Perfect Storm

Chapter 23

 After twenty-four anxious hours, Draco's vitals and brain activity started to even out and the healers agreed to slowly start lifting the induced sleep charm. They wanted him to wake slowly so as not to overwhelm his already fragile state.

"And what about his memory?" Narcissa questioned, brushing her hand over Draco's forehead, moving his fringe to the side.

"We're confident he'll eventually recover his full memory," the healer tried to reassure.

Narcissa and Lucius looked at him in horror as Hermione said, "What do you mean 'eventually'?"

"Well, the mind is a delicate thing," he started to explain. "Think of it like a completed jigsaw puzzle that just got knocked to the floor. Some pieces will stay connected but many will scatter and need to be pieced back together. A few may slide under the wardrobe and--"

"Thank you. We get the metaphor," Narcissa interrupted.

"Just take it easy with him. Surround him with familiar faces, objects, stories, etcetera. Let him recover it all at his own pace though. Trying to force a memory will most likely only frustrate him and prolong the recovery." The healer looked between the three of them. "Any other questions? When they shook their heads, he smiled and said, "If any other concerns pop up don't hesitate to let us know."

Hermione sighed and looked down at Draco, briefly placing her hand on his cheek. She tried to focus on the warmth that still flowed through him instead of his eerie stillness.

"More waiting," she murmured.

Narcissa reached across the bed and gently patted her arm. "Why don't you go home and try to get some sleep. You look like you're ready to fall over."

"No, I'm fine," Hermione insisted. "I want to be here when he wakes up."

"I'll take care of it, Narcissa." Lucius turned and aimed his wand at the uncomfortable, straight-back chair she had been occupying and transfigured it into a short chaise lounge. "Lie down and close your eyes, Miss Granger, before we have to find a room in this building for you."

Hermione knew that she must look like a wreck. She'd been able to doze off once or twice on the hospital chair but any shuffle of feet or scrape of the door would break the trance and send her heart racing.

"Thank you," she whispered, giving Lucius a weak smile.

Curling up on the makeshift sofa, Hermione fell asleep almost as soon as she let her eyelids come crashing down. It wasn't a great sleep but at least it was sleep. It was punctuated with dreams of Draco staring through her with the blankest of stares, while Harry turned his back and walked away.

A violent sneeze dragged her back into reality and she yelped. Pulling her knees in tight, Hermione tried to take deep, slow breaths as she attempted to stop her heart from racing. Narcissa knelt down to her eye level and her piercing gaze searched Hermione's face for...Hermione didn't know what. Maybe she was trying to figure out if her son's girlfriend had truly gone around the bend.

"Are you all right?" Narcissa asked.

"Bad dream," Hermione said, slowly stretching out her legs and sitting up.

"Why don't you go to the cantina and get some tea?" Narcissa suggested, standing up. "And some soup, or even just a piece of fruit? You look a bit peaky," she fretted, placing a cool hand against Hermione's sweaty forehead.

She wanted to protest but it came out as a yawn. Deciding it wasn't worth the fight, because, honestly, she had no fight left in her, Hermione nodded and dragged herself to and out the door. She was only vaguely aware of the actual journey to the cantina before she found herself staring up at a menu. It took a few blinks before the jumble of letters and numbers rearranged themselves into food options and prices.