A/N- So much awesome feedback from the last chapter and it wasn't even that exciting! You guys are the freaking bomb! Life is still kicking my ass, but I'm determined to make time for writing. To everyone reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing my story, I thank you a million times over. Enough of that mushy shit now, time to get on with it!

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing when it comes to this story. Maybe my own personal twist, but nothing else.

Chapter 25

January 18, 1999

Draco was simply waiting for his girlfriend to explode. She had received nothing but smart or snarky comments from not only the Slytherins, but from every House in regards to Lucius and Theodore being freed. Everyone was attributing their release to her "pulling her weight" and using her fame. This thoroughly pissed Draco off. Anyone who truly knew Hermione would know that she would never stand for that kind of behavior.

They were seated at the Gryffindor table, eating their breakfast quietly. Hermione was eating her usual porridge and fruit while reviewing the reading they were to have completed for Ancient Runes. Theo and Ginny were side by side and seemed to be lost in their own private conversation, while Neville and Luna had just left minutes before for a shared free period. Draco sat there next to Hermione and simply took in his surroundings.

He waited patiently for her to pretend to finish her breakfast. They had Ancient Runes first followed by Potions this afternoon. He knew that all her assignments were complete, but she had stayed up until past midnight the night before "working on homework". She had been quiet for days and he was just waiting for the breakdown that he suspected was on the horizon. Draco was just unsure if she was avoiding sleeping with him or just sleep in general. His random thoughts were cut short when Hermione finally shoved her plate away from her and wiped her mouth.

"I can't make myself eat anymore. Let's just go to Runes so we can make sure that we get good seats." Draco stood with her and waved a good bye to their friends, Theo's eyes questioning him about their abrupt departure. Draco gave the smallest of shrugs and wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist. His mind was set at ease when she wrapped her arm around him and leaned into his side. She wasn't avoiding him, just the issues she was dealing with.

Hermione was silent the whole way to Ancient Runes and Draco didn't push her to speak. He kept a hand on her at all times so she would know that he was there for her if she needed him. Just outside of the classroom, she pulled up short and laid a hand on his chest. Her eyes were downcast and her voice a little sad.

"I'm sorry, Drake, for how I've been acting lately. You've been amazing, not pressuring me to talk and not making me feel bad for being a little withdrawn. I just want you to know that I appreciate it and I don't want you to think that you're the cause."

He drew her into his chest and wrapped his arms completely around her before he lowered his mouth to hers. His tongue traced the seam of her lips and she whimpered softly as she opened herself to his ministrations. Draco stroked her tongue with his, tasting every inch of her mouth with passion, as he buried his hand in the hair at the nape of her neck. After just a few moments, however, he gentled the kiss before pulling away completely. He gave a gentle tug on her hair so she would meet his eyes.

"You take as much time as you need to deal with this. Just remember that Theo and I are here if you need us." She reached up and ran her thumb over his bottom lip before she smiled at him.

"Not fair distracting me with kisses." He pressed a kiss to the pad of her thumb before he chuckled. He was dragging her into the classroom when he spoke.

"When dealing with a Slytherin, you should always expect them to play dirty to get what they want." She swatted his arm playfully as she took her seat at the front of the room.

Draco took his seat next to her and they waited patiently for the rest of the class to show up. The pair didn't have to wait long, Theo joining them minutes after they had taken their seats followed by most everyone else. When Professor Babbling made an appearance, the class as a whole was seated and waiting somewhat impatiently for their lecture to begin.

The three hours went by quickly, Draco working out the translations fairly easily. Runes had always been a somewhat easy class for him, but not his favorite. Potions would always bear that title. When the professor dismissed them, Draco, Theo and Hermione all had their translations complete with only their assigned reading to do for homework.

The two Slytherins left the classroom with the Gryffindor sandwiched between them. Draco could see that she was happy in this moment and he reveled in it. He hated seeing her upset or miserable. He wanted a smile on her face always. Theo was leading them towards the Great Hall for lunch so it was no surprise when Hermione reached out and grasped his elbow.

"I want to run to the library and get that book that Professor Babbling was telling us we should consult. It would help me understand the concept so much better." Theo rolled his eyes good-naturedly causing her to shove him towards the Hall.

"Oh, just go. I know you want to see Ginny. Draco will come wth me, right Drake?" Draco would admit to himself, but never to her, that the library was the last place he wanted to be right now. However, he recalled his promise to Theodore about keeping her safe so he smiled at her and nodded.

"Sure, Princess. But let's hurry so we don't miss lunch. I'm starved and you still need to gain some weight." She stuck her tongue out at him but allowed him to pull her in the direction of the library.

The library was actually more crowded than he had originally assumed that it would be since it was officially lunch time. He contemplated the idea that just came to him for a short moment before deciding that he didn't think anything terrible would happen to her in a crowded library. He bent and kissed the top of her head before he spoke.

"You go grab your Runes book and I'm going to go get one of the supplemental books for Potions. Maybe, if you're a good girl, I'll read it aloud to you tonight." She gave him a real smile as she pressed herself against him so he could feel every soft curve of her body. She leaned up and caught his bottom lip in her teeth so she could nibble at it softly. When she pulled away, a mischievous look crossed her features.

"You mean if you're good." She didn't say anything else, just flashed him another grin and took off towards the Runes section.

Draco watched her hips sway in her skirt as she left and he groaned softly as he tried to think unsexy thoughts. Snape and McGonagall boning against the wall of the Potions classroom, Voldemort and Umbridge skinny dipping in the Black Lake. Neither of these scenes could rid him of the hard on he was now sporting because of Hermione. It was in this moment that he decided that he was going to eat her again tonight and let her try blowing him. The last time he had ate her, she had offered to reciprocate but he had turned it down.

*Flashback*

Draco leaned down and left a trail of kisses from Hermione's jaw to her breasts. She was completely naked on his bed at Nott Manor and she was achingly beautiful as she lay there, spread out for him to admire, for him to worship.

Her back arched when he took one of her rosy tips in his mouth, her hands coming to the back of his head to hold him close. Draco loved how responsive she was, how she never tried to hide how he made her feel. He scraped his teeth along the length of her elongated nipple before switching to the other side. She raised her hips from the bed to grind on him, looking for friction of any sort to relieve the buildup he was giving her.

When she couldn't seem to handle anymore, he released her nipple to start kissing his way down her belly. It was flat but he couldn't feel the muscle and sinew like he had been able to with other girls. She was all softness and curves, and he loved it. When he reached her pussy, he lowered his face and buried his nose in her heat so he could inhale hard and deep.

Draco had never really enjoyed licking a girl's pussy. The very first time he had done it, he hadn't been able to do it for more than ten seconds because the French girl had tasted so bad. He would freely admit that not all the girls had tasted as bad as his first. It had just never been appealing to him and they had left a bad taste in his mouth. Hermione, however, was sweet and tangy at the same time and he just couldn't get enough. He hadn't been lying when he had said that he would happily eat her pussy ten times a day.

"You smell so fucking good, Princess. I could burrow down into this sweet pussy of yours and live there for the rest of my life." He watched as her breath hitched and she met his gaze with needy eyes. Deciding not to torment her anymore, he buried his face in her quim and let his tongue go to work.

He lapped at her entrance first, wanting a taste of her liquid desire, desire for him. After drinking his fill, he sucked each lip into his mouth so he could nibble on the delicate skin and make her want him even more. Her fingers were twisted in his hair and she was whimpering loudly when he finally let his tongue touch her pleasure pearl. He was fairly certain that he felt hair rip out of his scalp when he sucked on her nub hard enough to make her whole body shudder.

Draco wouldn't relent on the attention he was showing her clit. Rather than relent, he slid two fingers inside her wet pussy and reveled in how fucking tight she was. His fingers found the spongy spot inside her and refused to relent when her hips started bucking up into face.

When her world shattered, he knew exactly when it happened. Her inner muscles clamped down on his fingers and tried to draw them further up into her pussy. Her mouth let loose his name and a string of profanities that he would probably never forget coming out of her mouth. His mouth was flooded with her sweet essence that tasted faintly of vanilla and strawberries.

When she finally wound down to random shivers of pleasure, she turned his way and smiled.

"Let me suck you, baby. You made me feel so good, I want to return the favor." Draco was so tempted to say yes. So fucking tempted. However, he wanted her to have pleasure from him that she didn't have to pay back. He didn't want her to think that's what this was about. When he brought her to an orgasm, it was because he wanted to, not because he wanted her to owe him. He leaned down and kissed her softly.

"No need, Baby. I don't want you to feel like you owe me. I want your mouth on me more than I want to live, but I want it to be on your terms." She was quiet for a few minutes pondering his answer, and he could tell that she was trying to decide if she should be offended. Finally, she nodded and gave him a smile before she kissed him.

"Alright, I understand." She leaned forward and kissed him deeply for only seconds before she leaned down she she could lay in his arms.

Draco held her tight until she fell asleep in his bed and he couldn't help but hope that would happen for the rest of his life.

*End of Flashback*

Draco turned in the opposite direction of Runes so he could head to Potions and tried to ignore the huge hard on he had raging in his pants.

-O-

Hermione knew that she had been mean when she rubbed against Draco in the most inappropriate of ways and then walked off. However, maybe this time he would accept that she wanted to make him feel good too. She didn't like that their pleasure was only one sided.

She made her way to the Runes section, not a section that was very populated. She had started skimming the books with her finger, looking for the one that she needed, when she felt a presence behind her. She turned, expecting Draco, and was sorely disappointed when she saw Adrian Pucey watching her carefully. Her gaze hardened when she saw laughter behind his eyes.

"What can I do for you, Pucey? I don't have much free time." He gave her a winning smile as he came forward to meet her face to face. When they were mere inches away, he gave her a smile that chilled her to the bones.

"You could drop that loser Malfoy and come be my wife. We could accomplish so much together and we could be the leaders of a new era." Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"What in the name of Merlin do you think we could accomlish? We want two very different things in life, Pucey." He grinned and leaned down like he was going to kiss her.

"No, we really don't. I know why your father and Lucius Malfoy were released. I know you're really on our side and you want mudbloods to die as much as we do. Now, we just need to commit to it and make it happen. Can you imagine how proud our parents would be if we could do that?" Hermione didn't even know what to say to his words. Her hands went to her face as if she could rub the harsh words away.

"No, Pucey, that isn't how I feel at all. Muggleborns deserve a chance just like everyone else. Stop putting words in my mouth." As quick as a snitch, Hermione was up against the book shelf, pressed against Pucey's body in the most inappropriate way.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll tell your father you've fallen for me and you want to follow the old ways. If you don't, you'll know my wrath." His hands didn't touch her breasts, but they took in her curves. She was sure that he had felt the scar that transected her chest, the one from Dolohov. When Pucey disappeared suddenly, she sank to the ground and let her head rest in her knees. She sat there for an undetermined amount of time before Draco reappeared. He was instantly at her side, pulling her into his arms. She burrowed into Draco's chest as he pulled her into his embrace.

"Oh, Baby, tell me what's wrong. Tell me why you're upset." Hermione wasn't crying, but she could admit that she was on the verge. When she spoke, it was low and controlled. She refused to lose control.

Hermione explained the whole situation. Slytherin and every other house in Hogwarts wanting her to be miserable and Pucey cornering her with his plans. When Draco stood after holding her, she could feel the anger rolling off of him. She tried to apologize, but it did no good. He stormed off and left her there with her own thoughts.

When he returned almost twenty minutes later, Hermione burst into tears. Draco said nothing but held her, apparently thinking that everything finally caught up with her. When she spoke, however, it was clear that he had been correct.

"I can't take anymore of this. I don't want the muggleborns dead, and I don't want a match where that's all that is expected of me, for me to hate anyone who isn't pureblood." Draco pulled her into his arms and rocked her.

"No, Princess, I know you don't. Don't fret, your father would never try to get you to marry Pucey. He is so proud of who you are, what you've become, and what you've accomplished that it would kill him for you to change now." Hermione sniffed as she wiped her face.

"Where did you go?" Draco helped her stand.

"I went and told the bloody wanker to stay the fuck away from you. You don't need anymore drama or harassment." Hermione nodded quietly before she muttered a quick thanks.

Draco picked up the books she was going to take and began to steer her out of the wound their way through the corridors and Hermione could feel the stares resting on her. She did her best to ignore them but it was unnerving her.

When they reached the Great Hall, Draco led her the end of the Gryffindor table and they took their seats next to Luna and Theo. Hermione watched as Draco leaned into his best friend and whispered in his ear. Theo's eyes instantly hardened before he looked up and locked eyes with Hermione.

"You alright?" She didn't speak, just merely nodded before spooning some shepherds pie onto her plate.

Lunch passed quietly and without incident. Hermione found that she was most certainly grateful that the Gryffindors had decided to keep their mouths shut for the duration of this meal. At the end of lunch, everyone stood and parted ways. Ginny and Luna were headed to Care of Magical Creatures and Hermione, Theo, Draco, and Neville were heading to Potions.

Hermione never wanted to ditch class, but today, she really wanted to. Pansy was horrid to her in this class, the Gryffindor knew it was likely because Professor Slughorn was the teacher and Pansy thought she could get away with murder. The best she could do was hope she wasn't paired with spiteful Slytherin and pray she wasn't anywhere near her workstation. Hermione had her parchment and quill out in front of her, ready to take notes when Professor Slughorn stepped forward and took the lid off a cauldron so he could spoon some of it up for the class to see.

"Can anyone tell me what this particular brew is called and what it does?" Hermione waited a few seconds to make sure that other students who wanted to answer could raise their hands. After three other hands went up, one of which was Draco's, she raised her own hand. Professor Slughorn called on Terry Boot, however.

"It's poly juice potion and when the essence of a person is added to the potion, the drinker will take on the physical characteristics of whom the essence belongs." Professor Slughorn awarded Ravenclaw five points before he continued.

"Is there anyone in this class that has helped brew it before?" Hermione was the only one to raise her hand. Professor Slughorn's eye brows rose to his hairline and gave her a cheery smile.

"Aw, Miss Nott. No doubt you brewed poly juice alongside Professor Snape during Order business, hmm?" Hermione dipped her head in embarrassment. As if Professor Snape would have brewed with her willingly. He may have been the bravest man she'd ever had the pleasure of knowing, but his personality left a lot to desire.

"Actually, I brewed it by myself in second year." A low hum broke out among the students, whispers about who knew what. Professor Slughorn looked impressed.

"Second year? Well, I'm sorry Miss Nott, but this assignment may end up being pretty boring for you then." The portly professor turned to face the class as a whole again.

"It takes a full moon cycle to brew poly juice potion so today we will begin brewing it. I will partner you up since the potion does have some rather expensive ingredients. Please look to the board for your partners." Hermione groaned. Rarely was she with someone who liked her. She didn't even bother to hope for Theo or Draco, she knew it would be a waste of time. However, when she turned to the board, she found her name next to Neville's.

While Hermione was grateful she was paired with someone who wouldn't be a complete prat to her, she was a tiny bit disappointed in the fact that she was with Neville. It was true, he had improved in Potions. Not to the level that Hermione wished though. This meant that she would be doing all the work and he would most likely fetch ingredients and stir. There was no way that she was going to get a bad grade by relying on him to get it right.

Draco had been paired with Terry Boot while Theo was grumbling about being stuck with Parvati Patil. Without any words, the class began to break up and move around so they could sit with their paired partners. Hermione stood and moved a seat behind her so she could sit next to Neville. With a soft grimace, Neville spoke.

"Sorry you're stuck with me, 'Mi. I know I'm terrible." She gave him smile before she leaned against his arm and laid her head on his shoulder for just a moment.

"Nonsense, Nev, you aren't terrible. You just have to gain your confidence in this subject. We're going to work on that during this project." He squeezed her shoulders once, quickly, before releasing her so he could open his book to the page for instructions on brewing poly juice potion. Hermione couldn't help but smile as he began reading the first few steps silently to himself.

While he read, she stood to go gather all the ingredients they would need for the first few steps. It took only a few minutes before she was back in her seat with four ingredients in her arms. She let Neville light the fire under their cauldron while she measured out the knot grass and fluxweed.

She let Neville stir the mixture while she reread the instructions again just to be sure of what she was doing. Professor Slughorn was right, she didn't feel particularly challenged while making this potion. After the mixture had boiled for a few minutes, Hermione decided to go get the fifth ingredient, boomslang skin, before she added the leeches and lace wing flies. They wouldn't need the bicorn powder until much later in the brewing process, but she felt confident enough that she could get the potion to the adding of boomslang.

Since there was no special way that the leeches needed to be added, Hermione instructed Neville to add them while she fetched the boomslang and then to keep stirring. He gave her a wide smile since she was trusting him with something on his own and she made her way for the boomslang.

It didn't take long to gather the correct amount so she was back at their table in just a couple minutes. She laid the boomslang skin out to grind into a powder, much like she had done to the lace wing flies. It was in this moment that she realized something was wrong.

The leeches were still on the table and the lace wing flies were gone.

Without a second thought, she threw her scant weight into Neville, knocking him clear over to Pansy's table where he stumbled and went to the ground. Hermione turned towards the cauldron, lid in her hands, with the intention of putting it on top, when a flash and then a loud explosion rocked the classroom.

The Gryffindor threw herself to the ground and covered her head. It saved her hair and face, but did nothing for the spots of hot liquid landing over the rest of her body. There was smoke pouring out of the cauldron, making her eyes water along with the pain, making it difficult for her to see. She could hear Theo and Draco calling to her, telling her to yell so they could find her in the haze.

Hermione let out a strangled yell before she realized that the liquid was still burning her. She quickly sat up and did a quick search for her wand. It was laying next to her on the ground so without a second thought, she grabbed it and waved it at the fiery pain on her legs, vanishing the hot liquid. She was doing the same for her arms when Draco and Neville found her.

Without words, Draco turned her away from him and began vanishing the liquid from her back. Theo appeared in front of her and was trying to pull into his arms, but just moving made the burns even worse. Tears streamed down her face, but she wasn't sure if they were from the pain or the thick smoke still bellowing from the cauldron.

Professor Slughorn was yelling at the class to evacuate the room while he made his way to the cauldron. Hermione could barely see him through the haze as he waved his wand and vanished the entire cauldron. His wand then began suctioning all the smoke out of the air until the room was fairly clear again. When he saw the four students on the floor, he flung his rotund body on the ground next to Hermione before he spoke.

"Miss Nott, what happened? Are you injured?" She didn't even get a chance to answer before Draco all but yelled him.

"Of course, she's injured, you idiot. She is not answering any questions until Madam Pomfrey has seen her. She's got some pretty extensive burns." Hermione felt bad that her professor was getting yelled at. None of this was his fault. She opened her mouth and began to explain when Draco turned his gray eyes to hers and shook his head.

"Don't talk, I fucking mean it." Since the pain really was making it hard to concentrate on her words, she nodded her head. Hermione listened to Professor Slughorn question Neville for just a few moments before she felt Draco lift her into his arms. There were holes in her uniform from where the liquid had burned through them so he turned to Theo.

"Conjure me a blanket." Theo waved his wand without a word and a blanket draped itself over Hermione, hiding her body from others.

Both Slytherins stood and made their way out of the Potions classroom and towards the Hospital Wing. Hermione realized that she was starting to go numb, not really feeling the pain anymore. As much as she loved this, she also knew that it was a bad sign. She had learned during a first aid class that she had taken on one of her summers home that when burns became extremely deep, it was painless because all the nerves had been burned away. The liquid hadn't been on her very long so this made her think that the fluid had ignited a burn that couldn't be stopped unless by potion or spell. Her voice was hoarse and husky when she spoke.

"Drake, you have to hurry. I think the potion is still burning me." He shook his head.

"No, Princess, we got all the potion off of you." She shook her head with frustration.

"No, I think the potion started a burn that won't stop until it's spelled to or I take a potion. Please just hurry." Draco didn't say anything else, but she felt him speed up when they reached the stairs.

It didn't take long for Draco and Theo to get her to the Hospital Wing. When they entered, even Hermione could see that there were three other students already there, all complaining about smoke inhalation. Hermione wasn't the least bit surprised when she realized that they were Pansy Parkinson, Adrian Pucey, and Daphne Greengrass. Theo had no qualms with yelling at the mediwitch.

"Madam Pomfrey, we need you here. I guarantee you, she's worse than those whingers." Hermione felt herself be sat down on the bed before the older mediwitch was there, shooing Draco, Theo, and Neville out of the way. Madam Pomfrey took one look at her legs and waved her wand over Hermione. A pleasant feeling came over her before she realized that she was drifting off to sleep.

-O-

Draco, Theo and Neville had all been shuffled out of the Hospital Wing to do their waiting out in the corridor. He had no idea what had happened with the potion they were brewing, but he knew it had been Neville's fault. As much as Draco wanted to hex the man, he knew he wouldn't. It had been nothing more than an accident and Hermione would be livid if he took out his anger on Neville when he meant her no harm. While Draco and Theo paced, Neville leaned himself against the wall and hung his head in defeat.

"This is all my fucking fault, guys. She's in there because of me, she's hurting because of me. What kind of fucking friend am I?" Draco didn't think he could speak to Neville without agreeing with him so he kept quiet. As if sensing this, Theo walked over to Neville and clapped him on the shoulder.

"You know she isn't mad at you. She knows you didn't do it on purpose. Quit beating yourself up over it." Neville shook his head.

"No, I didn't do it on purpose, but she threw herself into me and knocked me away from the cauldron. She knew it was going to explode. Don't ask me how, but she knew and she kept me safe. Merlin, I'm such a shite friend." This made Draco's blood boil a little hotter, but he still said nothing. It was such a signature Hermione move so it wouldn't be fair to blame Neville for her actions. He did look Neville in the eyes while he asked the next question.

"What did you do right before it exploded?" Neville didn't get a chance to answer because Ginny, Luna, Potter, and the Weasel turned the corner and stopped face to face with the three men. As Ginny stepped forward and into Theo's arms, Potter held his hand out to Draco so he could shake it. Draco really didn't want to deal with their shite right now, but he would be damned if he would cause more problems for Hermione without cause. He reached out and grasped the Savior's hand. Potter gave him a smile.

"So what did 'Mi do this time? We came to surprise her with dinner, but we were told she's in the Hospital Wing." Draco didn't speak because Neville stepped forward and explained.

"It's my fault. 'Mi and I were paired together to make polyjuice potion and I did something wrong. Still not sure what. She shoved me out of the way before the potion exploded. That shit landed on her and burned her to hell." Potter went forward and slapped the man on the shoulder.

"Now, Nev, you know she isn't going to blame you. Everyone fucks up from time to time, even Hermione. Ask her about the last time she made polyjuice potion. She ended up in the Hospital Wing then too." The Weasel chuckled softly at his friend's words, but seemed to remember where he was and who he was with. His face went back to being curiously blank. Potter leaned against the wall next to Neville before he spoke.

"We'll just wait out here with you. Now that I know she's hurt, I can't just leave." As much as Draco couldn't stand Potter, he had to give the man credit. Since the last time he had upset Hermione before returning to Hogwarts, he had been a better friend to her. He didn't ignore her, didn't make her feel bad for being close to himself and Theo. As much as Draco was loathe to admit it, Potter was a good friend to her now.

Draco also knew that if both her friends had been there and they hadn't waited around to see her after being injured, she would have been hurt. If the situations had been reversed, Hermione would have waited around all night to see her friends and make sure that they were alright. The Weasel, however, didn't seem to care for his best friend's decision.

"Come on, Harry, there is no telling how long Pomfrey will be in there with her. Hermione is tough, nothing can bring her down. She wouldn't want us to waste our time waiting for her." Potter turned his gaze to the Weasel and Draco wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. It was a dark look that promised retribution if he didn't stop right away.

"You're staying. You promised your brothers you would apologize, me as well, and you're doing it. Quit being a pussy and do what's right." Weasel shot him a death glare, but remained silent. Draco couldn't help but laugh on the inside though. The other Weasleys had demanded that he apologize to Hermione.

Draco could admit that he liked the oldest Weasley, the professor. He was fair and never showed favoritism, not to mention he was quite knowledgeable when it came to defense. He found that he genuinely liked Charlie and George as well. He had stood around at Bill's on New Year's Eve, talking to them for almost an hour and enjoyed the conversation very much. They were close to Hermione and they treated her well, so honestly, there wasn't much to dislike. He wondered how his life would have been different if he had just been a nicer person and became friends with these people. This train of thought never lasted long, however. It became too depressing to pursue.

It seemed like hours had gone by before the door opened and Madam Pomfrey stepped out, hair in her face and eyes tired. She leaned against the door before she spoke.

"She owes you boys a lot for getting her here as fast as you did. Even though you vanished the potion from her body, it had already seeped into her system and would have eventually burned a hole clear through her, through bone and everything. I've cast the appropriate spells and given her the needed potions to stop the burns. I was even able to give her a scarring potion so she wouldn't have physical reminders of this catastrophe. However, she is on a very high dose of pain potion and is groggy. She might not make much sense. Three or four of you may go in and visit her, but don't upset her. She needs to be settled so the scarring potion can do it's work. I shall return shortly, I must go give the Headmistress an update." The older woman started down the corridor leaving Draco and his friends there alone. Before there were any arguments about who would go in, Ginny spoke.

"Neville, Luna, and I will wait out here while you four go in. Take your time, no need to rush." Draco nodded and led the way, knowing full well that Theo and Potter would follow. The Weasel followed as well, though he didn't seem too excited about it. Draco hoped to Merlin that the idiot didn't do anything to upset Hermione in the state that she was in.

Draco was by her side first and had to struggle not to laugh. Hermione was awake, laying on a pile of pillows in her hospital gown and seemed to be swatting at the air above her head. Draco took a seat on the bed next to her and caught her attention. She gave him an annoyed look before she resumed her swatting.

"Will you get rid of those doxies for me, Drake? They're trying to bite me and I can't seem to remember where I put my wand." Draco was speechless for a moment before he realized that Madam Pomfrey had been correct when she said that she had given her a large dose of pain potion. Not wanting to upset her, he took out his wand and waved it, acting like he was driving the doxies away. When he stopped, she turned to him with a smile.

"Thanks, Drake. They'll leave me alone now that you're here to protect me." He leaned down and kissed her softly before he shifted so he was sitting in the bed right next to her so she could lean into him. Theo took a seat on her other side and took her hand in his. Her head lolled slightly when she turned to Theo.

"Where's Nev? Is he alright?" Theo reached out brushed stray hairs off her face.

"He's outside in the corridor with Luna and Ginny. They're waiting their turn to see you. Do you know what happened?" Hermione nodded and it seemed like all her joints were extremely loose.

"I told him to add the leeches since you didn't hafta be careful with those. I came back from getting the boomslang and saw the leeches there, but the lace wing flies were gone. I knew it would explode so I shoved Neville as hard as I could and turned to put the lid back on the cauldron. I was too late. Then it was all pain." Draco really wanted to rail the Gryffindor man, but Potter spoke first.

"Neville feels terrible, he knows it was his fault. I told him not to worry, that everyone makes mistakes, even you. I recall the last time you made polyjuice in second year. You ended up here then as well." Even though she was drugged beyond reasoning, her eyes flashed.

"Don't you dare bring that up, Harry Potter. As soon as I find my wand, you'll pay for that." Potter chuckled softly before he leaned down and kissed her on the head.

"Now, now, Hermione, no need to get violent. That's one of my all-time favorite memories of our shenanigans. You were absolutely perfect, but not perfect at the same time. Not to mention, we got to sneak into the Slytherin common room." Draco spun his head around to look at Potter.

"Care to enlighten us? She won't remember the story being told anyways." Potter outright laughed before he spoke.

"If she does remember, I'm telling her you made me tell you." Draco gave a nod so Potter continued.

"We were determined that you were the Heir of Slytherin so we decided that we needed to question you. Hermione made a flawles batch of polyjuice potion in the girl's loo on the second floor. Ron and I gave Crabbe and Goyle a simple sleeping draught in their food and stole their hairs, Hermione had said that she already had a hair from when she and Bulstrode had dueled. Ron and I turned perfectly, but 'Mi said to go without her. We got into the Slytherin common room and questioned you, leaving it plainly obvious that you were not the Heir of Slythetin. When we got back to the loo, Hermione finally showed us her half-transformation into a cat. She had gotten a cat hair off Bulstrode's robes, not a human one. She was in the hospital wing for months while they tried to get her to turn back." Draco was doing a pretty good job of not letting the laughter out while Hermione protested everything Potter had said. Finally, the Weasel spoke.

"Hermione, stop trying to lie about what happened. You were a half cat. Nobody thinks less of you for it. It was a mistake any of us could have made." Hermione finally seemed to realize that Weasley was there. Her eyes took a minute to focus on him and when they did they flared with anger.

"What the fuck are you doing here? You hate me, why waste your time visiting me?" Weasley grimaced a little at her words, but still answered her questions.

"I came to apologize, Hermione. I've been a complete arsehole to you and none of it was your fault. I'm so stessed out about Lavender and now that she's pregnant, I'm just not sure what the fuck I'm doing anymore." Hermione was quiet for a good long minute before she broke out in laughter. Everyone watched her carefully as she brought her guffaws under control. When she spoke, her words were slightly slurred.

"I'm glad you apologized, Ronald. I forgive you. I'm pretty sure I'm a fucking idiot for doing it, you'll just be a dick to me next time you're stessed. Don't you find it funny, though, how you cheated on me and didn't have a care in the world about how I felt about it, only how it made you feel guilty? Now, after rubbing in my face how perfect Lavender was and how you loved her, she goes out and cheats on you? The irony of that is hilarious!" Draco couldn't hold back the snort of laughter at her words. Potter spoke before the Weasel could explode.

"Did you just snort, Malfoy? How absolutely undignified." Now the whole room was laughing, Hermione completely forgetting about her fixation on Weasley cheating. Not that Draco cared. He knew that if she had been in her right mind, she would never have said a word about it. Since she was doped up, however, her inhibitions were gone and she was saying what she damn well wanted to. Judging by the looks on Theo's and Potter's faces, they found it humerous as well.

Eventually, Hermione fell asleep tucked in Draco's side, drooling slightly. He was a little irritated she was drugged so heavily because she would be horrified by her actions tomorrow, but on the other hand, he didn't want her to feel any pain either. In the end, he vowed that he wouldn't speak of how she acted unless she brought it up first.

The Demented Duo finally left and Ginny, Neville, and Luna came in for a short visit. Draco was able to tell Neville what he did wrong since Hermione had explained. He still felt guilty, but felt a little better when he learned that Hermione wasn't angry with him in the least.

The friends hung out around her bed for a couple more hours, all of them missing dinner in the Great Hall. The chatter was soft so they wouldn't wake Hermione, and she slept through the whole thing. After their friends left, Draco told Theo about what had happened with Pucey in the library. Draco had warned him to keep his hands off Hermione and to leave her alone, but told Theo so he could reinforce the message.

It was just after nine when Theo left to go send a message to their father that Hermione was injured but healing well. Draco had promised to stay with her all night since she wouldn't be behind locked doors. Madam Pomfrey had not been pleased when Theo had informed her of that, but had let it go without complaining to the Headmiatress.

Draco snuggled down in the blankets with Hermione, holding her close while still being mindful of the burned areas on her back and legs. It was well after midnight when he finally dropped off after setting several alarms around their bed in case of intruders. The night would be a long one, of that Draco was certain.

A/N- So sorry it has taken so long to get another chapter to y'all. I really have no good excuse. My new job is going pretty good. You got this chapter, however, because I'm down with strep throat. Thanks for being patient with me. Leave me your thoughts, I love them so. Next up, Hermione gets another letter from her "admirer" and someone unexpected comes to visit her at Hogwarts when she becomes upset.

Love,

A