My updating schedule is ridiculous...oh well, at least you'll know what happened when Draco showed up...

Enjoy.


HPOV

"Get your fucking hands off her, Weasley."

Ron snorted, "Really? You have the Ferret coming to your rescue now? You really are pathetic."

He shoved me onto the ground by my hair, causing my wand to slide across the hardwood floor, before I felt one solid kick to my side, effectively knocking the air out of me.

I heard a crash, but I couldn't see what was happening, because that would require moving, and the sudden sharp pain that was radiating through my ribcage wasn't about to let me do that.

So instead I opted on listening.

"Since when did Hermione become your fucking business, Ferret?" asked Ron, his voice slightly strained.

"When you decided to put your hands on her."

I forced myself into a sitting position, gasping at the new surge of white hot pain that lanced through my right side.

Something was definitely broken.

"Did you call him here?" he asked, glaring daggers at me, but as soon as he moved towards me Malfoy froze him.

"Are you okay?" asked Malfoy, his eyes immediately going to where I was holding my side.

A muscle in his jaw twitched, but before he could say anything Ron lunged forward, knocking both of them onto the ground.

I forced myself to crawl over to where my wand was, pushed myself into a standing position, and cast a jinx on Ron, causing him to flip upside down and dangle in the air.

"You stupid bitch!" yelled Ron, flailing his arms around.

I dropped my wand and leaned back against the wall, the pain in my ribs was intense and it took everything in me not to just curl up into a ball - though that probably wouldn't ease the pain.

I mean breathing hurt - which was a pretty big problem.

"Now when I let you down, you're going to get your sorry arse out of here." snapped Malfoy, his expression deadly, and it took me straight back to the War.

Ron didn't say anything, but Malfoy lifted the hex, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud. He stood up, glaring at me, and said, "Your little Ferret won't always be around. Remember that."

With a pop he was gone, and that left me and Malfoy standing in my living room.

I had my eyes closed, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do, when I felt Malfoy step in front of me.

"You think it's broken?"

I opened my eyes and studied his appearance. His shirt was unbuttoned, his hair was a ruffled mess, and I was suddenly terrified of what I might have interrupted.

I mean he could have been in the process of -

"Oh Merlin, Malfoy, what were you doing before you came over here?"

"What, why?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"I mean you...you..." I gestured towards him, which was a horrible idea.

I winced, closing my eyes against the pain, and heard Malfoy sigh.

"Come on, you need to lay down so I can fix that." he said, taking my elbow and steering me back towards my bedroom.

I winced, shifting onto the bed as carefully as I could, while Malfoy took a seat next to me on the bed.

"And as far as what I was doing before," he said with a smirk, "It was nothing of great importance."

Before I could respond he leaned forward, his hands moving the material of my tanktop up until I grabbed his hand and glared at him, ignoring - or trying to ignore - the fiery pain that shot through my side at the movement.

"Granger, if you want me to heal you, that would require that you let me see what needs to be healed." he said, a smirk on his face.

The thought of Malfoy seeing me in my bra did little for my mood, but I couldn't very well deal with this pain, so I let go of his hand and focused on the ceiling.

His hands were gentle as he slid my shirt up and performed a few tests with his wand. Then I felt his hand on my ribs, and heat started radiating from it, and soon after that the pain eased to something I could manage.

I took a deep breath and sat up - with Malfoy's help - and looked around my room.

I couldn't believe what had just happened - moreover, I couldn't believe that Malfoy had actually showed up and helped me...just like he'd said he would.

"You can't stay here, Granger."

I turned and looked at him - he had moved to a standing position near the bed.

"It's two o'clock in the morning, where the hell am I supposed to go?" I shook my head, "No, I'll be fine here. I doubt he's coming back today."

"You have no idea what could've happened if I hadn't -"

"I know exactly what would have happened." I snapped, pushing myself off the bed and walking out into the living room.

I heard him sigh before he said, "Well you shouldn't know. He can't just -"

"He can, he did, he does, and he will again." I said, picking up the lamp that I'd knocked over earlier, and slid my wand into my back pocket.

"The hell he will." snapped Malfoy.

I turned to look at him and he was studying me closely.

"What the hell happened to you? You used to be -"

"Different. I know. I hear that a lot, but guess what? Things change - pebople change." I said, walking back into my bedroom.

"Fine, Granger, act however you want, but I'm not letting you stay here tonight."

I glared at him, "Like I said, I don't have anywhere to -"

"You'll stay with me."

My eyes threatened to pop out of my head, and I couldn't even formulate words, so I just shook my head.

"He could have killed you. There's no fucking way in hell that I'm letting you stay here." he said, crossing his arms and glaring at me.

"Why do you care, Malfoy?"

"I have my reasons."

I wondered what those reasons were, exactly, because that was the second time he's said that, but instead of asking I followed him over to the floo.

"How long will I have the joy of staying with you, Malfoy?" I asked, watching as he picked up a handful of floo powder.

He rolled his eyes, "Just shut up and grab my arm."


DPOV

If there were ever a sight I never expected to see, this was it.

Hermione Fucking Granger in my flat.

"This is the guest room." I said pushing open the door to reveal a dark four poster bed with black silk sheets and matching nightstand and dresser.

I looked at Granger and her eyes were moving over the furniture before she asked, "Who stays here?"

"Nobody. It's a guest room."

"So you haven't had...um...guests here?"

And had a blush not rose to her cheeks I wouldn't have caught what she meant - but it did, and I knew exactly what she was talking about.

I chuckled, "No, Granger, those bints never slept in here."

She visibly relaxed and nodded, "Okay,"

"Do you want a drink?"

She seemed to contemplate it for a second before she gave in and said, "Yeah, sure." and followed me back into the kitchen.

"Anything in particular?" I asked, opening up the liquor cabinet.

Her eyes widened at the options, but she quickly concealed her surprise and said, "I don't care, surprise me."

I nodded, pulling out a bottle Shiraz, and filling two glasses with the deep red liquid.

"I didn't know you drank wine." she said, picking up the glass I slid across the counter.

I raised an eyebrow, "What does that mean?"

"It means I picture you more as a Fire Whiskey kind of guy."

I nodded slowly, "Yeah, I am, but I figured it's been a while since I've had a good red wine."

"I haven't ever had this - not that that's a big shocker."

"Why? You and Weasley had money."

"He preferred beer, vodka...nothing I was all that interested in." she said with a shrug.

I picked up my glass and walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch, listening to the gentle padding of her feet against the hardwood floor, and then she was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, facing me.

"How are your ribs?"

She ran a hand through her hair, and I found myself noticing that her wasn't that unmanageable anymore.

And that her lips were the perfect pink.

And that she looked awfully at home sitting on my couch in those little shorts -

I shook my head and focused on what she was staying.

"They're okay, sore...but thank you."

I simply shrugged, taking a sip from my glass.

"What's your reason for sticking up for me when it comes to Ron?" she asked, and I nearly choked on my drink.

"Excuse me?"

"You said you had your reasons." she said, her toffee eyes bright with curiosity.

I shook my head, and instead of answering her I decided to ask her a question instead.

"Tell me something about you that I wouldn't guess."

She looked at me for a moment, as if contemplating why I wanted to know, and then said, "I read the endings of books before I buy them."

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose?"

She sighed, "You're going to think I'm stupid."

I bit back the sarcastic remark that stood on the tip of my tongue and instead said, "Try me."

She ran a hand through her hair, her eyes scanning my living room, before she sighed and said, "Because I like to know that they have a happy ending."

"Why?"

"I like knowing that everything ends up okay, because then it doesn't matter what happens throughout the book - because you know that in the end everyone got what they wanted."

"But why, Granger?"

"Because," she said, her toffee eyes holding mine, without shying away, for the first time all night, "Life is sad enough. I don't need to read about it too."

She took another sip of her drink while I contemplated what she said.

In a way she had a point. Life was pretty fucked up - and from what I'd seen, which wasn't a lot, her life hadn't exactly been a cakewalk - so I couldn't blame her for wanting to know that at least someone would get a happy ending.

"So basically you skip ahead because you can't do that in real life."

It wasn't a question, but she answered me anyway.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." she said softly.

I had just found something out about Granger that I wouldn't have guessed before - she wasn't happy.

I mean sure, I pretty much knew the shit with Weasley bothered her - and the fact that he kept fucking with her didn't exactly help - but I'd assumed that was just one part of her life.

But sitting across from her in my flat made it really obvious that she wasn't happy in general.

"What do you want out of life, Granger?" I asked suddenly.

Her eyes widened and she looked at me, blinking a few times as if she were confused.

"That's a good question." she said finally, setting her empty glass on the table.

"But you don't know?"

Instead of answering me she asked, "What do you want out of life, Malfoy?"

I opened my mouth, ready to respond, when I realized that I had no fucking idea what I wanted out of life.

She smirked, "Exactly. So face it, we're both lost, just in different ways."

Before I could say anything she stood up and said, "Goodnight, Malfoy. And thank you for letting me stay here."

With that she disappeared into the guest bedroom, the door shutting with a soft click.

Something told me that we'd crossed some kind of line tonight - and I couldn't even blame it on alcohol, because I'd showed up at her place sober.

The thought of what had happened at her flat pissed me off all over again and I just wanted to find that stupid Weasel and bash his face in.

Why the hell I'd told her she was staying with me for a while was baffling to me.

I mean sure, it was fucked up what the Weasel was doing, but that didn't make Granger my responsibility.

I didn't understand my sudden need to protect her from the big bad red head - because it didn't make any sense.

A few weeks ago I hadn't even been thinking about Granger, and now she was living in my bloody flat.

I shook my head, it was too late for a headache, I just needed to get some rest.

Hopefully things would be better in the morning.


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