To all my wonderful readers, this is a pretty short chapter to what you are used to getting from me (especially after the recent EPIC chapter!) but I have been pretty poorly and in hospital recently which meant I had to cut the writing out for a few days. Of course I needed to get back to it asap but because of this I apologise for the short chapter, it is mainly a filler and therefore was a bit harder to get my muse going with everything else going on but I do have soooo much coming up in the next few chapters so keep your eyes peeled. There will be a massive reveal soon!
Ron was back in classes by the Thursday morning, apparently he had tried to get out of more lessons but Professor McGonagall had threatened to call Mrs Weasley to come up and instantly he was much better.
Classes resumed as usual, the latest castle gossip still revolving around Ron though now he was out of the woods Hermione didn't seem to mind. Ron had apologised to her on the Wednesday evening about his behaviour towards her over the past few weeks and the pair hugged and put it behind them, much to Lavender's displeasure who's feeling towards Hermione seemed to be becoming more obvious for all to see though nobody could quite understand what Hermione had actually done. There was a small rumour that maybe Ron was her mystery man since it somehow got spread through the entire school that he had been mumbling her name whilst he was unconscious, something that Draco seemed victorious over and yet still angry at the same time. They had been studying in the library when he brought it up, probably doing it in public so she couldn't hex him for it.
"So, I hear Weasley had some interesting things to say in the hospital wing." Draco had said conversationally.
Unfortunately for Theo he was also stuck revising with the pair of them and knowing where the conversation was going he just groaned and rolled his eyes at his best friend whilst trying to pretend he couldn't hear them.
"That really depends on your definition of interesting, doesn't it?" She asked sweetly.
"I would say another man unconsciously saying my girlfriends name when he's asleep is interesting wouldn't you? Especially when his own girlfriend was present at the time. I hear Potter found it quite amusing."
"To be fair to Potter, I would have laughed at that too." Theo added with a laugh.
"Shut up Theo!" Draco hissed at his friend.
"Interesting is hardly a word I would use. We have been friends for six years after all, it's hardly a declaration of love." Hermione scoffed while Theo continued to laugh.
"No because he just happened to say your name without it meaning anything at all. Seriously Hermione, when are you going to see it for yourself?"
"There's nothing to see Draco!" She snapped back.
"Okay let's see how you would feel about it this way, the tables are turned and it's Pansy in the bed and she unconsciously say's my name whilst her boyfriend and me are both stood there. Tell me, how would you feel?"
"I umm...-"
"Well I would be there playing Potters part and laughing at the hilarity of the situation." Theo butted in.
"Who's side are you even on here Theo?" Draco asked his friend.
"Oh, we're taking sides now? Well since you asked, she is prettier and nicer than you and she is my Runes partner, I'd be stupid to mess with a witch who holds the answers to my grades so I'll have to pick her mate. Sorry." He joked.
"Some bloody friend you are." Draco muttered under his breath.
"I guess you're right, I would feel a bit upset by it but we can't control what others say or do. If he feels something for me that's more than friendship-" Hermione began.
"There's no if about that." Theo interrupted.
"I thought we already established you were on my side?"
"Just pointing out the obvious."
"Well like I was saying" she carried on as she glared across the table at Theo. "Whatever he feels that's his issue, he has a girlfriend, I'm with you and I'm happy." She said before stopping to pause and adding "Most of the time. It doesn't matter what he feels because I don't feel the same way so can we stop it now because I'd really rather be doing something more productive than this." Hermione huffed as she folded her arms across her chest and glared at her boyfriend.
"Merlin woman, I love it when you're angry. Do you know how sexy you look right now?" Draco asked, his trademark smirk growing wider.
"I do not!"
"Urgh! Can the pair of you stop it? Need I remind you where we are?" Theo asked.
"No one will see us Theo no one ever comes around this corner plus Hermione always puts up charms so we can't be seen or heard."
"Fan-fucking-tastic. Now I'm stuck here with you two going on like an old married couple and nobody will even be able to save me." He moaned.
Draco laughed at his friend before letting Hermione and him get back to their Runes assignment whilst he got on with some of his own work and for the next few hours the three of them sat comfortable in each other's company before the library closed as curfew loomed closer. As usual Hermione went back to her dorm room though still seemed to be a little angry whilst Draco made his way to the room of Hidden Things.
Draco had been in the room of Hidden Things for a few hours working on the cabinet before he gave up due to frustration and exhaustion, he would normally have had the room transform back into his and Hermione's room but he couldn't bare to sleep in there without her that night so decided he would head back to his dorm to try and sleep in his own bed for what was the first time in months. He hadn't even been able to take a step out of the door before he noticed the black eyes of Severus Snape staring up at him. It was evident his godfather had been waiting outside the room for him though Draco did wonder why since he didn't usually leave the room until the next morning which he was sure his head of house knew.
"You know, prefects are supposed to set an example to the other students Mr Malfoy. Tell me, how many times have you slept in your own bed since you came back from the holidays?" The professor drawled.
"What's the point asking questions you already know the answer to? Yes I've got detention, just tell me where to be and when." Draco replied trying to sound his cocky usual self but failing massively.
"No Miss Granger tonight I see?"
"Something else you already knew the answer to I imagine."
"I'll admit I am surprised she's still around after that unfortunate business with Mr Weasley but then she is a Gryffindor I suppose."
"Leave her out of this!" Draco hissed.
"She's smart though, as much as I detest the girl I can admit that much. I highly doubt she hasn't figured out who inadvertently nearly killed her little ginger pet." Snape carried on. "So I've come to the conclusion she must see something in you that others don't. Something good." He drawled.
"Yeah well let her see what she wants to see." Draco replied, trying his hardest to save face and keep up appearances to his fellow Death Eater.
"You give me little credit Draco, I'm your godfather am I not? I know you better than you know yourself and I might just happen to agree with your little pet lion."
"She's not my fucking pet!" Draco spat back.
"Oh? What is she then Draco? Surely you haven't fallen in love with a mudblood? You, the son of Lucius Malfoy, in love with a Gryffindor is enough to put him in St Mungo's. Add in that she's a mudblood too and well, you might as well start planning his funeral now."
"I don't give a fuck what that cunt thinks of her. He's hardly a saint himself is he? Can rot in hell for all I care. Actually, maybe I'll just pop over to the manor myself and tell him all about Hermione and just hope the bastard dies in shock, tell him in detail how I 'sullied' the Malfoy name with her." Draco said bitterly.
"I can't deny your plan isn't brilliant but in the highly likely event that it doesn't work what happened then? You would be putting both of your lives at risk and whilst I care little for the little witch you are my godson and I made an unbreakable vow to protect you."
"You did what?! Why would you do that?" Draco spluttered.
"Narcissa is very persuasive. It seems she doesn't fully trust her husbands loyalties to his master and is willing to do, or rather, have me do, anything to stop her son from becoming like his father. I just happen to agree with her."
"So the mission?"
"You're going to let me help you."
"You can't. He will kill me."
"And it will, quite literally, kill me if you don't let me help Draco. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Now go to your room and get some sleep before classes start again. If your mother saw how awful you looked right now I'm sure we would both be suffering. I'll see you in my office on Monday night we have many things to discuss" he said before looking at a spot over Draco's shoulder near a suit of armour that he could have sworn moved. "And here is not the place. Goodnight." He said before he turned on his heels and headed back towards his quarters leaving Draco to mull over his words on his way back to his dorm.
Draco was back in his dorm ten minutes later where dropped onto the bed and fell asleep instantly without even bothering to change into more comfortable clothes. It didn't take long for the nightmares to return just as they did any time he tried to sleep without Hermione lay next to him making him feel safe. It couldn't have been more than an hour that had passed before Theo was stood over his shaking, sweating body and shouting his name repeatedly to wake him up. Evidently he had been too tired to even bother with a silencing charm. Eventually he managed to break out of the hell that was plaguing his mind and before he could say or do anything Theo passed over a bottle of Firewhiskey to numb the pain before they both went back to sleep or, as was more accurate, pretending to sleep.
oOoOoOo
Harry had been sat in his usual corner with Ron doing homework for once when Hermione came through the portrait hole and approached them before collapsing into a seat next to her two best friends. By now there was some unwritten rule about her proving she was still alive and had everything intact after spending the night in the library with Draco. Of course Harry knew better but he still always seemed to be relieved at her presence. Ron however had no idea and would often try to stir the situation more. This time he really shouldn't have done so since Hermione was already on edge after everything that had been going on since Christmas and to top it off the common room was now resembling a a joke shop since Fred and George were having so much luck with their products. She was happy for them both of course but it just made things so much harder when she was supposed to be a prefect and so she was constantly confiscating any Weasley products she laid her eyes on.
Hermione was just sat in the chair, eyes closed trying to relax and ignore Ron's rambling which she knew was about Draco but really wasn't in the mood to fight over (again) when she opened her eyes and saw that Harry was reading from the Half Blood Prince's book again and she finally let out all her bottled anger at the pair of them sufficiently. They'd had the same conversation many times before of course but he never listened, not even when she brought up the diary Ginny had been sucked in to. He was enjoying cheating in class too much to give it up and she accused him of preferring to cheat at class rather than keeping his and everyone else's safety in mind. Of course, reckless as Harry was he didn't listen to anything she had to say and when Hermione stormed off to her room once again he made no attempts to apologise or to stop her. That night Harry found himself watching the Marauder's map as he did every other night and upon looking in the dungeons for Draco he wasn't surprised to find him not there since it had been so long since he had been back there at night. He was however, surprised to see that a dot indicating Severus Snape was standing outside the Room of Requirement twenty minutes later and without thinking, he threw his shoes and invisibility cloak on and went to spy on the pair hoping to get some answers.
When Harry finally turned into the corridor and positioned himself at the side of a suit of armour he realised the Professor and his fellow student had been talking a while already and he had missed a portion of the conversation. What he did hear however only solidified in his mind that he was right. The words mission, kill and unbreakable vow were running through his mind still when he got back to his bed that night. He was sure Snape had an idea he was there in the hallway as his eyes looked right at the spot he was stood in but he still heard enough to believe he had been right. Of course he had to tell Ron the next day, Hermione still wouldn't talk to him and since he now knew he was right about Draco Malfoy he wasn't about to apologise over a simple book so he kept his distance from his best friend for the next few weeks all whilst keeping an eye on her Death Eater boyfriend and making sure she still came back to her dorm each night unhurt and unhappy. It was after a couple of weeks had passed with no signs of Hermione changing her mind that he decided the best cause of action would be to prove to her that he was right.