Chapter Seven
The following morning, Draco woke his body stiff and bruised, turning his face into the pillow, regretting that immediately as the pain shot through his nose,
"Fuck!" He cursed, gingerly pushing himself to a sitting position and looking around, after a moment's panic, upon looking around the unfamiliar room, the memories from last night came rushing back...
His father had found the diary, the one full of images of Hermione. Draco was sure his father had meant to kill him, but his mother had stopped him before he went too far. Draco had disapperated to Hermione's and collapsed through her door.
Carefully he pushed the blanket from his body, his chest was bare, save for several large plasters that looked like he needed to change as they were bleeding through, slowly swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he pushed himself up, almost falling back down as he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror on the wardrobe,
"Shit" he sighed moving closer, he had a nasty green and purple bruise up his right side, from his hip up to under his arm, both eyes where black, he had a gash across his cheek that was being held sealed by small white strips. He looked a state. From deep within the apartment he heard a door open and shut. Cautiously he moved to the bedroom door and pulled it open,
"Salazar" Hermione jumped dropping the paper bag to the floor, "what are you doing up?" he asked picking up the bag,
"just woke up" he said dumbly,
"Back to bed" she said moving towards him,
"Just dyeing to get me in your bed" he chuckled, which he regretted immediately as the pain shot through his ribs.
"Draco" Hermione gasped running to his side, "come on, I've got potions for you," she said helping him back to the bed. Once she had him on the bed she looked him over,
"Like what you see?" he said lazily
"No" she sighed, "stay, I'll be right back" she said placing the bag on her side table and leaving the room again.
She returned minutes later with a bowl and some towels.
"This will sting" she said placing the bowl on the side and returning her attention to the bag of potions "take this one" she said pulling a small blue vile out and passing it to him" she then turned to look at the plasters on his chest, I got essence of dittany, it should help heal these, she said pulling out her wand and silently waving it over his body and causing the plasters to disappear,
"You're using magic?" he asked,
"Well if you want me to rip the plasters off I will" she said taking a flannel from the bowl of water ringing it out and moving to clean around the wound,
"Wait" he gasped, "will that hurt?" she rolled her eye,
"of course it will, but not as much as an infection will hurt if you don't let me clean it" she said, "the potion you took should take the edge off" she said reaching up and pushing his hair from his face,
"ok" he said nodding, Hermione gently washed around the wounds before as gently as she could working on the actual wound. "Fuck" Draco said through clenched teeth, his hands balling into fists grabbing hold of the bed sheets,
"Sorry" Hermione whispered moving as fast as she could without doing more damage, "there we go, they're clean now for the Dittany" she picked up the vile a dropped the liquid into the wounds before covering them again. "Draco?" she whispered, passing him another vile, "this will fix your nose" she said giving him the vile,
"Thank you" he said after downing the liquid.
"What happened?" she finally asked,
"Same shit" he sighed.
"Maybe I should hand my notice in" Hermione sighed, gathering the soiled flannels,
"No" Draco said sitting up, "ouch" he groaned
"Draco" she dropped the bowl and rushed back to his side, "lay back down"
"You will not resign" he said refusing to lay back down, "you are the best thing that has happened to the company, I would send my father to Azkaban before I let you leave"
"But Draco, look at yourself your father..." Hermione gasped as Draco pressed his lips to hers, after the initial shock Hermione pulled away, "Draco" she whispered,
"He did this to me because he found something of mine and he wasn't happy with me" He breathed, bringing a hand to cup her face his thumb brushing a tear away.
A knock on the front door echoed through the silence.
"I should get that" she said pulling away from him.
Hermione approached the door her wand held tightly at her side, looking through the spy hole she saw Blaise and Narcissa,
"Fuck" she sighed putting the chain on before opening the door a jar, "Blaise?" she said,
"Don't be mad, we're just looking for Draco" Blaise said,
"And you couldn't come here on your own to check?" Hermione glowered at her friend,
"Miss Granger" Narcissa began,
"He is here but as you bloody well know he is in a mess" Hermione snapped,
"Miss Granger I want to see my son please" Narcissa asked,
"It's ok Hermione" Draco said as he slowly made his way to her side, he closed the door and took of the chain, "mother, Blaise" he said as the door opened,
"Shit Draco what..." Blaise gasped,
"sweet heart, please come home so I can fix you up" Narcissa said, Hermione bit her tongue
"What, so father can beat me black and blue again?" Draco snarled,
"Draco, not now" Narcissa whispered,
"Then when mother...when he puts me six feet under, well I've had enough, I will not be returning to the Manor. I will send braxes to collect my things, now if you wouldn't mind leaving" Draco glowered at his mother, who seemed to be in shock her hand grasping her chest.
"What?" She gasped, "you" she turned on Hermione "this is all you fault" she moved to withdraw where wand, but Blaise caught her wrist, "Mrs Malfoy, I think everyone is frazzled at the moment and we need time to calm down...don't do something you will regret" he whispered.
With that Narcissa turned on her heals and stormed off,
"Come on Draco, u need to lie back down" Hermione said moving to his side,
"I'm sorry, I didn't realise why she was looking for you" Blaise said, "do you need a hand" he asked as Draco put an arm around Hermione for support,
"If you could help me get him back to bed," Hermione asked, Blaise nodded stepping into the apartment, kicking off his shoes before wrapping an arm around his friend so Hermione could shut and lock the door.
"Draco who did this to you?" Blaise asked, as he guided him to the bedroom,
"It's nothing" Draco said, causing Hermione to stop dead,
"Nothing! Nothing" Hermione all but screamed, "your father beat you inches from death and that's nothing!" she snapped, "if it's nothing you can go to your own place and look after yourself" Hermione snapped moving away from him leaving Blaise to support Draco alone,
"Hermione please" Draco whispered,
"Come on Draco let get you back in bed" Blaise said,
"Hermione" Draco said again,
"Just let Blaise take you back in the bed room" she whispered moving to the kitchen.
"Come on" Blaise said guiding him to the room, although Draco was fighting to turn back to Hermione. Once in the room Blaise kicked the door shut "mate stop it. She needs a minute to calm down" Blaise said, Draco just looked at his friend, "the good news is that she does care for you" Blaise smiled letting Draco down on the bed,
"How do you know?" Draco asked, wincing as he sat down,
"Do you think that anyone else would have taken you in and got so angry when u said nothing happened?" Blaise said raising an eyebrow, Draco didn't answer "why'd he beat you?" he asked,
"He found by diary" Draco said simply, Blaise's face fell,
"Shit" he sighed "and that was why you said it was nothing" Blaise said leaning against the wardrobe
"I'm fucked aren't I?" he sighed dropping his head in his hands.
"I'll talk to her" Blaise said placing a hand on the blonds shoulder. "I'll pop past again tomorrow see how you are" he said before leaving the bedroom closing the door behind him. "Hermione" he said walking over to the kitchen where Hermione was butchering carrots, "did I teach you nothing girl" he laughed, "come here" he said pulling her into a hug "its ok" he rubbed her back soothingly, letting her cry. "Listen if you want Olli and I to stay with you all you have to do is ask" he said,
"No...Its fine, I'm sorry it's just need a very long twenty-four hours, I didn't sleep well and then I was watching over him and...Arg, I know I shouldn't have returned to that world" she sobbed out,
"Hey we're not all bad" he said in mock offence, "and you can't tell me you haven't enjoyed working with that git" he said Jenkins his head to the bedroom, "chin up my dear, be proud of who you are and how far you have come" he smiled cupping her face and brushing away the tears with his thumbs, "ok?"
"Thanks Blaise she said weakly,
"Any time, right before I go let me salvage what I can of those carrots," he laughed letting her go, with a flick of his wand, he prepared the vegetables for her, and now can I trust you not to butcher the rest" he smiled,
"I think so, thank you Blaise" she said "oh and" she punched his arm, "that's for bringing Narcissa to my god dammed apartment, I'll have to move now" she smirked as Blaise pretended she actually hurt him.
"I'm quite sure that Draco will make that one up to you" he winked,
"Blaise" she said throwing her hands up in the air, as he put his shoes on,
"Call Oliver or I if you need anything" he smiled, "I'll pop round tomorrow after work" he smiled, "I'll bring Chinese"
"bye Blaise" she smiled closing the door and locking it behind him, then picking up her wand she cast several protective spells just encase,
She didn't go to talk to Draco until she carried a tray with a bowl of lamb casserole and a slice of fresh bread,
"are you awake" she asked pushing the door to her room open, her eyes landing on Draco sat on the edge of the bed reading her book, "you should be laying down she said placing the tray in the end of the bed,
"I was restless" he said closing the book, "are you still angry with me?" he asked,
"Yes" she said, "but I'm always angry with you Mr Malfoy...now sit back against the headboard," she instructed before lifting the tray again and placing it in his lap, "would you like a drink" she asked, Draco nodded, before picking up the fork,
Hermione left the room returning moments later with another tray and two bottles of water.
"I'm sorry" Draco said after a few minutes of silence,
"Eat, you need your strength" she said placing her tray on the bed and sitting beside it, "what do you think of the book?" she asked him he looked at her blankly, "my book you were reading, 'of mice and men'"
"Oh, it's interesting" he said before returning to his food, "this is lovely, I didn't realise how hungry I was" he smiled, already to the bottom of the bowl,
"I have some left if you want seconds" she offered,
"Maybe in a little bit, make sure this lot stays down. You look tired" he said scooting down the bed to be closer to her,
"I'll be fine" she said,
"You didn't sleep last night did you" it sounded like a question but Draco already knew the answer,
"Its fine Draco" she yawned.
After dinner they sat on her bed, Draco up against the head board and Hermione cross-legged at the bottom both noses buried in a book.
It was almost ten when Hermione glanced at her watch,
"shit, its late you should sleep" she said placing her book down,
"And where will you sleep?" he asked,
"I'll be fine on the sofa" she said stretching,
"No you will not" Draco said, "this is a double" he said indicating the bed, "we will both fit"
"Draco, you're my boss, I'm not sharing a bed with you"
"Well it's that or I won't sleep" he said crossing his arm, regretting it immediately as the movement aggregated his ribs
"For heaven's sake" she sighed after a few minutes silence, "fine" she stood up and went to the chest of draws pulling out a night shirt and shorts before going to the bathroom to change.
When she returned Draco was already lying under the covers,
"you are the biggest pain in my arse ever" she sighed flicking off the light and moving to her bed and climbing in beside Draco
"yeah but I'm your pain in the arse" he smirked, "good night Hermione"
"Good night" she sighed