The door was unbolted agonizingly slow before Draco shoved the man away and kicked the door open as a creak resonated throughout the room. Hermione's head rested against the cemented wall, her eyes closed while her face was tilted upwards.
He was her first visitor in a year.
His face paled at the sight of the frizzy-haired mudblood he hated with a passion. When he was contacted at first, he couldn't believe his ears. Surely, the dead don't rise back to life again. It turns out that Hermione Granger was never dead in the first place. The whispers he often heard in the walls of the Manor were true – Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age, was trapped in a room for a year.
The rumors that circulated around the one-third of the Golden Trio since her sudden disappearance on the day they won the war had been narrowed down to one.
"Hermione Granger: Killed by Voldemort's Soul?" – Rita Skeeter, the Daily Prophet
"Potter's Right Hand suspected to be killed by Voldemort's soul" – Rita Skeeter, the Daily Prophet
"The Girl Who Disappeared" – Rita Skeeter, the Daily Prophet
Over the course, Rita Skeeter made a buzz in the magical world, earning her greater wealth and fame than before and quite frankly, she reveled in it.
Draco scoffed at the thought as he turned her attention back to the female. He knelt down, facing her as his vision failed him in the darkness, before tapping her shoulder gently as she staggered in her sleep before she snuck a peek at him.
Gripping his wand, he whispered,"Lumos", and the blue light glowed in the room. Gasping for air, Draco fell back on his feet, shocked beyond words whilst the others stood at the threshold, snickering and laughing at the whimpering female.
Hermione quivered as she sunk back into the shadows. Used to the faint warm glow that graced the dark room whenever the door was opened, the blue glow brought her nightmares back to life.
Draco, however, did yelp quietly. Granger looked nothing like what he remembered her as. Her clothes were practically rags held together by strings of fabric but that was not as severe as her condition. Face white and blistering, eyelids swollen nearly shut, hair falling from the front of her forehead in thin clusters. An ugly slash which begun at the side of her forehead ended at her right cheekbone along with several purple bruises on her arms along with several cigarette marks on her wrist.
The room, on the other hand, was bare essentially. There was a thin, worn out blanket and a pitcher of water on either corners of the room. Blood stains decorated the floor and the walls. However, his stomach lurched when he noticed the claw marks on the wall, probably made by Hermione during the first month of her captivity. He could imagine her piercing cries of help, similar to that day at the Malfoy Manor. The day she got marked with an insult that would stay with her forever.
The female went limp, again, snapping her eyes close as she drifted into unconsciousness and blurry memories.
Draco was certain he strongly disliked Granger but in the moment, he won't let her suffer.
He stood up again and the men straightened up, lowering their eyes as he glared at the lot. Shaking his head in dismissal, "Why was I not informed earlier?" He asked icily, hands folded behind his back.
"It was 's order"
"She insisted upon it. He asked her to"
"It won't even matter. The girl remembers nothing"
His eyes widened comparatively, as he processed this new bit of information, "Alright then. But riddle me this. Who is he?' He asked his tone clipped and cold.
One of them visibly gulped while others shuffled on their feet uncomfortably before one meekly replied.
"We can't disclose."
At this point, Draco's curiosity was unquenchable and he was about to retort a statement on his power when a loud groan reverberated in the room.
His thoughts shifted quickly to Hermione again,"Well, move out of my way. She's free" He exhaled .The last bit of humanity left in him nagged him to pick her up yet he only put her arm over his shoulder and dragged her out of the room.
Minutes later, she was seated in his car, on the way to a remote hospital as Draco contemplated his next actions.
Hermione was beyond recognizable, fortunately, thus preventing the need to conceal her identity.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind, raising the possibility of leaving her in the hospital but his friendship with Harry blocked him from treading on that territory.
Harry Potter was only a way of meeting his means for Draco. With his 'changed self', Draco was in the Ministry's good books which prevented a lifetime spent in Azkaban.
Smirking to himself, he halted at the entrance to the hospital and in a blink, Hermione was placed in the intensive care unit under the name "Weslie Herman " .The receptionist had blinked at him , possibly aghast at the strange name to which Draco simply shrugged casually.
As he sat at the waiting lounge, playing the spherical paperweight, the realization that he could have used magic to treat her dawned upon him and he sighed, exasperated at him beyond belief. Quickly, he came to a conclusion that he couldn't fuss over the little know-it-all.
'And waste your exceptional magical skills 'A small voice spoke at the back of his mind and he sneered at his ego.
Draco shifted back into reality after a snooze at the couch, as he rubbed his eyes, yawning. He paused immediately, realizing he was at a hospital before it all flooded back to him. His shoulders drooped as he leans back into the couch, observing his surroundings once more. Although, by now, the waiting lounge was quiet and serene, owing to the fact that he was the only one present.
"How long was I out cold for?" He murmured, mid-way through another yawn as his eyes shifted the muggle clock hanging on the wall, above the flower vase on the wooden table.
The clock had promptly stopped working at three in the afternoon, causing the blonde to swear under his breath. He threw his hands up in despair, bemoaning at his current situation, before he felt a vibration ringing in his jean's pocket. On cue, Draco reached for his Smartphone, which was still in mint condition, just to be bothered by another software update notification.
"Muggle Inventions made for those who have nothing else to do "He complained bitterly to himself, as he shook his head at the time displayed. He couldn't believe it that he had been here for six hours; that he had dedicated his morning to a task he shouldn't be involved in.
The receptionist eyed him as if he were the one needing medical attention while he chose to ignore his gaze. Impatient by nature, he rose from the couch and stalked over the young female, "Any chance Granger, err, I mean Weslie is done?"He asked, putting on his sweetest smile for quick action as she simply glowered at him, obviously unhappy with another task before motioning to the doctor who was walking in the corridor ,"Ask him. "She said simply.
Scowling at her, he turned to the doctor, "Any news on Weslie? Room 206?" He asked, frustrated at how the situation kept dragging on.
The doctor smiled, "Oh yes. Terrible injuries, but she's out of danger"
Sighing happily, he nodded, "Well then, that's done"
However, actually, all that Draco cared was for this day to be over. He couldn't stand another minute in this lowly hospital that had the awful odor of disinfectant, sick people and cleanliness. Shuddering at this thought, Draco continued with his pretence and smiled at the doctor as if he had been relieved of a burden.
The doctor spoke again, much to his annoyance, "You must be Draco, I presume?"
His head snapped upwards briskly to meet the muggle's eyes as all color drained from his face.
"What sort of sorcery did he use?" He thought which circled in his head until he felt wobbly on his feet. Inhaling a huge gulp of air, he cleared his mind and leant on the wall, just in case.
Taking his silence to be positive, the doctor continued in his stoic voice," She asked for you. Weslie, that is"
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he snuck another look at the doctor before making his way to room 206.
She wasn't supposed to remember anyone and yet all she remembers is the boy who tormented her.
Exhaling the air out , he straightened himself before entering the said room only to find himself staring at the motionless body in front of him .
She looked at him curiously before smiling warmly,"Draco "She called in a raspy tone , owing to her state.
" Granger " He answered in response , firmly yet the female looked overjoyed beyond bounds.
Wincing as she sat up, Hermione waved at him weakly, urging him to begin a conversation. Anger flared in his eyes and died down just as quickly. Surely, she didn't remember everything, right? Or was she pretending all this time like the mudblood that she is?
"You remember me? "He questioned, failing to mask the disbelief and curiosity in his voice.
Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her thin blue gown , provided by the hospital, as she gestured to the mark on her wrist, the one that spelt 'Mudblood' .
"Mudblood you?"She questioned incoherently.
Never had Draco imagined a day where the insult would be referred to him but there's a first time to everything.
"I called you that over the years, yes" He admitted. It made sense now, though, a scar on her soul that would be forever linked to the Malfoy Manor and unfortunately, him.
"But my blood is dirt is definitely brown. How? Are you a mudblood too?" She inquired, obviously interested in how the insult was appropriate for her.
"I don't have the patience to deal with this right now" He thought to himself as he stood by the window frame ,looking out at the muggle world.
Although, the situation was amusing, in the least. It amazed Draco that Granger was still curious as a mouse, even when she had no memory. "I bet , Harry and Ron would have been laughing their robes off at this frivolous question" He whispered to the air, chuckling quite a bit himself.
Turning towards her again, he begun,"So what else do you remember?"
Her eyes were distant as a shard of confusion fell on her face, "Remember what? My life begun in the room but I knew you somehow. And now, I know, my name is Weslie Herman, I think" She concluded
He guffawed at her explanation, his head bobbing up and down in laughter while Hermione looked at him, enraged that he hadn't taken her seriously.
"Oh shut it. It's all true" She snapped angrily, turning her head away to watch the faded walls of the room.
At this point, Draco was ready to bring in Harry and Ron to help her bring her memory back yet there was so much to lose once they got to know. It angered him that he didn't know who her captors were or why he had the need to protect her but when he looked at the bruised and battered state of Granger, he knew that this wasn't a sight he could ever behold again.
It would be a chaos if the sneaky Rita Skeeter got to know about Hermione. For one, the captors would take her back in immediately but the pressing matter was that they would know and target him next.
"Oh, Granger, you have much to learn about yourself and quite frankly, I haven't got a clue "He remarked loudly, as he dropped onto the single couch and looked at her .
She was murmuring to herself again before tears pooled at the brink of her eyes and spilt freely, "They won't take me back, right? "She sobbed her face in her hands, "Promise me you won't let them take me. It was a nightmare, Draco, please, promise me"
"Now I really don't think that's-"He begun but was soon cut off as her wails grew a pitch louder, "Yes, Hermione, I promise. It isn't happening again"
And in that moment, his fate was entangled with Hermione's.
A/N: My first dramione fanfiction ever arousing from a long held idea. There are so many questions yet to be answered which will slowly be revealed in the following chapters along with the development of relationship between Draco and Hermione.
Leave reviews on what you think about the beginning xx