Chapter 32 - Constriction

At Honeydukes, Teddy babbled and grasped at Draco until he gave in and let him try one of his liquorice wands, only to pucker his little cheeks and push it back towards Draco's chest, hair dulling to a suspicious puce brown. Their group had once again drawn the gazes of other Hogsmeade goers, and the whispering Hermione was trying to ignore as she scanned their surroundings, changed to sounds of awe and giggles at the adorable antics of the little Lupin. Hermione sighed but couldn't help the twitch at the corner of her mouth at Teddy's reaction and Draco ruffling his hair back to happy, sunny yellow, even as she kept her eyes shifting between faces in the shop and out in the street.

On their way out of the store, hoods and umbrella charms in place, Draco took hold of her hand, giving her a reassuring smile and squeezed before letting go to follow everyone out with her, leaving behind a chocolate frog. She gladly ate it while Draco's eyes were glued to the backs of Andromeda, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Molly, before resuming to survey the figures crowding the wet street between them and Zonko's herself. She inhaled deeply, attempting to identify the location of the eyes she could still feel on her, that were raising her hackles, but if she could detect something, it had melded with the petrichor from the rain hitting the paving, the damp earth, the smell of students and the sodden wool of their cloaks, the warmth drifting from the Three Broomsticks and the sweetness of Madam Puddifoot's. It was useless.

Molly grumbled about going into the joke shop and Hermione's breath caught at the prospect of having to fight the matriarchal witch through the doors, but the miserable weather and Andromeda's excitement at seeing inside the joyful store for the first time in an age, persuaded her otherwise without Hermione's interference. She let herself breathe out a sigh of relief. The longer Hermione could go without alerting them to the menacing presence she could sense, the longer she would be able to protect them all.

Zonko apologised profusely to them when they had all escaped the rain and made their way into the store. He hadn't been able to recuperate fully after the war, evidenced by the half empty shelves and the back window - which was still covered and magically strengthened - so was unable to offer anything new or very exciting. In fact, Hermione overheard him telling Ron and Mrs Weasley, he was even thinking of selling up altogether. His enthusiasm, he explained, had dried up. Imagination for fun just no more following the siege they'd had to live through in the village alongside Death Eaters and Dementors.

Draco was quietly moving to the other side of the room, his eyes focused on his boots and Hermione made sure to run a comforting hand across his shoulders as he passed her. Then she turned so that she was still able to look out onto the street while keeping her ears tuned into her pack. At least the boarded-up window meant that she only had to worry about a frontal attack if it came.

After Zonko's came Dervish and Banges (Mrs Weasley had finally admitted their wireless was beginning to sound just a bit too faded), then Gladrags where Harry and Ron quickly announced they would hold Teddy while Andromeda perused the new robes, occasionally pulling something out that she thought would suit one of the others. Hermione stared out of the store front again while Mrs Weasley protested her need for any sort of formal robes, Ginny oohed over a sparkling midnight blue, floor-sweeping dress, and Luna ran her fingertips over a velvet cloak.

"Your foot tapping is audible." Hermione startled at the drawl in her ear and whipped her head to the side, meeting grey eyes under a raised eyebrow, and felt herself flush at being caught unawares.

"We need to go, don't we?" Draco continued and Hermione could only nod, hoping that he wouldn't push her on why just then.

Thankfully, he only hummed and pressed a quick kiss to her temple, turning a glare on Ron who spluttered a cough from the corner.

"I'll encourage Aunt Andromeda to bring this to a close. I do need to visit Scrivenshaft's for some more ink after all, but then I'm sure we can all head home."

"Thank you," she leant into him and took the sugarquill he handed her between her lips.

Draco cleared his throat and went back to the others with a pink flush on his high cheekbones and, not two minutes later, the robes had been bought or placed back on their racks, bags shrunk, and everyone was filing out the door.

Once the simple visit to Shrivenshaft's was complete, Hermione heard Draco persuade everyone that the weather was just getting too bad for them to remain in Hogsmeade much longer, even Harry and Ron who had hoped for a quick drink in the Three Broomsticks. She smirked at that protest but otherwise kept her eyes scanning for potential threats.

They trudged through the rain with various impervious' cast on themselves, down the lane back to Hogwarts, until Andromeda apologised and declared that she'd rather just get Teddy back to the cottage and out of the miserable weather. She hugged everyone and eventually reached Hermione and Draco at the back of their group.

"It was wonderful to see you, Hermione. And you, Draco," she hugged them both in turn, allowing Teddy to pat their cheeks and turn his hair a dark brown with individual platinum curls, before stepping away. "Just make sure she tells you what's bothering her if she won't tell anyone else. You're not as subtle as us Slytherins, Hermione."

And with a lingering smirk she disapparated, leaving Hermione feeling guilty and Draco looking at her intrigued.

The others stayed with them until the gates of Hogwarts loomed ahead, interrupting the laughter and conversation that Hermione could only observe, smiling distractedly when any of them turned to include her. The sight of the gates had her release the breath trapped in her chest, but she couldn't relax until they were all either away from here or surrounded by the heavy wards of the school.

Her foot began tapping again while Mrs Weasley hugged her children, including Harry and Hermione, and smiled at Draco and Luna before spinning away to the Burrow with damp eyes. Then, with her mother gone, Ginny pounced on Harry and gave him a thorough farewell despite Ron's gagging, and the longer it went on the tighter Hermione's chest felt and the faster her foot got.

Eventually, Harry pressed one final kiss to Ginny's temple, grinning like a fool, and Ginny pulled away to smack her brother's arm, sending them both on their way. Her two best friends gave Hermione a hug and she clung to them while she inhaled their scents, only releasing them when she felt Draco's hand on the small of her back. She looked up at him and was proud to see him looking out, away from the group, scanning their surrounding while she wasn't to give her the time she needed. She could only take so much comfort in his touch though, waiting anxiously, with the taste of copper in her mouth from worrying at her lip, while Harry and Ron finished saying goodbye. As soon as they disapparated, she rushed Ginny and Luna through the gates.

Her legs practically gave out beneath her and she would have fallen had it not been for Draco's arm around her lower back beneath her cloak. He was the only thing propelling her forwards with Ginny and Luna towards the castle proper, and she was grateful that it gave her no chance to look behind them for the figure she could still feel watching her retreat.

She flinched as she heard a distant howl, muffled by the dense forest and wards surrounding the castle, but the glee contained with it disturbed her to her core and it all became too much.

The flagstones inside the doors were so cold. Her tears, rolling down her cheek as she curled herself up on the floor, turned to ice with the proximity. She was briefly aware of trusted hands on her; small and dainty, and calloused and strong, worrying over her face and arms and brushing the icy tears away.

"I did it. We're back. They're safe," she heard her disjointed voice muttering, echoing around them in the silence despite the constriction of her throat and the dryness of her bitten lips.

"You did. I'm so proud of you, Granger." Warm, elegant hands stroked her back in long, soothing strokes as Draco lowered himself to the floor behind her. "You're alright. It's alright now."

The other hands stopped their worrying as Ginny and Luna stepped back from the couple.

"I'll find you later," Draco told them. "Go on now, I'll bring her up when I've got her back."

And then it was just Hermione's choked sobs echoing in the entrance hall as Draco gently quietened her, wrapping his long body around her.

She didn't know how much time must have passed before she was able to stop her exhausted anguish and push herself up off the flagstones. At some point she'd heard fast footsteps on the main staircase but hadn't opened her eyes, not even when McGonagall hissed "Mr Malfoy" and Draco had lifted his face from her shoulder and shook his head, sending the Headmistress away. Then she'd picked up the scent of the hospital wing on Madam Pomfrey's robes as the mediwitch silently approached them, and began a low warning in her chest, alerting Draco who just lifted his face from where it was buried in her hair this time and shook his head once more.

"Hermione?" he breathed once she moved for the first time in however long it had been. At least no one else had returned from Hogsmeade while they lay in the entrance to the castle.

She turned her torso to look down at him, his normally perfect hair and robes mussed and twisted in disarray. He pushed himself up to lean on one elbow and reached for her face, cupping her face in his palm, worry written plain on his face.

"You'd look after them if something happened to me, wouldn't you?"

"Nothing's going to happen to you, Hermione."

"Draco, I'm being serious. Not just Andromeda and Teddy. You'd take care of them all, make sure nothing happened to them?"

"Of course. But again, nothing is going to happen to you." He sat up further and held her face securely between his hands while he looked her in the eye. "We'll deal with whatever was out there today together, alright? But you need to tell me what happened in the Hog's Head for that to happen."

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to turn her head away from Draco, but he just leant his forehead against hers until she gave a resigned sigh and pushed him away slightly with her hand on his chest. She left it there, feeling connected to and calmed by his heartbeat while she spoke.

"I sensed someone. I didn't at first because, you know, it was so overwhelming. I can't even be sure if they were there then, at the beginning, or if they came in later. I don't know what they saw or heard, but when I went to pay, they made sure to push past me. They didn't need to. They… he wanted me to know he was there. Right there around you all. That none of you were safe." She broke off and shuddered at just what could have happened if he'd decided to act and not just tease.

"He?" Draco questioned.

"I wanted to get you all out of there right then. He'd disappeared out the door and I couldn't see him. He could have been anywhere and none of you were safe. But we'd already decided on going to the shops and if I'd suddenly changed my mind everyone would have wanted to know why, and you wouldn't have dropped it. Definitely not Harry. I couldn't say or do anything because he'd have run off and put himself in danger and Ginny would have gone with him, and probably Ron. But 'Dromeda was there with Teddy, and Molly, and they don't deserve that. So I said nothing to protect everyone. If they didn't know, they'd stay with me and I could protect them like I'm supposed to."

She curled her fingers into his cloak, grasping tightly and looked at him franticly.

"You understand, don't you? With me they'd be safe. I could protect them. I couldn't say anything."

"So you protected them by saying nothing. I understand, Hermione," Draco persuaded her, speaking softly and stroking warmth up and down her arms.

Hermione breathed deeply for a moment, concentrating on the feel of his hands and his breath, the scent of freshly cut grass and his heartbeat beneath her fingertips until her palm was lying flat on his chest again.

"Shall we get up off this floor?" Draco asked in a hushed voice. "Get somewhere a little warmer and further inside at least. I don't think it'll be long until more people start returning."

Hermione nodded and let him help her stand and lead her up the staircase. He helped her all the way to the Fat Lady where she stopped him and looked nervously at the closed off entrance.

"You can't tell the others. They'll worry."

"They're worried about you right now," he tucked an errant curl behind her ear. "And you haven't told me all of it anyway so there's no point in me telling them half a story. We'd never hear the end of it," he tried for a smirk, but it fell a bit flat.

"Sorry," Hermione did feel sheepish for keeping the final piece of the puzzle from him, but to speak that name, she knew all hell would break loose.

"You're keeping us safe; I get it. But if it gets to a point where I need to protect you as well, you tell me, alright?"

"Alright," she nodded under his compelling gaze and he pressed a kiss into the curls on the crown of her head, keeping his chin rested there.

"Just tell me one thing at least," he murmured on a sigh, and Hermione felt the movement of his jaw. "Are we safe in the castle? You and the others?"

"Yes," Hermione assured him and let his hand trail from hers as he left her to speak the password in private.

Hermione slept fitfully that night and woke a few times to Ginny running a soothing hand over her forehead and through her hair. By the time the sun came blinking through her drapes, she was exhausted as though she hadn't slept at all. She'd missed dinner though and if her body was telling her she needed anything more than sleep, it was sustenance.

With a groan she heaved herself out of bed and noticed Ginny leaning against the wall near the door, picking at something under her short nails.

"Oh good," she jumped into action upon seeing Hermine moving. "How are you feeling? Do you want a hand with anything?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, bracing herself.

"No, Gin," she closed her eyes and shook her head. "Just stay there while I get ready, okay? I'll probably need a hand down the stairs."

"We haven't got the next full moon wrong have we?" Ginny sounded panicked for a moment and Hermione shook her head again before standing up and making her way to the bathroom.

"I'm just exhausted. I don't hurt, it's more emotional left over from yesterday and I didn't sleep well."

Ginny made a noise as if to ask more so Hermione gave her a sheepish smile and continued.

"I didn't realise how much Hogsmeade would actually take out of me, but I'll be alright once I've eaten and rested some more. Promise."

"Alright, 'Mione."

They slowly made their way down to the Great Hall and were thankful that it was at least a Sunday and breakfast ran later so they could take their time and Hermione could have one or two more pastries than normal. After some orange juice to settle her stomach anyway.

She'd just managed to perk up again and had begun interacting with the other Gryffindors when a bedraggled looking owl came flying towards her. Her initial thought was that it must have encountered yesterday's downpours somewhere along its journey, followed closely by a wish that the wizarding world also had no post on Sundays when it landed next to her and presented the grubby-looking note attached to its leg. She really didn't want to have to deal with anything that morning.

Ginny fed the bird some bacon while Hermione relieved it of the note and then felt eyes on her. She looked across the hall to see Draco watching her with a raised eyebrow, but all Hermione could do was lift her shoulders. She wasn't expecting anything and didn't recognise the owl.

She turned her attention back to the small note in her hands and unrolled it, wiping at the dirt on it - honestly, everyone should know to cast the proper charms on notes when sending them with owls - before focusing on the few words written there.

You're like me now little wolf. We could do great things together.

Her face dropped immediately and, lifting the scrap of dirty parchment to her nose, confirmed her fears. Knowing her eyes had flashed dangerously from Ginny's sudden reaction next to her, Hermione let the note flutter back down to the table as she stood and backed away from it, casting incendio before stalking from the Great Hall.

She could hear Ginny rushing after her and eventually slowed down, forcing herself to focus on what the younger witch was saying.

"...one of those Prophet reading prats says. You're still the same witch and they don't know you. They're idiots to listen to it and absolute ponces to send you something. Probably saw you with us all yesterday and they just got jealous." Ginny's chuckle was a tad too dark to succeed in lightening the mood and it died anyway when she noticed the low, dangerous rumble emanating from Hermione who was shaking with rage.

"Hermione?" she asked nervously, slowly moving closer until Hermione was able to see the long, pale lashes framing her warm brown eyes. "What is it? It can't be anything that bad. Come on, tell me. You're starting to scare me a little. 'Mione?"

Pale hands clasped Ginny on each shoulder and she yelped at the contact, spinning around ready to fight the intruder, but giving in to the pressure to step to the side when she saw it was Draco manipulating her.

"She's frozen. She won't talk or move or even blink. I don't know what was in that note but there hasn't ever been anything to cause a reaction this bad."

Ginny's eyes were replaced with cool grey ones, lashes just as long and pale, flicking between Hermione's eyes, searching for a reaction.

"Granger? Hermione? Can you come back to me? You're safe. We're safe. There's no threat in the castle."

Hermione bared her teeth and the low rumble turned into a growl of disagreement.

"Okay, so tell me what the threat is," Draco didn't even blink, appearing to take it in his stride. "It's alright. It's just Ginny and I here." He cupped her face in his palm and Hermione leaned into it, taking a deep breath. She looked him in the eye and, seeing she had his full attention, shifted her eyes towards Ginny then back to Draco. And then again, pointedly.

"Ginny, can you give us a minute?"

"Again? You did this yesterday. I want to know what the hell is going on. There was something wrong then and there's som..."

"Weasley!" Draco raised his voice without looking away from Hermione. "Give. Me. One. Minute."

Ginny's hair hit his shoulder as she spun around and headed back to breakfast, but Draco didn't seem to notice.

"Okay, Hermione -" he cast a surreptitious muffliato "- You can go ahead."

"Greyback," she rasped. "It was Greyback."

"Shit."

Hermione swallowed and nodded.

"Yesterday?" Draco clarified and Hermione nodded again.

"And this morning. The note. He knows and..." she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with Draco. "And he decided to make contact. Wants me to join him." She sneered but Draco simply pulled her into his arms, muttering all sorts of creative words into her hair.

"It'll be alright," he said eventually. "We'll tell the Aurors and everything will be..."

"No!" Hermione snapped her head up, eyes blazing again. "Harry. Ron. We can't. They'll go after him. They'll be hurt."

"The Aurors need to know, Granger," Draco pleaded. "You don't need to deal with the bad things on your own or with the two wonderkids anymore. Life is supposed to be normal for you now."

She whined and pressed her face into his chest where he held her close.

"I just need to protect them. They're only trainees but they'll run off to hunt him down. I know it and I can't deal with that."

"Okay. Okay. We'll give it a bit. Until we know they won't be idiots about it at least, then they'll be safe. Alright?" he leaned back to check with her.

Hermione sighed but nodded anyway.

"Alright."