Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or the world in which I'm writing them.

The last thing Draco remembered was Granger's face, exuding worry, rushing toward him amid a haze of spells. But now everything was dark. He thrashed around to get a feel for his surroundings. His fingers grasped desperately, trying to find his wand.

"Malfoy." Granger's soothing voice rose out of the dark and he felt a gentle pressure at his wrist. "Draco, wake up. Can you hear me? Everything's alright, you're safe. We're safe."

Draco lifted his lids after a struggle, taking in the view. The now all-too-familiar hospital wing and Granger's still worried face, just as he remembered. Potter, back in his own face, was next to her. Surprisingly, he looked a bit concerned as well.

"Are you very hurt?" Granger asked.

Draco did a quick mental check around his body. His head was booming, his knees felt bruised, and there was a bandage wrapped around his chest, sticky with clotted blood. He considered for a moment, unable to decide if he want to play it up for Granger's sympathy or man up in front of Potter. The truth was somewhere in the middle so he gave a noncommittal grunt and changed the subject.

"What happened?"

"I should ask you," Granger said, her tone taking a grave turn. "Polyjuice? What were you thinking?"

Draco attempted a shrug but the pain stopped him halfway. "One of us had to face the death eaters," he said back through gritted teeth. "Does it make that much of a difference that it was me?"

"Yes!" Granger exclaimed. She blinked, seemingly shocked by her own outburst, and looked sheepishly in Potter's direction. "I just mean, because of your condition. The spell has you at a disadvantage. And I..." She faltered. She was saved from having to finish that sentence. The door to the hospital wing slammed open and then they were joined by Weasley.

"Hermione! Harry!" His words slowed when he saw Draco in the bed and Granger and Potter sitting by his side. "I heard you two were here and I thought..." Weasley's eyes landed on Granger's right hand which was resting on Draco's wrist. Her Christmas ring was a deep scarlet, matching the scrapes on her skin. Weasley's cheeks flared to follow suit.

"Ron, how did you get here?" Granger asked, shifting uncomfortably.

Weasley held up something small and shiny like a coin. Draco waited for further explanation but Weasley didn't seem bothered to provide more. A glance at Granger and Potter told him that they understood something he didn't.

Potter smiled wide. "You followed them in?"

Weasley nodded. "They had a good head start, though. By the time I got here, all the professors were barricaded in their rooms. I went to get them out first, or I would have gotten to you sooner."

"That was you?" Granger was looking at Weasley with a grateful warmth. "The professors got to us just in time for me to drag Malfoy out of there." Draco's chest tightened. He winced and grabbed at his bandage, drawing Granger's attention back to him.

Weasley cleared his throat. "What about you lot? Ginny told me you made a switch?"

"Malfoy and I polyjuiced into each other. He insisted," Potter said. His expression was melancholy, lost in a memory. "Never my first choice, you know, but it worked brilliantly."

"Why, because they trusted him?" Weasley said, his tone edging into a growl. Draco snarled back. He would have given the redhead a piece of his mind, but Potter jumped in quickly.

"No. It's because they didn't."

Weasley raised an eyebrow in challenge and looked at each of them in turn. When no one said anything else, he came around to Granger and took her free hand. He swallowed with difficulty.

"You're still a slimy git, Malfoy."

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded.

Draco's staccato laugh came out before he could smother it. "Maybe. And you're still a troll-brained tosser." Granger shot him another furious look, but they were interrupted again. Madam Pomfrey rounded the curtain with her own stern face.

"The headmistress requested you in her office, Mr. Malfoy. Please shoo your guests so I can check that you're well enough to oblige."

Granger stood and and gave him a wave, but Draco was focused on her other hand, still entangled with Weasley's. "I'll be in the Room of Requirement when McGonagall is finished with you."

Pomfrey bustled over and checked his eyes by wand light. "How are you feeling, any pain?"

"No," he lied. He didn't want to be fussed over by the nurse. But as she checked his bandage, he realized that it wasn't actually a lie. Sure, he felt his battle wounds, but Granger was gone and his curse pains hadn't returned! Was he just imagining it because the other pain was greater? He racked his brain, trying to remember the moment when she broke off skin contact, but he couldn't pinpoint it. He looked at the back of his own hand, where Granger had been injured and for the first time, realized he hadn't felt her pain. And her emotions! He had only read them in her expression and tone, he hadn't felt those either.

Am I cured?

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Once outside the hospital wing, Ron stopped Hermione, letting Harry go ahead. Ron took her other hand so he was holding both in his.

"You're okay?" His eyes were wide and sweet.

"Yes, Ron. I'm okay."

With the confirmation, his demeanor flipped. "I can't believe that wanker. Putting you in danger like that."

Hermione sighed. She took a moment before replying, trying to think of a way to word the truth without revealing her past lie. "I was already in danger, we all were. You can't hold that against him. And he helped us get out of it." She decided to press her luck a little more. "You have to admit, he's a better person now."

"Yeah, that's kind of the problem, 'Mione." Ron said back.

Hermione took a step backwards, dropping Ron's hands. "What does that even mean?"

He turned away, putting more distance between them. When he turned back, he answered her question with one of his own. "Can you honestly say that you missed the way he looked at you?"

"You think..." She blinked in shock. "Is that what this is about? Here I thought you were just garden variety annoyed because it's him, but you're actually jealous?"

"I'm not the jealous one, Hermione. He is." The accusation hung in the air between them and the silence stretched. Ron stood still, waiting.

"I didn't ask for this, you know," she whispered. "The binding spell. Any of it." She left the end purposefully vague, but she could tell Ron understood.

He let out a slow huff. "I know," he said, more softly, but his mouth is still turned down. He wanted to say more, she could tell by the conflicted expression he wore, but the words didnt come. He reached for her again and pulled her close. She felt him plant a kiss against her temple, then he was gone.

A/N: Hi friends! Apologies for this one being short, but I figured a short chapter was better than letting the cliffhanger... hang any longer. Hope you liked it! I'm highly motivated to finish this story soon because I signed up to write a fest piece starting in June :)