The Unity of Opposites
Chapter Forty
175
The automatic side doors of Sir Arthour's Royal Hospital were left open. A red rotating beacon was the only thing covering the silence between the anxious, nervous even nurses waiting behind the doors - a woman ran down the white light bathed hallway, her shoes sounding with every step she was taking like a basketball player's. White robes, the kind only doctors wore with her name sewed in blue letters and a stethoscope around her neck, played with the night wind as she stepped out of the side entrance, her eyes narrowed, bothered from the red light. A small frown on her face disappeared in a veil of professionalism and concentration the moment she stood next to the nurses. The ambulance's siren wailing closer. She took a deep breath, calming her fast beating heart - three training doctors ran towards the exit and she cursed her luck.
''Is it true?'' one of them asked the doctor who only cleared her throat, watching the rest of the waiting staff over her shoulder. ''Is he, he is - '' his lips sealed at once, preparing for the told arrival, ''Do we have to inform the pal - '' the ambulance's siren shushed in the dead of the night and parked in front of the entrance, the back doors opened wide - Blaise was the first to jump out, followed by the paramedics and the wheeled rot with Draco in it.
''Male, 24, broken ribs and left wrist, multiple cuts on his torso, ripped right arm, possible inner bleeding on his lungs - ''
''It's not possible, there is an inner bleeding!'' Blaise's strong voice made them all stare at him. The paramedic on his left looked confused - the whole ride to the hospital was one of the worst and most weirdest she had ever had, and she was pretty sure she had forgotten some of it. ''Last pulse 147 - ''
''Can someone call doctor Edwards?'' the agonized doctor rushed to order one of the nurses who hurried to leave. ''The blood on his eye - ''
''There is a cut under his brow, it's nothing - '' Blaise rushed to say and she frowned, ''I am his doctor, I called - '' yeah, he did, but she thought he was overreacting - all royals overreact when it comes to their health.
''Edwards is having another surgery - ''
''We are going to lose his arm - tell him that!'' she ordered and looked at his deep cut. ''Call the blood bank!'' she said to one of the nurses, ''I need an OR ready, schedule x-rays - '' she yelled and disappeared behind doors with a forbidden sign on them, marking the very first time in Blaise Zabini's life with the bitter taste of undermine weakness and paralyzing fear of losing someone who loved, losing his brother.
His knees could easily betray him if he allowed it, his hands started to sweat as the idea of not being able to help him for the next hours filled his mind with panicking thoughts - ''Can I have some details,'' a woman was trying to talk to him, but his eyes had stuck to the closed doors Draco had disappeared to. His heartbeat fastened - how many times he had shared his worries with him, how many times he asked for his advice only to hear him say everything is alright - and when Draco was saying it, Blaise believed it, because every single time he said those three words, everything turned to be just fine. It was odd, but as time passed them by, felt totally usual - it was as if Draco was a problem-fixer-wizard, finding solutions to places no one ever thought of looking. There were times he wondered if Devil himself felt threatened by Draco's existence.
Who could say those words to him now that he had held his beloved friend and struggled to keep him alive? Who could tell him everything is alright? ''I am Dr Blaise Zabini - '' his lips sealed, a man ran in the direction they put Draco, a surgical suit was dressing his body - his stomach turned into a tight knot. What wouldn't he give to be that doctor running there. The idea of losing his best friend suddenly seemed too real too fast. Once again, he questioned his choice to bring him here, thinking about how much easier it would be to transport him to a Wizarding hospital only to remind himself how serious his injuries were - he didn't have time or the power to apparate. ''O-negative, no allergies, no - ''
''Ma'am, are you alright - '' a nurse's voice made Blaise turn around to see Hermione still covered in blood. Fuck, he had forgotten about her. Guilt took him over, imagining how shocked she might be. Her panicking face the day she apparated them to Italy with Draco having only a small scratch on his head popped in his mind - her words, her panicking eyes, her shaking hands, she was so scared - how could he forget her?
''She is with me!'' big, wide steps brought him face to face with her, ''Hey, hey,'' he tried to make her see him, but her eyes were moving all over the place, never focusing on anything. ''Hermione, look at me - ''
''Anything to help us - ''
The nurse walked next to him. ''He had an accident - ''
''My husband and I bought a home in the countryside, it's under renovation, and,'' thoughts were accelerating inside her head, words crowded together, not knowing which to use or miss, ''and, and - '' she swallowed hard, feeling her throat dry and sore, ''the wooden staircase broke in the middle and he - he,'' breaths came in gasps, the edges of her vision blocking from the image of Draco's dead body, ''he fell from the second floor to the basement, I injected an adrenaline shot to his heart - '' her voice broke as her mind blanked and the room started to spin around her, extremely fast.
''Where did you find - ''
''I am allergic!'' she slightly yelled, her heart hammering inside her chest and she tried to grip from Blaise's arm, feeling her whole body betraying her - she squatted, trying to make everything slow down, or even shut down, wanting her body to cope with it.
''Oh shit!'' he cursed, and she fell on her knees - she felt sick, her upper body started to rock, demanding to sense Draco, but failed tragically. She wanted to go to him, to be with him, she wanted to hold him, blackness covered her eyes, the room kept spinning and spinning and there was no air to breath, where is he, he is too far, she has to be with him, creeping blackness and coldness hugged her, part of her brain screaming for breath, Draco, the other part telling her he's gone, ''Hermione, Hermione'' he took her red face in his hands, telling the nurse to leave and find her a bed in the ER - her eyes utterly bloodshot made him act fast, ''One, two, three, six, eleven, twelve, seventeen - ''
''What - '' the word dragged in her mouth, a windy sound escaped her lips.
Blaise mimicked her body posture. ''One, two, three, six, eleven, twelve, seventeen, repeat them - '' he ordered and wiped tears off her cheeks, noticing her bruised face for the first time this night.
''One,'' she struggled to talk, no voice coming out her dry mouth, her once red lips now paler than any other time, ''two,'' she mouthed and her eyes met his, ''three,'' she felt tears blocking her sight, but her mind was not fully working yet, thinking only the soulless eyes of Draco, ''six,'' she didn't know where she found the power, but her hands gripped around his forearms, hard, her nails almost cutting his flesh. He didn't even protest, he only looked at her like he was looking at Draco, ''eleven, twelve,'' she had to try hard and finally breath, ''seventeen.''
''You are doing great,'' he encouraged her, ''again, repeat them for me.'' Blaise ordered with a much calmer voice, his eyes hosting a very loyal shade, one she had only seen when he was looking at Draco.
She sobbed, ''One, two, three, six, eleven, twelve.'' she said and breathed in deep, ''seventeen.'' she exhaled, watching Blaise do the same. He awkwardly smiled at her, letting her take some more breaths.
''You are fine.'' he reassured her with a strong, confident voice, looking straight in her eyes, ''He is fine.'' he spoke the words with extreme care and meaningfulness, nodding once, ''I will make sure of it.'' he promised the thing he had sworn to do too many times before. ''Everything is alright.'' the words he wanted to hear felt strange coming out of his mouth - her grips loosened up, now only holding him tightly, never taking her eyes away from his. She cried and he acted fast, taking her in his arms.
''How did you do that?'' a young nurse asked him, in his hands there was a nebulizer.
''Our brains cannot hold mixed numbers and have a panic attack at the same time.'' he said as if it was the most common thing to know. He caressed her back like he used to do with his daughter, feeling her cry fade away. He told himself he will stand there until she needs to leave, knowing that her eyes were stuck to the doors with the forbidden sign on them. ''She will need saline and vitamins.'' he ordered the young nurse who was looking at him like a God, ''Can you stand? Yes?'' he asked Hermione and she nodded, helping her stand on her feet. ''A warming suit too.'' he frowned with the coldness of her skin and walked with her towards the empty bed in the ER, watching a training doctor come to her.
He helped her sit on the bed, not sure if she was understanding what was happening around her or she was on autopilot. The training doctor extended his hand to Blaise and he politely introduced himself, explaining who is she - the pridefulness for her married lie kept applauding in his brain. He said something to the young doctor and she rushed to grab his hand when he was about to leave. ''I will be right here.'' he promised and she took a while to set him free.
His lips curled a little, stepping back from the bed, watching the curtains closing. He took a bid breath, putting his hands on his sides and looking at his feet. Some blood was there reminding him of what had happened - he didn't ask and he didn't care at the moment - his only goal was to find a place in the surgical party and finish the healing spell he enchanted Draco's body with on the way here.
ΛVΛ
She knew they gave her more than saline and vitamins. She was feeling her muscles relaxed - too relaxed - that even the smallest move seemed like the greatest action. The nurse had ordered her to stay in bed, closing the curtains around it and telling her not to worry about anything. She wanted to laugh - who was he to tell her not to worry about anything when she had held the man she loves in her arms, dying? When she had seen him being tortured and loses his soul in the depths of the never returning abyss people praying never to step in? A tear fell down her cheek and she wanted to think how many of those she will set free till she sees him. She knew she shouldn't cry, she knew she shouldn't bother herself anymore with the idea of losing him, especially now that Blaise was here - he will be alright, she said to herself, watching her hands.
Dried blood in her palms made her frown - or maybe she thought she did. Wide lines were covered in once warm redness now feeling cold and itchy, shaping clearly the fortune she had carried all along. Her long fingers were bloody, except for the ring finger, that was perfectly clean, perfectly pale around the stone he gave her so she could feel safe. Another tear traced her cheek. She looked at her lap and frowned, or at least she thought she did, with the blood stains on her plaid skirt - she loved that skirt. Draco had loved it on her too. Another tear appeared. She wanted to touch the fabric of it, to sense the place he had touched last, to feel even the smallest thing, anything, because right now, she just felt a big, unbearable emptiness. Another tear. Draco is fine, she said to herself and looked at her legs, spots of blood were on her shins and calfs. Her shoes were nowhere to be found, guessing she lost them somewhere in that shitty house - she was in fact barefoot. Maybe she should laugh.
''I heard he is a Duke!'' a pair of white shoes, the kind only nurses wore were left aside from one of them. She wanted to say thanks, but she couldn't find herself able to speak. The words of that nurse came to her mind, but she couldn't lay down, even if her head was spinning and her eyes were heavy, the only thing she needed right now was to see Draco. A small dizziness was making her stomach ready to explode.
''A Duke?'' but as much as she wanted to, as much as she was praying to God to let her see him again, let her kiss him again, talk to him and see him smiling at her, the void she was feeling started to warn her about the idea of not doing those things again. A strong, heavy weighted guilt covered her cold shoulders. She cursed herself and Nehone for having only some bruises, because to her it would be much more appreciated if she was in Draco's place - another tear ran down her cheek. She tried hard to sense him, she tried hard to feel Draco's feelings, but she failed.
''The Duke of Versaillies!'' the need to stand up and go to him flooded her tired mind. Who wouldn't want to be close to loved ones in times of need? And for Hermione right this second was the neediest time she had ever been in. She wanted Draco, she wanted to see him, to make sure he is fine, why can I not sense him?
''Sarah said he is too handsome.'' she looked at her bare feet. She had no blood in them, no scratch, no dirt, nothing to indicate where she was and what she's been through. The image of Draco's sliced body came to her mind and another tear fell down. What will she do if he's gone? What will she do if he'll die? She blinked her red eyes, looking at her hands again, this time watching Draco's ring.
''God, I can't wait to see him.'' Blaise had taken it out of him before the ambulance arrived, trusting her to guard, telling her he will be wearing it soon - but to Hermione's tired mind, soon meant now, and right now she was alone, cold and in need of him.
The curtains opened wide, revealing the tall body of Nestor Steele. He smiled to her, an honest smile, a kind one, but she wasn't in control of her face muscles to return it, even if she wanted to. Seeing him here felt familiar - she didn't notice the thought, but her eyes followed him. He closed the curtains and took his leather jacket off, placing it on her shoulders. She breathed in, smelling the scent of him, which held a much calmer vibe, the kind one hold in and find courage from.
''He is married!'' her eyes returned to her bloody hands and he rose a brow, angrily opening the curtains to see the two nurses talking to each other with heavy pinkish cheeks and lusting eyes.
''Oh, please, that means nothing - ''
''Instead of gossiping about your patients, wouldn't be wiser to attend them?'' he narrowed his eyes to them, grabbing an antiseptic wash and a box of tissue he found on an empty stand to the nearest bed. They looked at him surprised, but yet bothered from his statement.
He closed the curtains again, this time giving them a deadly gaze, making the women leave. He sighed and smirked with his ability to intimidate people. He looked at the bottle and then around him, finding an empty one of the same product. A brow rose and he looked at her, her attention was on her hands and not him - a weird feeling of responsibility caught up with him. He had never felt that way towards her. He nodded and found a wheeled stool under the bed, rolled it out and sat, taking her right hand first. A smile decorated his face when she saw Draco's ring on it. He took it and she protested. ''You can have it back in a second Lioness.'' he promised with an amused voice, taking plenty of the wash, starting to clean her hand, slowly, gently massaging it.
She tried hard to keep her attention on his doings and not on his, firstly been seen from her, relaxed face, but she failed. For some reason he was not afraid. He was calm and he had a calming aura accompany his already calming face and everything was just angelic. She frowned - back to the house he was trembling with fear, not for himself, but for another. His eyes were covered in blackness, something she had never seen in no one before, it even scared her too, thinking of how powerless he might have felt at the moment, how helpless in the sight of his partner lying cold on the marbled floors of his killer. She let out some soundlessly tears that covered her pale face.
His eyes rose and he met hers. She looked lost and in pain. He had seen the same expression in his house mirror and if he wanted to be honest with himself, he still does some mornings. He nodded, understanding how she might be feeling. There was not only the uncertain idea of Draco's wellness, there was the guilt, the loneliness, the need of him. Her watery eyes closed, some tears even managed to reach his own hands. He repeated the same actions with her left hand, frowning for only a second with the reason why the ring was not coming off her finger.
She sighed, red eyes meeting his calm ones. ''It's okay Lioness.'' he gave her the smallest smile, extended his hand to wipe off her cheeks, carefully, to not hurt the bruised spots. ''He is fine.'' he nodded, taking some tissues to offer her. He guessed how many times some of his friends might have told her the very same thing, and he even cursed himself for not knowing something for certain to offer her - so he kept talking to her, telling her how fast he will return to his previous strength and fire them with hundreds of sarcastic comments and jokes that waited a laugh, but her tears only got worse. He carefully placed her left arm on her lap again, making sure the IV was not misplaced.
She sobbed, her eyes watching at Draco's ring. Who was he without that ring, she thought and her heart ached more. From the very first time she met him, he was wearing that ring, pridefully showing off who he is. Even when he was playing Quiddtich he was wearing it, some girls even gossiped about his thought of bringing him luck. She wanted to laugh - he was such a jerk back then, a jerk now she loves. ''Do you want me to leave?'' he asked her at last and she only stared at him, as if she couldn't decide what she needed to say.
Her hands were clean and had a pleasant smell. She noticed the small lavender scent hand cream to her right. Nestor Steele might care about her, like he cared about Draco. The idea of him seeing him as a son he never had was bigger than any other time - it wasn't a secret how he looked after him. She wondered how different Draco's life would have been if he was Steele's son and not Lucius's, but it simply didn't matter, did it? Maybe Lucius Malfoy had seen the old Auror getting attached to his son, knowing he will be left in good hands.
Steele offered her a smile and stood up, ''I felt it.'' she took a big breath, the almost fatherly scent that was trapped in his jacket finally made her speak the words she was fearing of, ''I felt his absence from the world.'' her voice broke and he met her eyes again. ''I felt a void, an emptiness, cold like a shiver, I felt alone.'' she choked a sob and he sat next to her. ''I felt alone without him.'' she cried, feeling his arm around her shoulders, tightly hugging her, as if he was trying to take that pain away from her, but he only made her cry more. ''It's my fault - '' he shushed her with a way her father used to.
The hug around her tightened even more - one might have felt uncomfortable, but she only felt relieved, somehow sensing the sharing feeling. ''Who are we without the people we love.'' he said in a sweet-bitter voice, hearing her cry fade away at once. He rested his cheek on top of her head, letting out a deep breath, wishing there would be another way to tell her how things are with relationships this strong. ''Hold that void close to your heart,'' he carefully advised, speaking from experience. He smiled to himself, ''remember it, resurface it every time you two argue over silly shits, or be mad about sillier shits,'' he sighed, bringing the face of his beloved wife in his memory, ''but most importantly, hold that void close to your heart as an answer to anyone telling you how you should feel about each other,'' he pointed out, knowing she understands what he means. ''because dear Lioness, what you feel for him, and he for you, a lot of them had searched to find and fail.'' he smiled to himself, watching the jewel in her hand.
With a certain move, he took Draco's ring and put it on her right ring finger. She left to stare at it, trying to remember him like those moments they spent together, happy, smiling, talking, but she couldn't. ''I used to feel him, but now I don't.'' she said with a sad voice, feeling good under his care. ''I used to sense him.'' she wanted to cry again, but Steele's snort made her actually frown this time.
''Please,'' he laughed and she looked at him having a smirk on his face. ''He is being worshipped by God himself that boy! Nothing will happen to him as many death wishes he might have.'' he mocked and for the first time, her lips curled ever the slightest.
ΛVΛ
There was some dried blood around her nails, but she cared little about it. She wondered why she never painted them like her mother - maybe she never considered to do so because none of her female friends do it, well Ginny was her only female friend and last time she checked, she cared little about Muggle habits. She frowned. How long has it been since the last time she had seen her? A month? Maybe more?
Something warm wrapped around her shoulders and she breathed in the familiar scent. Stella's calm face offered her a smile. She frowned again. When did she come? And where was Nora? Her lips were moving, she might have tried to make small conversation with her, but her ears were not working at the time. Stella patted her knee and nodded. Did she understand she wasn't being able to talk? She didn't know, she couldn't know, but she felt good having her here - maybe Ginny wasn't the only female friend. Hermione's expressionless eyes rose to the door where they had taken Draco to surgery - a nurse came only to talk to someone else in the waiting room. How did she come to the waiting room? Wasn't she in the ER? And where were Steele and Kingsley?
Blaise looked at her - his eyes were anxious, but not for any reason Hermione was imagining. Tall blindness windows were starting to host warm lights of the next morning. How much longer they will have to wait for someone to talk to them about Draco? A nurse walked out again and her hopes rose high, only to fall again - her hand reached Stella's - her eyes widened with her move, but placed her other hand on top of Hermione's. Blaise was talking again - she could hear his voice in a great distance, breaking in the right words and emphasizing in others. There was another voice, a familiar one; Adrian Pucey.
He had the most anxious face she had ever seen a Slytherin having - something was wrong with him and Hermione tried her best to concentrate to their sayings - ''Telling who he is in the Muggle World was a fucked up choice - ''
''What did you want me to do?'' Blaise looked offended, but yet calm. ''There was no way he could apparate, he needed blood - '' Adrian grinned, ''You didn't see him - ''
''What if they call the press?'' Adrian rushed to correct why he was worrying in the first place and looked at Blaise's widened eyes with amusement, ''Exactly.'' his hand ran through his light brown hair and he let out a desperate groan. None of them had asked what had happened. Either Blaise when he popped in the middle of the house with his shirt still unbuttoned, either Adrian. She thought they might ask Draco, but for now their silence about his so called accident was pure gold. Her stomach ached. ''When did you get married?'' he asked Hermione, but she just kept looking at him.
''She lied.'' Blaise said and Adrian looked him with a no-shit-Sherlock gaze. ''Who are you fucking?'' he asked, rather amused and Stella kicked his calf, warning him with her eyes. He cleared his throat, nodding to his wife with apologetic.
Hermione's eyes travelled from Adrian to Blaise and back as the last talked about how he spelled his arm back in the ambulance and how he enchanted his whole body to start healing from the inside out, and now simply waiting for the right moment to be by Draco's side to make it start - her hopes rose again. The doors opened and closed only to see some nurses coming out with good news for the neighbour party some chairs away from them - they started to yell in excitement, and she read it's twins in the mixed colour balloons one was holding.
She looked at Blaise again - they didn't mind the festive yellings as he continued telling him how fast he will recover once he speak the spell, fearing only about the healing time of his arm. How much loyalty those three had for each other? It was much more powerful than her own Golden Trio, more well present and kept alive and strong all those years. It was a friendship the three of them saved and honoured, the kind that grows from the seed of shared experiences and blooms in the center of the heart, fierceful wrapped around loyalty, respect and mutual need of at least four glasses of firewhiskey at the end of each day.
It was clear to her now why those three were friends and it wasn't only their shared alcoholism. Adrian placed a hand on Blaise's shoulder and he looked at him with confidence eyes, telling him good job. She smiled at them, or at least she thought she did, the way Blaise sigh made her think he might need to hear that.
''Why not take her home?'' Adrian talked to Stella. ''A shower, a nap - ''
''I'm not leaving.'' Hermione's broken voice heard for the first time this peep of day. The three of them looked at each other and then Hermione, her eyes stuck somewhere on the floor, her pale skin had yet to recover as if the whole aspect of the pinkness once covered her face was now gathered in the big bruise she had on top of the right cheek.
''He is still in surgery.'' Blaise tried to put some reason to her lost mind, ''Go home for a second might be a good idea - ''
''Draco is here.'' she tried to keep her eyes hidden from them, ''I am not leaving.'' her voice was not that confident as she might have wanted it to be.
''Granger - '' Adrian said and Blaise looked at him with a dude gaze. He rolled his eyes, ''Hermione, do you remember when his stupidity made him hit his head - why would you do that?'' he protested when Blaise hit his ribs. ''She gets the point!'' his hand rose to massage the hurting muscles. ''He woke me at five in the morning to go buy you something else than bloody clothes.'' her eyes met his and offered her an actual smile, a real one, the kind he offers only to close friends. ''He would appreciate if you looked better than him.'' there was a humorous tone in his voice, but she didn't care to notice it.
''Draco is here. He is not home, he is here.'' her voice was shaking, but she wasn't crying. ''He is here and I can't be anywhere else.'' she bit her bottom lip. ''The house will not feel like a home without him. I can't go there without him.'' she took a big breath, gripping Stella's hand.
She looked at them all, their eyes were looking sympathetic, but yet understanding. She felt a single tear tracing her skin and she felt ashamed for a reason. Her face fell, her eyes focused on the white coloured floors of the hospital again, her lips turned into the smallest pout - how can she explain how guilty she feels? Or how she is afraid of the distance between them? Would they believe her? Stella's hand caressed her back. She had brought her food and coffee and tear, but Hermione could hardly eat or drink anything - ''Mrs Malfoy.'' someone was talking and she cared not to raise her head. Oxford shining shoe touched her white nurse's shoe. She frowned and she rose her eyes to see a doctor standing next to Adrian. ''Mrs Malfoy.'' he called her again and she frowned with the way his gaze was straight but filled with fear.
She didn't know how or when she stood up, but she was now seeing him face to face. He was old and he had the kind of eyes filled with experience, but he still looked at her scared. ''Yes.'' she said as if she had said it a million times. ''Hermione - '' Adrian widened his eyes, warning her of what to say, ''Malfoy, Hermione Malfoy.'' she extended her hand at him, watching Adrian nod in appreciation for her fast thinking mind.
''I am Bartholonew Edwards, I am your husbands's doctor - ''
''Why aren't you with him then?'' the judgment was not only in her voice, making the aged doctor raise his brows.
He cleared his throat, ''This is the toughest moment of my job.''
''Do you need a hug?'' her eyes scanned his surprised face before watching the smirk on Adrian's. Her hands curled around the cardigan Stella offered her.
He cleared his throat again, his cheeks might have turned red - ''Mrs Malfoy.'' he looked at the rest of the party, watching their anxious faces. ''He put a fight to be honest.'' he confessed and nodded several times, ''We stopped the inner bleeding to his lungs, it was a miracle his heart was left untouched, there are multiple cuts on his body, 175 stitches and courting.'' his lips pressed together when he realized she was holding her breath. ''A broken wrist that is now placed in cast.'' she nodded, feeling her ears blowing. ''About his arm, well, we did restore it, but we don't know if he will ever use it again. The damage is quite..'' he kept talking to her, with professional words, not humanly, not even showing any feeling except fear - right, Draco is a Duke. She knew she might need to listen to him, but she couldn't. Her eyes met Blaise. He shook his head, having trust in his healing powers and knowing how strong Draco was. He was confident about his spell, wasn't he -
''I know it is forbidden - ''
''I am sorry, Mr Zabini, doctor or not, he is still in surgery, maybe after - '' the doctor said, snapping Hermione out of her thoughts.
''Mr Edwards, wasn't it.'' she watched the old man nod at her and she smirked, bathing her whole self with the same arrogance Draco had on him, thinking of how proud, or maybe jealous he might be for her performance. ''I don't quite believe you understand who you have under your care.'' she looked at him from head to toe, a certain pride that could put at shame Draco's filled her whole body, remembering how he was acting back at school, ''I am Hermione Malfoy, Dutchess of Versailles, wife of the Duke.'' her eyes looked at him like Draco used to look at anyone crazy enough to doubt him, ''Now with that been said, and fully realize our royal status in your foreign country, would you like our visit to be known in your, let's not fool our tired selves, improve screaming, hospital of yours, to numerous reporters with feverish minds mumbling about our doings here, or would you like to take our dear, oldest friend with you - ''
''Mrs Malfoy, this is highly - ''
'' - to be part of your surgical party, so I could be at ease.'' she looked at him in a way that should alarm him, but he didn't know her that much. ''You do want me to be at ease, Doctor, right?''
''Of course, Mrs Malfoy.'' his jaw tightened, maybe he felt a bit ashamed, maybe angry, and pointed at the doors with the forbidden sign on it.
ΛVΛ
Adrian had brought her clothes and shoes. Black jeans and a sweater-like long blouse, warm enough to keep her from freezing, chilling enough to keep her from sweating - she frowned, thinking how much he knew about women's fashion, almost giving her the idea of someone else doing the shopping and not him.
Stella had helped her change from her bloody clothes, wash her body and dress again. Whatever they gave her earlier was still trying to wear off her body. The water was running and she watched her reflection. She was pale, bruised, and her cheekbones were popping out. ''Do you want me to throw these?'' she asked her and Hermione watched her from the mirror.
''Yes, please.'' she said and she looked at her hands, the rings popping out like fine art. ''Thank you.'' she turned around and Stella smiled.
''Let me braid your hair and we can go back to the waiting room.'' she softly said to her and Hermione turned around, watching her hands moving with elegance. Stella was such a calm woman, dealing with everything in a such gentle way, almost reminding of those princesses she read about when she was younger. She could see why Blaise fell in love with her.
The thinking of his name made her held her breath for a second - it had been an hour since he left and Stella tried her best to keep her mind sane. They walked back to the waiting room, watching Adrian straighten his back. He had brought three paper cups with warm steaming tea, but she found herself unable to drink. She sat in the chair she used to sit for the past hours and she looked at the closed doors with anticipation. ''I have to call my mama.'' Stella said and left.
Adrian stood next to her like a guard, asking her every few minutes if she was alright, if she needed anything, if she wanted to walk, or even do something while they wait. She found his anxiety adorable, remembering how well-presented he was since their shared school days. Women were fascinated over him and he knew it - too many of those girls had tried to tame him only to fail.
He stood still, his hands always hidden in his pockets, his eyes wandering around the room they were, and, Hermione was certain, his heart kept pounding faster by the minute.
She couldn't understand him - he was older than them, a year, maybe two, and when she had asked Draco about their friendship he only said they were alike. She couldn't see it then, but now she could. Adrian's hair was messy. His perfectly ironed shirt had no wrinkles, no spots to indicate a living body wearing it - she knew he might have spelled it to be like this forever. It was a nice touch to his extrovert character. His face had laugh lines, just like Draco's, just like Blaise's, but his seemed to be an older carve. His eyes were tired, but sparkled in a way that made her ask if they were real. Too many women ogled him since he came, but he was not paying attention to them - wasn't that weird. She frowned, thinking what Draco had said about Purebloods and their careful placed love - maybe he had found his.
Her lips curled a little, finding herself being happy for his happiness. He met her eyes and he smiled back, not knowing why she looked at him like this. ''He will be fine you know.'' he said and looked at the closed door with the forbidden sign almost growing under their fading away patience. ''He is a cough one that Malfoy.'' he rose a playful eyebrow. She nodded, knowing he will. The only thing that she didn't know was the reason why she couldn't feel him, and the only thing that was for certain the past hours was her steady, unchanged heartbeat, telling her she exists, but not quite living. ''He is really in love with you.'' he told her in a whisper and for the first time in hours, her cheeks blushed and her heartbeat fasten for a second.
She took her eyes off him, feeling them filled with tears. She knew it, and the thing scaring her the most was how much she was in love with him, something she realized the moment she lost him. She looked at her hands. One wearing his ring, the other its equal, much more feminine one. The way his cheeks blushed when he first gave it to her popped in her mind and she found herself smiling. ''Aren't we all.'' he laughed and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
The box with everlasting chocolate flavour cake Kingsley brought was sitting untouched next to her. The pleasant smell was making everyone around them looking at it. She had to eat, Blaise had advised her to do so before he left and assist in the surgery room, but Hermione's stomach was a living knot, tightening with every breath she was taking. She asked the Minister how they took care of the Nehone case, but he refused to say anything - his only order was to focus on herself and Draco, telling her it would be the most pleased thing to do. He wasn't wrong.
The bruised on her cheek was hurting her, but she wasn't going to complain. Draco was worse. A nurse had come earlier to check on her, but she refused. She said she will be here till her husband finish his surgery - she wanted to laugh, actual laugh. She didn't know what made her say she was his wife. She only needed to take advantage of the married title.
She breathed in deeply - a whole breath, a normal one. Her heart started to beat faster, her back straightened and a burden gone from her shoulders. Her head turned to see the closed doors. Tears filled her eyes and she stood up, making Adrian frown. ''Draco.'' she mumbled, feeling her senses firing up like flames taking over wood and offering familiar heat and comfort.
''Adrian.'' Adrian said offended and looked at her funny. The doors opened and the tall body appeared, his tie in his hands, his eyes holding a confident gaze. He smirked and Adrian laughed, clapping his hands twice and yelling you wanker letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, recognizing the victory gaze on his old friend. Some people looked at them and Hermione stood next to him, finally noticing the relaxed details on his face as he walked to them.
''He is in his room, healing.'' he rose a brow to her, whispering the last word. ''His old narcissist, tosser self most likely survived, but he will be - '' her arms wrapped around him and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
''Thank you.'' she said to him and one hand curled around Adrian's shirt, bringing him to the party. She hugged them both, feeling her heartbeat fasten with every passing second, and her senses firing up more and more, starting to feel Draco again. She smiled and looked at them like she would look at her family. ''Thank you.'' she sincerely said and sighed, placing her hands on her chest, her fast beating heart shivered her fingertips. ''I will never forget what you did, never.''
ΛVΛ
Small waves were licking his naked feet as he was sinking deeper in the warm, wet sand. The sun was caressing his face like a mother's touch. He rose his eyes to see the infinite sea unfolding its glorious range like a woman spread her legs to welcome a lover. He was sinking, but he didn't mind it. A light white shirt was covering his torso, light white trousers that were folded upwards made him smile. The water held a familiar warmth, the kind one feels when he's been hugged by a beloved friend. He smiled again. He was relieved, calm. The aroma of the sea was tangled with a much familiar scent, vanilla
''Draco.'' she called him and he turned around to see her smiling face. His heart skipped a beat. ''Hello.'' she greeted, her eyes full of love and lust. She hid her hand in his and smiled.
''Hello.'' he kissed her hand, watching her blush. Merlin, she is so beautiful. So damn beautiful. Her light white dress played along with the wind and he cleared her face from her hair. She was warm, her cheeks were feverish, her flesh heated, he almost felt as if she was burning him alive - she put her hand on top of his fast beating heart and looked at him as if there was no one else, no person to take him away from her - and it wasn't, because she meant the world to him. The realization made his back straightened and his shoulders tightened with burden, a noble one, a great one - no one had ever felt this burden before, and if they did, it wasn't that sweet, that needy and sacred, it wasn't Hermione's and Draco's.
''What's taken you so long?''
