Chapter Four: Tests

. . .

Hermione's hands were shaking as Draco sat beside her filling out paperwork for her so she didn't have to. Apart from the occasional question on the sheet, the two were relatively silent. She looked up at the television in the waiting room that showed the muggle news for the day. She found this highly unsettling; the news was painted with homicides and natural disasters and she was already worried about herself and the blurriness of unknown events from last night's events. She took a shaky breath and looked down at her hands.

Draco glanced over at her and sighed to himself before he looked back at the clipboard and continued to fill out the information. "This is ridiculous… I can't even write exactly what happened. You're going to need to explain it again, Hermione," he said in a nearly emotionless tone.

"Please don't get angry at me, Draco," Hermione almost begged, looking down at her hands as they sat in the waiting room.

He looked over at her with soft eyes, holding the clipboard in his hands and glanced around the room at the few other people that were waiting and then finally looked back at her. "I'm not. I'm not angry at you, Hermione. This whole thing was my fault in the first place. If we hadn't gotten into that fight, you wouldn't have run off and none of this would've happened. I'm just angry at Blaise, but not you. Okay?"

She didn't think she could have felt any worse than she already did but for some reason, him saying this didn't comfort her. Nevertheless, she nodded and forced a small smile.

"Good. Now… tell me what the last thing you remember is."

Hermione ran her hand through her messy hair and then felt a dull ache in her arm. She absentmindedly rubbed it and then took a slow breath. "I remember… someone… grabbing my arm and pushed a syringe into my arm… and then I felt this… incredible sensation and then I blacked out."

The scene flashed in her mind and she rubbed her forearm again. She knew it was a syringe from growing up with Muggle parents in the Muggle world but she wasn't sure what was inside the syringe, and this scared her the most. Her head was spinning but at the same time, she was also still feeling the effects from whatever was in it. She placed her hand on her forehead and leaned against Draco, watching him write her version of the incident.

When he was done, he began answering the following questions. He continued to stare down at the paper. "What are your symptoms right now, baby?"

"Umm… dizzy, tired… I'm hurting, but I think it could be from when they kicked me. I have a headache," Hermione whispered to him. "I feel really nauseous,"

She watched him scribble down her symptoms and when he was done, she spoke again almost inaudibly. "If you want to leave, you can. I'm not expecting you to stay with me or anything."

Draco looked at her in surprise and searched her eyes before placing his hand on her cheek, gently thumbing her skin. "Hermione, I'm not leaving unless you tell me to. I want to be here for you. I have no plans to be anywhere."

She smiled weakly, grateful that he was choosing to stay by her side through this, no matter how messed up it was. She went to move closer to him when she felt a sharp pain between her legs. Hermione bit her lip to hide any signs of pain as Draco stood up.

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to give this back to the receptionist."

Hermione nodded in acknowledgement and then looked up at the clock. It was already almost two in the afternoon. The dimly lit waiting room made it feel a lot later than it actually was. She watched Draco leave the papers with the receptionist and then suddenly walk down the hallway. Not wanting to be left alone, she stood up and quickly followed him, but made sure to stay a few arm lengths away. When she saw him turn the corner and then stop walking, she stopped walking too, staying on the other side, listening as he began talking.

"What the hell are you doing going out with Blaise Zabini? Has your brain been replaced by Goyle's? No, I only ask because your boyfriend just pretty much kidnapped and made Hermione overdose on God only knows what!"

She stayed as still as possible, instantly knowing who he had called and was talking to. She could only imagine what Ginny was saying back to him.

"I'm calling you because you are partly to blame for this shit! Do you realize that he could've killed her? Do you even care? No! Of course you don't, you selfish bitch! I know you and Hermione have your grudges with each other but this is going fucking overboard…"

Hermione wasn't really sure how to feel as he talked to her. A part of her felt apathetic and numb, but the other half of her felt angry that he didn't even tell her he was going to call her. She made sure her breathing was silent as she continued to eavesdrop.

"Your apologies mean shit to me right now, Ginny. You are just as low and pathetic as your goddamn boyfriend! You two are meant for each other," Draco said coldly right before he hung up.

He let out a growl of impatience and anger as he turned the corner, nearly knocking Hermione over. His face turned from angry to startled and confused. "Hey, umm… I thought you were waiting in the waiting room, baby…"

She searched his face, her anger gone now. She just wanted to feel his comfort and safety of his arms but she already felt weak enough without being clingy to add to everything else. "I was but… I thought you were going to come right back… y-you just… left me."

"I'm sorry, let's go back, Hermione," he took her hand and started back towards the waiting room when she stopped him in the hallway.

"Wait. W-Why did you call her?"

He wet his lips and took a deep breath. "I needed to yell at someone and I figured why not yell at someone who could've stopped him from doing this to you?"

The dizziness was starting to become worse but she was stubborn and wasn't going to back down yet. "Do you honestly think that yelling at people is going to make the situation better?"

"Well what do you want me to do? I thought I was just defending your honor!"

Hermione sighed heavily. "What do I want you to do? I want you to be with me right now, Draco! You told me that you were going to stay with me unless I told you to leave. I want you by my side! I need you!"

"Christ, Hermione, I was just down the hall! I didn't walk out of the hospital on you!"

She looked at him with hurt eyes and was about to say something when she heard a voice from behind them.

"Excuse me. Are you… Hermione Granger, miss?"

Hermione turned and looked at the young muggle doctor before she nodded. "Y-Yes, I am…"

The doctor eyed Draco and then looked at Hermione almost worriedly. "Hello, Miss Granger. I'm Doctor McKay. Would you like to come with me to the examination room, please?"

"Of course," Hermione looked at Draco unsurely as the doctor continued to eye him suspiciously. "Umm… can he come too?"

"Well as it's a full examination, I'd prefer you to stay in the waiting room and I'll come and get you when we're done, sir."

There was no room for argument as Draco just nodded and looked apologetically at Hermione before he wrapped his arms around her gently and whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry… I'll be here when he's done with the exam."

She watched him release her and then head back towards the waiting area as the doctor lead her into one of the empty exam rooms. She looked at him as he looked at her chart.

"It appears that you were drugged last night. I'm going to need you to take off almost everything except your bra so I can check you out to see what the damage is. The gown is on the chair and I'll be back in about five minutes. Any questions?"

Hermione had questions but she didn't know where to begin so she just shook her head and he smiled softly to her before he took his leave so she could get changed. She felt a brisk chill in the room as she undressed and then changed into the gown, feeling a lot more exposed now that she was last night. She could feel a tightness in her chest that made her just want to cry but she couldn't let herself do so just yet, especially not in front of this stranger. She sat on the bed with the paper roll on it, waiting for him as he walked inside and then washed his hands before putting gloves on and getting all the tools ready, many of which Hermione had never seen before.

"Why don't you slide back and place your feet in the stirrups and I'll make this as quick as possible?"

All she could do was nod as she moved her body back against the chair and hesitantly placed her feet in the cold stirrups, shivering slightly. She bit her lip and watched as he began to poke and prod her, occasionally making noises of pain and discomfort.

"W-What are you looking for?"

He wrote something down before he went back to her. "Any signs of tearing and… getting evidence."

"E-Evidence? Evidence of w-what?"

The doctor put his tools down and then placed a white cloth over her lap to give her some privacy, looking at her with an almost sad expression. "Have you been feeling… pain when you walk around, sweetie?"

She felt her stomach twist uncomfortably, like knives cutting her intestines. Suddenly, reality set in and she felt her heart stop. She recognized this pain. She's had this pain before. This time she couldn't stop the tears from filling her eyes.

"If… we collect the evidence, then you can press charges against the individual who did this to you. Would you like to do that?"

Hermione thought about this for a long time. She never wanted to see Blaise ever again and now that they were no longer at the school, they wouldn't be forced to. Now that she was of age, she could choose what she wanted to do. She swallowed back a sob and composed herself, glancing at the doctor.

"No, I wouldn't," she started. When she saw the doctor look at her in shock, she continued, trying to explain herself. "I just… want this to be over. I know who did it, I know why he did it, and… I don't plan on seeing him ever again so… no. I don't want to press charges."

The doctor nodded in understanding now but didn't move from his place where he sat on his chair. "It's understandable to be scared, Miss Granger. If you're one hundred percent sure, then… I can give you some painkillers later for the pain, and I'll just go on to examine the rest of you to make sure nothing's broken."

Hermione nodded and then briskly changed the subject. "I-I'm… really dizzy. Is that from whatever was in the syringe that I was drugged with?"

The doctor helped Hermione get her underwear back on before he propped her up and began using his fingers to look for broken bones, moving from her back to her ribs gently. "If you're feeling drained and your stomach hurts, my guess is that you were drugged with heroin. That's the start of the withdrawal effects. Dizziness is also a part of that. I'll take a blood test and we'll have the results of that in a few hours. After this, I'll move you into the Psychiatric ward of the hospital to keep you under observation and we'll see how you feel tomorrow."

"P-Psychiatric ward? I-I'm not… crazy."

Doctor McKay chuckled and smirked. "I know that, Miss Granger. It's just that… women in your position don't usually handle what happened to them very well. I'll be around to perform a couple simple tests to see how you are mentally and if I see you're not a danger to yourself then I'll release you tomorrow morning, I promise."

"O-Okay," Hermione replied, looking down at her hands again, accepting that she wasn't going to be going anywhere for the next twenty hours. She cried out in pain when he reached her stomach and she flinched away from him.

He searched her eyes. "Can you move your gown to the side for me, please?" When she did so, he knelt down to examine her bruises stomach, moving his fingers around to test the surrounding skin. "You don't seem to have any internal bleeding or anything, but you'll be bruised for a good couple of weeks. Do you hurt anywhere else?"

"No… I'm okay," she said softly.

"Alright, Hermione… I want you to hop off the bed and then wrap yourself in this blanket," the doctor ordered her as he handed her a medium sized fluffy blanket. He then walked over to the corner of the room that had a wheelchair and propped it up before wheeling it over to her. "And just sit down for a free ride."

Hermione slowly sat down in the chair and hugged the blanket around her small body, feeling a bit warmer now. She could feel her hands shake uneasily as she sat there in just a gown and a blanket, feeling drafts where she could do without.

"W-What will happen to my clothes?"

"I'll have a nurse bring them to you once you get all settled in the ward. We're just going to keep you under observation for a couple days and we'll give you some medication to help you detox all the drugs out of your system," the doctor answered.

Hermione swallowed hard, clutching her hands tightly to stop them from shaking nervously. "W-What about Draco? The man I came here with…?"

"Mr. Malfoy? Well, he's welcome to stay in your room as long as he doesn't interfere with the other nurses and doctors," he smiled softly. "Any other questions you have?"

She relaxed a bit but the thought of being confined in the Psychiatric Ward was painful and embarrassing. "How long will have to be here for? I really don't like hospitals."

"That's perfectly understandable, Miss Granger. I don't know many people who do, but it's safe to say that you'll be here for at least three days for observation and detox and… however much longer you want to stay is up to you," Dr. McKay explained as he wheeled her down the hallway where Draco was waiting for her. "I'll just leave you two so you can talk for a few moments while I fill out the paperwork. I'll be back shortly."

Hermione watched him nod to Draco and then disappear behind some nurses before she looked up at Draco who looked just as nervous as she was.

"You can leave if you want. You don't have to stay here –"

"What did he say?" Draco cut her off, kneeling down in front of her to meet her brown eyes.

Hermione wet her dry lips and looked down at her hands, still holding the blanket close around her body. "He says that there might have been heroin in the syringe Blaise pumped into me. I have to stay here for a few days to get it out of my system and… to be kept under observation…"

Draco nodded patiently as he listened to her, processing all of it. "Alright, that's fine. So we'll stay here until they let you go and… then we can go back home."

She bit her lip anxiously and sighed, feeling sorry for Draco. She didn't deserve him. He could do better. "Draco, please. I'm letting you off the hook. They have me staying in the Psychiatric Ward. They're afraid I'm going to hurt myself because of what Blaise did. You don't have to stay with me…"

"Stop it, Hermione. Just stop. If I didn't want to stay with you, I wouldn't stay. I'd walk out of this damn hospital, with or without your permission. I want to stay because I care about you and I love you!" Draco stood up and hovered over her now.

She nodded but continued to look down at her hands, feeling partially ashamed with herself. "Okay, then… I'd like it if you followed us to the ward once he comes back. I want you with me, Draco. I don't want to be there alone."

He searched her face and nodded understandingly before he leaned in and kissed her lips softly. "Did he say anything else?"

She wanted to tell him that Blaise raped her. That was one thing that he didn't know. All he knew was that Blaise had drugged her and they had kicked her body, but nothing else. She thought about spilling her guts but she felt pathetic enough in front of him. She felt embarrassed enough about what happened without adding insult to injury. Plus, the last thing she wanted was for him to overact and lose his head, taking out all his aggression on Blaise. She looked in his eyes and searched through the storm that seemed perpetually forming in those orbs and shook her head.

"No, nothing else. He said that you could stay in the room with me though."

Draco felt like there was something she wasn't telling him, and this feeling scared him more than anything, but she was feeling so vulnerable right now, he didn't think it was a good time to bring it up to her. He nodded, feeling like she would tell him in time when she was ready.

"All the paperwork is filled out and Hermione is officially a patient with us. If you'll come this way, please…" The doctor instructed to Draco as he started pushing Hermione down the hall again until they reached the Psychiatric Ward.

Hermione was silent as they helped her settle into the solitary bed in the whole room. Apparently she hadn't been deemed psychotic enough to share a room with another person in the official part of the ward where they had group sessions with the other patients. She ran her fingers through her semi greasy hair and tried to relax in the bed, watching the nurses bring in her clothes, leave, and then come back again to poke and prod her with needles, taking blood. After about half an hour, the nurses left and the doctor came back in with a glass of water and some painkillers.

"Take these, please, Miss Granger. It should ease some of your physical pain…"

Hermione glanced at Draco who was sitting next to her bed before she took the pills and greedily swallowed the water, just wanting to be out of the hospital already, and regretting even coming here in the first place.

The doctor eyed Draco and then looked at Hermione before he cleared his throat pointedly. "Mr. Malfoy… I have to discuss something with your girlfriend real quick, unless she says it's okay to tell you while you're in the room."

Draco raised an eyebrow and looked at Hermione before looking at the doctor. "What do you have to tell her that I can't listen to? I know everything that happened…"

Hermione felt her guilt increase and she looked at Draco. "Can you get me a bottle of water or something, Draco? Please?"

"What haven't you told me, Hermione?"

"Draco…"

"No! Tell me what you've told him, but not me… don't I have the right to know?"

Hermione thought about this for a few moments and knew he had a point and if he didn't already know what this was about, he was going to soon anyway. She took a deep breath, not wanting to tell Draco yet, not right this second.

"I'll tell you later, Draco. I promise…" Hermione looked at him pleadingly.

He felt his insides twist like he had swallowed knives. What was she keeping from him? Was she pregnant? What was going on? He felt worry fill him up but just nodded once before he took his leave, his hands grabbing gently at his hair, deciding to head towards the cafeteria.

Hermione looked over at the Doctor. "I'm… sorry about him, but… I know that it's also my fault. I should've told him but I really do plan to later. What did you want to say?"

The doctor looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "I just wanted to say that the tests will come back tomorrow and they'll say if… your attacker spread any diseases onto you, and if you will potentially be pregnant. If you are pregnant, then you can talk it over with your boyfriend and decide what you want to do."

"But… what if he used protection?" Hermione wasn't sure if Blaise knew about muggle protection. She knew they had enchantments for sexual protection in the wizarding world but only the tests would tell if he had used any protection spells in that area or not.

"Well… from the examination from earlier, there was evidence of what he did, so… there's a chance that as a result, you could become pregnant from what he left in you. I wouldn't worry though until the tests come back in 24 hours. For now, you need to just… try and relax and… maybe inform Mr. Malfoy about the situation," he replied as he exited the room.

Hermione could feel tears form in her eyes but didn't let them drop. She knew he was right; she had to let Draco know about Blaise raping her. She had wanted to tell him at home, though, not here where she was restrained to a section of the hospital and being kept under observation. He could come and go as he pleased, which meant that he could go out to hurt, possibly even kill Blaise, and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

When she watched him wander back inside with a water bottle in his hand, she was quiet until he took a seat beside her bed.

"We… we should talk," Hermione spoke in a soft voice, knowing that it was now or never.