Addicted To You

Dorthey Star

"Nightmare"

WARNING: This story, and those that follow, are companions to my story "Addiction." I don't think they'll make sense without reading it first, but you're welcome to try.

The flat was familiar. The living room held a yellow and brown plaid couch, a TV, and a blue armchair. The dining room/kitchenette area was small and cramped, but that was okay because they didn't eat much here. The table held a vase of dead roses. Jay was sitting at the table, grinning at her.

                "Hallo, luv," he said, standing to greet her. Her lips curved in an involuntary smile. "I know you'd come back," he continued, leading the way down the tiny hall to his bedroom. "Those blood wizards couldn't keep you away from me and everything I can give you." He paused to pull his Sex Pistols shirt off as they entered his bedroom. His pants were next, leaving him in only blue silk boxers. He threw himself onto the bed and opened the door of the nightstand. She sat down on the edge of the bed, frowning. Something he said wasn't right. She shrugged as he handed her the drugs. She frowned once more. Deep down she knew she shouldn't take it. Jay's face turned mischievous.

                "Scared?" he asked teasingly. She felt her mouth open.

                "Of course not," she said and took the drugs from him. As soon as they were in her hands and out of his, his face seemed to melt and suddenly it was Draco sitting in his boxers, but his face was disappointed where Jay's had been eager.

                "Hermione…" he said softly and shook his head. She turned her gaze the floor, suddenly very ashamed.

                "I knew you couldn't do it. I knew you were too weak. Stupid Mudbloods can't do anything, not even break a stupid addiction," he said. She looked up sharply and saw that the cold, stony look had returned to his face. In the blink of an eye he was gone and Jay was back. Jay sat up and put his mouth against her ear.

                "Take it, luv. I'll make you forget all about him," he whispered. Hermione nodded numbly, tears flowing down her cheeks. All at once the dream was gone and was awake, screaming.

                The lights flickered on instantly and the door flew open. Hermione stopped screaming and looked around. She was comforted slightly that she was in her room at St. Mungo's. She was sitting- not lying- on her quilt-covered bed. Tears flooded down her cheeks as Healer Donovan came flying into the room.

                "Miss Granger? Are you all right?" she asked breathlessly. Hermione couldn't formulate an intelligent reply. Healer Donovan could only understand three words: Jay, again, and Draco. Upon hearing the last one, Healer Donovan knew what she had to do.

                "I'll be right back, luvvie. Stay right there." she said and exited the room. Hermione did nothing but sit and cry. A few minutes passed in which Hermione relived her dream several times before the door opened again and Draco came into the room. He was wearing black pants and his white button up shirt was untucked with the first button undone. His hair was slightly mussed up, and he smelled faintly of wine.

                "What happened?" he asked, pulling up one of the chairs and sitting down next to Hermione's bed.

                "J-Jay. He was giving me some…and you were there…and you called me a Mudblood…and…" she broke off, unable to continue any longer because of the tears. Draco squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again and pulling her into a hug.

                "It was just a dream," he whispered.

                "I know, but it seemed so real. He knew about wizards, but I never told him. That's how I knew it was a dream," she said, her voice cracking.

                "Just who is the Jay fellow?" Draco asked, thinking that talking about it might calm her nerves.

                "I met him at a club the summer after Sixth Year. We, along with his sister and her guy, would go clubbing and then we'd end up back at their flat where we would…" she paused and sighed. "Oh hell, I might as well tell you the whole story. We fucked. Like rabbits, in fact." She heard him snicker, but continued anyway. "He introduced me to drugs. He always got me some. I was addicted to him as much as the drugs," she finished, letting her voice fade to a whisper. Draco pulled her closer to him.

                "We'll break you of that addiction, too, Granger. You just have to want to," he said quietly. She sniffed and instinctively moved closer to him.

                "I don't want to do this for the rest of my life. I don't want to feel like shit day in and day out and have to suffer through these nightmares. I want to get better," she whispered, breaking down into fresh tears as she burrowed her face into his chest. Draco rested his chin on her head and rubbed slow circles on her back with one arm while just holding her with the other. It could have been several hours or several minutes- Draco would never be sure which it was- but the comfort Draco was offering Hermione finally took effect and her gentle, feminine snores could at last be heard. Draco detached himself from the frail girl and put her into a lying position on the bed. He pulled the covers up to her chin and gently kissed her forehead, although he knew that was definitely against hospital code. I'm not on duty, he said definitely to himself.

                "I love you, Granger," he whispered softly and kissed her temple. A small smile graced her lips and she burrowed deeper into the covers. Draco turned off her lights and left the room, snapping the door gently shut behind him. Healer Donovan was sitting behind the desk, making notes on a piece of parchment. She looked up when she heard the door shut. She offered Draco a small smile.

                "Thanks for coming. She woke up screaming and all she could tell me was your name, another boy's name and 'again.' I thought it would be best if I let you handle it," she said, leaning back in her chair.

                "It was just a normal nightmare. Why didn't you take care of it yourself?" he asked, curiously. "I've seen you do it dozens of times with dozens of patients." Healer Donovan smiled slightly.

                "I've found that sometimes it's best to have a familiar face, to have someone who cares for the patient and who the patient cares for. They seem to calm down quicker that way." Healer Donovan smiled and, as Draco was opening to mouth to reply, continued. "Now, I do believe your work here is done, and you may leave." Draco nodded, recognizing this as an order, not simply a request. As he walked to the floo fireplaces, his mind reeled with what she had just said. Someone the patient cares for…does Granger really care for me? He certainly hoped so. Seeing Hermione in torment was killing him. Shrugging off those thoughts Draco flooed to the Manor were a bottle of wine and a quiet evening at home were waiting for him.

Disclaimer: all characters and places belong to the oh-so-talented (and, not to mention, very, very, very, rich) J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: this is only the first of more that will follow. There will be no certain sequence of these. The stories will not necessarily be connected to each other, other than the fact that they're all based on my story "Addiction", of course. Thanks for reading, and I do hope you'll be a Good Samaritan and review! It would mean a lot to me.