Shout out to Ladycrafter who informed me that Teddy is NOT Draco's second cousin, but actually his first cousin once removed. I fixed it, and thank you!
Draco wasn't good with crying girls. In fact, he usually went far out of his way to avoid them. But – when Hermione Granger's lower lip trembled as she looked at him, he instinctively held his arms out to her.
She sobbed for a very long time; every once in a while, she said words that didn't make any sense. He could only imagine the nightmare she'd had.
Even after she was all cried out, she didn't move from his arms. Draco hesitantly stroked her hair, and she let out a shuddering sigh.
"I met Constantine." She whispered.
He froze.
"In my dreams." Hermione continued, her voice raw. "I – I understand now. She's…it was horrible."
She pulled away from him and sat up, hugging herself. Now that she was no longer a deadweight on his chest, his body tingled with pins and needles.
"What did she do to you?" Draco asked, his voice low. He didn't want to know, not really. But his mind conjured images of the Christmas Ball, when Constantine had stared at Hermione's tiny form with such hatred.
Hermione shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine. It was just…a nightmare. But – listen, Malfoy, she has a book full of spells. I've never seen anything like it before. I couldn't touch anything because I wasn't really there, but the page it was open to was a spell to call people to visit in their dreams. I think that's what she's been doing to you. And part of the spell required hair from the person. There was a Potions set, with the unicorn blood, and I – I think…I think one of the vials had a strand of your hair in it."
Draco's stomach was at war with his body, bile rising in the back of his throat. Hoarsely, he said, "She – what?"
"That's not all." Hermione said quickly. "When she was picking up the book, she said something like 'It didn't work, but you haven't failed me yet, Merlin.'"
"Merlin?" Draco gasped. "You think the book of spells was –"
"It was handwritten, like a diary." Hermione replied.
He didn't say anything. What could he say? Their enemy was far more powerful, had tools not even the great Albus Dumbledore would have access to. They didn't even know what kinds of spells she could use. What could they do?
Hermione laid back down against the pillow.
Draco dully moved his leg off her bed, to stand up and walk back to his own bed.
"Wait." Hermione said softly.
He paused, one hand still on the sheets. "What is it?"
"Would – could you – um…it's just that I…" She bit her lower lip. "Is it okay if you stay here for just a bit longer? I don't want to be alone right now."
"I'm only a few feet away." He said, stupidly.
Hermione's face fell. She looked away from him and nodded. "Right, of course. Sorry."
Draco sat back down on the edge of the bed. "Uh, I mean – I suppose it's not the same. If it's all right with you?"
She nodded once and he settled back into her bed. A quick accio brought his pillow over.
"What are we going to do about Constantine?" Hermione sighed.
Draco adjusted the blanket over his chest. "You've seen her now. You know how powerful she is. I suppose we'll have to tell Dumbledore."
She nodded, peering thoughtfully at the ceiling. "It's just – there's something else. Something that I just can't remember…there was something odd about the way she was talking about her 'master'. I just don't know what."
Draco thought about it for a while. Every time he'd heard Constantine talk about the Dark Lord, it had been with reverence, pride, sincerity. He couldn't think of anything strange, besides the fanatical loyalty.
"She doesn't fear him?" He said aloud. "But no…Aunt Bellatrix didn't fear the Dark Lord, either. I'm quite certain she loved him."
Hermione murmured something sleepily. Draco turned to see her blinking rapidly, clearly trying to stay conscious.
"Maybe if we sleep on it." He suggested.
"Don't…need to sleep on it." She mumbled. "I'm awake…"
"Of course you are." Draco said indulgently. He rolled onto his side and gently pulled the blanket over her shoulders, pausing to brush her hair off her face.
Hermione let out a soft breath and rolled into him, burying her face into his shoulder. She stuck her cold feet in between his, and hummed contently.
Despite Hermione's freezing feet, the blanket they were cocooned in was cozy, and the darkness from outside gave the impression that there wasn't another soul awake in the castle. Hermione felt solid and warm pressed against him.
Constantine felt far away in the moment. As Draco let sleep take him, he did his best to imprint this memory into his mind.
