Broken But Beautiful~Dramione

Chapter thirty seven*

A.N. WARNING: there is a flashback memory in this chapter. It is very brief.

"There's nowhere to escape." Theodore smirked as he backed Hermione into a corner.

"Stop. Just let me go." Hermione froze as her back hit the wall. She pulled up the little clothing he left her protectively.

"And why would I do that? We're having so much fun." He taunted and advanced until he was pressing her against a wall.

"No stop. Please!" Hermione screamed and woke up in the hospital wing.

"Hermione?" Madam Pomfrey rushed out of her office to find the young girl sweating and out of breath in her bed.

"Sorry." Hermione looked embarrassed seeing the other few students in the hospital wing grunting and shifting positions in their beds.

"Nightmare?" Madam Pomfrey gently wiped Hermione's forehead with a cool towel.

"Yeah." Hermione nodded. A nightmarish memory she thought to herself.

"You know...I went through something very much like you did." Madam Pomfrey said softly. "It was a one time thing, and the guy was locked up but I just want you to know I'm here for you. Anything you need-even if it's just a friend to listen to what's on your mind with no interruptions."

"Is it still affecting you?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Yes. And I'm sure it will for the rest of my life. But my friends were there for me through it all, and I'm grateful for it."

"Oh." Hermione was disappointed. She hoped she could one day forget any of this ever happened.

"Is there anything I can do for you? There's some food right there. The house elves left it for you. By the time they got here you were already sleeping." Madam Pomfrey indicated steaming food on Hermione's bedside table.

"Do you have any stores of the potion for dreamless sleep?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Yes. Do you want some?"

"Yes please." Hermione nodded. She had lost her appetite, and didn't want to eat. After she had regained her memories, she let Madam Pomfrey insert tubes and whatnot to treat her.

"How much do you want? The more you have, the longer you'll stay asleep but I'm sure you already knew that." Madam Pomfrey smiled. It wasn't a secret Hermione was one of the smartest witches of her generation.

"Just enough to last me until 7 tomorrow. Maybe three tablespoons?" Hermione suggested seeing that it was almost 4 in the morning.

"Alright. Lay down and relax." Madam Pomfrey instructed. She inserted the potion through one of the tubes, and in a little while Hermione was fast asleep. "You'll make it through this." She walked back to her office and sank into her bed.

Madam Pomfrey felt an unfamiliar pain going through her. Never before in all her time being the healer at Hogwarts did she have a patient like Hermione. Someone who was so pure-so caring, and had so much bad happen to them. Sure Harry Potter got hurt many times but she always knew how to treat him, unlike how she was now with Hermione. She sighed to herself and fell asleep.

Madam Pomfrey's alarm clock went off promptly at 6:30 and she bustled about, getting ready for the day. She did her routine checkups on the other patients, ate a quick breakfast, and went to attend to Hermione.

"How is she?" Professor McGonagall walked swiftly through the doors and went over to Hermione.

"She should be waking up soon. Can you come talk to me in my office for a second?" Madam Pomfrey noticed other students trying to listen in.

"Sure." Professor McGonagall followed her friend into the office.

"She had a nightmare last night." Madam Pomfrey informed. "And I'm suspecting it was of a memory. She woke up screaming "No. Stop. Please.""

"What did you do?"

"I gave her the dreamless sleep potion. She's due to wake up soon-just...be gentle and patient with her."

"I will." Professor McGonagall nodded and walked out. She found Hermione awake and looking at her appearance.

"Is there a way to get rid of these?" Hermione asked. The glamour charms she had been using since the summer stopped working as soon as she was asleep for the night, and she hadn't put it on yet. It was exhausting to maintain this magic throughout the day because of how many more scars and bruises she now had to cover up as well.

"I'm afraid not. But you look fine either way." Professor McGonagall said matter of factly.

"I don't like them."

"I'm sorry. But I don't think it's anything to be self conscious about. I'm sure other people will understand."

"It's not just that. If you were me, would you want to be reminded of what happened to you every moment of every day?"

"I see. I'll see if there's anything I can go but no promises. I have to go to breakfast now but I'll see you later. Poppy will let you know when you can be released." Professor McGonagall debated whether or not to say goodbye, and ended up walking awkwardly out of the hospital wing without another word.

"She is trying to be more sympathetic." Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and took a seat beside Hermione's bed to begin a checkup.

"Yeah. I know she is." Hermione smiled. "Why does she want to see me so much? I mean I get I'm her student but she never checked up on me this much throughout my years at Hogwarts."

"Oh. So you haven't been told." Madam Pomfrey realized. This was such a Professor McGonagall thing to do.

"Told what?"

"You're being adopted...by her. Assuming you want to. You are legally an adult and can refuse if you wish."

"I what? But she-how-what-" Hermione was at a loss for words.

"She can explain to you later. For now, you have a visitor."

"Who is it?"

"Someone working for the ministry. He needs to ask you questions for the trial." Madam Pomfrey said softly.

"What trial?" Hermione frowned.

"Theodore Nott's."

"Why isn't he going straight to Azkaban?"

"It's Ministry protocol now I'm afraid. After how wrong they were about Sirius Black, a trial is always required. But they have enough evidence to put him behind bars for a very long time. I promise. And I'll stay right beside you while he's here." Madam Pomfrey nodded encouragingly, and went to open the door. Hermione could not believe her eyes when she saw who walked through the door.

"Remus?"