Time Slipped By

Sorry my faithful readers! I have been very busy with my last Praxis exam, and then I sorta lost motivation. But I have been reading some newer Fremione fics on AO3, and have become inspired again! Hope you enjoy this next chapter! Please review as it lets me know how you are liking the story, what you want to see, and keeps me motivated! Happy reading!

Chapter 8: He Woke Up

When Hermione saw the wall crashing down onto Fred she thought he was dead for sure. No one survives a gigantic stone wall falling on top of them. Especially people who others had sworn they saw hit with an Unforgivable beforehand.

He pushed me out of the way. The wall was meant to fall on her. She saw the curse fly by her head, heard the cracking of the foundation, and even braced herself for the impact when she realized she couldn't get out of the way in time.

After years of chasing Harry and Ron around in every instance of trouble, it was going to be a wall that took Hermione Granger's life. Not Voldemort, not a pureblood Death Eater, but a bloody wall! But then she felt a shove, felt the impact of her shoulder against the hard ground, and then turned in enough time to see Fred Weasley swallowed up by the tumbling debris.

Surely he must be dead. But that didn't stop her from racing toward the mountain of ruble and joining George and Percy in their efforts to free Fred. Or whatever was left of him. She remembered her heart's attempt to break out of her chest. The pain so excruciating, she almost gave up on digging multiple times. But it was Fred under those stones.

Fred. The only person who could make her laugh at herself. The one who made her knees weak whenever he smiled at her. The one who just saved her life. The one she had been in love with since her fifth year. Fred.

So she dug until her hands were raw and bleeding. Dug until she heard George shout in victory, "He's here! Someone help me! He's here!" And, so with continued efforts in digging around George's section of the ruble, they were able to pull a bloodied Fred from the wreckage. And not a dead, bloodied Fred, but an alive and bloodied Fred!

Sobs seemed to wrack both her and George's bodies at the same time as relief rushed through them. When George heard her sobs, she vaguely saw him look at her strangely, and then, perhaps, with a slight look of realization. But she didn't take the time to analyze those looks as tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. Only to clear when she heard shouts to get Fred to the Hospital Wing immediately.

The battle resumed soon after, and thoughts of Fred had to be pushed aside. And then….they were victorious. Voldemort was dead. And while Hermione wanted nothing more than to celebrate with Harry and Ron, her body pulled her towards the Hospital Wing. Towards Fred. Only to find that he was gone. Moved to St. Mungo's to be healed further due to not awakening after Madame Pomfrey's multiple attempts.

And so, after checking with Harry, Hermione followed Ron and the rest of the Weasley's to check on Fred. Hoping against hope that by the time they got there, the healers would have found some way to revive him.

The healers had yet to be successful when they arrived. And ten hours later, the head healer deemed that Fred was going to be alright, but his mind needed to heal itself before he awakened. It was only a matter of time; how long of time was anyone's guess.

After the first twenty-four hours had passed, most everyone had left to eat and rest at the Burrow. All except George and Hermione. George's resistance to leave was expected, and Mrs. Weasley graciously told him that she would send food, and that he should send word immediately if there were any changes.

Hermione's resistance, however, was met with looks of surprise for the most part. Only George and Ginny seemed to accept her decision at face value; Ginny with a knowing smirk, and George with a slightly smug, but tired grin. And too tired to argue, the rest of the Weasley's and Harry made their way out of the room.

Hermione didn't remember falling asleep, but after the long Final Battle, and then another twenty-four hours of worrying about Fred, Hermione's body gave in to the slumber. A sleep that was so satisfying and only really achieved because for once in over a year, Hermione felt safe. Safe in the knowledge that she could finally live without fear of being a muggle-born. And safe in the reassurance that many of those she loved has survived the war.

When she awoke, she saw that she was gripping Fred's right hand, and George had crawled into the left side of his twin's bed. She smiled at the sight for a few moments, and then looked at her hand grasping tightly to Fred's. She knew she should let go. Knew that this was not her place. He didn't love her. Not the way she loved him. And even with the knowledge that he risked his life for her's, Hermione was still very much reluctant to the idea that Fred could ever see her as more than one of his little brother's best friends.

This realization is what had Hermione begin to pull her hand away from his. She was almost free when she heard George's tired, but firm voice say, "Don't."

Surprised, she looked up to see George's determined gaze on her face. She must have looked confused, or at the very least very shocked, for George continued to speak, "He'll like you being here, holding his hand, when he wakes up." His gaze moved to his twin's face, "I think he even knows it now. That you're here. Might be even helping him heal."

She wanted to say something. Anything. Question his words. Question his thoughts about Fred. But the moment George saw Hermione reclaim Fred's hand, he closed his eyes again in hopes to get a few more hours of sleep. Hermione thought of doing the same, and even rested her head against Fred's bed, but her thoughts about George's words, and Fred's heroic actions, kept swimming through her mind, refusing to let her drift-off.

The next twenty-four hours were much the same. Sometimes she would catch an hour or so of sleep, but then healers would come into the room, or George would wake up and want to chat, or the Weasley's and other visitors would stop by to check-in on Fred. Mostly, she just sat in silence with George, both looking at Fred, trying to will him with their gazes to wake up.

The last twenty-four hours were the most difficult because, despite what the healers were saying about Fred's progress, Hermione was losing hope. And she could sense that everybody else was as well. Not so much that they would ever give up on him, but enough to make the atmosphere feel heavier and much gloomier. The thrill of the victory in the Final Battle was lessening, as they let fear seep in that Fred could take a turn for the worst. That he could join the ranks of those that had fallen in battle.

Hermione refused to leave, though. She would have to, in time, she knew, but for now she needed to be by Fred's side. Needed to see with her own eyes that he was still breathing. And when she glanced up at George, she knew that he felt the same. They would stay. Fred needed them. They needed Fred.

Her body gave out on her again around hour seventy. It needed sleep, and Hermione was certain she was going to start having hallucinations soon if she didn't get a proper night's sleep soon. Perhaps in an actual bed. People were starting to leave the beds surrounding Fred's at St. Mungo's. She was tempted to take one of the free ones, but the thought of leaving Fred's side was too much, so she just rested her head in her propped up left hand, and let herself be taken into darkness.

George's voice roused her slightly into consciousness, "Take a picture Gred. It'll last longer." For a moment, she thought she must be dreaming, or finally hallucinating due to the lack of sleep, because George couldn't actually be talking to Fred. Fred was still unconscious. He would have woken her up if Fred had wakened, right?

But then, Fred's voice, a voice that was too scratchy with unused to have been a hallucination, replied, "I might just have to do that sometime, Forge."

And before Hermione could stop herself, her eyes shot open, and there lay Fred, smiling at her. Three days after the Final Battle; after having pushed her out of the way of a falling wall, Fred Weasley was awake.

I made this longer because you all have been waiting so patiently! I hope you enjoyed it, and that I didn't rant on too much! I really loved exploring Hermione's side of this event, as we got to explore a little of it from Fred's POV in the first two chapters.

Please remember to review!