"…It was amazing. No one on the train was hurt…"
"… express train collides with Victoria station…"
"…train passengers don't know how they survived…"
"…Driver dead, long before Victoria…
Hermione turned off the radio Maura had found and altered to run off magical energy, the process was surprisingly easy.
"The Obliviators obviously arrived after we left." She said before hissing in pain. They were on the Hogwarts express in the far cabin, Hermione's leg had had a piece of train metal fall onto it and had cut through half of her thigh. Maura had healed it as best as she could, but she was not a medi-witch, it would need madam Pomfrey to look at it.
"Keep still" Draco murmured muttering a cushioning charm to support the injured leg, "I've sent a letter on with Shadow Pomfrey should be waiting for us at the station."
"Us?" Hermione questioned, looking at Draco.
"Well yeah, you didn't think I was going to let you go up alone, did you?" he replied sitting on the chair opposite her.
Hermione looked down, "Well I just thought that well um because of well the situation and um well us being us and we being who we are it just oh I don't know I just thought that we were I don't know going to keep it private or something and it was just well a shock and you and stop laughing at me!"
Draco was giggling lightly, "my dear, dear angel, yes we can keep it quiet if you want, but I really don't mind, and I am not going to leave you alone with Pomfrey" he smiled at her and Hermione felt her heart melt.
"Thank you, for well everything" she returned his smile and the two settled into a comfortable silence.
"Draco" Hermione said quietly about an hour later, he had been staring out of the window, almost entranced by the scenery flashing by just inches away from them.
"hmm?" he said not looking away from the window.
"Are we together?"
He turned to her, "Full of questions today aren't we?" he said laughing lightly, Hermione glared at him.
"Oh hush!" he laughed a little harder,
"What do you mean?"
Hermione went silent again, "the night at the park, the first night when you found me and we were walking back from the Gloc."
"Yes." Draco said slowly not sure where she was going.
"Well together in that sense." Hermione blushed.
"You mean as boy friend and girl friend?"
"Well yeah"
Draco settled back into the chair and folded his arms across his chest. Thinking deeply. Hermione watched him as he sighed, and tried to read his thoughts as they flickered across his face, but to no avail she could make no sense of them.
He looked up at her and studied her face.
You like her. One voice whispered to him. But does she like me? He questioned it, that depends on your meaning, she likes you as a friend that is certain, but as more? The voice drifted off and another answered it she seems like she wants the answer to be yes it pointed out but is she ready? Draco questioned himself, his mind going back to the time when they found her, she was hurt, and although it seems like a long time since then, it was barely a week ago, people don't get over things like that in a week. He sighed do people really ever get over something like that? He drifted off into deeper thoughts when the first voice answered him you don't even know if she was, you just suspect Draco looked up at her, she is beautiful, and smart and funny and – so say yes, Draco smiled.
Hermione's heart, which had been sinking steadily lifted when she saw him smile,
"Hermione, if you want us to be together that way that I am more then happy to let that be, however do you want it?"
He watched her face carefully, noting how her smile dimmed as he said 'however' then sink into deep thought.
"I…I don't know yet, I mean I like you, really like you which is silly because I only know you as this Draco and I still have a constant reminder that you're still Malfoy who picked on me and bullied me and insulted me for 6 years, so I cant help thinking that this could be some elaborate scheme to get me, as the-boy-who-lived best friend, but" she spoke up cutting off his chance of reply "there is a part of me who believes that you have changed and you want to be with me and are not doing it for your father or Voldemort." He winced slightly at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, Hermione ignored it and continued speaking "so tell me Dray, is this you the Dray I met on holiday going to stay? And is he the real you? Or are you Malfoy, the stuck up son of Lucius Malfoy and this is all a big plan to cripple Harry and Dumbledore?"
Draco took a deep breath and answered her, speaking slowly.
"I am the son of Lucius Malfoy, but I am Dray, not the Draco of last year. The me you see now is the real me, and there is no plan, no scheme, that I promise you."
She smiled at him and it wasn't until the train began to slow as it neared the station much later on that she realised that neither of them had answered whenever or not they were girl friend and boy friend.
I can always ask him again later tonight. She thought to herself as Dray helped her stand, looping one arm around her waist and holding onto her wrist which was around his neck, but she never got that chance.
Madam Pomfrey and both professors Mcgonagall and Snape were waiting for them on the platform, Pomfrey rushed forwards as she saw them.
Shadow was sitting on Snape s shoulder and flew over to Hermione as she saw them, Hermione held out her free arm and Shadow landed on it.
"Hello girl, thank you for flying so fast." Shadow hooted happily and Hermione smiled, "You can stay with me or head up to the Owlery." Shadow hooted again and stayed on her shoulder. Hermione smiled again.
Pomfrey waved her wand and conjured a stretcher before levitating Hermione on to it, Shadow relocated herself to Dray's shoulder who was at Hermione's side. Snape looked at them both curiously.
"Perhaps you would enlighten us with the tale which leads us to these interesting circumstances."
Draco and Hermione both went to answer him, but madam Pomfrey beat him to it.
"You can grill them later Severus, but I need to get Miss Granger to the Hospital Wing, now if you would be so kind as to let us go."
She glared at him and he relented, holding out an arm to stop Draco when he moved to follow, "Mister Malfoy a word." He put his hand on Draco's shoulder, or rather tried to as Shadow pecked at his hand sharply forcing him to take it away.
"Perhaps later sir, I need to follow Hermione." Draco returned coldly.
"Mister Malfoy watch your tone!" Snape spat at him, Draco glared back.
"Sorry sir." He replied, voice dripping with sarcasm, "but I will be following Hermione to the hospital wing and if you want to find out what has happened this summer I suggest you follow."
"Are you threatening me boy?" Snape replied.
"Children!" Mcgonagall stepped him, Draco fought not to jump, he had forgotten she was there, "I'm sure you can continue this delightful conversation inside, as it is rather chilly out here, and I believe that Mr Malfoy would like to know how Hermione is doing." She looked at him and he smiled his thanks to her.
Together Draco and Mcgonagall turned and moved up to the castle, leaving Snape to follow them.
Hermione looked up as she heard the voice of her head of house and Draco.
"She is a beautiful owl." Hermione heard Mcgonagall say.
"Her name is Shadow and I bought her for Hermione"
"That was very admirable." Mcgonagall replied.
Draco and Mcgonagall came round the corner and Draco's face brightened as he saw her, madam Pomfrey was leaning over her leg muttering spells and rubbing in a sickly looking green cream.
"How are you feeling?" he asked her coming to her side, Mcgonagall left the infirmary, Snape was no where to be seen.
"Much better, my leg doesn't sting anymore and the shooting pains have stopped" Hermione looked over his shoulder, Draco followed her gaze and stood up straighter.
"Headmaster." Draco said formally. As Madam Pomfrey disappeared into her office.
"Hello again professor, have we missed the feast?" Hermione greeted him, with much less formality.
Dumbledore smiled at the couple, as unlikely as they were, he was glad. "Hello my dear, only the opening speech, I just wanted to pop in and see how you were doing, and I hope you don't mind, but could you give this old man a good night story"
Dumbledore conjured up a couple of comfy chairs and sat in one, pointedly looking at the chair and Draco, slowly the blonde sat.
Hermione smiled at him, "Well it all started a week ago when I was out running…"
Draco listened to Hermione's story of the past week, she mentioned Nate, though her tale made it sound like she went out running at night on purpose. Dumbledore smiled and nodded the whole way through. Draco committed her version to memory in case they were asked about it again. Hermione made no mention of the incident at the Gloc, nor her home life.
"I haven't heard from Harry or Ron all holiday though, which was a bit odd." She looked at the headmaster accusingly.
"They are away on a trip with some of their old crowd, but they've been delayed they will return as soon as they can though." He replied, not missing a beat.
Draco was confused by that sentence, both by the cryptic answer and the fact that he saw them in Diagon Alley, but a glance at Hermione showed that she had understood the message.
Harry and Ron were doing something somewhere with the Order.
Dumbledore and Hermione continued to talk about things one would normally talk about with a loving uncle, and slowly it dawned on Draco that that was exactly what Dumbledore was to Hermione, and they had clearly spoken before in the past. He tried to suppress the sudden flare of jealousy that he had for the Golden Trio.
He looked up as he felt someone touch his hand, Hermione was looking at him, concern in her eyes. He glanced around Dumbledore had left and Pomfrey was at the other end of the room.
"Yeah, I'm fine, sorry I got lost in my thoughts." Hermione smiled at him.
"When Madam Pomfrey clears me we can go to the rooms, Dumbledore told me where they are."
He glanced down at his hand and saw that Hermione still rested her hand on top of his. He smiled at her and began to sing softly,
"An angel face smiles
to me Needed elsewhere Not relieved by thoughts of
Shangri-La
Under a headline of tragedy
That smile used to give me
warmth
Farewell - no words to say
beside the cross on your
grave
and those forever burning candles
to
remind us of the shortness of our time
Tears laid for them
Tears
of love, tears of fear
Bury my dreams, dig up my sorrows
Oh,
Lord why
the angels fall first
Nor enlightened by lessons of Christ
I'll never
understand the meaning of the right
Ignorance lead me into the
light
Needed
elsewhere
to remind us of the shortness of our time
Tears laid
for them
Tears of love, tears of fear
Bury my dreams, dig up my
sorrows
Oh, Lord why
the angels fall first
Sing me a song Yesterday we shook
hands
of
your beauty
of your kingdom
Let the melodies of your
harps
caress those whom we still need
My friend
Today a moonbeam lightens my path
My
guardian
He smiled as Hermione closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Quietly madam Pomfrey came back over and smiled at the sleeping figure, she motioned Draco to follow her.
"She will be fine in the morning, she just needs a good nights sleep." Pomfrey suddenly looked unsure, "I did a scan of her body." She began, and Draco closed his eyes, calming his breaths.
"What did you find?"
"She has server trauma to some of her organs, but, I don't know if I should be telling you this mr malfoy."
"Please, I know its hard to accept but I care for her, please tell me what you found."
Pomfrey looked at him and saw the pain reflected in his silver eyes, she sighed and began to recite her list.
"She has deep scars on her arms, back, legs and chest, though I do not know how bad they are without looking, the charm only tells me what is hurt and the long term damage it could cause. The skin around her vagina has been badly ripped, she, she" Pomfrey stopped to calm her self, Draco rested a hand on her shoulder. "She was raped."
Draco froze, it was confirmed, and he knew who by. Anger lashed through him like a snake, he wanted to find him and hurt him, to torture him to within an inch of his life and then continue on, repaying the pain he had caused Hermione.
"Mr Malfoy? Draco!" Draco snapped out of his inner thoughts and smiled apologetically at the nurse.
"Do you want me to continue?"
He looked at her in horror, "There's more!"
Pomfrey nodded, "that's the worst of it but yes, there is more." Slowly Draco nodded, "She was beaten as well and burned, some of her skin is going to need a potion to help it heal again, she has a three fractured ribs but that's all. She needs the treatment though."
Draco nodded, taking it all in. he took a deep breath, "Let me talk to her, but I can't promise you anything" Pomfrey nodded, impressed at the way he was handling the situation.
"Come, you're sleeping here tonight." She led him over to a bed next to Hermione and gave him some pyjama's before disappearing back into her office. Draco got changed and climbed into the bed, whispering a good night to Hermione before he too fell asleep.
The next morning Madam Pomfrey woke the pair and they got dressed quickly, before heading down to the great hall for breakfast, as they walked out of the Infirmary Draco signalled to the nurse to give him one day. She nodded her head sadly and let them leave.
They walked into the great hall together and Dumbledore stood up. "Ah the head boy and girl, would you join me for breakfast? There are a few plans I would like to discuss with you." The two teens nodded and made their way up to the staff table, where Dumbledore had conjured two more chairs on his right.
"Thanks sir" Hermione mumbled taking the seat next to the headmaster, Draco sat next to her.
"Now Miss Granger, you and Mr Malfoy will be in charge of …"
Draco zoned him out and began to look around the hall, most of the students were chatting to their friends happily, and a few were looking up at the table with curious eyes. He looked over to the Gryffindor table.
"Professor?" he said to Dumbledore, "I thought you said that Potter and Weasley weren't here." Dumbledore smiled at him.
"Yes I did didn't I? Well if you would like to follow me to my office, I find it difficult to think in here." He smiled at them and the three left the great hall together.
"Tea? Lemon drop?" both teenagers said no to the offer.
"Headmaster, yesterday you said Potter and Weasley weren't here, but they were sitting at the Gryffindor table." Draco said, he had his arms folded over his chest and looked like he was trying not to scowl.
Dumbledore looked at Hermione she nodded, Dumbledore sighed and Fawkes flew to his shoulder, cooed once then flew over to Draco and sat on his lap. Hermione giggled at the stunned look on Dray's face. The blonde looked at her, she was smiling, before moving his gaze over to the Headmaster. He was smiling too.
"Mr Malfoy, I think it's time I told you about something called the Order of the Phoenix…"
Song:
Angel's fall first by Nightwish