione almost used her wandless magic on the woman when she said that but resisted the urge at the last moment. She was only trying to help Hermione despite how much Hermione wanted to leave and not be cooped up in here.

— — —

Luckily, Madame Pomfrey only made Hermione stay in the hospital wing for a single night. When she walked outside she immediately noticed groups of blue robed aurors patrolling the hallways. The students gave the groups a wide berth as they went between classes. Hermione made her way back to the Gryffindor tower, she still wouldn’t be attending class for today as Madame Pomfrey told her to relax after her ordeal.

The common room was empty besides a familiar girl with red hair sitting on the couch, staring into the roaring fire absently. Hermione walked over and sat at the chair next to Ginny, shocking the girl out of her trance.

“Her-Hermione!” She stammered, “Mad-Madame Pomfrey let you out, I’m gla-glad your back.”

Ginny didn’t meet Hermione’s eyes as she stared at the floor and hunched her shoulders.

“Ginny, I wanted to say that I’m sorry,” Hermione said.

Ginny’s head shot up, “Wha-What! No, Hermione. After everything I did, you should hate me! Tom-I ordered the basilisk to attack you, attack all of those people. I killed all of those chickens at the beginning of the year!”

Ginny looked at her hands that were trembling slightly and her voice grew softer, “I still remember how easy it was to snap their necks… Tom wanted to kill them with his hands rather than use spells on them.”

Hermione leaned forward and put a hand on Ginny’s arm, who flinched at Hermione’s touch, “You remember everything?!” Hermione said in concern, “That’s even more horrible, Ginny. None of that was you, it was all this Tom that was possessing you. You can’t blame yourself for all the horrible things he did.”

“I, I didn’t remember at first,” Ginny said, hands still trembling but now looking at Hermione, “I thought I just blacked out. I knew I had done something, but not what. But after Har-harry stopped Tom from taking over my body, I woke up in the hospital wing and suddenly I had all of Tom’s memories too. All his memories of what he had been doing while he was controlling my body over the year. I never would have written in that diary if I knew his mind was so disgusting…”

“Why did you write in there, Ginny?” Hermione asked, “Even after you realized something was wrong?”

“Well, I… I heard Ron say how you didn’t want me around, how I was a pest bothering you all the time with my questions. In the great hall, when you didn’t realize I was there. I don’t have any real friends in my year, so I just came and was bothering you all the time. I was feeling lonely, so I started writing in the strange book I found it in with my things."

"I thought that Mom might have placed it there so I could have my own diary," She continued, "Journal. I wrote in it thinking it might help me like it did for you, Hermione. I was surprised when it started writing back to me. Tom pretended to be friendly when I wrote to him. Another lonely boy who felt the same things as I did. He always knew how to cheer me up when I told him about my problems.”

“What?! I never said that about you, Ginny!” Hermione said, “I was actually disappointed when you stopped coming, I enjoyed talking with you. That’s why I wanted to apologize. I should have gone to you and asked about it, then maybe I would have realized that something was wrong.”

Hermione scrunched her nose as she got a little angry thinking about Ginny’s words, “I’m going to curse Ron so hard when I next see him. I actually remember that conversation, I told him off right afterwards. The oaf just went back to eating his meal like nothing had happened after I was done. He’s such an idiot!”

Ginny sat there and a wide array of emotions washed over her face as she processed Hermione’s words.

“The-your journal,” Ginny eventually said after a quiet moment between them as a look of shame washed over her face, “It- it’s gone. The diary ate it while I wasn’t paying attention. Tom said he was just trying to be helpful, to help me organize things and I believed him. I couldn’t talk to you after that, after you trusted me with it… Now, Harry is back and it's all ruined."

Ginny’s voice raised slightly as she continued,

“All that work, and I ruined it!”

Hermione stood up and sat on the couch next to Ginny, who leaned away from her uncomfortably but didn’t move to stand. Ginny was staring at the ground again looking miserable.

Hermione put a hand on Ginny’s shoulder, “It is fine, Ginny it really is. I’m so happy that he’s back at all. I think now that Harry is here I realize that my journal never was for Harry. It was for me, so I could feel like I was doing something when everyone else started to forget about him.”

Ginny turned her head so she was looking at Hermione again, “Re-Really? You don’t mind? You really liked talking with me?”

Hermione stared directly into Ginny’s red rimmed eyes, “I totally did, Ginny. You were so excited to learn magic! You were the first to cast the lumos charm in your class. Remember how proud you were of being able to do that? And I- I don’t have that many friends either besides Ron and Neville. And now Harry again. It was nice to talk to someone about something other than the answers to the homework.”

Ginny rubbed her nose and nodded, “Ye-yeah. That was pretty cool I did that. You don’t have friends? But you’re so smart and patient, how could people not want to be your friend?”

Hermione grimaced, “Thanks, Ginny. But I guess getting good grades isn’t enough. I honestly don’t know why some of them dislike me so much…”

Ginny looked away and Hermione noticed that Ginny’s face was starting to sag again as she sunk back into her thoughts. Hermione grabbed Ginny’s other shoulder and twisted the girl’s body so they were facing each other.

“Hey, Ginny,” Hermione asked, “Do you want a hug?”

A moment of silence passed and then Ginny blinked, “Sure,” she said.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Ginny and Hermione felt Ginny’s body relax as Hermione gripped her awkwardly. They just stayed like that for a bit until eventually Ginny sat back up and Hermione released her grip.

“Ginny,” Hermione said a little nervously, “Have you thought about talking to someone about this? To help deal with the memories from your possession? They sound rather horrible. I mean, I’m happy to listen if you want to tell me about it, but I’m not a therapist or anything. What did Madame Pomfrey say you should do to help get better?”

“Therapist? What’s that?” Ginny asked in confusion, “Madame Pomfrey gave me some potions for my nerves for a week or two if that’s what you mean? Is there something else I should be doing?”

“A spell or something?” Ginny said hopefully.

“You don’t know what a therapist is?” Hermione asked, “Are they called something different by wizards? You pay them and they can help you talk about your feelings. Especially if someone goes through something as horrible as you did.”

“Really?” Ginny said in confusion, “You pay them and they just listen to you talk?”

“Oh,” Hermione said, “I guess wizards don’t have them? But basically, yeah. I think they do more than that too, but I’m not really sure exactly what. My dad tried therapy for a while when I was younger when he was really sad about my uncle’s death. I don’t remember my uncle that well, but Dad said that they were pretty close. Dad said the therapy really helped him, so it might work for you too if you try it.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard of anything like that for wizards,” Ginny said with some disappointment, “Since I’m a kid I can’t even go out and get the memories removed. Apparently it messes up your growth in magic or something. Whoever did the charm would get thrown in Azkaban for years and years if they got caught.”

“What about your parents?” Hermione asked, “Can you talk to them about it?”

Ginny huffed and leaned against the couch cushions and her face twisted into annoyance and frustration.

“No! After I first woke up, can you believe that the first thing my Mom did was give me a lecture? She was so smug, telling me over and over how much of an idiot I was to write in the journal. Like I don’t already know that! I can’t tell her anything, she’d just lecture me more on everything I did wrong.”

“Okaaaay, What about your dad?” Hermione asked. At least Ginny didn’t look so depressed anymore?

Ginny’s annoyance dropped a little and she sighed, “No, not him either. He kept pretending that everything is fine and that it will all go away if we ignore the possession ever happened. It’s better than mom at least, but I don’t think he would want to talk about it either. And he would tell mom everything if she got curious and pressured him even a little about it.”

“Huh,” Hermione said, “I always tell my parents everything, they always know what to say. That sounds terrible having to deal with all of that on top of everything else.”

“I know!” Ginny said loudly before suddenly glancing back at Hermione and getting a panicked expression on her face, “Oh, Sorry! You don’t want to hear me complain so much about my parents. Sorry…”

“No, go ahead!” Hermione said, “That’s what friends do, right? Complain about how annoying their parents are, things that are bothering them. We are friends right?”

“Right. Friends,” Ginny said. Then she said it again a little stronger, “That’s right, you are my friend Hermione. Thanks.”

“That’s what friends are for, right?” Hermione said, “So keep complaining, tell me more!”

Ginny’s lips twitched upwards for a moment, “Okay, well if you’re asking for it…”