A/N: Only one more chapter to go after this one. And maybe an epilogue. I don't know why it's so difficult for me to just pull myself together and finish this… Thank you for reading this far.

Chapter 51

Mending

February – March 2003

She was barely conscious, yet something had awoken her. A dull aching pain from her back. Moaning, she tried to change her position, which only made it worse, even though the bed was softer than she remembered.

Then to her horror she felt a vial touch her lips.

"No!" she croaked.

Squeezing her lips shut she tried to move as far away from the potion as possible in her semi-conscious state. She might not be entirely lucid, but she knew that the medicine was bad for her. It muddled her brain and made her forget. Or worse, kept her docile.

"It's for your own good, miss Granger," said a no-nonsense female voice.

She shook her head vigorously.

"No! No more potions."

Her throat felt dry and she was barely able to whisper. Then she felt a warm and slightly callused hand squeeze her fingers and recognised the sensation immediately. It was Draco's hand.

"Please, Hermione, take the potion. You're in pain. Do it for me."

"Draco," she whispered.

He squeezed her hand again. "I'm here. You're safe now. The healers are doing the best they can. They promised me you'll be fine. And I'm not going anywhere!"

She nodded and when she felt the vial touch her lips once more, she swallowed without hesitation. Shortly after the pain subsided enough for her to go back to sleep.

(*)

The next time she awoke, she studied her surroundings warily, having temporarily forgotten where she was. She noticed clean white walls without loose wallpaper, clean floors without any stains and large windows with light curtains, and most importantly, no bars. A sterile environment. The pain had gone, except from faint dull ache in her lower back. She exhaled and smiled to herself. Things would be better now.

A hunched figure slept in an armchair next to her. Draco. He looked quite different from last time she saw him with his ragged dirty clothing and a severe case of five o'clock shadow. Guilt flooded her mind. This was all because of her. He had not allowed himself any rest until he knew she was safe, despite the horrible way she had treated him, and her calm disappeared immediately. She remembered too well her stinging words that day at the park before she was kidnapped.

There is no us, Draco. There never was and there never will be.

"Draco," she croaked, her voice hoarse from lack of use.

She did not really want to wake him up, did not want to disturb his much-needed sleep, but she knew she would be unable to rest any further until they had spoken.

He stirred, opening his eyes slowly, one after the other, looking somewhat disoriented. Then his bright grey eyes met hers and he grinned unashamedly in a very un-Malfoy manner.

"By Salazar am I glad to see you awake!"

When he got a good look at her chagrined expression, his smile faltered, and he bolted out of the chair towards her bed, studying the various monitors.

"Are you in any pain? Should I call the Medi-Wizard?"

"Please don't, I'm not in any physical pain."

Hating how her voice sounded slurred, she continued. "I think it's safe to say that I'm sufficiently potioned, my mind and body feel kind of sluggish. I just wanted to… I'm so sorry… all the things I said… I didn't mean them… Or maybe I did at the time, but I was being awfully cruel and selfish."

"You feared for Lyra's safety, which brought out the lioness in you. I can hardly blame you for wanting to protect our daughter."

Our daughter. Warmth filled her chest as she pondered his words. Without any fuss he had accepted his new role as a father, just like that. Would she ever be worthy of the man he had become?

"There is no excuse for the way I lashed out against you."

Draco pulled his chair closer and seated himself right next to her. "I did not give it a second thought the moment I realized you had been kidnapped. Besides, I feel guilty too. Guilty for rushing things and putting you into a situation you were not ready for. And guilty for not mentioning my roommate. I wasn't trying to keep it from you, it just slipped my mind."

She cringed, having forgotten about Elena until now. The beautiful woman currently living at Draco's place.

"So, you're not… erm… dating?" she asked, hesitantly.

"No! I would never kiss you if we were. She's just an old friend who needed a place to stay while she sorted things out."

"Good," she murmured while trying to suppress a yawn. Their short interaction was already starting to wear her out.

Draco regarded her thoughtfully and stroke her hair caressingly. "I might sound like an arse but for some reason it's good to know that I'm not the only one with a temper. Don't waste your energy on feeling guilty! Just relax and let the Medi-Wizards do their job."

She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes, considerably more at peace.

"Sleep, my love. I'll be there when you wake up," she heard him whisper, before she drifted away.

(*)

The next time she awoke it was midday and Draco rested in his usual chair, reading the Prophet. His beard was now more akin to a designer stubble than a five o'clock shadow.

"If you keep spending your time in this very room, you'll have grown a full beard by the end of the week."

He laughed, a pleasantly throaty sound.

"Merlin forbid! My beard is so blonde that I would end up looking like the Muggle Santa Claus."

At the same time, an elderly bearded man in a lime green robe stepped inside.

"Good to see you awake miss… is it Williams or Granger?"

She was back now for real, probably making headlines in The Prophet on a daily basis, and she might as well reclaim her old name. "Miss Granger, please."

"And Draco," the healer greeted the blond. "You look much better than last time I saw you. How's your mother?"

"She's doing fine, thank you!"

"I'm healer Kerrygan. I'm the one responsible for your treatment. If you feel ready, I would like to discuss it with you."

She nodded, silently bracing herself for the potentially bad news.

"I could leave if you want some privacy?" Draco suggested.

She hesitated. For some unexplainable reason she felt safer in his company, even though this could be embarrassing.

"I want you to stay. If you don't mind?"

"Not one bit."

Healer Kerrygan cleared his voice and started talking. "We probably won't be able to rectify every damage inflicted by the Death Eaters and the muggle doctors. But we took the liberty of starting to fix your back while you were still recovering from the drug overdose, even though it will prolong your stay here. Hope it's okay?"

"Great. It's been bugging me for years and if there's anything you can do to make it better; I will be eternally grateful."

The old healer looked uncomfortable and shifted from one foot to another. He cleared his voice a few times while both Draco and Hermione waited patiently.

After the prolonged silence, Draco interrupted: "Then what's the bad news?"

"When you were brought in, you were close to OD'ing on calming draughts and sleeping potions along with a few other rarer potions, which your captor had probably hoarded through the years or stolen from hospitals. I think he has been self-medicating for years, thus building up a certain amount of tolerance, which might be why he gave you such high doses. He did not understand what he was meddling with."

"He would have killed Hermione, had we not reached the shack in time. I don't feel like making excuses for that man."

The Medi-Wizard sighed wearily. "That is correct, though he was not in his right mind. Not unlike the time you suffered an episode of wild magic."

"Yet still I did not deliberately try to kill someone."

"One could argue that Mr. Weasley did not intend such a thing either. Anyway, we need to focus on Miss Granger, and my duty of confidentiality forbids me to tell you more about Mr. Weasley."

"What have those drugs done to my system?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"One of the potions were designed to induce memory loss. Fortunately, you did not receive it long enough to take full effect, but it will still cause some confusion when you wake up and it can cause nightmares. Though the memory loss might not be such a bad thing, it will probably minimize the number of flashbacks."

The healer paused and fixed his eyes on her, then continued. "However, your body will continue to crave those potions and you'll suffer the symptoms of withdrawal such as muscle aches, anxiety, tremors, and mood swings. We're going to lower the dose gradually to avoid the worst of it."

"Wait a minute. I'm not a drug addict."

"I know... But for all intent and purposes you're going to receive the same treatment as one. And I would strongly advice against forcing the process."

Suddenly Hermione felt furious. This was so totally and utterly unfair, that she should go through all this. She was a competent and capable woman, who had been on her own for year, taking care of her daughter and getting an education. She was not some slacker with a drug habit, and she would not be treated as such. Deciding she would have no more of this conversation, she closed her eyes, feigning sleep, while the Medi-Wizard kept droning on.

After a little while, he seemed to realize that she had left the conversation, and he bid Draco goodbye.

As the door closed behind the green robed man, Hermione reopened her eyes.

Draco sighed. "Ah, that's what I thought. You were only pretending to sleep. Care to tell me what happened?"

She closed her hands into tight balls. "I'm not an addict," she spat.

Draco winced and she felt bad immediately. Why did she always have to be so tactless?

"Sorry I didn't mean it like that. It's just that I've always been in control and now my body seems to be craving a drug that I did not ask for. I can't… I can't accept that."

He reached for her. "But this is just a temporarily setback, it's not who you are. This was forced upon you. Unlike me, you have never dabbled in self-destructive behaviour, and that's why I know you will get through this swimmingly."

Tears pricked her eyes. "So much has happened to me since I became a witch that I'm afraid I might soon reach my breaking point."

Draco squeezed her hand.

"The worst thing is, I don't know whether my feelings of anger are real or whether they are just mood swings." Tears were now rushing down her cheeks.

He conjured a napkin for her. "Does it matter if that's how you feel right now?"

"It matters to me. I don't like to be under the influence of something."

"I know everything there is to know about the cravings and the mood swings and I will help you beat this."

She shook her head. "Look at me. I'm a mess."

"But a lovely one at that," he said tenderly and removed one of her tears with his thumb.

The tender moment was interrupted shortly after when someone knocked at the door.

"Come in!" Draco replied.

The door was opened hesitantly, and a bespectacled wizard appeared in the doorway with a forlorn expression and a huge box of chocolate.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped.

"Draco," the wizard greeted the blond with a nod of his head, as he stepped into the room, clutching the box of chocolate in front of him like some sort of protection.

"Is this a bad time?" he added, seemingly noticing Hermione's tearstained face.

"Can you come back l…," Draco started to say, but was interrupted by Hermione.

"No, I'm just a bit emotional from the many potions. God, it's been years."

She studied her old friend, noticing how the boy in him had long gone. His face was more angular and less soft, with a hint of dark shadows under his eyes, probably from sleeplessness. Responsibility had always weighed heavily on him.

"Healer Kerrygan did not know whether you were sleeping or not. I just wanted to check up on you. How are you feeling?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Surprisingly well, considering my injuries. Probably because they keep me on a heavy dose of pain killer potions. The Medi-Wizards decided to fix my back now that they were at it. So now I am bound to this bed the next week or so, while the Skelegro does its job. Thank you so much for coming to my aid, Harry. This could have ended very badly."

"It's my job. You should know that."

This statement was followed by an awkward silence.

Draco cleared his voice ad got up from the chair next to the bed. "I'll be leaving the two of you for a while. Go home and take a bath and stuff. I don't think I smell so good. A Scorgyfy can only do so much cleansing."

"Thank you," Hermione said quietly.

Draco turned towards Harry, piercing him with a stern gaze. "I expect you to stay here the entire time that I'm gone. If anything happens, anything at all, call healer Kerrygan at once, and send your patronus out for me.

"I care for her too, you know," the other wizard bit back. "And I'm a very capable Auror; I'm not going to put her in any danger."

"We'll be fine, Draco. Just go home, you need a break."

When Draco had left the room, Harry took the seat next to her.

"So, you and Draco, huh?"

"It appears that way. Are you angry about that?"

He shook his head, smiling a bit. "No, not at all. Draco is a decent bloke."

"A decent bloke?! That's a heck of a compliment coming from you. Who are you and what have you done to Harry Potter?"

"Well, he has done a lot of good in the Wizarding World recently, and in the Muggle world as well, supporting a plethora of charities. I think he's trying to make amends. The two of us will never become close friends, but we meet on occasion through Narcissa and Charlie. I still think he is a pompous arse, but he's not a bad person."

"Things have really changed huh…"

They were both quiet for a while. When the silence started to feel oppressive, Hermione turned towards him.

"Look Harry I'm really sorry about the way I left things… For what it's worth your letters meant more to me than you probably realize. They kept me going through some real dark times, when I was pregnant and alone, struggling to make a living and to provide for my child."

"You did what you thought you needed to do; I accept that."

"Are you mad at me?"

Her friend grimaced as if he was in physical pain. "No, not mad… But loosing you almost broke my heart. I had lost so many people already, and suddenly my best friend doesn't trust me enough to protect her. I considered you my family… In fact, I still do. I would have done anything to make the world a safe for you and your daughter, if you would have let me."

"It's not your responsibility to protect everyone around you. I made a choice…"

"But if I fail at protecting my friends, then what am I good for." His voice broke.

"Oh, Harry. I will forever hold a grudge against the Dursleys for leaving you with so little confidence in yourself. People are not friends with you to gain protection. Your friends don't care whether you're an epic Auror or just Harry. They love you because of your heart."

A lone tear ran down his cheek.

"I blame myself for not realizing how bad things were between you and Ron before it was too late."

"How could you have known when I didn't tell you about it. I kept a lot of secrets from you, I never told you the entire story about what happened at the manor."

"Were you afraid that I would not accept your child, because Draco was the father? Did you really think so little of me?"

"No… Well, thinking back, I was a little afraid of that… I was afraid that it would cause a stir; that people were going to judge me and take it out on my child. And not without reason. Ron reacted rather badly, as did Molly. She sent me a howler the morning after my row with Ron, did you know that?"

"I know and I'm so sorry. You told me about it in a letter. But I would never have abandoned you, not matter what. You were always like a sister to me. I would have defended you, the way you always defended me at Hogwarts. We could have been strong together."

"We've kept too many secrets from one another. And look where it got us…"

They were both quiet for a while. None of them mentioned Ron, even though he was the giant elephant in the room.

"Do you think we can ever be friends again?"

"I hope so. I never considered myself anything less than your friend, even when you left everyone behind. And I'm even willing to suffer the presence of your ferrety boyfriend on a regular basis," he said with a wry smile and added more quietly. "But if you ever leave me like this again, I don't think my heart will recover."

"I am sorry for acting cowardly. I promise that I will stay for good from now on. No more hiding in the Muggle World."

Harry's lips curled into a small smile as he took the hand of his old friend. Hermione felt physically and emotionally spent, yet also relieved, and she quickly drifted into sleep once more, a heavy burden off her chest, while her old friend kept vigil.

(*)

When she woke up a couple of hours later, Draco was sitting next to her again. He was freshly shaved but looked exhausted.

"Draco," she breathed. "You need to rest. When did you last sleep?"

"I shall rest when you're feeling better. Besides, there someone here who wants to see you very badly."

"Lyra!"

"Exactly."

"Narcissa has done everything in her power to keep the girl busy, but now she really wants her mama."

"Oh... Good."

"I'm sorry. I know you wanted to wait a bit until you introduced Lyra to the wizarding world, but I just had to find somewhere safe for her to be, while I went searching for you, and the Shell Cottage was the first place that came to mind. And as you probably know, Charlie and Narcissa spend a great amount of time there when they're back home. I hope you can live with that."

She reached for him. "You took good care of our daughter. Thank you."

He smiled softly and reached for his phone.

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. "Don't tell me that Narcissa Malfoy has a mobile phone too!"

"How else would I reach her this fast? As you probably remember, I'm pants at creating patronuses. The patronus I made when I found you, was the one exception to the rule."

She shook her head. Much had changed. Much indeed. It might not be so bad to return to the wizarding world, when one of the most bigoted pure blood families had ended up embracing muggle technology.

In less than five minutes, the door opened and what entered was a sight for sore eyes. Lyra barged through the door, wearing a tiara and lots of other decorative items, followed by her regal grandmother and two house-elves carrying bags and parcels.

The little girl rushed towards her mother, and Draco barely managed to catch her before she jumped into the bed.

"Careful, little one!" he said tenderly, caressing her curls. "Your mother needs to heal before she can play with you. But you can hold her hand and kiss her cheek."

Hermione, who had been bracing herself for the impact, sighed with relief.

"Oh. Sorry! I did not mean to hurt you mommy," Lyra said, as the wizard lowered her onto the floor. She looked as if she were about to cry.

"I know that, pumpkin," Hermione said softly reaching for her hand. "You can sit beside me on the bed if you are very careful."

She nodded with a serious expression and Draco placed her next to her mother.

"Such fine things you're wearing! Where did you get them," Hermione asked, tracing the tiara and the many colourful barrettes and bobby pins with her fingers.

"Granny bought them for me."

"How lucky you are. Did you say thanks to grandma for all the nice things?"

"Thank you, grandma," the girl said blushing.

Draco turned towards Narcissa and narrowed his eyes:

"Sweet Salazar. I leave you two alone in Diagon Alley for half an hour and then you manage to buy her the entire street."

Narcissa was wringing her hands anxiously. "It was just a few things that she really wanted. She' a real Malfoy, she loves beautiful and expensive things."

"Mother! You shouldn't spoil her like that," he chided.

"But she looks so lovely in her little dresses, and she really wanted this tiara. I had to buy it, or else she would have thrown a tantrum."

Draco huffed. "And people wonder why I became such a bloody prat as a child."

In all honesty, Hermione did not like the Malfoy matriarch, and that would probably never change. Narcissa had paid a large prize for supporting her late husband's Death Eater ambitions, yet she found it difficult to forgive her for what happened at the manor right under her nose. However, it was obvious that Draco's mother really adored her newfound grandchild. And Lyra needed family, she needed a grandmother, someone who would dote on her.

"It's alright Draco. Just let them get to know one another. Being spoiled occasionally doesn't harm her…"

They stayed for some time, while Lyra talked non-stop about the things she had experienced and all her new friends. Draco watched her closely, and the very second a yawn escaped her, he sent Lyra and his mother back to the Shell Cottage.

(*)

Jill visited on a regular basis, as did many of her old friends came by. Even Molly Weasley showed up one day, which was extremely awkward. But Hermione chose to see it as a peace offering.

On one of her last days at St. Mungo's, Elena came to visit. The witch looked just as gorgeous as last time, with her shining black hair and her slender form. Compared to her, Hermione felt like garbage with her frizzly hair and her dull, greasy skin. She had been bedridden for too long and knew she had a long rehabilitation before her.

"I'm Elena. I don't know if you remember me, I'm Draco's roommate." The witch handed her a bottle. "Here. This greenie is filled with vitamins and will help you heal."

Hermione eyed the greenish liquid with suspicion. "Sure, thanks," she replied, as she placed the bottle on the table next to her. "I do remember you, Elena."

"I'm sorry about the misunderstanding. Draco and I have never really been a couple. We tried once years ago, but it did not work out because he was in love with someone else.

"Oh." Hermione's face fell.

"For Merlin's sake, it was you. He was in love with you already back then. But anyway, that was not what I came here to talk about. I want to talk about Ronald Weasley. I'm his healer."

Images flashed before her eyes, distorted like a Picasso painting. The eerie bloodshot eyes of her former friend and lover. A haunted mansion. Nausea and pain. Loss of control. Her throat constricted, it was as if she could not get enough air into her lungs, she could not breathe properly.

"I'm sorry, I just can't discuss it right now, I'm not strong enough," she whispered, as dark spots started to appear in her field of vision.

"Easy now." Elena flicked her wand and Hermione was immediately able to breathe freely again.

"What did you do to me?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Nothing hurtful. I'm a healer, remember. You started to show symptoms of an anxiety attack, so I just created a calming wave. It's like a calming draft but wears of way faster. I just wanted to break the cycle of hyperventilation."

"Okay, the next time you decide to cast a spell on me, could you please wait for my consent."

A flush crept up the witch's face. "Sorry. It's just that I could tell that you were hurting, and I reacted by instinct."

The raven-haired woman seemed genuinely remorseful, and Hermione felt bad. There was something about Elena that just pushed all her buttons. Not that the witch could help it, to be honest it was probably a combination of jealousy and an inferiority complex.

"Thanks. It did help. But I still prefer to know in advance what's being done to me."

"Fair enough." The other woman conjured a chair and seated herself. "Mr. Weasley gave me permission to tell you about his condition. I think you should hear me out, though. It will make you feel a lot safer."

"If you insist," Hermione sighed.

Elena straightened her back, and her voice became lecturing:

"In the rare occasion that a beam from an avada, an imperio and a crucio collide, a small crystal of dark-glass is created, which is flung away forcefully like a projectile. When it hits someone, it moves towards the heart, burying itself deep inside the muscle, from where it slowly poisons the unfortunate person. It's a slow acting curse, but untreated it will always be fatal. Ronald Weasley was close to the end stage. He was mere seconds from dying, but we managed to remove the dark-glass at the last possible moment."

"This is horrible," Hermione gasped.

"The curse causes a volatile temper, paranoia and delusions of grandeur. This becomes more pronounced towards the end stage, where the sense of reality is impaired. Furthermore, towards the end, there are physical symptoms such as tremors, cramps, and magical instability. The shard of glass in his heart has poisoned his mind and body ever since the war. He wasn't in his right mind."

"But why are you telling me this?"

"I've spent a great deal of time with Mr. Weasley lately, and he's not a bad person."

She sighed. "I know that… I knew him as a child. The way he changed… I never suspected he'd been cursed. I always thought it was the war taking its toll on him. Like it did on all of us."

"He's cured now, you have nothing to fear from him any longer. That's what I wanted to tell you."

Hermione nodded.

"But I worry about his mental health. He's having a hard time coming to terms with the damage he's done. And sometimes, when the guilt becomes too much, I fear for his life. Though on rare occasions, when he forgets himself, it turns out that he is a warm and caring man with a great sense of humor."

Pain gripped her chest. Against her will she felt sorry for Ron. Sorry for the little boy she remembered from Hogwarts with the hand-me-down clothes, always overshadowed by his older brothers. And yet he was always fiercely loyal and brave. Little did he know back then the amount of suffering he would have to endure.

Closing her eyes to prevent tears from escaping, she said: "I might be able to forgive him some day, but I don't think we can ever be friends again."

Elena nodded. "He does not expect that, he only wanted you to know how deeply sorry he is and ask for your forgiveness. I'm bringing him home with me to Romania. That is, unless you want to press charges against him…"

"I won't do that, as long as I know I have nothing to fear," she said softly.

"Good. And thank you. It will be good for him to spend some time with his brother Charlie. He needs a fresh start; he's burned too many bridges here."

The other woman stood up again, preparing to leave. "I just thought you should know this."

"Thank you! For telling me. And for taking good care of Ron. You're a great healer."