A/N: First of all, thank you again to Starlight-killer, my favorite person on the face of the earth! Second of all, there is a new cover for this book! My favorite tumblr-r was nice enough to make me one! She goes by Protegotardis on tumblr. She's fantastic. Thank you Erica! Also, I'm sorry this chapter was so short. Working on eight! You guys are the best.
Chapter 7: Cleanse
Hermione's stomach was rolling and her head was swimming. The Dark Mark. Death Eaters. Danger. Her cat. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She doubled over, sobbing, clutching at her waist. Her home, her space, her life had been invaded by this evil again. It was something she had hoped to never experience again.
"It's just a cat, Granger." Hermione looked up and scrambled backwards as Antonin Dolohov sauntered into her kitchen. He grinned at her with teeth that were rotted through, gums black and yellowed. His clothes were tattered and hanging off him in some places.
He walked towards her and leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. Hermione was frozen in fear, unable to move or think. He smelled like rotting food and sickness. Bile rose in her throat.
Dolohov was there, in her flat, touching her. Breathing on her.
"Big, strong Hermione Granger quivering on her floor." he taunted, tracing a finger down the side of her face, nail digging into her skin. She shrank away from his touch. Her wand was in her hand, but she was frozen. She couldn't move. Fear locked her muscles.
"Not so tough without Wonder Boy and Ginger are you, Mudblood?" His lips were at her ear now, and she felt something sharp pressing into her side. It was a knife; she could feel it.
"What do you want?" She hardly realized that she was speaking. Dolohov chuckled darkly in her ear, moving his mouth to her neck.
"To send a message." Dolohov grabbed her arm and yanked her upwards, pulling her to her feet. He grabbed her hair and yanked her neck around, forcing her to look back at her cat.
"This is tame," he spat, "Compared to what we will do to you. Tell your fiancée we said hello." He yanked on her hair and ran the edge of his knife over her neck. She felt her skin part slightly and a warm trickle of blood run down her shirt. She trembled, trying her hardest not to breathe against the blade.
"We'll be in touch, Granger." He laughed and shoved her hard. Hermione stumbled into the table, landing in the pool of blood. She cried out in shock and pain. When she wheeled around, Dolohov was gone. Hermione stood in her kitchen, panicked, trying to calm her racing heart and process what had just happened. She raised a shaking hand to her neck and felt her fingertips flutter against the bleeding wound. It was barely more than a scratch.
She stumbled to her fireplace and sloppily threw a handful of Floo Powder in.
"M-Malfoy M-Manor," she stuttered out. She was shaking from the shock. Hermione nearly fell into the sitting room at the Manor. Instantly someone was grabbing her.
"Hermione, what happened?" It was Harry. He was shaking her gently, gripping her arms tightly. Her world hazed in and out, fuzzing at the corners. Then Draco was there, pulling her out of Harry's grasp and put his hands on her neck, looking at the cut, yelling at her to say what had happened. They sounded like they were talking underwater, hundreds of leagues away from her. She swayed dangerous and fell hard against Draco. He caught her and she felt herself being moved to the couch. She looked over at Pansy, wondering if she was actually there or if she was hallucinating. In the back of her mind she was also wondering why Harry was there.
She couldn't hear anything now; just saw Draco barking orders to Harry, watching Harry step into the Floo network, watching Narcissa follow him.
"Dolohov," Hermione screamed, gripping Draco tightly. "Dolohov was there. Dolohov. It was Dolohov. It was…" The world swayed dangerously for Hermione, and then everything was black.
"I really hate domestic abuse cases," Harry said quietly. Draco nodded and leaned against the wall. Harry had just finished talking to Pansy, and now he and Draco were in the hallway outside the sitting room.
"This law… Do you think they ever saw something like this happening?" Draco mused aloud. Harry said nothing. He was exhausted and aching to get home to his wife.
"What can you do about Pansy?" Harry shrugged.
"Press domestic violence charges. He'll get locked up. Two years from now they can absolve the marriage. But I wouldn't let her go back there, Malfoy." he finished wearily. Draco nodded.
"She can stay here for a while." Harry frowned.
"I don't know how Hermione would feel about that…" Draco closed his eyes in frustration. He hadn't even been thinking of Hermione.
"I'll talk to her. I'll figure something out." Draco spoke as if he was reassuring himself. He turned and walked back into the room, sitting on the sofa beside Pansy, who was back from her bath. Harry followed him, standing in the corner adjacent to Narcissa. She was pale, wringing her hands and rocking slightly.
"Mother, please sit down." Draco sighed. Narcissa shook her head, silent. Pansy hadn't spoken since Winky had brought her back into the room. She was clean now, and her long black hair looked the way it always had; clean and sleek, hanging straight down her back. Harry shifted his glasses out of the way and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He hadn't even gotten the chance to tell Ginny where he was; she was probably worried. She had a tendency to worry about him when he was gone.
"Mother, please." Draco guided her gently into a chair and held her hands. She stared at him and smiled slightly.
"Poor Pansy." she murmured slightly. Draco nodded and dropped his mother's hands, moving to sit beside Pansy. She leaned against him and trembled slightly.
"You won't have to see him again, Pansy. I promise you that." She nodded slightly against him and then shifted away. Draco hugged her gently and then stood, pacing around the room.
Harry and Draco jumped as the Floo roared to life and Hermione Granger stumbled out. The first thing Draco noticed was her face and neck; she was absolutely covered in blood. It was on her cheek, down the side of her jaw, seeping from a cut in her neck and matted in her hair. She was shaking, hands held in front of her, trembling.
"Hermione, what happened?" Harry raced forward and grabbed her. She tried to fight him off, yelling nonsensically, trying to push her hair off her face and wipe the blood away. He gripped her tighter.
"Granger!" Draco pulled her away from Harry, pulling her against him. He tilted her head back and checked the cut on her neck; it wasn't deep. It hadn't been meant to kill. He pushed her hair back and checked for cuts on her head, but there were none. It wasn't her blood.
"Hermione, love, what happened?" Hermione shook her head and choked out small, sobbing words. She buckled in his arms and fell against him, supported only by Draco's grasp. He pulled her upright and dragged her as gently as he could to the couch.
"Potter, go to her flat. Now! Mother, to the Ministry." he begged. Harry stepped towards the Floo and Hermione jerked up, screaming.
"Dolohov!" She grabbed Draco's shirt with a white knuckled grip, shaking to the point that her teeth were chattering together. "Dolohov was there. Dolohov. It was Dolohov. It was…" Hermione shuddered and collapsed against Draco, unconscious. Draco looked to his mother. She nodded solemnly and stepped into the hearth.
Draco Malfoy resisted the urge to break down. Two of the most important women in his life were battered and bloody on his couch. Antonin Dolohov had been in Granger's home. In his fiancée's home. He was still unsure whose blood she was covered in it. There was too much to be from the small cut on her neck. He felt like his world was starting to crumble around him.
"Whose blood is that?" Pansy asked, eying Hermione with trepidation. Draco shrugged stiffly.
"I have no idea." Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at Hermione's neck, watching as magic knitted together the skin.
"Rennervate." His voice was strained. He watched as Hermione's eyes fluttered open and focused on him. She raised a hand and touched his cheek, as if checking to see that he was real.
"Draco." she said slowly, trying to sit. Draco shook his head and gently held her in place. She was slung across his lap, resting on one of his arms. The blood on her head had rubbed off onto his shirt, and he could see the dried blood wrinkling into her skin as she scrunched her forehead up.
"Hermione, love." The relief in his voice was apparent.
"Dolohov was in my flat. He killed Crooks." Her voice was too calm for the statement and she seemed dazed. Draco nodded, pushing her hair back from the blood. He realized dimly that it was cat blood, but that didn't matter. He needed to make sure Hermione was alright.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm so sorry." She nodded, trying to sit up again. Draco let her this time, and she shifted uncomfortably off her lap.
"He killed your cat?" Pansy asked, shocked. Hermione peered around Draco, looking at the other Slytherin curiously, as if she wasn't sure if Pansy was actually there or if she was just imagining her.
"What happened to you?" Hermione's voice was equally shocked. She had barely recognized Pansy Parkinson through the bruising.
"The Marriage Law," she said disdainfully. Hermione nodded.
"Dolohov killed your cat?" she asked again.
"Yes." Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes and she leaned against Draco again.
"What a sick bastard." Hermione nodded and Draco was surprised when Pansy reached across him to hug Hermione. He was equally astonished when Hermione returned the hug.
Both of the girls jumped when Narcissa stepped through the Floo network with Kingsley Shacklebolt and two other Ministry officials in tow. Draco stood and stepped forward, trying his hardest to maintain his calm.
"Kingsley," his voice betrayed his anger, "I need to talk to you." Kingsley nodded and cast a glance to Hermione and Pansy. They both looked at him coldly as Draco led him from the room. The door slammed shut and Draco swung around, pulling out his wand and casting a strong silencing spell on the room. His anger was about to reach a boiling point.
"Do you see," he shouted, "What your damn law has done? What has happened to Pansy and who knows how many other witches?" Kingsley took a step backwards.
"I can't do anything about that, Draco. What's done is done." Draco paced backwards, resisting the urge to swing at the Minister.
"I want Pansy to have a legal separation from that pig. I'll pay whatever I need to." Kingsley opened his mouth to disagree but Draco's glare cut him off.
"I will not take 'no' for an answer, Shacklebolt. This is on your hands." Kingsley fidgeted with his collar.
"What happened to Hermione?" Draco visibly shuddered.
"Dolohov was in her apartment. Potter is there now. I would suggest you stop by." Kingsley gaped.
"Dolohov? As in the Death Eater? He's actually…" Draco sneered at him.
"Yes, Minister. It seems as if you've missed a few important puzzle pieces." Draco opened the door up and gestured icily for Kingsley to enter again.
"We're going to Hermione Granger's flat." he told his companions flatly. With a quick nod to Narcissa, Kingsley and his entourage stepped in. Draco looked to Pansy and Hermione; they were sitting next to each other, talking softly. Hermione's hand was resting on Pansy's, and there were tears in both of their eyes.
"Ladies, I hate to interrupt." Draco started. They looked at him and Hermione's brow creased again.
"Hermione, I think you need a bath. And Pansy, you could do with a meal." Hermione nodded slowly.
"Pansy, I'll have Winky take you down to the kitchens. Hermione, I'll show you to the bathrooms." As if on cue, Winky appeared and gently took Pansy's hands.
"Come along, Miss Pansy! Winky has made your favorite meal!" Pansy gave a genuine smile to Winky and leaned down to kiss the elf on the cheek.
"Thank you, Winky." She looked to Draco and smiled, "And thank you, Draco. Truly." Draco helped her up and kissed her cheek.
"Of course, Pans. Go eat." Narcissa followed Pansy out, leaving Draco and Hermione alone. Draco was unsure what to say.
"Thank you, Draco." Hermione said softly. Draco sat down beside her and put any arm over her shoulder, not caring about the blood that was now completely dried onto the side of her face and her hair. She leaned against him, relaxing into his warmth. She had felt freezing cold up until that moment.
"I'm sorry, Hermione," he said gently. She shook her head.
"Dolohov… And Greyback, I suppose… They told me to say 'Hello' to you. He meant this as a message." Draco nodded slowly. He had figured as such. The two Death Eaters were capable of far more chaos than they had already caused.
"I won't let them near you again, Granger. I promise you that." Hermione nodded against him and then stood, trying her best to look brave.
"A bath sounds nice." Draco smiled at her and took her hand, leading her down the hallway and up a flight of stairs.
"You can use my bath. It's more comfortable than the spare ones." he explained as she looked around. Draco's wing of the house was sparsely decorated. There were some heirlooms and portraits lining the wall. A few of them scowled down at her as she passed, but said nothing. The walls were a deep green, as she had expected. Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin through and through. She hardly noticed Draco's bedroom as they walked quickly through it, too focused on the open double doors that led into his bathroom. It was about the size of Hermione's bedroom at home. There was a large shower, a vanity with two sinks, cabinets and a large tub situated in the corner.
"Do you, er… Need anything?" Hermione squeezed his hand tighter, her heart racing.
"A towel, please." Draco nodded and dropped her hand, pulling a towel from a cupboard and handing it to her. It was green, with his initials embroidered in silver on them. She raised an eyebrow at him, wincing as the dried blood cracked on her skin.
"I can't help myself," he admitted sheepishly. Hermione smiled at him and then swayed on her feet, waiting for him to leave. He blinked and understood he had to exit for her to get undressed.
"Oh," he said awkwardly, "I'll just… Wait in my room." Hermione nodded and he left. She avoided looking in the mirror as she undressed; she knew she was covered in blood, but she didn't want to see it. The place on her neck where Dolohov's knife had cut was sore, but there was no mark there. She watched as the tub filled with water. Bubbles appeared from nowhere, swirling shades of green and silver. Of course.
Her stomach churned as she stepped in and sat down, the water around her turning rust red from the blood caked on her neck and chest. Fighting down the urge to vomit, she took a deep breath and slipped under the water and scrubbed at her face and hair, trying to get the blood out. She had never wanted to experience the feeling of being covered in blood again. When she sat up, she watched in awe as the bath water fizzled from being a deep red to clean water again. She should have figured the tub would be filled with enchantments.
The bubbles were thick and hung around her neck as she lowered herself up to her chin into the water. She wanted desperately to wash her hair, but her arms felt weak. Her entire body felt tired, and all she wanted to do was just relax.
"Granger," Draco called from outside the door, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Draco." She paused. "You can come in if you want." There was what sounded like a choking cough from outside the door.
"Are you sure?" Hermione rolled her eyes, nearly laughing at the tone of surprise in his voice.
"Yes. I… I need help with my hair." Draco slowed cracked the door open and swallowed. Granger in his bathtub. The blood matted in her hair aside, she looked beautiful. A blush crept up her cheeks and she looked down, eyelashes fanning out.
"How can I be of assistance?" He kneeled down next to the tub and rested his arms on the side. Hermione saw that he had changed out of his bloodied clothes and was wearing a black t-shirt.
"My hair. Could you just help me get the blood out of it?" Draco nodded and stood up, digging through a cupboard until he found some spare shampoo and conditioner that Hermione wouldn't mind. All of his smelled like cologne. Hermione had shifted in the tub; her back was to him and she was looking intently at the wall, trying to fight her persistent blush.
"What are you thinking about?" Draco asked curiously, squirting the shampoo onto his hands and rubbing them together. She sighed.
"I've had Crooks since third year." she said quietly. Draco was silent as he poised his hands above her head, unsure what to do. He had never washed someone's hair before. After a moment of deliberation, he gently started at her scalp, paying attention to the blood by her temple. He felt her relax under his hands.
"I know. Mangy thing." he said lightly. He had always had a soft spot for cats when he was younger. Hermione laughed quietly.
"He was half Kneazle. That's why he was so ugly." Hermione chuckled. Draco smiled to himself, working down her hair. It was longer than it had been in school, and thick. He hadn't expected her to have so much.
"I chose him because no one else wanted him. I could tell he was smart. He was ridiculously intelligent." she trailed off, sniffling. Draco reached for his wand and flicked it over her hair. Tendrils of water rose from the tub and swept their way downward, washing out the shampoo.
"Incredible, like his owner." Draco muttered softly. Hermione looked around at him and smiled.
"Thank you. That feels wonderful, by the way." She nodded to the conditioner, which he was working through his fingers. He grinned.
"Magical fingers, love." Hermione blushed and Draco groaned, embarrassed.
"I didn't mean it like that." Hermione rolled her eyes and shifted back to her previous position. Draco started on the conditioner, rubbing it through her clean hair.
"What happens now, Draco? Dolohov and Greyback want you. They want revenge." Her voice was laced with fear.
"I know. I'm sure Saint Potter and his misfit band of Gryffindors will take care of them for me." Hermione giggled despite her efforts not too. Draco smiled triumphantly.
"Hermione, you do realize you'll be staying here, right?" Hermione looked around quickly.
"No. I'll be moving back into my flat after everything's been cleaned." Draco shook his head firmly and flicked his wand, rinsing the conditioner from her hair.
"Granger, don't even argue this with me. They got to you far too easily in your flat. I won't have anything happen to you." Hermione opened her mouth to argue with him but Draco shook his head.
"No, Hermione. I love you, and you're safest here." They both froze. Draco clamped his mouth shut, surprised with what he had just said. He hadn't even realized he was about to say it. He hadn't even realized he had felt that way. Hermione flushed and looked away from him quickly, unsure what to say.
"I'm sorry." he muttered, standing to leave. Hermione looked up at him in dismay.
"Don't leave, Malfoy. It's fine." He sat back down quickly, leaning against the tub. One of his hands ghosted over Hermione's shoulder, under the line of the bubbles. She didn't move away. Instead, she leaned backwards, resting her wet head on his shoulder. He kissed her cheek.
"Will Pansy be staying here as well?" Draco nodded and waited for any sort of rejection or jealousy. Hermione seemed to read his mind.
"I trust you Draco." And she did. She trusted Draco Malfoy with her life, her future and her heart.
