AN: there's quite a bit of swearing in this one.
You're probably wondering how I got this way, carrying the mudblood tenderly through the school, you know what? So am I.
He watched her every now and then, simply curious, he didn't harbour any deep-seeded notion of a future between them, he didn't like her at all in that way, or for that matter in any way, but he would occasionally watch her. His father had always told him to be ever vigilant of the enemy, watch their movements, watch how they deal with trauma and pain, it is only then, he told, that we can truly fight on equal terms; he assured Draco that the enemy would certainly be watching him. And so Draco watched people, people who were threats, namely Harry Potter and his gang of misfits.
But as he watched her today he didn't see the annoying side of her, he saw her fighting, fighting in a war, a losing war on her part, outnumbered 20 to 1. But she still fought.
What a fool!
And in one instant he was on the floor, dying, Ron Weasley had struck him with the sectumsempra jinx; he was bleeding profusely from what seemed to be every pore in his body. He drew a shallow, shuddering breath before passing out.
He woke up in a room, a cold dark room. He jumped suddenly as he heard the door open with a squeak and a warm looking woman in shabby old clothes walked in with a tray. "We expected you to be awake today Mr Malfoy," he jumped from his bed and reached for his wand. It was missing, he'd never been without his wand…it was then he realised he'd never been more vulnerable his entire life.
"Where am I?" he screamed, the woman gave him a tender look hoping to calm him,
"It's alright Mr Malfoy; you're safe, calm down,"
"Where am I?"
"Hermione brought you here; you were extremely weak, critically injured, she put you in this room and then returned to the war, I've been caring for you since," she reached out her hand to shake, "I'm Molly Weasley," her hand was still, "Ron Weasley's mother," she hoped for some sign of recognition instead the boy turned his lip up in disgust,
"Where am I and where is my wand?"
"Your wand is down stairs and as soon as you're feeling-" but she was cut off as he ran past her, "Please, really you aren't well, even if you make it back to the war you'll likely collapse with exhaustion, you'll die Mr Malfoy," he ignored her however and continued down the stairs to his wand, once he had it he apparated to the manor.
The place had been ransacked a year before so not much was in working condition, luckily the shower in his ensuite was an exception. And there were still a few sets of robes in his wardrobe, he dressed silently and proceeded downstairs to find any scrap of food the elves may have left behind. "You should have stayed until you were better," he started,
"In case you didn't notice mudblood, I'm walking around, I am better."
"Oh yes, the cold sweat on your brow, the shallow breaths and the slow careful movements paint a picture of health," she replied with sarcasm.
"What do you want from me?"
"Hmm, this house would be nice," she looked around impressed, "but a simple thanks should suffice." He remained silent, "Okay, how about you just return the favour sometime?" she began to walk off,
"Why did you do it?" she stopped and considered him for a moment.
"Because no one else was going to." She turned to face him again, "They were just going to leave you there alone and forgotten and no one would even remember you, that isn't a heroes death, that isn't dying for your cause…You may be an evil git Malfoy but not even you deserve that,"
"But what about next time, how can you be sure you haven't just stalled the inevitable?"
"Okay, I'll make a deal, to make sure you're not forgotten I'll remember you, if you like you could return the favour though I doubt I'd be easy for anyone to forget,"
"And I would?"
"You've no one left Malfoy, which leads me back to the reason I saved you in the first place…no one else would. Like I said Malfoy, return the favour sometime…or not. I really couldn't care."
And that's why he was tenderly carrying Hermione Granger through the school.
He walked around a corner and laid her down on the dusty floor. "Granger?" he whispered checking for a response, "Mudblood?" her eyes flickered a bit before she groaned in pain and clutched her abdomen.
"Fuck," she swore coughing and spluttering, Draco couldn't help but notice that she was coughing blood. He followed her shocked gaze and saw blood blossoming on her stomach and spreading. She looked into his trenchant grey eyes, "Thanks for returning the favour Malfoy," she muttered weakly.
"It's not over yet Mudblood, you got me medical attention and saved my life, I'm still indebted to you, and damned if I'm going to let you die still owing my life to you."
"Glad to know your motives are so noble," she laughed feebly, "You should be nominated for Mr Congeniality." She coughed and spluttered some more.
"What do I do Granger?" she looked at him confused, "Well I hardly doubt you went into war without at least basic field medical knowledge," she nodded faintly and spoke softly, he leant closer,
"You have to find something to use as gauze," she drew a shuddering breath, "then apply pressure to stop the bleeding." He nodded and followed her instructions ripping a cleaner piece of his shirt off and applying it to the wound. She bit her lip and called out in agony,
"Merlin, Godric and all that is holy," she cried in pain. "No, no, stop, please stop for a second." He obliged, "Light your wand and examine the wound." He nodded and did as she instructed. "What does it look like?"
"Umm, well it looks like someone stabbed you with a wand," he creased his brows in confusion. She started coughing and spluttering yet again.
"Alright is there an exit wound?" she asked, he looked confused, "Is there a corresponding wound on my back?" he carefully rolled her to her side and examined,
"No,"
"Fuck," she muttered quietly. "I need you to clean the wound and take a closer look,"
"What am I looking for?"
"Something metal and almost cylindrical in shape," he nodded and quickly cleaned the wound while she winced in pain, taking his wand he looked into the hollow to find the metal cylinder,
"I can't see anything," she nodded,
"Okay, this is going to be very hard," he nodded, "I'll need you to follow the wound tract until you find the bullet, then bring it out. You have to be very careful not to use too much water because it will thin the blood and I'll die of exsanguination." He nodded, "You'll also have to do it carefully because we have no idea what kind of damage the bullet has already done," he nodded, "But most of all you have to be really quick because it is going to hurt like hell and I could go into shock and die." He nodded, "Are you sure you want to do this?" He suddenly looked determined,
"I owe you," he muttered harshly, she nodded. "You ready?" he asked, she rifled through her pockets slowly for a moment,
"Just let me find something to bite on," he nodded and helped her remove her watch band.
"You ready," she nodded, he slowly inserted his finger into the open wound to find the bullet as she winced and bit down hard on the watch strap with tears in her eyes.
"Fuck," she muttered through the leather. He followed the wound tract until he reached quite a solid piece of metal,
"I've got it!" he exclaimed excitedly,
"Remove it," she said in the calmest voice she could muster in her condition. He slowly extracted the bullet and then replaced the gauze, "Fuck Draco," she panted. He looked down at the metal in his hands,
"What is it?"
"It's a bullet. A projectile shot at high speed from a gun. It's a muggle weapon. It means it was friendly fire." He nodded at her still looking in awe of the bullet. "You need to reapply the pressure to stop the bleeding." He nodded and reapplied the gauze to the wound. She still coughed and spluttered. "Argh!" She screamed. "I need to get to some proper medical attention," he nodded at her and picked her up again. He side along apparated to Grimmauld Place.
"Who's there?" a voice called.
"All the wards and magical protection you could find and you still have to ask who's there?" there was a pause, "It's Draco Malfoy, I've brought someone important." The door opened a crack,
"Shit!" the voice exclaimed. "Put Hermione down and leave,"
"No,"
"Put her down Malfoy!"
"She's got internal bleeding, she was shot…with a bullet. Friendly fire." The voice pasued.
"Well you are a Death Eater so please forgive me if I don't invite you in."
"Okay, I'm putting her down, just get her some healers, okay?" there was silence. He placed her on the doorstep gently and walked away before apparating back to the war.
"Hermione Granger was a good friend, a good daughter and over all a good person." The speech ranted on for quite a while. Draco got bored. "She died a hero's death, at war; it's what she would have wanted."
"Bullshit!" he called out, the pastor turned around, "She didn't die a hero's death, her life was taken by someone on her own side. Friendly fire. She was taken well before her time." The crowd looked at him in outrage, "I tried with all my might to save her life, to return the favour and not until she got to the order headquarters was she in any danger," people started talking animatedly about conspiracies. Draco felt his job was done. He walked out of the cemetery and down the street.
"Malfoy," he heard calling, "Malfoy," he didn't stop. "She asked for you." He stopped in his tracks.
"What?"
"She asked for you as she was dying, she asked for you," Draco slowly turned to face Ginny Weasley, "And I find myself wondering why, on her death bed, would she speak to no one else but you? And why her dying words were make sure Malfoy remembers me?"
"It's none of your concern,"
"Really, because last I heard I was her friend,"
"Well last I heard war heroes didn't die from friendly fire,"
"That isn't how she'd want to be remembered,"
"She wouldn't want anyone to lie," she turned around to walk away, "When she asked you to make sure I remember she wasn't talking about the war hero. She was talking about the human being, and as a human being we should remember her the way she was…we owe her that. You owe her that."
"Fuck you Malfoy, what do you know about Hermione Granger?"
"She was the most noble person I've ever met and that includes Harry freaking Potter." He turned back to her slowly, "I owe her my life, I'm forever indebted to her and I will never forget that. I will always remember her and not as the victim of a war or a hero but as a vulnerable human being and the most noble creature I'll ever meet." He turned and left a discombobulated Ginny Weasley in his wake.