A/N: I'm sorry in advance.

Also, there will be no update on Wednesday...not because of the holiday, but because I don't want to end the story mid-week!

...so now I'm super sorry in advance!

THIRTY-ONE

Without a Trace

The stale smell of disinfectant and fresh linen filled her nostrils as she inhaled deeply. Hermione sucked in a breath as her body adjusted under the thin sheet draped over her. There was something over her left hip that wouldn't budge, but the weight of it was pleasant. Careful not to make the ache in her head any worse, she let her eyes flutter until they opened.

She took in the sight of the patient's room at St. Mungo's. She had been in one enough as both a visitor and an occupant to recognize it immediately. The soft light in the sconces in the wall provided enough ambiance for her eyes to adjust slowly and keep the pain to a minimum. She peered at her left hip and swallowed at the sight of Harry's unruly hair as he slept, hunched over her from his seat on the chair at her side.

She shifted carefully, trying her best not to wake him. When she was sitting more upright, she did a double take at the sight of Draco. He was asleep in another chair to her right. Her mouth went dry as memories of what she had done came back in snippets.

"Mione?"

Hermione's gaze shot back down to Harry. He was now sitting up and reaching for her hand. His glasses had left an imprint across his skin from where he had fallen asleep in them.

"Water," she whispered.

He nodded and then stretched as he got to his feet. "I'll tell the healer you're awake," he said and moved towards the door. As he went, he patted Draco's shoulder to wake him and then slipped out of the room.

Hermione closed her eyes and leaned back against the pillows. She felt the right side of her bed dip as Draco sat and she shifted to give him more room. The tips of his fingers brushed hers for a moment as if debating on whether or not he should hold her hand. She flexed her fingers and he took it as permission, grasping her hand firmly in his.

She opened her eyes and they immediately misted with unshed tears. He said nothing, just held her hand and let the silence settle over them until Harry returned with a glass of water and a healer. Draco gave her fingers a quick squeeze and then got up to stand next to Harry once he handed over the glass. She drank it all and the healer took it from her when it was empty.

"Miss Granger, my name is Healer Fairchild. You were admitted at three-fifty this morning with a deep laceration to your left temple and a system full of illegal potions and alcohol. Your system was flushed and the appropriate protocol was administered to heal you. Your brain shows some damage that will take extensive treatment to heal; something that happens with addiction to potions.

"You will be kept for forty-eight hours from the time of admittance until we can make sure everything is out of your system and you healed properly. I have left some brochures with Mister Potter and Mister Malfoy; material I highly suggest you consider. Your pulse was very weak when you arrived, Miss Granger. Had they not found you when they did…"

Healer Fairchild let the rest of sentence hang in the air and Hermione nodded, refusing to look at anything other than her hands in her lap.

"Mister Malfoy informed us that you had been taking the same regiment our in-house rehabilitation would have administered, but I think, given your relapse, some true inpatient therapy might do you well." She pulled out her wand and waved it over Hermione in a series of complicated movements she recognized as diagnostic spells.

She mumbled to herself as she made notes on the chart that appeared in her arm. "So far, so good. Do you think you could keep food down?"

"I…" Hermione started. She hadn't even eaten dinner from the night before. "Not sure."

"I'll have the Elves send up some food. If that doesn't work, I'll send in some potions to make sure you get some sort of nutrition. If you need anything, don't hesitate to wave your wand. I'll be your healer until you're discharged."

"Thank you," she said, looking up to meet Healer Fairchild's gaze.

The woman nodded at the three of them in turn and strode from the room, the door closing softly behind her. The tension thickened the air around the three of them the moment they were alone. Harry rubbed at the back of his neck and then looked between Hermione and Draco. "Coffee?"

He nodded and Harry gave her a small smile before leaving the room again.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Sunset."

Her eyes went wide. "I made you miss Christmas with your mum. Draco, I'm-"

"I don't give a fuck about the holiday, Granger," he said, anger in his voice. "What I do care about is that my girlfriend would run away and nearly get herself killed." His voice broke at the end and he crossed the room to her side. He dropped his forehead to hers and gripped her cheek tightly, afraid to let her go. "I thought you were dead when I first found you. I thought the pulse beneath my fingers was my mind playing tricks on me."

She nodded against him and let her fingers curl around whatever piece of his clothing she could reach. "I didn't mean to leave you, Draco. I just…"

"I know," he whispered. "I was there. I heard what they said; saw what they did."

"Ron was right," she breathed, her voice barely audible. "I should have never betrayed anyone the way I did. Least of all you."

His lips brushed over hers briefly before he pulled back. He reached for the brochures on the side table and placed them in her lap. "Hermione, I really think you should look at these."

She nodded. "I will," she said and then winced as she shifted.

"Should I call the healer?" he asked.

She shook her head and reached out her hand for him. "No, I just need help to the loo."

He cracked a smile and helped her to her feet. Harry returned as he was helping her back into bed. He handed Draco a black coffee and then sipped at his own. "Sorry, I wasn't sure if you would want one," he said to Hermione.

"I'm good," she said as Draco fluffed the pillow at her back. The food appeared along with a little tray. The smell of it made her stomach churn and growl at the same time.

"Just try a few bites," Draco suggested, bringing it to her.

She looked at Harry and frowned. There were several bruises on his face. Some were still in the beginning stages and would surely look worse later. "Sorry about-"

"Stop apologizing, Hermione," he said with a tight-lipped smile. "It's my burden as much as it is yours. I deserved it." He nodded at the rehab material in her lap. "Have you…"

She nodded as she nibbled the edge of her bacon. She forced herself to swallow and then set the rest of the strip down. She wasn't about to overdo. She looked between the two of them. "Is this weird for either of you?"

Harry reached for one of her sausage links and then settled back into his seat. "It's either this or sit and finish the bottle of Ogden's Finest in my soon to be bachelor pad." He grimaced at his own words and then smiled at her. "Yes, it's weird, but the fact that you're awake and speaking is worth a few awkward moments."

She looked at Draco and he nodded in confirmation. "I'll sit here for eternity with Potter in the room if it means you're alright."

"How did you find me?" she asked, taking a small forkful of potatoes.

Draco told her the story of their night trying to track her down. When he brought up Theo's name, she looked down at the plate and moved the potatoes around with the fork. As he continued, more snippets of what she had done and where she had gone came to mind. There still wasn't a solid memory, but she was sure it would come to her later.

They always did.

"Still sorry it was a shit Christmas for everyone."

"Eh, comparatively I've had worse," Harry said, giving her a light smile.

"Still better than Christmas with the Dark Lord in your house," Draco confirmed.

She smiled at both of them. Slowly, laughter bubbled past her lips. She clenched her stomach as the laughter continued. The hysteria dissolved into sobs and Harry took the tray off the bed as Draco gathered her in his arms and held her to him.

When the sobs ebbed, she pulled back to look between both wizards. "I'll do the inpatient rehab," she whispered.

Draco pressed a kiss into her temple and Harry's hand rubbed at her calf. "And we'll be here every step of the way. Whatever you need."

She nodded, took a deep breath, and relaxed into Draco's chest. "I'll go tell the healer to get you those potions she mentioned," Harry said and took his leave.

Draco adjusted so that he could lie in bed with her, wrapping her tightly in his arms. One of his hands caressed her back idly while their breath mingled in the space between them. "I was afraid that I had lost you, Hermione. And that I would have done so without ever getting to tell you that I love you."

Tears slid from her eyes as she leaned in to press a gentle kiss to his lips. "I love you too," she whispered, closing her eyes. With her true feelings finally out in the open, she felt relieved.

And slightly guilty for what she had to do.

Christmas night the boys had stayed with her at St. Mungo's and they had stayed all the next day as well. She had convinced them that night to go home and get real rest. She was getting moved into the inpatient side of rehab on Monday. Hermione had gotten Healer Fairchild to wait for the transfer until Draco and Harry had come back.

Potter had informed them that he would be going to the Ministry right when it opened to meet Ginny and would be back no later than lunch. Draco was only planning on going home to sleep and come back first thing, but he ended up sleeping longer than intended. As it was, they both met each other outside at the entrance of the hospital.

"How'd it go with the she-Weasel?" he asked.

Potter sighed and scrubbed his bruised face. Healer Fairchild had given him some potions to help him heal faster, but he had taken quite the beating Christmas Eve. He held up his left hand and Draco's brow quirked at the lack of ring.

"That was fast."

"Ginny's always been to the point. She said she didn't want to drag anything out. Clean break."

Draco nodded and let a moment of silence pass before he spoke again. "Look, Potter, I-"

Potter held up a hand to interrupt. "I love her, Malfoy. I always will," he started. "That being said, I miss her as my best friend. As the girl who berated me for waiting too long to do assignments, but still let me copy hers anyways. The girl who told me it would be worse to be expelled than be killed. The girl who looked into the face of danger and set it on fire." He smiled sadly at the memories. "You love her despite all the fucked up shit we've put you through and I mean it when I say I only want to be her friend. I know I have no right to ask that of either of you, but…"

Draco nodded and stuck out his hand. "Friends, Potter."

Potter grasped it immediately and shook his former rival's hand. When they released the other, they looked at the entrance and approached it. They took the lift to the right floor. Draco opened the door first, a smile on his face to greet his girl.

The smile slowly faded as he took sight of the empty room. The bed and been stripped in the way hospital rooms were after someone leaves it. His heart hammered in his chest as he turned to an equally confused looking Potter.

"Oh, Mister Potter. Mister Malfoy," Healer Fairchild said as she stopped at the door. "Will you both follow me please?"

"Where's Hermione?" Draco asked.

Sorrow filled the healer's eyes, but the rest of her face remained impassive. "She's gone."

"I thought the rehab center was waiting for us to bring her?" Potter asked.

"They were," she said, her voice careful. "The facility at St. Mungo's had that arrangement. Miss Granger did not wish to attend the one here."

"She transferred?" Potter asked.

"Where?" Malfoy asked, blood rushing to his ears as his heart dropped into his stomach.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss that. Miss Granger asked that we keep confidentiality on this matter," she said and gave them both a sad look. "I'll give you two a moment, but I will need the room soon."

Draco barely heard her as he turned back to the empty bed. He went to it, but never felt his feet take the steps. He searched the bed and side table, but there was nothing.

Hermione was gone.

She had convinced the two of them to go home. She had planned this. She had just up and left without so much as a note. She refused to allow either of them access to her whereabouts. She had told him that she loved him and then she had disappeared.

With a clenched fist, Draco turned and ran from the room.