Every Time I Close My Eyes

Chapter 3

Robbery and the Hospital

Hermione had cried a few times that night, but she had been careful not to let Harry hear her, though she had a feeling he heard her some of the times. He didn't mention it the next day so it was hard to tell. Harry was mad at her for doing this to herself, she knew. When she woke up that morning, Harry had already gone to work.

She didn't like fighting with Harry. It was all she could think of while she was supposed to be teaching. It was all she could think about on her drive home from work. It was all she could think of as she turned the key to get into their flat, only to find it was already unlocked. Strange, she thought.

"I'm home!"

She shouted as she slipped out of her coat. Normally, Harry would chorus back, "Welcome back!", but today there was only silence. Hermione tugged off her shoes.

"Harry?"

Something was not right. Harry was normally home before her. She noticed his keys on the sidetable he had to be home. Hermione stood there in her confusion for a moment before she heard noises coming from her bedroom.

"Harry?"

Hermione sighed. She'd been a little creeped out there for a minute. She walked over to her bedroom.

"I need to talk to you about last night, Harry. I'm so sor-"

Hermione started to say, but stopped when she opened the door. It wasn't Harry in her bedroom. A tall, buff man dressed in black with a black ski mask on was rooting through all of her drawers, pulling out all of her clothes. He looked up at her. Hermione stood, frozen by terror.

He moved swiftly and silently over to her. She noticed the long lead pipe in his left hand. Hermione snapped back to her senses and ducked as the man swung the lead pipe hard at her. It barely missed her head and she ran to the other side of the room, screaming. The man ran over to her, swinging wildly. Hermione was so busy ducking that she couldn't even get her wand. The adrenaline in her was causing her to move super fast. She ducked another swing and rolled over the bed. She was starting to feel a bit more confident when he finally landed a blow to her mid-section.

Hermione saw stars and she doubled over, clutching her stomach. Her momentary delay cost her dearly. He hit her over the head with the pipe. Hermione screamed and fell on her face. She could barely see, the pain was so blinding. The man grabbed her by the hair and slammed her up against the wall. Hermione looked up, a bit of blood seeping down her face. As she looked up, the man pushed her dresser right into her. Then, her world went black.

_-_*One Hour Earlier*_-_

Harry was just coming home from work. He was still very upset about how he'd blown up last night and walked out on her and Harry had spent the day thinking about a way to make it up to her. All he could think about was how he'd left her to cry on her own in her bedroom. Yes, he'd heard her crying. Several times, in fact. He turned the key to their flat and pushed open the door. He tossed his keys onto the side table and looked around the room. Something wasn't right.

Harry noticed that the door to his bedroom was slightly ajar. He walked quietly over to his room and peeked through the doorway. Inside was a man about his height wearing all black. He wasn't too strong looking, and by the way he was rooting through his stuff, Harry had a feeling that he was a Muggle. Harry felt himself getting angry. He kicked open the door.

Harry almost burst out laughing; the guy seemed to have a heart attack. He recovered quickly and snatched up a box on Harry's dresser and ran from the room. Harry groaned and took off after him. He had taken off after him so soon, that he hadn't even realized that there was another, much larger burglar in Hermione's room.

Harry ran down the stairs. This guy was really fast. He nearly tripped over the bottom of the stairs and made a mad dash for the guy. The guy in the ski mask looked back at him, and Harry swore he saw the guy's eyes grow to the size of golf balls. Harry picked up a rock and chucked it at the man. He chased the guy in and out of the crowded streets of his neighborhood. He chased him all across town. Harry was starting to get very, very tired when he chased the burglar into a dead end.

The man finally decided to turn and fight. Harry caught his breath and ran up to him. He punched him across the face and grabbed the box back from him. After giving him another hard blow to the stomach, Harry left to fetch the police. As he watched the police car drive off he thought to himself, maybe he'll think before he steals from anyone again.

"Wait 'till 'Mione hears about this!"

Harry exclaimed as he opened the box to make sure that everything was still there. He closed it with a snap. He enjoyed the walk home because he knew that he had protected his Hermione and his things. He smiled to himself.

He was getting close to his house when he saw something that made his heart stop. Running toward him, as if in slow motion, was another man in black. He was carrying an armful of things. He recognized one of the necklaces to be one that Ron had given to Hermione for Christmas. Harry was frozen by the shock.

The man ran by in a blur and Harry hastily looked down at his watch. It was three forty-two. Hermione normally got home at three thirty. Harry's mind was working a mile a minute.

He took off faster than he had ever run in his life, the box he'd been holding clattered on the sidewalk, no longer important. He took the stairs to their flat four at a time. His heart was beating so fast it hurt. He threw open the door to their flat.

"Hermione!"

He ran to his room, the bathroom, and finally to her room. His eyes raked her room for any sign of life. When he found nothing, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was just about to walk out of the room when he saw an arm sticking out from behind the dresser. It had been pushed over to the other side of the room. Harry ran over to it and, with a mighty heave, shoved it away.

"Hermione!"

He cried. Her eyes were closed and there was blood seeping down her face. Already, her skin was turning a deep blue and a sickly yellow from the bruises. Harry crouched down. He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Wake up!"

He commanded. Her head rolled from side to side. He shook her more vigorously.

"Wake up!!!"

He screamed, praying that she would open her eyes and tell him she was ok and that she was only pretending to be hurt.

"Please, Hermione! Please!"

Harry hugged her to him. A tear slipped silently down his cheek.

"Please wake up, Hermione. Please."

_-_

Hermione blinked up. She was blinded at first and her head was throbbing. Every inch of her seemed to be in pain. She could barely move or breathe.

"Hermione! You're awake!"

Hermione winced. The sudden noise made her head feel like a hammer was beating it on. She blinked a couple times and looked up into the face of none other than Ronald Weasley.

"Ron?"

Ron's face fell a little bit.

"Ron?"

Ron questioned. As Hermione watched, the Ron's face morphed into Harry's. Hermione's mind was playing tricks again. Harry was looking relieved and very sleep deprived.

"Harry?"

He nodded enthusiastically. She struggled to sit up and Harry helped her. She looked around the room. She was in a Muggle hospital room, surrounded by beeping machines. By the clock on the wall, Hermione could tell that it was about seven in the morning.

"What happened?"

Harry sat back in a chair that was pulled up to her bed.

"They robbed us, Hermione."

Hermione looked at him. He looked so tired.

"I knew that, but why weren't you home?"

Harry looked down at his hands.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I had gotten home and chased one of the guys around town. I didn't know there were two of them until I saw him running out of the building. When I came up, I found you behind your dresser in your room."

He clenched and unclenched his hands.

"I'm so, so, so sorry, Hermione, about everything. I should have been there."

Hermione reached out and put a hand on the top of his head. She knew that he meant that he was sorry about the fight the other night, too.

"I'm sorry, too. But you didn't know about the other man, Harry. It isn't your fault."

"She's right, Potter."

A voice from the corner made her jump. Draco was standing in the corner, sipping a cup of coffee. He was looking very calm and was staring out the window.

"Draco, you're here?"

She asked skeptically.

"You see me standing here don't you?"

Hermione was taken aback. She didn't know why he was here. He had saved her life in sixth year and since then they'd been on first name basis, but they'd never been real friends. The door swinging open announced the arrival of the real reason Draco was probably here, Ginny.

"Sweetie! You're awake!"

She ran over to her bed. Hermione smiled at her. The door banging open again caused everyone in the room to jump, too. Ron came running through the door.

"Where is she?!"

He screamed, his eyes scanning the room. They fell on Hermione and he ran over to her eagerly, nearly knocking Harry over.

"Are you ok? How are you?"

Hermione almost started to laugh, but it turned into coughing. Ron started panicking, but Ginny put a hand on his shoulder.

"The doctors say that she's fine."

Ron looked relieved, but then got really angry. He punched his fist into his hand.

"If I ever catch that bastard who did this to you, I swear-!!!"

Hermione smiled up at him.

"That's ok. Harry already pummeled the stuffing out of one of them, didn't you?"

Hermione said, proud. Harry blushed as all eyes turned to him. Ron clapped him on the shoulder.

"I wish I would have been there."

Just then the doctor walked in. He looked around with an angry look on his face.

"What are all these people doing in here? Out, out!"

He waved to the door. Hermione leaned back on her pillows as she watched them all file out of her room. Hermione grinned as she watched Ron talking fervently about how he was going to hunt down her attacker and kill him.

He does care for me... Hermione thought, just not the way I want him to. With a sigh, Hermione rolled over and drifted into a fitful sleep.