Draco awoke with a soft hum of magic filling the air around him. The tang of sterilization charms invaded his nose and stuck to his tongue like thick molasses. Before he even opened his eyes, he could tell that the room was bright and he shielded his vision with his arm as he carefully opened his eyes.

He could feel his head begin to swim from the effort to move his arm alone. A searing pain became evident across his torso and Draco began to lose consciousness almost immediately. As his hand fell back down to the bed, the sweet smell of warm chamomile drifted over him and pulled him back under.

—-

Draco didn't know how much later he roused again but it must have been during the night since the hospital room was much darker than before. As he let his eyes adjust to his surroundings, he picked up on hushed voices off to his left side.

He turned his head and there she was.

The Weaselette had gathered Granger in her embrace and cradled her head affectionately against her chest. They were crowded together on the single armchair that the room held. Neither of the women noticed his gaze.

"How long, Hermione?" The redhead asked gently.

Hesitation, and then a whispered, "Third year."

What happened in third year?

Ginny nodded her head without any kind of strong reaction. She quietly stroked her hair for a few moments while Draco fought the pull of sleep.

"I'm a terrible person, Ginny." Granger sniffed.

"You are absolutely not! Do you hear me, Hermione Granger? He has been horrible to you for years. Maybe getting yourself into this situation in the first place was a mistake, but I don't think anyone can blame you for the fallout. As much as I hate to say it, the only thing you can do now is get him out of your life."

No, I don't want to go.

Draco felt another wave of drowsiness rush over him and his lids started to droop. He fought the sleep, not wanting to take his eyes off of his witch.

"You're right, Ginny. It's over now, I'll tell him when he wakes up."

No!

Draco felt his heart leap into his throat and tried fruitlessly to sit up and reach for her. The smallest movement sent blinding pain lancing through his chest and he instantly lost consciousness.

—-

Early morning light filtered through the cheap curtains and landed on the empty armchair by his bed.

No Granger.

Draco groaned as he pulled himself up in the stiff hospital cot. The pain in his chest was dulled now, as he suspected they had administered a powerful pain potion. His limbs felt rubbery and his mind was clouded so he didn't pay any of that much thought.

Did she leave without saying goodbye?

He swung his legs to the floor and absently righted the plain white hospital robes he wore. The battle with gravity was immediate and his legs wobbled with the effort to bear his weight.

The thought of finding Hermione was all-consuming. He was so distracted that he didn't notice the warmth spreading across his chest and dripping down his legs. He didn't notice the look of distress the witch in the hall gave him when he passed. He didn't even notice when one of his best friends was yelling his name from the nurse's station.

But he did notice when a short brunette with wild curls turned the corner, her face cast down towards a heavy book that was open in her hands. The air around him seemed to still and his magic thrummed in agreement. The ceaseless noise of the hospital ward fell away.

The relief he felt at the sight of her was startling. He'd been so used to her always being around that he never thought about how much it would hurt when she was gone. She had said it was over, that she'd send him away. Maybe, just maybe, he could change her mind - no, he would change her mind. Now, if only the wall would stop leaning against him so he could reach her.

The warmth in his chest was turning cold, a numbing kind of chill that delved deep into the cavity beneath his ribs. With it came a drifting calm and an unyielding urge for rest.

"Drake! What are you doing?!" In the back of his mind, Draco registered Blaise's panicked voice but paid it no mind.

Granger looked up at the sound of the shouting and her eyes widened as she took in Dracos state. She rushed forward, yelling to someone behind Draco for help. The tiled floor called to him but he just slumped against the wall watching the way her ringlets tangled around each other in the updraft her hasty motions created.

Draco felt a strange pinch in his abdomen and instinctively pressed a hand to it, frowning when it pulled away wet with blood. He looked down to find his crisp white robe bore a vast swath of crimson where it clung to his hard body. He looked down at it in fascination until the white and red fabric swirled together in a waltz of metallic scents and nauseam.

She was there with him now, frantic and shouting her panic at an inexperienced looking mediwitch. He pitied the girl having to deal with Granger, and he nearly laughed at the absurdity of the sight. However, when he opened his mouth, the only sound that escaped him was a sharp gasp of pain. Granger ordered her harshly to go find a healer and she grasped Draco around the middle, dragging him back towards his room.

They stumbled towards his bed and she slipped in the trail of blood. Before she could fall, Draco miraculously managed to clamp his arm around her waist to steady her. She didn't even seem to notice as she tried to coax him back into bed.

If I fall asleep she'll leave again.

Draco felt the ground tilt at impossible angles but willed his legs to remain locked. He had to stay awake. He had to get her to stay. He just couldn't figure out how to access his speech at that particular moment.

Hermione's eyes were filled with tears and her hands shook as she pressed her hands against his wet chest. The contact felt phantom, like his body was someone else's and he was just an observer.

"Draco, please, please get back into bed. You're hurt." She pleaded with him. Draco couldn't make out the expression on her face since it refused to come into focus.

"You'll leave." He managed to choke out, feeling a strange buzz behind his eyes from the utterances.

"I'm not leaving. I won't leave you."

He felt like he was swimming through oatmeal to stay focused. He gathered the words she said, imagining he held them in his hands. He envisioned chewing each word to digest their meaning.

Yes, stay.

He could feel the vibration of her raised voice, but she wasn't making any sound. He cocked his head at her and she paled. He watched as her hand was pressed against his cheek, but frowned when he couldn't feel it there. She made to pull away towards the door and Draco used every ounce of his waning strength left to stop her by grabbing her wrist. He raised his other arm to her face, cupping her cheek gently.

He felt the draw of unconsciousness rush up to meet him and gave into it after he muttered his desperation.

"Let me keep you."

—-

The next time he woke, the day brought Luna Lovegood to his side. She was waving her wand over his chest and humming absently.

Draco hadn't moved yet, his open eyes having been the only indication that he was not still asleep. So, he was more than a little surprised when she addressed him without looking at his face.

"She's visiting Ron."

He was too tired to summon the anger and jealousy that would have accompanied that statement. Instead, he allowed a cold despair to infect his mind. He felt like he was sinking and he would soon drown. He wasn't sure if he would fear or welcome it.

"Oh, I see." His voice was weak and scratchy, but he didn't bother clearing his throat.

"Do you remember what happened?" Lovegood dropped her wand arm to the side and perched on the side of his bed.

Draco squinted and tried to recall. The last thing he could remember was waking up with Granger in his arms. He shook his head no, but then flashes of the event started surfacing.

The Weasel. Blood. Grangers screams. Blue fire. More blood.

"Is she okay?" Draco gulped down his panic but he was sure it still showed on his face. He couldn't remember all the details but from what he could recall, there had been blood dripping steadily from her arm at some point.

"She's okay thanks to you." Catching the shocked look on his face, Luna elaborated. "You stepped in front of a nasty hex. That's how you got this."

She stood and shut the door, pulled the blanket down to his knees and carefully began to remove a series on bandages on his chest and upper thigh. Draco gagged at the sight of the inflamed, nasty gash. The cut was as wide as a finger and slashed across his torso, originating below his pectoral and ending down past his hip bone onto his thigh. It neatly bisected the largest of his sectumsempra scars and left him with a crude 'X' on his chest.

It looked fresh, just barely started to heal. The air that brushed over the wound was like a cold knife, and it made Draco's muscles clench. The motion tore open the few inches that ran over his stomach, freeing a bright red ribbon of blood. The tangy smell reached his nose and he flinched.

That's when it all came back to him.

—-

"Everte Statum" Weasley's teeth flashed as he uttered the incantation.

Draco's arm instinctively shot out and the force of his wandless shield was more than enough to rebound Weasley's spell. The attacker was thrown across the flat before he smacked soundly into the bookshelf in the living room.

Hermione instantly woke and gasped as she witnessed the last milliseconds that her boyfriend was airborne before he crumpled to the ground. Draco could feel the beginnings of his strange magic stirring and did not resist the pull. Granger seemed to sense this, and hastily recast the fireproof charms over the bed mere moments before Dracos body exploded in flame.

Ron rose to his feet and gaped at the sight of the burning wizard. While the weasel still looked angry, there was obvious hesitation about how to proceed. Granger broke the tension.

"Ronald, how dare you cast a hex at a sleeping wizard! What were you thinking?!"

He laughed, seeming to dismiss Dracos state. "What was I thinking?! I knew you were fucked in the head Hermione, but a Death Eater? Really?" Ron held his wand aloft once more while he advanced back towards them. "You won't even let me touch you, but him? You'll let a slimy Death Eater shag you?"

Draco raised an eyebrow but let it fall when Granger huffed indignantly and scrambled off the bed. She pulled her wand from somewhere under the covers. Draco followed, not trusting that Weasley wouldn't hurt her. He stood behind her to the right, close enough to grab her if the need arose.

"I did not shag Malfoy!" She shrieked.

"How could you do this to me? Don't you love me?" Weasley's wand hand was shaking now that he had come closer. He nervously glanced at Draco, who was still covered in flames, a few times but didn't stop his advance.

"You're one to talk, Ronald. Do you think I'm daft? That all that time spent with Barbra was innocent? That you didn't fuck her in my bed?!" She snarled.

Draco was taken aback, and not just from the profanity that hissed from her lips. No wonder she hated the woman, not that it was hard to do so in his own opinion. The fact remained though… Granger knew that Weasley was cheating on her and she didn't leave him? Why would she do that?

Weasley's face faltered but he quickly spread a grimace across his face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Go ahead, deny it. I already know the truth, so I wouldn't waste your breath. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the rumours about you and Lavender are true. You aren't exactly subtle." Granger crossed her arms and shot a condescending smirk at the feckless git.

The man had the gall to laugh at her accusation and it sent a twist of dread into Draco's stomach. He remembered that laugh from his dream, and Draco refused to stand back and watch the altercation anymore.

The look on Ron's face was feral and cruel, it reminded Draco of the expression Voldemort would wear when he'd torture someone. Right now that distinct expression was being directed at Hermione, and that was not okay.

Dracos rage rippled and a swell of magic stoked the flames, causing them to turn a shade brighter. Weasley swore and stumbled back a bit, using his arms to shield his face from the blaze. Draco stepped forward and used his body to block the doorway, letting his flames lick up the frame.

Weasley let out a growl and started throwing curses at Draco. The power flowing through him was laughably easy to access and manipulate. With a simple thought, Draco erected a strong shield and pushed Hermione back onto the bed, as far away from the danger as possible. He could feel her magic as she was fighting him but his power held. She shouted and kicked against his shield but he was not about to let her anywhere near this monster. She may not see it, but the ginger wizard reeked of dark intentions. Something about him was… off.

After a few moments of casting, Ron's face was heated and sweaty but he stubbornly continued trying to break down Draco's barrier. He roared in protest when Draco silently disarmed him.

He dropped his shield but left Granger magically restrained against the wall.

"Let her go!" Weasel shouted. "You let her go right now, you piece of shite!"

"I'm not the one she's afraid of, Weasel." Draco scowled and felt his powers intensify. "I'm not the one who leaves her to suffer in silence every night or ignores her until I want something. I'm not the one who takes her for granted every goddamn day and makes her feel like she is anything less than the phenomenal witch that she is."

The ginger scoffed. "She's not a child, and I'm definitely not her mother. How is it my problem that she can't get over shit that happened over a year ago? I mean, I lost my fucking brother, and she whinges over her parents, who aren't even dead. She's lucky that I put up with it, no one decent would. Without me, she'd be alone." Weasley looked like he was about to strike Draco but thought better of it. "Either way, what gives you the right to take what doesn't belong to you, Malfoy? What gives you the right—"

"I do not belong to anyone Ronald! I am not some object—" Her voice was shrill from her anger.

"Shut up, Hermione! I never thought you'd cheat on me with him. I could fuck a thousand women and it still wouldn't be as bad as what you've done." Before Hermione could reply, he turned back to Draco.

"How was she? I always imagined she would just lay there like a cold fish."

Draco was confused at first but it quickly turned to rage. His anger turned to realization briefly before his features settled on utter loathing. Unfortunately for Draco, Ron could see these emotions flit across his face and it caused him to laugh loudly.

"She didn't give it up for you either?" His obvious amusement built up to the point of doubling over in dramatic laughter. "Then what the fuck would you want her for?"

Draco would have blushed if he weren't already so angry. He could feel Hermione's magic push against his hold, causing the air to spark and pulse. She began to protest but Draco cut her off.

"Don't talk about her like that, Weasley." He snarled.

Grangers relentless pushing intensified and Draco had to raise his hand to hold the forcefield. Weasley gaped at the now obvious display of immense power and his eyes darted back and forth between the two bedmates. It didn't take long for it to dawn on him.

"You're in love with her."

Draco faltered, and would have lost his hold on Hermione had she not let her efforts cease with that statement. He felt himself deflate momentarily, his burning magic waning visibility. The words shocked him, of course he didn't love her. How could he love Hermione Granger? He'd never even been in love.

Do I love her?

Rons cackling had turned ominous and his eyes narrowed spitefully. Before Draco knew what was happening, Weasley pulled a spare wand from his back pocket, aimed it at Draco's chest and sent a vicious Crucio at him. His screams were ripped from his chest as his body slammed to the floor, his fiery magic petering out almost instantly. Only a small bluebell flame resting in his palm remained.

Draco struggled to look back and watch as the bluebell floated over to Granger and sink into her chest, right at the spot he knew held her magical core. Her chest lit up from the inside, the glow tinted red by her blood. She pressed a hand against her chest and looked over at Draco. In a single blink, Hermione's eyes transformed from warm brown to luminous white. She took a deep breath and burst into flame. All without Draco's touch.

The Crutiatus lifted immediately, and Ron stumbled back a bit in shock. Her whole body was engorged with the roaring flame and her mouth was open in a prolonged gasp. The woman was gorgeous in a visceral, entrancing way. Her clothes began to burn away as she stood. Her veins lit up like some kind of bioluminescent creature, and the magic dripping from her fingers was like liquid electricity.

A fierce wind began whipping through the room, sending papers from Draco's desk in every direction. Hermione's hair seemed to writhe of its own accord, the gales of wind having no impact on it at all. She fixed her piercing gaze on the Weasel.

He threw several Crutios at her, which all bounced off her shield. Draco was fighting the searing pain to get to his feet but it was slow going.

When she spoke, her cadence was haunting, almost as if it reverberated through the skin instead of through the eardrum. "Leave here, now."

Both men were momentarily rendered speechless and for a moment it looked like Ron would cower in fear. Instead, he looked back at Draco and let a slimy grin twist across his features. The Weasel kept his eyes locked on Draco but lifted his wand to point at Granger.

"You'll never have her."

As Draco finally got to his feet, Weasley began an unfamiliar incantation. Dread cut through him like a knife, and Draco instinctively threw his body at the attacker, uncaring that a foreign curse had just struck him hard in the chest. They were both brought to the ground.

White-hot agony gripped him and his vision was blinking in and out. His heart was thudding in his ears. There was shouting and wand light, thuds, and cries of pain but all Draco could think about was how it felt like his body was being wrenched open by a hellish blade.

Draco could feel her small hands desperately ripping the tattered shirt away from his body. Her gorgeous hair was dancing above her in the cerulean flames that shot out of her head. Her milky eyes were focused on his chest and her dripping red hand was wildly swishing her wand above him.

She's so beautiful.

This was different than sectumsempra, it didn't hurt anymore, it was warm like bathwater. He wanted to tell her he was okay, that he felt just fine and that she didn't have to worry, but he was growing groggy and couldn't figure out how to form words with his tongue. He lifted his shaking hand to comfort her.

Hermione turned her face to his and he knew she was about to cry by the way her lip quivered. He placed a single digit over her lips and watched in fascination as his finger slid away, leaving a perfect ruby red line down the center of her mouth and chin.

Song recommendation: Be My Fire - The Blue Stones

As his arm landed in the pool of blood at his side and his vision went black.