Chapter Seven
Recap
Deafening, trembling waves of forbidden sentiment melted the walls of Hermione Granger's house that night. The imperfect, dull night watched in distress as the lioness and the serpent lit up the night with a lighthouse-in-the-sky brilliance the moon didn't seem capable of achieving, The ambience of their deed out-twinkled the dulling stars who sulked in defeat, and the thrashing, tumultuous trees learned a lesson in grace as the pair gave in to the roots that had pulled them here,
Twisting together into a hopeless, graceful, glorious mess.
The sun spilled through the open curtains, flooding the figure that lay swathed beneath the sheets in ambient morning rays.
With a groan, Draco Malfoy turned over and reached beside him hoping to curl in closer to the chestnut curls sprawled across the pillow; only to find the only thing there to hold was chilled air. Sitting up blearily, he reached for his shorts beside the bed and struggled into them before woozily heading downstairs to the kitchen. A note sat upon the kitchen table in Hermione's neat scrawl.
Malfoy,
I didn't want to wake you, the dark circles you constantly have around your eyes these days begged me not to.
First day of college today, if you need to reach me you should know where to find me, Conhill College Further education in Witchcraft and Wizardry.
But I'm sure you shall be fine.
Maybe you should go out today? You haven't left the house once yet. It'll be good for you.
Enjoy your day.
Hermione.
It had completely slipped Draco's mind that perhaps Hermione may have other commitments beyond staying indoors constantly with yours truly.
He fixed himself a bowl of muesli before heading upstairs to find something to wear.
Draco had been wearing the same set of clothes the entire week and merely rewashing them every to say he had little to choose from was an understatement.
Nevertheless, he pulled himself into a respectable appearance before heading outside, as ready as he'll ever be, to face the world.
Upon reaching Diagon Alley he immediately recognised the tell-tale signs of the war. It was a changed place.
Of course, they had managed to completely revamp the wizarding shopping district and it was once again flourishing. But it was forever stained with a twisted, grief stricken air.
Or perhaps that was only to Draco.
Walking down the cobblestone pavement turned out to be a much more difficult task then he was prepared for. Wizards constantly stared; witches quickly averted there gaze and scurried away with their children.
You would think Draco was walking around in a death-eater mask.
He tried his best to keep his head held high, to rise beyond the stares and judgement. Yet it enraptured him. He was walking through a sea of judgement, overwhelming and crashing down upon him. Drowning him.
He hastily headed towards Gringott's to retrieve some galleons.
As he stepped through the mystified doors, the bustling marble hall fell silent. He felt the judgement bearing into his skull, yet he waded through it to the desk.
"Mr Malfoy..." The Goblin sneered.
Draco avoided eye contact and shook his head in affirmation.
"I would like to go down to the family vault to retrieve some funds." Draco replied in as bold a voice as he could muster.
"Right this way, Sir." He sneered before leading Draco down into the depths of Gringott's.
Hermione took a seat at the front of the lecture theatre overwhelmed with excitement. She pressed the sides of her cloak down removing any illusive wrinkles from the fabric and pulled her things out of her satchel. Eventually the rest of the room filled with other witches and wizards; none of which appeared to be as enthused about the situation as Hermione.
She heard someone sit down next to her and looked up to see a wizard slouched in his chair, twiddling a quill between bored fingers. His dark skin had a shocking luminosity to it, brought forth by his jet black hair, trailing wispily before his eyes.
The rest of his hair was tied back with an elastic and Hermione realised it probably trailed halfway down his back.
He looked up, feeling Hermione's gaze set heavily upon him and she instantly recognised his dazzling green eyes. Such an unusual green, like an apple.
"Granger." He said smoothly.
Hermione drew her gaze back to the desk before her and rearranged her quills.
"Hello Blaise." She replied curtly.
They sat in a tense silence for a few minutes before their professor finally arrived.
"Good Morning my dear students. I am Professor Cartrier and welcome to your first Transfiguration, a history seminar. Now if you will please take out some parchment and a quill we shall get started..."
Hermione steadied her quill above the scroll of parchment before her and set it to auto scrawl. She heard a cough from the seat beside her and turned with obvious irritation to her neighbour.
"Would you mind lending me some of your parchment?" Blaise Zabini asked. His thick Italian voice rang out smoothly and gracefully.
Hermione stared at him for a moment fuming that he wouldn't be prepared. However she retrieved a second roll of parchment from her satchel and handed it to him.
"My sincere thanks." Blaise said in reply, a cheeky smile plastered upon his face; brilliant apple eye glistening.
Hermione nodded and simply tuned out to the boy so as to focus on the lecture; immodestly irritated by the fact that even after leaving Hogwarts, she had to share a classroom with a Slytherin.
Draco left Malraux's Wizarding Wear armed with bags upon bags of clothing.
He hastily headed towards the apparition point, eager to be out of Diagon Alley, when he walked past Flourish and Blotts and took note of the interesting window instantly thought of Hermione and hesitated, before back-peddling and entering the store.
"May I help you? Sir. " Came an irritated voice from behind the counter.
Draco cleared his throat in an uncomfortable fashion and looked at the carpet, prepared to simply turn around and head straight home.
But then he thought of Hermione.
"Yes, actually. I was hoping to have a closer look at the window display."
The witch behind the counter pursed her lips indignantly. Her frazzled mop of hair bouncing as she flicked her wand and conjured the contents from the window.
Draco strode towards the counter with fake certainty, yet providing a Malfoy front with ease, such as he had learnt to over the years.
She could feel the heat of her gaze making his skin prickle as he surveyed the items before him.
Clearing his throat he looked up at the witch and retrieved a bag of galleons from his pocket.
"I'll take the lot please."
The witch grunted and flicked her wand sending Draco's purchases into a box smoothly.
Draco hastily picked up the box and headed towards the door swiftly. Yet upon reaching the cobblestone pavement of the street, he found himself wishing he had the company of the miffed Bookwitch over what lay before him.
Hermione returned home that afternoon glowing in brilliance. The feeling of being back to learning and feeling the knowledge surrounding her was a feeling to rival all others.
There weren't many people who could agree with that feeling.
Putting her satchel down on the kitchen table, Hermione opened the pantry in search of food, when something caught her eye.
Halfway up the staircase, collapsed and completely motionless was a pile of flaxen haired, black-robe swathed, ruby blood glistening Draco Malfoy.
Hermione felt her heart in her throat and her lungs in her stomach. She scrambled to the stairs, breath hitched and hands trembling.
"Malfoy, Malfoy look at me." She said fearfully.
Draco didn't move.
"Malfoy please." She whispered into his ear.
Draco suddenly coughed and spluttered slightly, before appearing to try and turn over.
Hermione exhaled a deep breath that she hadn't even realised she had been holding. She helped him roll over onto his back. Draco tried to hold himself on his elbows but they gave out. Hermione pulled him onto her lap and held him tightly.
Draco's eyes rolled back into his head and Hermione brought her face to his.
"I'm going to take you to the hospital okay?" She said, attempting to keep the fear from her voice.
Draco struggled to reply but his view on the matter was obvious.
"No, please no." He coughed and spluttered. "You – you, c-can fix it." He breathed out.
Hermione whimpered slightly and looked at the ceiling, trying to gather herself.
"Please." He whispered.
Hermione gently retrieved her wand from her pocket. She could feel the heat of the warm blood escaping from the back of his head and very gently attempted to haul Draco into a sitting position.
He fumbled for the railings, and gripped tightly, trying to hold himself up but resolving to simply let the stair railing support him. Hermione kept her arm wrapped around his chest. She could feel his heart beating rapidly and his ribcage shuddering with every laboured breath.
Trying her best to focus, Hermione surveyed the wound and considered the small amount of healing she had learnt /during her Quest with Harry and Ron.
Quickly, and with as much strength and grace and clear state-of-mind as Hermione could muster, she steadied herself and began uttering incantations. Draco tried his best not to shake, but even the pain of healing shook him to the core.
After what seemed like forever, Hermione slowed down. She cleaned the remaining blood from around the wound and very gently touched the area that his head had, until recently, been split.
Draco flinched slightly and shuddered. His grip on the banisters had not loosened and his knuckles were white. Hermione inched his hands free slowly and let him fall gently back into her lap. She let her wand drop with a clatter to the stairs below.
"Hermione I –,"
"I don't want to know yet." She said shakily.
Draco submitted, too weak to refute.
They sat in the stairwell, both shaking slightly. Hermione kept her arms tightly wrapped around Draco in fear of him slipping.
In fear of losing him.
A/N: Ok don't be mad because I did warn you I'd be busy over the last few weeks. So here's a chapter and I am in the process of writing chapter eight, but took a break to post this. STUFF IS HAPPENING IN THE STORY NOW! i told you it would. Hope you hang in there for whats to come.
LB xx
