Hermione woke before Draco. She woke happy because for a moment she forgot they were in a hospital bed and she snuggled closer to him.

It was then she felt how cold he was. Oh my god. He nearly died last night.

She fought that treacherous sob that was threatening to bubble up tooth and nail. She wouldn't dare wake him. He needed to sleep so he could heal. And he had so much healing to do. She stealthily shifted out of the bed, but very nearly tripped on the fabric which was precariously draped over her body. Someone must have seen her and covered her up. Who would do that? Merlin bless them, whoever they were.

She pulled the covers over Draco to keep him warm and lightly pushed his fringe out of his eyes. With one final smile at her sleeping boyfriend, she turned to leave the Infirmary.

When she arrived back in the Common Room she found it empty. It was early and everyone else was probably still asleep. As she tip-toed up the stairs to her dorm, she was stopped by a rough, male cough.

Harry.

He was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace with the Marauder's Map in his lap. Hermione was too angry at him to engage. She knew he must have seen her with Draco. She didn't care anymore.

"You were in the Infirmary."

She nodded, her expression blank.

"You were with Malfoy."

She shrugged.

"Why?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you." She turned to go, but he jumped up and stopped her, his hand on her elbow. Hermione's eyes widened, she looked ready to kill as she shoved him away from her.

"You want to do this now?" she demanded.

"I think we should."

"You got it." She cast a Muffliato so they couldn't be heard. She would probably yell at him.

"You were with Malfoy," Harry repeated.

"You nearlykilled him."

"And I amsincerely sorry for that. If he is ever able to be in the same room as me without wanting to Avada me on the spot, I will tell him so myself." Harry spoke slowly, needing to convey his sincerity. "I had no idea what that spell would do."

"Am I an idiot, Harry?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"Am. I. A. Fucking. Idiot?" She spoke low and dangerous.

Harry shook his head. "No."

"And have you ever known me to pity idiocy or make allowances for it?"

He sighed. "No."

"Then it should come as no surprise to you that your ignorance is no excuse to me. I can't even…it's beyond thick to use a spell not knowing what it will do!"

"I'm not denying that! I know it was stupid. It just…sort of…came out. If I could take it back, I would. I really, really would. Look…Hermione, I can'tstand Malfoy. At all. And I have irrefutable proof that he's a Death Eater." Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed, but Harry wouldn't be interrupted. "But…I never wanted to kill him. What I can't wrap my head around is why you care so much."

"Let's chalk it up as sympathy for my fellow man."

"That doesn't explain why you spent the whole afternoon crying yesterday." Harry narrowed his eyes. "What were you doing in the Infirmary? You were there all night."

Hermione looked like a lioness ready to spring. "That map of yours-it's sick. You will not use that thing to spy on me. I won't have it, Harry."

"You're evading the question."

"I thought I made it clear that I don't owe you an explanation."

"There's something going on with you two isn't there?"

Hermione didn't care anymore. Let him know. Let him feel the gravity that he nearly killed her boyfriend. "You know what? Yeah, Harry. He and I are together. We have been for a while."

Harry wanted to scream. He suspected maybe the two were friends, but to hear that they were together? "Are you out of your damn mind, Hermione? Think about what he is!"

"I've hadenough of your absurd accusations. I'll have you know that we've beenshagging since February and I have never seen a Dark Mark on his arm."

Harry nearly gagged at the thought. "So that's why you're never around anymore? You've been hopping on Death Eater dick?"

Hermione could have throttled him. "He's not a Death Eater for the thousandth fucking time!"

"He must have glamoured it then because I saw it! In the bathroom! Just before…before—"

Hermione shoved him as she finished the thought for him. "Before you nearly killed my boyfriend!"

"I didn't know he was your boyfriend Hermione! But I'm not sure it would have made a difference. I know what I saw. And for your information, he tried to cast an Unforgiveable at me! Why don't you ask him about that the next time the two of you are holed up in some dusty old broom closet."

Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "How dare you?"

"I'm sorry, Hermione, but this isn't you! You are sleeping with Malfoy. Malfoy! He's treated you like dirt for years and now all of a sudden you're jumping intobed with him?"

"You don't know him, Harry. He's different now, he's—"

"A Death Eater! How could you keep something like this from me? From Ron?"

"Because of this! Because of the way you're reacting now! Because his father wouldliterally kill him if he knew he sullied himself with a Mudblood! What we're doing is risky. For both of us."

"It's bloodystupid is what it is! You both are out of your fucking minds."

Hermione could have laughed. "You think you're in any position to tell me how stupid I am? I have bailed you out for years, Harry!I am the reason you haven't died ten times over by now! You think you have the right to judgeme? By all means, Harry continue with your fucking mansplaining. ButI'm not the idiot here. I know Draco has a less-than-perfect record with me. But so do you. Draco at leastacknowledges that he's not perfect. And herespects me, Harry. He cares about me."

Harry was taken aback. "Hermione…I don't…", he sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm not…I know I don't always listen to you—"

Hermione snorted "Always? Let me fucking think, Harry." She counted fingers, "The procrastination during the second task for the Triwizard Tournament, the Occlumency lessons with Snape, the fucking memory from Slughorn that you still haven't fucking gotten!"

"I know, Hermione."

"Oh no, I could go on."

"I'm sorry, Hermione! Alright? I get it. I don't give you the deference you deserve. But this isn't about that. Hermione... I'm fucking worried about you."

Hermione softened slightly. "I know. I know you are. But there's nothing you can say that I haven't said to myself over and over again. Believe me I have alibrary of reasons why Draco and I shouldn't be together. But…none of them matter. Not really."

Harry sighed deeply. "It's serious, isn't it?"

Hermione nodded. "I…I love him. And I think he loves me too."

Harry shook his head and rubbed his face, staring at the ground. "Oh this is just fucking great. You love him. That's just fucking…I can't believe this is happening." He looked up at her with a serious look on his face. "I know you think you love him, but what if I was right, Hermione? What if he was a Death Eater?"

Hermione wet her lips. She had thought about this before. Not necessarily the Death Eater part, but she knew there was something he was keeping from her. And she knew it was killing him. "I'd know it wasn't by choice. Harry…he's notlike us. We're the lucky ones. We were born on the right side of the war. His choices…they've already been made for him. But he doesn't want that life. I know it."

Harry might have found it laughable that Draco Malfoy, wealthy, aristocratic, privileged beyond measure, was born unlucky. But she had a point, loathe as he was to admit it.

Harry abhorred Malfoy with every fiber of his being. The thought of that spoiled git putting his hands on his best friend, who he loved like a sister, made him physically ill. But he knew Hermione. He knew she was stubborn and that she didn't make decisions lightly. "Alright Hermione. I'm not saying I approve of this…union. I still think it's wrong and sick and beyond disgusting. But I understand it's difficult for you, and I won't make it any worse. And…you can count on my…discretion."

She looked at the floor and nodded her head.

"Forgive me?"

Hermione sighed. "Harry, I'm livid at you. Right now just…I need some space."

Space? That's something girls say when they're breaking up with you but they're too nice to really do it. Hermione wasn't that nice. And she wasn't his girlfriend. "What does 'space' mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "It means that you nearly killed my boyfriend and I'm more than a little put out about it. I'm not finished being angry at you. So you need to let me be angry at you for a little while, alright?"

Ever the straight forward witch. He could handle that. "Deal."

"And I want you to apologize to Draco."

Harry sighed. "Deal."

She nodded. "I should get ready for breakfast."

Harry stopped her when she turned her back. "Hermione?"

She turned to look at him. "Yeah, Harry."

"Does he make you happy?"

Her face broke out into a bright smile. A true smile. A smile of a young woman in love. "So happy."

Harry nodded. Hermione disappeared up the steps, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.

Malfoy couldn't leave his bed in the infirmary for two weeks. Hermione visited him every night, bringing homework he had missed and news from around the castle.

"Ginny and Harry are together now."

Draco shook his head. "The Weaselette isn't bad people. For a Weasley, that is." Hermione grinned. "Youknow how I feel about Potter."

"I'm still furious with him myself. But he wants to apologize to you."

Draco snorted. "How precious."

"He really does feel terrible. He knows what he did was wrong. You'll hear him out, won't you?"

Draco swallowed and rolled his eyes. "Just to be clear, Iutterly despise him and that's never going to change." He sighed, "But for you, I suppose I'll allow him to apologize. I'm not saying I'll forgive him, but I'm not going to stop him if he wants to grovel."

Hermione beamed. "That's great, Draco. Um…he also…sort ofknows about us."

Draco frowned. "He knows? How?"

"The map. That night I came to you he saw us."

Draco fumed. "When I get out of here I'm going to nick that map, burn it, and hex hisbollocks into his mouth."

Hermione laughed. "He won't tell. He's not exactly thrilled about it, but he won't rat us out." She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something else, but thought better of it. She wanted to bring up the Dark Mark that Harry insisted he saw on his arm. She wanted to ask him if he really tried to use an Unforgiveable against Harry. But now wasn't the time.

Draco looked at her curiously. "Alright then." He had regained his color, and was no longer in constant pain. "Madam Pomfrey said I can get out of here in a few days."

Hermione smiled. "I'm glad." She blushed, smirking slightly "I miss you."

"You come to see me every night." He was teasing her. He knew what she meant. He certainly missed her too. Sweet Merlin did he miss her. And to make matters worse it was virtually impossible to have a discreet wank in the infirmary. So just go ahead and add "dying of sexual frustration" to the list of maladies on his chart.

She rolled her eyes. "I miss our…special time."

"Special time?" He crossed his arms in amusement. "Is that what the kids are calling it?"

"Shut it, you." She lightly smacked him on the arm.

"Hey! Invalid here, you daft harpy." He rubbed his arm in faux incredulity.

They missed Madam Pomfrey's amused glances as they laughed together. She said nothing and gave them their space. She and Miss Granger had an unspoken agreement that if she saw her coming or going from the Infirmary, she would promptly turn her head as though she had seen nothing. She only hoped this was the worst thing the couple would have to endure. But it pained her to think that it would probably get much worse sooner rather than later, not just for the lovers, but for them all.