A/N: A big hello and thank you to everyone who is reading, and an even bigger thank you to those who left a review. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I also want to thank my wonderful beta Mamacita who gets me posting on time.
Draco waited anxiously while the Healers examined Hermione. He was worried about her considering the state he had found her in. It had been over ten years since he had last seen her and at that time he hadn't got on with her particularly well, but things had moved on, and whatever his personal feelings may have been previously he was here to do his job and he would complete it properly.
Once the Healer and his staff had taken Hermione into the examination room Draco returned to the Ministry of Magic, both to report to his own boss about the success of the mission and to coordinate with the other teams within the Department who were closing in to arrest Hermione's abductor.
He requested that he be allowed to tell Hermione's two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, that she had been successfully rescued. He was denied this opportunity, however, as he was summoned to another debrief, which took priority, but his boss Yaxley, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, assured Draco that he would pass the message on to Hermione's friends.
Draco warned Yaxley not to allow anyone to see Hermione for the time being as he knew they would be eager to, citing the need to question her still as a reason for keeping them away so her memories weren't skewed by having spoken to other people. In reality, Draco put them off because he didn't want anyone seeing her in her current condition, knowing it would distress them and it wasn't fair to Hermione.
Once Draco was certain everything he could do had been done and he was sure that the vile bastard who had abducted Hermione was close to capture and incarceration, he returned to the hospital to await the Healers' verdict, which was why he was currently impatiently pacing the floor of the visitor's waiting room.
The door opened and a man in green robes entered, smiling brightly.
'Hi, my name's Healer Brangbourne,' he announced pleasantly, holding his hand out to shake Draco's.
'Draco Malfoy . . . how is she?' Draco asked immediately, surprised at the sound of worry in his voice.
'Miss Granger is perfectly fine now,' Healer Brangbourne confirmed soothingly. 'She's in shock and a little overwhelmed by everything that's happened to her, but otherwise she's perfectly fit and ready to go whenever you want to take her. From what I understand, her captor spent most of his time attempting to disorientate Miss Granger rather than injure her. She had no idea what day of the week it was, or even what hour. She told me she had been trapped in the house ever since she was taken and didn't even know whether it was day or night.'
'The house was completely dark,' Draco confirmed, sounding disgusted. 'He had put dark wooden shutters on all the windows, which he locked, so Hermione couldn't see or get out. He even tacked the curtains to the window surrounds so she couldn't open them. It was pitch dark in there apart from a few candles when we went in to retrieve her, even though it was eleven o'clock in the morning. It's not a surprise that she's disorientated, especially after a couple of weeks of that.' He looked carefully at Healer Brangbourne and, trying to do his job, asked, 'Was she hurt at all?'
Healer Brangbourne shook his head. 'There are quite a few bruises, although they are mainly old ones. There's nothing too serious, though, and no broken bones.'
Draco looked relieved. 'He didn't torture her or anything, then?'
'Not as far as I can see. But you'll need to question Miss Granger thoroughly to find out for sure in case he used magic on her, as that's something we can't tell from our examinations. I would recommend you give her a little while to recover before you pose the more difficult questions that might upset her or she may have a relapse. Gentle questioning should be okay as long as you give her breathing space if she needs it,' Healer Brangbourne said sternly.
Draco nodded understandingly.
'Can you take me to her?' he asked.
Healer Brangbourne nodded and as they left the waiting room he indicated they should go left.
Conversationally he said, 'I don't know if you have any clothes for Miss Granger to put on before you go. She's still covered in that sheet at the moment. We tried to remove it and get her to put on a gown instead, but she refused to let go of it. It may well be that she's using it as something of a safety blanket, so be aware of that if you try to take it away from her. I know you probably want it to take it into evidence, but she may not want to give it up.'
He pushed open a door and allowed Draco to enter the room ahead of him. Hermione turned to look at them, a faint look of panic on her face.
'I've come to take you home, Hermione. Healer Brangbourne has given you the all clear,' Draco told her, keeping his voice gentle in case she was scared. He gazed at her for a moment, then added, 'Are you ready to go home?'
Hermione stared at Draco as if it was the first time she had ever seen him. She knew who he was, of course — she could hardly forget after seven years of his mean behaviour at school — but it was as if she was looking at someone completely different. He had grown up so much in the years since she had last seen him, and although a little part of her was horrified that she was thinking it, he was even more handsome than he had been at school.
Perhaps it was the black leather — it definitely didn't hurt — but there was more to it than that. Hermione wasn't sure what, though, and didn't want to probe the thought too deeply. She couldn't understand what he was doing here, although to be honest things were so confused that she probably shouldn't be surprised that it was Draco Malfoy rather than one of her friends who was to be her companion.
'Are you ready to leave?' Draco asked again, wondering what she was staring at.
Hermione shook her head as if clearing it. 'What? Leave . . . oh . . . yes. Yes, thank you, Draco.'
She looked down at herself, noticing for the first time the sheet she was wearing, and wondered how she was going to get home dressed as she was. She had no money, no wand and as far as she was aware the only thing her rescuers had brought from Michael's house was her toiletry bag.
'How . . .' Hermione started to say.
'I'll Apparate you,' Draco explained. 'You can't go traipsing through the streets dressed like that.'
'Oh, I don't know. If I re-tie it perhaps people will think it's a sari,' Hermione said, trying to keep her mood light as she was aware she was on the edge of hysteria. She gave a small grin. 'All I need is to shave my head, and with the bare feet they'll think I'm a Hare Krishna.'
'It's quite clearly a sheet,' Draco retorted, not knowing what a Hare Krishna was, but he smiled back at her.
'How are you going to Apparate me? You don't know where I live, do you?' Hermione asked curiously.
'I know the address of your flat,' Draco replied matter-of-factly. 'It was the first place we looked for you when you disappeared. Ron Weasley gave us your address as your abductor had changed it on the one record we had left for you. It appears he attempted to completely obliterate you from the Ministry's records — not just at work, either, but throughout the wizarding world — trying to make sure you no longer existed, although fortunately, he didn't quite have enough time to finish. Arthur Weasley and his team worked some extremely impressive magic and managed to retrieve some data, both for you and Antenucci. It was what finally put us on the right trail to track you down.'
Draco reached out to wrap his arm gently around Hermione's waist, watching carefully to see if it caused an adverse reaction.
'Am I all right to hold you like this?' he enquired solicitously.
The idea that she was free of Michael and that awful house and was about to go home almost overwhelmed Hermione, but she was determined not to break down again. That would be too embarrassing.
She blinked back tears as she nodded. 'I'd really like to go home now.' She looked at Healer Brangbourne and smiled. 'Thank you.'
He nodded and smiled back. 'Take care, Miss Granger. I'm glad you were rescued without any serious injury. You may return to work whenever you feel ready, but you might want to consider taking a few days off first, to readjust and prepare yourself. Goodbye.'
Draco released Hermione as soon as they appeared in her lounge. He looked at her appraisingly, waiting to see if she was going to break down now that she was in her own home once more. She certainly looked upset enough for it.
'I'm perfectly okay,' she told him wryly once she realised he was studying her and waiting for her to explode or something. 'My behaviour at the house was a reaction to what I was going through. Now I'm away from there and home again I'll be fine.'
'I will need to question you about what happened, but that can wait if you're not feeling up to it just yet,' Draco told her. 'We can go to the Ministry once you're ready . . . or I suppose we could do it here if you feel more comfortable.'
'Was it you who rescued me?' Hermione asked quietly, still trying to work out how this miracle had occurred. She had honestly thought she would be Michael's prisoner forever.
Draco nodded. 'Yes . . . well, me and my team. I don't know if you remember them. You were rather out of it.'
Hermione shook her head. She didn't really remember anything except finishing her shower, and then somehow miraculously she was free of that awful prison and in St Mungo's.
'I'm sorry for being in such a state when you found me,' she whispered, feeling embarrassed.
'It's understandable considering what you've been through,' Draco told her soothingly. 'There's no need to be embarrassed about it.'
He wondered for a moment whether Hermione realised that he had seen her naked, even if it was just curled up on the bed, but tried to put the thought out of his mind. He didn't need her thinking he was a pervert . . . although she was absolutely lovely. She had been in her later years at school, he remembered, although she had been off-limits to him because of his views at the time; but since then it appeared she had really blossomed.
Hermione moved closer to Draco then, without a hint of what she was about to do, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him full on the lips. He was taken by surprise for a moment and debated whether he should push her away. He didn't need her becoming fixated on him for rescuing her, nothing good could ever come of that. But the kiss was rather good and he was enjoying more than he should the knowledge that Hermione had kissed him.
He kissed her back.
As the kiss finished and Hermione pulled away, Draco realised she had tears on her cheeks. Panic rose within him that he had done something wrong and he silently cursed himself for being so stupid. She obviously thought he was trying to take advantage of her, the last thing she needed considering what she had probably been through with Antenucci.
'Are you all right?' he asked.
'I'm sorry, Draco, I shouldn't have kissed you,' Hermione said contritely. She was blushing now. 'I was just so grateful to you for saving me. I don't know what came over me.'
Draco chuckled and he noticed his voice had got a little huskier. 'Don't worry about it. It's nice to get a positive reaction for once. Extraction isn't always so easy nor are the people so rational to deal with. Anyway, I'm the one who should be apologising not you, Hermione.'
'I'm not sure I can be considered rational,' Hermione said.
She was looking intently at Draco again. God, he looked good in those leathers. And he had tasted good, too.
Hermione was shocked to realise that despite what she had been through with Michael she was appraising Draco in terms of being a potential lover. She wasn't entirely sure why she was considering such a thing — surely she should be shying away from any intimate contact with a man, especially one who had been her greatest enemy at school. But as shocking as it seemed she wanted Draco naked . . . inside her . . . and she didn't care that until an hour or so ago she hadn't seen him for over a decade. If anything it made her want him more. With a jolt of surprise she suddenly knew without a doubt that at that moment she wanted Draco more than she had ever wanted anything in her life.
For a few seconds she considered whether she could get Draco to hold her again by becoming upset. She was certain that if she played the little-girl-lost card Draco would step into the role she wanted him to play, even if it was just because it was his job, and it might allow her to keep him there for a while longer, long enough that she could admire him a bit more. But then she felt a tug of guilt at her possible duplicity and dropped the thought, forcing herself to accept that he was going to leave. He did have other work to do, after all.
Draco was still watching Hermione, wondering what she was thinking about. He knew he should go, should leave her alone to process what had happened to her and get over it in her own way, and he had lots of paperwork to do after the extraction, but he wasn't ready to go just yet. She looked so fragile and scared, still swathed in that stupid sheet, and he longed to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight and assure her that she was safe, that he would never let anyone harm her again, especially that bastard who had turned a beautiful, confident woman into a nervous wreck.
'I should probably leave,' he said, trying to keep his voice neutral. 'You've been through enough and I expect you just want to get back to normality.'
Hermione looked panicked at his words. She had been trying to prepare herself for his leaving, believing it to be for the best, despite a little voice inside her mind that she was steadfastly attempting to ignore trying to convince her otherwise. But when he actually told her he was leaving it made her realise suddenly that while she wanted Draco to stay because she fancied him, she actually needed him to stay because she was completely and utterly terrified of being left there alone. He hadn't mentioned anything to her about Michael being arrested and she didn't think he had been at home when she was rescued, so as far as she was aware he was still out there somewhere — possibly at work in his new job, but maybe coming to steal her away again.
Although she had never told Michael her address, he had tampered with her personal records and would surely have found it through that. When he discovered she had escaped he would be furious with her, and determined to bring her back, he would be sure to come to her flat — as Draco had said, it was the first and most obvious place to look for her. The idea that she might end up back in that dark prison of a house, or somewhere equally bad, with no further chance of escape filled her with the sort of fear she had never before known she could experience.
Draco saw Hermione was shaking and a look of terror was plastered on her face. He quickly understood that her reaction was because he had suggested leaving. Without saying a word he pulled her into his arms again and gave her a big and, he hoped, reassuring hug.
'I'm so scared,' Hermione eventually admitted in a whisper as she continued to tremble in his arms.
'There's nothing to be scared of,' Draco assured her, keeping his voice calm and authoritative.
'But Michael—' She was unable to say any more. Just the thought of the Italian man made her vocal chords seize up and tears spring into her eyes.
'He's not going to get anywhere near you, Hermione. He'll be in prison by now. A team from DMLE went into his new workplace to seize him as soon as they knew you were safely in the hospital. He's in Azkaban and you don't have to worry, the Wizengamot won't let him out, not after what he did to you.'
Draco stroked Hermione's back soothingly and felt her slowly calming, although he was aware it was an extremely fragile peace.
'I don't want to be on my own,' Hermione finally admitted. She was clinging to Draco as if her life depended on it.
She tried to imagine Michael in Azkaban but had trouble visualising it. He was so clever and so slippery that she didn't believe he could be caught. And Draco didn't know for certain that he had been captured. He could have escaped the Aurors and gone anywhere. He could make people disappear, had made her disappear easily enough. He could be waiting outside, waiting for Draco to leave her alone before dragging her off, and next time she might not be found. If he was angry enough with her there might be nothing left to find.
'Please don't leave me,' she begged, her face pale and drawn. She was crying again and appeared to be able to do nothing to stop it.
Draco felt his heart beat faster as Hermione asked him to stay with her but reminded himself chidingly that it was because she was terrified, not because she wanted him. He remembered that he hadn't told her about their plan to catch Antenucci. No wonder she was so scared; she probably thought the bastard was outside waiting to pounce once he left.
'You really don't have anything to fear,' he said gently.
'You don't know that,' Hermione retorted miserably. 'You don't know if they've caught him any more than I do.'
'I trust our operatives to do their job properly,' Draco told her seriously, pulling back to look at her. 'We've been tracking him at his workplace for a few days now. We just had to find you and make sure we got you back safely before we took him down. I informed them personally when you were extracted, and the teams went off to get him straight away. That was a few hours ago so they'll have definitely got him by now.'
Hermione's face now held a hopeful expression but there was still too much fear in it for Draco's liking. He wondered about the wisdom of staying, surely he should go back to the Ministry and get one of her friends to come and look after her instead. But he tried to imagine telling her he was going to leave and decided against it. If someone else turned up he would relinquish Hermione to their care, but until then or until she felt safer he would stay. He could always use the time to question her about her stay with Antenucci, although that seemed a little callous considering how scared she was and knowing what the man had probably subjected her to. Perhaps he should just comfort her for a little while longer.
He wrapped his arms around her again, enjoying the feeling as she sank into him, trusting him completely.
It was quite some time later that they finally parted. Hermione made them each a mug of tea, feeling safe enough to move to the kitchen on her own. While she was in there Draco debated whether to Apparate back to the Ministry to confirm that Antenucci had indeed been locked up, but decided against it. Hermione would freak if she came back into the lounge and he was gone; she would probably hear him Disapparate anyway.
He also needed to get her out of that sheet. He wanted to take it as evidence but he could hardly force Hermione out of it, especially if she was using it as an emotional crutch — although whilst he had been holding her he had, somewhat guiltily, imagined himself removing it and taking a rather leisurely look at her beautiful body as he did so.
Gods, he really had to stop thinking like that. Poor Hermione was recovering from one of the most terrifying experiences of her life and all he could do was think about was how much he wanted to take her to bed. He couldn't even understand why he felt this way. It wasn't as if he was starved of sex and Hermione was like a rain cloud on his drought. But something about her had stirred something deep inside him when he had rescued her and seen her in that awful place, and now he couldn't seem to lock it away again. He wanted . . . oh gods, there was so much he wanted, but now really wasn't the time.
Hermione had sat in a seat away from him on her return from the kitchen, which Draco assumed meant that she was feeling a little calmer and less scared. He was rather disappointed as he had enjoyed holding her, but he could hardly blame her for not wanting his touch after Antenucci. It was just a shame she was so bloody attractive.
'I still need to question you about what happened, Hermione,' he reminded her gently, watching her as she sipped her tea. 'As I'm going to be staying for a while I thought perhaps we could start going through events. If you decide you want to stop because it's too distressing or whatever, that's fine, but we could at least make a start.'
Hermione considered this for a moment and nodded her head. 'Okay. But I really need to have a shower. Would you mind if I had one first?'
'That's fine,' Draco said, wishing his mind hadn't immediately conjured a picture of her naked body followed straight after by the two of them sharing the shower. Hermione put her mug on the coffee table and stood, picking up her toiletry bag. He looked at her for a moment then said, 'I need to take the sheet, Hermione. We need it for evidence.'
Ah yes, the sheet. Hermione remembered she was still wearing it. She had actually forgotten for a moment with her fear about Draco leaving, and being in St Mungo's seemed like such a long time ago now although it was probably only a couple of hours. However hard she tried not to, she wasn't able to stop enjoying the feeling of Draco holding her. Enjoying it too much, in fact.
She had escaped into the kitchen, not because she felt particularly safe — even now she was still worried that Michael was out there somewhere waiting for her — but because she found herself highly aroused by Draco's touch and was desperate for him not to realise, which would have been far too easy through a thin sheet. That would be really embarrassing and might even make him leave, and she definitely didn't want that to happen for more reasons than she wanted to think about.
Draco telling her he wanted the sheet immediately set a train of thought in motion that Hermione had to stop. There was no way he was going to take it off her even if she asked him to — which she never would, she added hurriedly — even though a tiny and very wicked part of her brain was trying to convince her that there might be some interest there. He had kissed her in return, after all, it was saying, but Hermione knew that didn't mean anything. He was probably just being polite after she so brazenly attacked him, too worried about her mental state to pull away in case she crumbled completely.
But what if there is something there? the little voice persisted. Wouldn't you feel safer with Draco in your bed tonight than sleeping alone?
Hermione resisted the urge to argue with herself knowing there was nothing she could do about it anyway.
Ah, but there is something you can do, if you have the guts, the voice taunted. And if worst comes to worst you can always pretend you're mentally unstable after your ordeal. You can apologise and Draco will accept it because he'll be too embarrassed to do anything else.
Hermione bit her lip. What she was considering was completely wrong, she knew that, and yet she was still thinking about it anyway. What the hell was this thing between her and Draco? And why did she feel this way after what she had been through with Michael? Was it purely a need to get him out of her system, to distance herself from him sexually, and Draco just happened to be first on the scene? It couldn't be anything else, surely.
She smiled at Draco. 'Of course,' she said demurely, and she pulled the sheet off, throwing it towards him as she walked slowly out of the lounge and headed for the bathroom.
Her heart was beating like a drum. She couldn't believe she had really just done that. Oh good god, what was Draco going to think of her? Hermione hurriedly locked herself away in the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was flaming scarlet and she was beginning to shake again. She opened the toiletry bag and rummaged inside until she found her contraceptive pills. Thank God they were still there, that was a bit of normality, at least. She popped one out of the foil container and swallowed it with water from the tap, then she turned on the shower, turning it up as hot as she could stand, and stepped in.
As the water cascaded over her Hermione thought about Draco. He was incredibly handsome and she had to admit there was something about him rescuing her that was undeniably attractive too, even if he was only doing his job. But why this sudden uncontrollable rush of desire for him? She had always hated him at school, had always detested his stupid Pure-blood ideals, and he had felt the same way about her, calling her loathsome names for being Muggle-born. There had never been any attraction between them so it was completely ridiculous that Draco Malfoy was suddenly her ideal man. It just wasn't possible.
But the fact was that however impossible or ridiculous it was, Hermione wanted Draco. Okay, she could admit that he had been good-looking at school, although very much not her type . . . definitely not. And it did seem strange that apart from Ron, who she actually had fancied, Draco was the only person she really argued with — but that was only because he picked on her because she was friends with Harry and Ron, who he also detested not because of anything more . . . well, just more. He was intelligent and good at magic, that she would admit, too, but that didn't mean she had fancied him. She hadn't . . . she was sure she hadn't.
Hermione shut off the water and got out of the bath, wrapping herself in a large, fluffy peach-coloured bath sheet. She wrapped a smaller towel around her head. She climbed back into the bath, intending to open the window to let the steam out of the small room but as she reached out for it, she stopped, all at once trembling and scared. Her stomach twisted anxiously, making her feel sick, and her limbs shook, threatening to lose control.
She dropped her arm and climbed out of the bath, shaking and tearful, and left the room as rapidly as possible, feeling stupid at her sudden panic attack. It was pathetic. Michael wasn't going to be on the ledge outside that small window waiting to grab her as she opened it.
But Hermione knew her fear went deeper than that. She was worried that if she opened the window he would see it and know she was in the flat. She was just as trapped here as she had been at his house: too scared to leave in case he grabbed her, but terrified to stay for the same reason. She was a mess, and stupid to boot because of what she had done with Draco. She needed to calm herself down, get dressed, and then go and answer Draco's questions as quickly and professionally as possible so he could leave, all the while pretending that nothing had happened — that she hadn't just flashed herself at him and that she hadn't had a major panic attack when she was away from him.
Draco had to force himself to stay seated when Hermione removed the sheet. Her giving him another all too brief but extremely alluring glimpse of her fantastic body was enough to have him imagining them both in the shower again and it took every ounce of his willpower to stop himself from going to join her.
Hermione was definitely acting strangely. Obviously, she could be forgiven for that because of the ordeal she had suffered, but that didn't mean he could take advantage of her. There were more reasons than just the abduction that meant he shouldn't even be considering this, reasons that should make him feel guilty because he was even thinking about it.
The truth was that Hermione had awoken something in him he hadn't realised was there, and he suspected that however much he tried to ignore it, it wasn't going to go away. He wanted Hermione . . . wanted to be inside her . . . and nothing he tried to think about instead could quell that desire.
He tried to think back to when he was at school. Had there been that same attraction? He didn't think there had been, although his main reason for disliking her had been her blood status. She was beautiful, after the Yule Ball at least. Before that she had looked a bit like a beaver with her overlarge front teeth and her frizzy brown hair. And they had argued constantly. Although actually, when he thought about it, Hermione was the only person he ever argued with — so maybe there was something else going on there after all.
As Draco waited for Hermione to come back he wondered what she would be wearing when she did. It was too much to hope that she might still be naked, but he put in a silent plea that she wouldn't completely cover herself up. Was she embarrassed about what she had done? He hoped not. She was absolutely gorgeous and had nothing to be embarrassed about. She could flash him her naked body as much as she liked and he wouldn't complain.
He looked at his watch. His shift had finished almost an hour ago but he didn't care. He would stay with Hermione until she wanted him to leave or until his next shift started, whichever was earlier. He would use the time to question her, although he wasn't entirely sure whether she would be able to talk about what had happened to her. But it made sense for them to start as soon as possible, before she started compartmentalising and hiding away in her memory what had happened, trying to forget the awful things she had been subjected to.
Yes, he would question her and then no one would be able to say he didn't have a valid reason for being there.
While she dried herself Hermione debated what to wear. There was no way she was going naked again — she had already embarrassed herself enough with the sheet stunt — but it seemed a bit churlish to get fully dressed, as if brushing off what she had done as trite. In the end she chose pajamas, judging them to be safe . . . and comfortable. She didn't bother with her hair. It would explode when it dried but she didn't intend to go anywhere and it wasn't going to look much better after she had slept on it, so she would wait until tomorrow to sort it out as it wasn't a two-minute job.
Then she wondered whether she should she go back to work in the morning. She felt okay at the moment except for the whole Michael thing . . . and the whole Draco thing, too . . . but she wasn't sure she was ready for the incessant questions that would come her way from work colleagues. Did they know what had happened to her? God, it would be really embarrassing if they did.
The thought of questions made her think of Draco again. She didn't really want to talk to him about Michael and what he had done to her, that was going to be extremely humiliating in some parts. But she had to get it out of the way so she could attempt to try to forget what had happened and she needed to make sure she did it properly, not trying to skip past or paint over the bad bits. If her statement was going to be used at the Wizengamot trial then she needed to make sure it wasn't easy to tear apart. She didn't want there to be any chance that what she said could be used to help Michael escape from prison.
'Do you want another cup of tea before we start the questioning?' she asked Draco as she re-entered the lounge.
She wasn't looking at him this time as she was still embarrassed at what she had done with the sheet. She noticed he had folded it up neatly and placed it on the arm of the sofa while he was waiting.
'That would be good,' Draco replied.
He was looking at Hermione's pyjamas. She obviously had no intention of going to the Ministry for the questioning. Part of him was a little disappointed she was wearing them rather than something a little more revealing, although they made her look even more adorably vulnerable and more in need of his protection than ever. They did have potential, though. There was a nice row of buttons on the jacket that could quite easily be undone, for starters.
'Actually, before we start I think I need to leave for a short while,' Draco admitted seriously, trying to wrest his mind back to business rather than Hermione's naked body. He saw her look panicked again and said more soothingly, 'I want to go to the Ministry to make sure that Antenucci was apprehended — it will put your mind at rest if you know for sure that he's locked away. I also want to get some food. I don't know what, if anything, you've had to eat today, but I've had nothing since breakfast and to be honest, Hermione, I'm bloody starving. I'm guessing that you haven't got anything worth eating here. You can come with me with if you want, otherwise I'll be gone for no longer than half an hour, maybe forty minutes at most.'
'But what if he hasn't been caught?' Hermione whispered worriedly. Her stomach swirled uncomfortably at the thought of being left alone for even one minute, let alone forty.
'I'm certain he has. I'm sure someone would have come to tell me by now otherwise. They know where I am. Do you want to come along? I can wait for you to get dressed.'
Hermione shook her head miserably. She wasn't ready to leave her flat, certainly not for the noisy Ministry of Magic where she might bump into people who wanted the gossip about where she had been. And she looked a complete fright without any makeup and with the exploding hair. She thought for a moment of Harry and Ron. She should go and see them even if just to let them know she was okay, but she couldn't face them and their recriminations and sympathy at the moment, either.
Draco considered for a moment, then said, 'Look, Hermione, I hesitate to suggest this, especially in light of what happened to you before, but if you really don't want to come with me then I could place wards on your flat to stop anyone getting in or out. I know you would be trapped in here alone, but no one would be able to get anywhere near you until I remove the charm. What do you think?'
For a moment the idea of being trapped again terrified Hermione, but with some difficulty she threw off her panic. It was better than being alone and not having any protection, and she really couldn't face going to the Ministry and all that would entail.
'All right,' she agreed, her voice small. 'But you promise you won't be any longer than forty minutes?'
'I promise,' Draco replied sincerely. 'Is there anything particular you want to eat?' He thought for a moment and then added, 'Do you want me to get Weasley or Potter to come and see you?'
Draco's heart thudded harder as Hermione shook her head.
'Not really. I don't think I'm ready to see anyone else just yet,' Hermione said quietly.
She looked apologetically at Draco, knowing that she was stopping him from leaving her by refusing to allow her friends to come over, but she really wasn't ready — to see them or to lose him.
Draco guiltily pushed down the feeling of pleasure that flooded him at the knowledge that Hermione didn't want to see her friends, just him.
'Oh, and I don't mind what you get to eat because I don't feel that hungry,' Hermione told him as she remembered the other part of his question.
'That's because you're still suffering from shock,' Draco said, then he smiled. 'I bet you change your mind when you smell it.'
'Maybe,' Hermione said, not sounding convinced.
'You'll see.' Draco took hold of her hand and squeezed it before letting go again. 'Don't look so scared, Hermione. You'll be fine on your own and it'll be worth it to know for definite that the bastard's in prison, won't it?'
Hermione gave a small nod. She really did need to know one way or another otherwise she would never feel safe. She was aware that Draco couldn't stay with her forever, however nice the idea of that seemed right now. She watched as he waved his wand and began to cast charms, speaking so quietly that Hermione couldn't hear him. It was strange that despite everything that had happened between them in the past she trusted him implicitly and knew that whatever he was doing was to keep her safe. When he finished he gave her a wink.
'So that's all done, now I need to go. No more than forty minutes, though,' Draco promised again.
'Draco, can you see if they found my wand, please?' Hermione said. 'Michael took it away from me while I was sleeping and I've no idea what happened to it.'
Draco agreed that he would see what he could do, then left Hermione in the lounge while he made his way to the front door. Once outside, he turned back to cast the final spell which would stop anyone from entering through the front door. Hermione was completely trapped and should hopefully, feel safer. Now he just needed to Apparate to the Ministry and then go to get food. He quite fancied Chinese food for a change. His stomach rumbled at the thought.
'Is Hermione all right?'
Draco was shocked by the unexpected voice and turned to see an old woman dressed in a long purple robe who had to have been well over one hundred years old by the look of her, staring at him inquisitively with astonishingly bright blue eyes.
'It's just that she hasn't been around for a few weeks and I was worried about her,' the old woman continued as if she hadn't surprised him.
Draco smiled. 'She's fine. She's been away for a little while but she's back now.'
The old woman nodded and looked towards Hermione's front door. Draco was suddenly certain that the woman had seen him casting the spell on it.
'You might want to leave it a day or so before you see her,' Draco confided. 'She's not feeling great at the moment so she needs some rest.'
The old woman looked concerned. 'It's nothing serious, I hope?'
'No, she's fine, honestly. She just needs some rest.'
'Well, if she needs anything tell her to ask me. Especially if she can't get out,' the old woman said.
'I will, thank you. That's very kind of you. Now I'm afraid I really have to go,' Draco told her.
'Hermione's a lovely girl,' the old woman said. She studied Draco intently as if she was examining him. 'Are you Hermione's boyfriend?'
Draco shook his head. 'Just an old school friend, I'm afraid.'
The old woman sighed. 'That's a shame. Hermione could do with a boyfriend. She spends far too much time alone when she's not working. And you would make such a good couple.'
Draco shook his head and said deprecatingly, 'I don't think Hermione would be interested in me. I'm not sure I'm her type.'
'You're handsome and obviously kind, and you care about Hermione, so what more does she need?' the old woman asked bluntly.
A little embarrassed now, Draco said apologetically, 'Look I'm sorry, I really do have to go. I'm on rather a tight schedule.'
'Of course you do, dear. But I really do think you should give consideration to making Hermione your girlfriend.' Draco noticed the old woman had a glint in her eye.
Believe me, I would if I could, was Draco's last thought as he waved at her, then Disapparated.
Hermione spent the first ten minutes after Draco left sitting on the sofa and panicking that any minute Michael would burst through the door and spirit her away, assuming he didn't just kill her for escaping from him. It was completely irrational and she knew she should just go and check the front door — if the door didn't open she was safe and Draco had cast the spell properly. The thing was, she was terrified to try it in case the door opened, and Hermione was certain that if the door opened Michael would be on the other side of it, waiting for her.
She spent another ten minutes fretting about it, then forced herself to walk to the front door. Hermione felt vulnerable without her wand but she had to conquer this stupid, irrational fear. Another few minutes followed as Hermione stared at the inside of the front door, not quite able to reach out and touch it, but eventually she mustered enough courage.
She put out her hand and grabbed the latch almost as if she expected it to bite or something. She took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself, sent a quick wish into the atmosphere, and turned the latch. It moved and Hermione's heart sank, her stomach roiling uncontrollably as she fought to stop herself throwing up. Draco hadn't cast the spell correctly. He had left her vulnerable and open to attack.
Immediately, Hermione wondered whether Draco was in league with Michael. He had always hated her, hadn't he, so perhaps he hadn't changed as much as she thought. She only had his word for it that he worked as an Extractor, and even if he did that wouldn't preclude the possibility of his being Michael's accomplice. Michael had worked in the Department of Mysteries and could easily have come into contact with Draco.
Knowing the blond man's long-time hatred of her he would probably have been happy to help, Hermione thought bitterly. It would be the perfect way for them to extend her torture — to make her think she had been rescued and freed when in reality she was just being given a brief break before being plunged back into desolation and God only knew what punishments for running away. Hermione could feel a wail of despair building in her throat, but convinced that Michael was outside the door, she forced herself to remain silent.
But why would Draco do this to her? And why would he have taken her to St Mungo's to be checked out if he was Michael's accomplice? Healer Brangbourne would be able to recognise him easily enough, and unless Michael had done something to Draco's records too, he would soon be caught and questioned. Surely his hatred of her at school wasn't enough to set him on this path, was it? And if that were the case, then why had he kissed her back when she kissed him?
Perhaps Michael had told him to do it, was testing her to see if she was as loyal to him as she had always professed to be. If so, she had failed that test miserably and would no doubt be severely punished for her disloyalty. She could feel her legs giving way, the urge to slide down the door and curl up miserably and sob almost overwhelming her.
At that moment the rational part of her brain took charge. Still holding the latch, she pulled the door open. Except it didn't open. Although the latch itself moved, the door was completely unmoving.
Hermione released a great sob of relief. Shakily she let go of the door as adrenalin pumped through her veins, making her feel light-headed and dizzy. Draco hadn't betrayed her after all, he wasn't working with Michael to make her life worse. He really was her saviour. She staggered back into the lounge and fell onto the sofa, sobbing uncontrollably. She had just about managed to get herself back under control when Draco walked through the door holding two carrier bags, one of which contained stacked boxes.
'Sorry I'm a few minutes late. I had to wait for the food. It was quite busy in there tonight.'
Hermione launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him as she kissed him, catching his jaw the first time, then his mouth on the second attempt.
Draco waited, somewhat stunned by the reception. He dropped the bags onto the coffee table and wrapped his arms around Hermione. She was shaking again and he had absolutely no idea why. Had something happened to scare her while he was away? He couldn't think what could have happened as Antenucci was definitely languishing in Azkaban prison. Draco had seen the commitment papers and talked to the people who had arrested him. No wonder Hermione was so scared of him; he was a complete basket case and totally obsessed with her, from what the Aurors had told him.
'What's happened?' Draco asked worriedly.
Hermione gave what could have been a sob and pulled away from him, looking guilty.
'I thought you were Michael's accomplice,' she admitted quietly.
Draco stared at her in shock. 'What? What the hell made you think that, Hermione?'
She shook her head sadly. 'I was so scared being left here. I was sure Michael was going to attack. It took me ages to pluck up the courage to check the door. Then I turned the latch and it moved. I thought you had deliberately left the door open so Michael could get me. I thought you were working with him.'
'But you saw me doing the spells,' Draco pointed out. Then he began to panic. Had he done the spells wrong, if the door had opened?
'I know, but I couldn't hear what you were saying. You could have been doing anything. I was devastated, but then I actually tried to open the door and it was stuck fast. I have never been so relieved in my life,' Hermione admitted. 'I'm so sorry for doubting you, Draco.'
'Don't worry about it. I know you're scared but I can assure you that I am not working with or for that psycho,' Draco told her softly. 'And I checked: he is definitely in Azkaban. I talked directly to the Aurors who took him over there to confirm it was him.'
'But it might not be Michael,' Hermione said, unable to drop her fear. 'You know he uses fake identities — he might have got someone else arrested in his place. He might have disappeared again and be waiting to pop back up once it goes quiet.'
Draco took hold of Hermione's hands and held them gently.
'It was definitely him, Hermione. They confirmed the description given by Potter and Weasley when you first went missing. Anyway, one of the Aurors told me that the only thing Antenucci's willing to talk about is you. He won't answer any of their questions, just asks for you to go and see him.'
Hermione shuddered. She didn't want to see Michael ever again and she certainly didn't want to go and visit him in Azkaban.
'It's over, Hermione,' Draco said. 'Now can we get some plates, please? I'm bloody starving and the food will go cold if we leave it.'
Hermione nodded and went to the kitchen to get plates and cutlery. She felt stupid now for doubting Draco and wished she hadn't told him that she had suspected him. He probably hated her again now.
'Can you bring glasses as well? I bought some wine so we could celebrate,' Draco shouted from the lounge.
A few minutes later Hermione put the items on the coffee table.
'Do you want me to get you a tray?' she asked as Draco, having opened the bottle with his wand, poured the wine into the glasses.
He shook his head. 'I'm happy sitting on the floor at the coffee table if you are.'
Draco put the wine bottle in the middle of the table and began pulling the various plastic boxes from the other carrier bag.
'I didn't know what you wanted so I got a variety of stuff. Help yourself to as much as you want.'
Hermione still felt sick, but the smell of the Chinese food was making her stomach rumble. She actually was hungry. Sitting down, she helped Draco remove the lids of the boxes before beginning to spoon her choices onto one of the plates, asking Draco a couple of times what the dishes were. Once they had both filled their plates and Draco had joined her on the floor he held up his wine glass in a toast.
'To your escape and to that bastard rotting in Azkaban forever,' Draco said seriously.
'And to you for rescuing me,' Hermione said with a small smile.
Draco smiled back.
They clinked glasses and drank.
Draco left her eventually, but it really didn't matter because by that time Hermione understood that Michael wasn't going to suddenly pop up and make her life a misery. He really was in Azkaban and she really was safe, just as Draco had told her she was. She would have preferred him to stay, would have happily shared her bed with him all night, but he told her he needed to go home, needed to get some sleep before his next shift started, and he was certain he wouldn't get any if he stayed with her.
Hermione knew that he had a lot of work to do in relation to her case, especially as he had spent all afternoon calming her stupid and irrational fears instead of doing his work, and he promised to come and see her the following day which gave her something to look forward to, especially as she had decided not to go into work. She needed some time to prepare for that, another day wasn't going to hurt.
Draco might not be an Italian stallion, thank God, but he was completely wonderful. She was already looking forward to spending more time with him, especially if she could convince him into bed — and she was pretty certain she could. As she lay there smiling and, she had to admit it, feeling much happier than she had any right to be considering what Michael had put her through, Hermione thought about the evening she had just shared with Draco.
There was definitely something between them, something that went far deeper than her rescue and the possible need to distance herself from Michael, that maybe even went as far back as their schooldays. She was now prepared to concede it was possible, because otherwise how could she explain the depth of her feeling for Draco? When he touched her it was the most perfect thing in the world, as if it had always been meant to be.
They had never actually got round to the questioning Draco intended to do, at least not officially. Instead, they finished their meal and moved from the floor to the sofa. Hermione felt the need to be close to Draco, which it seemed he wasn't at all unhappy about. They sat drinking the rest of the wine as Draco told her all he knew about Michael's capture and subsequent incarceration, including all the work the Ministry had done to track him down and find out where he was keeping Hermione.
Unfortunately, he also had to admit that although they had found some of her clothes and her handbag, which were being kept for the time being as evidence, they had found no trace of Hermione's wand. It had probably been destroyed and she would need to buy a new one. She was surprised at just how upset she felt about that; although she had only had the wand for a few years she hadn't realised how attached to it she had become. She would need to schedule a visit to Diagon Alley as soon as possible to go and visit Mr Ollivander. She couldn't function without her wand. It was part of her magic.
'Oh, that reminds me, I saw your neighbour on the way out. She told me to tell you that if there's anything you need, just ask her,' Draco said.
'What, Mrs Hamblin?' Hermione asked interestedly.
Draco shrugged. 'I've no idea what her name is but she's got to be several hundred years old.'
'She's one hundred and thirty-seven and she's a really lovely woman, actually.' Hermione berated. She frowned. 'Did you tell her what happened to me?'
Draco shook his head. 'No. I told her you'd been away and weren't feeling too good at the moment. I said you needed a couple of days' rest and then you'd be as good as new.'
'I'm sure she'll come to see me at some point. She'll probably bring a cake she's made, she normally does,' Hermione said fondly.
'She thinks you need a boyfriend,' Draco said. 'So I'm guessing she didn't know about Antenucci.'
Hermione shook her head. 'I didn't tell Michael where I lived because we were just at the start of our relationship and hadn't really got that far. The weekend he abducted me was the first time we . . . well, you know. The original plan was just to go out for dinner on Friday night and we had a really lovely time. When he asked me to stay the night I said yes.
'It was a spur of the moment thing. If he hadn't forced me to stay with him I would have told him where I lived and brought him back here, but he didn't give me that chance. Once I said yes he released me long enough to get some clothes and my toiletries because I was being a bit OCD about my toothbrush. I met him back at the restaurant and he Apparated us to his house.' She made a disgusted sound. 'I suppose I should have realised what he was like then as he was so cagey about where he lived, but I didn't think about it at the time. I was just eager to spend more time with him. God, I was such an idiot.'
She remembered the dark and gloomy house and shuddered. It was strange how she had found all the darkness and candles romantic and sexy when she had first arrived. In reality it was just creepy.
Draco stroked Hermione's hand gently.
'You do know this isn't your fault, don't you, Hermione?' he asked, his voice soft.
Hermione shrugged and looked morose. 'It was my fault that I said yes. Ron kept telling me he was a stalker and that I shouldn't trust him, but to be honest I thought that was just Ron being Ron. He's never liked any of my boyfriends. I think he's a bit overprotective of me, especially now that Harry and Ginny are married and he doesn't have to look out for her any longer.'
'I always thought you and Weasley had a bit of a thing going,' Draco said, trying to sound casual.
Hermione shook her head. 'Not really. I fancied him like mad at school. That's why I said yes to going to the Yule Ball with Viktor. I was hoping it would make Ron realise what he was missing out on. Well, that and the fact that Ron didn't actually get round to asking me until it was too late. It was like I was an afterthought, and I didn't like that at all.
'I knew he was jealous of Viktor — he went out of his way to completely ruin my evening, and I thought that would be it — that we would finally be a couple. But no, he proceeded to ignore me for the next year, then went out with Lavender. I was so smitten with him that I took that really hard. It really hurt that he chose her over me.
'We did get together eventually . . . at the Battle of Hogwarts, of all places. I guess it was all that death and destruction that made him finally realise that I was more than just good old Hermione. It didn't last long, though. I tried, I really did, but after a year I admitted to myself that I was flogging a dead horse. Ron was never into me the way I was him so I gave up and we've just been mates ever since. To be honest, it's better this way. He was a lousy boyfriend.'
'Antenucci is very handsome,' Draco said carefully. 'I can understand why you would be attracted to him.'
'He wasn't just handsome, he was nice too,' Hermione stated a touch wistfully. 'He was thoughtful and kind and all those things I wanted in a boyfriend. Although he was a little bit odd I put that down to where he worked and the fact that he was quite shy with people he didn't know well. He didn't even get annoyed or act funny when I purposely slowed things down between us because I wanted to get to know him better first. He should have been perfect . . . .'
'Except for being a psychopathic stalker,' Draco interjected.
Hermione gave him a wan smile. 'That was a downside I hadn't anticipated, I'll admit.'
There was an uncomfortable silence between them for several minutes as it seemed both of them were trying to think what to say next. Eventually, Hermione was the one who broke it.
'I don't think I'm going to go into work tomorrow,' she told him, needing to change the subject. She was finding discussing boyfriends rather disheartening, especially with the most handsome man she had ever met sitting less than a foot away from her. 'I'm not sure I'm ready to go back yet. Do you think that's okay?'
Draco smiled. He was still stroking her hand, his thumb rubbing the pad of hers, and she found it rather enjoyable and strangely soothing.
'I think you need to do what's best for you, Hermione. There's no point in going back if it's going to upset you, but you mustn't lock yourself away for too long, either. It's important to get back to normality.'
Hermione bit her lip as she thought. 'I think I just need another day to get my head round everything and get back into a normal pattern. It was really disorientating being stuck in darkness all the time, not knowing whether it was day or night or what day of the week it was.'
'I can imagine that would be difficult,' Draco said sympathetically. 'Are you tired? Do you need to sleep?'
Hermione didn't need to sleep. If anything she felt more wide awake than she had done all day. But her need for Draco was growing with every minute they spent together, and his stroking was doing all sorts of things to her that she had been trying very hard to ignore.
She snuggled closer to Draco, looking at him intently.
'Will you stay with me?' she whispered.
She held her breath as she waited for Draco's response, praying he wouldn't say no, that the interest she was sure was there was real and not imagined. She didn't need to embarrass herself any more than she already had.
Draco's heart pounded at her question. His immediate thought was to say yes; to pull her to him and kiss her again, kiss her properly before carrying her off to the bedroom. But he couldn't do it. He had responsibilities, and taking advantage of Hermione when she was still emotionally fragile wasn't one of them.
'Hermione, I don't think you know what you're asking,' he told her, trying to stay rational. 'You're in shock after what happened and—'
Hermione cut him off with a soft kiss.
It started out as a peck, but soon grew until Draco was holding her in his arms and she was holding him just as tightly. Desire flared in Draco and he realised that he had wanted this, not just today but for years — had wanted this back at school when he was supposed to have hated her because she was Muggle-born not Pure-blood like him.
He had hated her best friend Potter because he was apparently the 'Chosen One', the stupid famous idiot who had no skill, talent or charisma but triumphed all the time because of better friends and sheer dumb luck. He had hated Weasley, too, for being a blood-traitor, although now Draco realized the real reason he had hated him was because Hermione had been in love with him. Draco had said he hated Hermione and had spent so many years convincing himself of that it had almost felt like he really did hate her. But now Draco could see that he had always wanted her, had always hoped that something would happen to force them together. That was what all the fighting was about. If they were fighting they were together, even if not intimately, and at least she took notice of him.
He knew he should stop this, should force Hermione to see that she was acting rashly because of some ill-conceived need to shake off what Antenucci had done to her, but by Merlin he didn't want to. What he wanted was to keep kissing her, and not just her soft, wonderful-tasting mouth but all of her, every inch of that magnificent body that he couldn't stop visualising however hard he tried. This was wrong, so very wrong, but it was exactly what he had always wanted.
'If you don't move away from me now I'm going to undo all the buttons on your pyjamas,' Draco warned as he stopped kissing her for a moment.
Hermione responded by kissing him again, not moving away as he had half expected her to, and Draco knew the future was set. This was meant to happen — he and Hermione were destined to be together regardless of anything that had gone before and anything that might stand in their way in the future — and there was likely to be plenty of that, unfortunately.
But right now there was nothing to stop them. There was just them, and Hermione's bed was just down the hall and seemed more inviting all the time. Draco scooped Hermione up and carried her from the lounge, hurriedly making his way to the bedroom. He released her in front of the bed.
'Last chance to get rid of me,' he said softly.
Hermione grabbed him for another kiss and Draco took full part in it. His hands began to move, unbuttoning her pyjama top as promised and pulling it off her. He was caressing her soft skin and his heart beat so fast he thought it would burst. She felt so good that he wanted to be able to touch her everywhere at once, overwhelmed by the taste of her warm skin as his mouth moved from her lips to search out even more interesting areas of her body.
'Why do you wear leather?' Hermione asked as she tried to get to grips with Draco's clothes. She wanted to see him naked so badly it hurt. 'Doesn't it make you hot?' She giggled, then said, 'I mean, you are hot, but I mean temperature hot.'
Draco's heart soared at the thought that Hermione thought him hot. That was great because he was seriously convinced she was a goddess.
'It's protective and hard-wearing,' Draco explained. 'We don't wear it when we're in the office. Then we just wear normal robes. But when we're out on a job we need something that's going to stand up to whatever we do. It can get pretty rough out there sometimes.'
Hermione ran her hand down Draco's naked chest, her fingers brushing through the few blond hairs.
'Not too dangerous, I hope,' she whispered as her mouth found his again.
Draco wasn't sure what to say. Extraction was the dirty end of the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was hard to get into and even harder to stay in as the incidence of serious injury and even death were pretty high. Draco had been lucky so far, but even he hadn't come away without his share of scars, the most serious of which Hermione had now found and was examining, using her beautiful soft lips to kiss it better.
She was adorable and he needed to make love to her right now, if only to stop her questioning him about his job. He couldn't talk to her about it, he wasn't allowed to, but even if he could he didn't want her knowing how dangerous some of the things he did was in case it made her change her mind about him. He moved her closer to the bed and then they were laying on it, both of them naked and both of them supremely aroused. There was more kissing, a lot more, and a lot of exploring, too, all of which was extremely pleasurable. There was something about the way they moved together, so easily, as if they had been specially made to be a couple, as if they fitted in a way that no one else ever could. It was perfect and in a few seconds could only get more so as they finally became one after so many years of building up to this moment.
Draco hesitated. There was still a little part of him that thought this was wrong, that he should stop and leave before things got way too serious. This was going to change everything and he wasn't sure it was a good idea. But surely Hermione understood this, too, and was prepared for it to happen. With her by his side they could weather anything, probably.
Hermione was a little worried. Everything had seemed to be going so well between her and Draco, but just when they got to the important bit he seemed to be having second thoughts. Did he not want her after all? Had she done something wrong? She didn't think she had because everything had seemed perfect so far. Maybe he was still just worried about her. Well, she could reassure him on that.
'Please don't tease,' she whispered as she gazed into his eyes, moving her body a little to give the hint.
Whatever spell Draco was under was broken at her words, and without another thought he gave himself to Hermione completely, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that he was totally and utterly in love with her and always would be. Hermione was his soul mate and everything was absolutely perfect with her in a way that it could never be with anyone else.
Their lovemaking was divine, which Hermione meant in the angelic, godlike sense of the word rather than just extremely pleasurable — although it had been that, too. And she was convinced that Draco felt the same way. There was no awkwardness between them, hadn't been even when they had first touched properly. It was as if it was always meant to happen eventually, and today the universe had been restored to its proper order.