Disclaimer: Right, then. None of the characters or magical references belong to me. I'm sorry if I misled you.
Author's Note: This is just a little plot bunny that hopped into my brain about an hour ago that I just had to get down. To the readers of 'Falling Hard', I promise to update it sometime this weekend! I've just been busy, busy, busy but I really do want to update and I will!
Basically, these are just two interludes during the war between Draco and Hermione. Draco is with the light side as he has seen the error of his ways, and he is working for the Order. I hope you like it. Please review! :)
*
"I'm scared."
She thought he would ignore her whisper just like he has ignored anything trivial for the past two hours, so she is surprised when he turns and looks at her.
He holds his hand out. "There's nothing to be scared of."
But even as she takes his hand, she begs to differ because her heart is thrumming wildly and the warmth of his hand around hers makes her feel more alive than she has in a long time.
He studies her for a moment before closing his hand even more tightly around hers and licking his lips. "It's just a mission, Granger."
Just a mission. They'd been going on missions for the Order for such a long time now that sometimes it felt almost normal, but it was always when they were nearly at a supposed Death Eater site, or nearly where a Horcrux should be, or nearly on the battlefield when fear and panic shot through Hermione and she couldn't think straight.
"It's not 'just a mission' to me." Hermione says honestly.
"It's never just a mission to you." The words weren't spoken maliciously – he understood. He knew she was afraid every single time and he never made fun of her for it.
"You'll take care of me?" She looks up at him, and just from his expression, she knows he will.
*
"Where is she?" It is the first thing out of his mouth when he gets back to Grimmauld Place and Seamus looks up from where he and Dean had been playing Wizard's Chess, surprised.
Dean's expression is grim. "Malfoy, there were so many 'she's injured today that – "
"Granger." Just saying the word makes him remember how she looked right before they'd stepped onto the battlefield and suddenly, he is more afraid than he's ever been and the fear rips at his insides and he needs to throw up right now –
"Nobody's allowed to see her yet." Seamus looks upset, and scared too. "We're all worried. She looked terrible when she got back."
"I need to see her." I promised her I'd take care of her and I fucked it up.
"Malfoy, Lupin said – "
"I don't care what Lupin said!" Draco spat. "I have to see her!"
Seamus frowns at him for a few seconds, then nods. "She's in Tonks' room."
Draco flies up the stairs and is outside Tonks' room barely two seconds later, and he pushes open the door, his heart pounding harder than it ever had.
He freezes in the doorway.
Hermione is lying on Tonks' bed, her right arm wrapped in a bandage and a pale pink liquid coating her right ankle. Bruises cover what skin he can see and her left leg, also bandaged, is propped up.
"Malfoy." She breathes the word, her eyes fluttering open.
He's at her side in a split second, and he buries his face in her neck so she won't see the tears that are stinging his eyes. "Granger. I was so scared – "
"I'm okay." He can hear the smile in her soothing words, and he looks up at her.
"I'm sorry." He's never uttered those two words in that order before, and it's strangely humbling. "I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have left your side, I thought – I didn't see the others, just the one you were fighting, and then my father came and – "
"Don't be sorry." She brushes her lips over his hair. "None of us were thinking. It was so hard out there – "
"Like you wouldn't believe." He whispers, even though he knows it is no excuse.
"More so for you than anyone else." She agrees. She hesitates, then lifts a hand to cup his cheek. "Did you just get back?"
He nods. "I – I was so worried about you, I couldn't stay."
Her face lights up with happiness, and he's never seen anything more beautiful. "I was worried about you too."
She frowns suddenly, noticing the blood seeping through his shirt. "Your shoulder – "
"It's fine." He says quickly. "I'll get Lupin to heal it later or something. But you're - you're okay?"
"I'm more than okay." She says reassuringly.
And then she is leaning over and her lips are pressed against his and nothing else in the world matters anymore. He responds instantly, his fingers going to her hair, and he doesn't stop kissing her until he runs out of air.
He breaks away, inhaling deeply, and rests his forehead against hers. "You're so important to me."
This makes her beam – she knows it's his way of saying 'I love you', and he's glad she understands him so well because it is much too early in their relationship for him to be actually saying he loves her no matter how true it is.
"You're so important to me too." She smiles, and she starts kissing him all over again.
The world might end and the war might never end, but these things didn't matter to Draco right in that moment, because he had her and she was everything.